1st Annual River House Blues & BBQ

We will be out of town attending The Festy, but here's an interesting festival held just outside of Washington D.C. The 1st Annual River House Blues & BBQ will occur at Watermelon Park in Berryville Virginia. Flying Dog Brewery is a sponsor so there will be excellent beer on site and it reunites the participants of Episode 2 at MyJoogTV as Holy Ghost Tent Revival is scheduled to perform. In addition, the Episode 4 musical guest, The Skyla Burrell Blues Band, is also performing. Make sure you let them know how much you enjoyed these episodes. The rest of the lineup includes our friends at Hard Swimmin Fish, Danny Knicely & Aimee Curl Duet, Paul Pfau & Friends, Terry Oates & The Mudcats, and much more. Tickets are $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the gate which includes camping. And all net proceeds will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Shenandoah Valley.

2010 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Scotty Melton, Annie Robinette, The Drunk Uncles, Carson Peters & the Rockhouse Stringband, Kelley & the Cowboys - these may not be household names yet; but they are truly what makes the 2010 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion special. See, these artists played some of our favorite sets over the weekend and which made it even more worthwhile - they were totally unexpected. These were the first time we heard of - let alone seen these artists. The Drunk Uncles got us grooving with some nice Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout and singable country tunes - particularly those from Bob Marley.Carson Peters made me a bit home sick, but this 5-year old is amazing on the fiddle. And Scotty Melton - what a songwriter - have to find a way to get his material - and not just those covered by Justin Townes Earle.

Over the weekend we were also able to catch up with two acts that we met at Floydfest and two acts who participated in MyJoogTV. While driving down, we listened to an EP from Big Daddy Love and they are close to becoming our new favorite act. Interesting songwriting, smooth vocals, and jammin' musicians - what more do you need. And their friends at Possum Jenkins can also put on a great show - more Americana in style - but equally as entertaining.  Then there's Cadillac Sky and Holy Ghost Tent Revival. What more can we say about them, particularly since they stepped up for Episode 1 and Episode 2 of MyJoogTV. Cadillac Sky's performance at the Piedmont stage was the best set I've ever seen them and for HGTR - if you missed the Dance Tent - you missed a raucous crowd, a proposal, and a typical HGTR show: high energy, great music, and loads of entertainment.

It seemed Friday night revolved around the two sets from The Infamous Stringdusters. And why not - each of these guys could front their won band - but together - they could be the most entertaining bluegrass band around. And they were playing in two completely different settings - the subdued but acoustic Paramount Theater and the rowdy Piedmont stage. It sort of reminded me of seeing them at a sit down show at Jammin Java and then a stand up show at Iota. Give me the rowdy - particularly if The New Familiars are involved.See you at The Festy.

Saturday night was a real treat with The Gibson Brothers, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Cadillac Sky, The Felice Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, and Unknown Hinson.  What a lineup. The Gibson Brothers are true professional - I could listen to them all night long. The Felice Brothers were energetic despite returning from Europe in the previous 24 hours prior to their set. The DbT proved that they are a real rock-n-roll band - they have that aura that says - we are the real deal. And Unknown Hinson - enough said - we appreciate the promoters for getting him on board.

There were also other excellent acts we witnessed over the weekend. Blues were well represented with
Phil Wiggins & Rick Franklin and M.S.G.-The Acoustic Blues Trio. The Carolina Chocolate Drops put on a great set at the State Street stage Sunday afternoon - what an entertaining and talented trio; can't wait for their Birchmere show. We also caught a few songs from   The Steel Wheels, William Walter & Co., and Yarn. Wouldn't be a festival without seeing at least a few numbers from these bands.

The one downside, besides missing other artists because of scheduling conflicts, the sound on Friday night. Big Daddy Love fought through terrible sound engineering - always pushing the engineer for the proper configuration. Sometimes the banjo was too low; other times too loud - the same with most of the other instruments. And on the Piedmont Stage, unless you were right night to the stage, forget about hearing Todd Snider's vocals clearly. And that's a huge issue, since his attraction, his primarily the songwriting. If you can't understand the words - why listen? Fortunately these issues were fixed the following day.

Despite this one complaint - what a great festival. Already looking forward to next year.....

2010 Harvest Music Festival

Even though the summer is over, there are still several festivals scheduled that keep the festival season alive. One of these is the Harvest Music Festival held between October 14th-16th at the Mulberry Mountain Lodging and Events, Ozark Arkansas. Many of these acts are traveling straight from The Festy to the Ozarks so they should be well tuned for the weekend. Tickets are reasonable for a three day festival starting at $139, plus fees. Prices will increase to the next level ($159, plus fees) at 11:59 p.m. on October 2nd. A $5 facility fee will be added to price of each ticket. If you still think the tickets are too high, check out the lineup:

• Yonder Mountain String Band
• Leftover Salmon
• Keller Williams & the Keels
• Railroad Earth
• Sam Bush
• Martin Sexton
• Brett Dennen
• Split Lip Rayfield
• Emmitt Nershi Band
• Cornmeal
• Donna the Buffalo
• The Travelin' McCourys
• Mountain Sprout
• Infamous Stringdusters
• Asylum St. Spankers
• Adam Aijala & Larry Keel
• Elephant Revival
• Poor Man's Whiskey
• Big Smith
• Hillstomp
• Dirtfoot
• Town Mountain
• Head for the Hills
• Oakhurst
• Whitewater Ramble
• Dangermuffin
• Pert Near Sandstone
• Ben Miller Band
• Deadman Flats
• Dovekins
• Hillbenders
• Whistle Pigs
• Mountain of Venus
• Jeff & Vida
• Cletus Got Shot
• 1 oz Jig

This Week with MyJoog

On Friday morning we are heading down to Bristol for the Rhythm & Roots Reunion Festival, but there are two shows the night before that we will try to squeeze in - both in Downtown D.C. The first is an EP release party by Virginia native Justin Jones at the 9:30 Club. We've heard Jones play a few times in the area and downloaded the title track to The Little Fox and think you will find him and the EP very entertaining. Jones plays that alt-country\rock blend that regular readers know we appreciate. Doors open at 7:00.

A little closer to the mall, our friends, Bad Luck Blue Eyes brings their more rockin' sound to the Hard Rock Cafe.Yes, finally the Hard Rock is starting to play music fairly regularly. Expect to hear songs influenced by the Black Crowes, the Black Keyes or even a Johnny Cash cover. Check out their video below:

CD Review: JJ Grey & Mofro and James Hyland

It was with great anticipation and excitement that we received the latest release from JJ Grey & Mofro: Georgia Warhorse. We have followed the band's transformation for several years from rootsy blues to funky, soulful R&B and this release continues the process. JJ Grey is my generation's version of Van Morrison see this MyJoogTV video. Not only does he has the deep soulful voice - but he has been able to incorporate excellent songwriting and a rhythm section to achieve that complete package. This is completely evident with Georgia Warhorse starting out of the blocks with Diyo Dayo. Grey's vocals shine on King Hummingbird, and the rhythm section comes alive in The Sweetest Thing.  This package continues from track to track - with long term partner, Daryl Hance, coming on on the slide guitar. Love the title track as well. But make sure you listen to the end, the rockin' The Hottest Spot In Hell reminiscent to the 70's rock n' roll tune. Basically, this is a great CD, go for it.

During our first trip to Austin, we had the pleasure to see the South Austin Jug Band perform live and immediately fell in love with their self titled CD, South Austin Jug Band. To this day Hill Country Nights and Ballad of Eddie Mullet are two of my favorite songs. We were extremely disappointed when the band members went their separate ways. However, the lead singer and principle songwriter for the group, James Hyland has stepped forward and released a new CD, Celestial Navigation featuring a supporting band: The Joint Chiefs. For former fans of the band - you will noticed the same soothing vocals that carried you through their old CDs. This is evident from the very first song Radio City - also love how the instruments also have a soothing affect, from the pedal steel to the electric guitar. And just like the old Jug band, he can compose a great story that keeps your attention - see Lowcountry Sound and American Son. And then there's my favorite track, Girls from Lake Pontchartrain. With this release Hyland has continued some of the traditions of the South Austin Jug Band while showcasing his individual talents - it's worth a listen.

2010 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

We are making plans to travel south to attend the 2010 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion held on State Line Road dividing Virginia and Tennessee from September 17-19. We plan on catching up with a few acts that we filmed or plan to film at MyJoogTV as well as find some new recruits. Considering this lineup, there are ample opportunities. Plus the event is only $40 for the entire weekend... that's right, not per day... for the entire weekend.  

Drive By Truckers • Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder • The Del McCoury Band • John Anderson • Joe Diffie Bluegrass Band • Todd Snider w/ Great American Taxi • Dr. Dog • The Felice Brothers • Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver • The Carolina Chocolate Drops • Cadillac Sky • The Infamous Stringdusters • Darrell Scott Trio • Dale Watson • Michelle Malone • Uncle Monk w/ Tommy Ramone • Sarah Jarosz • Unknown Hinson • Phil Wiggins & Rick Franklin • Missy Raines & The New Hip • Red Molly • Larry Cordle • James Hand • The Gibson Brothers • Holy Ghost Tent Revival • and many others