While you might have been too young to experience Woodstock—or perhaps non-existent—there's no excuse not to hit up Rudystock. This weekend, starting this afternoon, nearly 40 musical acts will partake in three days of "peace and music" at Rudy's Pub in Lake Worth for the mini music festival's fourth installment.
Mary Sisoian opened Rudy's Pub as a tribute to her late mother in 2012.
"My mom was a wonderful opera singer, and we always talked about opening a little pub together with music," says Sisoian. "When she got in a car accident and passed away, I opened Rudy's Pub to distract myself from that traumatic incident in my life."
But Sisoian's mother wasn't Rudy.
"No, Rudy is a little red cardinal who lived in my mom's backyard—that's now my backyard. That bird was there every day with his girlfriends, and yes, he has more than one."
After visiting the musical festival organized by her niece in New Braunfels, Texas, called Guada Jam, Sisoian decided she wanted to do something similar at her own tavern. The first Rudystock celebrated Rudy's Pub's first anniversary, but the event grew so popular she decided to host two Rudystocks this year.
"Musicians love playing here because it's small, but intimate. The audience is right on top of you, so they see the performer's personality," Sisoian says. "Even when it's packed, you can hear a pin drop, since the audience is so tuned into the music. It's a very generous, appreciative crowd, and with Rudystock, the musicians get to meet each other, hang around, and watch each other play.""Even when it's packed, you can hear a pin drop."
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While Rudystock is heavy on Americana, Sisoian is hesitant to typecast the festival to one genre.
"It's an eclectic group of music. Manuel de la Cruz plays in Spanish. I'm not even sure if he speaks one word of English," she says.
Some of Sisoian's other favorites include David Goodman and Daniel Lombardi, who will be opening up the festivities today at 2:15 p.m.. Cannon and Cohen, who she says are "a little bit country," play Saturday night at 7:15, and Smiley Tunehead will be closing things down with their set Sunday night at 8:45.
It's a line-up Sisoian thinks would have made her mom proud.
Rudy stock IV with David Goodman, Daniel Lombardi Cannon and Cohen, Smiley Tunehead, and more. 2 p.m., Friday, October 9 to 10 p.m., Sunday, October 11 at Rudy's Pub, 9 N J St, Lake Worth 33460. Admission is free. For more information and set times, visit Facebook.
