Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records by Bill Nowlin

In many ways the story of Rounder Records (Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records by Bill Nowlin (Equinox Publishing, April, 21, 2021, 320 pp, $29.95) and the story of bluegrass music grew together when three college students from Tufts University began heading to Appalachia during the 1960’s to enjoy, record, and collect this music. Now, Bill Nowlin, one of three Rounder Founders has written the entire story of Rounder Records from close up. The book shows some of the quirks and idiosyncrasies of a writer broadly interested in the world of music and a world beyond, without ever losing its focus on the birth, development, and integrity of its subject, a record label of distinction and longevity.

Rounder Records, founded by Bill Nowlin, Ken Irwin, and Marian Leighton Levy in 1970 was unusual for independent labels in having three founders with different tastes, who sought out music to record from a wider palette than many early independent labels. Rounder emerged just as a yearning to discover the roots of the then popular folk revival was cresting. The three Rounder Founders set out to find, record, and collect the music of those roots, at first in the American South, but soon expanding to a much wider, more comprehensive world.

Rounder Founders

Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin

Reading about the early adventures of the Rounder Founders is a little bit like watching puppies playing in their infant box when one considers the size Rounder grew to, and the speed with which it achieved a level of maturity. They hitch hiked to North Carolina and Virginia, haunted record stores in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, attended live shows at small venues, earned free tickets by promoting those shows, built a cut-and-paste recording business at little or no cost, all as an adventure without thought to making it a career. As many of the other new labels left folk music for rock and roll, the field opened to allow three dedicated young Boston students who hung with what they loved, to begin to prosper. It’s the story of three “counter culture” kids doing what they loved with passion and conviction while discovering a lifelong enterprise that worked out for all of them. 

In the early 1970’s, the recording industry was still pretty informal, especially among the multitude of independent, one person operations. Rounder benefitted from having three partners who worked hard while trying to be fair to artists and buyers simultaneously. Over time, and with added success, they remained true to their original ideals while, of necessity, having to become better organized and more businesslike. Nevertheless, for those who know them, the Rounder Founders still give off a whiff of counter culture kids from the late sixties and early seventies. There’s an informal construction to the book, as early friends pop in with memories along the way. Reading the book often feels like a conversation with many people from many eras. 

Originally collecting, recording performances, and producing these often rather highly specialized recordings focused on previously obscure performers in Appalachia, expanding to early bluegrass festivals and musical gatherings. Over time, their interests took them to cajun and zydeco in Louisiana, reggae and ska in Jamaica, and to Africa for both traditional and contemporary music. All of this became a part of what turned into an international catalog of over 3000 recordings. Meanwhile, the Founders always took care to represent the interests of the performers in terms of both publication and payment. In order to accomplish these sometimes contradictory goals, they took extra care in choosing partners to collaborate with.  

In order to manage this huge collection, Rounder’s business model had to expand as they kept tight control over their expenses. Rounder grew into both a recording company and a distributor, eventually leading them to partner with many other small companies to become a major distributor of niche roots music labels. The Founders learned to be nimble and innovative, while always looking out for the welfare and artistic/economic welfare of the artists they signed. During these periods of expansion, challenges, and opportunities, Nowlin’s narrative describes in detail the corporate interactions and complexities, often with the help of long lists. 

Ken Irwin expressed the criteria the company used for selecting music to record, saying, “There are three things we look at when we’re signing artists. One, do we like the music and do we feel that it will hold up over time? Two, do we like the people and their representation? Three, do we think we can make money from it?” Furthermore, if the music doesn’t pass the first test, the next two questions were never even asked. (p.204) As the music recording and distribution environment changed after the introduction of the CD, to digital online distribution through iTunes, Spotify, satellite radio, the role of music publishers and labels became increasingly less prominent. Rounder’s practice of being both a promoter of historic, regional, or local performers became viewed as important but less commercially viable. As such, their business changed as they focused on identifying excellence, publishing materials only available through national archives or private collections. 

I read Vinyl Ventures in a print edition with Spotify and YouTube at hand, so I could sample the albums and/or performers Bill Nowlin writes about in his clear, informal, narrative style. The e-version has built in links taking readers directly to Spotify versions of the music. Digital Sources often provided me with a setting for the places where the music was made in addition to providing invaluable insights into the range of music Rounder recorded. I was able to find and hear every artist I looked for on one or the other outlet, but I can’t verify the availability of every one. Nevertheless, since it’s inevitable that many musicians referred to in the book are unfamiliar to many readers, using such sources increases the pure pleasure of this book. 

Bill Nowlin

Bill Nowlin is the author or editor of nearly 100 books ranging from this history, through other books about music, more than twenty titles concerning the Boston Red Sox, other baseball titles, political history, fiction, and more. He is a graduate of Tufts University and the University of Chicago, as well as being one of the original three Rounder Founders. He taught Political Science at UMass Lowell from 1970 - 1982. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he claims to have traveled to more than 130 countries, but says there’s no place like Fenway Park.

Rounder Founders

One of the many delights of Vinyl Ventures lies in Bill Nowlin’s seemingly idiosyncratic asides into his travels, love of baseball, and other interests. One particularly useful segment describes the decline and fall of both the recording and book publishing industries to the allures and dangers of digital publishing found on pages 249 - 254. These five pages alone, devoted to the world’s digital environment changing before our eyes would make the whole book worthwhile, even if so many other delightful insights, observations, and useful elisions didn’t exist. 

For a person whose experience with Rounder Records grew from encountering bluegrass music relatively late in life with limited familiarity with popular folk and country music, encountering a book like Vinyl Ventures is simultaneously a daunting experience and a mind-opening revelation. The range of enthusiasms, deep scholarly exploration, and sometimes daunting physical challenges, even exposures to danger in order to collect and catalog a significant portion of the world’s music, is difficult, at best, to describe. Bill Nowlin with an expansive writing style sometimes losing track of chronology captures the courage, imagination, and capacity for risk taking, both personal and financial, the Rounder Founders exhibited in building their company.

A problem with books like this one is the possibility of becoming mostly a list of artists recorded, trips taken, awards won, problems overcome, and changes made. All those elements lie within this highly readable account, yet it includes the human experiences of the Rounder Founders as they built a recording empire based on their enthusiasms while including the broad range of interests they pursued. Their recorded music and choice of artists reflected and taught the world the broad range of music and cultural experience available, exposing the musical roots of who we are as people and who we can become. Therein lies the thrill and the charm of Vinyl Ventures. 

House Concerts: A Boon for Bands with Darin & Brooke Aldridge

House concerts help make travel and lodging possible for a vast number of touring musicians making their way to and from anchor gigs at festivals and concert halls around the country. The artists are often accorded lodging and sometimes significant financial support in return for spending a night in a comfortable home and performing for a group of paying invited guests in a more-or-less informal setting. You can sometimes see these stops along the way on the artists schedules, but often they are held quietly, in a quite private setting, and made available only to invited, paying guests. Usually a fee is charged for attending these events, with all the proceeds going to the band. If you get an invitation to attend one of these events, anywhere in the country, jump at it. You'll have a fine musical experience as well as contributing to keeping live music alive and well in America. Bruce and Jody Watson host such events at their expansive, very pleasant farm near Bushnell, Florida.

Bruce and Jody Watson

Last week, The Darin & Brooke Aldridge Band traveled from their home in North Carolina for two concerts at Bruce and Jody's Farm. We drove down at mid-afternoon for the 3:00 PM Sunday concert, arriving early enough to meet our hosts and take a look around as well as to get a brief chance to visit with Darin & Brooke, who we missed at a cancelled show in North Carolina on our way to Florida. The spacious living room had been re-arranged to allow room for people to put down folding chairs, and about 100 music lovers filled the room to more than capacity. 

Darin Aldridge Relaxing by the Fireplace

Ready to Go 

Someone's Everything

There's no amplification at the Watson's home, creating an exceptionally warm sound and intimate environment where the audience is drawn into the performance. experiencing an intense connection with the band. Brooke Aldridge has begun writing her own songs. The song above is one of hers as she shows why she has been named the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year for the second consecutive year.

During the break between sets, we wandered outside to the lanai to enjoy light snacks provided by the guests (next time we'll know to bring something), and visit the picking shack at the back, where the walls are signed by all the people who've appeared there and jammed with Bruce and his friends.

The Picking Shack

Darin & Brooke Aldridge - Jerusalem Ridge

Darin & Brooke, who recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary, have been honing a sound and developing their reputation based on musically developing the ideas Darin has in his fertile musical imagination. His light tenor blends with Brooke's powerful voice to create a duo of rare power and ability to move listeners. Meanwhile, accomplished on both guitar and mandolin, it often seems a shame that Darin himself doesn't have four arms. With banjo master Matt Menafee playing a classical concert in Nashville, and frequent partner John Cowan ill at home, regular bass player Billy Gee was a delight to see at this house concert. His elegant bass playing and supple bass/baritone voice added resonance to the band's quartet singing.  Carley Arrowood on fiddle and harmony vocals always blends beautifully into this band's mix, making the acoustic quartet a wonder of variety and musicality. 

Darin & Brooke Aldridge - Children Go Where I Send Thee

Darin and Brooke's story is one grounded in their mutual love for each other, their faith, gospel and bluegrass music, and for making music together. In the past few years, they've developed connections to singers ranging from Jimmy Fortune, formerly singer and writer for the Statler Brothers, and John Cowan, the legendary bass player and tenor singer for The New Grass Revival, a seminal band in bringing the Rock sensibility into bluegrass music. This has led toward invitations to play on RFD-TV as well as increasing numbers of gigs at the Grand Ol' Opry, where they have appeared about a dozen times in the past two years. Their singing, Darin's amazing instrumental versatility, and Brooke's warm, welcoming voice have led to five well-loved CD's and, now, a new recording contract with Rounder Records. Their first recording with Rounder should be released later in the Spring. Darin and Brooke Aldridge continue to emerge as a major force in music as under Darin's leadership they continue to attract top musicians to play with them and to develop their signature sound. 

After a couple of hours in a musical delight, the audience went home knowing they'd heard the best in an up-close and personal environment provided by the Watsons and enriched by The Darin and Brooke Aldridge Band. Here they are with Shania Twain's great song, "No One Needs to Know."

Don't miss this group at a festival or concert venue near you!

Darin & Brooke Aldridge Sign with Rounder Records

Rounder Records announces that Darin & Brooke Aldridge have inked a deal with Rounder Records.  Darin & Brooke Aldridge have joined their highly acclaimed roster and will be releasing a new album for the label in 2019. The duo joins former and ongoing greats like Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent,  Béla Fleck, Hazel Dickens, Dailey & Vincent, The Steep Canyon Rangers,The Steeldrivers, and, more recently, Steve Martin. The Gibson Brothers, and The Lonely Heartstring Band, who have graced the label since its founding in 1970, when three Tufts University students (Ken Irwin, Marian Levy and Bill Nowlin) traveled to Appalachia on collecting expeditions during their vacations

Darin & Brooke have been building their band and their reputation, while burnishing their already significant singing and instrumental skills together since releasing their first album in 2010. Darin began his professional career with Accoustic Syndicate while still in high school, later touring with The Country Gentlemen for nine years and forming a band called the Circuit Riders after Charlie Waller's death. Darin and Brooke Justice met in church near her home in Avery County, NC.

We first met Darin and Brooke in 2008 at a local Cherryville, NC jam held in an quietly well-known weekly jam held in an old, cinder block Bomb Shelter. She was sporting a new engagement ring. Soon after, at a rehearsal of Darin's then current band, The Circuit Riders, who were preparing to open for the James King Band, we first were captivated by the strength and sweetness of this emerging duo and romantic couple.They were married in 2010   Over the early years of their career, we traveled with them at some length, as they sang at a tiny storefront church in North Carolina, as well as a variety of concert halls and bluegrass festivals up and down the East Coast. Long drives, late nights, and hard work turned them into a sublime duo. Brooke's haunting, magical voice, Darin's brilliant instrumentals and strong harmony, along with his vision for a band that didn't yet exist combined with their deep faith and commitment to each other dominated their life.

Local gigs turned into national performances as changes in the band improved it each time they were made, and people noticed their music and their love story. They found new songs, new fans, new musical partners who helped spread the word. They toured with Jimmy Fortune, long-time singer and song-writer with the Statler Brothers,  and, more recently John Cowan, lead singer for many years with the New Grass Revival,  whom they tour with when he's not performing with the Doobie Brothers. Each album opened new doors, helping them find better ways to showcase themselves as they grew into new roles, performing with grace and charm.

Award nominations began to come as well as performances at the Grand Old Opry. This year, Brooke was awarded her second consecutive IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, a recognition widely popular and richly deserved. Darin was recognized as Mentor of the Year at the IBMA Mentor Awards for his work as a teacher and with the development on ongoing educational efforts of the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC, near their home. In the past year they have been featured on the Grand Old Opry over ten times as well as on RFD-TV's Larry's Country Diner. Their work has charted regularly.

Darin & Brooke Aldridge - Someday Soon

Rounder co-founder Ken Irwin said, ""Darin and Brooke are two of the most gifted and hard-working young artists in bluegrass. Their soaring vocals and extraordinarily beautiful harmonies really make them stand out. After being fans for years, we're excited to have the opportunity to work with them." 

Darin Aldridge added, "As artists, there aren't adequate words to describe the feeling when you realize you get to be a part of a label that has done such extraordinary things within the music industry for so many years and still continues to do them today. We are honored to embark on this new adventure with Rounder and look forward to sharing new music with ALL of our friends in 2019!"

Darin & Brooke Aldridge - Tennessee Flat-Top Box

Brooke wrote to me saying, "It's neat to sit back and think of all we've worked for, the goals we started out with, and the many we've accomplished. We feel extremely blessed."

The move to Rounder Records marks a significant step for Darin & Brooke Aldridge and their band. Rounder's history and their personal journey and love story are a natural fit. What comes next should add luster to their continuing tale. 

Darin & Brooke

Pemi Valley Bluegrass Festival - August 1 - 4 in - Preview

The Pemi-Valley Bluegrass Festival will run from August 1 - 4, 2018 this year featuring an exceptional lineup of national, regional, and local bands in one of the most beautiful locations in New England, Pemi Valley has consistently developed and improved itself since moving to the Benton's Sugar Shack Campground in Thornton, NH several years ago.  The Festival will run from Wednesday through to a rousing Saturday night finish featuring the Gibson Brothers with a ninety minute closing show. Opening with a strong band contest on Wednesday, this years version will also headline three time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners The Earls of Leicsdters featuring Jerry Douglas, west coast sojourners The Kathy Kallick Band as well as Laurie Lewis the the Righ Hand, and Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper. 

The Lineup

Earls of Leicester (Fri)

The Earls of Leicester were brought together by Jerry Douglas to record a CD and participate in a limited tour to celebrate the music of Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys during the period when Josh Graves, Curly Seckler, and Paul Warren were in the band, The present band features Johnny Warren (Paul Warren's son) on fiddle, Charlie Cushman who is generally considered to be one of the foremost Scruggs style interpreters extant, with Shawn Camp singing the Lester Flatt role. Jerry Douglas is still there on Dobro. The band has won a Grammy and three IBMA Entertainer of the Year awards as well as garnering a Male Vocalist of the Year for Shawn Camp last year. It would be dismissive to call this band a tribute band as they continue to honor the music that, along with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass boys cemented the musical style of traditional bluegrass music. They're a treat to see and hear.

The Gibson Brothers (Sat)

Fewer and fewer people raise their hands at a Gibson Brothers show these days when they are asked if anyone is seeing them for the first time. More and more people sing along even with their less well known music as well as their award winning songs. Sitting in the audience, you're surrounded with their music and the affection one of their shows engenders in audiences as they play out the lives of siblings while singing the songs they write and perform. Twice IBMA Entertainers of the Year, they are also the only duo ever to win Vocal Group of the Year, as well as a couple of fists-full of other awards. 

The performance below features one of their earlier songs, The Open Road. Fans who have known and followed this duo for years love to hear material from their early years as well as the newer songs they continue to produce. 

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (Th)

Michael Cleveland has been named IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year a remarkable ten times, while the band has been named Instrumental Band of the Year three times. But this is not simply a fiddle centric band you listen to for Mike's great fiddle play. It's also the best band he's had, with the most consistent membership. Josh Richards has a pleasant, reliable solo voice. Nathan Livers is a virtuoso mandolin player and a strong singer. Tyler Griffith on bass and vocals along with Jasiah Shrade round out this very good band. Mike, with his bands, has also won several Recorded Event of the Year and Instrumental Performance of the Year awards. Here is one of his recent hits, "Fiddlin' Joe."

Tribute to Vern Williams

A continent is a long distance to separate those of us living in the east from two of the most loved and important bands in bluegrass. This year, both the Kathy Kallick Band and Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands will be at Pemi Valley. They will be joining together for a set celebrating the music of Vern Williams, known as the  West Coast's Joe Val, and an important force in the development of bluegrass music in the West. Both with Ray Park as Vern & Ray and with his own band, The Vern Williams Band. he worked with the likes of Jerry Garcia, Herb Pedersen, Laurie Lewis, and Pete Wernick. Here's the Vern Williams Band in 1992 at Grass Valley in California. 

Kathy Kallick Band (Fri/Sat)

In 1975, Kathy Kallick, along with Laurie Lewis was a co-founder of Good Ol' Persons, a largely female band dedicated to featuring women's voices with men who'd perform with them described as "infiltrating." They recorded five albums as well as other projects, becoming an important voice for inclusion in what had been a dominantly male form of music. They disbanded in 1975. Kathy Kallick  formed her own band in 1996 and has set a standard for others to live up to. She has won a couple of IBMA awards as well as a Distinguished Achievement Award from the California Bluegrass Society. The only problem with The Kathy Kallick Band is that they don't perform often enough in the East. Here's the band singing Kathy's song "The Foxhounds" 

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hand (Fr)

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands is another superior band coming from the West Coast. Her song, "Who Will Watch the Homeplace," has become a standard, but no-one can sing it like she does. While her band has had a few recent changes, it remains extremely strong and consistent. Brian Godman, Patrick Sauber, and  Sam Grisman are standouts. Tom Rosum has been Lewis' musical partner for more than thirty years.  A co-founder of Good Ol' Persons, too, she's been a voice for women, for music, and for the environment for years.

Laurie Lewis

Laurie Lewis - Who Will Watch the Home Place

with Members of Della Mae in Lexington, MA

Lonely Heartstring Band

Charles & George Clements 

The Lonely Heartstring Band is one of the very fine, young bands with Boston and Berklee College of Music connections filling the acoustic landscape with excellent music these days. They have long since matured beyond their birth as a Beatles cover band. They rarely play those any longer. However, their eerily accurate and evocative covers of Paul Simon, John Hartford, John Fogerty wonderfully complement the music they themselves write and perform. Gabe Hirshfeld has rapidly gained recognition as one of the finest young banjo players around. Enjoy their work on John Hartford's "Steam Powered Aereoplane" at last year's Pemi Valley. 

Nothin' Fancy (Thu)

Nothin' Fancy has continued to develop musically, as their singing and musicianship has improved, at least partly to devoting less attention to humorous bits and more serious attention to their music. The addition of the the Cox brothers, Caleb and James, hasn't hurt, either. Just returned from a trip to Norway, they should have some tales to tell about their recent travels as well as continuing to find added depth in their music. Here's an example with Mike Andes singing his song "Andersonville."

The Feinberg Brothers (Sat)

The Feinberg Brothers hail from the well-known bluegrass region of Long Island, NY, where they were nurtured under the able direction of their Dad, Ronnie. Brothers Patrick and Rourke have been familiar in jams throughout New England and New York, and are now making their mark with appearances at major festivals throughout the region. Meanwhile, both young men continue their studies in music as well pursuing their degrees at Stony Brook (SUNY) and St. Joseph's College, where they are enrolled. Incidentally, never underestimate the nurturing bluegrass environment in and around New York and its suburbs. Here's a sample from a recent show at a library, singing "The Streets of Bakersfield."

Remington Ryde (Fri)

Remington Ryde comes from central Pennsylvania and promotes a large annual bluegrass festival in Centre Hall. Here's a sample of their work with leader Ryan Frankhouser singing his tribute to country music. 

Colebrook Road 

Colebrook Road comes from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. They have been consistent winners at bluegrass festival band concerts over the past couple of years with their strong instrumentals and able original song writing. They've begun to attract attention at the national level, and I expect much more to come. Don't miss seeing them at Pemi, so you can say, "I saw them before they were famous." Here they are playing "Feel the Burn" at a recent performance in Philadelphia. 

Chris Henry & Hardcore Grass (Thu)

Chris Henry amp; Hardcore Grass gets its name from the intensity it generates as it roams the bluegrass world from Bill Monroe, of whose style Henry is a master, to other material, some written by Chris himself and more chosen from the rich traditional bluegrass repertoire. Here's a recent performance:

The Misty Mountaineers (Th, Fri, Sat)

Founded in the mid-seventies by Wilf Clark, the only remaining original member, the Misty Mountaineers sing a variety of bluegrass songs from various eras. Dan and Kelly Burke are regular Pemi Valley staffers, and the band is well known in the region. Here are a couple of their songs:

Newfound Grass (Sat)

Newfound Grass is the host band for the Pemi Valley Bluegrass Festival. Fronted by festival promoter Craig Engel, on guitar and singing lead, the band plays a range of music based in bluegrass and classic country but incorporating the influence of other music. Steve Abdu, Dave Shaw, and Ron Swisher contribute, each from their own interests. Here they are singing at The Flying Monkey a few years ago:

Monadnock (Thu)

Monadnock is also an entertaining and lively local band which will perform a single set on Thursday, Here they perform bluegrass classic "Come Back to Me Little Darling."

Rock Hearts (Thu, Fri)

Rock Hearts is a new band that showcased at Joe Val last winter. You can see samples of their music from the showcase on their FB Page.

A band contest featuring four bands as well as last year's band contest winner Cane Mill Pond will be Wednesday evening's feature. Band contests represent a way for new, often young and ambitious bands to get experience performing before a live audience while providing entertainment for people as they settle in for the weekend. Pemi Valley has decided to rotate its weekend by placing the band contest at the opening, rather than trying to hold customers on Sunday who are ready to get home to prepare for the upcoming work.

The lineup for Pemi Valley is strong and varied. The inclusion of a strong West Coast flavor not only shows imagination, it signals that the festival has been successful at moving from a regional to a strongly national perspective, which can only contribute to its further growth.

The Details

Located on a spacious, varied site offering wide open expanses and private woodsy getaway campsites, Pemi Valley is held at the Benton's Sugar Shack Campground, just north of Thornton, NH and only a few miles from New Hampshire's  I-93. A visitor can camp overlooking the Pemigewasset River or on an open  plateau above the main stage where scarcely a building can be seen in the surrounding foothills of the White Mountains.

Because the Pemi Valley Bluegrass Festival web site is so comprehensive, I'll only point to the highlights from this preview, providing links to the festival site where you can fill in the details.

Tickets: You can purchase tickets for campground reservations and for the festival itself online through Vendini. This is convenient and easy. Arrival at the festival has been constantly improved, making it easy to turn your downloaded tickets into wrist bands. A range of prices for powered or primitive campsites is available. Remember that each campsite reservation includes one ticket to the festival. For   information, you can contact the festival at (603) 239-2238 or by email at info@pemivalleybluegrass.com.

Camping: The campground is extensive and varied. Here's an overall picture of the site:

Scroll down through this page to get overall perspectives and details about specific sites. Here are some pictures to give you a sense of the variety and versatility of this location. Off-site accomodations are listed at the bottom of this page, too.

The festival provides bus transportation from behind the main stage to various locations in the remote area, while it's a short walk to the performance area from the plateau sites. Remember, the remote sites are both beautiful and primitive. Electric sites are available. Water can be obtained from a standpipe. There's also a single shower available for a small fee.

Additional Activities: A variety of activities for all kinds of interests associated with bluegrass are available at this busy festival. Whether you've just picked up a bluegrass instrument or are an experienced picker, you can get your fill of picking during the day and long into the night.

If you want to learn to play an instrument or improve your skills, the Pemi Valley University (added fee) will hold classes on Saturday with a preview meeting on Friday afternoon.

Kids Academies have long been offered at festivals during the summer. They represent an opportunity for your kids to make music with others while getting to know them, give you a little relief from supervision, and give the kids some recognition through their performance on Saturday. The Pemi Valley Academy will be divided in two groups by age and experience, all directed by Ellen Carlson and a strong staff of assistants. Pre-registration and full information is available here.

Kids Academy Performance

Many pickers are hesitant to  join a jam, feeling that they aren't "good enough," whatever that means. If you wish to jam but feel uncomfortable, the slow jam tent is the place for you. There's a jam there on Thursday through Saturday. Other activities on site or nearby are listed here. 

Plenty of Vendors Surround the Performance Area

Pemi Valley is an Outdoor Event - Be Prepared!

Meet & Greets: Throughout the weekend, bands are available at the Meet & Greet tent, where they sit down and talk with fans about their lives and music. Sometimes, they also bring their instruments to showcase new songs or talk about and demonstrate their music and careers. 

A page of Frequently Asked Questions may answer any unanswered issues you have. If you can't find a good response to your concerns, here's a Contact Us page. 

How to Get to Pemi Valley

On the map below, place your location in the O

then click for a personalized map

The Pemi Valley Bluegrass Festival has continually worked at improving its lineups as well as its organizational structure. Management has continued to create the kind of environment for volunteers that makes them feel wanted and useful. This is an exceptionally friendly and helpful festival. Come prepared to have a good time. We'll see you there!

Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival 2018 - Review

Thursday May 31, 2018

The Strawberry Park Amphitheater

The Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival opened for its 41st go-round on a cool, slightly overcast afternoon promising four days of wonderful music in an iconic setting featuring both the well-known open-air amphitheater, shaded by trees, raked to provide excellent sight-lines, and some of the best acoustic qualities to be found anywhere. Often plagued by periods of rain at this time of year, this large all-purpose resort campground also features a covered performance stage for use when serious rainstorms threaten to interfere with fans' enjoyment. With 2018 having served up a cool, wet Spring, there was no reason not to expect extensive use of both venues during the four days. Everyone's expectations were met, while the music continued with several changes of venue from the amphitheater to the secondary stage, close to the snack bar and extensive swimming pools. For us, it was our first attendance at an outdoor festival where we didn't live in our own camper, beginning the next stage of our adventure in a convenient rental unit only steps from the entrance to the amphitheater. As usual, in this blog, when bands appear on more than one day, they are only covered them once. 

Twisted Pine

Twisted Pine is a young, exciting, and increasingly tight, entertaining band which has show remarkable growth during each of the three years they have appeared at Strawberry Park. Featuring a fusion of folk, bluegrass, Americana roots music influences, their tight singing and play crosses generations and genres with charm and smooth musical finesse. 

Kathleen Parks

Rachel Sumner

Dan Bui

Chris Sartori

Twisted Pine - Kentucky Waltz

A Relaxing Thursday Afternoon

The Stockwell Brothers

The Stockwell Brothers have been staples at festivals, small venues, and concerts around New England for more than a generation. Oldest brother Bruce is well-known among banjo players nationwide, often serving on the staff of banjo workshops. Brother Barry promotes music and cultural events, having recently developed The Next Stage  in Putney, VT while brother Al owns and operates a recording studio. Bruce's wife, Kelly, who he met when she took banjo lessons from him, has joined the band on bass. They always entertain with their combination of bluegrass, folk, and softened rock music. 

Barry Stockwell

Bruce Stockwell

Al Stockwell

Kelly Stockwell

The Stockwell Brothers - Single Handed Sailor

Hunter Berry Looks on from the Walkway

Rhonda Vincent & the Rage

Rhonda Vincent is a dynamo. Performing over 100 dates year after year, featured on Larry's Country Diner on RFD-TV and singing harmony on dozens of recordings a year, she seems to be everywhere, but not overexposed as audiences come to hear their favorite bluegrass singer, who never sits down after a show until the last fan has left the Rhonda Vincent Boutique. At Strawberry Park Rhonda closed out the evening on Thursday, following her set with a jam with fans, then two sets and a guest appearance on Friday. Wow!

Rhonda Vincent

Brent Burke

Mickey Harris

Aaron McDaris

Hunter Berry

Josh Williams

Sally Berry

Rhonda & Josh Williams

Rhonda Vincent & the Rage - Momma Tried

Friday

 Friday opened at Strawberry Park threatening rain, which soon came in buckets, driving the festivities under the pavilion next to the snack bar just up the hill from the amphitheater. While the noise of people coming for late breakfast and lunch along with kids in the nearby swimming pools providing something of a distraction. Having a dry day, even though it was pleasantly warm, was welcomed by almost all but the most diehard traditionalists. Unhappily, this is not a good setting for me to do videography, so there are no videos from this venue. 

Boxcar Lillies

This is the third year for The Boxcar Lillies to appear at Strawberry Park. More a folk/Americana group than a bluegrass band, they offer a tuneful, lively mix with strong singing and instrumentals. A good act to open the second day of this fine festival.

Jenny Goodspeed

Stephanie Marshall

 

Jim Henry

Mile Twelve

Mile Twelve has been steadily rising regionally and, now, nationally as they garnered ten second round selections in the nominations process for IBMA awards. The third round, for members, usually rolls out in late July. Be sure to consider this worthy band in your voting. Coming out of Boston, Mile Twelve has an international as well as broad American flavor to draw on in its work. Young, enthusiastic, and thoughtfully creative, they bear deserve your attention. 

Evan Henry

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

BB Bowness

Nate Sabatt

David Benedict

The Gibson Brothers

The Gibson Brothers have ascended into the stratosphere of bluegrass bands through hard work, dedication to their craft, superior song writing which has become increasingly dominant in their performances, the high quality of their musicianship, and the nature and quality of their brotherly banter, all demonstrated in the video below. While fiddler Clayton Campbell appears to be on sabbatical from the band, the high quality of interaction and musical excitement remains. Jesse Brock's work on mandolin draws cheers for his intense solos. Their performance tonight as part of a single ninety minute set was highlighted by Rhonda Vincent's guest stint, which is also part of the video.

Eric Gibson

Leigh Gibson

Jesse Brock

Mike Barber

Eric & Rhonda

Leigh & Rhonda

Three Song Medley

Kathy Ward & Son James Ward

Emcee - Jim Beaver

Phillip Wells - Scholar, Radio Personality, Friend

Dailey & Vincent

Jamie Dailey

Darrin Vincent

Dailey & Vincent brought their big show to the stage of Strawberry Park to close Friday night. Their performance was fast paced, varied, and lively. The addition of Gaven Largent on Dobro as well as banjo, the two quirkiest instruments to play, has strengthened the left side of the band.  Since Dailey & Vincent feature a number of songs, particularly gospel and patriotic ones, where the banjo might not be seen as an appropriate instrument, the addition of the Dobro to the instrumental mix is welcome. Largent, while young, is a master at both. Seth Taylor's return to the band, on an semi-regular basis while he also continues to perform with Mountain Heart, is welcome for both his excellent guitar work and pleasant stage personality. Patrick McAvinue, 2017 IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, continues to deliver pure excellence here, as he has at each stop in his career. This very good ninety minute performance closed  an excellent day at Strawberry Park.

Jeff Parker

Patrick McAvinue

Aaron McCune

Gavin Largent

Seth Taylor

Bob Mummert

Jeff Parker & Jamie Dailey

Jeff Parker, the last remaining member of the original Dailey & Vincent beside the two founders, will be missed when he departs to form his own band. He's been a reliable vocal addition as well as serving as a useful comic foil with grace and good humor.

Darin Vincent, Aaron McCune & Patrick McAvinue

Despite the fact that two of the biggest headliners held the crowd through two consecutive ninety minute sets still does not cement, in my mind, that this double long show to close a successful day is a really good strategy. It sure worked this Friday night at Strawberry Park, though.

Saturday

Saturday at Strawberry Park was saved by the ability of the festival events to move fairly quickly from the amphitheater stage, one of the most pleasant venues in bluegrass when the weather is fair, to the covered pavilion in the pool/snack bar area just a few dozen steps away. As the day wore on, with the weather turning from pleasant to downpour to promising and return, the flexibility of the setup, the skill of Ace Audio at providing excellent sound in two widely different venues, the ability of the Strawberry Park Staff, and the good nature of the hardy fans used to such quirky weather  in late Spring all turned the day into a positive experience, though a times a bit damp. I was not able to record any videos on Saturday. 

Around the Campground 

Sideline

Sideline has moved quickly from being, just as its name signals, a group of longtime professionals seeking some side work for the off season when their regular gigs were on hiatus to one of the busiest and popular bands on the bluegrass circuit, traveling in their new (to them) bus to over one hundred performances a year from coast to coast. Three original members (Steve Dilling, Jason Moore, and Skip Cherryholmes), all long-time professionals in major bands, remain. Meanwhile, mining the rich supply of available bluegrass tyros to be found in North Carolina, the band has improved with each change. Troy Boone on mandolin and vocals and Daniel Greeson on fiddle bring first rate skills honed at ETSU, while Bailey Coe contributes his fine vocals and rhythm guitar after several years singing with The Grasscats under the tutelage of Russell Johnson. This is a first rate band deserving recognition from IBMA in its nomination process. This year, Sideline has reached the second round of the IBMA awards process in eight categories: Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Instrumental group, Song (Thunder Dan), Banjo, Mandolin, and Guitar. 

Steve Dilling

Jason Moore

Skip Cherryholmes

 Bailey Coe

Troy Boone

Daniel Greeson

 The Kruger Brothers

The Kruger Brothers don't simply sing songs, they provide a musical experience bringing their audiences from tears to laughter as they weave folk songs, bluegrass, rock covers, and Jens Kruger's classical compositions for bluegrass band and symphony orchestra together into music that touches the heart while challenging expectations of what music can be. Jens is well-recognized as one of the world's finest banjo masters, while brother Uwe on guitar is without peer. Joel Landsbrrg, the "third Kruger brother," is crucial tying their music together on the bass. While the Kruger Brothers on record are excellent, their live performances defy description. See them if you can!

Jens Kruger

 Uwe Kruger

Joel Landsberg

The Kruger Brothers, wisely, closely control the amount of their content they allow online. The segment below, reocorded at NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)in California in 2017 was one of their offerings played at Strawberry Park, representing a wonderful example of their versatility and appeal to audiences across an incredibly wide spectrum of music fans, including bluegrass. This video includes two movements from Jens' Appalachian Concerto and Uwe singing Sting's "Fields of Gold."

Devoted Fans

The Lonely Heartstring Band

The Lonely Heartstring Band only needs to sing and play, both of which they do at least as well as any other band, but they also bring a light-hearted personality to their performances drawing them closer to audiences.  A Boston band with roots from coast to coast and northward to Canada, their sound stands out among young, emerging bands for its purity and power. Their rock covers recreate and then, almost, surpass the band they're covering. First with the Beatles, but now with Paul Simon, John Hartford, and Credence Clearwater Revival, they constantly bring surprise and delight. Their singing, highlighted by the brother harmonies of twin George and Charles Clements blend as only twins can. Gabe Hirshfeld is emerging as one of the finest young banjo players because of his brilliance and restraint. His sense of humor permeates the band's approach to its audience. See, hear, and become captivated.

Gabe Hirshfeld

Charles Clements

George Clements

Patrick M'Gonigle

Matt Wittler

Charles & George Clements

The SteelDrivers

The Grammy winning SteelDrivers reflect Muscle Shoals and Nashville as much as they do Bill Monroe or Flatt & Scruggs, but they're one of the most popular and successful bluegrass bands of the first two decades of the twenty-first century. Their bluesy, boozy sound works best, and they've been most effective after dark, often bringing a dark sensibility to their music. They've been a pretty stable band except at the crucial blues singer vocalist spot, which now sports Kelvin Demrell singing and playing guitar as the band's fourth singer. On a wet Saturday night he introduced  himself with enthusiasm, his energy fitting right in with Tammy Rodgers' fiddle and the always elegant Richard Bailey on banjo. 

Kelvin Demrell

Ta

Tammy Rodgers

Brent Truit

Mike Fleming

Rodgers & Fleming

Sunday

Sunday dawned warm and sunny, ready for the morning gospel show to be followed by two excellent regional bands providing solid, entertaining music as those who haven't too far to drive home or who aren't yet quite ready to give up the magic relief from the outside world provided by bluegrass festivals. 

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Dry Branch Fire Squad opened the morning with it's traditional Sunday morning gospel program featuring old time gospel music punctuated with some of Ron Thomason's patented story-telling and a few words that manage to send a humane, faithful message while pretty much leaving any reference to formal religion out of the mix. This program always includes some old time country church gospel music and ends with "If I Could Just Touch the Hem of His Garment" drawn from Matthew 9.21, always leaving the crowd yearning for more. A highlight of Dry Branch Fire Squad's two shows this weekend was the return of Brian Aldridge on mandolin, guitar, and vocals to the band after several years' absence. This represents his third stint with the band, which was much welcomed by those who know him. 

Ron Thomason

Brian Aldridge

Tom Boyd

Jeff Bird

Brian Aldridge

The Gail Wade Trio

Gale Wade has a warm, winning personality and writes good songs, often about her love for horses. Like many New England musicians, she performs with at least three bands we've seen as well as singer/songwriter sessions in coffee house settings. We've seen her from New England to Tennessee. Along with Tim St. Jean on squeeze box and mandolin and Joe DeLillo on bass, she earned the enthusiastic encore the audience awarded her.

Gail Wade

Joe DeLillo

Tim St. Jean

 

The Blackstone Valley Boys

The Blackstone Valley Boys closed the festival with a pleasant set of traditional bluegrass as well as some newer material and a few songs written within the band. The Dick Brothers have been playing in and around New England for a generation, as have the other members of the band, all familiar to bluegrass fans from the region. 

Dave Dick

Bob Dick

Tim St. Jean

Bob Dick & Ken Taylor

The music was finished about 1:30 or so, as we picked up our chairs to return to our rental park model trailer just outside the top of the amphitheater. It was our first festival without our trailer, which the Park has actually bought to become part of its rental stock. We look forward to experiencing our bluegrass from a somewhat different perspective but with our enthusiasm for the music and the community that supports it. Tired, we packed and drove our new, much smaller, vehicle home.