Flyer courtesy of the McCracken County Public Library
PADUCAH — Grab a chair, a blanket and a friend, and head down to the McCracken County Public Library Garden to celebrate Paducah's river heritage on Sept. 8.
As part of the library's ongoing Evening Upstairs series, local band The Wheelhouse Rousters will be performing live at the garden, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The Wheelhouse Rousters say their name and musical style was not only influenced by the river and its industry, but also by their ebb and flow of energy. They say they primarily focus on "roustabout" music of the Ohio River Valley collected by Mary Wheeler, hoping to share the sounds of America's inland waterways.
The Wheelhouse Rousters have performed on the Delta Queen, Queen of the Mississippi, America River Barge Explorer, Belle of Louisville and the Spirit of Peoria. They were featured at the Belle of Lousiville's Centennial Festival of Riverboats. They've performed at numerous festivals as well, bringing a bit of history with them wherever they go.
According to their website, their first album, "Steamboatin'" was performed in the Historic River Discovery Center in downtown Paducah. The album's 12 songs were collected by the late musicologist Mary Wheeler, a Paducah musicologist who defied her upbringing to author two 1930s books: "Kentucky Mountain Folk Songs" and "Roustabout Songs: A Collection of Ohio River Valley Songs."
Their second album, "Times of Uncertainty," was recorded live at the historic Hotel Metropolitan over a period of three days.
Their third and most recent album, "River Folk," was recorded at Paducah music studio, Time on the String.
