Three generations of musicians and those who love what they do gathered for the sixteenth time along the Rose River at the foot of Graves Mountain this past weekend for our annual celebration of the best things in life. Ralph Stanley who helped give birth to this music over a half century ago was there. So was sixteen-year-old Sierra Hull whose prodigious mandolin playing and new-found vocal confidence left no doubt that the future was in capable hands. And everything in between. There were inspiri
ng family bands like The Bluegrass Brothers, The Wells Family, Cherryholmes and The Isaacs and seasoned crowd pleasers like The Seldom Scene, Blue Highway and Rhonda Vincent. There were influential pioneers like Bobby Osborne, Peter Rowan and Bill Emerson. And there were powerful new forces like Steep Canyon Rangers and Bryan Simpson of Cadillac Sky (above)...a lineup reflecting the ages and tastes of the hundreds of fans, new ones and long-timers who roll up the Old Blue Ridge Turnpike every year when May turns to June.
We haven't missed
one yet and consider it a privilege to have an up-close encounter with so many friends old and new who share a deep emotional tie to what music can mean to the soul. From the inside, you get a look at how hard Jimmy and Rachel Graves and their family work and how much they care about providing a joyous escape for those seeking top-drawer music, diet-busting food and magnificent mountain scenery. Hospitality is in their blood and it was fitting that this year which marked the 400th anniversary of Capt. Thomas Graves' arrival at t
he Jamestown settlement, saw an extra-special celebration. The 70th governor of the Commonwealth, Tim Kaine stopped by for a visit Friday afternoon to deliver a General Assembly proclamation to the Graves family and ended up staying well past his scheduled departure time. He even took good advantage of an opportunity to play a little bluesy harp with The Seldom Scene. So here's possibly our next vice-president jamming along with sometime Scener Chris Eldridge, on a short leave from Chris Thile's Punch Brothers.
Everyone was delighted to see Ron Block and Clay Hess at Sierra Hull's side to help with both her sets. Ron produced her latest project entitled Secrets, allegedly named after the deodorant that's "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman." You had to be there. Besides being a brilliant musician and veteran of Alison Krauss' Union Station, Ron is one of the most thoughtful and profoundly engaged human beings in this music or any other. He told me the regathering of Union Station after Alison's tour with Robert Plant isn't exactly a lock; the band will be meeting soon to discuss all that. But he's making the most of his break, woodshedding with renewed intensity after reading Steven Pressfield's The War of Art. Bandmates Barry Bales and Dan Tyminski will be joining us this fall for our first Richmond Folk Festival.
Saturday evening brought the traditional closing ceremony, made indelible this year thanks to Carl Jackson's moving ballad "Graves Mountain Memories" written especially for this quadracentennial occasion. Carl rendered it with great passion that left few dry eyes among the family and friends gathered on stage.
More than the stars above the Blue Ridge
More than the blossoms on the apple trees
More than the rocks along Rose River
My heart's filled with Graves Mountain memories
It's a gratifying treat to work with easy-going professionals like stage manager Frank Jurney, sound pros Gene & Johnnie Daniell and Madison Gibson and this year, her first, emcee Charlie Rainwater. Charlie's a knowledgable and enthusiastic presence on stage, having grown up in the music with her dad, Flatt & Scruggs' former bass player Jody Rainwater. And of course kudos to Sonny Ludlam and Mark Newton for getting the whole thing started and keeping it real.
But the true joy for lots of us who come to the Graves Mountain festival comes after the show's over and things get started up at our cabin which has become a pretty popular late night spot for friends who play and those who like to unwind with a cold beverage and listen. I think we did the old place proud this year with four nights in a row that went past four am and we even saw the pre-glow of the rising sun on Sunday...somewhere around 5:30. Sleep deprivation is warranted when in the company of folks who bring so much to the table, including love offerings of choice single malts and karma-fueling kyanite. I'm deeply indebted to the following wee-hours pickers and singers who gave us some of the most compelling jams I've ever tasted: Danny & Mel Hughes, Randy & Katie Cook, Jack Cowardin, Bart Tuthill, David Kuo, Will Perkinson, Barry Lawson, Doug Ganey, John Ward, Billy Lux, Andy Cleveland, Scott Street, Terry Comer, Tim Newcombe, Tony Cook, Greg Harrup, Emily Timberlake, Jordan Tice, Jared Poole, Danny Knicely, Tara Linhardt, Laura Wortman, Kagey Parrish and Chris Eldridge. How sweet it was.
Back to reality...as we pray for Jim Lauderdale's speedy recovery from his vocal cord surgery, we welcome banjo-playing bon vivant Danny Barnes joining The Waybacks in his stead at the Science Museum on Friday, the 13th. It's our lucky night of music benefiting The Massey Cancer Center and you'll want to be there. Click here for tickets.
AC&T brings back the fabulous Biscuit Burners on the night before and the Among Friends reunion the night after. Another big fun weekend.
And don't forget John Cowan's debut as backup vocalist and bass player in the house band for NBC's new season of Nashville Star premiering at 9:30pm this coming Monday.
I'm done for now...as always thanks for your time here and shoot me an email if I missed anything.
TT
ng family bands like The Bluegrass Brothers, The Wells Family, Cherryholmes and The Isaacs and seasoned crowd pleasers like The Seldom Scene, Blue Highway and Rhonda Vincent. There were influential pioneers like Bobby Osborne, Peter Rowan and Bill Emerson. And there were powerful new forces like Steep Canyon Rangers and Bryan Simpson of Cadillac Sky (above)...a lineup reflecting the ages and tastes of the hundreds of fans, new ones and long-timers who roll up the Old Blue Ridge Turnpike every year when May turns to June.We haven't missed
one yet and consider it a privilege to have an up-close encounter with so many friends old and new who share a deep emotional tie to what music can mean to the soul. From the inside, you get a look at how hard Jimmy and Rachel Graves and their family work and how much they care about providing a joyous escape for those seeking top-drawer music, diet-busting food and magnificent mountain scenery. Hospitality is in their blood and it was fitting that this year which marked the 400th anniversary of Capt. Thomas Graves' arrival at t
he Jamestown settlement, saw an extra-special celebration. The 70th governor of the Commonwealth, Tim Kaine stopped by for a visit Friday afternoon to deliver a General Assembly proclamation to the Graves family and ended up staying well past his scheduled departure time. He even took good advantage of an opportunity to play a little bluesy harp with The Seldom Scene. So here's possibly our next vice-president jamming along with sometime Scener Chris Eldridge, on a short leave from Chris Thile's Punch Brothers.Everyone was delighted to see Ron Block and Clay Hess at Sierra Hull's side to help with both her sets. Ron produced her latest project entitled Secrets, allegedly named after the deodorant that's "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman." You had to be there. Besides being a brilliant musician and veteran of Alison Krauss' Union Station, Ron is one of the most thoughtful and profoundly engaged human beings in this music or any other. He told me the regathering of Union Station after Alison's tour with Robert Plant isn't exactly a lock; the band will be meeting soon to discuss all that. But he's making the most of his break, woodshedding with renewed intensity after reading Steven Pressfield's The War of Art. Bandmates Barry Bales and Dan Tyminski will be joining us this fall for our first Richmond Folk Festival.
Saturday evening brought the traditional closing ceremony, made indelible this year thanks to Carl Jackson's moving ballad "Graves Mountain Memories" written especially for this quadracentennial occasion. Carl rendered it with great passion that left few dry eyes among the family and friends gathered on stage.
More than the stars above the Blue Ridge
More than the blossoms on the apple trees
More than the rocks along Rose River
My heart's filled with Graves Mountain memories
It's a gratifying treat to work with easy-going professionals like stage manager Frank Jurney, sound pros Gene & Johnnie Daniell and Madison Gibson and this year, her first, emcee Charlie Rainwater. Charlie's a knowledgable and enthusiastic presence on stage, having grown up in the music with her dad, Flatt & Scruggs' former bass player Jody Rainwater. And of course kudos to Sonny Ludlam and Mark Newton for getting the whole thing started and keeping it real.
But the true joy for lots of us who come to the Graves Mountain festival comes after the show's over and things get started up at our cabin which has become a pretty popular late night spot for friends who play and those who like to unwind with a cold beverage and listen. I think we did the old place proud this year with four nights in a row that went past four am and we even saw the pre-glow of the rising sun on Sunday...somewhere around 5:30. Sleep deprivation is warranted when in the company of folks who bring so much to the table, including love offerings of choice single malts and karma-fueling kyanite. I'm deeply indebted to the following wee-hours pickers and singers who gave us some of the most compelling jams I've ever tasted: Danny & Mel Hughes, Randy & Katie Cook, Jack Cowardin, Bart Tuthill, David Kuo, Will Perkinson, Barry Lawson, Doug Ganey, John Ward, Billy Lux, Andy Cleveland, Scott Street, Terry Comer, Tim Newcombe, Tony Cook, Greg Harrup, Emily Timberlake, Jordan Tice, Jared Poole, Danny Knicely, Tara Linhardt, Laura Wortman, Kagey Parrish and Chris Eldridge. How sweet it was.
Back to reality...as we pray for Jim Lauderdale's speedy recovery from his vocal cord surgery, we welcome banjo-playing bon vivant Danny Barnes joining The Waybacks in his stead at the Science Museum on Friday, the 13th. It's our lucky night of music benefiting The Massey Cancer Center and you'll want to be there. Click here for tickets.
AC&T brings back the fabulous Biscuit Burners on the night before and the Among Friends reunion the night after. Another big fun weekend.
And don't forget John Cowan's debut as backup vocalist and bass player in the house band for NBC's new season of Nashville Star premiering at 9:30pm this coming Monday.
I'm done for now...as always thanks for your time here and shoot me an email if I missed anything.
TT
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