Howdy to all you friends out on Harmony Road.
So who went to Strawberry Music Festival at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley? I was there and have to give a great shout out to Dana and her Music Caravan shop. What a great place she offered to all us musicians who needed strings, picks, tuners and books, dvd’s, and so much more. My friend Matt Bohn had a luthier shop next door to her (He is the Bass set up maestro and the man to see!) Well he told me to bring my instruments and he had Rick Turner work on the action on my dulcimer and guitar. I had heard of Rick Turner from Frets magazine. Rick was so reasonable and also so very likeable and I discovered that he lives in Santa Cruz. Rick says he probably was one of the builders for CapriTaurus Dulcimer and may have actually worked on mine many years ago. I was in time for hors d’oeuvres and a martini while he worked on my instruments, listening and watching from the very back of the meadow.
I was so impressed with Strange on the Range, and Keith Little’s Band and my good friend Luke Abbott on mandolin. There was also the Bluegrass Music Hot Rize Reunion, Kathy Kallick Band and the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band and Kathy Barwick. It’s another Strawberry Music Festival for the records.
I have to say that for me, it did not have much Bluegrass jamming. Thank God for Strange on the Range. They had great jams loaded with fine musicians. There were no shuttles, or handicapped shuttles and it was so strange to be at Grass Valley with no Bluegrass Music ringing in the Campgrounds and there certainly was not enough banjo. It was not Camp Mather.
I drove home, did laundry, gassed up the van and headed up to Plymouth. On Tuesday, I was welcomed by Montie and Larry and Sondra Baker and my good friend Carl escorted me to my favorite camp spot at the end of the Flowered Blvd. on the side of the last building by ‘our tree’. There was Elida Ikes and then Sharon Elliott arrived in her new RV! Then the usual suspects: Dan and Wendy, Mike and Jennifer Kitchen, Steve and Ramona, Beverly & Steve, Rick Cornish, Diana Donnely and Dave Nielson, and my dj friend Glen Horn from San Luis Obispo arrived. Ernie Hunt came by and I played a few tunes with him at his camp. I went down to where Kenny Reynolds usually camps and was treated to a great jam with Larry Kuhn, Robert Crowder and Charlie Edsall. We played together for a couple hours before I asked Robert, “Is that Charlie Edsall?” Yep he said! He’s my favorite West Coast guitar picker. The night was warm and it was late so I went to sleep happily listening to the Bluegrass music all around me. Life is good as Larry Baker says! I awoke the next morning smiling and counting my blessings, “I played with Charlie Edsall last night!”
Friday: Larry opens the festival and Jokey Michael sang the National Anthem. The first band up to open the festival was New Direction from Southern California: Orion Johanning – Banjo, Zack Caplinger – Guitar, Sebastian Green – Mandolin, Steve Green – Bass. These young pickers played great Bluegrass and have been part of the Summer Grass Bluegrass Academy and have had a lot of musical direction from Mike and Yvonne Tater. They have a big future in Bluegrass. https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationBluegrass.
Next up was The GrassKickers (2013 Plymouth Emerging Artist Winner) Well, these guys are great pickers and friends and I love them! I played with them a lot in Bakersfield at the Great 48 and had lots of fun. The band is :Tom Naiman – banjo/vocal, Bob Garcia – mandolin/vocal, Bearrrr Murray – bass/vocal,
Dan Stein-guitar/vocal & Jack Kinney – fiddle/vocal. They all sing and play Bluegrass really well.
http://www.grasskickerstheband.com/
Blue Moon Rising came onstage next. I was not familiar with this band but they sure can pick and sing. Blue Moon Rising is a national touring band based out of East Tennessee comprised of Chris West (lead vocals and guitar); Brandon Bostic (dobro & guitar); David Mowell (mandolin & tenor vocals); Rusty Ferrell (banjo) and Travis Anderson (bass.) Blue Moon Rising is lead by the multi-talented guitarist and acclaimed songwriter, Chris West, who writes many of the band’s songs. His original tunes have become the signature sound of the band, including fan favorites: The Hanging Tree, Crime I’m Guilty Of, The Old Time Preacher Man, Good Time for Going Home
http://www.bluemoonrisingband.com
After lunch The Bladerunners came on stage. I hadn’t seen them in a few years and was surprised to see my old friend Patrick Sauber playing banjo along with John Corzine – Guitar, Peggy Corzine – Bass, David Dickey III – Mandolin. This band has always been good but now they have stepped things up! They played several times on stage and it was really exciting. Patrick’s banjo and singing and John Corzine’s flatpicking and David Dickey’s mandolin and Peggy’s vocals were really good. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-BladeRunners-Bluegrass-Band/140524919324331?sk=timeline
Next up was Ron Spears & Within Tradition (REUNION)! Formed in 1994 this energetic and original bluegrass band has wowed crowds throughout the United States and Canada. The Bluegrass Unlimited called Ron Spears “one of the most promising new talents to emerge on the bluegrass scene”. Bluegrass Now said “Warm vibrant harmonies and five stellar string wizards make this fledgling band one to keep an eye on”. Ron Spear’s mandolin and vocals were so good. Charlie Edsall, Guitar and vocals, Jerry Logan on bass and vocals, Hal Horn, banjo and vocals, and the fiddler was our friend, Bruce Johnson. Our favorite son, Ron Spears and his Within Tradition band was stellar. Great music and wonderful musicians and lots of fun.
http://ronspearsshow.com/original-bluegrass.html
Larry Efaw & The Bluegrass Mountaineers came on next. I had heard about this band from Meghan and Curtis Leslie about a year ago. When I men Stanley Efaw when he did a house concert with Danny Davis and Alex Leach. These guys are the real deal. Real Bluegrassers if ever! Larry Efaw is a very sweet person and he continues the Bluegrass heritage with his music. They have a Bluegrass Cruise that looks very cool. Check out their webpage.
http://www.bluegrassmountaineers.net/bgm_home.htm
Reno & Harrell – Dale Reno, Mitch Harrell, Don Wayne Reno with Ron Spears on bass. For most bluegrass fans, the name “Reno and Harrell” is familiar. These sons of bluegrass know their fathers’ music, and do a fine job interpreting it. Great singing and picking and good songwriting. I particularly enjoyed Ron Spears on bass.
http://www.renoandharrell.com/
Blue Moon Rising – more great bluegrass
Adkins & Loudermilk -Ted Lehmann says: “Two attractive personalities with distinctly different personal and musical styles have merged their talents into this newly formed bluegrass band. Dave Adkins is big in almost every way – his voice, his stage personality, his puppy-dog personality, and outgoing ebullience. Edgar Loudermilk, a veteran of many fine bands and recently having left seven years as bassist and harmony singer at IIIrd Tyme Out, is more restrained, a thoughtful, quiet singer/songwriter whose warmth is genuine and restrained. Bottom line, YOU WERE ENTERTAINED.
http://adkinsloudermilk.com/
Saturday:
Indoor Instrument Swap meet – What a great idea Larry and Sondra Baker have here. Lots of folks were walking around with new instruments that they bought.
New Direction – These young men gave another great set of Bluegrass Music. Good tunes, clean picking and comfortable stage presence.
The GrassKickers – more fun and games and Bluegrass done with a twist of humor and style and class.
The BladeRunners – they played another great set.
We broke for lunch and workshops
Adkins and Loudermilk – So good to see my buddy Edgar Loudermilk. The audience went wild with the great Bluegrass Music. Dave Adkins and Edgar Loudermilk both can SING like nobody I know. Wow. You had to be there. Get their CD. I’m looking forward to seeing them at IBMA.
Larry Efaw & The Bluegrass Mountaineers – more traditional Bluegrass Music but kicked up a notch.
Larry Gillis & His West Coast Friends Featuring Ella Warde
Henry Warde, Meghan and Curtis Leslie just delighted the audience with Swampgrass music. Curtis and Larry sang some fine tunes. Of course Ella and Henry and Meghan were lots of fun and the music was so good. When they sang a gospel song, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky. How about that! Lots of fun.
Then it was dinner and workshops
the evening concerts were:
Blue Moon Rising –
Adkins & Loudermilk
Reno & Harrell –
Sunday:
KIDS ON STAGE ~ Directed by Frank Solivan Sr.
Once again Frank Solivan and Sharon Elliott directed the Kids on Stage performance. And oh what a job they did! Helen Lude, Tessa Schwartz, John Gooding and Jesse Personini played their hearts out. Jesse sat in on Bass. Song after song, and lick after lick these kids can sing harmony and pick some fine Bluegrass Music.
Tessa Schwartz, Helen Lude, John and Jacob Gooding have a band now: 35 Years of Trouble. They were polished, superb and professional musicians. Roger Siminoff was the emcee and he was brought to emotional tears after the performance of the kids, as many of us were in the audience. It was quite a well done performance. John and Jesse will be part of the Kids on Bluegrass directed by Kim Fox at IBMA in Raleigh, NC.
Emerging Artist’s Performance:
Red, White & Bluegrass
The Littlest Birds
Doc Holiday
The Vivants
It was only by a couple of points that The Vivants won against Red, White & Bluegrass.
Since it was Sunday, most folks attending Plymouth got to packing and drove home.
I’ve got to thank my good Morgan Hillbillies: Greg H. and Mando Mike for helping me take down my shade awnings and break camp. You guys really came through for me. I am very grateful for your help and so glad to have you for friends.
Many thanks to Larry and Sondra Baker for producing such a fine Bluegrass Festival! You really out did yourselves this year with such FINE music and fun activities. You thought of everything to make sure we all had FUN. Life is Good. Thank you for Plymouth. Thanks to all the volunteers too. See you next year!
I have finally unpacked my van and done my laundry and now I am packing and getting ready to go to Raleigh, NC to IBMA. After IBMA, my friend Barb Rosner and I plan to go to Asheville, NC and drive the Crooked Road and look for some Bluegrass and Old Tyme music. Until next time, I’ll see you out there, on Harmony Road.