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Thursday, March 23, 2006
The music started Thursday afternoon like always, and this time Randy and Judy started off with a quick description of how the festival has grown over the years. This year was the tenth year of the festival. They started off the show with a new act for the festival.
Steel String Theory - A
great start to the festival. This band ended being repeated throughout the
weekend as some personal faves in our campsite. They were a bit different
from most other bands there. They had a definite Greek and Celtic influence
to their country bluegrass sound. Great start to the four days of music.
David Gans - David is a peculiar
act to me. He mixes some intricate sounds with the looping technology he
touts, and then sticks to some songs which are pretty basic tunes. Some
of his songs are catchy and interesting, and others...aren't. A friend of
mine said he seemed to be an angry old hippy...couldn't find much to argue
about there.
We then headed to the Music Hall where the Songwriters Contest was slated to start. As I'm walking in I see Roy Schneider, and he and I both did a double take. I was sure I'd recognize him, but wasn't sure he'd remember me. We both talked briefly, and he then had to get ready for the contest. Roy had performed in last year's contest, and he and I spoke via email after the weekend.
Roy Schneider - He got to go
first again this year. It's a tough position to win the tournament.
You're going to have a hard time still making that impression after five
artists have followed you. Roy fingerpicked less this year, and strummed
more this year, but his vocals have gotten stronger this year. Roy reminds
me of a rougher Amos Lee...a good bluesy acoustic singer/songwriter. Roy
is also the artist behind the syndicated comic strip the
Humble Stumble.
Sheryl Paige - She was up next and obviously nervous. Light, airy folk music is the best way to describe the music I heard. Verlon Thompson had shown up by then, and we were chatting it up with him in the back briefly thus why we didn't hear much of Sheryl. Verlon had said that he was always interested in the songwriters contest, but had never had a chance to check it out.
Jud Caswell - Jud presented
a dramatic change in stage presence from Sheryl, because he seemed at home
up there. He bordered on talking too much, but added the right mix of humor
to his music. Great fingerpicker added to his smooth folk delivery. I could
tell that Jud was going to place in the top three by the end of his set.
Nick Annis - Nick was
up next, and it was clear after his set that the talent in this year was
on another level compared to the previous year's contest. Roy, Jud and Nick
all were great talents. Nick started off singing about how he couldn't hear
his music and how it made him sad, and then you realize he's just talking
to the sound man. Great comedic start to his three songs. Nick was the strongest
of the songwriters I saw that night. Songs, about a woman who blamed him
for past men in her life and another about scam artist preachers, were prime
storytelling fodder. He came off as a quirky James Taylor, and I thought
he was the best of the evening.
Unfortunately, due to the contest dragging on, I wasn't able to see the last two artists. The Del McCoury band was only playing once, and it was on Thursday night. I wasn't going to miss them like I did in 2004, so my dad and I headed over to the Meadow Stage to check them out. My mom stayed around, and she said that she agreed that Nick was the best one of the evening although the last guy was pretty good. I found out that Jud came in first, Nick in second and Marc Douglas Berardo came in third (he was the last guy my mom mentioned). I was surprised Roy didn't place, but I'm wondering with a different line-up if he would have placed then. He placed third in 2005.
My dad and I headed over to the Meadow Stage, and the rain had been falling for a while. It was cold misting rain, and everything was pretty much soaked (like our chairs in the meadow) by the time my dad and I got over there. Our Tallahassee friends (Mic, Geri and Merideth) were raving over the Mammals who had just played, and they said they had enough of the rain and were heading back to the camp site. Before a couple songs were over, Merideth came back and said she couldn't resist listening to more music.
Del McCoury Band - This was the "headlining" band of the evening. I'm glad I sat through the cold rain for them. They were glorious old-school bluegrass. One microphone, nothing electric, and they did a dance of sorts jumping in and out as necessary so everyone could hear their vocals or solos as needed. The crowd really got into the band, and the band kept things pretty upbeat musically. I'd love to see them some night, where I'm not hiding under a poncho and freezing cold.
After about 45 minutes of them, my dad looked at me, and said, "I like these
guys a lot, but I've had enough." We headed back and dried out by the fire,
and then we all called it a night after visiting for a bit. Verlon Thompson,
paid a visit after the Del McCoury band was finishing up. He visited for
a bit, and then I got him back to his car so he could dry out back in the
hotel room. It was good to see him again.