Podunk Bluegrass Festival Weekend

All good things come to an end, so the saying goes, and although Podunk came to an end last Sunday the memories linger. It was wonderful. The festival was so organized and well run I don't think you could ask for more either from the fans view or that of the performers, everything was done right, the campground was clean and well groomed, the vendors were friendly, the food was good and diverse and of course the music was the best. All the bands it seems cranked it up a notch and all received robust applause and there were many encores. The Tony Trischka Band performed for two hours Saturday night and folks were still clamoring for more, that set, with banjo superstars: Marc Johnson, Bill Keith, Joe Mullins, Alan Munde, Ron Block, Pete Wernick and Ned Luberecki showing off their talent was just superlunary. Danny Paisley gave us his usual outstanding lead vocals and the band, Southern Grass was on the mark.

Danny Paisley

Donnie Eldreth Dan and Bobby Lundy

Blue Moon Rising, a young band of talented singers and songwriters pleased the crowd with their original material and fine pickin. Bandmembers are: Keith Garrett, mandolin; Chris West, guitar; Justin Jenks, banjo and Harold Nixon on bass.

Keith Garrett

Chris West and Justin Jenks on banjo

Michael Daves handled the vocals for the Trischka band and he did it well and he also played blistering guitar solos.

Tony Trischka Band

Ned Luberecki

Joe Mullins

Pete Wernick

Jon Weisberger

Ron Block

Bill Keith

A super picker, Michael sings like a mountain man

Michael Daves

Marc Johnson

Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle and Jerry Salley, singer, songwriters with more hits than you can shake a stick at thrilled the crowd with a bonanza of wonderful songs they have written over the years.

Jackson,Cordle and Salley

Larry Cordle and Jerry Salley

Carl Jackson

The Larry Stephenson Band

Jason Barie Kristin Benson Kyle Perkins

Four time winner of SPBGMA's "Male Vocalist of the Year", Larry Stephenson's fine tenor voice was a treat for the senses. Backed up by the talented band of : Dustin Benson, Klye Perkins, Kristin Scott Benson and Jason Brie.

Larry and Dustin Benson

The Steeldrivers rocked the crowd with their blend of edgy bluegrass and bluesy country. Each member of the band has played with the best of both country and bluegrass bands. They know how to entertain and did.

Tammy Rogers,Mike Fleming and Chris Stapleton

Mike,Tammy and Chris

The Muellers are another young band (except for Mom Karen, on bass, and Pop, Curt, on banjo)that display talent beyond their years. They feature twin and triple fiddling good vocals and musicianship.

Laurah Mueller

Laurah and Sarah Mueller

A very popular event at the Podunk Festival is the Kids Academy that brings together young folks who have never played together and in fact are at different skill levels and melds them into a functioning band in only two days. The Director, Tim St.Jean is assisted by talented musicians: Vicki Baker, Gail Wade, Cathy Day, Peggy Harvey, and Dave Dick.

Kids Academy

Tim St.Jean

The always entertaining Karl Shiflett and Big Country gave us their blend of early Country and Bluegrass, fans love em

Karl Shiflett and Big Country

Claire Lynch can't be beat, with that mesmerizing, smooth, clear voice that you just can't get enough of and she's surrounded herself with top shelf musicians: Jim Hurst with his rapid solos up and down the neck of his guitar that are not just fast but they sound good too, Jason Thomas, also a virtuoso playing fiddle, and Mark Schatz who is a master of the base and can hambone with the best of them, and did I mention, he clogs as well.

Jason Thomas

Claire and Mark Schatz

Jim Hurst

Claire Lynch

Podunk Day One

Rain and thunder turned into sunny and warm thursday at show time.A good crowd on hand for the opening of the Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival, a very well organized program that has taken all the needs of the artists and fans into consideration. For the present I'll just post some photos as time is not on my side.

Bryan Simpson of Cadillac Sky

A super high energy set by these cutting edge musicians.

Ross Holmes

Mike Jump

/a>

Matt Menefee

Cadillac Sky

Gravity from Sweden

Dale Ann Bradley

Getting Ready

After a 10 hour drive from Virginia the band, Nothin Fancy, still had enough energy to thrill the fans with their routine of songs, jokes, songs and more jokes. These folks are entertainers in every sense of the word.

Mike Andes of Nothin Fancy

Tony Shorter

Chris Sexton

Mitchell Davis

Tim D'Emore

Tim sat in for guitarist Gary Ferris who lost a family member

PineCone Bluegrass Blast

PineCone, a part of the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music is a non-profit organization formed in 1984 as a vehicle to honor traditional and “old time music” which is a large part of North Carolina’s heritage. In an effort to raise 5,000 dollars to help support its concert series PineCone will present its first ever “ Bluegrass Blast and Silent Auction” at Lake Benson Park in Garner, NC on August 16. The Gibson Brothers, International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Emerging Artist of the Year," 1998, have been invited to perform their mix of traditonal and original bluegrass. The folks at Garner will be treated to wonderful brother harmonies as well as exciting, masterful picking by Leigh Gibson on flattop guitar, Eric Gibson on banjo, Rickey Hayes on his own "Hayes" mandolin, Clayton Campbell on fiddle and Mike Barber on bass. The Gibson's are always a joy to hear.

Eric and Leigh Gibson

Mike Barber and Rick Hayes

Clayton Campbell

Mike Barber

Eric Gibson

PineCone is supported by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and the City of Raleigh as well as the North Carolina Arts Council. Garner, is located in the north central section of NC known as the “Triangle” ( anchored by the cities of Chapel Hill; Raleigh and Durham.)

Buttery Brook Festival

The fifth annual Buttery Brook Bluegrass Festival got off to a hot and humid start saturday under threatening skies in So. Hadley Mass. The concert area is in sort of a shallow bowl surrounded by grassy hills which made for good viewing and the music could be heard easily from any area. Most of the audience sat on the hill under the trees but for those who like to be close to the band there was a tent close to the right of the stage and lots of grass right in front. There was a good crowd on hand even though Grey Fox was in full swing in nearby New York.
The featured band, "Travers Chandler and Avery County" came on just before a thunderstorm which thinned the crowd considerably, but those who stayed were treated to some rollicking, gritty traditional bluegrass played with intensity by some very talented musicians, who, by the way, were dressed to the "nines" and sporting some colorful footwear, (Travers in orange shoes with white uppers and Jay Armsworthy in black shoes with white uppers) They were going for the "speakeasy" look of earlier days. At any rate they put on a heck of a show with fine vocals and super pickin and got some laughs with their antics, at one point Travers and Jay were jumping in time to the music, I mean in sync jumping at least six inches off the stage and never missed a note. They proved to be crowd pleaser both as musicians and entertainers.

Travers Chandler and Avery County

Mike Mumford Travers Chandler Brad Wood and Jay Armsworthy

Mike Mumford

Travers Chandler

Jay Armsworthy

Travers

Hailing from Cape Cod, Mass., "Crabgrass" is a band made up of veteran musicians who sing and play with confidence and ease, trading lead vocals, as they all can step up to the mike and tear it up. They play old and new bluegrass equally well and all are fine instrumentalists. They do tunes such as: "Big Spiked Hammer"; "Blues Stay Away"; "I Dont Do Floors" and so on, a real treat to hear. On banjo and lead vocals, Les Beavan, Chris Miner on mando and lead vocals, Steve Finch and Dan Fortier, guitar and lead vocals, and Steve Healy on bass and lead vocals.

Crabgrass

Steve Finch

Chris Miner

Dan Fortier

Twelve year old Joshua Alan Williams and his band North Country were a big hit with the audience. Joshua seemed right at home and perfectly confident in his delivery of early country tunes and some traditional bluegrass. He's got a strong tenor voice and is a joy to hear. Joshua's accompanied by his father Dan on guitar, Jon Roc plays the mandolin and Herman McGee plays banjo.

Joshua Alan Williams

The Bristol Boys deliver a mix of early country, (Jimmy Rodgers, Hank Williams Sr.)and traditional bluegrass. Matt Nozzolio sings lead and plays a bluesy dobro while Dave Orlomoski plays guitar and sings lead on occasion. Dave Aston plays bass and often takes breaks that are a treat to hear. I particularly enjoyed the train songs the band does, with Dave singing the "Wreck of the Old 97" in his smoky mellow voice and Matt doing "Peach Picking Time in Georgia" in his clear tenor voice. They sing well, good harmony, and the pickin is sweet.

The Bristol Boys

Dave Orlomoski

Matt Nozzolio

Unfortunately we had to leave before Mac and Hazel McGee and White Mountain Bluegrass took the stage, but my friend Matt said "they did a fantastic job..." and, "few singers can project a song like Hazel does, and her harmonies with Mac are what bluegrass is about." My thanks to Dave Helman of "Country Corner Productions" and his pleasant staff for a fun, and well run festival.