When Alex Rossi & Root City came to Austin last September with the Caravan Du Nord, the group’s performances received rave reviews that left many people calling for the group to return to Austin.

Now Alex Rossi & Root City are taking to an even bigger stage to perform in the Dick Schindler Celebration Concert on Aug. 22 during the Austin ArtWorks Festival, and the Minneapolis soul/blues natives will share top billing with Marty O’Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra.

Rossi is excited to come down after a positive experience at the Paramount Theatre last year.

“I had such a good time and fun experience when we were down there,” he said. “It was a really exciting time.”

 A time of change

Root City dates to when Rossi was in high school, but the band started as Blue Smoke. Eventually, they realized the name was trademarked and quickly changed the name to Root City.

The Austin ArtWorks show will come at the end of a series of travel for concerts, private gigs and events, and it will fall on Rossi’s 33rd birthday.

The current Root City lineup has been together for several years, with the newest member dating back about seven years. But the ArtWorks show will come ahead of a period of transition for the group.

Root City will end its weekly Root City Wednesday gig at Glueck’s Restaurant and Bar in Minneapolis on Sept. 9 after a run just shy of 12 years. That comes as the lineup is getting ready to go their separate ways as some of the members are moving and focused on other things.

“It’s just getting too hard to force it, because everybody has so many other priorities,” Rossi said.

But Rossi, having no intentions to slow his musical career, is excited to play in Austin and is already looking forward to what’s next. He’s been working with Sonny Thompson — also known as Sonny T., the bassist for Prince’s backing band The New Power Generation and a member of Nick Jonas and the Administration.

“It’s bittersweet because at the same time as Root Cit’s ramping up to take kind of an open ended break, I’m also starting the new roots, as it were, with some of these musicians I’ve looked up to,” Rossi said.

The change comes as some members are moving or are focused on family, and Rossi said he’s looking at it as a positive. Other members are focused on the side project Rhythmic Circus, a band Rossi has also performed with.

“Things will be what they will be, and I think it’s all positive in the end,” Rossi said. “I think we’re all going to find whatever we need to find. it’s going to give us the time to all do that on our own.”

 Moving forward

Rossi’s next focus will be on recording. While he’s going to release some old unreleased recordings, his main focus will be on releasing new music.

“I really want to just release a record of the new stuff that’s more accurate to kind of who I am now and who I’ve been the last few years,” Rossi said.

Rossi isn’t sure the “Root City EP” necessarily captures the music he’s playing and writing now, which he described as more funk, R&B and dance oriented with a little less rock.

“There’s a lot of Minneapolis sound to my music that doesn’t come out until we’re playing live,” Rossi said.

Rossi got clean and sober about five years ago, which has come across in his more recent songs. But traveling, shows and work with Rhythmic Circus has kept him from releasing the newer stuff he’s been writing.

“It’s scary, but it’s also really exciting to think that I’m finally be putting some of these newer Ideas out,” Rossi said.

Rossi said his new stuff may be a bit closer to his past album, “Fast Hennepin.”

Rossi takes inspiration from a variety of musical sources, but a lot can be traced back to Jimi Hendrix, whom he said opened him up to the raw honest of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll.

But Rossi also takes inspiration in many blues, hip-hop and soul artists. Though Rossi’s own music is primarily based in rock, funk and bluesy soul, he said he bounces around.

“I can write a country song and a hip-hop song in the same day,” he said.

But that’s not always an easy thing for the industry to accept, as Rossi said he’s struggled with labels because of his varied background.

“I’m not one thing,” he said. “I’m not a guitar player, I’m not a singer, I’m not pop, I’m not blues. So far I’ve been uncoachable and uncategorazied, but I think it’s just time to embrace it and say that’s who I am, and we’ll just see what the next couple projects come out as.”

Rossi is also notorious for playing songs different ways, and the band will release an album, and Ross already is playing alternate versions of the music. He said he may stay away from that, but maybe not.

“I’m really excited for the future,” he said.

 Coming back to Austin

Rossi reiterated he enjoyed Austin and is looking forward to coming to a town where they don’t necessarily need to introduce the band’s music since the Paramount show served as the band’s introduction to town.

“We had a blast at the Paramount when I was down there,” Rossi said.

And despite the changes in the future, Rossi is excited for whatever is next in his musical journey.

“It’s kind of a new chapter, and I really want people to understand that it’s still what I love and it’s still what I think I’m here on this earth to do,” Rossi said.