FloydFest Day 3: Sunday

On Sunday, I started the last day of FloydFest intending to see Oneside’s final act of the weekend. However, technical difficulties delayed their set so I instead headed to the beer garden to watch The Speckers one last time. This trio really impressed me: the fiddles blazing and Mr. Specker stomping in rhythm. The last song I heard from them, as I spotted Oneside taking the stage, was an interesting song from the 1770’s. Yes, the 1770’s. Apparently Mr. Specker heard the lyrics from a French Canadian, who had a distant relative serve under Lafayette in Washington’s army. The song pays homage to General Washington and he created a score for “a top 40 song from the ages”. When the song ended, I returned to the Streamline Hill Holler stage as technicians verified all microphones and amps were working. Oneside started slowly this time, playing Josephine and Lisa – allowing the audience to build and get settled. They played Paradise earlier than usual, which was a big hit. The group behind me kept mentioning how good the song was during the entire set - to anyone who passed by. The band really started rockin’ with Got to Go, Last Radio, and Out of My Tree, and a cover of The Band’s Ophelia. By this time, the band and spectators had thrown their fatigue and hangover overboard and were singing, clapping, and dancing. By the time they closed with The Letter, they had nailed the set. It was great watching the band grab an audience and holding them throughout the show.

After saying what I thought were final goodbyes, I headed up the hill to the VA Folklife Workshop Porch to listen to couple songs by Cadillac Sky. Apparently the band just returned from a trip to France – playing a couple of festivals in that country. They also have a new CD, Gravity's Our Enemy, which I heard a few songs from. The band is scheduled for several festivals on the east coast that I hope to attend. They deserve a longer listen.
Crooked Still was performing on the Main stage, so I grabbed my first ice cream of the day and stood near the stage. They started with an Ollabelle Reed cover, "Undone In Sorrow", and then proceeded to play “Oxford Town” – which got the crowd dancing early. At this point in the show, Chris Hersch, Oneside’s Banjo player joined me and mentioned that he and Aoife O'Donovan had attended the same music school together, As a result he follows the band closely. And Ms. O'Donovan told me afterwards that there were over a dozen artists from that program performing at FloydFest. Chris also instructed me on Dr. Liszt’s distinct style on the banjo – something like most banjo players pluck with three fingers, but he uses four. Crooked Still continued with several songs from the new CD, Still Crooked: Captain, Captain; Pharaoh; and Oh, Agamemnon. It was nice having Chris around because he told me the background to songs such as Pharaoh, an old Georgia Seal Island song. My favorite song of the set was “Come On In My Kitchen”. They received a contribution from the Mill House ice cream engine when the engine popped – at times - in unison with the bass cello. They entire show can be summed how Chris described one song, “That was tight.”

At this point I decided to walk 10 minutes away to Villa Appalaccia Winery. The winery was selling their wines at the beer garden and was located in the neighboring property so, it was an opportunity not to miss. For those who didn’t taste their offerings in the beer garden, here they are.
I returned to the festival to catch Tony Trischka and Double Banjo Bluegrass. Crooked Still’s Dr. Gregory Liszt and Brittany Haas joined Trischka and his band on stage for 75 minutes of picking and fiddling. His previous CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, contains songs where he was accompanied on banjo by several other notables such as Béla Fleck, Bill Emerson, and Scott Vestal. Dr. Liszt took their place on stage and the ensemble played songs from this CD as well as his latest: Territory. Watching Trischka is a treat and 2007 was a good year for the performer. He was given an IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) award for Banjo Player of the Year 2007. Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular received IBMA awards for Recorded Event of the Year, Instrumental Album of the Year and a Grammy Nomination. Not bad. After playing professionally for over 35 years, he is also somewhat a bluegrass historian – probably the best around.

Soon it was time for Gospel Hour; basically this is how the The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band had advertised their Sunday show. The set opened with only Reverend Peyton taking stage, explaining that the band was going to slow things down a bit and played a longer version of the soft part of “I Shall Not Be Moved”. At some point into the song, Breezy and Jayme entered and casually picked up their instruments. Then, on queue, the three exploded in chorus for the fast section of the song – and the tent erupted. "Slow things down", right. They did play most of the gospel tunes from The Gospel Album, but this is still dance music – a musical style I wouldn’t hear from our parish chorus. They played “Blow That Horn”, “Glory Glory Hallelujah”, “Let Your Light Shine”, and my favorite “Tell All The World John”, with Jayme pounding the pickle bucket. The Reverend also displayed his guitar prowess by instructing us how he creates a bass sound – since there’s no bass player in the trio. He plays the top two strings with his thumb and pointer finger, while simultaneously playing rhythm with the remaining fingers. He started out slow, and then slowly increased the tempo until both hands were flying in unison. Awesome. He also had a great segway into “Mama’s Fried Potatoes”, describing all the great food one group of attendees had given them over the weekend. They finished with “Two Bottles of Wine” as an encore, and then were invited back by the promoters for one last curtain call and song. What an act; look out for the main stage next year.
I took one last look into the Beer Garden and found singer songwriter William Walter playing with Tucker Rogers. I was able to catch one song – which shows that artists have the same problems as everyone else: "Love is Clinging Closer". I’m going to keep an eye on this artist, particularly since his band, William Walter & Co, won the 2008 FloydFest winner of the Emerging Artist Series. Congratulations. I waited around for The Avett Brothers, but after 20 minutes, I decided to call it a weekend. With a 5½-hour drive waiting – as well as dogs in the kennel – I couldn’t wait any longer. Too bad – it was a great weekend. On the walk to the shuttle, I ran into the Villers of Blacksnake Meadery, thanked them for yesterday's visit and headed home. The drive was remarkable painless. Accompanied by the new music from Crooked Still, Blind Corn Liquor Pickers, Oneside, and The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, I was on Interstate 66 in no time. I finished the trip listening to the The Gospel Album, twice – all the while mimicking Jayme on the pickle bucket. However, beware, listening to this album may lead you to lose control of your life (as my Dad would say), While singing and drumming, I didn’t notice the orange fuel light illuminated until I had pulled into my driveway. With perhaps some divine intervention, I had returned home safely. Glory Glory Hallelujah.

FloydFest Day 2: Saturday

Since I retired prematurely the previous evening, I arrived early Saturday after a quick stop at Blacksnake Meadery. The owners, Steve and Joanne Villers, were also attending FloydFest, but they graciously arranged an early morning appointment for me to taste their mead. After an hour visit - it was off to FloydFest and as soon as I entered the festival I heard a booming voice coming from the VA Folklife Workshop Porch. It was Eli Cook – displaying his powerful voice that could have been mistaken for Howling Wolf and not the actual artist. I watched an exceptional performance, just Eli, his guitar and his powerful vocals mesmerizing the crowd. It was difficult pulling away, but I wanted to hear Blue Mule on my way to the Revival Tent to watch the Blind Corn Liquor Pickers. While walking past the Streamline Hill Holler stage, Blue Mule opened with a cover of “Where Would You Be Now”. It was an interesting choice – but I liked their version. At the Blue Ridge & Beyond Dance Tent, the Blind Corn Liquor Pickers were just being introduced. I had started following the ensemble after seeing them scheduled multiple times at the Purple Fiddle. The band consists of Beth Walker on vocals, Joel Serdenis (mandolin) Tom Fassas (guitar) Travis Young (banjo) and Sam Kruer (Bass). What I liked the most about the band is that each member contributes vocals not just Ms. Walker. In fact there is a lot of orchestrated vocals and harmonies. And despite drawing a terrible time slot, the band performed at a high level during the entire set. “You should have seen us yesterday” they kept saying, trying to justify an "illusionary" poor performance. They played really good. They started with a Doc Watson song, “Sweet Heaven When I Die” and their signature song, "Field Cred" which explains why these city-raised folks play country-bluegrass music. They then focused on songs from their new CD, Appalachian Trail. They played the title track, then, “Slash and Burn”, “Moonshine Bill”, “Party Down Below” and “Lost Soul” among others. My favorite was the tribute to a gentleman who passed away at one of their shows in Lexington. “Park Bench” is a very moving song. They closed with a great cover, Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freightliner”. Immediately I purchased a copy of Appalachian Trail and an “In Jug We Trust” and headed back to the shuttle. I had an afternoon meeting scheduled with Oneside at Château Morrisette. The interview is available here and the review of the winery at Wine-Compass.com.

After our visit to Château Morrisette, the band and I returned to FloydFest in time to see the last part of Crooked Still at the front porch (more about this band later). Then it was off for food, ice cream – can’t help myself – and the David Grisman Quintet at the main stage. Travis Young of the Blind Corn Liquor Pickers said that's who he wanted to see the most this weekend, so why not? For over 30 years David Grisman has entertained fans with acoustic string music and today the Quintet did not disappoint. They may have had the largest afternoon crowd of any performer. After 45 minutes I headed back to the Beer Garden in order to listen to Oneside’s next set. The venue was packed as festival goers either escaped the heat or searched for alcohol. I grabbed a Wheat Ale from Williamsburg AleWerks and headed to the stage. (There were two particular brands that I really enjoyed this weekend: the Georgia Brown from Sweetwater Brewery and the Porter and Wheat Ale from Williamsburg AleWerks.) Oneside grabbed the audience’s attention with “The Letter” and “Gotta Go”, as people dancing and clapped along immediately. However, they lost their way during the next two slow songs, “Lisa” and “Josephine”. Apparently the crowd wanted to dance – not be serenaded – although there was nothing wrong in how the band performed these songs. It took a few more arrangements to get the audience back to their earlier groove and by “Last Radio” the band had their full attention – which lasted through Prine’s “Paradise” and the remainder of the set. It was a good set, but the band realized they could do better. As Jake Brooks later remarked, “in order to make it, we can not lose the audience for any song.”

I hurried from the Beer Garden to the “Revivial” Tent to watch Crooked Still’s second show of the day. The band had changed their lineup since I last saw them, with fiddler Brittany Haas and cellist Tristan Clarridge joining the group after the departure of cellist Rushad Eggleston. The other founding members are Corey DiMario on the bass cello, Dr. Gregory Liszt on banjo, and Aoife O'Donovan, with her sultry – bluesy vocals, playing anything necessary. For the past two years this has been my favorite folk-bluegrass act and I was excited to see the new lineup. And so were several others. The tent was packed – nowhere to sneak closer. And as Crooked Still emerged the crowd erupted in a massive cheer and pressed the stage. I learned later from Ms. O'Donovan, that prior to the set, the band was sitting exhausted in the green room, unsure of this show. But when they took stage, the audience’s enthusiasm was infectious and their fatigue dissipated rapidly. What ensued was a lovefest - between artist and audience – both feeding off each other. Even when playing songs from their latest CD, Still Crooked, the crowd dancing and clapped as if they were oldies. When they finally transitioned to songs from Still Crooked and Hop High, well, what do you think? They new lineup was fluid, Brittany Haas and her fiddle adds a new dimension - more folksy. The remaining members were solid, particularly Dr. Liszt on banjo with his great picking and zany comments and Ms. O'Donovan. She was both jovial and sexy especially when she sings, “Come On In My Kitchen”. There were several young kids in the front row and the band won many permanent fans by inviting them on stage for the encore. The lovefest had to end and with the band and audience exhausted the final was signaled with a bow from the band and the new cohorts. The Revival Tent hosted its second signature set, the first from The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band and now Crooked Still. Wow.
Afterwards I trekked around the area, consuming more ice cream and watching a few songs from Amos Lee. Ned deBray, Oneside’s front man, had mentioned that Lee was an artist he wanted to see, so I listened to a few songs – and he was pretty good. I checked his schedule later that week and couldn’t believe the number of shows scheduled in August – he’s practically in a different city each day. (We'd appreciate any Amos Lee fans to add these shows to his page at myjoog.com.) But soon, I was drying out and entered the Beer Garden once again. Immediately, Jake Brooks noticed me and invited me to join the rest of Oneside as they listened to Bucktown Kickback. The two bands had played at Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill in Roanoke last night and Oneside had been very impressed with the band. So was I. They describe themselves accurately as “Americana + Jamgrass + Classic Country = Bucktown Kickback”. They band was formed in 2002 by songwriter Adam Brooks Dudding and interchanges personnel at times during tours. Thus I’m not sure who joined Dudding on this trip. During the set, Ned commented on various aspects of the performance – that as a layman – I had no clue. Regardless of one’s musical knowledge, over the course of an hour, Bucktown Kickback entertained everyone. I can’t wait to get my hands on their current CD, Lost in Your Own Hometown.
After the set, Oneside went to set camp and I proceeded to the Streamline Hill Holler stage to listen to Bluegrass Undergrass and rest. This was another good set – and very relaxing as I lay on the hill. Families played catch with frisbees or footballs and I gained a great appreciation for parents who brought their kids to the event. Next time, I may even make the effort. I dozed slightly during the show, then woke and walked to check out the Revival Tent and found another new favorite in The Speckers. This father-daughter trio performed the type of unique music that I was hoping to find at the festival. How? Each plays the fiddle, with John Specker in the middle and his daughters Lila and Ida Mae on each side. While fiddling Mr. Specker also stomps his feet creating a percussion compliment to the strings. He also contributes most of the vocals, and the sight is rather impressive – considering he has to coordinate fiddling, stomping, and singing simultaneously. It must be a relief when Ida Mae takes over. They describe their sound as Traditional American music and can be considered to be historians for forgotten music. During their set there was a large contingent of young listeners – mostly girls – mesmerized with the performance. I talked to several parents afterwards who were very grateful to find artists that their girls could relate to, particularly if their children played the violin.

A little later I found myself back at the Streamline Hill Holler stage in anticipation for
New Monsoon. Luckily I had watched the band some yesterday and only had time for a few songs before setting camp in the Revival Tent. This band has a huge following, and playing at 8:00 PM, the crowd had their groove on.
By 8:10 I was parked in front of the stage in the Revival Tent, already packed as word had spread about The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. Promptly at 8:15, the band altered the normal entrance and entered the tent and marched through the crowd in a fife and drum routine – only this was harp and drum. The crowd hit the roof. During the set they played the same songs as the preceding two sets from their CDs: Big Damn Nation, The Gospel Album and The Whole Fam Damnily. See Friday’s show here. By this time, most of us were well versed in the songs as well as the band’s antics which made it just as enjoyable as the initial act. The only difference – a hundred more listeners - plus several other artists watching from behind the tent. After an hour of dancing, laughing, singing, and screaming - they were still my favorite act. I suspect, I was not the only one.
There was still a night full of excellent music scheduled; Rusted Root was playing on the main stage and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk was setting up on the Streamline Hill Holler stage. Once again I was wiped and wimpily called it an early night. Too much fun.

FloydFest Day 1: Friday

A few days before the beginning of FloydFest, we were informed that we had received passes to cover the event and cleared our schedule for the remainder of the event – at least starting Friday. I took my time driving the 5 hours, listening to First to Last from Oneside and even stopping at Lexington Valley Vineyards, where you can read about the visit at Wine-Compass.com. My intention was to reach the festival in order to witness Oneside’s 5:30 show and with a little creative driving – I reached the shuttle lot at 5:25. Fifteen minutes later, I had taken the shuttle, checked in, and was seated in front of the Streamline Hill Holler stage watching the band perform. Having listened to their debut CD on the drive down, I was very familiar with their material. However, I doubt the remaining festivalgoers – who were dancing and clapping along - were as familiar. What I noticed first about Oneside is that the banjo is encapsulated into the overall sound and is not overbearing – interestingly even when Chris Hersch played a solo with “Four Corners”, the sound is subtle – not in your face. I really liked that song. I also liked “Lisa” – supposedly their only love song on the menu. After the band finished their set – the promoters requested a second encore and the band launched into Johnny’s Cash’s Cocaine Blues with Grafton Pease taking over vocals. The crowd exploded with approval with even Railroad Earth front-man Todd Sheaffer sand and danced along. This set was a great start for my festival experience – and Oneside acquired numerous new fans.

After saying hello to the band, I headed into the interior and heard people cheering and running to the Blue Ridge & Beyond Dance Tent. Oh yea, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band was scheduled next. We later christened this venue the “Revival” Tent because over the course of the next three days, Reverend Peyton made this tent their domain. I found an open spot near the stage – sneaking through the back of the tent and witnessed the greatest performance of any musician I’ve seen in a number of years. I mean that; The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is the real deal. And basic. The band consists of Reverend Peyton playing various guitars, his wife Breezy on the washboard, and his brother Jayme on the drums and pickle bucket. I had read a few reviews from their recent tour with Flogging Molly, but nothing prepared me for the four shows of rock, blues, gospel, zydeco and everything else the band pumped out. Besides the music – there’s the incredible stage presence exhibited by Reverend Peyton and Breezy – sometimes smiling with soft eyes - and then grimacing – while stomping and picking along. And then there are the lyrics. With titles such as Mama's Fried Potatoes, DT's Or The Devil, The Creek's Are All Bad, and my favorite: Your Cousin's On Cops; how could you not laugh and scream along. Let’s not forget the gospel tunes: Glory Glory Hallelujah; their original, Blow That Horn; and Let Your Light Shine. My favorite songs of the set: Worn Out Shoe and My Soul to Keep. After 60 minutes of dancing and hollering and screaming, I was as exhausted as the band. And I knew this set was special – possibly the best of the weekend – and the beginning of a new relationship. Afterwards I proceeded directly to the merchandise tent for a Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band tee shirt and their two CD’s Big Damn Nation and The Gospel Album. Their next CD, The Whole Fam Damnily, should be released this week and includes most of the great songs we heard over the weekend.


I had missed the first 45 minutes of New Monsoon, but walked through the large crowd to see the band on the Dreaming Creek Main Stage. I was sorry to miss the entire set, for this San Francisco bands is one of our favorites. They combine roots country, blues, and rock into an amazing sound, plus we love their choice of instruments, which include a banjo and mandolin. The crowd loved the set with people dancing on the lawn and those up close singing along with each song. After the set ended, hunger set in. I noticed several people eating freshly made ice cream and soon found the Mill House Ice Cream tent, where the family owned business was making ice cream on site. Really. They used a 1920 made Hercules Engine to churn the cream next to the main stage. This antique engine can run 20 hours on only 1 1/4 gallon of gasoline. By the long lines, they needed each hour to satisfy demand. The peach ice cream was incredible - fresh peaches blended with vanilla ice cream. After grabbing a sandwich I noticed another band starting in the now completely empty “Revival” Tent. I sat down to eat and watched as 3 Minute Lovin’ started playing their rockabilly repertoire. I was really impressed with this local band – hailing from Blacksburg. Even with a virtually empty tent they played as if the tent were as full as with Reverend Peyton. I guess, if you play, they will come – because over the course of their first few songs – the tent slowly filled where I could no longer see band. That was well done. Couples danced along to vintage 50’s music as I left to see Railroad Earth on the main stage. I plan on looking for this band on our next trip to the area.
I arrived at the main stage in time to get in the front row because I was really enthusiastic to hear Railroad Earth. I have followed the band closely after getting into several email exchanges with their Street Team leader Gayle. And their latest CD, Amen Corner, has been a long term tenant in my traveling CD case. I was really surprised to see the diverse crowd surrounding me; there were as many college aged fans as grown-up fans. The band started slowly, playing a couple slow songs and as the crowd grew impatient – wanting to dance – the band got into their groove and the party began. But for some reason my mind wasn’t into the music and it kept thinking about The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band; maybe because they were playing completely on the other side of the festival at the VA Folklife Workshop Porch. I knew this was my only chance to see Railroad Earth – but I find myself pulled backwards. Luckily the acoustics to the main stage were excellent and I could hear the band ¾ of the way to the porch. I arrived in time to hear the story behind the Persimmon Song and Jayme’s relationship with the Canadian Border Patrol. Their version of The Creeks Are All Bad was even more powerful in an acoustic setting than in the earlier jam. The gospel songs were also excellent in this environment. After the show, I drifted back to hear the last few songs from Railroad Earth – watching jugglers and parents holding sleeping children. Starting to feel a little homesick and tired, I bailed on Tea Leaf Green and headed to find my hotel. My day was done.

MyJoog Artist: Oneside

In preparation for the 5 hour drive to FloydFest I had thrown several CDs into the car expecting to listen to each sometime during the trip. Howver, after listening to the new Los Lonely Boys and some old Crooked Still, I put in First to Last from Oneside and that was it. Nothing else. I listened to this CD the remaining 4 hours – over and over again. In hindsight, I can’t determine why; I just got into a groove driving and First to Last lead the way. It may have been the opening song, “The Letter” which sadly I repeated way too often attempting to analyze the melody. It started out as a semi-gospel similar to a Lynn August Juré. Then it transitioned to a blues rhythm with a slight bluegrass feel. I guess anything with a banjo sounds a little like bluegrass. Then out of nowhere the song explodes into a rockabilly riff and then into a gumbo of rock, blues, and bluegrass. It’s just a good rocking song – great to listen to while driving. The same holds for “Got to Go” and “Last Radio”. However, the CD contains more than high tempo tracks; no two songs are really the same and while listening I imaged other artists performing the songs. “Into the Night” could have been composed by Tea Leaf Green; “Oh Sun” by the Old 97s. Sometimes I heard New Monsoon; other times The Randy Rogers Band. I even heard some classic rock from Yes. So who are these guys? The promoters of FloydFest felt highly enough to schedule Oneside for three sets; as did the 2008 High Sierra Festival. Front-man Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth is a huge fan. But me, I had no idea.

The entire band agreed to take time out of their FloydFest schedule and accompanied me to neighboring Chateau Morrisette winery where over a bottle of Viognier we discussed the band’s origin and influences. Oneside is currently based out of Boston and consists of Ned deBary (lead vocals; guitar), Chris Hersch (banjo), Jake Brooks (drums and percussion) and Grafton Pease (bass; vocals). It all started in 2002 when Jake moved from Colorado to Boston and partnered with his long time friend, Ned, and formed a precursor to Oneside. After a few lineup changes, Grafton signed on, then Chris and the ensemble has been intact since. Chris commented how accommodating the other band members were when he was recruited. At the time he was a jazz guitarist but he asked if he could play the acoustic banjo, and the response was “Yea, no problem”. A very fortunate decision; without this instrument the band could be just another rock band out of … No I can’t even finish the line. But seriously there’s more to the group’s sound then just the banjo. Each member had listened to classic rock, grunge, and Guns N’ Roses while growing up, so there’s some influence from these genres; but there was also old country - as in Charlie Patton old country – jazz, blues, and Johnny Cash Sun recordings. In fact, their Friday rendition of Cash’s Cocaine Blues was one of my favorite songs of the weekend. They were also clever enough to cater to their audience over the weekend and performed popular versions of John Prine’s Paradise and The Band’s Ophelia. But this band doesn’t want to be stereotyped – they don’t think of themselves as a rock band or bluegrass, or country. Americana suits us, but to the band they are just “Onside” where everyone collaborates to produce what they feel is the best sound for each particular song. And why title their debut CD: “First, To Last”? Because even though the compilation is their first release, they plan on enduring to the end. We hope so.

On the ride home from FloydFest, I listened to “First, To Last” again – but only once. There was no longer a need to analyze the songs; I just enjoyed each one. “The Letter” is still my favorite, but after seeing the band perform three consecutive days, I have a new appreciation for “Josephine”, “Lisa”, and “Didn’t Know ‘Til Now”. To paraphrase the tasting notes from the bottle we shared – these songs have depth and complexity. Oneside concluded their first national tour at FloydFest, but the band hits the road again in early August. They have shows scheduled at several of their favorite venues throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. “First, To Last” will be officially released September 27th. Want an early copy - go out and see one of the shows; you’ll be glad you did.

August 2008 Music Festivals

Here is our list of major music festivals for August 2008. Please check back often, since the list will be updated when new festivals are added to MyJoog.com.

• Sleeping Bear Dunegrass Blues Festival - Dunegrass Festival Field; Empire, Michigan: July 31-August 3, 2008
• AFBA Bluegrass Festival - Mountain View Park; Wind Gap, Pennsylvania: July 31-August 3, 2008
• Cincy Blues Fest - Sawyer Point Park; Cincinnati, Ohio: August 1-2, 2008
• 25th! Annual Champlain Valley Folk Festival - Kingsland Bay State Park; Ferrisburgh, Vermont: August 1-2, 2008
• Amanda Shaw 18th Birthday Party - Mid City Lanes Rock 'n' Bowl; New Orleans, Louisiana: August 2, 2008
• Heritage Music Bluesfest 08 - Heritage Port Amphitheater; Wheeling, West Virginia: August 8-10, 2008
• The Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival - Downtown Clarksdale; Clarksdale, Mississippi: August 9-10, 2008
• 26th Annual Cherokee Bluegrass Festival - Happy Holiday Campground; Cherokee, North Carolina: August 14-16, 2008
• The Musical Celebration of the Dogs - AARF Humane Sanctuary and Campground; Melvern, Kansas: August 14-17, 2008
• 2008 Fargo Blues Festival - The Fargo Blues Festival; Fargo, North Dakota: August 15-16, 2008
• Otis Mountain Music Festival - Otis Mountain; Willsboro, New York: August 15-16, 2008
• Hickory Fest 2008 - Stony Fork Creek Campground; Wellsboro, Pennsylvania: August 15-17, 2008
• Snowden Music & Bike Rally - Snowden Grove Amphitheater; Southaven, Mississippi: August 15-17, 2008
• Hot August Blues Festival - Oregon Ridge Park; Cockeysville, Maryland: August 16, 2008
• The 13th Annual North River Blues Festival - Marshfield Fair; Marshfield, Massachusetts: August 17, 2008
• Musefest - Newharts Lodge; Newfield, New York: August 22-24, 2008
• Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival - Golden Gate Park; San Francisco, California: August 22-24, 2008
• The 10th Annual NedFest - Barker Reservoir; Nederland, Colorado: August 22-24, 2008
• 19th Annual Hot August Blues Festival - Kenlake State Resort Park; Hardin, Kentucky: August 23, 2008
• Cross Canadian Ragweed's Red Dirt Roundup - Downtown Festival Plaza; Nacogdoches, Texas: August 23, 2008
• River City Roots Festival - Downtown Missoula; Missoula, Montana: August 23-24, 2008
• Breast Cancer Benefit - Cheatham Street Warehouse; San Marcos, Texas: August 24, 2008
• Green Harbor Roots & Blues Festival - Marshfield Fair; Marshfield, Massachusetts: August 24, 2008
• Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Celebration - Cutler Park; Waukesha, Wisconsin: August 28-31, 2008
• On the Waterfront Music Festival - On the Waterfront; Rockford, Illinois: August 28-31, 2008
• Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Celebration - SUMMERFEST; MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin: August 29-31, 2008
• 2008 Thirsty Ear Festival - Eaves Movie Ranch; Santa Fe, New Mexico: August 29-31, 2008
• Four Corners Folk Festival - Pagosa Springs; Pagosa Springs, Colorado: August 29-31, 2008
• Rhythm and Roots Festival - Ninigret Park; Charlestown, Rhode Island: August 29-31, 2008
• Rib America - Military Park; Indianapolis, Indiana: August 29-September 1, 2008
• Texas 2008 Music Festival - Eleanor Tinsley Park; Houston, Texas: August 30-31, 2008
• New England Blues Festival - Battis Field; Middleboro, Massachusetts: August 30, 2008
• Drive-Invasion 2008 - Starlight Six Drive-In; Atlanta, Georgia: August 30-31, 2008
  
• Cross Canadian Ragweed's Red Dirt Roundup - Billy Bob's Texas; Fort Worth, Texas: August 31, 2008

FloydFest Overview

I arrived home from FloydFest safely last night and hope everyone else did as well. It was an awesome weekend - the music was outstanding and the festival well planned. Thanks Across-the-Way Productions. With four winery reviews and the festival overview to draft - as well as another weekend outing planned - the official FloydFest review, will not be posted until early next week. For now, a brief overview.

I was able to spend several hours throughout the weekend with Grafton, Ned, Jake, and Chris from Oneside - discussing and listening to music. I listened to their excellent debut CD, "First, to Last" over and over again on the drive down - it's a rocking CD. As evident from the large and enthusiastic crowds at each of their shows, others were enjoying their music as well. Not bad for an "Emerging Artist". For the first time I was able to watch perform one of my favorite groups, Crooked Still, as they played multiple sets - with even larger crowds singing and dancing along. This band had perhaps the best show of the festival Saturday at the Revival Tent - which I can only describe as a love affair between the band and audience. Their current CD, Still Crooked, made the ride home much pleasanter. But the most popular artist - by far - was The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - easily attestable by any of the hundreds who saw one of their four performances.Their next CD, The Whole Fam Damnily, should be released August 5th and from songs we heard over the weekend, this will be an instant classic. Thanks Jayme, Breezy, and Reverend Peyton for a revelating, rocking time.

Floydfest Preview

This weekend we will be heading down The Crooked Road to southwestern Virginia for FloydFest. Hosted by the "funky" town of Floyd and Across-the-Way Productions, the festival brings together artists from several genres: bluegrass, blues, jam-band, funk, and Americana. One of the best features of FloydFest, besides the on site camping, is that many artists will play multiple times either during the same day or over the weekend. Thus, if a favorite band conflicts with another, there should be a second chance to catch the next performance. The festival starts Thursday night at 4:00 PM with Eymarel and includes shows by Chatham County Line, Donna the Buffalo,The Jordan Harman Band, Jenny Arnau, Eli Cook, and Laura Reed & Deep Pocket. Our coverage begins Friday night and will extend to The Avett Brothers finale. In between we will hopefully interview a few bands and see Blind Corn Liquor Pickers, Railroad Earth, New Monsoon, Oneside, Crooked Still, Tony Trischka, Rusted Root, Sons of Bill, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Cadillac Sky, Tea Leaf Green, Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, and Dumpstaphunk - to name a few.

We will also visit a few of the local wineries and post that experience at Wine Compass. Since many attendees will be parking at the Chateau Morrisette parking lot; stop in to sample the wines. The proprietors to Blacksnake Meadery will be attending FloydFest so the meadery will be closed through the weekend, but there is also Villa Appalaccia Winery, AmRhein Wine Cellers, and Foggy Ridge Cider. We hope to see you there.

Brogue Rogues @ Notaviva Vineyards

Hopefully regular readers have worried about our dereliction in posting articles this month. We apologize, for we spent the first week of July touring Sonoma and Napa wine country and the amount of time needed to post our trip on the Wine Compass Blog was slightly overwhelming. Since we were just starting to overcome our overindulgence in wine, on Saturday July 19th we finally ventured out to see live music. We have stressed numerous times that wineries are excellent sources for live music, in all states, and this weekend there was an abundant number of shows in Virginia and Maryland. Linganore Wine Cellars was hosting their annual Reggae Festival, Tarara Vineyard & Winery was hosting one of their summer series concerts, and Breaux Vineyards was hosting their 3rd Annual Key West Festival. Maybe next year. Instead we decided to attend a more low-key affair and visit Notaviva Vineyards to witness their musical\wine vision. We had visited the winery in June and learned about the proprietors musical background. They planned to host several local musical groups throughout the year and today's artist was the Blue Ridge Celtic band the Brogue Rogues.

We arrived for the last two songs of the opening set which allowed us to a chance to assess the environment. Bands are situated in the music loft, high above the tasting bar. Two rows of parallel tables are available on either side of the loft for those interested in sitting close to the music. We chose to sit at a table next to the tasting bar; from this vantage we could hear the music but also able to converse without shouting. In fact the acoustics were more than adequate to be able to hear the band - even when a bachelorette party ventured in. Even with the group being a little louder than the casual visitor - we never had a problem hearing the band. The first two songs we heard from Brogue Rogues were instrumentals which sounded like excellent background music as we scanned the wine list. We started with the excellent Viognier and sat down to hear the second act - which started with a bang - "What Do You Do with a Drunkin' Sailer?" For some reason this is a bedtime song in our household, so immediately our song jumped up started dancing and singing - with most of the audience joining in. They continued with a couple traditional Irish foot stomping songs that had everyone from the bachelorette party to couples stomping and singing along. They switched to a few instrumentals which displayed their musical talents on the mandolin, violin, and guitar and allow the audience to continue sipping wine. At this point we tried their newly bottle Cabernet Franc. The wine was a little young, particularly as we were used to the robust California versions, but it actually worked well on a hot day. They played several more songs - mostly instrumentals to a revolving stream of customers. The music was great and the environment was welcoming. If you wanted to get close to the band - there was ample room upstairs. If you wanted to listen as background music - sip downstairs; there was no pressure to focus 100% on the band. Instead we were able to talk, play, and listen without interfering in our neighbors ability to hear the music. The Brogue Rogues return to Notavina Vineyards August 23rd with several other acts scheduled through October. We plan to visit again for one of these shows.