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Friday, March 26, 2004
Quartermoon - Bluegrass/country band. Did not do much for Susan or I, but a friend of ours likes them a bunch.
Dread Clampitt - Semi-local
guys for us, yet I've never heard them before. Thought they were great,
and I can't wait to see them at Red Bar now. Hard to categorize these guys...laid-back
bluegrass with jazz influences...well...that kinda gets you in the ballpark.
Below is Dread Clampitt during their set.
Valla Turner Williamson - Didn't hear much, but seemed like more traditional bluegrass.
Mandolin Workshop by Mike Marshall (from Psychograss), Matt Flinner, Billy Bright, Josh Pinkham (14 years old and plays the mando like a god), Jeff Pinkham, and Steve Pruett - I wasn't able to go to this, but my wife spoke so highly of it that I thought I would mention it. She said that it was a great setting of music and interaction with the crowd, and that the guys from Psychograss are funny and made it fun for everyone.
Everyone settled in for some of the workshops in the Music Hall...
Fiddle Workshop by Darol Anger
(from Psychograss),
Vassar Clemments (the man,
the legend) and
Tania
Elizabeth (from the Duhks) - This
was the first of the music hall presentations (that I went to) where the
crowd has more interaction with the performers, because it is more of a
question and answer session about the particular style. There was another
fiddle player on the stage too, but I didn't catch his name. They played
some tunes and answered questions. Darol led the session, but deferred to
Vassar quite often who seemed like the Southern gentleman you'd expect him
to be. They invited all kids who played the fiddle on stage to lead a song,
but only one young lady went on stage. She started a song and the rest joined
in...very cool.
Darrell Scott Band - This was
a highlight of the fest for me...well, until the next session anyway. I
have always loved a great singer/songwriter (Tom Waits, John Prine, Steve
Earle, etc)...and Darrell Scott is another great one (in the folk/country
genre). A man who seems rather subdued, but the music/lyrics just scream
out. I gotta get more of his stuff on CD pronto.
Guy Clark and
Verlon Thompson - This was
supposed to be a workshop on "songs," but pretty much ended up being Guy
and Verlon playing a bunch of songs requested by the crowd. Anytime someone
would ask them about writing a song, they would get a funny answer which
offered no real help. This set right here changed the weekend for my wife
and me. Guy and Verlon are songwriters of the highest caliber, and I was
sucked in completely. Verlon then proceeded to play a couple songs that
struck Susan at her core. Suffice to say, Susan and I will forever be fans
of these two gentlemen.
For those who saw this gig, you have to marvel Guy. The man seems incapable
of sitting down without looking like his body has been beat to hell...and
of course, he's gotta have a cigarette in his hand.
Sam Pacetti - This fingerstyle
guy is a freak on the guitar. His version of "Deep River Blues" was sublime.
His previous experience in classical fingerstyle gives his playing a more
"refined" feel, and it will be amazing to see him progress as he gets older.
Laura Love Band - Only act that really turned me off for the weekend. I guess I don't get the whole "angry folk" vibe, but I found her self-righteous political ranting in between the songs to be extremely grating. Yeah, she has an amazing voice, but just felt turned off by the whole presentation. It's only March, and I'm already tired of this freaking election.
Psychograss - A
bluegrass super-group of musical freaks. I didn't get into this band as
much as others did, and I think it's due to a couple of reasons. The amount
of complexity in the music was mind numbing...these guys are beyond talented,
but it seemed to be complex just because they could. Second, it had been
a long day of incredible music, and I think I was just worn out.
Watch out for the glow in the dark dinosaurs!!