Holiday Special 2010 - More Florida

Perhaps the saddest bluegrass event of our 2010 year was the death of our friend and bluegrass mentor Jennings Chestnut.  During the early 2000's we were spending a lot of our time in Myrtle Beach and discovered Jennings, his wife Willie, and their music shop in Conway, SC just as I was beginning to struggle along with the banjo.  I went up to Conway for what he refused to call lessons.  "If you run into difficulties, maybe I can help you out a little." he said.  He helped, but even more importantly, he and Miss Willie became our friends, as we spent more time with them we learned to respect and love his gentle southern courtliness, his prickly sense of pride, and his knowledge of the world of bluegrass music.  After a while he allowed us to volunteer at his May festival, Bluegrass on the Waccamaw.  We learned that he was gravely ill with brain cancer, and we visited in his home for an hour or so on our way south.  We learned that he had died on February 14th.  Unable to attend his funeral, we drove north for a memorial service held in Conway on February 21st, at which many of his friends played.  Jennings was well-known as a mandolin maker, bluegrass promoter, luthier, and friend to many.

Jennings Chestnut

  

Jennings and Miss Willie

at their Mandolin Shop in Conway, SC

  

Miss Wilie and Daughter Ginger Campbell

at the Memorial Service

Gwen Johnson - Red White & Bluegrass

Daughter of Red White

 Scott Freeman

  

Samantha Snyder

  

Zeb Snyder

  

Bob Cook - Our Friend

from Wilmington, NC

Ginger and Miss Willie

Enjoying the Snyders

  

Little Roy Lewis is Always ON

  

Lizzie Long

 Little Roy Lewis

  

Darin Aldridge

Brooke Aldridge

 

The day was one of sorrow, warm remembrances, stories that evoked tears and laughter in equal measure, and wonderful music bringing healing and togetherness.

Sabal Palms Bluegrass Festival

Palmdale, FL

Palmdale is a south-central Florida address about twenty miles south of Lake Placid that, apparently, has never existed as a town.  The only sign of activity there is the Sabal Palms RV Resort, which, therefore, makes it a fine location for a small bluegrass festival.  The site worked well for performances, workshops, and jams. 

The James King Band

  

James King

  

Preacher Mike Robinson

  

Valerie Smith - Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike

 Becky Buller - Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike

Becky Buller

Rebekah Long - Liberty Pike

  

Phil Leadbetter - Touring with Richard Bennett

  

Richard Bennet

  

Jarrod Walker

Cory Walker

 

The Sabal Palm Bluegrass Festival seems to be scheduled for March 4-6, 2011, but there's very little information available as of this date. 

Tomorrow's News Bluegrass Festival

Craig's RV Resort - Arcadia, FL

Craig's RV Resort, just north of Arcadia, FL has long been a strong destination for bluegrass events.  For many years the Southwest Florida Bluegrass Association held monthly bluegrass get togethers there, but moved to a more convenient location a few years ago.  In 2010 Bass & Hall promoted The Tomorrow's News at Craig's, and this year's event will be hosted by K & D Bass, the successor to Bass & Hall.  The effect of the faltering economy on Florida bluegrass events can clearly be seen, but there's clearly an audience and a willingness to try to bring them together.  

Mark Horn - Highway 41 South

J.R. Davis - Highway 41 South

Robert Feathers - Highway 41 South

 

 Evan Carl - Emcee

  

Kalyn Hall - Tomorrow's News

Generations Bluegrass

Melissa Wilson - The Wilson Family Band

Will it ever stop raining?

Ricky Stroud - The Hager's Mountain Boys

  

Never Can Tell Who You'll Find in the Audience

  

Bruce Sheriden - The Wilson Family Band

 Clint Wilson - The Wilson Family Band

 Keeping Victor Hall Fed - Tomorrow's News

Bryce, Victor & Kalyn Hall

Florida State Bluegrass Festival

Perry, Florida

The Wilson Family Rehearses

  

A Quiet Moment for Victor and Malieka Hall

The Wilson Family Band

  

Kenny Smith - The Kenny & Amanda Smith Band

  

Who could ask for more from a bluegrass band?  A loving couple making music together.  Kenny is one of the most versatile and creative flat pickers around.  Amanda's voice is one of the very best by any standard. They've surrounded themselves with able young pickers and lifted their presentation to create an enjoyable package which complements the lineup at any bluegrass festival.

Amanda Smith

  

Cadillac Sky

Matt Meneffee

Cadillac Sky has gone through a series of changes over the past several years, always moving to the more progressive side, not to say the more outrageous.  With the recent departure of Bryan Simpson for religious reasons, who has always seemed to be the core of the band's soul, it's difficult to know where they might be heading.  Nevertheless, with brilliant instrumentalists Matt Mennefee on banjo, Andy Moritz on bass, and Ross Holmes on fiddle they will continue being free spirited and creative. David Mayfield, a fine flat-picker and singer, has added to the entertainment value, while attracting a younger, hipper audience with his antics. Simpson's spot has been filled by guitarist Levi Lowery, leaving the mandolin play to be divided between Holmes and Mayfield.  It'll probably take a while for this band to settle into its new personnel.  Cad Sky's profile on MySpace includes "experimental" as one of the words used to describe its music.  That fits pretty well.

Bryan Simpson

David Myfield

Note Demographic Differences in Reaction

  

Simpson & Mayfield

Andy (Panda) Moritz

 Typical Audience for Cad Sky

The Florida State Bluegrass Festival is usually held during the first weekend of April in Perry, the county seat of Taylor County at The Forest Capital State Park, a small park with excellent facilities for a festival and one of the most beautiful amphitheaters around.  Perry generally offers a good mix of traditional and progressive bluegrass bands as well as plenty of music from Florida groups, befitting its name. The 2011 Festival will be held March 31 - April 3, 2011.

After Perry we started heading north.  Look for the next report to cover the Darin & Brooke Aldridge Festival in Cherryville, NC as well as events surrounding our annual visit to Wilkesboro, NC  for Merlefest.