The Campground
As Saturday dawned clear and chilly, the ground continued to solidify after Thursday's torrential rains and the air became increasingly warmer, although never as warm as the music itself. Attendees at Gettysburg can count on at least some rain, but they can also count on one of the finest and varied lineups offered anywhere, a broad range of vendors selling tasty, and even healthy food, and a genuine respect for each other among people attending the festival leading to a tolerant and enjoyable environment. This was somewhat marred by the stubborn insistence from one surly man, who continued smoking a really strong smelling stogie while people all over the area were covering their noses or seeking to move away from the truly objectionable odor. Fortunately, such incidents are rare at Gettysburg, a festival that demonstrates beyond doubt that Family Friendly and the presence of adult beverages need not lead to misbehavior or chaos when people show respect for each other. As usual, bands appearing on more than one day will only be covered once.
Pete Wernick, Don Rigsby & Friends
Pete Wernick and Don Rigsby have known each other for a long time, and both have a deep love for classic, early bluegrass. In their shows they carefully mine this deep catalog of Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, and Jimmy Martin as well as their own songs. They were ably supported by Ira Gitlin and Troy Engle.
Pete Wernick
Don Rigsby
Troy Engle
Ira Gitlin
The Boxcars
Adam Steffey
From one end of the line to the other, the Boxcars put some of the best instrumentalists in the business on the bluegrass stage. Their record for awards at IBMA is a testimony to their excellence. They perform a good deal of material written by singer/guitarist Keith Garrett, and it's good stuff. All five members of the band lead active and productive lives, either in music or in other endeavors outside the Boxcars.
Keith Garrett
Ron Stewart
Harold Nixon
John Bowman
The Grascals
One element that has distinguished The Grascals since their inception is the spirit of play that inhabits their performances. The addition of Adam Haynes on fiddle has returned that spirit to the band as he both plays the music and inhabits the role of joyful participant..The Grascals hit the stage with huge energy and enthusiasm, continually selling themselves and their work. They sing and play a combination of classic bluegrass heavy on the Osborne Brothers and Jimmy Martin along with carefully chosen songs by people like the late Harley Allen, who seemed to manufacture hits to order. Singer/Songwriter Jamie Johnson, whose musical roots include time spent with The Boys from Indiana contributes good, heartfelt songs. "Me and John and Paul" is an effective song about loyalty and loss which they dedicate to our armed forces with heartfelt commitment. They have also been active in support of Musicians Against Childhood Cancer's work to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Terry Eldredge
Kristin Scott Benson
Jamie Johnson & Terry Smith
Adam Haynes & Danny Roberts
Danny Roberts
Adam Haynes
Tim Finch, Eastman Rep & Me with My New Eastman
Vendor - Appalachian Guitars
Russ Carson & Andy Leftwich Warm Up
for Skaggs' Show
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Ricky Skaggs has had an enormous career in both bluegrass and country music garnering fourteen Grammy Awards as well as other recognition. On his return to bluegrass, he committed himself to re-introducing the great music of "Mr. Monroe" to a new audience unfamiliar with the man and his story. He presented Monroe's music with verve, wonderful skill, and differences in scale and interpretation for a less rural audience. He constantly seeks to add depth and breadth of musical outreach to his shows while preserving and honoring the best of traditional roots music. His fast paced show features much of that great early bluegrass laced with the virtuoso play of ace flatpicker Cody Kilby, a kind of guitar playing that hardly existed in Monroe's heyday, as well as Andy Leftwich on fiddle. The addition of young Russ Carson on banjo adds another canon to the band. Skaggs brings a very pleasant onstage personality, a still fine voice and real excellence to the mix, along with a mystique that brings day trippers in the gate. That's all a combination hard to dismiss.
Ricky Skaggs
Paul Brewster
Andy Leftwich
Cody Kilby
Scott Mulvahill
Russ Carson
Ricky Skaggs
Two additional bands followed Skaggs, and repeated on Sunday, where I'll pick them up. The chill air and the long day were simply too much for me, and we toddled off to bed.
Sunday
A Moment of Quiet Contemplaton
Sundays at Gettysburg belong to Dry Branch Fire Squad, The Seldom Scene, and those members of the audience seeking to complete this four day extravaganza, I almost wrote marathon, with a day combining elements of worship, joy, nostalgia, along with introductions to new and interesting younger bands. Last year we heard The Steel Wheels for the first time.This year, four young and interesting bands were included in the Sunday lineup, bands worth watching for their present accomplishments or their promise of future excellence.
Dry Branch Fire Squad
Dry Branch Fire Squad has been at every Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival since the beginning back in the first festival in 1978. They performed three sets this weekend, two on Saturday and their traditional Sunday morning gospel set. Their delivery of primitive old gospel tunes in a seemingly simple, unadorned manner satisfies spiritual needs of some of the audience, while it also appeals aesthetically to the lovers of the musically complex counterpoint many of the old hymns use. Ron Thomason usually offers a challenging understanding of Jesus words applied to a modern setting. This morning he asked, incredulously, whether any voter could possibly have asked anyone in Congress to reduce the benefits American soldiers receive, while relating this to the first amendment to the Constitution (freedom of speech, assembly, and religion) and the ninth (rights not enumerated are reserved to the people). He always finishes his morning gospel show by asking the audience to stand and join him in singing, "If I Could Just Touch the Hem of His Garment." As this lovely hymn drew to a close, I looked around, through the gloss in my own eyes, to see many others wiping their eyes, too.
Ron Thomason
Brian Aldridge
Danny Russell
Tom Boyd
Ron Thomason
Rebecca Frazier and Hit & Run are one of two bands this week at Gettysburg that stood out for me as a surprise of the festival, a band to keep an eye on. Rebecca Frazier is not only a fine singer, but a very good flat picker, a nice touch in a genre where many lead singers are better at holding an instrument than they are at playing it. She writes much of her own material and selects good songs for herself to sing from the bluegrass catalog. Her voice is clear and pleasing to the ear. Her band is young and hot. While her husband, John Frazier, is currently on tour with Yonder Mountain String Band, Jarod Walker, fresh degree in hand not obscuring his very fine and creative mandolin play, filled in. The remainder of the band is strong and more than competent. Listen to Rebecca Frazier's work, and ask your favorite promoter to book her.
Rebecca Frazier
Jarod Walker
Royal Masat
Kyle Tuttle
Christian Ward
The Howlin' Brothers
I wrote about the Howlin' Brothers on my Friday coverage, too. Suffice it to say they're my other surprise band of the festival - varied in genre selection, moving with skill and comfort from bluegrass to blues to cajun, and more. They're a pure delight - a breath a fresh air!
Ian Craft
Glen Plasse
Jared Green
Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene never mail in a performance; they're always entertaining, melodious...a joy to hear and experience. On Sunday, however, there seemed to be a very special spirit embedded in their fine show. Perhaps it was their insistence on playing less familiar works from the vast Scene catalog as well as extensive material from their very fine new CD out on Smithsonian Records, what Dudley Connell likes to refer to as "deep catalog." But even more touching was the sight of young Chris Eldridge playing guitar beside his father Ben, the only remaining member of the original Seldom Scene, on banjo. The essence of their mutual love and respect affected the entire band, creating moments of pure joy and good fun, the qualities which make this such a special and unusual band. Longtime Gettysburg attendees know that the festival isn't even near over until they've heard The Scene's long set early on Sunday afternoon.
Flatt Lonesome has shown steady growth since they emerged from Callahan, FL a few years ago. Their vocal blend is strong, but their stage presence and presentation remains lacking. The band continues with awkward pauses between songs and just doesn't seem to be having much fun on stage. The have adopted or fallen into the habit of attacking each note by sliding into it. Not knowing, for sure, whether this was a bluegrass feature, I wrote Pete Wernick for his opinion of the practice. Pete, not responding to the specifics of this band, wrote, "This is actually a complex subject that can be best answered by research -- that is, checking recordings of the most respected/popular bluegrass singers. It would actually make a great term paper at one of the "bluegrass colleges" to see which singers "do it" and which don't. My first guess would be that it's not commonly done by the people considered the best bluegrass singers. The practice is called "scooping" a note, and is generally frowned on. For instance, in a recording situation, a producer would typically have a singer re-sing a note that was scooped. On the other hand, Lester Flatt had it as part of his style. I've definitely heard good singers do it, so I'm reluctant to infer "there's a rule". I personally prefer it when a singer hits the note dead-on, then maybe ornaments it on the tail end. Ralph Stanley, Jimmy Martin, Flatt, and others do that regularly. Ralph and Jimmy were great admirers of George Jones (who, a deejay once complained to me, "he can't sing just ONE NOTE!"), who was famous for tailing off a word with a quick string of notes.I think the reason listeners like it when a singer hits (starts) a note dead-on is that it shows command (that is, it's hard, and takes skill to do it). Scooping often seems to me like "hedging your bet", like getting it on the green and putting in from a nearer position. I've heard a not-yet-great singer describe his tendency to scoop as "a fear thing"... and when Rhonda or someone just nails a note right off the bat, it can be dramatic and thrilling even, like a line drive." Flatt Lonesome is young and developing. They have worked hard and their highlights are still before them.
Ben & Chris Eledridge
Ben Eldridge
Chris Eldridge
Dudley Connell
Lou Reid
Fred Travers
Ronnie Simpkins
Flatt Lonesome
Kelsi Robertson Harrigill
Buddy Robertson
Charli Robertson
Paul Harrigill
Michael Stockton
Dominic Illingworth
The Clay Hess Band
Someone has to close a festival. Doing so late on a Sunday afternoon must be a dispiriting and difficult task for a band. Clay Hess, dead tired after a long drive in from a Saturday gig in Chicago, proved himself to be more than up to the task. Clay is one of the finest flatpickers around, has a good voice, and writes some good songs, too. He has become an engaging and thoughtful emcee for his band, spreading the work around while offering amusing insights into their process. Irl Hees, with his ever-present toothpick, is a masterful, animated bass player, adding life, deep experience, and a powerful beat to the mix. Clay's son Brennan is beginning carry his weight, and can only be expected to improve. After the set, which received two encores from the small, but enthusiastic crowd remaining, Clay stayed at the merch table after selling some CD's and instructional DVD's to allow two fans to record how he plays particular licks. His level of professionalism is as high as his love for performing.
Clay Hess
Irl Hees
Zach Gilmer
Nick Keen
Brennan Hess
Clay Hess
The Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival continues to be a must attend event not only in the Middle Atlantic States, but in competition with all other festivals worthy of national notice. The vendors are among the best anywhere, supplying a wide variety of tasty, and even healthy foods, while there are plenty of craft and equipment vendors available for those who like to shop. I even broke down and bought a new Eastman guitar from vendor Tim Finch, who's a Gettysburg regular. Granite Hill Resort Campground is an ideal site for a festival, large and expansive with a wide variety of kinds of campsites from full hookup to primitive. Some regulars have, over the years, developed virtual tent villages which they recreate and inhabit twice a year. The workshops are always good, especially the all-star jams. While the lineup for the August 14 - 17 festival has yet to be published, you can be sure it will also be terrific, including, we understand, the Del McCoury Band as well as Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top Express. There may even still be a few developed campsites available, and there is always lots of rough camping. Kids Academy is a feature in August. We'll see you again next May.
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