Willow Oak BGF in Roxboro, NC - Review

We moved north on Wednesday from Myrtle Beach to Roxboro, NC, taking US 501 almost the entire distance. The road leads through and around small towns, bypassing most of the larger cities and avoiding the Interstate Highway system, which has become increasingly rough and rutted while the speeds have steadily risen. Our trip along the bypass routes and small section of I-85 through Chapel Hill and Durham was uneventful and countryside quickly reasserted itself as we drove north towards Roxboro. We found Willow Oak Music Park a little way off hiway 158 deep in the woods a few miles below the Virginia border. We were disappointed to learn that the water and electric hookups we had thought we were going to have were not available. After filling our water tank at a standpipe, we found a very pretty campsite under the trees a short walk from the stage. The grounds are spacious, sloping, and do not contain carefully marked off campsites, allowing campers to use the available land to group and spread out. There’s been a severe drought here in North Carolina, so it’s quite dusty, but the owners thoughtfully water the roads a couple of times a day to reduce the dustiness in the air.

The Bluegrass Brothers kicked off the festivities at 3:00 PM with a set of their hard driving, traditional bluegrass. Fronted by father Victor Dowdy, beyond capable on the bass as he pounds out the rhythms and takes more frequent and skillful breaks than many bass players as well as singing lead on many songs, the band also includes his brother Robert on banjo, and two sons on Guitar. Younger son Don plays left handed and upside down making his chords look strange, but he plays a solid rhythm guitar along with hitting occasional breaks. Brother Steve is a pretty fair flat picker. Travers Chandler on mandolin catches my attention as he is a frequent contributer on both Mandolin Café and Bluegrass Rules. It’s always a pleasure for me to meet people I encounter on the Internet. Travers has caught my eye before because of his thoughtful, trenchant comments. His picking is excellent and his stage demeanor and movement add bounce to this already very high energy group. Travers is also interesting to talk to as he has very clear ideas about what would encourage the future of bluegrass music and spread it to a younger audience brought up on various forms of rock.

Here are two interrelated questions for you. Would the Anita Fisher band be better without Anita Fisher and Ray Deaton? Is IIIrd Tyme Out a better band now that Ray Deaton has left? My answer to both questions is yes. Fisher has assembled some quite good musicians at guitar, fiddle, and banjo. Her own singing is reasonably effective, but she breaks with bluegrass tradition in that she plays no instrument. Deaton, whose deep bass voice has been a mainstay of IIIrd Tyme Out since its inception relies too heavily on it in this group, apparently believing that his voice and over-amped electric bass are essential for this band to sound good. Meanwhile, fiddler Ken Passmore brings lively playing, reminiscent of Jimmy Mattingly, as well as some of his own songs and the voice to sell them. Nick Powell, on mandolin, adds high quality playing and a pleasant voice. On banjo, Jim Redden is fast and accurate. Shane Blackwell, who I think is Mindy Rakestraw,s brother, bears watching as a first rate flatpicker.

Meanwhile, IIIrd Tyme Out sounds and looks more like a team as it has filled the hole left by Deaton with a couple of changes. Of course, any band blessed with a voice like Russell Moore’s is already in a good place. Moore is nearly the perfect bluegrass lead singer. His voice is clear and he sings in an unornamented style while selling his songs with conviction and emotion. Hard to beat. His interaction with long-time band mate Steve Dilling on banjo is humorous and relaxed. Dilling, although suffering from distonia affecting his left index finger can still pick better with two and a half fingers than many with three. He may have altered his style slightly, but not so most folks can notice. Edgar Loudermilk on bass does a very good job and sings tenor in the trio. He’s only been with the band a few weeks, but shows promise. Wayne Benson, one of the great mandolin pickers who is comfortable in a variety of styles, has returned to IIIrd Tyme Out and strengthened the band, even though Alan Perdue was more than competent. To fill the need for a bass singer on gospel quartets, the band has gone to a surprising place and, surprisingly, it works. For years, Doug Driscoll has driven the bus and learned from Ray Deaton. He has a rich bass voice and an unassuming manner. He’s still learning to be comfortable performing, but he had the support of the crowd and did a good job. The band is filled out by Justin Haynes on fiddle. All in all, this version of IIIrd Tyme Out seems more like a team than the band I’ve seen before and should be able to keep its fans and gain
more.

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The crowd here at Willow Oak knows James King and his band and loves him. He reciprocated with a lively and responsive performance. Despite the cold weather, a welcome but radical change from recent weather here, James put on a terrific show. His traditional, dusky singing voice is perfect for the catalog he sings. His humor and good nature combine with his “pitiful sad” songs to create a wonderful stage persona, the slightly bad little boy who can tug at your heart and reach out to your soul at the same time. King almost never fails to bring truly enjoyable entertainment to the bluegrass stage. One of the vendors, a Jamaican, commented to me that he had tears in his eyes listening to “The Bed By the Window,” He felt better when I told him this was a common response to King, topped only by those times when James himself cries at his own singing.

Much of Friday repeated the performances of Thursday, with the Anita Fisher Band singing all the same songs, as far as I could tell. It was good to see Jr. Siske with his reconstituted Rambler’s Choice back singing bluegrass after the break-up of Blueridge. Jr. was in fine voice, and his mandolin player, Chris Harris bears watching as another young and gifted picker. Tim Massey on bass provided an anchor to the band as well as complementing Jr.’s voice. This band is still a little rough, has too small a catalog, and Jr. seems somewhat ill at ease in the role of band spokesman. I have to hope that he’ll bring it together. His singing and song writing need a forum that serves him well and gives him a chance to showcase his wonderful voice.

Grasstowne arrived for the first of four sets on Friday afternoon. They seemed to have recovered from their week at IBMA, and Roxboro was fairly close to home for most of the guys. Emcee Buddy Michaels, who has bluegrass programs on three radio stations, introduced the group with enthusiasm, speaking of learning about their formation, hearing them being played on XM radio, listening to their CD, and playing it for his listeners enthusiastically. I’ve written about Steve Gulley, Phil Leadbetter, and Alan Bibey, the three principal musicians in Grasstowne, each in the prime of his career as he reaches his mid-forties. Jason Davis on banjo and Jayme Booher on bass bring the same high quality of musicianship to the band as their more senior colleagues and are receiving advanced degrees in bandmanship from them. Davis, only nineteen years old, began touring with Michelle Nixon at age fourteen. He spent some time with the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band before joining Blueridge a few months before its breakup and was brought to Grasstowne by Alan Bibey. He appears on the Huber banjo project “Cuppa Joe.” Many young banjo players are all about blazing speed and showy performance. Jason has the speed and adds to it a mature versatility that many would envy. In addition, his picking demonstrates the elegance and restraint of the Grasstowne sound. Jayme, only a couple of years older than Jason, has played for years with the Booher family band from Johnson City, TN. His bass playing demonstrates not only the solid beat required of the instrument, but intricate and understated picking that adds depth to Grasstowne’s sound. He also doubles in technical support, helping the sound man make sure their head sets worked properly for them.

One of the interesting elements of the lineup at Willow Oak was the complex inter-relationships of great musicians appearing at the same festival. Sammy Shelor once used to pick up Alan Bibey to drive him to gigs, as Alan was too young to drive. Kenny Smith played for the Lonesome River Band, Alan and Terry Baucom played together in a couple of bands. Alan was one of the original members of IIIrd Tyme Out. Wayne Benson has returned to IIIrd Tyme Out. Terry Baucom has joined the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band where Jason Davis once played. I’m sure I’ve missed some of the connections, but imagine the wonderful jam that could have happened had all these great pickers hit the stage at once! It was also delightful to get a chance to chat with Cindy Baucom who was there on a sort of busman’s holiday with Terry and the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band. Cindy’s deep knowledge of the world of bluegrass helped me get a deeper understanding of the music and the people who play it.

Saturday’s lineup was so jam-packed that two bands were short changed. Lost and Found, an old and respected band that has recently suffered the tragic loss of Dempsey Young was lost in the shuffle of unfortunate time slots and higher profile bands. Michelle Nixon’s appearance was not advertised and she arrived for a 9:00 PM performance on a cold evening with many fans already having returned to their RVs or clustered around campfires for jamming. Despite the chill and small crowd, she put on your usual high energy, enthusiastic performance. Furthermore, local bands Constant Change and GrassStreet presented noteworthy performances and deserve more attention. Both bands were entertaining and engaging.

The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band has added Terry Baucom to its number. His addition solidifies this already wonderful band. Baucom’s unassuming yet powerful banjo style fits in perfectly with the two name players. Kenny Smith needs to take back seat to no one among flat pickers. It’s truly a delight to hear a guitar solo on every number, and Kenny’s wickedly fast and intricate breaks never lose sight of the tune he’s elaborating on. Also, having the guitar as a regular solo instrument takes some of the performance pressure off the mandolin and banjo while strengthening the overall sound of the band. Amanda’s sweet, pure voice and perfect enunciation make the content of every song foremost. Furthermore, unlike many female lead singers, Amanda plays a very solid rhythm guitar. Aaron Williams, winner of the 2007 mandolin contest at Merlefest, is only fifteen years old, but is already a mature picker who can only improve with seasoning. Zak McLamb is a seasoned performer on bass. Altogether, the Kenny and Amanda Smith band is exciting to listen to. Their gospel numbers clearly express their genuine faith, while the rest of their program shows their versatility.

The Lonesome River Band offered up two sets of their incomparable play. Brandon Rickman continues to wow the crowd by breaking a string on almost every set and managing to continue to sing lead while changing strings on the fly. This is really quite a feat. Andy Ball, since joining the band has continued to improve, and Mike Anglin plays a rockin’ electric bass. What more can I write about Sammy Shelor?

Promoter “Peaches” Solomon has put together an exceptionally strong lineup for this fall festival. The setting was nearly perfect. Parenthetically, there’s really something to be said for the promoter’s owning the porta-potti company, as these sometimes ignored necessaries were kept cleaned throughout the festival, making the camping in the rough much less rough. We look forward to returning to this venue in the future.

Pickin’ in the Park – Moncks Corner, SC

The Old Santee Canal Park, a state park run by the largest public utility in South Carolina, is located in Moncks Corner, once a small town north of Charleston, but rapidly joining the other booming suburbs surrounding this charming city. The park is a rolling, grassy oasis containing a stately plantation home, the Berkely County museum, and a modern center. An elevated boardwalk leads off into a nearby swamp. The park is an ideal place to hold a bluegrass festival. Saturday was another in a string of hot, muggy early Fall days that have plagued the south this year along with months of too little rain. As the day wore on, much of the humidity left the air, the sky cleared, and a bright sunny day made the event nearly perfect.

Richard (Chip) Chipman is the owner of the Low Country Music Store, Promoter of Pickin’ in the Park, and a teacher well known in the area for giving young musicians their first taste of playing bluegrass music. His passion for introducing junior bluegrassers is a major part of the motivation for putting on this delightful small festival. He also provides a welcome stage for some very good local and regional bands as a headlining at least one national touring band. This year that band was Grasstowne, a band formed only at the first of the year, which is exploding into the consciousness of bluegrass fans. You can search the web for this store, this festival, and Chip himself with very little success, for he doesn’t advertise much, but this event is a delight if you happen to be in the area on the first Saturday in October.

We arrived shortly after noon to find Mike Morris sitting on the tail-
gate of his pickup jamming on his new Holt banjo with members of other bands. People started setting up their lawn chairs, Gary Payne of GP Sound bustled about getting his gear in place, vendors arrived and got the barbecue grills running, and the surroundings of a bluegrass festival began to take shape.

The first two bands offered very strongly gospel oriented sets. New Hope provides a female trio of singer/pickers whose voices blend well with each other and whose musicianship is quite good. Supported by a bass and a fiddle, their set included a blend of deeply felt gospel music with some pleasant bluegrass standards as well as bluegrassed versions of country standards like the Everly Brothers “Dream” and Cash’s “I Walk the Line.”

The day’s highlight non-touring band turned out to be Flatt City. This Charleston-based band deserves to get wider recognition based on their musicianship, their energy and stage presence, and the diversity of their musical choices. Leader Stephen Schabel, provides a solid Monroe style mandolin, often sings lead, and does most of the talking. His laid back style complements his driving picking. John Svenson also did a notable job on Guitar and Dobro, as did Michael Bruner on banjo. Their set list ranges from traditional vocals and instrumentals (Angeline the Baker was particularly good) to a lovely and affecting rendition of John Hartford’s “Tall Buildings.” They also sing some Jimmy Martin, Monroe standards, and Flatt (after whom the band is named) and Scruggs. They are entertaining and lively.

Flatt City

Bluegrass Academy

Chip Chipman’s Bluegrass Academy took the stage next. Chipman owns and operates the Low Country Music Center, which has been located in Moncks Corner for twenty years. There he teaches bluegrass (and other) instruments. The Academy is a special effort to bring bluegrass to young people, and Chipman has succeeded in attracting and teaching a variety of talented and enthusiastic kids. We first became aware of his results when we saw the very young Gregg brothers jamming with other young pickers at a meeting of the Rivertown Bluegrass Society in Conway, SC about five years ago. Since then, the brothers have moved to Knoxville, but returned to Moncks Corner for this event. The young people of the Bluegrass Academy play and sing with enthusiasm and skill. Chipman obviously and legitimately takes great pride in the accomplishments of his students. I have no idea how many such programs exist around the country. We’ve seen these kids, as well as the very accomplished band sponsored by the Bluegrass Parlor in Tampa, and there must be others. As long as such efforts are reaching out to young people, bluegrass’s future seems well assured. With the reduction of funding for public school music programs, with the only music in many districts provided to support the continuation of a marching band, music store instruction has become increasingly more important. One could only wish for more public school attention to bluegrass in those parts of the country where the music remains an indigenous part of the culture. The Bluegrass Academy provides such a program and should receive plenty of recognition.

Grasstowne

The day’s only touring bluegrass band, Grasstowne, concluded the day. Begun only in January, Grasstowne’s popularity at festivals, on conventional and satellite radio, and in CD sales has grown rapidly since its inception. Principal artists Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley, and Phil Leadbetter have each been recognized for years as masters of bluegrass music. Bibey has played with top bands and long been recognized as one of the most refined and thoughtful innovators on the mandolin, where his signature triplets are legendary. Gulley’s expressive, soulful voice is one of the best in the genre. Now that he is back closer to his roots than he was with Mountain Heart, his singing has become even more effective. Phil Leadbetter, who was named IBMA Dobro Player of the Year for 2005, is never flashy, always tasteful. In fact, Earl Scruggs, years before Grasstowne was formed, defined the elements that make them outstanding – taste, tone, and timing.

In creating a new band, Grasstowne was faced with the challenge of defining a sound uniquely their own. They have succeeded by finding the crease between traditional bluegrass as played by the founders and the more progressive sounds of contemporary bands. Their synthesis creates a sound that pleases the ear while never jarring the mind with too new sounds or numbing with endless interpretations of earlier greats. Who could ask for more? I have things I want to say about Jamie Booher and Jason Davis, too, but since we’re seeing them again this weekend, I’ll save my further comments for next week. Suffice it to say that this new, but seasoned, group is headed for the top.

More Bluegrass Academy

2007 IBMA Awards - Analysis

The IBMA awards were covered live by XM radio with Kyle Cantrell doing the honors last night. While the portion we listened to was enjoyable and professional with Kyle conducting skillful interviews to fill the inevitable on-stage lulls, we simply couldn’t stay up until one in the morning to listen to the show. The Bluegrass Blog had a live Internet connection backstage and live blogged throughout the evening. For the most part Brance and John did straight reporting with very little rooting or cheering, even though blogging relieves the writer of having to exercise editorial objectivity as if he or she were a journalist. Nevertheless, I’m grateful to John and Brance for their professionalism, so I’m relying on their blog for my reactions this morning.

Ordinarily, IBMA awards are pretty ho-hum with few surprises and the usual suspects winning. Over time, there are categories where there have been few different winners and many deserving performers have never won an IBMA award. For instance, there have been only three Dobro players of the year in the entire history of IBMA (Rob Ickes, Jerry Douglas, and Phil Leadbetter). Similarly only four performers (Adam Steffey, Chris Thile, Ronnie McCoury, and Sam Bush) have won mandolin player of the year. Rhonda Vincent won seven consecutive female vocalist awards. Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder have won eight Instrumental Group of the Year awards and Del McCoury won Entertainer of the Year nine times. I’m not for a moment suggesting that any of these recipients aren’t worthy or that they don’t represent bluegrass music at the highest standard. My comment is meant to suggest, however, that the voting members of IBMA are generally not inclined to take risks in their choices or to look widely for standout performances in a given year. An overview of the awards provides a core list of music and musicians who should be in your collection of The Best of Bluegrass.

The 2007 Awards stand as a very pleasant surprise. Awards did not necessarily go to the old standbys and some remarkable 2007 recorded events and performers were recognized. The Infamous Stringdusters burst onto the bluegrass scene this year with a refreshing sound that does honor to the traditions of bluegrass while forging a new instrumental and vocal flourish that is instantly recognizable and always pleasing and exciting. Their Fork in the Road was awarded Song of the Year. They were recognized as Emerging Artist of the Year and Fork in the Road tied with J.D. Crowe and the New South’s Lefty’s Old Guitar for 2007 Album of the Year. This is quite a haul for a new band composed of young pickers who two years ago were mostly session players new to Nashville. This group will bear close watching over the coming years, and their next album will be eagerly awaited by all. Their schedule of festival appearances will become even more crowded than it already is.

Perhaps the big winner in this year’s IBMA was the very deserving Tony Trischka. Tony Trischka has never before won Banjo Player of the Year, despite being widely recognized as one of the most skillful and innovative pickers out there. He joins a distinguished list of winners that still isn’t graced by the granddaddy of them all – Earle Scruggs. That isn’t to say that the people who have won awards aren’t deserving. They are, but voting members need to consider the choices more broadly and recognize outstanding achievement as it emerges. Trischka also won awards for his Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular as Instrumental Album of the Year, and Recorded Event of the Year. Tony’s playing and teaching have influenced every major progressive banjo player in bluegrass music, and no-one deserves recognition more than he.

There were some other surprises, some of the wonderful choices. Dale Ann Bradley was named Female Vocalist of the Year. Her sweet, melodic voice and commanding stage presence stand as proof positive that bluegrass music is still focused on sound, style, and substance. No singer has created a better catalog and she deserves this award royally. More confusing is the choice of Bradley Walker, who has a fine voice, but whose recorded music, at least as played on XM sounds more like classic country than it does like bluegrass to me. We’ve never seen him perform, so my judgment is based purely on his recorded voice on satellite radio. While Sam Bush richly deserves recognition again as Mandolin Player of the Year, it bewilders me how IBMA has consistently neglected Alan Bibey. There is no more elegant or accomplished picker in bluegrass. Bush’s recognition, however, stands as an indication of the widening acceptance of progressive, rock oriented sounds within the bluegrass community. The irony of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper featuring Audie Blaylock winning Instrumental Group of the Year is obvious, as the Blaylock has already left the group after less than a year together. I'm told, however, that Flamekeeper is alive and more than well. Awards to Tony Rice and J.D. Crowe are particularly nice to see, as their work has shown renewed vigor and continued creativity during the past year.

These are my preliminary reactions to this year’s IBMA awards. The comments are not meant to be comprehensive, and I may want to revise and extend my remarks, as they say in Congress, but I want to post this. During the day I’ll try to add pictures to the text.

IBMA and the Bluegrass Blog

I’m consumed with jealousy as I read the daily blogging by Brance Gillihan and John Lawless of The Bluegrass Blog from the IBMA annual convention in Nashville. They are getting terrific mileage and lots of scoops from their work. I expect to listen to tonight’s IBMA awards show live on Bluegrass Junction at XM radio while reading their live blogging simultaneously. Their posts on Josh Williams leaving Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Carrie Hassler’s very good showcase appearance, Grasstowne, and Mountain Heart all added important information about what’s happening in the world of bluegrass music. This morning they wrote about the formation of the Dan Tyminski Band, which will tour this year while Allison Krause takes a sabbatical. Of particular interest to us will be Tyminski’s appearance at the Jenny Brook Family Festival in Weston, VT on the last weekend in June. The news of the Tyminski Band apparently appeared in The Bluegrass Blog before any other reference to it, other than their booking at Jenny Brook, showed up on the web. The note that Adam Steffey will be touring with the Tyminski band raises a question about whether Steffey will be leaving Mountain Heart on the heels of Steve Gulley and Clay Jones.

Since its inception a little of two years ago, The Bluegrass Blog has recorded over a million page visits by providing up-to-date news and views about the world of bluegrass. By developing The B, an internal blog, John and Brance have invited people to blog on their blog and opened new sources of information and viewpoint. (By contrast, this blog is approaching 15,000 recorded page views during its eight month life, although it actually has a few more because I only started my hit counter after I had begun blogging.) The Bluegrass Blog stands as an invaluable resource to the bluegrass community. As its reputation for accuracy and lack of hidden agenda has spread, so has its access to news. It appears to me that it has become a first contact for many musicians and promoters seeking to highlight news of movements, changes, and opportunities in bluegrass music. Because of Brance’s technological expertise, The Bluegrass Blog is pioneering in providing news, information, and more recently, entertainment through the use of video and audio. The failure of their podcasts (called Grasscasts) was sad to me, because I learned a whole lot from listening to the people they interviewed. I can only hope they decide to re-introduce these interesting and useful audio features.

For a person and fellow blogger trying to follow Bluegrass music and report on it, The Bluegrass Blog is an invaluable resource, and I’m grateful to them for their efforts and happy for their successes.

Carolina Road at Vanceboro United Methodist Church

Royce and Janice Jordan celebrated their 55^th wedding anniversary on Sunday at the Vanceboro, NC United Methodist Church by giving their church a lovely gift. Their daughter, Lorraine Jordan and her band Carolina Road, gave an all bluegrass gospel concert as part of the regular Sunday worship service. Pastor D. Stephen Stutts graciously gave his pulpit to Carolina Road for a different kind of worship service, and Carolina Road served the purpose well. After opening prayers, a short children’s sermon, which explained this new kind of worship to the young people of the church, and the regular collection, Mr. Stutts introduced the band, and they took it from there. Lorraine gave testimony to her faith through song and a few brief words as well as celebrating her family and their love for each other. The congregation responded with warmth, laughter,and enthusiastic encouragement as Carolina Road picked and sang gospel material from their regular festival and concert program, songs from their gospel CD, and gospel songs they may not ordinarily perform. The morning culminated with members of the congregation and Pastor Stutts joining the band for “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” which drew all the people in the sanctuary into a single community. As fans and friends of Carolina Road, Irene and I felt honored and humbled to be invited and welcomed to such a lovely event. After church, the Jordan’s hosted a huge chicken dinner, assisted by the church family, for the congregati, which cemented the day

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Lorraine, Josh, Jerry

Lorraine with Brother and Sister-in-Law

Lorraine with Nephew, Niece and Brother-in-Law

Pastor Stutts

Happy 55th Anniversary
Royce and Janice Jordan

White Oak Shores Bluegrass Festival - Review

White Oak Shores Campground and RV Resort is a relatively new RV park located along the White Oak River a few miles west of Emerald Isle in the backup waters behind North Carolina’s southern Outer Banks. This waterman’s world, extending from just south of Virginia Beach, VA to near Wilmington, NC on its southern end is protected by the most beautiful barrier islands along the Atlantic coast. The waterways behind the barriers provide the spawning grounds for the commercial fishery along the Atlantic Coast as well as cruising and sport fishing for millions of people. Until a generation ago, this region was little known and mostly uncrowded. Towns like Washington, NC, New Bern, Beaufort, Southport, and Wilmington are shipping, commercial fishing, and, more recently, retirement living centers.

Owners and developers Harold, Governor, and Robin Comer, in building an RV resort from the ground up, have had the opportunity to do things right, and are meeting the challenge. This lovely park is spread out across 150 acres of what once was a turf farm, so the grounds are grass covered; there is little dust and paving has been done judiciously, providing plenty of green and open space. Sites are large and well laid out. An elaborate swimming pool with a huge water-park style slide and plenty of room for lap swimming is located just behind the marshes, and a long, attractive fishing dock reaches out to the river. While almost all sites are full-service, a well-designed bath house has twelve full bathrooms with shower, sink, and toilet for guests to use. A Wi-Fi system provides Internet access at a reasonable price, and the service is being improved and broadened as this is written. The development is clearly designed to encourage park model development, but only a small portion of the lots are now so occupied. The developers contend that they will always provide plenty of spaces for transient visitors.

The White Oak Shores Bluegrass Festival is this park’s major fall event. A natural looking, grassy amphitheater stands at the top of the park near the main office and the bathroom complex. A large portable stage, brought in for this event, is larger than most stages used for bluegrass festivals. The lineup for this festival featured a good mixture of local and regional bands along with two headlining national touring bands. Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road along with the incomparable Lonesome River Band headlined Saturday and provided the star quality a good festival needs. Several regionally known bands performed to their usual pleasing levels. Perhaps more interesting, however, were two or three new or little known bands appearing here early in promising careers.

TR and the Boys is a family band that has gradually begun to move from its base in gospel bluegrass to a more mixed program of traditional bluegrass and gospel. Brothers Devin and Trenton have strong voices which blend together very well. They should consider working up some songs as a brother duo. Banjo picker Terry Hunsucker brings fine banjo and a marvelous bass voice to add depth this group’s gospel quartets. While they have appeared at a couple of festivals, this group will gain in popularity as they widen their audience beyond just gospel music. They appeared at White Oak Shores as a replacement to a band that was not able to appear and provided a strong program on Friday.

Lost County 35, in a delightful note on their MySpace site, note that they seek to present the broad spectrum of bluegrass music in a way that keeps bluegrass tradition alive and promotes a love of bluegrass music in those that hear them. Appearing in their first festival, they sang and picked creditably, but need to add energy to their performances to develop an audience. As they develop greater stage presence, their performances will become more interesting.

Another band that bears watching is Carolina Junction, a band that appears regularly in the Piedmont at several venues, but was appearing in only its second festival at White Oak Shores. This band offers very good instrumentals, highlighted by Mark Roshelli’s flat picking on the guitar, which is truly excellent. Tim James on banjo and David Sampler on bass are also very good. James is also an able songwriter, and the band features several of his originals. This band bears watching as it seeks to broaden its audience.

Ted Jones & the Tarheel Boys were Friday’s featured band. Jones, rail thin and pale white, has an annoying stage presence, and the band lacks energy and verve, despite Jones’ very creditable Monroe and McReynolds influenced mandolin play. Jones is only 21 years old, and with experience and hard work he could step up.

Saturday dawned bright and happily cooler than the brutal sun and heat of the day before. It’s ironic that a girl group called Sweet Potato Pie would be performing on a day when the producer of a great album of women in bluegrass would be one of two headliners. Lorraine Jordan’s two albums featuring the “Daughters of American Bluegrass” showed the bluegrass community the high level of virtuoso performance that women in bluegrass have achieved. This group, whose members have only been playing bluegrass instruments a few years, is winsome and enjoyable. A couple of their songs are quite winning, including “Katelyn Grey” a piece about Missy’s new daughter and “Penny’s Banjo.” Their performance was winning, but suffered from amplification that was inappropriate to their mode. Playing into instrument microphones would significantly benefit their performance. This is made quite clear on their CD “Patches of Blue,” which showcases their instrumental and vocal skills more effectively than the sound at White Oak, which proved better than adequate for other performers. Sound, provided by Crabtree Acoustic Sound achieved consistently high quality, never blowing the audience away and keeping an excellent balance between instruments and voices. Their voices and harmony are strong, and lead singer Missy Pyne stands out. Sonya Stead’s song writing also draws attention. This group offers a warm alternative during a day of hard driving, traditional bluegrass and will continue to grow and develop.

Roby Huffman & the Bluegrass Cutups and The Marshal Stephenson Band are well known in the region. Huffman was a noted touring bluegrass in the seventies and Stephenson has been a mainstay on radio and in promoting bluegrass musicians for many years. They provided solid performances. Huffman’s pure tenor voice is wonderful. He also appeared in support of Stephenson. Perhaps as interesting was the evening appearance of Shannon Casey, banjo player Daniel Casey’s eleven year old daughter, who had won the Oreo Cookie jingle award the night before. She came home to an enthusiastic reception. The Boys from Carolina are a regional band that sings traditional bluegrass with a particular emphasis on excellent Country Gentlemen covers. Their voices and instrumentation are both strong and they help fill the middle of a good lineup.

Saturday’s lineup featured two bands that are both top bands at any festival. Sammy Shelor and the current manifestation of the Lonesome River Band were in top form for both their sets. In the afternoon they played a number of theirs well-know pieces. In their evening set they called the audience to edge of the stage and really wailed. Their rock-informed bluegrass style lit up the audience. Shelor, of course, is one of the great banjo players that the music has produced. His movement into and away from the microphone as well as around the stage in support of each of his players is sinuous and liquid. It is almost a dance form of its own. His timing and tone are impeccable. The current edition of the Lonesome River Band has been together as a unit for about six months and has become tighter and more exciting that they were when we first saw them in March. Andy Ball on mandolin has steadily improved. His picking is fine and his voice singing lead or harmony fits very well. Brandon Rickman, who only broke one string this day, sings bluesy-rocky style of country sound that works wonderfully with this band. Mike Anglin’s bass always provides a solid beat and more. Matt Leadbetter on Dobro picks virtuoso solos as well as providing the backup fill that only a fine Dobro can. In the end, Sammy Shelor is the show. In a long encore, The Lonesome River Band simply brought down the house.

Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road closed both the afternoon and evening sessions. This fine touring band deserves better placement on the bill, as following LRB late in the evening Lorraine Jordan has melded together her best band ever. They’ve now been together for nearly a year and their hard work and enjoyment of each other shows clearly. The current band has no members that were in it when we first saw them four years ago. Each new addition has added instrumental and vocal strength yielding a band is gaining increasing recognition for its quality. Two young players, Todd Meade on bass and Josh Goforth on fiddle make strong contributions. Each is a supremely flexible multiple-instrumentalist who can provide the sound the band needs for particular songs. Their double fiddle work is very fine. Goforth is one of the best fiddlers in the business, in demand with many other bands. His voice is pleasant, and his drop thumb guitar picking good enough to support David Holt, who often works with Doc Watson. Benny Greene on banjo is solid on his solos and his backup is wonderful. He is quiet and unobtrusive with his presence and lack of flash, but he’s just what this band needs. The addition of Jerry Butler to the band has been a revelation. Jerry brings a very good lead voice and rhythm guitar, but more importantly, his relaxed demeanor, delightful smile, and warm delivery lighten the tone of Carolina Road. Lorraine herself, relieved of some of the emceeing responsibility as well as some of the lead singing has emerged in both her fine mandolin play and singing tenor harmonies. Her interplay with the rest of the band shows clearly her increased confidence in them and in herself.

White Oak Shores has established a good record over the past three years. Emcee Al Cotter kept the program moving on time and showed that despite the fact he is a radio and television personality in his own right, he can keep the focus on the bands and not on himself. Such self-effacing presentation helps to keep the emphasis where it should be – on the music. Sammy Shelor commented on the fine venue and noted that this festival is ready to step up to another level and can do so by adding a couple more headline bands. He’s right about both the setting and the management.