Strawberry Park - Friday - Picture Bloggin

Field Picking at Strawberry Park

Friday at Strawberry Park offered a repeat of yesterday's fine weather with only a few warning drops of rain just before Rhonda Vincent & The Rage finished their very fine evening set. The three bands from Thursday all had sets on Friday, and they offered new material as well as repeating favorite tunes from earlier. Three additional bands each had two strong sets, and the day proved to be a great one for music lovers.

The Gibson Brothers

The Gibson Brothers, always a favorite anywhere in the northeast, were playing before a crowd which knew their music, knew them, and showed their appreciation with enthusiastic responses to every song. The brother duo, whose close harmonies are well-loved by bluegrass fans across the country, always present a strong program appealing to both the head and the heart. Their new album Iron and Diamonds adds significant works to their catalog, but so many of their songs were popular with this crowd that they responded to many requests. The band, too, seemed to be particularly "on" today. Mike Barber played a powerful bass solo, after which he leaned over to Rick Hayes and said, "How about that one!" Hayes, playing a mandolin of his own making picked several very strong breaks. Clayton Campbell on fiddle was just plain superb. Meanwhile, both Leigh and Eric were in great voice and on target instrumentally.

Eric Gibson

Leigh Gibson

Mike Barber

Clayton Campbell

Rick Hayes

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

Rhonda Vincent leads one of the hardest touring, most successful bands in bluegrass. Her enthusiasm, warmth, strong singing, and effective picking are only strengthened by having one of the strongest bands in the genre behind her. Rhonda has won the IBMA female singer of the year award seven times. Mickey Harris on bass projects warmth and conviction and maintains an always solid bass beat. His lead and harmony singing are excellent. He is this year's IBMA bass player of the year. Hunter Berry on fiddle is strong and also brings good humor to the group with his understated physical comedy and subtle musical jokes. He's been awarded fiddle player of the year kudos at both IBMA and SPBGMA. Kenny Ingram is one of the greats on banjo, having played with Lester Flatt forty years ago and still playing great breaks and superb backup. Darrell Webb is the newest member of the group, but brings years of experience and a fine versatile voice to the group. His flat picking is first rate. The lines at Rhonda's merchandise tent attest to her popularity. People wait patiently in line for autographs, pictures, or just a word with her, and Rhonda stays until there's no one left in line. She's truly a great entertainer.

Kenny Ingram

Mickey Harris

Darrell Webb

Hunter Berry

Rhonda and Darrell

Rhonda Signing

The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band

On any given occaison, Peter Rowan is likely to show up with a different band. He tours with Tony Rice, the Mexican Air Force Band, his group featuring Sharon Gilchrist, and sometimes he just shows up by himself and gathers a pick-up band. The bluegrass band this weekend featured Jody Stecher on mandolin, Keith Little on banjo, and Mike Bub on bass. This band, mostly hailing from California presented a good bluegrass set in the afternoon. In the evening Rowan gave in to his fans and his own nature and played a selection of Peter Rowan's greatest hits, much to the delight of most of the audience, who delighted in his 70's era sounds. The band was strong and Rowan in good voice and good humor.

Peter Rowan

Mike Bub

Peter Rowan

The Greencards put up another very strong set. The audience appreciated their blend of progressive world music and bluegrass played with amplified acoustic instruments. Their musicianship is superb and they communicate their love for the music with integrity and strength.

Carol Young

Kym Warner

Eamon McLoughlin

While the Greencards continue to bill themselves as a trio. Jake Stargell has become an integral part of this group on guitar.

Jake Stargell

Friday at Strawberry Park was a fine day. It's supposed to rain and thunder today, but the lineup is great. We'll see if I'm able to take pictures.

Strawberry Park BGF - Thursday

Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival in Presont, CT opened on Thursday evening with three mellow sets, which were justifiably well received by a smallish, but enthusiastic audience. The crowd will surely continue to grow today, as the lineup is superb and the weather warm, clear and dry. The evening kicked off at 6:00 with Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters and their melodious mix of bluegrass, country and folk. Gallatin has a spot-on voice and is well supported by the excellent Roger Williams on Dobro and young Ben Pierce on mandolin. John Urbanek plays bass and supplies excellent vocal harmonies. Williams very fine Dobro playing provides excellent support for Gallatin's voice as well as his own distinctive compositions.

Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters

Amy Gallatin

Roger Williams

Ben Pearce

Amy Gallatin

Pete and Anne Sibley followed with a delightful set comprising some bluegrass and lots of their own compositions, which can probably be best characterized as folk. This duo, originating in Connecticut lives now in Jackson, WY. Their presentation is relaxed and personable. Their sound filled with melody, harmony, and their delight in each other.

Pete and Anne Sibley

Anne Sibley

Anne & Pete Sibley

The Greencards evoked a terrific response here last year and have returned for sets on Thursday and Friday this weekend. Their progressive sound combines bluegrass, jazz, and rock sensibilities with strong instrumental and vocal work from the entire group. Traditional bluegrass fans probably won't much take to The Greencards immediately, but they're personable - their energy and enthusiasm electric. Coming from Australia and England, they are now based in Nashville and were nominated for a Grammy this year. Carol Young on bass provides strong vocals, many her own compositions. Kym Warner on mandolin brings great energy and fine picking to his Sam Bush style movement. Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle and viola (what's the bluegrass equivalent to "fiddle" for the viola?) is very strong. He also sings while he plays, a very unusual bit for a fiddler. While he doesn't appear on their web site, Jake Stargell on guitar is, nevertheless, a standout. While only seventeen years old, Stargell is a mature and accomplished flatpicker whose rhythm work is also excellent. This excellent band provides a strong nod toward the progressive sound in Americana music at Strawberry Park.

The Greencards

Carol Young

Kym Warner

Eamon McLoughlin

Jake Stargell

Carol Young

I'll be mostly picture blogging each morning for the rest of the weekend from Strawberry Park. The music will be excellent this weekend. The weather iffy on Saturday. Come back and visit.

Ocean Lakes Family Campground - Review

As Memorial Day passes and summer is hard upon us, it’s time to think of the beach. Up and down the east coast, Myrtle Beach is recognized as one of the great beach resort areas and Ocean Lakes Family Campground one of the best ways to enjoy it. Looking at Ocean Lakes evokes lots of superlatives about the largest, most expensive, best, most professionally managed, and more. While Ocean Lakes is a little pricey for us in summer, we stay there for two or three weeks a year during the off season and shoulder season. In many ways it meets our needs and there’s almost no RV resort we’ve stayed at managed in a more professional fashion.

Ocean Lakes Registration and Information Center

Registration Center Line Control

If you’re looking for large sites, lots of quiet, privacy, and a budget campground, Ocean Lakes should probably not be your choice. However, if you want easy accessibility to a wide, long beach, clean and large rest room facilities, easy access to free or pay Internet, and the best and largest Laundromat along the east coast, give Ocean Lakes a careful look.

There's a Mile of Beach Front

Beach Side Camping

Campground Map

Typical Shower and Rest Room

Ocean Lakes is basically divided into two sections. At the front, that is the beach side are 893 full service campsites. These range back from the beach in row after row of well designed sites, most large enough for almost any RV. All sites have 30 and 50 amp electric hookups, water, sewer, and cable TV. Campers staying a month or longer can arrange with Time Warner for direct telephone and digital TV. Each section of the campground has at least one rest room complex. These are large, modern, and cleaned several times a day, if needed. Maps of the campground are provided on the Ocean Lakes web site to assist in selecting a site. Camp sites are large enough for a camping rig and one vehicle. Nevertheless, they are quite close together, and people seeking lots of room or privacy won’t find it at Ocean Lakes.

Camping with Beach Houses in Background

Beach Houses on Lake

Street Away from Beach

Older Unit

People who don’t wish to camp can stay at Ocean Lakes nevertheless. The park contains about 2400 annually leased sites on which permanent buildings have been erected. These range from sites on which trailers have been permanently anchored and improved to quite elaborate three story beach houses built on stilts and selling for many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ocean Lakes handles rentals for about 300 of these buildings and many others can be rented seasonally from their owners. Many are also for sale. The overall effect of the 26 miles of streets in Ocean Lakes is the pleasant clutter of a place that grew willy-nilly with very few controls. Some streets, particularly those backed by one of the seven lakes are airy an open, while others feel closed in. That having bee said, the people who live in or visit Ocean Lakes seem to love it. There’s an undeniable sense of community present.

Game Room

Part of Pool Complex

Year Round Indoor Pool

Enjoying the Skateboard Course

Among Ocean Lakes’ strongest selling points are the many amenities offered there. In the center of the park lies a complex of support buildings that offers a huge range of activities and resources. Perhaps the most attractive to us has been the Laundromat, one of the best anywhere, clean and very well-equipped. For families coming for a short or long stay, the park offers several swimming pools, snack bars, game rooms, and even a small skate board park. There’s a large conference center where the annual Ocean Lakes Bluegrass Festival is held in August. Ocean Lakes provides watchful security and a guarded entrance, making it a pretty secure place. The efficiency of the check-in at the gate makes most hotels look shabby.

Shopping Core

Laundramat

Snack Bar

Camp Store

Camp Store

All this comes at a pretty steep price. RV sites range in cost depending on season and proximity to the beach from $26.00 per night to $60.00 for an ocean front site with a concrete pad. Because Ocean Lakes is a pretty large place, many people who come here want to rent a golf cart during their stay. In season, these cost $48.00 a day. So, plan on spending a minimum of around $100.00 a day to stay there during the summer. Comparing this to hotel rates on the Grand Strand suggest it isn’t so expensive after all. You can enjoy a pretty full vacation in Myrtle Beach without ever leaving Ocean Lakes. If you avail yourself of the other opportunities offered by the Grand Strand, you can have a very fine vacation. In the end, choice of campground is a matter of personal taste, convenience, and price. Ocean Lakes satisfies all three for many RVers year round.

At the Beach

Kyle Cantrell's New Blog

Kyle Cantrell

Kyle Cantrell, program director of Bluegrass Junction, channel 14 on XM satellite radio has initiated his own blog. In his introductory post, Kyle says he hopes to provide information about programming on Bluegrass Junction in addition to some behind the scenes insights into how the station works. His profile provides lots of information about his extensive background in broadcasting and reveals something of him as a person. Subsequent posts deal with the progress of the new XM studio in Nashville and discuss his programming at Bluegrass Junction, including the regular features like his Bluegrass Roots, the bluegrass gospel show on Sundays, Request Monday, and the Studio Special series. He also has posted a number of interesting photo galleries.

Engineer Travis Turk, a guest, and Kyle in Control Room

Because media are changing so quickly and blogging has become an integral portion of media penetration, it makes a good deal of sense for Kyle to enter into this arena. You can expect the same sort of genial information and encouraging promotion you hear when you listen to Bluegrass Junction. If you’re looking for Kyle to be revealing the secrets he’s keeping from you on the air, don’t look for it in his blog. But you wouldn’t expect that anyway.

Control Board at XM Studio

During the two or so years Kyle has been Program Director at Bluegrass Junction he has fashioned the station to his own vision. I wasn’t enthusiastic when Kyle took over the position previously held by Felton Pruitt, but he has won me over. Programming at Bluegrass Junction contains a good variety of contemporary, progressive, and traditional bluegrass music with a smattering of pre-bluegrass country and old-time music designed to illuminate the roots from which bluegrass has grown. In his studio series with bands and in his in-depth interviews with individual artists, Kyle’s work has been superb. He obviously has done his homework and knows about the band’s background and music. He’s a real radio professional. He completely won me over on two particular studio specials where I would not have thought the band to reflect his personal taste. In both his interview with Uncle Earl and with Cadillac Sky, his questions focused on his understanding of the bands musical goals and aspirations. He lets a band represent itself rather than trying to force them into his own preconceptions. It’s really too bad more so-called news “pundits” don’t manage the same restraint and thoughtfulness.

Kyle in Studio with The Gibson Brothers

When Irene and I traveled to Nashville following the Gibson Brothers tour, Kyle invited us to come to the studio for the taping of their interview, to be first aired on June 6^th. We entered the studio ante-room, where a man was sitting at a computer typing. I introduced myself and asked for Kyle Cantrell, whereupon he stood up and introduced himself. Our visit to the XM studio and our time with Kyle was entirely satisfactory. He proved himself to be a jovial host who put time aside to chat with us, despite the bustle surrounding the arrival of a band, his own production staff (small) and life at the station. We were given free rein of the studio and warned about the actual broadcast recording room, which is heavily soundproofed and filled with microphones. In fact, there’s so little space in there that Kyle only has a small corner to sit in behind a music stand to hold his notes, while the rest of the space is filled with the band and microphones. Kyle’s engineer, Travis Turk, is the master of the control room. Turk is an interesting man with a vast background who deserves a blog entry of his own.

Kyle with Eric and Leigh Gibson

Kyle Cantrell has forged Bluegrass Junction to reflect his long experience and knowledge in country music and bluegrass. His blog should prove to be an interesting supplement to the radio programming for those who wish to go the extra distance into understanding the how and why of the programming on XM as well as Cantrell himself.

Kyle Cantrell at XM Studion

Infamous Stringdusters CD - Review

Infamous Stringdusters on Cabin Stage at Merlefest

When a band makes a hit right out of the starting gate, it establishes a standard for itself that may be hard to equal or exceed. Two years ago a group of established Nashville sidemen began playing together at the Station Inn, discovered they meshed well, and formed The Infamous Stringdusters. They put together a bunch of songs, seven written by members of the band, made a recording, and hit the festival trail. Well known in Nashville, most were little known in the broader world of bluegrass, although they were all deeply experienced. It soon became obvious that they were a hit. Performances at festivals were received enthusiastically and their first album, Fork in the Road sold well. Fork in the Road was named album of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. The title track was named song of the year. The band was named Emerging Artist of the Year. Thus, 2007 will be a hard act to beat.

Andy Hall, Chris Pandolfi, Jesse Cobb

Athletes and students have always known about the sophomore slump. The Stringdusters must have gone into this project with more than a little trepidation, since they have so much to live up to. Their new album, titled The Infamous Stringdusters, will be released on June 10 by Sugar Hill Records. The disk contains thirteen songs, nine of which written by members of the band.

Travis Book’s “Won’t Be Coming Back” opens the album with Jeremy Garrett on fiddle and Chris Pandolfi on banjo establishing a lost and lonely keening sound. Book, whose voice has a pleasant baritone timbre sings:

I left my home and family
To seek my fortune fair
I went north into the city,
But I didn’t find it there

The song has a Celtic flair to it, with a wailing sound from Book complemented by the band. Jesse Cobb’s mando break supported by understated backup fills beautifully. Travel, loneliness, the search for true love, and loss dominate this very fine opening song.

Andy Falco

In “Well, Well” Andy Hall sings lead to his own song:

Is there always something wrong?
Sleepless nights, same old song
Just let go, let your mind run free
Your eyes know it’s really hard to see.

The singer looks forward to another night full of tears, but urges himself not to fear because the future looks much brighter. It would be a mistake to focus too closely on individual performances in a given song, because the ensemble work of this group is so superb. They’ve learned to use quiet, contemplative sounds to surround a song with appropriate feeling. Jeremy Garrett’s fiddle, in “Well, Well” captures the singer’s desperation while his rising notes at the end reflect the essential hope of this song.

Andy Falco and Jesse Cobb

In “When Silence is the Only Sound,” Jeremy Garrett explores the loneliness and emptiness in a marriage gone wrong. The object of the song assumes social class and character with his glass of scotch and inability to communicate his longing and sense of loss:

Unconscious of uncommon ground,
The walls of pride can’t be knocked down,
when silence is the only sound.

This song lacks the sense of hope found in the previous one as the character never leaves his lonely seat in the dark. One of the real strengths of the three opening songs of this set is that they explore some of the traditional bluegrass themes but clearly exist in the world of today rather than looking back to the rural, agrarian world from which bluegrass sprang. This is clearly contemporary music in the sound, spirit, and rigor of real bluegrass. The structure of the songs is familiar, even when sometimes the instrumentation forges into new ground.

Jeremy Garrett

Andy Falco’s guitar supports Travis Book’s opening phrase with a sound that has a distinct mellowness as his arpeggio runs behind the lonely ballad of loss as the singer says, “I waited too long, now I’m bound for Tennessee.” This song, too, is quiet and thoughtful, expressing a deep sense of loss. Even though the romance is over, the memory lingers on in the lyric and the music. No instrument better captures this feeling than the Dobro, and Andy sets the tone which is then picked up perfectly by mandolin and fiddle. “It’s not the goin’, but the stayin’ that worries me”

Chris Pandolfi

“Glass Elevator,” written by Chris Pandolfi, allows the band to show off it’s instrumental versatility and strong sense of ensemble. Pandolfi, the first banjo graduate of the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston and one of the group of ground breaking, rising young banjo players on today’s circuit, introduces musical themes for the other instruments to pick up and continue variations on as they explore the ground he has prepared. Their ability to weave through sounds while handing off leads is simply wonderful.

Jesse Cobb and Travis Book

“Three Days in July” returns to a classic bluegrass theme, the battle of Gettysburg as seen through the eyes of a twelve year old boy whose father is Union soldier. As the sound of battle begins to rise in the distance, his brothers, too, pick up their rifles and head for the fight. This song, written by Jon Weisberger and Mark Simos, shows war and battle at its most horrific. “Boys I tell you true, I learned things I never knew” expresses the horror of war and helps us understand why PTSD has always been with us and. Perhaps. always will be. Garret’s moment of unaccompanied singing captures attention and the heartbreak of the moment.perfectly. The song uses traditional bluegrass content to tell a timeless story of war’s horror, death, loss, and grief.

“The Way I See You Now” explores the way our perception of the one we think we love changes over time and through experience. Written by Andy Hall and Mark Simos, the song has a tone of thoughtful regret in lyric and musicality.

Time makes us wise, Time makes us fools
I never looked in your eyes,
I looked past them somehow
Wish that I had seen you then,
The way I see you now.

Filled with regret and loss as well as a new understanding of the reality of a relationship that can only be understood in retrospect, the song contains a quiet sense of futility of those who can’t live up to someone else’s expectations and knowledge. Andy Falco’s guitar provides an undergirding of lonely and quiet background along with Jeremy Garrett’s fiddle. Having the song’s author sing lead on most of the songs on this disk adds significantly to the poignancy of the work.

Andy Hall

“Golden Ticket”, an instrumental by Jesse Cobb, contains Falco’s strongest instrumental break on this record, showing his marvelous flat picking off to advantage. Again, the interplay of all five instruments shows this groups musical skill and sensitivity as they seamlessly hand off the musical lead, each contributing different tones and colors to the overall signature established by Cobb’s mandolin.

Travis Book

From time to time the Stringdusters demonstrate their connection to traditional bluegrass in music and theme together. “I Wonder” by John Pennell and Jeff White is such a song. While not lacking in the unique sound The Stringdusters create, the song still reflects the very deep roots in traditional bluegrass this band has. “Get it While You Can” by Danny Barnes, accomplishes the same goal in a bluesy bluegrass song. This song has unusual syncopations that create a new sound for the band. Travis Book, as he does throughout this disk, provides a solid beat as well as intricate and creative fingerings on his bass.

Jeremy Garrett

“You Can’t Handle the Truth” by Travis Book, Tim Stafford, and Benny Galloway is the most up tempo offering on this disk. It’s almost pure bluegrass. Jeremy Garrett sings lead on this one, which also features a rousing banjo break by Chris Pandolfi. The singer says:

You think I’ve turned to cheatin,
and your lookin’ for the proof,
You can’t handle the truth

as he walks out the door. The band uses a particularly big wall of sound on this piece.

Tim O'Brien (producer) with Stringdusters at Merlefest

“Lovin’ You” presents a sharp contrast to its predecessor. This song, an anthem of lost love, says:

Oh, the clock don’t tell time, it runs,
The heart don’t beat, it shatters,
The only thng in this old world,
Is loving you that matters.

Written by Sarah Susskind and sung in a particularly soulful voice by Jeremy, it aches for the lost love thrown away by leaving in “You Can’t Handle the Truth.” The sharp staccato notes from Cobb’s mandolin capture the sound of heartbreak along with Pandolfi’s long, lonely break.

Andy Falco and Travis Book

The disk ends with an Andy Hall instrumental called “Black Brook.” Hall has already established himself as one of the premier Dobro players in bluegrass music. This recording only strengthens his reputation. The Infmaous Stringdusters’ sound shows them as a progressive band with roots so deep in traditional bluegrass that careful listeners can hear their background as well as their contemporary quality. The Stringduster’s play is always characterized by intense concentration on each other’s play. Their careful listening results in a great unity of sound..The album reflects their taste as well as that of producer Tim O’Brien. The fact they can play traditional bluegrass at the very highest level and then go beyond is what should make them one of the best bands to play on both sides of the traditional/progressive chasm of the current era. They show exemplary restraint in their refusal to go over the top in their work. The disk demonstrates great versatility of approach to a range of kinds of sounds. Much of the work in it made my heart ache listening to the lean and thoughtful lyrics combined with music complementing it perfectly. There’s no sophomore slump here.

The Infamous Stringdusters will be released on June 10^th and is available from the band’s web site or from Sugar Hill as well as at other outlets. This album has been carefully crafted and thoughtfully put together, making it a worthwhile purchase in its entirety. One of the great problems with downloading individual songs lies in destroying the unity of purpose that encompasses a good album. This disk deserves to be listened to whole.

Strawberry Park, Preston, CT - Preview

The summer bluegrass festival season in New England kicks off May 29 –June 1 at Strawberry Park in Preston, CT. Located within pretty easy distance of the huge Boston – New York axis (Boston = 100 miles, New York = 138 miles), Strawberry Park offers just about everything a bluegrass fan could wish for. It’s spacious and very well equipped campground offers everything from full hookups with Wi-Fi to free rough camping. The lineup is absolutely first class. The kids academy provides supervision and musical instruction for young musicians. Sound at Strawberry Park has been excellent; food from the campground’s extensive snack bar as well as a couple of vendors is good. There’s plenty to do between musical events. If there’s really bad weather, the campground has a large indoor space to move performances into. The weather at Strawberry Park in late May can vary. There’s usually at least some rain. Come prepared for a range of weather possibilities. All told, Strawberry Park is one of the finest venues around for holding a bluegrass festival.

Amy Gallatin

Carol Young (The Greencards)

Promoter Buck Bieber and his staff have once again assembled an interesting and varied lineup designed to appeal to a broad range of tastes. Fans of traditional bluegrass will be happy to see Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Dale Ann Bradley, Doyle Lawson and Quick Silver, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Carl Shiflett and Big Country, and the Grascals. More contemporary sounds come from The Gibson Brothers, The Lonesome River Band, and Laurie Lewis. Toward the progressive end of the bluegrass spectrum, Tony Trischka, The Greencards, and Peter Rowan will be on hand. Anne and Pete Sibley, who come from Connecticut but live in Wyoming bring a western gospel/folk sound while Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters offer country oriented bluegrass sound from the west transplanted to Connecticut. The festival brings a balanced program with something for everyone, which keeps on coming. Meanwhile, out in the campgrounds there’s plenty of jamming for everyone.

Kym Warner and Eamon McLoughlin (Greencards)

The festival opens on Thursday evening with Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters. This mellow and melodious band provides a good transition from arrival and setup into the bluegrass mode. Although born in Alabama, many of Gallatin’s formative years were spent in Idaho. Dobro picker Roger Williams is featured in her band. They’re followed by Anne & Pete Sibley, a duo who now live in Jackson, Wyoming, but who both come from Connecticut. Someone at Strawberry Park not only has an ear for good bands, but programs with a sense of humor. The Greencards present torrid picking by Kym Warner on mandolin and Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle, while Carol Young’s evocative singing carries the vocals and provides the bass. They’ve been through several guitarists, but always had a strong person in that position, too. Last time we saw them they had virtuoso Andy Falco as their flat picker, but who knows. This is an exciting band to watch and hear.

Rhonda Vincent

Eric Gibson

Leigh Gibson

Friday offers one more set each from Thursday’s groups. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage are always reliable performers, filled with energy and tunefulness. Rhonda stays to greet her enthusiastic fans until the last one leaves, giving back all the time. There’s no reason to believe she isn’t the genuinely nice person who comes across from the stage and in her personal interactions with her fans. The Gibson Brothers are touring this year in support of their new disk Irons and Diamonds. This disk opened at #5 on the Billboard bluegrass chart in its first week of release. The Gibsons can always raise a crowd’s level of excitement; their new album only adds to the mix. The Peter Rowan Band also appears on Friday. I’m told that that the Peter Rowan Band appearing at Strawberry Park this year is the bluegrass version of Rowan’s tour. I’m eager to see this aspect of Rowan’s repertoire.

Dale Ann Bradley

Mike Bub (Dale Ann Bradley)

Ron Thomason (Dry Branch Fire Squad)

The lineup for Saturday offers a completely new set of performers. Tony Trischka leads off the day with his Double Banjo Spectacular. The double banjo album re-established Trischka as one of the most creative and able banjo players in the world. His new album, Trischka Territory, demonstrates why: he’s among the most versatile and restlessly creative musicians around. Dale Ann Bradley brings one of the purest voices in traditional bluegrass to the stage next. Her familiar songs and lively personality fill the lovely glade forming the natural outdoor auditorium of Strawberry Park’s performance area. Dry Branch Fire Squad returns next for a Saturday performance. They will also do their traditional gospel bluegrass program on Sunday morning. Featuring Ron Thomason’s sharp satire and a fine band offering traditional bluegrass and raw, primitive gospel, Dry Branch Fire Squad, after more than thirty years on the road, remains one of the most delightful and interesting bands there is. One of their great gifts to festival audiences is the humor they bring, a commodity often lacking in the genre. Karl Shiflett & The Big Country Show play bluegrass the way it might have sounded and looked in the 1950’s. With his hound-dog face and huge smile, Shiflett deftly leads a traditional band through their paces. Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands make an appearance on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday. Lewis brings a California sensibility and tone to her bluegrass, which is refreshing and lively. Supported by a very able band, she supplies a first rate opportunity to hear music that reflects the traditional while exploring new avenues of sound and content.

Carl Shiflett

Laurie Lewis

After the supper break on Saturday, add Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and The Grascals to the mix for one of the highest quality and most exciting evenings of bluegrass imaginable. Lawson, mixing traditional bluegrass with a strong component of gospel bluegrass, has stood astride the bluegrass world longer than many bands exist. He is noted as an exacting task master and the list of former members of his band now among the bluegrass elite is nearly endless. One musician says, “Four years with Doyle is like earning a Ph.D. in bluegrass performance.” Be sure to look past Doyle’s flashy performance garb for the quality of his band’s musicianship and entertainment value. The Grascals, probably the pace setter group for the spate of new groups composed of Nashville session musicians who have formed bands in recent years, has had a series of hit songs, a number of IBMA awards, and successful tours over the past four or five years. They have recently taken on a new permanent fiddler to replace Jimmy Mattingly who returned to touring with Dolly Parton. Jeremy Abshire is the new fiddler, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in. The last addition to the band, Aaron McDaris on banjo, added to the mix. Mattingly’s energy will be missed, but I’ll wait to make any further judgment.

Doyle Lawson

Terry Eldridge (The Grascals)

Sunday at many bluegrass festivals is often getaway day. People pull out early to return home and prepare for the coming week, or leave after one or two Sunday morning performances. People leaving Strawberry Park early will be missing out on a day that finishes with one of the groundbreaking bluegrass performers who remains sharp and cutting edge today. The day begins with Dry Branch Fire Squad’s traditional gospel hour followed by Laurie Lewis. The Kid’s Academy Performance at noon is an event that true lovers of bluegrass music need to support. For two days, these kids have been working with the Academy staff, learning to play bluegrass music and putting together a performance. Ranging in age from five or six to mid-teens, these kids are attractive and entertaining. More important, they represent the future of the music and deserve attention and the applause of an appreciative audience. It’s important to remember that these kids represent the future of our music. In the afternoon the Grascals present a second set. This year’s closer at Strawberry Park is The Lonesome River Band. Sammy Shelor on banjo is one of the storied banjo performers of the genre. He commands the stage as he moves like a combination of dancer and snake around the stage as well as into and away from the microphone. I haven’t seen LRB since Mike Hardgrove on fiddle replaced Matt Leadbetter’s resonator guitar, but I bet the band hasn’t missed a beat. Hardgrove is a returning member as is Brandon Rickman as lead singer and guitar. Andy Ball on mandolin and Mike Anglin on bass fill out the band. Bringing a Rock sensibility to the traditional bluegrass sound, this band simply can’t be beat. If you’re smart, you’ll stay to the end.

Strawberry Park Kids Academy

Sammy Shelor (Lonesome River Band)

Once again, Strawberry Park promises to be one of the best bluegrass festivals in the northeast this summer. Come on up and enjoy the fun.

All pictures by Ted Lehmann. Use by permission only.

Pete Wernick's Jam Camp

Pete Wernick - Dr. Banjo

Pete Wernick should not need an introduction to people interested in or involved with bluegrass music. For a more detailed biography, take a look here. Suffice it to say that he grew up in New York City and early on fell in love with the banjo. He attended the famed Flatt & Scruggs concert at Carnegie Hall in December of 1962 as well as the first bluegrass festival held in Fincastle, VA on Labor Day weekend of 1965. Along the way, he has had time to earn a Ph.D. in Sociology at Columbia, thus becoming a true Dr. Banjo. Pete was a founding member of the legendary bluegrass band Hot Rize, which still performs, although it no longer is a touring band. He also has formed a bluegrass/jazz fusion band called Flexigrass, a very listenable and likeable band bringing together instruments not usually found in the same band. For many years Pete served as President of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). In recent years he has concentrated much of his energy on bluegrass education. His instructional tapes and DVD’s concentrate on jamming and banjo instruction. Other camps add band skills to these two areas. It’s in the area of jamming where Pete Wernick may be providing his most important and lasting contribution to bluegrass music.

Jam Camp Staff Registering New Campers

Joan Wernick

Scott Freeman - Staff

Steve Lewis - Staff

Jamming lies at the center of bluegrass music. It’s in the jam, a group of four to six or eight musicians sitting around in a circle taking turns leading the classic songs of bluegrass music, that the music is preserved and developed. From the jams sometimes grow bands and professional musicians whose names become well known to bluegrass fans. But even the professionals learned their musical skills playing the old songs with friends and relatives in informal settings. The jam has a recognized etiquette and format. A member suggests a song and kicks it off. The rest of the people in the jam join in with their instruments, paying close attention to each other and alternating individual instrumental solos (called breaks), lead singing of the verses, and trio or quartet singing of the choruses. Generally, the instruments in a bluegrass jam are mandolin, banjo, guitar, fiddle, bass, and, sometimes, resonator guitar. While not usually found in bands, sometimes there are accordions, harmonicas, or autoharps also playing in jams, but generally, the traditional acoustic instruments rule. Almost since the earliest days of bluegrass music, and perhaps into the days of mountain music before bluegrass emerged, the jam has been the central organized way to spread and learn the music.

Jam Campers in Class

Gotta Have a Bass in the Band

Lunch Time

Informal Jam

Jam Camp Hero

Pete has shown himself to be a versatile and creative force in bluegrass music, willing to include unusual instruments and create new sounds. In Jam Camps, on the other hand, he hews closely to traditional bluegrass sounds, styles, songs, instruments, and conventions. A typical Jam Camp is focused on novice and low intermediate pickers, many of whom have learned to play their instrument in a solitary setting, have little experience playing with others, and want to become a part of this vibrant element of the bluegrass community. Everything happening at a Pete Wernick Jam Camp operates in service of these people and desires.

Pete Teaching

Rapt Attention

Most participants arriving at Jam Camp have little or no experience playing with others and are justifiably nervous and uncertain about the experience they have committed themselves to. Early on the first day of Jam Camp, Pete begins with helping them to get rid of some of their anxiety as well as becoming accustomed to playing together in a large group. This eases the tension and begins to build the sense of group cohesiveness, mutual support, and personal confidence that makes Jam Camp work so well. Within a couple of hours, participants have divided themselves based on an assessment of their own skill level and then been divided into preliminary jam groups. Each group contains a representative selection of instruments and can count on having a staff member spend time with it during each session to provide support and feedback. In the novice groups, a more experienced camper also aids in moving the group along. By lunch time on the first day, anxiety levels have begun to drop and campers are actually making music together. Even though the music is sometimes tentative and a little rough, the atmosphere of mutual support and encouragement allows each participant to feel successful and welcome.

Pete and Joan Lead Class

Jam Camp Opry

Jam Camp Opry

Each day of Jam Camp begins at 9:00 AM and lasts until 5:00 PM with a generous lunch break. Campers are also encouraged to practice what they’ve learned in informal jams long into the evening. A typical day contains direct instruction on specific skills, Pete recounting personal experiences about the history and development of bluegrass music as well as the personality and influence of many of the early pioneers of the music, and large group practice sessions. Between large group sessions, the camp divides into jam groups to practice the skills that have been discussed and gain experience singing and playing songs. Some of these come from a list of widely known songs Pete provides as well as from suggestions brought by campers. Pete varies the pace of activities and the intensity to keep sessions interesting and lively. The days pass quickly. There’s learning going on all the time. During his studies in Sociology, Pete either studied group dynamics or he has enough wisdom to allow groups to develop during the four days of jam camp. Groups develop skills and support becomes increasingly strong, allowing campers to try out new skills in the safety of the group. Campers who had never sung in public or who were reluctant to play a solo on their instrument on Monday morning are singing solos and taking breaks by Wednesday.

Jam Camp Opry

Jam Camp Opry

Jam Camp is typically held before a large music festival in a convenient location. Schedules vary from camp to camp. Out experience has been at the camp preceding Merlefest. It begins on Monday and culminates with the campers giving a brief performance before the festival audience on Thursday afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday at camp are typically the days when the greatest progress takes place. Pete deals with topics like learning to fake a break, singing in harmony, the niceties of jam behavior, learning how to watch the guitar for making chord changes, playing in different keys, and more. Some teachers develop a set approach and then roll out their old scripts as time passes. Pete Wernick, a thoughtful and creative teacher, constantly tinkers with his instruction and the structure of the jam camps. As a three year veteran of the Merlefest Jam Camp, I’ve observed the evolution of Pete’s teaching of harmony. He has worked to find new metaphors and ways of describing harmony and each change develops the idea further and brings it along more quickly. Similarly, at our most recent Jam Camp before Merlefest, Pete inaugurated the division into ability groups, and tried instrument instruction breakout groups for a couple of hours. Both these innovations worked for us. Whether they become a staple of future jam camps remains to be seen. Meanwhile, people become better on their instruments; the groups make better music, and become increasingly cohesive while their playing sounds more and more like bluegrass.

Maria and Heri - Jam Campers from Spain

Jam Camp Opry

On Thursday the intensity increases as two events loom. Campers are aware they’ll be performing in front of the festival audience that afternoon. Perhaps more important, at the Jam Camp Opry each jam group will perform a song for their peers. As noon approaches, microphones are set up, groups spread out around the area to practice their songs, and the pace accelerates. Pete calls the camp together, and one after another each group comes to the front and performs their song to the acclaim of the other campers. The progress that’s been made is truly astounding and even the most reluctant campers have had an opportunity to feel the thrill of playing bluegrass in public.

Jam Camp Opry

After a pause for a camp picture and lunch, the group reassembles to practice the two songs that will be sung for the festival. Pete has been working these songs in for a day or so, but in one afternoon soloists are chosen, harmonies refreshed, and the group prepped for the adrenaline rush only performance can create. Promptly at 3:00 PM everyone leaves for the parking lot at the festival, vans transport them to the stage, the campers troop on-stage to introduce themselves, Pete says a couple of words about Jam Camp, the two songs are sung to the applause of the willing audience, everyone leaves the stage, and Jam Camp is over. Almost everyone has had a positive experience and a group of novice jammers is ready to go out into the world and spread the word.

Pete and Camp Staff on Cabin Stage

Jam Campers Perform on Cabin Stage

Jam Campers on Cabin Stage

Currently Pete Wernick, usually working with his wife Joan (a skilled teacher, rhythm guitarist, and singer in her own right who deserves more attention than she’s had here) and one or two assistants, offers about a dozen Jam Camps as well as several banjo camps and a couple of band camps. It’s worth remembering that our experience with Jam Camp has been limited to the one associated with Merlefest. Others certainly differ in some ways, and your mileage may vary with regard to success and sense of accomplishment. There’s a schedule here as well as much more information at the Dr. Banjo web site. The cost for jam camps varies depending on the length of camp, the available facility, and other factors. Check out each individual camp for precise costs, early bird discounts, and possible scholarship aid. Jam Camps provide a rich learning experience for anyone seeking to improve or develop jamming skills, become more comfortable playing and singing in front of others, or simply have a good time with bluegrass music.

Jam Campers on Cabin Stage

Jam Campers on Cabin Stage

Bluegrass on the Waccamaw 2008 - Review

Bluegrass on the Waccamaw is an unusual and delightful small festival. Held on the grounds of the Old Peanut Warehouse in Conway, SC, the festival is organized and presented by luthier Jennings Chestnut, Sr., who owns the Chestnut Mandolin Shop on Main Street, Conway. Involved in bluegrass music for well over 30 years, Jennings knows a lot of people, has fine organizational skills, and an idealistic view of how and for whom bluegrass should be presented. As a result of this combination of qualities, Jennings brings together a winning combination of local, regional, and national groups to present “World Class Bluegrass” free to the public. To accomplish this goal, he has had Bluegrass on the Waccamaw recognized at a non-profit 501 c(3) organization and spends much of his year, when he isn’t busy building finely crafted and lovely sounding mandolins, raising money and support for his festival. Through dint of hard work and the encouragement of the city fathers of Conway, this was twelfth annual event, always held on the second Saturday in May.

Jeanette Williams

Jeanette Williams Band with guest mandolin

The festival actually begins on Friday night with a fund raiser banquet in the Old Peanut Warehouse. After a delicious chicken bog dinner catered by Larry Dickerson, The Jeannette Williams Band entertained. Her lovely voice and the support of her fine band made it a festive evening.

The Chestnut Family

This year’s version of Bluegrass on the Waccamaw featured nine bands during its ten hour duration. The two featured bands, Grasstowne and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, were both at the top of their game. The always popular Lewis Family performed two sets. Interestingly, Little Roy Lewis did not appear in his usual clown role in any other act’s set. More about the headliners later.

Drovers Old Time Medicine Show

The day dawned clear and hot despite warnings of bad, not to say dangerous, weather on the way. An early crowd arrived looking for whatever shade was available, grew and turned over several times as the day progressed. The early bands represented local and regional talent. New River, a local bluegrass gospel and traditional bluegrass band, provided a pleasant surprise early on in their single set. They are an enjoyable band that deserves watching. Other local bands appearing were Drovers Old Time Medicine Show, and the County Line Band. The Bluegrass Strangers, a traditional cover band from Ohio, performed two sets and provided the sound.

The Snyder Family Band

Samantha Snyder

The Snyder Family Band played one set early in the evening, having been added to the lineup when Jennings heard them at Bluegrass First Class in Asheville this last winter. This trio features nine year old Samantha on fiddle and twelve year old Zeb on guitar, backed by their father Bud on bass and, occasionally, mother Elaine on gospel vocal trios. The two kids are accomplished musicians for their age with pleasant young voices. Samantha, a smiling sprite who barely peeked over the ferns and carnations decorating the stage, plays fiddle with élan and sings in a young but on-key and pitch voice. Zeb is already an accomplished flat picker, and competed in the Merlefest guitar competition this year. Both Snyder children have improved considerably since we first heard them at Carolina in the Fall back in October. Personally, they are precocious and unassuming kids, home-schooled, polite, and engaging. Their parents seem to be succeeding at keeping the performing and the learning fun for them. Look for these kids around the festival circuit as more fans become aware of them. They received a standing ovation and an encore at the end of their set.

Zeb Snyder

Roy Lewis Watches the Snyder Family

Janis, Polly, and Little Roy Lewis

The Lewis Family has been touring for over fifty years. They are rightly called America’s First Family of Bluegrass Gospel Music, and have performed a traditional gospel music program leavened with lots of humor and Little Roy Lewis’ clowning, which reaches back into the early days of bluegrass and before. While Little Roy frequently appears in various outrageous costumes in other people’s acts, he never sings secular lyrics in his own show, although he frequently plays patriotic and popular tunes. While his sisters are increasingly hindered by age, he has recently begun to ease younger performers into his program. Sister Polly asked for the audience’s prayers as she battles her illness. The Lewis Family is well-loved by their fans, who support them wherever they perform.

Little Roy

Jammers on the River Walk

Mandolin Workshop with Alan Bibey

A few hundred yards away from the Old Peanut Warehouse, the Waccamaw river flows past the grounds. Conway has built a lovely wooden walkway along the river where boats tie up, kids swim and sunbathe, and jammers congregate during the festival. Two groups of jammers, one the regulars from The Rivertown Bluegrass Society and the other a group of kids. The festival had erected a small tent beside the river walk where three workshops were held. Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley, and Phil Leadbetter each presented very well attended workshops where enthusiastic musicians of all age participated and learned. These workshops are an excellent addition to Bluegrass on the Waccamaw.

Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out

Justin Haynes (IIIrd Tyme Out)

Steve Dilling

The end of the afternoon performances and the evening were dominated by the two national touring bands. The two bands playing on Saturday night are inter-related in many ways. Alan Bibey, now of Grasstowne was one of the founding members of IIIrd Tyme Out along with Ray Deaton and Russell Moore back around 1991. Now, seventeen years later, Russell is the only remaining member of this storied band, but the great sound remains. Wayne Benson, one of the finest mandolin players around is currently playing mandolin with the band. Meanwhile, bus driver Doug Driscoll has taken on the role of singing bass that Deaton once filled. His solid bass voice and disarming pleasure at finding himself on stage create a winning image. Edgar Loudermilk, who has wide experience as a first rate bass player improves upon his predecessor at the instrument. Steve Dilling on banjo and singing harmony excels with his fine instrumental work and winning personality. Justin Haynes on fiddle is first rate. Meanwhile. Russell Moore remains one of the very best lead singers in bluegrass music.

Wayne Benson (IIIrd Tyme Out)

Russell Moore

Doug Driscoll (IIIrd Tyme Out)

Grasstowne

Alan Bibey

For Grasstowne, there simply is no better mandolin player on the circuit today than Alan Bibey. His precise and lightning fast breaks are a joy to hear and watch. Steve Gulley, having joined Grasstowne after a lengthy stint as lead singer with Mountain Heart, remains at the top of his game. And his game is very near the top of the vocal heap. To hear two of the best mandolin players and two of the finest lead singers in successive sets is truly a great treat. Phil Leadbetter on Dobro remains one of only three musicians ever to win IBMA Dobro Player of the year along with Jerry Douglas and Rob Ickes. That’s pretty rare territory. Jayme Booher, who has played a very capable bass for Grasstowne since shortly after it was formed, has taken on the job of singing baritone, which he performs with skill and good voice, but always in his typical self-deprecating manner. Jason Davis, a still developing master on banjo, allows his banjo to do the talking for him, and talk it does with taste and exquisite melding of this difficult instrument into the sound of one of the best bands around.

Jayme Booher Sings

Jason Davis

Steve Gulley

Phil Leadbetter

The evening closed having made the point that great bands make a fine festival. By bringing these two fine bands together at Conway, along with the other distinguished groups, Jennings Chestnut has continued the legacy of the excellent festival he created.

A Prediction and Some Thoughts for Promoters

First, the PREDICTION: This will be one of the busiest years in the history of Goldwing Express.

Why would I say that? Regular readers of this blog know I don’t think much of this band. In fact, my opinion has only gone down further. Way back in February at a festival, we were standing at a band’s merchandise table to the side of the performance area. Next to us was Goldwing Express’ table where two of the boys were standing chatting with a couple of fans. The fans wore red, white, and blue clothing and one had on an eagle cap. True patriots! As we stood there, Sonya Isaacs broke into her truly inspiring version of The Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem. The solemnity and grandeur of the moment brought the crowd to its feet, hats and hands to hearts, tears to many eyes, and goose bumps to people’s skin. It was truly an inspired moment. Next to us, the brothers and their fans continued to chat throughout the entire song and their hats stayed firmly on their heads.

I’ve used the words cynical and manipulative to describe Goldwing Express’ concluding extravaganza, but I think I’ve avoided hypocritical until now. In this bit, lasting perhaps fifteen minutes and often reaching into the next band’s time, the band begins with a tear jerking description of their mother’s death, morphs into “love of flag, country, and God” mantra followed by a playing of the various service hymns while veterans of each service are called on to stand. It could be stirring if it weren’t so obvious. Now, having seen what we saw, it can only be described as insultingly hypocritical. There’s only one problem here. The crowds love it, and Goldwing Express brings in the crowds. Thus, my prediction.

Thoughts for Promoters: 2008 and 2009 are proving to be difficult years for promoters. The price of gasoline and assorted other price increases are nearly impossible to predict making it extremely difficult for promoters to make decisions about what to pay bands, how much to charge fans, how to balance their lineup, and how to encourage people to attend. We are in the midst of planning our fall trip to festivals and events in the mid-south and the beginning of planning our winter tour. What we think we’re noticing is that promoters are taking the safe approach to booking their events. They’re bringing in bands they can absolutely count on to deliver fans to the gate. Thus, bands like Goldwing Express, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, The Daily-Vincent Band, and Nothin’ Fancy seem to be appearing everywhere. Now, perhaps we notice this because we’re lucky enough to get to lots of festivals and therefore we’ve seen all these bands a lot. Nevertheless, promoters have a choice, and I think they’re going in the wrong direction.

In stretching their budgets to bring in bands calculated to enhance the gate, promoters seem to be focusing on the present while ignoring the future of our music. While the big touring bands are going from venue to venue, worthy local and regional bands are too expensive for the promoters to use to fill out their programs and emerging younger touring bands are being squeezed out of existence. There isn’t enough money to go around and the bulk of it is going to too few bands. Furthermore, for people who attend multiple events, their similarity begins to become too pervasive, and fans start looking elsewhere.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget what a musical revolution the first generation bluegrassers wrought. Led by Bill Monroe, and assisted by Flatt & Scruggs, the Osbornes, Reno and Smiley, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, and many more, the first generation of bluegrass stars borrowed from a range of imported and American musics to synthesize a sound that has had great appeal to people across social and economic lines in America and around the world. It’s useful to remember that the pioneers experimented with alternative instruments including harmonicas, accordions, and even the dreaded drums. Today, Randy Kohrs has begun appearing with a snare drum in his newly renamed band. Sam Bush has had a full drum kit on stage for years. Other bands continue to achieve the percussive effect with traditional bluegrass instruments. Groups like The Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene, whose work is now seen as standard, were greeted with scorn when they incorporated rock songs into their bluegrass shows. Today, groups like Cadillac Sky, The Steel Drivers, and The Infamous Stringdusters push the limits of bluegrass while continuing to recognize their debt to the founders. Meanwhile Grasstowne, The Gibson Brothers, and Steep Canyon Rangers have found a comfortable middle ground between the traditional and progressive wings moving the music along all the time.

It’s distressing to attend a bluegrass festival and see attendees get up and leave during a set muttering, “That ain’t bluegrass,” when it doesn’t sound just like Bill Monroe. Nevertheless, promoters owe it to fans and to the music to provide both education and entertainment. Perhaps more important, though, they need to keep attracting new audiences of younger fans to the music if it’s to stay vital and alive into the future. Bluegrass promoters would be wise to keep two factors in mind as they build their lineups. First, there’s a deep well-spring of talent in local and regional bands which will never have an audience if promoters don’t hire them to fill out their programs. Second, bluegrass music has within it the capacity to contain a range of kinds of music while still remaining bluegrass. One of the great joys of bluegrass is experiencing the breadth of musical understanding the form is capable of satisfying. During the difficult times to come, bluegrass can continue to attract an interested and enthusiastic audience if promoters continue to offer diversity as well as continuity.

Bluegrass on the Waccamaw - Conway, SC - Preview

The twelfth annual Bluegrass on the Waccamaw will be held on Saturday, May 10^th at the Old Peanut Warehouse in downtown Conway, SC beginning at 12:30 and running until 10:00 in evening. This small festival is the brainchild and realization of Jennings Chestnut and his wife Willi and is one of the most unusual small festivals held anywhere. First, it’s free. That’s right, this festival, presenting top national bands as well as local and regional talent has been presented free to public each year for more than a decade. Back in the mid nineties, Jennings realized that the price of a day at a bluegrass festival was reaching levels beyond the means of many who have enjoyed the music in the past or would enjoy being introduced to it. He decided to begin offering this festival “free to the public” and set about figuring out how to make it happen. Through the cooperation of a number of sponsors and year-round hard work by the promoter to raise funds, the festival has presented some of the finest bluegrass bands anywhere in this free format. Now chartered as a 501 c (3) not for profit organization, Bluegrass on the Waccamaw continues to offer the best in bluegrass music on the second Saturday of May each year.

The Old Peanut Warehouse - Conway, SC

Jennings and Willi Chestnut

The other day we had the pleasure of attending a typical event characterizing Jennings’ fund raising efforts for his festival. From his small Mandolin Shop on Main Street in Conway, we went over to the family living center of the First United Methodist Church of Conway for the Rotary Club meeting. While we ate a tasty and filling chicken barbecue lunch, Jennings introduced Robert Napier on fiddle, Alan Bibey on mandolin, and a couple of his friends on guitars to provide the day’s entertainment. Robert Napier is the house fiddler for the Alabama Theater in Myrtle Beach and has toured with the likes of Tammy Wynette. Alan Bibey, who lives nearby, is currently one of the three principles with Grasstowne, which will be performing at Bluegrass on the Waccamaw, is one of the finest mandolin players anywhere. How many people can call on folks like this to help promote a small, local event? Between songs Jennings talked about the history of the festival and told Rotarians of their opportunity to purchase raffle tickets. Jennings visits these kinds of events year round raising money to support the festival. Recently, he has also begun seeking grants from private and public sources.

A Chestnut Mandolin

Scratch Band at the Rotary

Robert Napier Entertains at the Rotary Club

The final fund raiser for Bluegrass on the Waccamaw is a barbecue dinner inside the Old Peanut Warehouse on Friday night before the festival. Tickets for this event are $25.00 and a limited number are sold. Entertainment will be provided by the Jeanette Williams Band. In addition to an evening of fine bluegrass music, this catered event offers folks a local culinary favorite called Chicken Bog and other local and regional specialties.

Grasstowne at Bluegrass on the Waccamaw 2007

Alan Bibey

Steve Gulley

Headlining Bluegrass on the Waccamaw on Saturday will be Grasstowne and Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out.. Interestingly, Alan Bibey, now of Grasstowne, was one of the original members of IIIrd Tyme Out about fifteen years ago. Of the other originals, only Russell Moore remains with IIIrd Tyme Out. Grasstowne was formed about a year and a half ago when Steve Gulley, Phil Leadbetter, and Bibey decided to form a new band seeking to combine their respect and love for traditional bluegrass with a more contemporary sound. Grasstowne’s first CD The Road Headin’ Home has been a terrific hit, achieving first position on “Bluegrass Unlimited” magazine’s top twenty list for several consecutive months. Songs from the album have reached the top of the BU singles list and “Devil’s Road” is currently rising on the Sirius satellite radio hit list. This is a not to be missed band, which will be headlining at bluegrass festivals for years to come. There is no band that boasts any better musicianship than Grasstowne. Leadbetter, Bibey, and Gulley are all at the top of their game. Jason Davis on banjo, while only 20 years old, has played with several major bands and gets better every year. Jayme Booher on bass provides just the beat this band needs.

Russell Moore

Wayne Benson

Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out have come through their recent shake-up a stronger and tighter band. Who would ever think their bus driver would be able to replace the fabled Ray Deaton singing bass on Gospel quartets, but that’s exactly what happened. The addition of Wayne Benson on mandolin and Edgar Loudermilk on bass have strengthened the band. Russell Moore remains one of the very best lead singers in bluegrass music, while Steve Dilling is a fine banjo player. Benson, of course, belongs on the same stage with Bibey and returns to IIIrd Tyme Out at an appropriate tyme. These two bands offer the best that bluegrass has.

Steve Dilling and Russell Moore

The Lewis Family, bills itself as America’s first family of bluegrass Gospel music, and deserves the label. After more than fifty years of performing at festivals, in churches, on radio and TV and anywhere else, they have become a connection between the early days of bluegrass and the present. Little Roy Lewis provides energy, enthusiasm, and comedy to this family group. His three sisters, though aging and unwell, continue to take the stage with grace and good humor. Lewis Phillips, sister Janice’s son, serves well on guitar and back-up banjo as well as contributing a pleasant voice. This band remains a favorite of many fans across the nation.

The Lewis Family at Bluegrass on the Waccamaw - 2007

Zeb and Samantha Snyder are two very young musicians who bear watching. Zeb, at age 12 is a wizard flat picker on his Henderson guitar. His winsome sister, Samantha, plays a mean fiddle and her smile lights up an audience as she sings. Both will bear watching as they mature. The rest of the lineup is composed of local and regional bands which will prove to be both lively and entertaining.

Along the Riverwalk on the Waccamaw

Bluegrass on the Waccamaw is held on the second Saturday of May at the Old Peanut Warehouse in Conway, SC. It is free and runs from 12:30 until 10:00 PM. The goal of providing “World class bluegrass” is met every year. Be sure to walk down to the Riverwalk along the river to hear the jammers congregating there during the festival. It’s worth your time and effort to get out to Conway for this delightful event.

Merlefest 2008 - Review

Once again, for the twenty-first year, Merlefest presented a varied, interesting, exciting, engaging, diverse, and frustrating program of American and, increasingly, world music. Begun in 1988 when a few of the late Eddie Merle Watson’s friends came together for a benefit and memorial bluegrass festival, Merlefest has morphed into the largest and most complex music festival around. Sporting fourteen sound stages and total attendance over the four days approaching 80,000, the festival cannot be encapsulated or summarized in any reasonable way. What follows seeks to capture the personal highlights and low points for me and to highlight organizational improvements while pointing to possible issues still needing to be addressed in the future. Because the festival provides such a personal experience, I’ll also include some special ones from Irene.

Watson Stage Reserved Seating

This year the weather threatened throughout the festival. Fortunately, the clouds and threat of rain kept the grounds comfortably warm in the evening right through the festival. The loud and wet thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon provided relief from direct sunlight and heat, leaving muddy grounds but no real surprises for Merlefest veterans. Sunday, always a pretty mellow day anyway, was further dampened by the lowering clouds. Finally it began to drizzle during the Sparrow Quartet’s penultimate main stage set on Sunday afternoon turning into a steady rain and leaving precious few people to enjoy the much anticipated Dan Tyminski Band’s closing set. Nevertheless, this year’s weather was about what long-time Merlefest attendees expect. While the crowd seemed smaller to me than in the previous two years, this is purely subjective judgment. Festival officials tell me that their preliminary estimated total attendance was 76,900, slightly down from last year’s 79,000, but quite good considering the threatening weather and the price of gasoline.

Food Tent at Night

Musically the festival provided many more highlights than disappointments. In no particular order, I’ll point out some of my (our) highlights and disappointments. First, it’s worth noting that Merlefest is a highly personal experience. In fact, it can be 20,000 different festivals on any given day. Fourteen sound stages, dozens of vendors, lots of places for recreation and rest, and all the great people-watching make this an enormously rich four day weekend. All judgments are completely my own and Irene’s, and I am happy to have anyone disagree with me, but this is a report on our Merlefest. Yours is likely to have been completely different and the degree to which you are unhappy or happy with your festival lies largely with the choices you made.

Creekside Audience

We tended to concentrate our attention to three convenient musical venues – The Watson (main) Stage, Creekside, and Americana – with one very satisfactory trip up to The Lounge in Alumni Hall. In recent years we have avoided Hillside because of the long walk and huge, boisterous crowds assembled there for the interesting and varied jams. One of the great joys of Merlefest is always the unusual combinations of musicians brought together in jam situations. In addition to demonstrating to us all the principles we just spent four days learning from Pete Wernick in Jam Camp, these jams bring together performers no one would ever expect to see assembled on the same stage. Girls for Merle was a perfect example of this on Saturday afternoon. Imagine Alison Brown, Sierra Hull, Laurie Lewis, Rhonda Vincent, Missy Raines, Claire Lynch, and Sally Van Meter appearing on stage at the same time…and enjoying each other. During their delightful set, each of these luminaries provided solid and delightful performances without a hint of competition. Just plain wonderful stuff. On Friday afternoon, Ralph Stanley showed up for a performance featuring Doc Watson, David Holt, and T. Michael Coleman. Once again, the first generation of bluegrassers represented themselves well and provided a rare treat. Tim O’Brien appeared at the Creekside Stage with The Infamous Stringdusters for a delightful set of both their music as well as some jamming to traditional bluegrass songs. Mando Mania on Saturday afternoon put some of the greatest mandolin players in the world on the stage at once. Tony Williamson hosted Darin Aldridge, Mike Compton, Sierra Hull, Rebecca Lovell, Barry Mitterhoff, James Nash, Tim O’Brien, Tom Rozum, and Sam Bush in an hour-long jam. It sure would have been nice to see Alan Bibey on that stage. Nash offered an interesting exercise based on “Whiskey Before Breakfast” in which players started with a whole section and then on each succeeding go-round cut the section in half. In theory, it should have ended with each picker playing one note in rapid succession through the whole song. Despite the predicted train wreck, it was an exciting and enjoyable piece or work appreciated by all who were there or who participated.

Crowd for Doc Watson at Americana

Other highlights for me included The Infamous Stringdusters with sets on three major stages on two days before heading off for an appearance at The Grand Ol’ Opry and then a trip to Europe. Blue Highway had a fine set on Friday afternoon. It’s easy to take this great band for granted, since they’ve been together without a change for fourteen years. They remain fresh and lively presenting music that manages to be cutting edge progressive while paying due deference to the founding musical ideas of bluegrass music. Laurie Lewis and her band had a very good, strong set on the main stage on Thursday and then followed it up with great courage, taking the stage right after a big thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon. When the sound board went dead, the band stepped to the front of the stage and offered an un-amplified acoustic set until power was restored. A major highlight for both Irene and me was the performance of Pete Wernick and Flexigrass. Pete has assembled a band composed of drum, bass, vibraphone, clarinet, and banjo as well as his wife Joan singing in a pop style I had no idea she had the voice for. The music, a sort of jazz-bluegrass fusion was pleasant to the ear and challenging to senses unused to this instrumental combination. It was wonderful stuff, and we’re looking forward to purchasing their CD. Flexigrass also hosted a jam, adding multi-instrumentalist, music historian David Holt and Cheick Hamala Diabate from Mali playing the n’goni, an ancestor of the banjo. The music was delightful, interesting, and varied, much like a cleansing of the palate.

Photographers at Americana

Cabin Stage with Infamous Stringdusters

The Carolina Chocolate Drops were a minor hit last year, earning them an opportunity for complete sets on the Watson Stage, Americana Stage, and Cabin Stage. Their main stage set also featured Joe Thompson, an elderly black fiddler who had deeply influenced their development. It provided a terrific hour of entertaining musical history. Two sets of young comers let bluegrass fans know the music isn’t only for traditionalists. Sierra Hull and Highway 111 featured the sixteen year old mandolin virtuoso along with young Cory Walker on banjo. Hull also appeared in Mando Mania and Girls for Merle, keeping her busy all weekend. The Lovell sisters, a trio of fine young musicians, were also in frequent evidence. Ruthie Foster, a fine young blues singer from Texas, made a brief appearance on the Cabin Stage, where she quickly captured the audience. The Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven put on a great set on Sunday morning. Brown is a wonderfully creative jazz banjo player who has expanded the expectations for her instrument, while Joe Craven plays fiddle and mandolin along with doing some of the most creative percussion work around, using anything poundable as an instrument. Craven’s dynamism brings extraordinary vitality to his performances, while Brown’s excitement comes from her very inventive banjo play. Grammy winner Tim O’Brien’s solo set on the main stage, multiple Grammy winner Doc Watson everywhere, and the final set of the weekend played by Dan Tyminski were all very fine and lived up to expectations.

Vendor's Row

Main Stage Area

Perhaps the highlight for us of the weekend was the performance of The Circuit Riders. Members of this band were the core of The Country Gentlemen at the time Charlie Waller died. Unable to keep the name, which is owned by Charlie’s son Randy, The Circuit Riders have been playing as a regional band in the Carolinas for the past few years. At a late afternoon indoor set in The Lounge of Alumni Hall, this little known group threw down one of the great bluegrass sets, bringing the audience of a couple of hundred fans to their feet and wowing everyone there. They followed this fine performance with a Gospel set at Creekside on Sunday morning, featuring guest artist Brooke Justice, mandolinist Darin Aldridge’s fiancée. In both their major sets they showed their potential for bluegrass stardom. Aldridge, in particular, is a standout on mandolin, well deserving his place in Mando Mania. Irene, particularly, thought this set, along with the Stringdusters with Tim O’Brien, and Flexigrass were highlights of the festival for her.

Little Picker's Audience

There were, of course, bands we didn’t much enjoy. Recognizing this as a matter of taste, I still want to mention a few we found less than satisfactory. Old Crow Medicine Show, a band we had looked forward to seeing, seemed loud and un-melodic, not offering much of interest to us. Similarly, Donna the Buffalo, who we have come to loath, were simply loud and misplaced on the Watson stage late afternoon slot. This jam/dance band belongs on the Hillside Stage and the Dance Stage where their style can encourage dancing and the kind of enthusiastic response their fans can give. Their volume quickly became discomforting for us. The Avett Brothers are loud and undisciplined, although they have a loyal following. Peter Rowan has long outlived his hippy base and needs a new act. I can’t quite understand the musical marriage of Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs, an act which gives lip service to bluegrass history while playing often interesting rock with Hornsby at the Steinway Grand, an instrument that seldom graces the Watson stage. Finally, The Sparrow Quartet, featuring Abigail Washburn, Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen, and Ben Sollee played a too long set of discordant modern music, much of it in Chinese, that legitimately belongs in the Felt Auditorium of Lincoln Center, but which drove much of the audience looking forward to hearing the Dan Tyminski band away. Merlefest is just plain the wrong setting for this band. In the end, though, each of these bands had its adherents and our choice to stay to hear them was ours. If we didn’t enjoy them, we could easily have moved to another venue, except that many of these bands had prime slots on the Watson Stage. Taste, however, is personal and we heard much more music to our taste than that we didn’t enjoy. Even the music we found not to our taste, gave us a broader perspective on the range of music available. Artistically, Merlefest turned out to be another success.

Audience at The Lounge

Organizationally, the Merlefest staff addressed many of the issues emerging last year as festival leadership changed and sought to make changes in the event. Merlefest faces a real problem. How can a mature festival attracting something like 80,000 people a year to a community college campus in the foothills of the Smokies maintain its traditions of rural simplicity and homegrown charm while offering a broad variety of American music appealing to a range of tastes, ages, and backgrounds? Wilkes County is a hot bed of homegrown traditional musical talent leavened by a sprinkling of true innovation. The Wilkes Acoustic/Folk Society sponsors a set of pickin’ tents where all kinds of jamming are encouraged. Unfortunately, these tents are wedged in between the Dance Tent and the Traditional Tent making it difficult for the pickers to hear themselves. Similarly, a new venue called The Plaza, locate directly in the route to the Hillside Stage, supposedly offers an opportunity for bands to get experience performing on a live sound stage, but drew relatively few people who came to listen while many traipsed through the location on their way to other events. Meanwhile, the festival filled the Plaza with scheduled events, reducing the opportunity for pick-up bands and un-known groups to offer to perform.

Cheika Hamala Diabate

Generally, walking patterns between venues and exit aisles to the shuttle buses were greatly improved. Increased numbers of buses operating on a continuous schedule made arrival and departure much easier than last year. Scheduling of bands on the main stage assured that many people would leave early, while major attractions at the Dance Tent kept others late into the night, thus leveling the evening exodus. Some venues, like the Little Pickers area were increased in size and scope, providing still more entertainment for young people. A particular delight was Albeti’s Flea Circus. In addition to providing opportunities for young people to perform, the Little Pickers Tent scheduled adult performers specializing in shows for children. This was the best year ever for short lines and clean porta-johns. As always, the portables were clean and frequently emptied. They were well-placed and, for me, uncrowded. Lines in the food tent seemed less long, while at least one additional fast food facility was placed on the grounds, reducing the lines. An additional artist “shake and howdy” autograph tent was provided, giving easier access to musicians, and the location was moved away from the Merlefest Mall, reducing the crush there.

Band at Little Pickers

There are still a few problems that need to be addressed. There is some sound leek between venues. I suspect this issue cannot be resolved, but certainly the placement of the Wilkes Acoustic/Folk Society tents can be re-visited. The large numbers of people carrying instruments around the grounds suggest there are many people wanting to jam. Sound at the main stage area seemed too loud to us at our very well positioned seats. We’ve noticed that some sound systems provide secondary speakers away from the front with an electronic delay system to make the sound hit each ear in the audience simultaneously. I have no idea whether such systems would work with the huge speaker system at the Watson Stage, but sound was clearly superior at Creekside. We thought the sound at Americana was harsh.

Creekside Stage with Flexigrass Jam

On the whole, Merlefest 2008 turned out to be another wonderful musical experience for us. As we wandered the grounds, we found we were seeing increasing numbers of people we have come to know and like. People whose seats adjoin ours have become old friends. We enjoy seeing their children grow up and spread their wings as the years pass. The family and friends environment that persists in this very large and mostly very well organized festival remains one of Merlefest’s greatest assets. The management of the festival should do everything they can to retain this quality, nurture it, and cherish the results of caring for customers and providing for their needs.