Where Bluegrass is Found - Everywhere

"Preacher" Mike & Mary Robinson

We drove into Highlands Hammock State Park, set up our trailer under a tree, and heard a banjo playing one trailer removed. I walked over and found Paul Petrone and Maria camped there with Paul pickin’ happily away. They’d been at YeeHaw Junction for the weekend and would be going to Craig’s RV for the festival at Arcadia the next weekend. After going to get our mail at the Sebring Post Office we drove back into the park. Irene did a double take and said, “Isn’t that Mike and Mary’s trailer?” I pulled over, went into the office, and, sure enough, Mike Robinson was just finishing up registering and would be camped a couple of sites away. On Tuesday Mike came over to invite us to attend a sing and presentation over at DeSoto Park where his mother lives.

Paul Petrone

Maria

The Jam

Mike and Mary Robinson have been serving as traveling evangelists to the bluegrass community full-time for the past six years after several years of doing it part time. Their Bluegrass Gospel Sing & Jam will be heard at about 28 festivals up and down the east coast this year with a portion of their schedule in mostly in Florida and the rest in New England. Typically, a Gospel Sing & Jam is held on Sunday morning at bluegrass festivals before the rest of the Sunday program. Mike & Mary lead a group of jammers and assembled folks who’ve come for the non-denominational Christian service in well known and popular songs like “Take Me in Your Lifeboat,” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Amazing Grace,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” There’s usually a few words related to scripture and a prayer. The Gospel Jams are well attended and enjoyed. Both Mike and Mary are available for pastoral counseling, prayer support, and general support and help both at the festivals and by phone. In addition, they love bluegrass music as both fans and performers. Mike is an excellent guitar player and a very good singer who enjoys jamming. He also serves as emcee at many events.

Ernie

Irene

On Tuesday afternoon, the band assembled at our camper and began to practice. As they sang and worked out a program for the evenings event, people stopped by to listen and some even brought chairs along and sat down. Soon Ernie appeared with his guitar, Irene brought out her mandolin, and I broke out my banjo. Paul picked up his fiddle then, and a full scale jam was in progress. Even though Mike had to sing later, he sang with us until he was getting hoarse, but we were sure having fun. Bluegrass happens where you find it.

Mike Robinson

Later on we headed over to Desoto Park for Mike and Mary’s presentation. They set up a microphone and plugged into the park’s PA system. Soon a small, but interested group gathered and the program began. Mike and Mary led off with a couple of songs from gospel song book they distribute at their jams. They also sang some straight bluegrass and a couple of novelty songs. The crowd was soon with them – singing along, laughing on cue, and having a good time. They talked about the nature of their mission, the work they do with and in the bluegrass community. With support from Paul and Maria they sang some more songs, passed a basket for contributions, sang some more songs, and the evening was over. A good time was had by all.

Desoto Park Meeting Room

The Band - Maria, Mary, Mike, & Paul

Maria

Paul

Mike and Mary Robinson do serious work with a serious purpose, bringing the gospel and the word to people who both appreciate it and need it. Their ministry meets a real need for musicians and bluegrass fans.

Mike & Mary Robinson

YeeHaw Junction - Sunday

There's a certain sadness on Sunday's at most bluegrass festivals. The community is packing up, dissolving, returning home, or moving to the next event. Rigs move slowly towards the exit, raising clouds of dust, no matter how slowly they move along. Others stay until the event winds down to a few diehard fans, many of whom wait until Monday morning to finally pack up and leave. Promoters are faced with the problem of providing an entertaining program to a diminished and often tired audience. Sunday morning is usually devoted to some sort of woship service and bands playing bluegrass gospel, a favorite sub-genre for many devotees.

Word had arrived at YeeHaw Junction that Mary Robinson had fallen ill. Mike and Mary Robinson would not be able to conduct their Bluegrass Gospel Sing and Jam on Sunday morning. Their place was ably taken by Jan and Larry Ladd ably abetted by Maggie and Bill Anderson. The singing was enthusiastic, the message thoughtful and supportive, and the hour successful. (Shortly after our arrival at Highlands Hammock State Park on Monday afternoon, we drove past the gate and Irene saw a motor home she thought she recognized. There was Mike Robinson in the office. Later, we saw Mary who looked healthy, although a little tired. She is recuperating well from some undiagnosed event. They will be holding forth at Craig's RV in Arcadia this coming weekend.)

Bill and Maggie Anderson then followed with an all gospel set. This engaging couple has relocated from their home near Ithaca, New York to the mountains of southwest Virginia, where they have burrowed deep into the rich musical life of that region. Bill, in addition to performing with his wife, is developing a reputation as an instrument builder to supplement his work in repair and restoration. Their mellow and tuneful sets are just the thing for a Sunday morning. Maggie's play on the Dobro is often haunting and powerful, while Bill's guitar is strong. Their voices blend well and the duo is quietly satisfying. Each group performing on Sunday, also had a second set in the afternoon.

Al Batten & The Bluegrass Reunion came through with their usual strong performances on Sunday. They're one of the few groups that can ably sustain four sets over a two day period. Although they repeated a few songs on request, their catalog is long and deep.

Ray LaMarche - 2009 Senior Fiddle Champion

I've posted a link to pictures of the fiddle championship finals here. This event is always interesting and entertaining. It provides young fiddlers a chance to cut their teeth under the pressure of public performance and gives senior fiddlers a chance to shine. Ray LaMarche, the 2009 champion was engaging and skilled in his performance. It's difficult for any aspiring fiddler to be followed by Johnny Ridge, though.

Two local groups filled out the day's performances. One performer, the banjo player for Palms Bluegrass stood out along with Robert Feathers on guitar with Bluegrass Stagecoach. Otherwise, I'm afraid I missed the rest of the names. Both these groups are well known to the Florida audience and were enthusiastically received by the remaining people.

Bluegrass Stagecoach

Palms Bluegrass

I've missed the names of a few of the performers above. If you can help me, please drop me a line at KeeneValleyGuy@gmail.com.

A Fan

The New American Gothic

YeeHaw Junction - Saturday

The day dawned bright and sunny and proceeded to become nothing short of delightful - warm enough for a solid drive-in crowd to arrive and enjoy itself. When the sun set it became chilly quite quickly, but many people stayed to the very end, despite the chill air.

Fiddle Championship Nerves

The day began with the YeeHaw Junction fiddle championships. Click here to view the entire fiddle championship lineup. Tomorrow I'll post another album with pictures of the winners. Feel free to download individual pictures for your own pleasure. They should be good enough quality for you to print sizes up to 8x10. I usually leave such albums up for at least 30 days. Don't link to them, as the link will fail after about a month.

Al Batten & the Bluegrass Reunion

As I've watched this excellent North Carolina mainstay, I've become convinced they're one of the very best traditional bands anywhere. For more than three decades they've exemplified all that's good about bluegrass music. working full-time jobs and performing when and where they can. Their repertoire is mostly covers of classic greats, their musicians superb. They'll never garner enough attention to contend for national awards, but they should be heard and treasured by those who enjoy the best.

Al Batten

Johnny Ridge

Mike Aldridge

Jeff Huffman

Phil Patterson

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Dry Branch Fire squad also has a history going back to the early days of bluegrass music. Ron Thomason attended the first bluegrass festival in Virginia and has been touring with this legendary band since the mid-seventies. He brings humorous and piercing satirical comedy to the bluegrass wrapped in a band singing style of primitive power that presents both gospel music and traditional songs in powerful and meaning infused ways. His rendition of "Echo Mountain" evokes the shared destiny of humans and their "animals of a different species" friends in a tragic tale of enormous power. The resulting mix is not always to everyone's taste, but careful listening to his stories and anecdotes as well as the band's singing and musicality provides a deeply meaningful experience beyond mere entertainment. Their "Live from Newburyport Fire House" album offers very fine examples of the huge strengths of this band. A new CD hits the streets in a few days.

Ron Thomason

Brian Aldridge

Tom Boyd

Dan Russell

The rest of the day's bands were repeats from the very good Friday lineup. What follows is a collection of band and crowd pictures that I hope captures the spirit of YeeHaw Junction.

Hundred Year Old Fan

Steve & Donald Dowdy (Bluegrass Brothers)

Billy Hurt, Jr. (Bluegrass Brothers)

Bass Workshop

Gary Waldrep

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Mike Andes (Nothin' Fancy)

Chris Sexton & Mitchell Davis (Nothin' Fancy)

The Moron Brothers

Ron Thomason

YeeHaw Junction - Friday

Not much text today, just a lot of pictures. The weather improved hugely, as it became quite warm during the day, and even after the sun went down, it never became really chilly. The day featured a variety of highly entertaining bands with some very good music, too. The turnout appears to me to be good.

The Gary Waldrep Band

This band led by Gary Waldrep, a fine banjo picker and singer as well as a first rate entertainer. Mindy Rakestraw has one of the finest voices in bluegrass and deserves wider recognition. The band plays a high proportion of southern gospel bluegrass, which is very popular with audiences in the region.

Gary Waldrep
Mindy Rakestraw

Stan Wildmon

Kenny Townsell

Donna Townsall

Gary Waldrep

The Bluegrass Brothers

This group is noted for its high energy commitment to raw, in-your-face, traditional bluegrass. They are not instrumentally nor vocally refined, but rely on their intensity and energy to sell their act. It works really well for their many fans. Their version of "Grandfather's Clock" with three different players on bass is lots of fun.

Victor Dowdy

Donald Dowdy

Robert Dowdy

Billy Hurt, Jr.

Steve Dowdy

Donald Dowdy

Victor Dowdy

Goldwing Express

This group, hailing from Branson, MO, brings bluegrass music leavened with, perhaps, too much showmanship. When they stick to music and low key double entendre, they can be pretty amusing, but they still seem to feel a need to go over the top. Nevertheless, they have a strong and loyal audience who follow them intently, and a lot of that audience winters in Florida.

Bob Baldridge

Paul

Sean

Stephen

Nothin' Fancy

This band has been together for about ten years and has forged a reputation for good music and humorous, good-natured comedy. Lead singer Mike Andes is also a first rate song writer, and their Country Gentlemen covers are excellent. This season the band seems to have sharpened and freshened its humor.

Mike Andes

Chris Sexton

Gary Faris

Mitchell Davis

Tony Shorter

The Moron Brothers

I had never seen the Moron Brothers before and had no idea what to expect. Promoter Steve Ditmann told me he'd let me find out for myself. Billing themselves at Lardo & Burley, Mike Carr on banjo and Mike Hammond on guitar give a relatively deadpan combination of country humor and solid singing of classic country and bluegrass tunes. Their humor is infectious as the deadpan their way through their act. They provide a solid change of pace in a program of bluegrass music.

Lardo

Burley

The Cunning-Hams

This local group offers a good transition into the dinner hour. Suzanne Langford, who directs the annual fiddle championship at YeeHaw Junction, is a fine fiddler tending towards being a violinist. Dave O'Brien plays four instruments during their performance, and front man Frank Cunningham writes some interesting songs.

Frank Cunningham

Suzanne Langford

Dave O'Brien

Saturday at YeeHaw Junction will offer some repeats from Friday as well as several new groups and the first round of the fiddle contest. Stay tuned for more.

Evan Carl (emcee)

YeeHaw Junction - Thursday

Thursday at a bluegrass festival is usually a pretty mellow day. Those of us who’ve come in early can watch new vagabonds arrive, walk around the grounds, jam, and wait for the music to start, usually around four in the afternoon. Once it warmed up on Thursday morning and the heavy frost melted and then evaporated, we got a chance to check out the vendor’s area where we discovered Bill and Maggie Anderson already set up. Bill is that very useful guy at a festival, a certified C.F. Martin technician. He also builds very good instruments, and has returned to an early love, building basses. He had a new Anderson bass on display, and people were playing it approvingly. Bill and Maggie will also perform a mostly gospel set on Sunday. They have recently moved from their long-time home in Ithaca, NY to the mountains of southwestern Virginia, where they’ve become embedded in the regional music community. We also got a chance to jam with our friends Jay and Martha Shepherd, which is always lots of fun and gave both of us a chance to limber up after several days of cold and wet weather layoff.

Bill Anderson

Maggie Anderson

Bill Anderson's Bass

At a little after 4:00 we wandered over to the performance tent, where we heard good sounds. Often a festival doesn’t want to throw one of its better bands at an audience that isn’t complete yet or that hasn’t yet become ready to concentrate on music. That means the opening acts on Thursday are often local or regional bands that truly appreciate the chance to perform, but aren’t necessarily up to the standard of national touring bands. Sometimes, one of these bands provides more than just a pleasant surprise. Backwater, from Ocala, FL, is just such a group. They are a well-established group in Ocala, where they have opened for a broad range of national touring bands and play regular pub gigs downtown, and have toured festivals mostly in Florida. Their sound is a smooth and melodic mix of bluegrass, country, swing, and grassifed rock and pop. Founded in 1984, they are led by Bill Taylor on mandolin, who had a gold record with the Guardsmen for Snoopy and the Red Baron years ago. David Dean on banjo is solid and quite nuanced in his play. Chuck Richolt on guitar and doing much of the lead singing is very solid, with a good voice. Johnny Mason plays bass. The band has a lively and interesting stage presence providing some laughs and plenty of good music. They have a new CD being released soon, which you will be able to purchase through their MySpace page.

Backwater

Bill Taylor

David Dean

Chuck Richolt

Johnny Mason

The Larry Gillis Band has gone through some more change, mostly for the better, although fiddler Shirley Seim was, unfortunately, not here. Interestingly, mandolinist Travers Chandler, who was a little late, won’t be long for this band, because he’s been hired to play mandolin for Danny Paisley & Southern Grass, who have had renewed success this year with a fine recording and enhanced touring. This is an enormous opportunity for Travers, a fine mandolin player who hasn’t received sufficient recognition. The Gillis band has always featured hard driving, Georgia style bluegrass with a strong emphasis on Larry’s powerful Scruggs style and clawhammer picking as well as his flexible baritone voice. He has been joined by Alex Leach, singing lead and playing lead guitar as well as doing much of the emcee work. Leach, who has a radio show on WDVX in Knoxville, is a welcome addition. So, too, is Evan Rose on rhythm guitar and vocals. Evan, long a strong mandolin player with his family’s band, plays exceptional rhythm guitar and is a strong singer. With Travers Chandler’s leaving, perhaps Evan Rose will get an opportunity to pick mandolin in the Gillis band. The Gillis set was powerful and enjoyable.

The Larry Gillis Band

Larry Gillis

Evan Rose

Alex Leach

Travers Chandler

Rafe Waters

Larry Gillis & Evan Rose

Roger Bass & The Hillbillies features local performer Roger Bass, who is well known to people attending central Florida bluegrass events. His pleasant voice and humorous presentation often features lots of by play with his friends in the audience. He sings mostly classic country standards with lots of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and Earnest Tubb. The band supplies adequate support, and the audience knows and enjoys his performances.

Roger Bass & The Hillbillies


Roger Bass

Thursday at YeeHaw Junction suggested that a very good weekend is coming. Sound by Harry Grant is strong and clear. Plenty of people appear to be arriving, but there’s still room in the camping area for people in the area to come. Last night’s chill will be replaced by rising temperatures over the next two days. If you can’t come over, come back to the blog for more each day.

Evan Carl - Emcee

Palatka Bluegrass Festival - Preview

The fifth annual Palatka Bluegrass Festival held at Rodeheaver Boys Ranch south of Palatka, FL will begin on Thursday, February 12^th and run for three days. Another all-star production of the Adams and Anderson team, which now offers nine festivals a year, Palatka has emerged as the largest, and perhaps the best, of the winter festivals in Florida. The host organization, Rodeheaver Boys Ranch, decided a few years ago to hold a bluegrass festival as one of its major fund raising events. They have spared no expense in developing a spacious campground with water and electric hookups, hot showers and flush toilets, daily hot meals served in the Ranch’s dining room, a large area for vendors, plenty of the all-important porta-potties kept clean all weekend, and more. Their success has prompted the development of a second festival now held in October.

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

Rhonda Vincent

Aaron McDaris

Hunter Berry & Mickey Harris

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Ricky Skaggs

Jim Mills

Cody Kilby

Palatka this year presents first rate bands and some interesting early season looks at how they have changed during the annual musical chairs game December often brings to bluegrass bands. The most notable changes revolve around Rhonda Vincent’s decision to remake her band. She had replaced Kenny Ingram on banjo with Aaron McDaris, who comes to her band from The Grascals. Darrell Webb has also left and been replaced with Ben Helsen on lead and rhythm guitar who had been with Ricky Skaggs’ band. Ingram has joined the Larry Stephenson Band, where he replaces IBMA banjo player of the year Kristin Scott Benson, the new banjo picker with The Grascals. Webb has joined Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper. Alan Johnson has rejoined the Doyle Lawson aggregation on fiddle while lead singer and guitarist Darren Beachley has decided to leave. All these bands except for Cleveland’s will be performing at Palatka, giving audiences an opportunity to assess the effectiveness and impact of the changes. I was particularly happy to see the great Kenny Ingram catch on with Stephenson and Alan Johnson back on the road. Benson has also proven herself to be a first rate addition to The Grascals. Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice will be featuring a new mandolinist at Rodeheaver, replacing Chris Harris who has moved on.

The Grascals

Terry Eldredge

Kristin Scott Benson

Danny Roberts

Jeremy Abshire

Larry Stephenson Band
Larry Stephenson

Kenny Ingram

Jason Barrie

Each day at Palatka will feature bands that specialize in gospel music. The Chuck Wagon Gang appears on Friday and The Primitive Quartet on Saturday. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, noted for their gospel content is a featured band on Friday back to back with Dailey & Vincent, straight off a triumphant year which featured their winning seven IBMA awards in October and probably headed for a similar triumph at SPBGMA in a few weeks. We haven’t seen the 2009 Dailey & Vincent program yet, but, when Irene and I chatted with Jamie Dailey at IBMA, he said he was already hard at work on writing and shaping their show. Dailey, like his mentor Doyle Lawson, insists upon creating a highly polished performance filled with tight harmony, fast picking, and fine singing. Comedy is provided through the interchanges between Dailey and his partner, Darren Vincent. Audiences have responded with huge enthusiasm since they hit the road a year ago, and 2009 promises to continue this pattern. Lawson, too, can always be relied upon for a first rate performance, even with the frequent changes this notoriously tough task master experiences. A member of Lawson’s band once said to me, “Four years with Doyle Lawson is like earning a PhD in being in a band.” Such precision has paid off in numerous awards and consistently enthusiastic responses from bluegrass audiences. It was recently announced that Darren Beachley would be leaving the Doyle Lawson band. Lawson's office has confirmed to me that Beachley will be replaced by Darren McGuire. Furthermore, Jason Barie will be playing fiddle for Doyle Lawson. As with the other bands that have announced changes, it will be interesting to hear and see the new Quicksilver band.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Doyle Lawson

Alan Johnson

Joey Cox

Dailey & Vincent
More Than a Name on the Wall

Jamie Dailey

Darrin Vincent

Other bands appearing at Palatka this year will be:

· Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road

· The Gary Waldrep Band

· Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers

· Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice

· Goldwing Express

· Nothin’ Fancy

· Barry Scott & Second Wind

· The Bluegrass Brothers

And other bands previously mentioned. The lineup is so strong, there’s no way I can comment on each on in a preview, but people attending this festival can be assured that there will be plenty of traditional bluegrass played by strong practitioners of the art. People seeing more progressive or innovative approaches to bluegrass and acoustic music should probably look elsewhere.

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road
Lorraine Jordan & Jerry Butler

Josh Goforth & John Wade

Ben Greene

The Gary Waldrep Band
Gary Waldrep

Mindy Rakestraw

Stan Wildmon

Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers

Larry Sparks

The Rodeheaver Boys Ranch is one of the most interesting venues we get to visit on our bluegrass trips. Founded in the 1950’s on about 700 acres of ranch land south of Palatka, FL, the ranch houses about fifty boys who, for various reasons, have no family capable of caring for them. They attend the local public school and live on campus in comfortable home-line houses, about eight or ten to a building with house parents in charge. They receive strong, loving discipline, learn to work by doing ranch chores, and receive supervised study and tutoring (when necessary) in a library building. After school on Thursday and Friday afternoons, when school gets out, and through Saturday, the students are very much in evidence about the campus, helping with every element of the festival. They seem to be happy and well-adjusted to the situation. The Rodeheaver staff and volunteers we’ve met are committed to providing a Christian environment for these potentially troubled youth. Visitors to this festival should be sure to purchase a bag of the delicious navel oranges the ranch sells. I’m not generally a fan of navels, but these are the tastiest, juiciest ones I’ve ever tasted. The ranch will deliver them to the door of visitors’ rigs.

Junior Sisk & Tim Massey

Mike Andes & Chris Sexton (Nothin' Fancy)

Gary Faris (Nothin' Fancy)

The Bluegrass Brothers
Victor Dowdy

Donald Dowdy

Robert Dowdy

When Rodeheaver officials decided to hold a bluegrass festival, they did their homework well and sought out the proven team of Norman Adams and Tony Anderson to organize, book, and promote the event. The result has filled the grounds and the tent from the first festival. Rodeheaver staff and residents are uniformly courteous and helpful. The sound by Gene Daniel and his crew is very high quality, and last year they installed a large TV screen about 2/3 of the way back in the tent to promote visibility. This crew knows how to put on a festival that pleases.

Rivertown Bluegrass Society - Conway, SC

We like to visit the Rivertown Bluegrass Society at least once a year these days. Back when we first became really interested in bluegrass music, Rivertown provided the monthly bluegrass events that sparked our interest. It was there, on a winter evening, we first heard Alan Bibey and his band Blueridge. Irene was so taken by his mandolin playing that she decided she wanted to play one, and a year later bought her first mandolin. One of the big days in her life was when Alan Bibey, then, as now playing with Grasstowne, sang his song “Side By Side” at Down Home in Johnson City, TN before stepping down from the stage and handing her the new Alan Bibey Signature Gibson F5 mandolin he had chosen for her in Nashville. It’s still one of her most prized possessions. Over the years at Rivertown, we’ve heard some very good local and regional bands and come to cherish this institution and others like it across the country that keeps bluegrass music alive and vital. Bluegrass is probably the only music genre where a large portion of its adherents also play the instruments and make the music. The local and state bluegrass societies provide a place to jam, a stage to perform from, and early paydays for young bands to test their mettle in front of real audiences. The Rivertown Bluegrass Society meets on the third Saturday of each month at Horry-Georgetown Technical College on route 501 about 15 miles west of Myrtle Beach South Carolina.

Local Gospel Group

Rivertown Regulars

Typically, a Rivertown evening begins around three in the afternoon when members and newcomers begin to show up with their instruments for some informal jamming. At five, a local band will take the stage for a period of open microphone performance. Sometimes two or three bands perform during this hour. Around six, the first hired bands begin to perform. There may be one or two local bands that perform for money and then a better known regional or sometimes national band will perform. Each band will perform two sets of about forty minutes, and the evening often ends with a 50/50 raffle to help defray expenses and a drawing for chances taken on goodies as well as a few door prizes. Admission at Rivertown is $8.00 for members and $10.00 for visitors, although sometimes the rates are higher if there’s a big name national band performing. This week, about 225 paying people showed up for the performance, about half filling the comfortable auditorium which features fine sight lines and good sound.

The Morris Brothers

Mike Morris

Matt Morris

Tammy Holt

On Saturday, a new gospel band played in the open mic as well as a pickup band composed of Rivertown members. After an invocation the Morris Brothers band came out. We’ve enjoyed listening to the Morris Brothers for several years. They are quite typical of good local bands. Mike Morris is a very able Reno style banjo player. In these days when Scruggs style or Scruggs influenced players dominate the banjo, solid Reno style single string players are rare indeed. Mike is fast and accurate. Brother Matt acts as the groups emcee and sings lead, also playing a very creditable guitar. They both play very fine instruments built by local builder Terry Holt. Tammy Holt, and attractive and sprightly blond bass player, has been adding spark to the band for the last year or so. They play first rate covers of classic bluegrass songs and deeply felt and rendered bluegrass Gospel music. Their rendition of “Victory is Sweet” will raise goose bumps on the back of anyone’s neck. The Morris Brothers have two new CDs they’ve just released, one a gospel recording and the other a good mix of instrumental and classic bluegrass covers with a few Matt Morris originals. Write them through their web site to inquire. The Morris Brothers present an engaging and enjoyable show.

The Bluegrass Brothers

Victor Dowdy

Robert Dowdy

Donald Dowdy

The night’s headliner was the Bluegrass Brothers. We hadn’t expected to see them for another week, as they’ll be appearing at both YeeHaw Junction and Palatka in Florida within the next three weeks. Hailing from southwestern Virginia, the Bluegrass Brothers, consisting of Victor and Robert Dowdy on bass and banjo as well as Victor’s sons Donny, a left-handed multi-instrumentalist primarily on mandolin these days, and Steve, who plays a very solid rhythm and lead guitar as well as contributing vocals. They’ve recently added Billy Hurt, Jr. on fiddle who helps to fill out their already strong sound. The Bluegrass Brothers hit the stage with huge amounts of energy, which never flags. Victor plays bass and sings lead with huge vigor, bending low over his bass for passages of slap bass solo that gets the crowd properly aroused. Robert Dowdy, on banjo, contributes strong breaks and even stronger backup work. He also exhibits a sly sense of humor from the side. Donald is that unusual instrumental player, a left hander who plays his instruments upside down. Until a year or so ago he was a guitar player, but he has taken to the mandolin, and performs quite capably, especially since he’s doing it backwards. Steve Dowdy’s singing and picking have become even stronger with his loss of a considerable amount of weight.

Steve Dowdy

Billy Hurt, Jr.

The Bluegrass Brothers are not noted for their finesse or the subtlety of their play. They feature rough, raw, old time traditional bluegrass. Their repertoire contains standards and songs that have become standards with lots of Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene covers. Their renditions of “Sharecroppers Son” and “Country Poor, Country Proud” perhaps best express the well from which their repertoire is drawn. The addition of Billy Hurt has enabled them to add a good variety of fiddle tunes to their show, and their “Orange Blossom Special” was rousing, allowing all members of the band to shine. In an interesting show piece, Donald, Steve, and Victor all played bass solos (Donald from the southpaw side) on "Grandfather's Clock" with energy and skill. This band has extended its repertoire in the past couple of years and modulated its tone a bit, but they are a make no apologies, in your face traditional bluegrass band. They know their audience, and their audiences respond appropriately to them.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Evenings at Rivertown usually draw to a close around nine. It was a good evening, ending with a grand finale of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” People visiting or living in northeastern South Carolina or southeastern North Carolina can attend meetings of local bluegrass associations nearly every Saturday. They provide good, inexpensive entertainment and lots of opportunities to jam in a pleasant and welcoming setting.

Introducing Joe Walsh - The New Gibson Brother

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh’s first solo project “Saturday Night Waltz” is a tour de force for the young mandolinist who has now joined The Gibson Brothers and will make significant contributions to their sound. Such projects serve as showcases for the artist’s versatility and strength. Walsh more than ably showcases his own work as an instrumentalist and composer in this very strong album, but goes beyond that in assembling a fine group of New England musicians to present modern and traditional acoustic pieces that do honor to the musical talents available in this often musically under rated region of the country. Walsh was the first student enrolled at Berklee College of Music as a mandolin performance major. Two cuts from this CD can be found on Joe’s MySpace page here.

“Chasin’ Shane” an instrumental by Joe Walsh and banjoist Wes Corbett, opens the CD with a blast of sound. The core band for this CD is composed of Walsh and Corbett with Lincoln Myers on guitar, Mike Barnett on fiddle, and Karl Doty on bass. This group of mostly New England musicians will please many and surprise those who don’t know the depth and strength of New England bluegrass/acoustic music. Walsh demonstrates his liquid mastery of tone as well as his delightful syncopations on the mandolin. Barnett, the principal fiddler on Tony Trischka’s Double Banjo Spectacular was still in high school or just out when this was recorded. His play demonstrates maturity way beyond his years. Corbett’s flights up and down the fretboard as well as his contemplative moments on the banjo are clear and sometimes startling. This song demonstrates great dynamic range in each of the instruments as well as capacity for including a range of moods within the space of only a few minutes of melodic excitement.

Moving from the jazzy opening cut to John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” provides an interesting transition and showcases the versatility of this group and particularly the host, Walsh, whose vocal is down and dirty here. Again, Walsh’s mandolin weaves melodic circles around Prine’s song. Ben Demerath contributes harmony vocals here. The bluesy tone, with Barnett providing a framework of both melody and chop while Corbett’s banjo and underlying blues drone is just right for Walsh’s voice.

“Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss” is a traditional fiddle song with a strong melody allowing all the instruments to show their stuff. Ashleigh Caudill plays bass on this track along with several others. Each instrument plays an extended break while others weave their magic around it and mesh together for ensemble play. Walsh’s clean and accurate mandolin is always in evidence and often leads the way.

In the ways of such “solo” projects, the performers appearing on this CD are found almost interchangeably on each other’s recent or forthcoming projects. Many of those on Walsh’s “Saturday Night Waltz” are students or graduates of Berklee College of Music and well known in the Boston area, playing in a variety of musical aggregations. Each deserves wider recognitions for performance in bluegrass and way beyond.

In “Whiskey Before Breakfast” another traditional fiddle tune known and played by many aspiring bluegrass pickers, Walsh approaches the initial run-through of the melody in an almost thoughtful and highly melodic tone. Meyers comes in with his guitar solo in the same tone as he and Walsh trade notes back and forth. The two instruments complement each other in ways this song seldom sees. The entire piece features only the two instruments in call and response mode making this song ring anew. The almost leisurely pace the take, in contrast to the breakneck speed often used, gives “Whiskey Before Breakfast” a new and welcome sound.

Robert Earl Keen’s “I’ll Go On Downtown” sung by Ashleigh Caudill, Meya Kerman, and Ben Demerath with Flynn Cohen on bass strikes another blues note in its evocation of urban loneliness. The lyric celebrates “slipping” off and going out to carouse downtown while knowing that “tomorrow I’ll be home.” The singer asks, “Why am I feeling so lowdown and mean.” She answers by saying she’s given up smoking and drinking, keeping the “devil deep down inside.” Roger Williams on Dobro adds exactly the requisite tasteful notes to help create the right sound. Downtown represents release from the constraints and demands of polite society while not completely providing the satisfaction the singer seems to want.

“Chinquapin Hunting” and “Saturday Night Waltz” are both traditional tunes giving the instrumentalists lots of room to roam. Tashina Claridge, a frequent guest of Tony Trischka, gets to shine on fiddle in these two pieces, but Walsh’s clear and rich mandolin is never very far away and always contributes tasteful and thought provoking breaks. Particularly interesting is his use of syncopation, creating spaces between notes filled with as much richness as the notes themselves. Natalie Haas chimes in on cello in the second of these two pieces. There’s a general contemplative tone to each of these songs.

“Fall and I’m Not Falling” by Ashleigh Caudill is kicked off by a lilting Wes Corbett banjo break leading into Caudill’s pleasant voice along with Walsh’s harmonies. The song sounds traditional even though it’s fresh out of the box. I wished for a little more clear enunciation from Caudill in her singing of this song of not quite realized love in the autumn. As winter approaches, love loses its allure, even though spring and summer will recall the feelings.

Walsh, Myers, Barnett, and Corbett weave the instrumental through “The Good Part” a seemingly simple but increasingly complex instrumental that, characteristically of this disk, is highly melodic with an often lurking sense of loss and loneliness. “Waltz for Steve” carries a similar longing style, this time with strong elements of jazz sounds. Barnett, only eighteen years old, always contributes tasteful breaks that move the song along. Corbett’s banjo surprises with its gentle strength, not elements usually associated with the instrument. The driving finale, “Waitin” is, fittingly, another Walsh tune.

Walsh has joined the Gibson Brothers and will make significant contributions to this marvelous band. His debut album is a welcome addition, but I look forward to hearing him in his new spot. He's surely got a great future before him.

Walsh's Second Appearance with The Gibson Brothers

Ashby Frank's Journal

Ashby Frank plays mandolin for Special Consensus, Greg Cahill's marvelous bluegrass band. They're currently on tour in Ireland with other visits planned, and Ashby is writing a journal of the trip. Ashby is one of the best writer/musicians on the bluegrass circuit, so you might want to follow his adventures on his web site here. It's quite entertaining and provides good insights into the demands of life on the road.

Ashby Frank with Special Consensus
at
IBMA Fan Fest

Claire Lynch Band in E. Hartford - Review

It’s difficult to understand why bluegrass music fans living within a reasonable distance of the E. Hartford Community Cultural Center don’t show up in droves to attend the concert series promoted by Roger Moss, Director of Recreation for E. Hartford. The venue is only a short distance from I-84 or I-91, is located in a former High School where lots of parking is provided in the midst of a pleasant neighborhood, and offers unusually comfortable seating and superlative sound. There are plenty of small, inexpensive restaurants nearby to provide a pleasant dining experience for people driving in from a distance. We ate dinner at Piolyn Jr., a Peruvian restaurant where we were served two of the most delicious dinner soups, filled with large chunks of fish, shrimp, crab, and squid in a rich and tasty broth, we ever had. On a cold blustery night, with snowfall scheduled for the next day, the Community Cultural Center was warm, welcoming, filled with good music, and held a small, but very appreciative audience for the appearance of the Claire Lynch Band.

The Claire Lynch Band is one of the strongest bands playing on the bluegrass circuit today. Far removed from the hard driving bluegrass you might expect from more traditional bands, he sound and sensibility still show their deep roots in traditional bluegrass. Her song “The Day That Lester Died” commemorates the huge loss of one of the first generation greats and the debt owed them by the succeeding generations of bluegrass musicians. Meanwhile, the band’s setting for “Wabash Cannonball” provides a traditional setting for a jamming classic second to none. In this piece, Jim Hurst on guitar, Mark Schatz on bass, and Jason Thomas on fiddle each build breaks that enrich the familiar tune in unexpected and interesting plays. The success of this song is symbolized by its frequent play on Sirius/XM’s Bluegrass Junction, where it is a favorite despite the fact it last about eight minutes.

Lynch’s clear, pure voice wraps lovingly around every song it embraces. She can caress a love song or swing out on songs like “I’m Fallin’ in Love.” A new song, which will appear on her next album, “Face to Face”, is unusual for gospel songs in that it recognizes the idea of doubt and personal weakness without judging and affirms the hope for the future represented by faith and the Bible. It’s a wonderful new song. Her “Up This Hill and Down” recognizes the ups and downs of the roadway through life in a lilting and engaging tune. Lynch successfully portrays emotion in her singing and body language while never becoming so wrapped in the song that she loses connection to her band, her audience, or herself. Her voice is a flexible and vibrant instrument complemented by her joyful approach to the music.

Jim Hurst

The members of Claire Lynch’s band not only complement her on every song, but stand alone as brilliant performers in their own right. Jim Hurst has twice been selected as IBMA guitar player of the year, but his work on banjo is equally creative and innovative. His drive on traditional three finger style banjo playing stands with the very best. His finger style guitar playing sets him apart from many pickers. He used as thumb pick to create the sound many flat pickers achieve while supplementing that sound with the three other fingers of his right hand His up the neck virtuosity is as good as anyone’s. Whether it’s on straight instrumentals of the anti-blues song “Ain’t Got the Blues,” his taste and tone are beyond reproach. His guitar playing keeps him in the top rank.

Mark Schatz

Mark Schatz on bass has also been twice recognized by IBMA. Even without the other qualities he brings to the band, Schatz would be a stand-out virtuoso on the basis of his bass playing alone. His beat is impeccable, steady and reliable. He works the entire range of the instrument and draws sounds from not heard with every band. Watching Mark’s hands is often like watching two skilled dancers working together to create a total unity of purpose. Add to this his ham-boning on “Cindy, Cindy” and his clogging, and the audience receives a greater range of entertainment than can usually be expected from the bass player. During the band’s second set, Schatz slung an open back banjo around his neck for a medley of old time songs. Working with Thomas and Hurst, their rendition of “Soldier’s Joy” was one of the finest I’ve ever heard – fast, clean, and lilting. Throughout the performance, Mark Schatz communicates his sheer joy at being a member of this fine ensemble as well as the tones his instrument can add to the mix.

Jason Thomas

It would be easy to overlook the less heralded Jason Thomas on mandolin and fiddle in this band. Thomas replaced David Harvey when Harvey’s responsibilities at Gibson Instruments made it impossible for him to tour as much as the Claire Lynch Band requires. Thomas, who lives in Florida, was a standout among the musicians auditioned and, like his other band-mates, makes fine contributions to the band’s appeal. His mandolin play is melodic and extremely clear. He doesn’t rely upon excessive speed to make his musical mark, but need take second place to no one. On fiddle his bowing is clear and his tone delightful. He fits in and contributes without needing to compete for attention within the band. As the band has become increasingly comfortable with its new lineup, its work has become increasingly strong and impressive.

Roger Moss

The Claire Lynch Band’s next two appearances in New England will be in Madison, CT on February 13^th and then at the Joe Val festival the next day. Her schedule is a truly national one. She’ll be making a couple of trips to California this year as well as Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, and Michigan. Dates are being added all the time, so check back frequently to see her in a concert or at a festival near you. The tight play and high quality ensemble of this standout band is not to be missed.


Upcoming events at the East Hartford Community Cultural Center include:

January 22 – The Steep Canyon Rangers

March 14 – The Infamous Stringdusters

April 16 – John Reischsman and the Jaybird

In addition to these events, the Center offers other Americana performers and a weekly schedule of free films. We attended Podunk Bluegrass Festival last summer and now this excellent concert in East Hartford. The auditorium is as good as any, anywhere. Music fans should support these events with great enthusiasm. Information about tickets can be found here.

To see more pictures from this concert, look at my Picassa Web Album. Please be kind enough to observe my copyright if you decide to post these anywhere. Please be sure to provide me with photo credits and a link to my blog. Providing this link to my albums is an experiment for me. Don't disappoint me. - Ted

YeeHaw Junction BGF, Fl - Preview

The YeeHaw Junction Bluegrass Festival and Fiddle Championship kicks off the winter bluegrass season in Florida on January 22 at YeeHaw Junction in Kenansville, FL on January 22 and runs through January 25^th. Located here, just of the YeeHaw Junction exit of the Florida Turnpike due west of Vero Beach, adjacent to the world famous Desert Inn, YeeHaw Junction is a festival for bluegrass true believers. The festival site is located in what, only a few days before being mown, was a pasture. Behind lies another fenced off pasture with cattle grazing in it. On cool mornings, you sometimes see the cattle rising out of a low, clinging fog. It’s really quite romantic. Promoter Steve Dittman provides 20 amp electrical hookups powered by a huge diesel generator for an added fee. Most attendees, however, elect to rough camp and use their, mostly quiet, RV generators. The performance area is a large tent and there are a goodly number of high quality vendors who come to this festival. A smaller tent, conveniently located, is home to a series of well-chosen workshops during the four days. As you might expect, there’s lots of jamming at YeeHaw as well as some great music.

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Ron Thomason

Brian Aldridge

Danny Russell

Tom Boyd

Perhaps the highlight of YeeHaw Junction this year will be the appearance of Dry Branch Fire Squad on Saturday. Mixing very traditional bluegrass with an emphasis on raw, almost primitive, gospel songs and bluegrass favorites with Ron Thomason’s patented social commentary and story-telling, DBFS pleases all but the most narrow minded bluegrass fans. Thomason’s humorous riffs on cultural tours sponsored by government agencies, the war on poverty, and growing up in southern Ohio and Kentucky mixed with his love of horses and the songs he’s written about them offer one of the few examples of contemporary humor to be found on the bluegrass circuit. He’s the nearest contemporary example to Will Rogers there is. I suppose it’s fortunate that some of his wit passes harmlessly over the heads of those not possessing a sense of humor or perspective on the world’s situation.

Goldwing Express

Bob Baldridge

Paul David

Shawn David

Stephen Joseph

In marked contrast to DBFS will be the coarse humor and efforts at patriotic and religious manipulation of Goldwing Express. For some reason, we’ll be subjected to this group’s empty and insincere hypocrisy for three consecutive weeks at three different festivals. They have an unprofessional propensity to run over their time and to humiliate sound men from the stage. I’ve discussed this band with several promoters who’ve said they understand my point, but hiring Goldwing draws sufficient customers that they can afford to hire other, more musical and higher quality bands. If their performance is an example of Branson style music, I’d rather stay away from that part of Missouri.

The Bluegrass Brothers
Victor Dowdy

Robert Dowdy

Stephen Dowdy

Donald Dowdy

The Bluegrass Brothers bring high energy, traditional bluegrass in a crowd pleasing package, and have developed a wide ranging fan base as they have spread from purely a local phenomenon to regional, and now emerging national status. Fans feed off their energy, and reward, the band, composed of members of the Dowdy family, with rowdy and rapturous responses. The brothers Victor and Robert with two of Victor’s sons, Donald and Steve, provide rousing traditional bluegrass for their fans. Their schedule, ranging from Maine to California as well as the Rhonda Vincent bluegrass cruise testifies to their emerging national visibility beyond their home stomping grounds of Virginia and North Carolina. Donald Dowdy, who plays both guitar and mandolin lefts handed and upside down, is interesting to watch.

The Larry Gillis Band

Larry Gillis

Evan Rose

Shirley Sime

Last year we saw a revitalized Larry Gillis Band with members of the Rose family in support of Larry’s aggressive and interesting banjo play. This year, he has retained Evan Rose, who has switched from mandolin to playing lead guitar and singing and added the very fine fiddler Shirley Seim to his group. Rafe Waters on the bass is billed as a traditional bluegrass and gospel player. We were pleased to see a new level of maturity in Gillis’s performance last year and expect it to continue with this reconfigured band. Evan Rose, 17, had been featured in his family’s band on mandolin, where he was a young phenom. There’s no reason to doubt he will be equally strong on guitar. Gillis plays banjo with speed and power while singing effectively. He can also Wow a crowd with his claw hammer work.

Nothin' Fancy

Mike Andes

Chris Sexton

Mitchell Davis

Gary Farris

Tony Shorter

Nothin’ Fancy always can be relied on for solid music and an amusing stage show. They work to keep it fresh and seek to add new material each year. Musically, they reflect two elements of their leader Mike Andes. Andes is a talented singer/songwriter whose own songs are delightful. His strong baritone voice has overtones of Charlie Waller in it, and the band provides excellent covers of Country Gentlemen songs, which they freely acknowledge as part of their inspiration. Other members of the band, which continues with its original members in its fifteenth year, an unusually long time for a bluegrass band to stay together, contribute to both the fun and the music. Chris Sexton, a classical violinist turned bluegrass fiddler provides musical wit and first rate fiddling. Mitchell Davis on banjo’s expressive face and expert picking contribute mightily. Tony Shorter and Gary Farris both add strength to this excellent band’s performance.

The Gary Waldrep Band

Gary Waldrep

Mindy Rakestraw

Stan Wildmon

The Gary Waldrep Band from the Sand Hill region of Alabama has gone through some changes since we last saw them. Waldrep is a first class entertainer who always works hard and gives excellent value combining fine musicianship with his deep religious faith. Gary is a first class banjo player in both Scruggs and clawhammer styles. Mindy Rakestraw provides exceptional support at rhythm guitar an vocals, and Stan Wildmon is a good mandolin player. I’m not familiar with the work of Waldrep’s aunt, Donna Townsell, returning to the band to replace Jane Baxter or Kenny Townsell, Donna’s husband, on fiddle. One element to be admired is Gary Waldrep’s willingness to hire several women to play in his band and give them generous opportunities to shine. I look forward to seeing this new iteration of the Gary Waldrep Band.

Al Batten & The Bluegrass Reunion

Al Batten

Johnny Ridge

David Turnage

Al Batten & the Bluegrass Reunion return to Florida after several years absence. While primarily a regional band from North Carolina, this excellent band plumbs the richness of its region and comes up with a strong, energetic and entertaining band. Leader Al Batten, now retired from his long teaching career, is a first rate banjo player and an amusing emcee. He is supported by Johnny Ridge, one of the very strongest traditional fiddle players in bluegrass music. David Turnage, with his bright white head of hair, is strong vocally and on rhythm guitar. Mike Aldridge on mandolin chimes in with strong solos and Phil Patterson is solid on bass. This band will be at YeeHaw Junction for two days.

Bill Anderson

Maggie Anderson

Bill & Maggie Anderson are mainstays at YeeHaw Junction. Originally from New York State, they relocated to Virginia a few years ago to live more deeply in the heart of the music they love. Their melodious and low key presentation highlights their faith and their love of good music. Bill is also a certified Martin guitar warrantee repairman. It ‘s always a good thing to have a first rate technician on the grounds at a bluegrass festival. Moreover, he also makes fine instruments himself.

I’m not familiar with the Moron Brothers, who will be performing on Saturday. Roger Bass & the Hillbillies are familiar to Florida audiences. Palms Bluegrass will perform a gospel set on Sunday. Stage Coach bluegrass, a fairly newly formed band originating in Milledgeville, GA also will perform on Sunday. The Cunninghams are up on Friday, and their fiddler will organize and run the fiddle championship on the weekend. Mike and Mary Robinson will present their always popular Gospel Jam & Sing on Sunday morning and Mike will assist Evan Carl with the emcee work. Workshops have not yet been announced, but they are usually well done and well attended at this festival.

Mike & Mary Robinson's
Bluegrass Gospel Jam & Sing

All told, YeeHaw Junction is always a very solid event. Promoter Steve Dittman knows his business and delivers quite consistently. This festival presents a good balance of national, regional, and local bands, providing an opportunity for those of less renown to gain experience while showcasing crowd-pleasing favorites. I look forward to seeing and meeting you there.

Double Play by Robert B. Parker - Book Review

Robert B. Parker (this link is to a very comprehensive web site. Readers interested in learning more about Parker should spend some time there.) is the author of 36 Spenser novels, as well as two other detective series and several westerns. My best count is that he’s written 64 books. Spenser, his most consistent and popular character has been a continuing presence in detective fiction for 35 years. Parker, who has a Ph.D. from Boston University in English, where he wrote an analysis of crime fiction of the thirties, and worked as an English professor at Northeastern University before leaving academia to write full time. The Spenser character is one of those strong but sensitive tough guys who owe much to the writing of Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, and Ross MacDonald as well as the literary work of Earnest Hemmingway, with particular reference to the code of honor observed by his strong characters. Central to the Spenser character are his relationships to his lover Susan, a psychoanalyst, and his black friend, Hawk, another man of action who functions on the fringes of society. The novels, although judged uneven by many critics, have been consistently entertaining to me.

In Double Play, Parker takes on different content, but never strays very far from his characteristic style and pace, although the structure of this work is thought provoking. The focus of this novel is Jackie Robinson’s first year in the major leagues. For those of you too young to remember, Robinson was the first black player in major league baseball. The story has several layers in it which provide context and texture to this story. Joseph Burke returns from World War II suffering from grievous physical injuries to be dealt the still more devastating emotional blow of finding, when he recovers enough to leave the hospital, that his wife has left him. Burke drifts through life, eventually becoming the cold and emotionless body guard for a beautiful but wayward New York daughter of a gangster. Soon, after some exciting and interesting gun play, Burke is hired by Branch Rickey to guard Robinson during his first year in the bigs.

There’s a parallel, and apparently autobiographical, series of vignettes following the childhood and adolescence of a boy named Bobby who describes his childhood during the war and subsequent love affair with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bobby’s brief memoir, used as inter-chapter inserts, serve to contextualize the darker events surrounding Robinson’s dangerous entry into baseball and Burke’s cold and seemingly heartless work as a bodyguard.

As the relationship between Burke and Robinson develops, we hear echoes of the snappy dialogue Parker employs between his ace detective Spenser and Hawk, the dangerous and mysterious man who often serves as Spencer’s friend and backup. Parker claims, in an interview on his web site, to write ten pages a day, never to revise or rewrite. His spare, minimalist prose suggests to me that this claim is untrue; his prodigious output suggests that he’s not fabricating much. Nevertheless, so much is left unsaid in a Parker novel that it suggests much more writing has been done and then carefully, even ruthlessly pared to the bone.

Double Play by Robert B. Parker is an entertaining and thought provoking read that requires only a few hours time. Once I picked this book up, I had to keep reading. Parker’s spare, clean prose goes quickly and enjoyably. The book is available to your local independent bookstore, at the chains, and on line. It is a couple of years old, so should be remaindered at lots of stores. Pick it up next time you see it.

Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen - Book Review

Carl Hiaasen loves hypocrisy. He also loves Florida, the wild part fast disappearing and damaged, but lovable characters. He uses these loves to effectively skewer the forces that cooperate in despoiling his native state: developers, politicians, religious zealots, and more. He portrays his damaged and needy characters in impossible situations seeking to accomplish unattainable goals, and they always come out on top. Hiaasen is columnist for the Miami Herald as well as a celebrated novelist. His convoluted plots are completely impossible and wildly plausible. His biting and sardonic humor never ceases to please, although even the most dedicated reader of his work should avoid reading the novels in a binge. They’re better when well-spaced and allowed to ripen

In Nature Girl we meet Honey Santana, a beautiful but unbalanced woman who hears music in her head and has difficulty staying focused. Honey has been sufficiently enraged by a telephone huckster named Boyd Shreve to hatch a plot to bring him from Texas to Florida in order to try to both humiliate him and teach him a lesson. Honey has a twelve year old son, Fry, and an ex-husband, Perry Skinner, who both have a firmer grip on reality. Along the way we meet Hiaasen’s usual cast of strange and wonderful characters. Louis Piejack, whose total inner moral rot manifests itself externally, is one of Hiaasen’s classic degenerates. Sammy Tigertail is half Seminole Indian trying to get in touch with his heritage. As the plot thickens and the characters find themselves brought together on a small, secluded island in the Everglades, the plot thickens, becomes increasingly hilarious, and makes cogent and powerful points about the environment, contemporary culture, and human nature.

For many people who get to Florida, the state is two tourist oriented coasts and a mouse dominated city in the center. (Parenthetically, Hiaasen has written a non-fiction piece called Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World, which I’m eager to get my hands on.) Carl Hiaasen gives readers a state whose beauty is endangered by those who have prospered from qualities the state is losing. Criminal developers, corrupt politicians, avaricious users, and degenerate psychopaths dominate his books. The good guys are often naïve idealists driven to distraction, or often beyond, by the depredations inflicted on their beloved state. Another result of these innocents’ interaction with the world is often that they withdraw into depression, mania, or psychopathy. Happily, the characters’ encounters with evil usually result in their own redemption even though little can be done to save Florida. Those of us who, even though fairly new to Florida, have been lucky enough to get opportunities to experience “old” Florida, which still exists in many places in the central part of the state although, sadly, too few along the coasts, can briefly experience the world Hiaasen yearns to resurrect.

Readers who love Florida for more than the beach and the climate can learn from Hiaasen as well as enjoy his writings. His books can be read in any order, because there are few recurring characters and no ongoing plots. I’m glad I was introduced to his writings, by our son Alex, and will continue to read his books as they come out. I recommend them highly. Nature Girl can be obtained at your local bookseller, chain store, or on-line in hard cover, trade paperback, or mass market. If you haven't read Hiaasen, give him a try.

Claire Lynch in East Hartford January 9 - Preview

Claire Lynch

The Claire Lynch Band will appear at the East Hartford Cultural Community Center in East Hartford, CT on Friday, January 9^th. Doors open at 7:00 PM, and the concert begins at 8:00. Tickets are pegged at $15.00 in advance and $20.00 at the gate, and plenty of seats are still available. The band, a quartet whose bluegrass sound is laced with a delightful variety of musical signatures, is noted for its musicality and its excellence. Roger Moss, Director of Parks and Recreation in East Hartford, CT promotes a series of Americana events as a part of the East Hartford Community Cultural Center winter program of concerts and films. Roger tells me the concert hall seats 298 without a bad seat in the house and featuring outstanding acoustics. Easy parking for the event is available and the hall is just off an interchange of I-84. Directions to the East Hartford Cultural Center can be found here. Tickets can be ordered on line here.

With two feet planted firmly in bluegrass, Claire Lynch’s interests and versatility take her comfortably into country, Americana with a tinge of jazz, swing, and blues in her compositions and her performances. Her career, spanning thirty-five years, includes stints with several bands and working as a house singer/songwriter with Universal-Polygram where her name appears on 160 projects, if I’m counting right. She’s been nominated for a couple of Grammies and was named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1997. Many of her songs are immediately familiar to bluegrass fans as is her youthful, clear, and expressive voice. Her signature songs include the recent hit “The Day that Lester Died,” “Hills of Alabam’”, and the yearning “Kennesaw Line.” Her version of “Wabash Cannonball” gives the entire band a chance to strut its stuff while always staying true to the great country original made famous by Roy Acuff.

Spending the early part of her life in Kingston, NY, Claire Lynch moved to Alabama at age twelve. She worked with a band, took time off to raise a family, and along the way worked as a song writer and session vocalist. Her songs have been recorded by Patty Loveless, Seldom Scene, Kathy Mattea, and the Whites, while she has appeared on albums with EmmyLou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and others. She achieved prominence with the Front Porch String Band, which, after a time, disbanded as bluegrass bands do, and later founded the Claire Lynch Band with many of the same members. Recently, her kids grown and fledged, she has moved to Nashville for the convenience of being in the center of the music scene. While there have been changes in personnel, the current band is as strong as any she has had.

Jim Hurst

Jim Hurst, a long-time band mate, is one of the monster guitar pickers in music as well as being a fine banjo player. Hurst, while active in music, for many years had to continue providing for himself and his family as a truck driver. When his wife urged him to move to Nashville and take on music full time, they did and he did. Jim Hurst was named IBMA guitar player of the year in 2001 and 2002. His career had been broad and varied with stints in jazz, country, and bluegrass. Hurst is not merely a spectacular guitar player, he’s spectacularly tasteful, too, reflecting his debt to Doc Watson as well as to Tony Rice. Jim is on his second go round with Claire, having taken a period to tour and record with Missy Raines to high critical and popular praise, before they both returned to the Claire Lynch Band. Missy has since left the band again to form Missy Raines and the New Hip.

Jim Hurst

Mark Schatz

To replace Missy Raines, Claire has turned to two time IBMA bass player of the year, Mark Schatz. A graduate of Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia with additional study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Schatz has had a distinguished career in bluegrass, acoustic, and country music on acoustic and electric bass. He’s played with Bela Fleck as well as the Tony Rice Unit. He played bass with Nickel Creek until they disbanded and has since been touring with the Claire Lynch Band. On stage, Mark is a dynamic figure in his bass play as well as when he steps out from behind his instrument to clog. As musical director of the Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, an internationally acclaimed dance group, he has many outlets for his creative urge.

Mark Schatz

Jason Thomas

Jason Thomas, on mandolin, fiddle, and vocals, brings an added versatility to the band. Born in North Bay, Ontario, Jason has been based in Florida as a full-time musician since finishing college in Missouri. In addition to his work with the Claire Lynch Band, Jason plays with several bands in Florida. His play on both mandolin and fiddle adds enormously to the strength and versatility of the band. He’s a quiet yet dynamic presence in this very strong band.

In a telephone interview, Claire spoke expressively and enthusiastically about her band, its personnel, and the joy she takes in performance. All these qualities are clearly evident in this fine band. Friday, January 9^th might be chilly outside, but the concert hall at the East Hartford Cultural Community Center will be warm and filled with joyous song provided by these dynamic performers. Don’t miss it.