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Sunday, March 27, 2005
Last year, we headed back to Panama City around noon, so we missed out on much of the music that is offered on Sunday. I now realize what a big mistake that was this year. Sunday is just short of a full day's music. Since the music finishes around 7pm that evening, if you're willing, there is still plenty of music to absorb.
Roy Book Binder - I started off the day again with Roy. Last year, his Sunday morning lesson was a bit over my head, but due to the smaller crowd this year, he asked where we wanted to go. We continued to work on his "Black Dog Blues" song, which we started the previous day. Just like his DVD does, he continued added on the basic framework of the song by adding a new lick here and there. Before long, the song has a basic motif, but the rest all sounds unique because you're constantly jumping around with new licks you've learned. It's a great learning song for the fingerpicking blues. Unfortunately, I had to leave his session before it ended. Verlon Thompson was set to start before Roy's set was to end, and Roy wasn't going to win that battle. I ended up snagging a book and DVD of Roy's instructional material. It's a bit beyond my abilities at the present moment, but it's not so far off that I can't use it as an enticement to improve.
Magnolia Family Jam - I ended up catching the end of the Magnolia Family
Jam, before Verlon got his turn on stage. This jam turned out better than
I expected. The jam consisted of the members from the New Tradtionals, Beth
Judy (wife to Randy Judy, the singer for the New Traditionals), Reverend
Jeff Mosier (banjo from Blueground
Undergrass), David Gans (guitar),
Arvid Smith (dobro from Tammerlin),
and one of the ladies from the Habanero Honeys who's name I didn't catch.
Verlon Thompson even joined in near the end of the sing-along. This made
the wait for Verlon quite bearable, because the set was entertaining. Still,
I wished I was outside soaking up more info from Roy.
Verlon Thompson - This was Verlon
all by himself, and he put on a great set. He played some more new tunes,
and played some of his best work off his "Everywhere...Yet" album. He played
"Give Me a Ride to Heaven," and it seemed to be a great Easter morning song.
Verlon radiates such a humble stage persona, that you can't help but like
the guy. Finally, it was the only time we heard him perform "Between a Whisper
and a Scream" all weekend, and it made for a perfect finish to his set.
Peter Rowan's Easter Jamboree - This was quite the selection of musicians
for this set, and it turned out to be everything it promised. Those who
played were: Peter Rowan (guitar),
Tony Rice (guitar),
Béla Fleck (banjo from Béla Fleck
Acoustic Trio), Sharon Gilchrist (mandolin from
Uncle Earl),
Mike Marshall (mandolin from Psychograss),
Darol Anger (fiddle from Psychograss),
Tania Elisabeth (fiddle from the Duhks),
and Bryn Bright (bass from Two High String Band). Every single musician
on this stage was a top notch technician for their instrument, and they
were all given ample chances to show off their talents on each song. Tony
Rice's playing is so smooth and fast, that it was deceiving to the eyes.
You would hear the music coming out of the speakers, and it seemed his fingers
were not moving that fast. His technique was just flawless enabling him
to minimize his movement around the fretboard. Mike Marshall and Darol Anger
still have that infectious style of play that shows everyone how much fun
they are having playing the mandolin and fiddle respectively. Tania didn't
even know one of the songs they were playing, and Darol pulled her aside
during the start of the song to give her an idea of how it went. She then
proceeded to go out and nail and solo that encompassed the melody of the
song, and that is an amazing talent. The rest all did their part to add
to the excellent session. This was a great one to have front row seats like
we did for this set.
Uncle Earl - These ladies jumped into their set right after the Easter Jam finished. They were mainly playing to those who were leaving the Music Hall, so they had to impress people as quickly as possible. Thus the reason they started in with the most upbeat song from their seven-song album. I think it's the best song on their disc, but I was somewhat disappointed that the rest of the album was more melancholy and had a slower tempo. I have to give it to the girls though, because they were definitely getting after it while people were filing out. The thing I noticed the most was that Sharon Gilchrist, who just showed she's an amazing mandolin player at the previous set, wasn't the mandolin player for Uncle Earl. She's the bass player. I found that pretty odd.
After going to get some lunch and get our festival shirts printed, we headed back to the Music Hall to enjoy the rest of the day's music. We were heading in for our last session of music for the weekend. The hall was definitely less crowded since so many were heading home. Which is a shame, because this afternoon turned in some of the best sets of the entire weekend.
Red Stick Ramblers - Holy
cow did this band come out of left field to knock me for a loop! Let's see,
the band used the following music genres during a single set of music: Cajun,
rockabilly, blues, bluegrass, and honky tonk. They would play a great Cajun
flavored bluegrass song, then they cranked out a great version of R.L. Burnside's
"Going Down South." The guitarist for the band played some great licks,
and the double fiddle player attack sound of the band is great. This band's
CD's have been getting the most play since leaving the fest hands down.
I can't wait for their new album which is out in late April. I hope to see
them again next year.
Blueground Undergrass
- This was easily the most uneven set of the weekend. Reverend Mosier's
band was partially crippled by the sound. The first song was so loud, that
it was physically painful. How are you supposed to enjoy a band if the music
is that loud. This is coming from someone who has been to a countless number
of heavy metal and punk rock shows. You just could not enjoy the music because
of the volume. Thus the reason it was very much appreciated, that the second
song was definitely a quieter song. We had thought they corrected the problem
at the main soundboard, but later in the set the sound got back up to ear
bleeding volume level. This really worked against the band as to anyone
liking the band after their set was all finished. The positives were that
they played a great version of "Amazing Grace" and dedicated it to Vassar
Clements, a man frequently mentioned throughout the weekend. Additionally,
Mosier is a great frontman, because his sense of humor really relaxes the
crowd. I must admit that the bluegrass/jazz mixture of music is not my favorite,
so they had a strike against them from the start. I did think though that
they sounded like a bluegrass version of Primus. That's not too bad of a
comparison in my opinion. I was ready for them to finish though, and for
the last band to take the stage.
The Duhks - Well, the final set of the
weekend was upon us, and it turned out to be easily one
of the best sets of the weekend. The Duhks were able to play longer, and
this mean they were able to include many of their better tunes from their
first album. It also meant they got to play a few of the lesser known songs
from their new album as well. People started throwing around those long
balloons one uses to make balloon animals, and before long there were balloons
constantly in the air during the set. While the Duhks play form of Celtic
bluegrass, they definitely come across more as a rock band with their stage
presence. I had seen them three times that weekend, and this was by far
their best set of the weekend. Near the end of the set, they brought a ton
of people up on the stage to finish out the evening. Among those who joined
them on stage were: Peter Rowan, Jim Lauderdale, Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall,
Darol Anger, The Red Stick Ramblers, The New Traditionals, etc.
It was a great finish to the weekend, and I can't wait to go again next
year
Let's go to the extra stuff that makes Springfest
special...
or
Back to the Concerts Page...