A Visit to Danby Four Corners Store - Danby, VT

If you attend bluegrass festivals in New England or New York, you’ve probably seen a black trailer and awning setup along vendor’s row saying Danby Four Corners Store, Danby, VT. Under the awning you might find Linda Ralph or her husband Harry (Butch) selling a variety of gear. If you look further, you’d find an assortment of very high quality Martin and Gibson bluegrass guitars, banjos, and mandolins. Sometimes, especially if they have plenty of space, you’ll also see musicians stopping in to play their instruments or spreading out to jam with the Ralphs. Perhaps Eric Gibson or some other touring musician will be sitting in. Their son, Harry Ralph, Jr., is likely to be there, especially if Cabin Fever, for whom he plays fiddle and sometimes mandolin, is on the bill. Sometimes the Ralph’s band, Family and Friends, is part of the lineup so you can see this actively involved bluegrass family on stage presenting classic country songs as well as Linda’s own pleasant and accessible compositions. You may have stopped at the Ralph’s booth for a chat, to buy some strings, a capo, some picks, or a tab book. Chances are, however, that you never took the next step and travelled through rural Vermont to visit the Danby Four Corners Store. We had been talking to Linda for a couple of years about coming to the store to look at a Martin guitar for our son, but we don’t think she really believed we would ever appear.

On a sunny, clear late August Monday morning, we arranged to meet Alex at Danby Four Corners Store. We drove east from Glens Falls, NY through the lovely rolling countryside with corn ripening in the fields. The verdant Green Mountains rose in the background. We crossed into Vermont at Granville in the Slate Valley. At Pawlet we found the Pawlet – Danby Road as the hills became steeper and the road narrower. Farms and country homes dotted the landscape as the timber covered mountains provided the typical Vermont scenic wonder, a sense that around each corner some professional landscaper has arranged for a picture postcard view to be placed for your pleasure alone. In a few weeks these hills will be alive with autumn colors and leaf peepers from the city and arriving in RVs from the South, but today the road was quiet and practically empty. We come to a corner intersection with Tinmouth Road just past a riding stable and there stands a small, white frame building housing the Danby Four Corners Store. A sign on the side of the building says “Martin Guitars and Gibson banjos, mandolins, dobros Sold Here.”

As we walk into the store, Linda recognizes us and says that Alex is already in the backroom playing the Martin D18 Golden Era model we had wanted him to try. Danby Four Corners Store, like many country stores, stocks a little bit of everything. The nearest supermarket is probably in Manchester, VT, an important tourist center, about fifteen miles down the road. There’s a single gas pump offering regular gasoline outside, easily blocked by the limited number of parking spaces available. Inside the double door, necessitated by the harsh winters in this part of the world, is a cramped jumble of groceries, soda coolers, boots for sale, sunglasses, bug dope, chips, candy, beer and cigarettes presided over by the busy, but smiling Linda Ralph. A few inexpensive instruments hang high on the walls. But walk through the narrow aisles into the cluttered back room and a new world is revealed.

There’s a leather office chair, a computer, a boxed snack cake available for employees, stacks of bills, letters, and papers, and, hanging from the walls, placed on stands, and in cases everywhere – acoustic instruments. A big doghouse bass fiddle stands just inside the door. Turn right and there are instrument straps, boxes of strings, racks of tab and instructional books and, sitting in the midst of all this, our son Alex strumming a guitar, a blissful smile beginning to suffuse his face. He strums and picks – Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Doc Watson. Irene sings harmony to his lead. I pick up an Earl Scruggs model Gibson banjo, but it’s too loud for him to be able to hear the instrument he’s playing. Linda suggests he try the standard model D18 and takes about a minute for us each to recognize the difference between the two instruments. Alex returns to the Golden Era. He’s beginning to nod and we quickly settle with Linda on a price. Irene writes a check. Linda sweetens the deal with some t-shirts, strings, and a humidifier which nearly makes up for the VT sales tax. She talks to Alex about ways to care for his new instrument. Butch installs the hardware for a strap and Linda throws in a leather guitar strap and we head for the door.

We go outside the store and Alex puts his new instrument in the back seat of his Volvo, neglecting to tighten the seatbelt, then opens the window to keep it from getting too hot. As we lean on the back of our truck, not kicking the tires, a load of wood on a truck passes by and a voice yells out, “Hey Alex, getting a guitar?” Vermont is really a small state. We chat and the big revelation comes out. “I’ve been listening to Bluegrass Junction [XM radio, channel 14] and it suddenly hit me. I see all these connections to Americana and roots music. I’m beginning to find all kinds of things I like about the music. I’m sorry the two of you didn’t bring your instruments.” Could there be a more wonderful day?

Linda and Butch Ralph
and Grandson Zachary

Upper Hudson BGF - Review and Pics

The Upper Hudson Bluegrass Festival held its fourth annual event on the grounds of the Ski Bowl Park in North Creek, NY from August 24 - 26 this year. We attended the Saturday session. The grounds are quite appropriate for a festival with plenty of space for RVers as well as a covered pavilion providing shade, flush toilets (a happy addition to any festival), and room for plenty of day parking. Promoter Rusty Leigh drew together two national touring bands as well as a solid assortment of local and regional bands, highlighted by Jr. Barber and brother-sister
duo Julie Hogan and Tom Venne. Barber, a master Dobro player adds depth to the solid harmonies and instrumental work of Venne and Hogan who sang and played their own work as well as classic country and bluegrass covers. This band, known at Beartracks is always entertaining and energetic.

Beartracks on Stage

Smokey Greene, who, over fifty years has become an institution at New York and New England as well as Florida festivals is making noises about retiring, but it's difficult to imagine this seventy-seven year old trooper not being on stage singing his own humorous and serious compostions as well as tributes to Ernest Tubbs and other country artists.

Smokey Greene

Gold Wing Express was one of the two featured touring bands. This band, which makes its permanent home in Branson, MO has not been one of my favorites, but yesterday I found myself really getting into their comedy and their instrumental work is generally quite good, although father Bob Baldridge is only a mediocre mandolin player. The interplay and affectionate banter between the curly haired blonde father and his three Indian sons is amusing and usually a crowd favorite. Their first set was interrupted by a booming thunderstorm, which they endured good naturedly, and their second set, under a clear sky, was more than well received. Our friend Connie loved them. This group has come up with an interesting way of marketing their merchandise. They invite people to come to tour their bus and "shake and howdy" as well as buy merchandise on the bus. They comment that many people have asked about travelling in they bust, so they want fans to see what it's like. It's pretty hard to go into someone's home for a tour without then purchasing at least a CD.

Bob Baldridge

Shawn David

Paul David

Stephen Joseph

The Gibson Brothers, viewed as a local band by many Adironackers even though their national reputation is growing exponentially, drew everyone to the performance venue and provided one of their best sets this year. Junior Barber had been a member of this band in their early years and sat in with them for a good portion of their evening set. The Gibsons are headed for the studio to record a new CD this autumn and have been previewing new material as well as playing their performing music their fans know and love. "Tennessee Blues" offers mandolinist Rick Hayes an opportunity to shine using a new mandolin he has built. Hayes has improved measurably in the past three years and does a fine job on this tune as well as his regular play with the band. Members of this band are never satisfied with their work and continue to work to improve an already fine product with each performance. They have played on both coasts as well as in the midwest this year and will be appearing at several Florida festivals this winter. They're well worth making an effort to see.

Eric Gibson

Leigh Gibson

Mike Barber

Clayton Campbell

Rick Hayes

Promoter Rusty Leigh

Sketches of Sam Bush by Speedy Arnold

George (Speedy) Arnold plays guitar and sings for the bluegrass band Three Doug Knight, which appears at local bluegrass festivals in the Adirondack region of New York State. The band is most enjoyable and we’ve heard them play several times this summer. Last week, at the Otis Mtn. Festival, I learned that Speedy Arnold also illustrates children’s books. Later I saw him sketching during the Sam Bush set. As with many able and talented people who live in the Adirondacks, Speedy does a variety of things to keep body and soul together. He serves as a school bus driver in the Ausable Valley Central School District, owns and operates Arnold’s Grocery and Likker Lokker in Keeseville, NY and serves as assessor for the Town of Ausable. Information about his illustrations can be found here.

Here are two sketches Speedy did during Sam’s set.

You can contact him about others.

Fiasco by Thomas E. Ricks

Reading Fiasco has elicited a mixed reaction from me, but overall, my disgust (looking for a strong enough word without lapsing into distasteful) with the administration of the war in Iraq and in our own country has grown to almost unspeakable levels. At the same time, while the picture is somewhat more mixed, my admiration for our professional military has grown immensely. The picture Ricks paints is of a military that, while prone to enormous error and hubris, nevertheless takes self-criticism and analysis more seriously than almost any other segment of our society and then uses this analysis to improve the way it approaches solving the problems facing it. His account of Lessons Learned by the Army and Marine Corps both through on the ground reports, blogs, e-mails, and articles by serving soldiers and the official and semi-official research conducted by analysts within the services shows organizations oriented to seeking not to make the same mistakes twice while at the same time prone to fight the previous war and fall into earlier failed practices because of their native (small c) conservatism.

As in any well told story, Fiasco has its share of heroes, villains, and goats. The villains are generally people on the political side of the equation who trumped up a war using false pretenses and faulty rationales to eliminate a regime without giving any thought to how difficult the rebuilding job would be. As expected, the initial military enterprise was apparently successful, although the seeds it planted led inevitably, considering the administration’s lack of vision, to the morass we now find ourselves in. The people who emerge as most responsible are the usual suspects: Bush, Rumsfeld, Bremer, and Sanchez. They either failed to provide the planning and resources necessary for success or set examples of lack of respect and sloppy analysis which set an example for those down the chain of command.

The goats emerge as those people either taken in by the administration or so deeply immersed in their previous experiences that they could not see the reality on the ground for the ideology in their minds leading to great mistakes. The most prestigious of the goats, although in many ways a minor player in this narrative, is Colin Powel, who wasted his immense prestige and moral force when he went before the United Nations and gave a speech he only later learned was a lie. Another goat is General Raymond Odierno, commander of the 1^st Infantry Division, whose heavy handed, aggressive handling of Iraqi people helped energize and strengthen the insurgency that developed and still devils us. His influence for error overcame any good that might have been accomplished by his unit’s capture of Saddam Hussein. Nevertheless, he shows the capacity to learn new approaches as indicated by his present position as General David Patreus’ chief deputy.

The heroes tend to be two types of people. First are the people who see most closely the daily effects of the war on themselves and the Iraqi people. These people are thoughtful non-commissioned officers and middle management young officers, often graduates of West Point. They bring insight and intelligence to their experience, learning from their mistakes and striving to make those up the chain of command aware of the realities of their daily existence. The other category of hero includes senior officers who served in Vietnam or the Gulf War and then went on to a range of command and staff positions while studying for advanced degrees at the nation’s best universities. These officers, including men like Generals Anthony Zinni and David Patreus, bring an academic expertise grounded in combat experience to their analysis. These people have become experts in the nature and practice of counter insurgency warfare and see ways to apply its principles in the current conflict. When given command in tactical areas, they succeed. When given higher responsibilities for the strategic conduct of the war, they eventually achieve a level of influence that affects the highest levels conducting the war. The largest remaining question is whether they have been given such responsibility too late to have the desired effect.

Through his use of precise details of both successes and failures in the field, Ricks makes clear what no other reporting I’ve read has. In example after example he demonstrates how political concerns negated effective military action or efforts to establish relations with the Iraqi people. Military officers, having learned in places like Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia how to interact with and influence an insurgency, were prohibited from doing exactly those things that would have worked toward stated US strategy in order to achieve short term tactical goals or tamp down growing disenchantment at home by seeming to be attacking the problem while actually losing ground that had been gained.

Ricks demonstrates that much of the failure we have encountered in Iraq is a direct result of the failure of leadership from the top of the chain of command. From daily encounters with ordinary Iraqis to the shame of Abu Ghraib, officials in both the civilian and military structure have closed their eyes to the truth, denied facts presented to them, covered their errors by shading the truth or lying directly to the people and to Congress, and refusing to undertake the sort of thoughtful analysis that might have led to a different outcome. At every stage from the run-up to the war until the present day, the inconvenient analyses of responsible people within the structure have been ignored. Many who spoke and wrote the truth have seen their careers fall in tatters around them or have left military and government service in disgust or disillusionment over their inability to be heard. Perhaps the most thoughtful and insightful analysis on these issues has come from middle management military personnel writing on web sites designed to assist fellow officers in adopting effective practices on the ground in the streets of Iraq. Until the appointment of Gen. David Patreus, no American commander has been a specialist in counterinsurgency. Now in charge in Iraq, his presence may provide too little too late. Recent indications are that the administration so fears his upcoming September 2007 report that they seek to blunt it behind the testimony of the secretaries of state and defense. What remains, in the end, is the sense that American policy of containment from 1991 – 2002 was succeeding quite adequately in keeping Iraq powerless and in place. Furthermore, the war in Iraq took our eyes off the ball, which was thrown by Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan and had nothing much to do with Iraq. We will pay for this error in judgment for generations.

Sam Bush and Infamous Stringdusters Lead at Otis Mtn..

Saturday evening August 18th at the Otis Mountain Music Festival in Elizabethtown, NY was cool and clear, but neither the fans nor the bands felt cold as the Sam Bush Band and the Infamous Stringdusters heated up the night. Promoter Jeff Allot has worked hard to make this small festival in the rugged Adirondack Mountains a success. In bringing one of the great bands of bluegrass history as well as one of the hottest young bands on the circuit together for a day, Allot scored a huge artistic success. Whether this proves to be a financial success and allows him to continue this great festival remains to be seen, but this festival deserves support and encouragement. I’ll write a longer appraisal of the two day even later in the week. For now, here’s a set of highlight pictures.

New England Bluegrass Band

Infamous Stringdusters

Andy Hall

Chris Eldridge

Jeremy Garrett

Chris Pandolfi

Jesse Cobb and Travis Book

Travis Book


Sam Bush Band


Sam Bush Workshop


Sam Bush Band

Scott Vestal

Byron House

Sam Bush

Sam and Jesse Jam

Bush Band and Stringdusters Jam

Promoter Jeff Allot

The closing jam provided one of those thrilling moments that may only happen in bluegrass festivals. In the encore, Sam invited the Stringdusters to join him and they jammed for half an hour to the delight of the crowd that whooped it up for more. It was simply a great night. The New England Bluegrass Band, Big Spike, and Three Doug Knight all deserve credit, too, and I'll be posting more later in the week.

Pickin' in the Pasture, Lodi, NY - Preview

Pickin’ in the Pasture will open its gates at noon on Wednesday, August 22 for campers getting ready for this really enjoyable rural festival above the shores of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of central New York. Lodi, New York is a tiny farm town. There are few services and almost no accommodations nearby, so this festival is largely a resident experience for campers who come from throughout the region for four days of great bluegrass performance and high quality, enthusiastic field picking. In the case of this festival, the word “field” should be taken literally. Day trippers come from nearby Rochester, Ithaca, and Syracuse. Promoters Andy and Susan Alexander, along with their son Jesse, operate a sheep farm. Until several days before the festival begins, its grounds are several large sheep pastures. For the festival, the grass is cut and the sweet aroma of mown hay permeates the area. Much of the camping space, particularly closer to the main stage, is not quite level, so first time attendees should bring plenty of material for leveling their rigs. Perched on the side of a hill, the view reaches out across the beautiful Seneca Lake and rural New York. People thinking of New York as paved over have quite a surprise in store for them.

While we won’t be at Pickin’ in the Pasture this year because of a conflict, this is a very well run festival with a strong lineup and plenty more to recommend it. The vendors offer good food as well as fair food. An unusual vendor for a bluegrass festival is a booth selling lamb in several different forms. The Alexanders always offer a strong range of workshops and vendors as well. Local Amish farmers sell fresh produce and baked goods on Thursday through Saturday. Fresh water and ice are available. The chicken barbecue benefits the local fire department. Another interesting event usually held on Saturday morning, features Andy and his Border collie moving 600 sheep from one paddock to another. The skill of the dog and the interplay between master and his canine assistant are fascinating to watch.

All other attractions aside, this festival stands out because it has a good lineup and lots of Pickin. The Lonesome River Band headlines this year’s festival with their appearance on Thursday, offering as strong a kick-off as any festival could wish for. Despite recent changes in personnel, the current band, which we saw twice in Florida last winter, is as strong as anyone could ask for. The return of Brandon Rickman singing lead and playing a hot guitar and the addition of Matt Leadbetter on Dobro gives this band real depth to complement Sammy Shelor’s magnificent banjo work. Andy Ball on mandolin and tenor vocals adds still more depth.

David Davis and the Warrior River Band come to Lodi from Alabama. Their music is very finely honed traditional bluegrass. Davis is a fine Monroe style mandolin player and is ably supported by a very good band. They are only rarely seen at northern bluegrass festivals, so it’s a treat to be able to hear them here. The Steep Canyon Rangers return to Pickin’ in the Pasture after a year highlighted by their being selected as IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year for 2006. This band, which came together as students at the University of North Carolina, presents a selection of their own work in traditional style. Graham Sharpe’s “Just Like Dale” is a talkin’ song that will please any NASCAR fan. Their song “Lovin’ Pretty Women” is the title song of their new CD. Their high energy presentation and first rate musicianship make them a hit at many festivals.

Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys offer an opportunity to see one of the great first generation players whose contributions to mandolin style have complemented the early work of Bill Monroe and added greatly to bluegrass mandolin style. For many years he toured with his late Brother Jim, and well into his seventies, Jesse is still creative on the mandolin and retains a strong voice. Smokey Greene, also well into his seventies, is a fixture at bluegrass festivals in the northeast and in Florida. It would be uncharitable to call his a solo act as his guitar “Ben A. Martin” is very much in evidence. Smokey has written hundred of songs and offers from his own work as well as classic country, folk, and bluegrass selections. The Lewis Family Band has been touring for over fifty years offering their unique form of gospel bluegrass and broad comedy. Little Roy Lewis does not receive sufficient recognition as a great banjo player because of his commitment to gospel and his clowning despite the fact that he’s one of the banjo greats. He performs with his three sisters and nephew Lewis. Sister Polly has been quite ill recently.

Rounding out the touring bands appearing at Pickin’ in the Pasture are Goldwing Express and The Abrams Brothers. These are both family bands, but quite different. Goldwing Express appears regularly in Branson, MO and tours relatively infrequently. The three sons bill themselves as the Indian (Cherokee) sons of a full blooded mother and their blonde, white father. Their act contains a good deal of humor based their ancestry and the supposed dumbness of their dad. Many audiences enjoy both their comedy and their music. The Abrams Brothers, John (16) and James (14) are primarily a gospel band from Ontario, Canada, supported by their father, grandfather, and a cousin as well as a non-family banjo player. They are a developing band who have made an appearance at the Grand Ol’ Opry and whose schedule shows ambitions to become an international band.

Local bands are also an important feature of this festival. The host band is Seneca County Bluegrass, which is led by hosts Andy and Susan Alexander and will perform on the first three days. Their son Jesse will appear on Saturday. The Cabin Fever Band, based in Norwich, NY plays traditional bluegrass and their mandolin player and lead singer was also a member of Smokey Greene’s band for many years. Mike Tirella leads this quality band with humor and energy. James Reams and the Barnstormers appear on Sunday. They’re a traditional bluegrass band. Finally, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass is a regional band on their way to attaining the national reputation they deserve. Several years ago, on the death of his father Bob, Danny Paisley stepped to the front of this excellent band. They play traditional, hard driving bluegrass with skill, speed, and respect for the traditions of the music. This is another first rate band.

Pickin’ in the Pasture runs from August 23-26 in Lodi, NY. Tickets may be ordered from their web site or obtained at the gate.

Lake Champlain Bluegrass Festival - Review

On a sunny Saturday morning we drove north through the Adirondack high peaks and emerged onto the flats of Lake Champlain heading up I-87 to the very edge of New York. A few hundred yards short of the border we turned right and crossed the bridge into Vermont. Soon we saw a mass of huddled RVs in the midst of a large field. We drove in, exchanged our tickets for wrist bands and were carried on a golf cart to the stage area where we set up our chairs and looked around. This sort of service, the golf carts, is typical of the attention to detail and friendly environment of this sixth edition of the Lake Champlain Bluegrass Festival. Because of a dog sitting responsibility, we had missed the great Rhonda Vincent’s performance the night before, but other than missing her, the Saturday lineup offered two great headliners and almost all the other regional and local bands appearing.

This festival, while it takes place in the middle of a field with no appreciable shade, is well laid out, roomy, and people friendly. Promoter Steve Palmer, with the able assistance of Rich Kendall as well as a personable and enthusiastic staff of volunteers has continued to learn as the festival progresses. He will continue to grow as he follows his own advice to listen and respond to the wants and needs of his audience. The grounds are laid out to permit plenty of room for people to select seating while leaving room at the rear for those requiring shade to set up their own shade tents. The RVs for a U shaped corral allowing early arrivers to set up beside or in front of their rigs and watch or listen from a distance. A shade tent for seniors is provided. The Alburgh Fire Department provides food, including chicken barbecue, hot dogs, burgers, and so-on. They also cook breakfast. Other food venders offer ice cream, fancy coffee, and cotton candy. I missed having my fried dough (Once a festival, whether I need it or not!) but didn’t miss the smell of hot grease. All told, the grounds were well managed, roomy, and attractive.

I’ve written quite a bit recently about the strength of local and regional bands. This festival, in addition to headlining The Gibson Brothers, who once were a local band, offered a whole afternoon and early evening of local and regional talent before bringing on The Gibsons and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver for four back-to-back sets ending at midnight. I generally prefer seeing the headliners first in the late afternoon and then having them come back for a set at night, but Steve Palmer was persuasive in saying that the excitement and immediacy of night-time performances as well as the opportunity for more people to show up trump balancing the schedule.

When we arrived the fiddle contest was in progress. The senior division was won by Harry Ralph, Jr. who also played fiddle for The Cabin Fever Band. The fiddle contest was interesting due to the various categories offered and the range of skills. The banjo contest was won by Fred Warner. Bob Degree and the Bluegrass Storm with a solid set. Degree has a good voice and his mandolin player both sings and plays well. Adam Dewey and Crazy Creek followed. Dewey is a solid Monroe style mandolin player with a good voice. He is complemented by Rich Stillman on banjo, a fixture in the New England bluegrass scene. Rich, who played with two bands, participated in two workshops, and stopped to talk about his Kell-Kroyden banjo with anyone who showed an interest, was a constant whirlwind at Arlburg. Adding to the high quality of this band is the very fine fiddle work of young (21) Luke Price who comes from Salt Lake City and is a student at Berklee School of Music in Boston. Joe Singleton on guitar adds a fine tenor voice and strong rhythm guitar (Look for his wife’s photos on flickr where she posts from bluegrass festivals as well as putting up her own art photos.)

Southern Rail followed with their customary mix of southern bluegrass, gospel, and folk influenced work. Jim Muller and his wife Sharon Horovitz provide most of the vocal strength, although all four members sing. Bob Sachs on mandolin and vocals arrives for this Boston-based band’s shows from his home in Charleston, SC. Rich Stillman is a welcome addition with his crisp and technical banjo work. This is a fine band which has deep roots in southern bluegrass while having a New England cast to its work. The Mad Mountain Scramblers were not my favorite band at Lake Champlain, but they did a creditable job on several Peter Rowan covers. The Cabin Fever Band (careful here, there’s also a Bay area band of the same name.) is a is a lively group from central New York, which features traditional bluegrass. Leader Mike Tirella is happily recovering from a heart attack and playing lead guitar. Brian Jiguerre, remembered by many for his years with Smokey Greene sings wonderfully and Harry Ralph, Jr has quite a career ahead of him as a fiddler if he goes for it. James Reams & the Barnstormers followed with a strong set as well as doing a jamming workshop. Yonderhill, from Montreal, impressed with their harmonies as well as the unusual clawhammer banjo work of Teri Joe Rodriguez. While all this sounds like a long afternoon of little known bands, it stands as testimony to the depth of quality music available to New Englanders from their home grown product. Lots of good stuff!

Doyle Lawson’s band Quicksilver is very much in transition these days. Joey Cox has been them for about five weeks on banjo after stints with Blueridge and the Kenny and Amanda Smith band. Alan Johnson, a fine fiddler joined the band back in April after the breakup of Blueridge. His excellent fiddling and resonant bass voice has been well integrated into the band since we last saw them at Merlefest in late April. Carl White on bass will be picking up some of the humor role being lost by the Jamie Dailey’s leaving to form his own band. Because of Lawson’s well-known exacting standards, the band will continue to offer the high quality of performance fans expect. One member of the band said to me, “Four years with Doyle is like getting a Ph.D. in bluegrass and gospel music.” Darren Beachley has moved from bass to rhythm guitar where he provides extremely solid work and a strong voice. The trio remained very tight as Jamie moved to the rear, befitting his eminent exit, during their second set. When Johnson adds his bass voice to the gospel quartet, chills run down your spine.

The Gibson Brothers added two more sets to their record of lighting up bluegrass festivals in New England and New York. Fortunately, the past two or three years have seen their audience widen as they’ve appeared at Winterfest in Yakima, the festival in Argyle, TX and High Mountain Hay Fever in Colorado within the past year. This winter they will be seen at YeeHaw Junction and Palatka in Florida. Their increasing national profile has been helped by lots of satellite radio play, interviews on XM radio, and three number one albums. Not a bad record for a pair of brothers hailing from just south of the Canadian border. In addition to performing two sets, Eric Gibson did a banjo workshop as well as working with brother Leigh to do a song-writing workshop. All this in addition to graciously meeting the hundreds of fans who came to Alburg for their performances is part of what makes them so popular. Beyond their personalities, their musical excellence and distinctive sound always work in their favor. Rick Hayes, playing his own design mandolin contributed his usual solid mandolin play as well as his patented smile, which somehow makes others smile, too. Mike Barber, as always, was strong on the mandolin. This Saturday I particularly was aware of the wonderful contribution Clayton Campbell makes on fiddle, his soaring breaks and strong backup contribute mightily to this rising band. Clayton is also a long-time performer with the Kentucky Opry, where he has performed since he was seven years old. This is a band not to be missed if they perform in your area.

We arrived home tired and happy at about 2:00 AM. I had originally not thought I wanted to go to this festival, but it turns out to have been more than worthwhile, and we’ll surely be there next year.

Dancer

Mike Tirella of Cabin Fever

Luke Price of Crazy Creek

Otis Mountain Music Festival - Preview

The Otis Mountain Music Festival will hold its fifth annual event on August 17^th and 18^th in Elizabethtown, NY along route 9 between the route 73 split and Elizabethtown. This festival has been moving its date and searching for an identity which will sell in this huge rural county within the Adirondack Park in northern New York. It remains to be seen whether scheduling two of the most popular and progressive bluegrass bands in this venue will bring in the crowds needed to make this event pay. I can only hope. In scheduling the great, established Sam Bush Band and the wonderful emerging band The Infamous Stringdusters to appear on Saturday, promoter Jeff Allot is offering a day of the very finest progressive bluegrass that can be found. He is also offering an interesting, if little known, supporting cast ranging from traditional bluegrass to indie/rock that may hit the spot or fail to please.

The setting of the Otis Mountain Festival could not be any more beautiful. The band stand sits at the base of a gentle ski hill which slopes upward and away to form a natural amphitheater. There is plenty of room for people to see the bands and, I understand, an area has been set aside to permit dancing without interfering with viewing and listening. In the past, this festival has featured excellent food venders featuring offerings several cuts above the usual fair food served at bluegrass and music festivals. There is rough camping available and good transportation from the rather remote parking areas and the festival site. Allot has gone to great lengths to make this event one in which there has been extensive community involvement, and, in its 2005 version, succeeded admirably. Last year he changed the date to conflict with another New York State festival, which we chose to attend. This year he has again chosen a new date. I thought the weekend after Labor Day was a great date to hold a festival, but apparently it didn’t draw sufficient crowds, and it was chilly at night. Perhaps finding a regular date and keeping it would be a good way to build the festival audience.

Sam Bush is one of the most important influences in bluegrass music since its invention by Bill Monroe. With the establishment of The New Grass Revival in 1971, bluegrass opened itself to the new sounds coming from Rock and Roll bringing new sounds, rhythms, and themes into the acoustic music Monroe had pioneered and whose influence continues to dominate the genre. In his history of bluegrass, Neil V. Rosenberg points out that the musicians have always been out ahead of the fans of bluegrass music in their willingness to explore new approaches to the music. For more than 35 years, Sam Bush has been in the lead. He has introduced electric instruments and drums to the genre without ever bending it too far from its roots. His mandolin and fiddle playing are extraordinary. His current band, with Scott Vestal on banjo, Byron House on bass, Chris Brown on Drums, and Stephen Mougin on guitar continues in the tradition Bush has established, but the band is really Sam Bush. The list of performers Bush has played with forms a who’s who of bluegrass and country music greats.

While the Sam Bush Band represents the genesis and progress of modern bluegrass music, The Infamous Stringdusters stand for the state of the art. Composed of a group of players, several of whom studied at the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston, this fast rising group has taken the country by storm during the past eighteen months. I have written about their debut album “Fork in the Road” here. They still need to establish a solid record of ongoing accomplishment, but this first recording is better than a good start. Otis Mountain gives listeners one of their last chances to hear and see the original band, as brilliant flat-picking guitarist Chris Eldridge is leaving the band to join Chris Thile. Eldridge represents a link between the past and the future. He’s the son of Ben Eldridge, an original and continuing member of The Seldom Scene, who is acknowledged as a master of innovation on the banjo. Chris Eldridge appears to be in some other world as his wonderful solos and oh-so-solid rhythm guitar contribute mightily to the Stringdusters’ drive and style. Banjo player Chris Pandolfi is the first banjo graduate of the Berklee School of Music, perhaps the premier school for contemporary jazz, rock, and pop musicians today. Jeremy Garrett on fiddle comes from Idaho where he was a member of his father’s band The Grasshoppers, and he studied at South Plains College in Texas, where there is a well-known bluegrass program. Garrett sings lead and plays fiddle. Jesse Cobb, on mandolin, also comes from a family of bluegrass musicians. Andy Hall on Dobro and providing lead vocals is also a graduate of Berklee, where he majored in Music Production and Engineering. Finally, Travis Book, the newest member of the band on bass, comes from Colorado, where he was recognized for his playing as well as his lead singing. This band came together after all its members had moved to Nashville and established themselves with a variety of touring bands as well as studio musicians. Their collaboration grew out of jamming in the rich Nashville scene and his matured as they formed the Stringdusters and have worked to forge a distinctive sound and style. As a band they are still maturing and should provide years of delightful surprises to thoughtful and informed listeners.

As might be expected with two such budget busting bands, the remainder of the lineup emphasizes either bands you haven’t heard of or local/regional bands that don’t have to travel too far or demand too much to appear. This does not, however, mean you won’t find something worth listening to. Big Spike, acting as host band this weekend, comes from Vermont and seeks to recreate the sounds of bluegrass and country music as it existed at about the time bluegrass began to distinguish itself as a sub-genre within the country music rubric. According to their web site “The band aims to recreate a sound that is long gone from country music, a sound closer to the honky-tonk and early bluegrass sound of the 50's than it is to what's played in Nashville today.” They are justly familiar to bluegrass fans around New York and New England.

Similarly, The New England Bluegrass Band, while best known in its namesake region, consists of excellent musicians presenting music in mostly traditional formats. They have recently been joined by Ashleigh Caudill, a new graduate of Berklee School of Music on bass and vocals. Joe Walsh, new mandolin player for the group, is also a student at Berklee. Since the Infamous Stringdusters are on the bill here, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Chris Pandolfi sitting in with the group, too. Lincoln Myers, Ron Cody, and Cecil Abels are long term members of this excellent bluegrass band. All the members have experiences that cross genres and also have considerable range within bluegrass. You can expect first class sets from this band on Saturday.

Three Doug Knight is a local bluegrass band that provides very satisfactory covers of bluegrass standards as well amusing songs written by guitar player Speedy Arnold. They will provide more than satisfactory sets on both Friday and Saturday. For me, Wild By Nature, Greenwich Mean Time, and Crossing North are unknown quantities. You can find a little more information on Greenwich Mean Time here at their MySpace entry. They provide a couple of cuts from their catalog. Their blurb seems determined not to provide any useful information about them except that they come from Olympia, WA. Crossing North is a duo based in Plattsburgh, NY. You can hear some of their cuts here.

Tickets to the Otis Mtn. Music Festival are $24 advance until August 18^th and then $29 at the gate. The Festival map can be found here. This eclectic festival looks like a really good bet. Between two great national bands, some pretty well-known regional bands, and some new experiences, you won’t be wasting your time.

More Bluegrass Pictures

Here's another set of bluegrass pictures I took during the past year. Your response was so gratifying, I thought I'd put some more up.

Alan Bibey

Ralph Stanley

Dudley Connell

Greg Liszt

Josh Pinkham

Kenny and Amanda Smith

Little Roy Lewis

Phil Leadbetter

Randy Kohrs

Steve Gulley

Tanya Elizabeth

Verlon Thompson, Mike Bub, Shawn Camp

Enjoy!!!

Fox Family Bluegrass Festival - Preview

The 18^th Annual Fox Family Bluegrass Festival will take place August 9 – 12, 2007 in Old Forge, NY. The Fox Family’s home is in the Adirondacks, even though they have relocated to Nashville. Fronted by the wonderful voice of Kim Fox, this band continues to host a traditional bluegrass festival. Accommodations are limited and the camping is rough. There are no hookups and the nearest shower requires a drive of several miles. Old Forge is located here, in the southwest corner of the massive Adirondack Park, close to the New York Thruway and I-81. The Adirondack Park, a six million acre state park, is the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, a vast tract of woods, mountain, and lakes. Because many people harbor stereotypes about New York, few recognize that this magnificent wilderness lies with only a few hours’ drive of millions of people in the northeast and the Midwest.

IIIrd Tyme Out

Headline bands, in addition to the host band Fox Family, are IIIrd Tyme Out, Jr. Sisk & Rambler Choice, reunited and on tour, and The Gibson Brothers, one a local band but now a national band of growing popularity which retains its loyalty to the local festivals that booked them when they weren’t so big. It’s hard to tell just now who will turn up with IIIrd Tyme Out. Founded and fronted by Ray Deaton, Bassist and premier bass singer, has announced he is leaving the band and The Bluegrass Blog announces here that Edgar Loudermilk has replaced him. Deaton originally said he would stay the season, but has moved up his change. Mandolinist Alan Perdue has been replaced by mandolin master Wayne Benson, which will add considerable depth to the band. Russell Moore is a long-time standout on vocals and rhythm guitar. Steve Dilling has been with the band on banjo for sixteen years. He’s struggling with distonia, but an injured Dilling is still better than most banjo players. All-in-all, despite their recent changes, IIIrd Tyme Out should continue as a very strong band. It’s always interesting to see how a changing band develops. Watch them on stage as they discover new ways to present their music through the addition of new musicians.

Jr. Sisk has long been one of the premier voices in bluegrass music. When Blueridge broke up as Alan Bibey left to help form Grasstowne and Alan Johnson moved on to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (side note: Isn’t it interesting how many bands have former Quicksilver players and how this particular festival features several of them?) Jr. Sisk reconstituted Rambler’s Choice and began to tour with them. This group made one recording with Rounder in 1998. Junior, a resident of Virginia, played with the Lonesome River Band in their early days as well as with Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz. His distinctive high lonesome tenor and solid rhythm guitar have added depth and character to every band he has played with.

Sarah Jarosz is a fourteen year old mandolin player who lives in Austin, TX. She has received a lot of recognition in IBMA’s effort to promote younger artists. There are a lot of young, female mandolin players out there just now. Sierra Hull and Jessica Lovell are just two of a growing number. Sarah Jarosz has joined this group. If half of Sarah’s professional friends on her MySpace page have seen and heard her, she’s likely to be worth your time, too. Aiophe Donavan of Crooked Still offers quite a comment.

The Gibson Brothers

The Gibson Brothers of course need no introduction to readers of this blog. Simply put, we believe this group is among the premier bluegrass bands in the nation. As their national recognition increases, they have lit up audiences from Yakima Washington to Myrtle Beach. No longer a regional band, the Gibsons originated in Ellenburg Depot, NY, only a few miles south of the Canadian border, but their characteristic brother harmonies and very strong instrumental support are without peer. Watch Eric Gibson, who is one of the few lead singers who picks effectively while singing. He has yet to receive adequate recognition for his fine banjo work. Listen to brother Leigh, whose voice blends with Eric’s as only brothers can. Both brothers write wonderful songs and their background and taste has led them to create new bluegrass sounds from classic country and rock and roll. Bassist Mike Barber, mandolin player Rick Hayes, and fiddler Clayton Campbell add depth and taste to this superior band. The variety of their sounds, harmonies, and keys takes them beyond bluegrass while never straying very far from their roots.

A huge revelation that comes almost every time we attend a local festival is the reminder that there are so many fine bluegrass bands around. While people think of New York as urban and ethnic, the state is home to many bands rooted in country and bluegrass music. These bands are well-represented at the Fox Family Festival.

Local bands include The Atkinson Family, whose delightful music, much of it written by father Dick ]Atkinson, combines country and bluegrass with a northern New York tone that fits right in here. His song about losing the farm should be a classic. The review in Bluegrass Unlimited noted, “Tearin’ Up the Line is a stellar production that will surely generate many new friends for the group.”

The Dalaney Brothers describe themselves as a contemporary bluegrass band that has played around New York State for the past 25 years. Over the years, they have recorded five albums. Recently they replaced two longtime members for medical reasons. The New York Times named Full Spectrum as one of the top ten local releases in 2000.

Sweet Cider describes itself as “ rooted in vocal harmony, attention to arrangement and original material. They now perform their own style of acoustic music with that ever-present bluegrass flavor. The Northeast Country Music Association has named them CMA bluegrass band of the year several times, and they have been inducted into the NE CMA hall of fame as well as receiving other awards. They hail from Rotterdam, NY along the NY Thruway.

Miller’s Crossing is a Long Island bluegrass band whose sound, according to the cuts on their web site, is traditional southern. Their lead vocalist has a pleasant voice and instrumentals are strong. “Miller’s crossing prides itself on the original material eachmember brings to the band’s repertoire. They strive to play bluegrass music the way they feel it, and the result is a fesh outlook on the music while not getting to far away from its roots.” The McCarthy/Paisley Band from Elbridge, NY advertises itself as featuring traditional Americana and contemporary folk music.

Off the Wall’s entry at ibluegrass says, “Blending folk, bluegrass and traditional country into a unique, no frills sound that lends itself to the works of John Prine, Guy Clark, Tim O'Brien and the Seldom Scene, as well as the works of more obscure songwriters. Add to that, strong vocals and tight harmonies, you have the makings of enjoyable music that tells the story of lifes journey.” They come from central New York.

Bill Knowlton and Lisa Husted will emcee. Tickets are $75.00 for the entire festival, including rough camping. Day passes are $20.00 for Thursday, $30.00 a day for Friday and Saturday, and $15.00 for Sunday. Gates open for camping on a first come, first served basis at 10:00 AM on Wednesday and there is no reserving of spaces for others. A dump station and showers are available nearby, but there are no amenities for campers on the site. This festival has one of the most interesting and varied programs for young people of any bluegrass event, showing their interest in and concern for children’s enjoyment and providing alternatives for parents wishing to give their children a good time. For additional information, check out the Fox Family Bluegrass Festival’s web site.

Some pictures for this post were taken from band web sites. I will remove them immediately upon request.