Bluegrass Festival
Last week-end Lebanon New Hampshire hosted its first Bluegrass Festival. They had bands of diverse styles.
To kick off the show were The Greencards who brought an international flavor to the mix. The lead singer was from Australia and had a good rapport with the audience. The fiddle, guitar and mandolin brought lightening speed to their set.
Next the king of the world, Sam Bush, stretched the traditional bluegrass style with his newgrass, and many original tunes.
The next day was a beginning attempt at workshops UNTIL Del McCoury showed up with his whole band. What a treat! He answered questions and played whole songs in an intimate setting for an hour and a half. After that there was a jam session with people who brought their instruments along.
That night Crooked Still, an extremely innovative band, brought down the house with a wild and skillful cello player, unfurtunately it was his next to last performance with the band. The lead singer had a soulful and lyrical voice that was right on pitch. She had interesting arrangements of traditional songs. The banjo and bass playrer finished out their lineup. Although there was no guitar the rhythm was right on. It will be interesting to see the band again with a new cello and fiddle player.
Del McCoury finished the show. It was obvious to see why he is at the top of his field. There was a groove that the whole band was in no matter how fast or slow the songs were. It was like a familial telepathy that only comes with years of playing together.
All in all this was an ambitious attempt at an indoor festival for the North Country. Hopefully this will continue in the future. If you live in the area it is not one to miss.
Jamming
Yesterday Barbara Desroches came up north to do some playing at the house. Although we don't get together that often we connected like she never left. We worked on some new tunes and played some old favorites.