Farmpark BGF - Denton, NC - Friday

Friday at Denton was warmer and the wind had died down, but it drizzled and rained nearly all day. Despite the weather, the wonderful music shed at Denton Farmpark shielded us from the damp and provided a haven for the enjoyment of first class traditional bluegrass music. From top to bottom, the lineup was solid with something to offer everyone there. The Loughlin family have built a first class exhibition space from what started out years ago as a place folks came to take airplane rides. Management here is hardly visible, yet the families commitment and spirit pervade the entire event.

Carolina Sonshine
Dennis Cash
Danny Stanley
Tom Langdon

Wayne Ratley

Hobo Joe

Carolina Sonshine began life, insofar as I understand, as primarily a Gospel bluegrass band and has broadened its appeal by offering a balance of secular music and traditional baggy pants comedy. Their covers of Country Gentlemen songs like Matterhorn and Two Little Boys sung by Danny Stanley, whose voice bears a remarkable resemblance to Charlie Waller's, are excellent.
Their Gospel music is heart felt and effective. The band has, over the past few years, widened its range and gained fans.

Buck & Company

Buck McCumbers

Lance Gainer

Jeff Somerville

Danny Murray

Ramie Bennett

Buck & Company, so far at this festival, is the surprise act, for me. Hailing from West Virginia, this band is strong at each instrument, plays and sings well, and uses a good variety of original material written by Buck and bluegrass standards. With three lead singers sharing the vocal chores and strong flat picking and Dobro input, this band is interesting and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to seeing them again. Buck's songs about his parents and rural life in his home are particularly arresting.

Al Batten & The Bluegrass Reunion

Al Batten

Johnny Ridge

Mike Aldridge

Dave Turnage

Jimmy Cameron

Al Batten & The Bluegrass Reunion is a regional North Carolina band providing top notch entertainment of a sort exceeding many bands with much larger national reputations. When Irene sees them play, the word she invariably uses for them is "Fun." Batten's personality, relaxed, funny, perhaps a little outrageous, shines through even when he takes his excellent banjo picking to the rear of the group. Johnny Ridge is perhaps the foremost traditional fiddler playing bluegrass today. A huge man who dwarfs his fiddle, he steps to the microphone, foot stomping, and sets a tone of unrestrained joy. Mike Aldridge on mandolin is a solid performer. David Turnage at rhythm guitar, harmony vocals, and an ocaissional solo is a strong presence. Jimmy Cameron, who has also played mandolin with the group, does a fine job on bass. But finally, it's Al Batten's sunny personality, solid banjo play, and wide knowledge of bluegrass gained from thirty-six years of bandsmandship, that make him stand out. This is a band promoters outside of North Carolina should give careful consideration to. Look for him at YeeHaw Junction in Florida this February.

The James King Band

James King

Kevin Prater

Chris Hill

Tom Timberlake

Eric Christopher

There isn't much to add about the legendary James King that others haven't already said, and said better than I can. James singing of "plumb pitiful" songs about death, loss, the end of an era, and the end of happiness capture sadness at its best. His singing comes from so deep inside that it isn't unusual for him to tear up as he sings. Selected traditional male vocalist of the year seven times by SPBGMA, King deserves every one of his awards. This weekend he seemed in a particularly jovial mood. His band and his audience picked up his mood and went with it as he sang his classics like "Bed by the Window," "Echo Mountain," and "Thirty Years of Farming" with strength and conviction. His long-time sidekick Kevin Prater on mandolin provided excellent vocal and instrumental support on mandolin. Chris Hill on banjo is clean, quick, and funny. Tom Timberlake on bass and Eric Christopher on fiddle supply the sort of instrumental support that consistently makes King look good. King was cleared eyed and with the audience through two very good sets before heading out to Kentucky for the next date. This is one of the hardest touring bands in the business.

Steep Canyon Rangers

Graham Sharp, Mike Guggino, Woody Platt

Woody Platt

Graham Sharp

Mike Guggino

Nicky Sanders

Charles Humphrey III

The Steep Canyon Rangers, with their feet firmly planted in both traditional bluegrass and more progressive modern territory, stand as one of the most important young bands in the music. Their energy, precision, innovation, and sound set a high standard, and they have received a lot of well-deserved recognition for a young band. Graham Sharp and Charles Humphrey both write interesting and thoughtful songs for the group. Their new song "Shades of Gray" is a wonderful evocation of the lack of clear divisions in our contemporary society. If Johnny Ridge is one of the best traditional fiddlers today, Nicky Sanders opens new ground for contemporary fiddlers, bringing his classical training and creative ear to news ways of playing that fiddler's national anthem "Orange Blossom Special" as well as adding funny and interesting vehicle sounds to Sharp's "Feeling a Little Bit Like Dale," a NACAR rouser. Mike Guggino on mandolin also sings well and brings a quieter steadiness to the group. The ability of the Rangers to evoke wildly enthusiastic responses from young contemporary music fans and little old ladies is unparalled.

Perhaps the reaction of the audience at the Farmpark Bluegrass Festival can best be personified in the "young" couple sitting just in front of us. They've only been married three years, having found each other recently. It's their first bluegrass festival, and they've stayed and enjoyed every performer through the first two days. Their joy in each other and the music is infectious. Here they are:

Farmpark BGF - Denton, NC - Thursday

Denton Farmpark

One of the Best Music Sheds Available

Thursday was chilly, windy, and threatened rain all day. Relatively few people showed up, but the small crowd hung in well and was rewarded with some great music. While the air was chilled, the crowd warmly enthusiastic. The day opened with a solid performance by a local bluegrass band called Movin' on Bluegrass.

Movin' On Bluegrass

J.C. Rowland
Howard Honeycutt
Rick Blackwelder

Charles Honeycutt

This band is a solid and competent cover band, read - it plays mostly bluegrass standards. Musicianship is good and harmony singing pleasant to listen to. Bass player Blackwelder is a high quality picker who plays more bass solos than is common in many bluegrass bands. They were a good opening act.

The Circuit Riders

Greg Corbett

Jaret Carter
Billy Gee

Greg Luck

Darin Aldridge

The Circuit Riders are the remnants of the last band that traveled with Charlie Waller and the Country Gentlemen. Their program performs a number of Country Gentlemen songs, but does not rely up it for their sound or their core. They play classic bluegrass standards and lots of Gospel bluegrass with enthusiasm and very high skill. Greg Luck has a fine lead voice and plays both rhythm and lead guitar very well. Aldridge is one of the rising young mandolin stars, a master of traditional bluegrass mandolin. Jaret Carter's Dobro work is tasteful and restrained while providing power and depth to the band's overall sound. Billy Gee lays down a powerful bass line and his bass solos are wonderful. This is a rising band deserving greater national attention.

The Grass Cats

Steven Martin

Lloyd Herring

Chris Hill

Russell Johnson

Tim Woodall

The last time I saw the Grass Cats I thought they were a bit flat and not well positioned in the lineup. On Thursday at Denton they were at the top of their game - energetic, musical, lively, and very entertaining. This is an experienced band that shows it in every element of their performance.

Lost & Found

Scott Napier

Ronald Smith

Scottie Johnson

Alan Mills

When Dempsey Young, a storied mandolinist and singer, died in 2006, many thought it would be impossible to continue without him. Under the leadership of Allan Mills, the band has continued to tour and offers good value playing bluegrass music mostly from their huge catalog of songs dating back to the early 1970's. A highly traditional band that emphasizes their connection to the Crooked Road in southern Virginia, Lost & Found, with new mandolinist Scott Napier doing a fine job, keeps on keeping on.

Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers

Carl Berggren

Josh MacMurray

D. Sparks

Mike Fagin

Larry Sparks

After nearly fifty years on the road as a performing bluegrass musician, Larry Sparks still has one of the great voices in bluegrass music and a huge catalog of recorded music to draw upon. On Thursday evening he played a high proportion of Gospel music in line with his most recent recording being a Gospel collection. He also spent a good deal of time giving testimony to his faith. His band is well suited to supporting his fine voice with all solid musicians none of whom seems to feel a need to out shine their leader. Sparks provides a link to the earliest days of bluegrass. An accomplished flat picker as well as a great singer, his show is one that everyone interested in both the past and the present of bluegrass should appreciate.

It's hard to write extensive notes on the bands and their music as I sit in our snug trailer looking out on a raw rain and listening to members of both political parties seemingly place the election and their own posturing opinions above trying to find a solution for the good of the country. Perhaps, going back to good music and the people who appreciate their work will help lift my spirits this afternoon.