Reflections of "Music In The Mountains, 2007"

By: GeeTee65 Mood: tired Date: 06/27/2007 06:55:12 Music: None

     Sitting here in my quiet little house on a Monday afternoon, I now have time to reflect on the past few days that were filled with music, friendship and fun.  For Andy and me, it was our yearly trip to the Music in the Mountains Bluegrass Festival in Summersville, West Virginia, and it was a lot of fun for us, in some ways, and not so much fun in other ways, at least for me.     A little bit of background:  this festival was started in 1980 by promoters Edgar and Eunice Kitchen, and they kept it going every year since.  Then in 2006 it was announced that they were retiring from the business.  Rumors started spreading around that there would be no more bluegrass festivals after 2006, but the truth is that a group of people from the nearby Church of the Nazarene took over the promotion of the festival and started making improvements to the grounds themselves.  This was especially true in the stage area, for the stage was given a new tin roof and tin siding all around, and a new gravel walkway leading to a new backstage ramp for the performers.  I also believe they had tried to provide more hot water for their shower houses, but I cannot personally testify to this, as I got nothing but cold water during my only time in the shower stall!  But, I digress.     There was certainly plenty of musical talent lined up for those four days, from local or regional bands to longtime established names, and from traditional bluegrass to sounds with a modern edge.....Summersville had it all!  Or, so I thought, until we realized that some bands, like Cherryholmes and Mountain Heart, had not been booked for this year, the way we figured they would be.  (It was learned last night that both bands will be back next year, for sure!)     Thursday's highlights were getting to see Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen and also the IIIrd Tyme Out.  The son of founding member Charlie Waller, Randy has managed to keep the Gents' legacy going in the three years following his father's death from an apparent heart attack at home.  I must admit that I missed half his afternoon set, due to having dozed off in my camp chair, set up in a shaded area, and the Benadryl I had taken that morning for my allergies had kicked in by then!  (Embarrassing, I should say!!!)  The IIIrd Tyme Out has been a longtime favorite group of ours, especially in the way of vocal harmonies.  Seeing them on Thursday, however, was a rather bittersweet occasion for us, as it represented both the recent returning of Wayne Benson as mandolin player, and the impending departure of bass man Ray Deaton, who is leaving to go full-time with the Anita Fisher Band, also on Thursday's lineup.  Andy, in particular, was impressed with Fisher, a native West Virginian who originally sang with her brother and sister in a family group.  For this special appearance on her home turf, she was joined by both of her siblings for several numbers.  But, it was IIIrd Tyme Out who had the final show of the night, and my favorite moment was the closing song, "John and Mary," for which Wayne Benson exchanges his mandolin for a mandola, a somewhat larger instrument, and tuned lower. Following the last chorus of the song, Wayne really gets to rock out on solo mandola, accompanied only by the handclaps of the audience!  This goes on for a minute or so before the band comes back in to play the final bars of the song.  It's one of those moments where you have to be there to get the full experience!     I always look forward to the Friday of the festival, because of two groups in particular:  the Primtive Quartet (a gospel-singing group from the Asheville, NC area), and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.  Doyle's band has recently been undergoing a series of changes in personnel, and Friday's show was another rather bittersweet occasion for me, as this would be the last time I got to see guitarist/singer Jamie Dailey pick on poor Doyle between songs, and then get away with it by telling the audience that "I just love old people!!!"  Back in March, banjo player Terry Baucom and fiddle player Mike Hartgrove left the band at the same time, to devote more time to other opportunities with their respective instruments in the Charlotte, NC area.  Their replacements, Chris Warner on banjo and Alan Johnson on fiddle, both did an excellent job, as did new bass player Ron Spears, who contributed a couple of lead vocals that day, and will be moving into the vocal spotlight full time after Jamie has played his last show with DLQ.  (By the way, Jamie will be hitting the bluegrass circuit as the co-leader of a new band with Darrin Vincent (brother to Rhonda) beginning in early 2008, and will be appearing in Summersville next June...so LOOK OUT!!!)     Also on Friday, we were happy to be reunited with our good friend Lorraine Jordan, whom we had met the year before.  It was a pleasure to meet Lorraine's husband, Tom Langdon, who played banjo and dobro for a band called Carolina Sonshine (yes, that is spelled correctly).  Lorraine's own band is called Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, and for the second year in a row they hosted an open stage, following the close of their night show, during which members of the band backed up any singer and musician who wanted to participate.  Andy and I had taken part last year, and we were happy to do it again this year.  Thank you both, Lorraine and Tom, for being such an encouragement to both of us!     I was especially impressed on Saturday by a band called Williams & Clark Expedition, from Tennessee.  Excellent musicianship, great singing....and especially the occasional comedy segment from banjo player Blake Williams!  And speaking of banjo players, I got to meet and talk briefly with the well known banjo builder Steve Huber, who was playing that day as a member of Tim Graves and Cherokee.  I also had my picture made with Kenny Ingram, who plays the five-string for Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.  I first heard Kenny on an album he made with Lester Flatt back in the 1970's, but now he's got the best job of all, playing behind the greatest female vocalist in bluegrass today.     Speaking of Rhonda, I don't have to tell you that she was THE highlight of Sunday's lineup!  She always puts on a great show, giving each of her band members their moment in the spotlight, in addition to having her own songs to sing.  On the night show, as they began to perform a gospel song, "You Don't Love God (If You Don't Love Your Neighbor)," I bet nobody on that stage dared to imagine the twists and turns that song would take over the next few minutes!  For instance, a supposed "wardrobe malfunction" sends Rhonda off the stage following the first chorus of the song; by nature the musical turnaround is supposed to be brief, but Rhonda reappears and tells Hunter (on mandolin) to make it longer, and then she's gone again to finish getting herself together.  When Rhonda finally reappears again and tells Hunter that's enough, Hunter leaves the microphone and goes peeking in the backstage area to see if he can figure out what Rhonda was just doing back there....but no clues can be found, whatsoever!  And all this goes on before they sing the second verse and chorus of the song!  Then, things get wilder as Hunter and Josh quote the opening licks of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," in the middle of the next musical break, after which Josh or Hunter, I don't know who, said something about not meaning any harm, prompting bass player Mickey Harris to step to the microphone and sing "...just two good ole boys, never meanin' no harm..."   Then, when Rhonda tried to get everything back in control, announcing that she was due in the recording studio on Monday morning to record with legendary country singer Gene Watson, Mickey stepped in again to sing a verse and chorus of Gene's signature song, "Farewell Party."  Finally, they get back to the song they were supposed to be singing in the first place, and this time they finish it out.  For an encore, Josh sang Jimmy Martin's "The Last Song," seguing into an abbreviated "Muleskinner Blues," with Rhonda getting in the last licks vocally.     My original plan was to spend Sunday night on the campground, but instead I decided I would just break camp on Sunday afternoon and drive home at the end of the night.  The last band was still performing on the stage as I was fixing to climb into my car for the final time, and the song they were performing at that exact moment was appropriately titled "Headin' South," and I had an hour-long drive ahead of me, in that very direction!