Britbike forum Forums General discussion The Rod and Tappet Bluegrass is Alive and Well

Every year, my son Edward and I go to Nashville for what is the equivalent of a bluegrass national convention. People from all over the US and Canada show up.

Edward and friends see each other maybe once a year. For most, this is the only time they get to play together.

Check it out. They have never played these songs together. Edward is on bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzAMvWm7UKU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCOXnYruaEg

Pretty good for a bunch of kids! The oldest is maybe 20.

That's pretty good for a bunch of "anyones", much less "kids"!

Glad to see that there's new talent coming along to replace the old guard. Now we need to do the same for BritBikes!

Lannis

There's a serious movement of younger bluegrass players that have emerged over the last 5-8 years or so, on the national scene. Pretty cool to see these youngsters go at it! :bigt A convention like that is a great way to get everyone together for some like-minded interaction. Tho I've never been, I hear the Philly Folk Festival is famous for its night-time camp ground jams. Don't know if it still happens but back in the day, even the most well known players could be found pickin' around a campfire. My friends who always went say the festival highlights were as often found off stage as on.

On another "note" ( )- I've been listening to some acoustic tunes lately, some bluegrass, and an assorted mix of country-ish stuff- The Steve Earle Channel on Pandora.

Music: A panacea to sooth the savage beast, in any & all its forms.

It would be a dull world indeed without music and the arts!

David,

There's nothing quite like a stand-up bass fiddle. Have him stay with it. Like the others have said, it's good to see young people with an interest in music, and indeed, in their roots! They all looked like they were having a good time at their jam session.

Ray

Certain summer Saturday nights in Ashville will see all kinds of people playing mountain music in front of the courthouse. Lots of good acts to be sure. But some of the most fun stuff happens behind the stage where the unrehearsed get togethers happen.
Good on your son, David. Now get him on a motorcycle and up to BR!

Hey David,

good for your boy ! They sound good buddy ! I've been to SPBGMA before and it's a musical overload ! Used to go up to Owensboro maybe 15-20 years back and got to watch Chris Feeley and Michael Cleveland when they were about 9-10 years old. Scary stuff ! Used to pick with Michael when he was a kid and you know he's progressed a bit more than me over the years <g>.

Tell your boy - or anyone else who's interested - to PM me if they're interested in any copies of old tapes of Bluegrass stuff from 40 years ago or so. I used to tape some folks back in the woods and on the festival sites and am just getting around to transferring those tapes over to CD format. Be happy to share.

On a BB note musically speaking, Dylan broke either his leg or arm on a Triumph back in the day and the recuperation period probably helped him with his career! See there are other reasons to ride British !

Billy

I'd be interested in some old bluegrass billyguitars... How does that happen?

Been to Owensboro before. Spent a night playing with Leroy Troy. He's a modern day Uncle Dave Macon. Puts on a nice show. He needed a guitar picker that knew some of the old stuff and dragged me around all night to the jams sessions. I do see some young folks at festivals but many of the players are now over seventy. One needs to learn this stuff when they are young. When you are old the learning curve is too steep.

How you doing David of BMW fame?

Mr Mike

Hi Mr. Mike

Leroy Troy is awesome and DAMN funny!

I have been well, and spending a lot of my heart and soul helping out some friends of mine. Go up to the "Picture Request - Please Read" post above when you have a few hours for the whole story.

I have just started to pick up the guitar again - gonna try and get that Travis style down since I can fingerpick.

See you at the Three State - I will actually be there for the ride part this year.

Hi Mike -

A tremendous amount of good pickers are from Western North Carolina. Earl Scruggs, among others, hails from that area.

My son worries about my motorcycling and would prefer I hang it up!

very nice! that's a snazzy venue they've found there too!

I've really missed the bluegrass scene living abroad lately, grew up in WV, and lived in Colorado for ten years. We're going to Telluride Bluegrass Festival again this summer for its 40th Year Anniversary, which just so happens to coincide with my wife's 40th Anniversary year ;-)

Telluride!

Man, that is on my bucket list - maybe one day I will scoot on out there on my bike.

That is one helluva show!

I am jealous!!

PS - the snazzy venue is the hallway leading to the indoor pool.

Man this thread is sparking some memories for me. There was a time in my life when I felt that there was no purer sound than that of gut or wire & wood. That was admittedly a LONG time ago.

I used to follow bluegrass back before Merle Watson died, and saw Doc & Merle many times at various BG festivals. Boy those were the days.

One stand-out moment in my following of bluegrass was seeing David Bromberg in an acoustic set at Pier 6 in Baltimore. He had another outstanding guitar player (I THINK it was the NC picker who replaced Merle as Doc Watson's sidekick- Brian? comes to mind- not Brian Sutton? was it?), and his champeen fiddle player (the names escape me now). The Stanley Brothers opened, and DB was seriously fired up, more excited than I'd ever seen him(!) and I probably saw at least 15 Bromberg shows by then... That show would have been mid 80s?

Another great moment with David Bromberg was the very first time I ever saw him & his band (before DB's "Big Band"). Norman Blake & his wife opened. Wow.

(yeah I know he's not a true bluegrass guy but if you don't give David Bromberg due credit for some awesome acoustic/BG moments then you've missed it)

Back in the mid 70s, every festival I saw had all the key players of the moment- Earl Scruggs, The Watsons, Vassar Clements, The Stanleys... Heady Times to be sure.

One off-beat "blue grass" fest I went to featuring all the above top-end players, Sea Level (Chuck Leavell's brand new jazz-fusion piano driven Allman Bros spin-off) closed on Friday; Ozark Mountain Daredevils closed Saturday! (think: Standing On The Rock) Each was out of context, each had a great set.

on another note:
I still feel that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Circle" Album remains one of the all-time great Bluegrass moments.

Jeez. Stop me now.

You should do it, with a banjo on yer knee!! I always wanted to go by motorcyle but we take so much stuff for camp, oh and the wife... it is a blast, we only missed a couple of years while we lived in CO, Town Park camping right next to the venue stage, late night picks in the camp, Yonder Mountain String Band and Leftover Salmon got their start there. Edward would fit right in, Heck, he should send in a demo to compete in the Band Contest or as a Troubadour! http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/contests.html

There're lots of established camps that set up kitchens and food in town and in the venue, I'm sure you could make friends and lighten the load even!! :-)

can you tell I'm really looking forward to being home for some real live music?!?!

Well...that sure was a nice way to spend some time on a cold rainy Friday evening.

Good stuff!! Thanks for sharing.

Jim

Here is one from the Meyer Family Bluegrass Band, musician friends of my son.

This is from this year's IBMA - the worldwide bluegrass convention. It was in Raleigh NC this year.

My son and I did not make it this one- we now wish we did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMmwIjEKnJA

wish my fingers worked like that

Very nice, David, and they looked like they were having so much fun too!

Ray

Yep, it went to Raleigh. Since we got our new convention center the price of hotel rooms was too much for IBMA.
The company I work with still provided the sound.
I didn't get that call. They sent the kids, the ones who are still confused when the talent tells them to turn down the bass. The ones too stupid to know that you DON'T close-mic a banjo.

When IBMA first moved to Nashville, it was great. It got progressively worse over the years.

The last couple of years were not very good, partly because of the economy and partly the expense.

Raleigh pulled out all the stops. Lots of folks say it was the best one ever.

I thought the sound was pretty good on this clip. Maybe a bit more mando would have been nice.

Chris Thile, Chris Thile.

Sarah Jarosz.

Infamous Stringdusters, Infamous Stringdusters, Infamous Stringdusters.

Alison Krause.


Mike Marshall.

The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

Gillian Welch, Gillian Welch, Gillian Welch.

Let me count the ways while I have the breath. (yesh yesh)

Aiofe O'Donovan, Aiofe O'Donovan.

Chris Thile and Michael Daves.

Sarah Jarosz and Chris Thile.

and one last one...

Sierra Hull and Sarah Jarosz.

Bluegrass is doing just fine.

Aoife O'Donovan slays me. She is awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4LaBFbf8Wc

Saw her with Crooked Still at Merlefest back in 2008. Caught every show they did.

again...Alison Krause. :')

Because you asked for it..

Aoife O'Donovan.