It's A Wrap...

 

Is a $450 flight voucher, free bloody marys in the Crown Club and a first-class upgrade sufficient compensation for getting home from Nashville five hours later than planned?  The answer for me was a resounding yes, thanks to an overbooked Delta flight and a new motivation to build up some air credit to visit Miss Em in Boulder.  Plus, I had a little extra time to catalog the memories of three days at IBMA...a daunting task, even with the additional idle hours.  I'll work backwards...on my way back to the room around midnight Saturday after a profoundly notable finale to FanFest, I wandered into an intimate space where the Kruger Brothers and guest Ron Block on guitar were informally playing some dreamy instrumental piece that I took as my personal icing on the cake.  Done.  Denouement.  This sweet moment came after a major-league last night on the Main Stage that for me started with   Ronnie Bowman's great set.  I got there as he began a strong rendering of "Here I Am," a song he co-wrote that was recorded by Adam Steffey and Mountain Heart a few years back.  It's an unsettling look at the world through Satan's eyes and it touched me deeply the first time I heard it.  It was a treat to hear the author's interpretation and it's great to see Ronnie and wife Garnet doing so well, both personally and professionally.  Ronnie's pulling nice checks these days writing #1 hits for big Nashville stars.

For months I'd been anticipating my first chance to witness what all the buzz was about surrounding the new band started by Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, not having heard them live.  If disappointment has an antonym, that's what I was feeling as they made it clear why they had such an unprecedented run at Thursday's awards show at the Ryman.  The sweetly-layered harmony they accomplish with LRB alum Jeff Parker rivals a fresh baklava.  I don't see how the bar can be raised any higher.  They'll be coming to Richmond on October 17th for a concert at the West End Assembly of God on Parham Road and I won't be missing that one...you shouldn't either.  Tickets by phone from 9-5 at 754-0718.

About the only guy who could follow newly-crowned IBMA male vocalist of the year Dailey, would be past CMA male vocalist winner Vince Gill,  who gathered a terrific bluegrass ensemble for the gig, anchored by his longtime guitarist/harmony vocalist Jeff White.  Jeff's got two fine solo projects of his own out on Rounder, Broken Road and The White Album, that are among my all time favorites.  It's time for another one!  Vince was his casual and charming self and offered a varied acoustic set including the moving tribute to his late brother "Go Rest High Upon That Mountain."  One of a number of heart-in-your-throat moments for me last night...the next one came as last year's male vocalist winner Bradley Walker's set began with the first screening of his new video on a song called "A Little Change."   Carl Jackson, one of the most genuine and versatile musicians I know, produced Bradley's Rounder album Highway of Dreams, and this video about a lost soul who's found salvation.  Get online and nag at GAC and CMT to give it some air.  It's simply but beautifully done.  Bradley, living with muscular dystrophy, is an inspiring example of how to turn lemons into lemonade.  And no sooner did I have my handkerchief back in my pocket, he killed me with another Jackson masterpiece, "If I Hadn't Reached For The Stars."  I was ripe for ballads and that one always cuts to the quick.  Then came another super-successful country artist who's found her mountain roots, West Virginia's

Kathy Mattea  who did a wonderfully engaging acoustic set mostly drawn from her Marty Stuart-produced CD Coal.  Both her grandfathers made their livings in the mines and Kathy gathered material reflecting the often hearbreaking impact that four-letter fuel had on countless lives.  From Hazel Dickens' "Black Lung" to Darrell Scott's "Never Leave Harlan Alive," Ms. Mattea dug deep to find a new place from which to tell these dark stories.  But the sun came back out as she encored with her #1 Nashville hit "18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses."  Delightful. 

The time-tested Lonesome River Band  had the honors of closing the long Saturday schedule and they grabbed the bull by the horns with a rousing set of powergrass that included some strong new material from their just-released CD No Turning Back.  Four-time banjo player of the year Sammy Shelor is still anchoring the trademark LRB sound and with Andy Ball (mando) and returning Brandon Rickman (guitar) cranking out visceral harmonies, this quarter-century-old band which spun off the likes of Dan Tyminski, Ronnie Bowman, Kenny Smith, Don Rigsby and Jeff Parker, is in top form.  As Sammy's learned, patience is a virtue.  So are tenacity and hard work.  It shows. 

But not all the highlights came from the big players.  Some of the the most touching moments came from the very young who are so earnestly wanting to play and play well.  And are willing to put in the work and will it takes to learn.    I stumbled on this amazing encounter with banjo master Tony Trischka trading licks with 13-year-old Daniel Patrick from Bethel, Ohio.  You see this kind of thing everywhere at IBMA.  It's a blessing to be around this music.  It's very grounding and I feel for those who don't have it to retreat to when the "world is too much with us." 

Don't forget Sam Bush  puts on his reggae shoes and joins the Wailers at The National this coming Thursday and the next night marks the beginning of our first Richmond Folk Festival, with Dan Tyminski on the bill to help kick it off.  Free even!

Y'all come...TT