By Doug Norris/Arts & Living Editor

CHARLESTOWN - Rhythm & Roots, the R.I. festival with a mostly Cajun twang, offers three days of music, food and dance - hot sauce included.

With a growing reputation around the country, the 6th annual festival attracts some of the best traditional and contemporary music acts in the nation to Rhode Island's South Shore, for a weekend of nonstop feasting and hip-shaking to the blues, zydeco, Cajun, swing, rockabilly and other roots music.

"I like to call it a big party," said Ellen Giurleo, publicist for the Rhythm & Roots Festival. "Between the music, the food, the dance tent, storytellers, Mardi Gras mask-making, Q&A workshops with the artists, and playgrounds and swimming areas on site, there's something for everybody."

In the Cajun/zydeco tradition, Giurleo said, roots music its dance music.

"The evening dance was called the fais do do," she said. "That's a phrase that basically means, 'Put the kids to sleep.' They didn't have dance halls back then, so basically they'd use their house, clear out the floor, move the furniture, send the kids to bed . . . then they'd dance and play music all night long."

Other roots music, like the blues, Giurleo defines as music that's played in the traditional style, or music that is influenced by original folk sources. The advantage of the R&R Fest, she said, is the "eclectic array of musicians" on hand, showing off old-school and new-school varieties of the genre.

"You've got 22-year-olds like Chris Ardoin, who's really one of the hot up-and-coming zydeco players around, and Jackie Greene, who last year was playing at open mike nights and this year is performing in major festivals," said Giurleo. "And then there's people like Chris's father, Lawrence, who these days mostly manages Chris's career. But this year he's part of a band called Creole Tradition, playing what used to be called 'French music,' that was pre-zydeco Creole music. So it's a blend of the traditional and the contemporary."

The festival features four stages of alternating music. There's an all-day dance tent with lessons in Cajun, zydeco and swing; a family stage with children's activities, including storytelling and crafts; a workshop stage with demonstrations and question-and-answer sessions with performers; and a main stage with headlining acts and an accompanying outdoor dance floor.

Food and craft vendors are on site, along with camping and swimming facilities.

Friday's session will run from 5 p.m. to midnight. Saturday and Sunday both will last from noon to midnight.

Ticket prices include: three-day passes with camping, $120; three-day passes, no camping, $85; Friday, $25; Saturday or Sunday, $35. Seniors will get $5 discount at the gate. Children age 12 and younger will be admitted free.

For more information, call (888) 855-6940 or log on to www.rhythmandroots.com.

The bands

Chris Ardoin & Double Clutchin': Since picking up an accordion at age 4, Ardoin has worked steadily to become one of the greatest zydeco players of his era. Born into a famous Creole musical dynasty, he is the grandson of the legendary accordion player Bois Sec Ardoin, whose cousin, Amede Ardoin, was a central figure in the development of both Creole and Cajun music. Accompanied by his band, Double Clutchin', Ardoin released his fourth CD - titled "Chris Ardoin" - last year, with all songs written by him. Performing Friday and Saturday.

Marcia Ball: Praised for her raucous, piano-based Dixie R&B, Ball has generated fans with powerful live performances and passionate songs. Her collaboration CD with Tracy nelson and Irma Thomas ("Sing It") was nominated for both a Grammy and W.C. Handy Blues Award. She also received the Handy for Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year in 1998 and has appeared in the national public television special, "Performance at the White House," with B.B. King and Della Reese. Her new CD, "So Many Rivers," was just released by Alligator Records. Performing Saturday.

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys: A popular roots band since its formation in 1987, Big Sandy combines rockabilly, western swing and hillbilly boogie sounds. It has a new CD, "It's Time," from Yep Roc Records. The Boys to Ninigret fresh from a tour of Australia. Performing Sunday.

Bluegrass Intentions: Composed of five veteran bluegrass musicians, the band was inspired by musical heroes such as Bill Monroe, the Osborne Brothers, the Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs. This band of high-energy, old-school bluegrass will please the most hard-line traditionalist. Its debut CD, "Old as Dirt," was released last year. Performing Friday.

Brave Combo: Grammy Award-winners for the 1999 album "Polkasonic," Brave Combo specializes in a unique brand of domestic and exotic dance rhythms. Growing out of the members' love and affinity for the polka sounds of Europe and America, the band's recorded experiments have included everything from Latin American dance tunes to Japanese pop. Its new Rounder Records release, "Box of Ghosts," contains classical tunes infused with the band's own special twist. Performing Friday.

Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans: Cebar has mounted the stage over the past 15 years with a series of stellar musicians known collectively as the Milwaukeeans. While essentially a tight funk/R&B outfit, they borrow from a wide array of musical approaches. Considered one of Wisconsin's premiere cultural exports, the band's music has been described as Caribbean, jazz, R&B whatchamacallit with a world beat sound. Cebar's latest CD is "Such a Much," a mix of reggae, New Orleans-style funk, Latin and Afro-Cuban grooves churned into Cebar's own inventions. Performing Friday.

Creole Tradition: For the first time together in this incarnation, D'Jamla Garnier joins Ed Poullard and Lawrence Ardoin (son of "Bois Sec" and father of Chris and Sean) in Creole Tradition. Having played together with Ed for more than 20 years, Lawrence is coming out of semi-retirement to play this rare pre-zydeco Creole style. D'Jamla (formerly File) is one of the few practitioners of Creole fiddling, which is being pushed aside by today's zydeco. Performing Sunday.

Geno Delafose: He comes to Charlestown with a brand new CD, titled "Everybody's Dancin'," on Times Square Records. With his house-rocking band, French Rockin' Boogie, Geno has created his own rich gumbo of Cajun, zydeco, R&B, country and blues. Performing Sunday.

Donna the Buffalo: Traveling in a 1960 tour bus, the band has mastered the festival circuit, appearing at such prestigious events as the Merle Watson Festival, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Newport Folk Festival. Funky and danceable with a message of tribal philosophy and celebration, Donna the Buffalo's music is a unique blend of reggae, rock, country, zydeco, Cajun and folk traditions. Band members recently collaborated with Jim Lauderdale on his new CD, "Wait 'Till Spring." Jim will appear with the band at Rhythm & Roots. Performing Saturday.

Paul Geremia: For more than 30 years this R.I. native has traveled worldwide, performing on street corners and in concert halls, building a reputation as a first-rate bluesman, songwriter, scholar of early jazz and blues and one of the best country blues fingerpickers ever. Performing Sunday.

The Gourds: This Austin quintet introduced itself with a blend of traditional, bluegrass, Cajun, rock, country-and-western, gospel and folk in the debut album, "Dem's Good Beeble." Their latest, "Cow Fish Fowl or Pig," released last year, catches members at the height of their musical skills with four of the five members playing multiple instruments. Their sound features not only accordion, but mandolin mixed in with electric and acoustic guitars, upright bass and harmonica, plus drums and fiddle. Performing Friday and Saturday.

Jackie Greene: This 22-year-old songwriter is an accomplished musician on acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, piano and Hammond B-3 organ. His second CD, "Gone Wanderin'," was released last November and immediately landed in Rolling Stone's Top 10 Critics' Choice Albums of 2002. Performing Saturday.

Sonny Landreth: Sonny's history includes stints with zydeco champion Clifton Chenier and blues legend John Mayall. His recent reunion as part of John Hiatt's band, The Goners, includes an appearance on the new Hiatt album. His own new solo work, "The Road We're On," also is turning heads. Performing with The Goners on Sunday.

La Bottine Souriante: Known for their mastery of French-Canadian traditions - the name means "The Smiling Boot" - the band formed in Quebec in 1976 and has released 11 albums, earning dozens of awards. Performing Sunday.

Little Feat: One of a number of groups that became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s and are still making music, Little Feat started out as a classic rock band from the Woodstock generation. Over the years artists like Oleta Adams and Garth Brooks covered their songs. The band recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its live album, "Waiting for Columbus." A new double live album, "Down Upon the Suwannee River," was released this month. Performing Sunday.

Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys: Perennial favorites of the Rhythm & Roots Festival and frequent hosts, the band has evolved from championing its traditional Cajun roots to being daring innovators of south Louisiana music. It has seven feature albums to its credit and has been recorded in the feature film "The Apostle," on television in PBS's "Great Performances" and in an appearance on the ABC Fourth of July special with Peter Jennings. Performing all three days.

Solas: Led by Seamus Egan, Solas is considered by many critics to be the most exciting traditional Irish group in the world. Songs by contemporary artists are given a Celtic twinge, as they dig deep into the Celtic roots of American music. Artists covered by Solas include Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Nick Drake and Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods. Performing Saturday.

Andre Thierry: Another 22-year-old southwest Louisiana sensation, Thierry comes out of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, where he has been a fixture at dance clubs since his early teens. Already a zydeco master, he can frequently be heard pinballing between three octaves on one song. His first CD is "It's About Time." Performing with Zydeco Magic Friday and Saturday.