The hills are alive…

I couldn’t resist bridging last week and the week ahead with the opening line from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic “Sound of Music.”  Especially since the foothills of the Blue Ridge at Graves Mountain will soon be alive with musicians and those whose hearts will be blessed by their presence. More on that shortly but first, we took in Theatre IV’s outstanding production at the Empire Friday night, ostensibly to catch the latest stop in young Cooper Timberline’s (left above) budding career, and found ourselves completely caught up in the nostalgic story of the von Trapp family so lovingly and professionally presented by director  Chase Kniffen and his wonderful cast.  Cooper’s Kurt and his six siblings were amazingly well-rehearsed in both the   songs and their blocking and Stacey Cabaj as Maria     was every bit as sweet and spunky as Julie Andrews who defined the role all those years ago.  Brian Barker’s sets were stunning in their simplicity, brought to life by Lynne Hartmann’s sensitive lighting and Sarah Grady’s perfect costumes.  This time-honored musical deserves another look if it’s been a while for you and your family.  It runs through the 4th of July.  It will be time well spent…and you’ll sing once more.  (Theatre IV photo by Aaron Sutten)

And those hallowed hills along the western end of the Old Blue Ridge Turnpike will be alive with the sound of the music they’ve spawned as Jimmy & Rachel Graves and their growing family host the 18th edition of the festival that bears their name.  I’ve attended and helped host every single one of these pre-summer rituals and the unbroken circle becomes stronger and more anticipated as each seemingly shorter year passes.  As compelling as the on stage lineup is, especially with this year’s live CD/DVD recording on Friday featuring the venerable Rural Rhythm stable of artists, what makes the Graves Mountain experience so special is the continuity of camaraderie after hours that is at once reunion, sharing tunes old and new, and staying up most of the night counting our blessings that we have this bond of homemade music to bring us together in such an inviting place.  And then there are the apple butter sauced spare ribs and the fresh fried rainbow trout.  Bliss.

If Graves isn’t in your crystal ball this year, there are at least a couple of pretty potent consolation prizes for those staying home…like the Travelin’ McCourys making a quick return to the National this Thursday and this time the boys will be on the bus with their dad Del instead of Dierks Bentley.   And one of today’s most searing and covered singer/songwriters Patty Griffin plays Groovin’ In The Garden with the incomparable Buddy Miller on guitar and backing vocals.  That’s also this Thursday night as  the series returns to  its home base at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  Plans are in the works for a delayed broadcast/web stream of the concert on WCVE-FM.  Thank goodness for that.  Stay tuned for details on how it’s all gonna work. 

We’re hoping Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish make it back to Graves for some late night singing in the shadows.  Together they’re the Honey Dewdrops who’ve charmed audiences at Prairie Home Companion and Mountain Stage and who will preview their forthcoming CD These Old Roots at Ashland Coffee and Tea on June 12th.  Later in the month, the timeless Shawn Colvin plays the National on June 18th and North Carolina’s soulful siren Tift Merritt, another past Chris Austin Songwriting winner at MerleFest, will work the tracks @ AC&T on the 22nd.  So many talented women in summer’s first month.  Coincidence?

The next day, it’s off to Owensboro, Kentucky where I’m really looking forward to my first emcee gig at the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s annual R.O.M.P festival on the banks of the Ohio and just down the road from Rosine and Jerusalem Ridge where Bill Monroe and bluegrass spent their formative years.  R.O.M.P. stands for River Of Music Party and the performers include Doc & Richard Watson with David Holt, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dailey & Vincent, Josh Williams, the Isaacs, Danny Paisley and Claire Lynch.  And a host of former Blue Grass Boys and other pioneers. The museum has grown considerably since I was last there during the IBMA years in Owensboro.  It should be a heady experience.

In my next post, a look at 2009’s IBMA Bluegrass Event of the Year and subject of the wonderful documentary Bluegrass Journey…it’s the Grey Fox festival in New York’s verdant Catskills and it’s a worthy destination in mid-July with a richly varied lineup including youthful phenom Sarah Jarosz, among so many others.  Stay tuned.

I’ll leave you with a link to an exciting piece we just happened to catch this morning on Fred Child’s terrific program Performance Today on WCVE-FM.  It’s a Rob Moose composition called “New Old River Music” and it’s performed by the Punch Brothers and clarinetist David Shifrin.  Click on the 2nd hour and it’s about 12:33 in.  The Portland, OR crowd ate it up as did we.

Hope we meet on the mountain…TT

(Tift Merritt photo from her Website.  Bill Monroe photo courtesy GAC-TV)

Local Listings...

The days of having to leave town to find worthy entertainment are long gone, the most recent example being last weekend's Dominion Riverrock extravaganza on Brown's Island with extreme biking, boating and people watching in our singular spot wedged between towering skyline and wilderness river.  It's a wondrous place put to proper use for an event like this, comfortably accommodating thousands with much to see, do and hear...much like our maturing Richmond Folk Festival returning October 8-10.  Another nod to taskmaster Stephen Lecky of Venture Richmond for making it all look easy and scoring top talent like the electric Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Robert Randolph & the Family Band as headliners.  It was a very big time and another colorful feather in our town's increasingly festive cap.  And then there was the terrific Tuesday night show at the National with Dierks Bentley and the Travelin' McCourys.  Dierks  was obviously having a blast sharing the stage with these seasoned bluegrassers and hearing the adoring shrieks from his female fanbase packing the old Broad Street theater.  He spent the better part of an hour after the show to shake and sign.  His Jon Randall-produced Up On The Ridge CD will be out next month with a host of guesting luminaries.

But that was last week...let's dive into what's ahead and there's a lot.  Tonight, back on Brown's Island, Friday Cheers continues with the creative and long-running string band Railroad Earth.  Bring enough to cover the more-than-fair $2 admission and a few brews and it should be another sweet night by the river, no doubt punctuated by a well-timed CSX coal train on the high trestle.  I love when that happens.  And you might save a little strength to catch the last set at Shenanigans tonight with big Brad Spivey and his Honky Tonk Experience.  These guys have real country down pat.  Yet another option would be mandolin prodigy Harper Speagle Price and her band at Ellwood's Cafe on Thompson from 7-9p...no cover.  Or how about the veteran Texas singer/songwriter Tish Hinojosa at Ashland Coffee & Tea...wow.  Friday Night in America.  Not a night to sit home.

And here's something for your June calendar...the CD release concert for Samson Trinh's long-anticipated Abbey Road Project on June 11 at Dogwood Dell.  Samson and his Upper East Side Big Band have been recording, mixing and tweaking this ambitious homage to the Beatles at In Your Ear Recording for the past few years and you'll want to sample the formidable fruits of their labors.  The CD's out but you'll want to hear it performed live, for free, at the Dell.  And the next night,  you can take a look at Todd Herrington's paintings at the Camel.  I had no idea...the busy bass master will show off yet another side of his gifted self and then join one of the many top bands he's part of, the Big Payback for a sweaty night of James Brown hits as hot as the originals.   These guys can cook.  As can all of Todd's other ensembles including the DJ Williams Projekt and Modern Groove Syndicate.  The boy went through the talent line a few extra times.

Hope to see you somewhere around town tonight.

TT

Givin' It Up...

Last week marked the kickoffs for our big outdoor music seasons including the 25th anniversary of Innsbrook After Hours with Delbert McClinton (in an odd choice of hats) jamming with his go-to B-3 guy, Steve Bassett.  Delbert and the boys warmed it up for the great Hoosier tunesmith John Hiatt but watching the crowd ebb and flow, it appeared most had come to see the opening act.  Billy Currington played tonight and Travis Tritt is up next Wednesday, the 19th.

Folks must've gotten the word that Groovin' In The Garden had to get its groove on in another greenspace, at least initially, as the next night saw a big crowd at Maymont for the high-energy Sharon Jones and her Dap Kings (with a local kid named Chris doing his best to look dap).  The series will return to Lewis Ginter on June 3 with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller.  But first, there's loopy Keller Williams tonight (Thursday) and Carbon Leaf on May 27.  The May 20th show with Jay Farrar and Ben Kweller, hastily set to replace Jakob Dylan and Neko Case who bailed, has been canceled due to apathy.  And this just in, Old Crow Medicine Show will play Maymont in a stand-alone concert on Friday, July 23.  Don't forget the Summer Love tour of Prairie Home Companion stops at the Lewis Ginter rose garden on August 13th...all very confusing...in a good way.

Friday Cheers got off to a great start last week too, with country comer Lee Brice and Puddleduck.  I had to pass on that one to be among the few, the proud, to welcome old friends Moondi Klein and Jimmy Gaudreau back to Ashland Coffee & Tea...two seasoned crooners and instrumentalists who have evolved into a delectable duo since their years with Chesapeake.  Catch them next time down the tracks.  Maybe you'd be interested in a strong young bluegrass band Chatham County Line playing there this Saturday.  And congrats to Ben Shirley for taking top prize in the first Songwriters' Showdown finals last Saturday.  BJ Kocen's started round two already, every Tuesday night at AC&T.  Check out the great new Website for more.

With apologies, the rest of this post will be woefully under-illustrated...this photo editing takes time and I don't have enough of it tonight to cover the upcoming with pix. 

* Dominion Riverrock...two days of free for all fun on Brown's Island this Friday with the amazing Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Friday night and Robert Randolph & The Family Band on Saturday.  All that with mud races and flying dogs too!

*  John Cowan takes a break from his Doobie Brothers tour to play the beautiful Mockingbird music hall in downtown Staunton this Friday night.

*  Some of our town's a-list bands and performers put on the big show to benefit the Positive Vibe Cafe in Stratford Hills this Sunday for Vibefest 2010 from noon to six.  Great music, great cause and world-class fare thanks to their new chef Frits Huntjens.

*  At the National on Tuesday, May 18:  Dierks Bentley with the Travelin' McCourys which is basically the Del McCoury Band minus Del.  Saw this show at MerleFest and it's top-notch.  Congrats to our ticket winner Michael Mulvey who knew that Dierks' new CD Up On The Ridge was produced by the gifted Jon Randall.  I've admired Jon for so many years and still wonder why he's not a bigger name.  He has all the goods...he can write, he can sing, he can play and he has the look. And now he's a producer.  Makes no sense at all. 

*  And of course you're more than invited to make it up the Old Blue Ridge Turnpike to Syria, VA June 3-5 for the Graves Mountain Festival of Music with names like Dailey & Vincent, Darrin's sis Rhonda & The Rage, Seldom Scene, Lonesome River Band, IIIrd Tyme Out and a host of others, plus unrivaled campground jams and the best festival food anywhere.  Join me for the Wednesday night seafood buffet if you can...I'm starting my fast next week to prepare.

*  On a sad note...due to an illness in Robin's family, our final JAMinc/In Your Ear concert of the season on May 26, with guitarists Todd Hallawell & Robin Kessinger has been canceled.  We hope to reschedule and our prayers are with the Kessinger family.

*  I'll leave you with a clip of the Dixie Chicks' spinoff band Court Yard Hounds on the Ellen DeGeneres show today featuring Daniel Clarke on keys.  The tune's called "It Didn't Make A Sound."  Wait for the break.

TT

MerleFest Moments…

The elegantly engraved arm rest of Jimmy Stelling’s five-string masterpiece, one of the coveted prizes in this year’s MerleFest raffle, reflects the commitment to quality that this behemoth of a festival exempifies, by most any measure.  This 23rd edition of the annual tribute to Doc Watson’s too-early departed son Merle, still hosted by his dad, the 87-year-old national treasure, offered four rain-free days of music for so many palates.  From Thursday night’s packed house for the Zac Brown Band to Sunday’s record crowd for the Avett Brothers’ rousing finale, John Adair and his team programmed a lineup that held reward for everyone, especially the open-minded who were looking for something fresh and exciting. The music has moved to new places beyond the hills and hollows around Deep Gap, North Carolina, still Doc Watson’s home.  But there’s an undeniable kinship among musicians and those who gather to hear them in this inviting place. Missing were MerleFest stalwarts like John Cowan, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck and Tim O’Brien.  But traditions were carried well by Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, the Kruger Brothers, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Jim Lauderdale and of course Sam Bush.  MerleFest is difficult to describe to one who hasn’t experienced it over a period of time, so if that includes you, I’ll let the camera do most of the talking for the rest of this post.  If you like what you see, consider making the trip down for the 24th.  April 28-May 1, 2011.

A Saturday afternoon surprise saw Arthel Watson awarded an honorary doctorate by a trio of professors from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music…a deserving Dr. Doc.

One of the most meaningful MerleFest traditions is the Sunday morning gospel sing on the Creekside Stage with Doc and the Nashville Bluegrass Band featuring Stuart Duncan and Alan O’Bryant.

 

The sacred steel power of the Lee Brothers joined by Rob & Ron McCoury and Jason Carter brought another level of praise to the Sunday Watson Stage.  Look for the Travelin’ McCourys with Dierks Bentley in Richmond at the National on May 18.  (Still a chance to win tickets in the “On The Verge” post below)

MerleFest serves as a family-style homecoming and reunion for artists and fans alike.  Casey Driessen proposed to Molly during a set on the Cabin Stage a few years ago…this year guesting with the Duhks, Casey and Molly brought daughter Emmette to her first one.  MerleFest in 3-D.

My home away from home for these four days is the old log cabin-turned-tweener stage next to the Watson. Here Cadillac Sky cranks it up the day after their sold out AC&T show. Unbridled energy and creativity.  They love this place.

The Lovell Sisters staged a Thursday night reunion including elder sister Jessica who’s sitting out the new band Larkin Poe started by younger sibs Megan and Rebecca.

Jackson Hole’s Pete & Anne Sibley posed for a backstage Cabin portrait after their short set of their pristine harmonies.  If you were at their JAMinc/In Your Ear concert, you know what I mean.

A very pleasant re-discovery of Biscuit Burner founder Shannon Whitworth and her tasteful band proved to be a personal highlight this year.  I’d forgotten about her dark and dreamy vocals which were put to good use I’m told during the Waybacks’ ambitious Album Hour set on the Hillside Stage.  Shannon rendered two selections from the Beatles’ Abbey Road album, including “Something.” 

Anchorage, Alaska’s award-winning Bearfoot featuring newest member Odessa Jorgensen on fiddle, held a prime spot on the Cabin Saturday night between Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers and Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes.

Zac Brown was a surprise Friday night guest on the Cabin Stage with his pals Rory Feeks and Joey Martin.  His closing set the night before set a Thursday night MerleFest crowd record.

 

 

 

Brothers Tony & Wyatt Rice got the Unit back together Saturday afternoon after the former signed copies of his just-out biography Still Inside-The Tony Rice Story.  I hear it’s a great read…order yours here.

Seems like every year, some prodigious young talent gets a chance to shine and steal hearts.  DC-based Celtic band Scythian brought up 8-year-old Ruthie Shumway from Charlotte to fiddle an old-time tune that may be the moment we look back on and say “Remember when?”

 

 

Another first-time experience was the intense Indian-infused blues created by the worldly Harry Manx, who’s called the essential link between the music of East and West.  He brought strange instruments including the sitar-slide guitar above and a stage full of gear and proceeded to cast a spell.  It’s a thrill to hear someone who’s found his niche and mines it thoroughly.  Go see this guy if you get the chance.

And for something completely different, how about Mr. Yahooo-ooooo himself Wylie Gustafson who rocked our Richmond Folk Festival last fall with his Wild West cowboy tunes and a yodel to die for.

New York- based Red Molly, a gifted and practiced trio I’d heard really good things about, conveniently made its first MerleFest appearance at the Cabin Sunday.  They more than lived up to advance billing.

Saturday’s closer was Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes, his rootsy rock band that included Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton and Jim Lauderdale.

 

Jim Lauderdale again chaired the Chris Austin Songwriter’s Contest that’s produced such high-profile past winners as Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt and Adrienne Young.  Berklee product Liz Longley, who won the General category this year, could be joining that list.  Time will tell.

Anticipation was running high for Saturday night’s Steve Martin bluegrass set with his newfound road mates, Carolina’s Steep Canyon Rangers.  The multi-faceted white-haired and -suited comedian who used his banjo-playing skills as a gimmick during his early years, now seriously celebrates the five-string through a set full of original and imaginative tunes he plays at a level that’s no laughing matter.  Woody Platt and the boys provide the perfect musical backdrop and comedic foil as their iconic bandleader indulges himself and delights the crowd with just the right amount of his signature sense of humor.  He even encored with “King Tut.”  And it worked.  Big fun.

But when all’s said and done, it’s all about Sam Bush. At the very first MerleFest in 1988 with his renegade New Grass Revival, the newly crowned “Father of Newgrass” (above with Friday closers Little Feat) brings the goods that have made him the ring leader of the most beloved and respected group of super-pickers.  His still youthful energy, imagination and ability to fit effortlessly into any musical context, has set him apart from his more mortal contemporaries.  And despite his lofty perch, he’s as generous and approachable as your next door neighbor.  Sam exemplifies what draws so many of us to this music…breathtaking artistry from real, relatable people.  And it doesn’t hurt that he married well.  Sam & Lynn continue to defy the odds against show biz marriages.  Their joyful inseparability is inspiring.  Just like this remarkable union of music and fellowship that is MerleFest.  The memory bank has been refilled.

TT

For Openers…

All of us aging production guys at MerleFest are lamenting how sadly short a year is anymore.  No way it’s been 12 whole months since we were here on a Thursday night with the whole amazing thing laid out before us.  This musical homecoming has grown and changed a lot since the first one with a flatbed trailer for a stage in 1988 but what hasn’t is a nearly intact team that makes the whole thing spin like a top.  It’s a thrill to see something so complex and demanding come off so smoothly.  Good to be back with Sam, Maple, Jim, and Cathy again.  A few first-day pictures then, including the timeless Taj Mahal in a blue mood (above)

The latest edition of the Steeldrivers on the Cabin Stage with new lead vocalist Gary Nichols (far right)

Some guys just have way too much fun.  What a year it’s been  for Zac Brown who was the perfect closer on opening night. Big adoring crowd enjoying a fat two-hour set.  And to think we saw him for free along the river for Friday Cheers.

 

A beguiling Phoebe Hunt gazed upon by Connor Forsyth during a seriously well-received afternoon set with the Belleville Outfit.  More polished and assured than when we caught them at Grey Fox last summer.  Go see this band…maybe Saturday in Lexington at Lime Kiln?

 

 

It was so good to see these Gibson Brothers again (Eric & Leigh w/Mike Barber on bass) after the great year they’ve had with a real resurgence in their long career.  Their intense and powerful duet singing cuts like a knife and will lump your throat in short order.  Who saw them in ‘03 at the Glen Allen Fieldcrest concert?  Wally knew a good thing when he heard it.

Besides being an innovative banjo player, founding member of Hot Rize (and Trailblazer Waldo Otto), Pete “Dr.  Banjo” Wernick has relished his as role of instructor in the annual MerleFest Jam Camp.  Graduation exercises put all 60 campers on the Cabin Stage to share what they’ve learned with the proud Doctor looking and listening on.

All in all…a sweet 1st day, with the weather as good as the music.  So how was Cadillac Sky at AC&T tonight?  They play the Cabin tomorrow…nice.

G’nite…TT