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Friday, March 24, 2006
Fingerpicking Workshop - This is the way I always start my Friday mornings.
This year it featured Sam Pacetti,
Clyde Walker and Jack Williams.
They are three slightly different fingerpickers, and to be honest, I don't
think this set really clicked the entire time. Clyde plays a Chet Atkins
style fingerpicking, Jack plays a very syncopated style that is his own,
and Sam plays somewhere between the two. They played some great tunes, but
the set never really seemed to gel between the three.
Will Kimbrough and
Tommy Womack - Two great men that
make up the brains behind bands like the Bis-Quits and
Daddy. This was an acoustic set,
and I think that I like them even more in this kind of setting. You can
really enjoy the lyrical abilities of these two much better here. You could
tell that the Daddy CD was already well known by many in the crowd, and
they played quite a few songs from it. "I Miss Ronald Reagen" was a favorite
of mine from that album. They also played the Bis-Quits song about Yo Yo
Ma, and it was as well received this year as last. We were extremely fortunate
to host Verlon Thompson at our house concert in the past, and I'd feel just
as fortunate to host Will Kimbrough if that were to ever happen.
Clyde Walker - Clyde played to a unfortunately mostly empty tent outside
of the music hall. He's still a great fingerpicker, but I think he's more
interested in the more serene aspect of his music lately. I believe it's
music that doesn't translate well to the live setting. It was good to see
Clyde though, and we hope to get up with Clyde and Lorelei the next time
were in the Jacksonville area.
Flatpicking Workshop - I didn't catch but about half on this set due to watching Clyde outside. It featured Larry Keel, Gabe Valla, and Dan Betz (from the Biscuit Burners). I knew Dan could tear it up, and I finally got to see Larry Keel up close after missing him the past couple years. All three had a different touch to their playing, and they worked together well. There were a good bit more back and forth between the audience and the musicians. This workshop seemed to go much smoother than the fingerpicking workshop this morning, and it's amazing how they smoothly improvise back and forth.
Vocal Workshop - It's always the sets that you don't expect much from which
knock your socks off. This set featured KC and Abigail from
Uncle Earl, Mary and Shannon from
the Biscuit Burners, and Ruth
from the Mammals. They answered
various questions about singing, and performed some great tunes together.
I know nothing about singing, but someone who didn't learned quite a bit
more about the art. It made me look forward to seeing Uncle Earl and the
Mammals that much more.
Michael Troy - I got to see a portion of Michael's set, and he was just as good as last year. His album was one of my favorites from last year's Springfest. His lyrics are dense beyond belief, and there is a lot of meat there if you're willing to bite into it. I wished he had a bigger crowd, but I rarely saw that big of a crowd at the tent the entire weekend (with the Biscuit Burners being the obvious exception). I did find out at this set that he had another album though, so that was a great find (which features one of his best songs). Sure can't wait till we're able to get Michael down to Panama City this fall.
Guy Clark and
Verlon Thompson - This featured
two of our favorite artists from Springfest. This set was a bit different
though, because Guy was one grouchy S.O.B. His complaining/bitching to the
sound guy seemed pretty over the top. Those who went before and after him
weren't having many/any problems with the sound. Anyway...the music was
still solid, and Guy performed a bunch of new tracks from his forthcoming
album. Verlon only got to play one song, but he would get his own time later
in the weekend. The new material sounds good, and it'll be interesting to
hear how the tracks sound on CD.
Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale - This was another set of two artists who were two of the bigger names for the festival. I sat through this set to maintain my good seat for the Mammals who played afterwards. Buddy and Jim's material is too twangy country for me personally. Too Nashville sounding and polished for my tastes.
The Mammals - This was one band
I was really looking forward to seeing, and they admitted themselves it
was going to be a more laid back set. It was an early afternoon set, after
they had already played once that day. They played some more mellow music
for the majority of this set. They really caught my eye, because they covered
the classic band Morphine. I thought they did a great job of getting the
same thick bass sound of Morphine in that particular song. They also did
a Nirvana cover song which wasn't too shabby either. Mix all that up and
it shows a band that is willing to experiment with their sound. Hell, the
banjo player worked with feedback during one song. Considering the final
song reminded more of the Strokes (I believe it was "Road to Carthage"),
this band really caught my eye.
The Biscuit Burners - When this
band got ready to play, it was pretty obvious how much of an impression
the band made last year. Folks really seemed to turn out for this
band all weekend, and this debut of the weekend was no different.
Great bluegrass that has an classic feel to it, yet the band is trying new
ideas a the same time. Great stuff.
Mavis Staples - One of the headlining acts for Springfest was Mavis on Friday night. I wouldn't go out and see her by herself, but I can see why she's well known. They can put on a show. Soul gospel with a front lady that can work the crowd, especially considering this wasn't the usual audience the band is accustomed to playing for. During this set, I ran into Roy Schneider and got to talk to him for a bit since I didn't really get the chance on Thursday night after the songwriters' contest.
Daddy - Damn did this band rock.
Juke joint blues played by a bunch of white boys. We'd heard Tommy and Will
play earlier in the day in an acoustic set, and this was them with the rest
of the band in an electric setting. They played almost all of the material
from the sole Daddy album, and then played a couple songs off the older
Bis-Quits album ("Yo Yo Ma" and "Betty Was Black, Billy Was White"). I really
enjoyed their set, and their album has become one of my faves since leaving
Springfest.