The Brummy Brothers - 21 July 2015 - Quixote’s True Blue - Denver, CO

The Brummy Brothers

21 July 2015 - Quixote’s True Blue - Denver, CO

for The Lot Scene by Parker

    The scene was set at Quixote’s True Blue in Denver for some great string band music care of New Jersey’s own The Brummy Brothers.  We at The Lot Scene had the good fortune to be working with the Brummys over the past month or so helping to promote their first ever Colorado run, so I was very ready to catch their sound live for the first time after all that prep.  The band kicked things off right at 10PM with “Quiet Life”, a selection that opened up the showcase of the quartet of talent on the stage.  From the very beginning it was plain to see that these boys meant business.  And that business was to be some hard drivin’ fast pickin’ before the night was through.  As evinced by the wicked banjo solo from Russell Gottlieb and the groovy bass runs of Dave Brumberg.  Already I was very intrigued as to what might come next.  The best way to get a sense of their sound, however, is to take a look and listen yourself with their second song, “Mountain”:  

The Brummy Brothers played Quixote's True Blue in Denver 21 Jul 2015 -- here is how they sounded!! Great night of music!!

They took this immediately into “No Good” with lead vocals by Andrew Morris and yet more sizzling banjo from Russell, a theme that would continue all night.  However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t stress just how much each of these guys can shred on their respective instruments — of their abilities there can be no doubts.  Eric Brumberg stepped up to the mic for their next song, “H&M”, which had a really powerful chorus about the wind and how it knocks you down yet picks you up again.  Not to mention the white hot mandolin solo we got from Eric accompanied perfectly by Russell’s banjo and Andrew’s guitar.  Really fantastic song.  They took this into a really spaced-out and lengthy jam which featured a round robin of solos, each one superb.  This, in turn, they slammed right into “Hub City Hoedown” which they followed with a rock solid version of the Dead’s “Jack Straw”, which was rather fitting given our location.  And they nailed it.  Nothing like a fast pickin’ version, too…Andrew and Russell both tore their fretboards up during their solos.  Holy crap can those cat pick!!  I also wanted to take a second to throw some admiration Dave Brumberg’s way:  I really dig the way he plays the bass.  He approaches it with an incredible energy as well as multiple techniques and a great deal of breadth.  You can really hear how his lower register lines bolster the melodies and harmonies above through his unique bass line movement and playing style.  Makes for a tight ensemble sound.  Dave then busted out his tenor voice for us on “Batshit Crazy” which followed “Jack Straw”.  Low instrument, high voice — great combo.  Finally, the set closed out with “Light” and Andrew back on lead vocals.  Some really, really beautiful vocal harmonies in this one — a clear favorite of mine from this set.  And, man, what a set!  Made me as well as the rest of the crowd anxious for more.  Quick set break first, though…

    “Sins and Lies” was the mellower second set opener, again featuring some really fine harmonies.  I was really beginning to dig that aspect of the band.  Things picked up at the end for a nice instrumental jam that took things to a close.  They elided “Sins” right into “Time” with Dave back on vocals once again and more speedy guitar work from Andrew.  Next up was a track called “Potato” from their new album, On Our Way.  This is a catchy little ditty to be sure.  And not the only reason to check out On Our Way.  Nothing like a grass version of your favorite reggae songs, right?  That’s why their version of Marley’s “Three Little Birds” was especially welcomed and appreciated last night.  It was a truly lovely version.  Good times.  Then it was time for a Colorado dedication, something special just for us.  “Weed, Whiskey, and Women” (also from their album) is quite the anthem, let there be no doubt.  I am sure you can surmise the subject matter, however, trust me the song is even better than the title.  The monster breakdown at the end of this one was, in a word, stellar.  Just fan-freakin’-tastic.  The tongue-in-cheek “Cigarettes and Yuengling” came next followed by the intense and driving “Jersey Devil” with Eric back up to the mic to tell us the frightening tale.  As if pandering to me, they chose another cover, this time from my favorite band, Pink Floyd:  “Have a Cigar”.  Not only my favorite band but a favorite song from them, too.  I was in grassed out acid rock heaven.  Dave Brumberg gave us his best Waters and knocked it out of the park.  Not to mention the dirty incredible jam at the end.  Just. Simply.  Amazing.  Thank you for that one, fellas!!  Then it was fast pickin’ right up until the end with “Boston” going right into the speedy “Cell Phone Blues”.  Damn, was that a great show.  But, wait, there’s more!!  The Brummys came back out to bang out an unplugged encore for us.  And a sweet, sweet “China Cat Sunflower”, too!!  The icing on the cake of one hell of a show.  Looking so forward to continuing this Colorado run with them in Boulder at Owsley’s Golden Road — stay tuned for more to come!!

All Good Music Festival 2015 - Summit Point, WV - Saturday

All Good Music Festival 2015

Festival Experience Archive

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Saturday

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong - Elephant Revival - BoomBox - Keller Williams - Dark Star Orchestra

    Saturn’s Day was nigh and that meant the third day of All Good was awake, alive, energized, and going strongly.  Definitely the hottest of the three, we made sure to find the shelter of shade when we could throughout the day.  Rising temps weren’t going to daunt the largest crowds to gather for this All Good, though.  Ready and raring to go, we all filtered down past the Buddha and the soundboards (And how about a huge hand to all the fine sound, lighting, and tech folks helping make All Good so amazing while we’re at it?) to the Dragon Stage to hear us a little Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.

    Although I had heard a lot of hype about Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, I hadn’t yet the privilege of hearing them play.  And it was apparent pretty instantly why the hype rings true:  this band is possessed of a playful spirit and boundless bright energy all mixed together with some seriously excellent musical skills.  Their sound is immediately catchy, a mix of many genres and styles…and makes for a very, very entertaining show.  As if frontman Greg Ormont’s fantastic facial expressions weren’t enough entertainment.  Much like Grand Ole’ Ditch’s Jody Mosser, Greg wears his utter enjoyment for his job all over his face, all show long.  Just him sharing that emotion with all of us seems to make the set just that much more incredible, more organic, more real, and more delightful.  They opened things all up with the high-spirited and joyful feeling “Walk Outside” and I began to introduce myself to their sound, to the music of Greg’s vocals and the sizzling guitar work of Jeremy Schon.  Next up was the slightly mellower but funky “Melting Lights” which we have right here for your enjoyment: 

Here is how Pigeons opened up their Saturday set this year at All Good. Fantastically fun time with these guys!!

Pretty ridiculous right?  Damn right.  They took “Melting” directly into their next one, “Live It Up” featuring some monster drum work from Alex Petropulos.  Absolutely fantastic playing here.  Later on down the set we got a real treat:  the island-like “Julia” with a seriously awesome and phatty “Under the Sea” smashed right in the middle.  And not just a tease, either.  The whole damn song!!  Believe-you-me, we were all getting our Disney on together with this hilariously fun and crazy ass band from Baltimore.  In fact, we at The Lot Scene were both pretty sure that was our collective first live “Under the Sea” — so we’ve got that goin’ for us, which is nice.  Next up, Mario D’Ambrosio joined in on sax and Danny Davis joined on trumpet for “The Liquid”, their horns adding yet one more marvelous dimension to this already incredible band.  Their last three numbers were all elided together and so that roller coaster just took us all right through “Spacejam” into “The Hope” and then into “F.U.” for the big closer, bringing the hammer down on a quality, quality one hour All Good set.   Very much looking forward to my next time seeing these guys, no doubts there.  But, as is with All Good, the closing of one band’s show meant the beginning of another:   this time Elephant Revival over on the Crane Stage.  Thanks for all the fun, Pigeons!  Catch you around soon!!

Greg Ormont - Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

    From neighboring Nederland, CO, Elephant Revival have been a favored band of mine since I moved back to Colorado over six years ago.  Embodying so much of what that unique and wacky and wonderful little mountain town is all about, both musically and energetically, Elephant has been wowing and wooing audiences with their singular sound for many years now, with aplomb and skill and humility and attitude.  After Cabinet and Greensky and Ditch I was really ready for more grass and the familiarity of Elephant Revival’s take on the string band.  Kicking things off with “Sing to the Mountain”, the band sounded just lovely from the get-go: 

Another great line-up treat for 2015, Elephant Revival kicked of their All Good Saturday set a little something like this... Enjoy!!

Ah, how nice, right?  They followed next with the reassuring but also doubtful lyrics of “Hey Alright”, the repetitive chorus and ghostly harmonies hammering home the song’s lesson.  I’ve only heard that song twice now in concert and I really just love it.  There is something special about it…makes me really grateful to have heard it here at All Good.  So far, so great, guys.  The pensive and lovely “Birds and Stars” came after, followed by a sincerely beautiful instrumental featuring each member of the band on their respective instruments.  Oh, and just for those in the crowd who are unfamiliar with Elephant’s lineup, here you go:  Bonnie Paine (washboard, djembe, musical saw, stompbox); Bridget Law (fiddle, octave fiddle); Charlie Rose (banjo, pedal steel, guitar, horns, cello, double bass); Dango Rose (double bass, mandolin, banjo); and Daniel Rodriguez (guitar, banjo, double bass).  Did you get all that?  I know it’s a bunch of info, but really helpful when seeing or taking a listen to this band.  Bonnie took lead vocals on the subsequent “Remembering a Beginning”, a gorgeous slightly swung number — of course, any chance to hear her sing being a privilege and an honor.  And how about some washboard sass and sizzle in your life?  Later down the set we got a lovely bunch of that and so much more with the raucous and moving “Rogue River”.  Nothing like some phat a cappella plus various hand percussion all being steered by musical captains such as these, no?  Finally, sadly, it was time for Elephant to close things down with Bonnie playing the musical saw for us. Unique to the very end, right?  Wow.  What a damn good All Good set!!  Thank you ladies and gents so very much — t’was a pleasure as always!!

Elephant Revival

    BoomBox.  Poor guys.  And I mean that so sincerely.  The sun was just hammering down on the stage as they came on and began immediately frying their computers and electronics.  This, of course, being a big problem for a jamtronica duo.  Some stage hands helped them shade things and get back up and running, however, I feel they may have lost the already small crowd for their afternoon set.  That was another problem:  this band should have been scheduled for after dark.  The first real case of bad scheduling that day.  Anyways, they did throw down some really fun dance tracks once they got going.  Here is one we managed to snag for you: 

Here is a sampling from BoomBox's Saturday afternoon set -- All Good 2015. Enjoy!!

    Keller played a nice solo looper show that evening for us on the Crane Stage.  He brought a really mellow vibe to the whole venue area, choosing some lower energy songs and numbers that grooved but definitely slowed things down a bit.  The John Denver’s “Country Roads” opener was wild and wacky and really well-suited to our way of thinking at the time.  It was no surprise that Keller was happy All Good had returned to West Virginia as well.  Why not take a quick look and listen for yourself? 

Keller was apparently happy to have All Good back in West Virginia since he opened his set with this funked out "Country Roads" by Mr. John Denver. Check it out!!

We got a really nice “She Rolls” as things rolled along as well a super-looped up and funky “Celebrate Your Youth”.  Up next he threw down a recent favorite of mine, a commentary on the open carry issue in our nation:  “Over the Should Rocket Launcher”.  Funny and slightly political, this is one whose lyrics you’ll want to listen to.  Then it was time to dance again with a Keller-ed up “Best Feeling” — dancing and singing, too, this is always a crowd pleaser and certainly pleased this All Good crowd.  In my opinion, the very best part of his show was up next — a little Joe Walsh cover (of my fave Walsh songs, no less), “Life’s Been Good”.  And what a version of it, too!!  Following that we got another cover, weird and weirder still:  “Mountains of the Moon”.  All told it was a good Keller show and a good addition to the line-up for the evening.  In the end, I just wish he had picked more upbeat, more danceable repertoire.  C’est la vie, eh?

    Ah, the Dark Star Orchestra.  Just the kind of band, just the kind of music that I was needing that Saturday evening.  I’m not sure which show they covered, but whatever one it was, it was just the perfect set.  “China Cat Sunflower” was an early and awesome addition to the mix…man, that song always gets me happy or happier as the case may be.  More Dead hits came along down the pike with “I Know You Rider” followed by a really tight “St. Stephen”.  The middle portion of this one contained a severely and delightfully intense and spaced-out jam, one of those that loses you completely and you forget what song it is.  Incredible!  Got us all dancing and grooving and loving life on our feet under the West Virginia stars — not to mention singing along with the band at the tops of our collective lungs.  Hells to the yeah!  More dancing was around the corner with “Turn on Your Lovelight” which sounded well-nigh perfect.  Finally, they finished this really stellar set off with the double-barreled whammy of “  “ taken directly into Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”.  One pill makes you larger, eh?  Un-freakin’-believable!!  An all-around rock solid, top-notch show.  Bravi, Dark Star!!  Thanks for the journey!!

All Good Memories

Afterword

    So, I would be remiss if I didn’t address one final issue in parting.  Sadly it feels like saving the worst for last, but it cannot be skipped for the sake of joy and laughter.  This issue was the heavy-handed and overbearing police presence at All Good this year.  From the moment you got close to the venue, perhaps about 15-20 miles away or so, you began to see examples of this intensive presence at every turn, with dozens and dozens of cops stationed along the roads leading to Berry Hill Farm.  The very thorough and very slow moving security at the gate helped to further this feeling but, really, it was the omnipresence of law enforcement officials inside the festival grounds that really made for a grayer ethos and overall feeling to the place.  Seeing fire teams of three officers in jumpsuits with firearms strapped all over them constantly roving the campsites, vendors’ area, and major pathways on ATVs was disheartening to say the least.  And that’s not even mentioning the horde of remaining uniformed officers ever watching from behind their sunglasses as we attempted to enjoy ourselves despite.  I have read several other articles citing festival organizers hiring all these thugs and quoting various amounts paid for such a presence, but I don’t have that data and don’t want to speculate.  I have also read about all the busts that occurred as a result with cash being seized, etc.  Can’t speak directly to that, either.  All I know is that it made for a lesser festival experience overall and I would caution folks in the future to consider how this might affect your own All Good experience.  I, for one, most likely won’t be going back until they sort this nonsense out.  Festivals are places to unwind and enjoy yourself, not ones where you should be fearing local law enforcement Gestapo crap.  Let us hope they get this all figured out in the positive for next year.

   The Lot Scene’s Co-Founder and photographer, Will, had this to say about the entire situation:  “I encourage Tim Walther or someone on the All Good team to address these concerns head on rather than letting the resentment stew and the worst be assumed in the eyes of All Good's paying customers. Was this militaristic police presence a hardline stipulation for holding the festival in Summit Point or on Berry Hill Farm? Maybe the local politicians strong-armed him last minute, and it was either play by their rules or cancel the festival. Maybe they had credible intel which led them to believe All Good Festival was a prime target for a terrorist strike. If they were pulling over cars randomly and going through every bag in our vehicles in order to find anthrax or perhaps weapons grade plutonium, I think that's understandable. But, if this was somehow the vision that Walther has for All Good now and in the future, I will not be returning.”

All Good Memories

All Good Music Festival 2015 - Summit Point, WV - Friday

All Good Music Festival 2015

Festival Experience Archive

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Friday

Cabinet - Turkuaz - Grand Ole’ Ditch - Railroad Earth - The Word - Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Lettuce

    A mighty, mighty day of music t’was Friday at All Good this year.  So many fantastic bands, so much fantastic music — it’s going to take us a little while to stroll through it all.  I guess we had better get started, hadn’t we?  It was definitely warmer day out as we made our way back into the venue, however, a sky full of billowy white clouds helped to cool our heads throughout the afternoon.  Luckily the weather never got unbearably hot during the course of the weekend, although it certainly stayed warm until the end.  After hitting up the watering station as per usual we descended back down into the bowl in time for Cabinet to throw down some more fast pickin’ on the Crane Stage at noon.

    Things got going with “The Dove” with all of us grooving to the funky backbeat as J.P. Biondo lamented the sad tale of losing one’s love never to get her back.  A strong start which slammed delightfully right into the aural arcane enigma that is Cabinet’s “Mysterio” — but why take my meager word for it when you can see for yourself? 

Cabinet was fortunate enough to snag two sets at All Good 2015 -- here is how their second set opened on Friday.

And the hits just kept coming.  “Heavy Rain”, with its loud, lovely rigorously good harmonies was up next which most definitely had us all singing along and dancing to the fine fiddle stylings of Todd Kopec.  This band commands so much talent and skill, especially in the songwriting arena — so much of their music is just loads of fun or extremely poignant or full of feeling that it makes one of their shows a marvelous roller coaster ride through a thoroughly enjoyable musical landscape.  What a treat it was to get a second set from them this year!  The boys followed next with a little “Nashville Blues” action - “Because people here, Lord, they treat me fine.  First they give me beer, Lord, they give me moonshine!”  What a line!  Even if shine isn’t your cup of, well, shine, you have to concede the poetry there.  Well, I suppose you don’t have to — not in the business of giving orders here at The Scene.  But you smell what I’m stepping in, right?  Right.  Then they slowed things down a little and moved us onto a nice crowd favorite with “Caroline”, the oh-so familiar melody drifting out over the sea of faces under a hot West Virginia sun.  This was a rather stellar version that contained a huge and exceptional jam at the end with some incredible fiddle work from Todd and some great interplay between Pappy’s banjo lines and J.P.’s mando — mad good music from every angle.  Later on down the set came the song that made me a Cabinet fan and, as such, I was thrilled for its inclusion:  “Mr. Spaceman” which was, as always, a light-hearted tale of alien abduction punctuated by superb instrumentals. Thanks for that little gift, fellas!!  Even Andy Goessling of Railroad Earth stopped by to lend some saxophone chops to the mix by set’s end!!  Another incredible show from Cabinet — these boys gave us both barrels over the course of two days and left us all still wanting more!  That’s one of the hallmarks of a great band, my friends!!  And that, is most certainly what Cabinet is.  And more.  See you lads on Jam Cruise this year — hell yeah!!

Cabinet

    Turkuaz.  Dragon Stage.  Friday afternoon.  This nine-person dance music dynamo from Brooklyn walked out and took over the stage immediately as if they owned the place.  And, after their first few songs it was apparent that they did, in fact, own All Good for that set.  And they owned it so well!!  Pretty impressive swagger for their first time here — and with good reason.  Their opener set the tone for this maddeningly fun fox trot with frivolity: 

Turkuaz killed it at All Good 2015 -- here is how they kicked things off!!

And now you have to listen to me some more.  Kind of sad, right, when compared to that delight, right?  I promise to try and not bore you.  But, no promises, OK?  OK.  Moving on.  They continued with the brassy and sassy “Future 86” hanging on that powerful and pretty damn amazing vocal duo, Sammi Garett and Shira Elias.  Man, can those ladies wail!!  Wowsers!  As if Turkuaz could please the crowd any further at this point they whipped out a super tight and gratifying “Bubba Slide” — nothing like watching Chris Brouwers play trumpet and keys simultaneously…that is some serious skill to be sure.  And rather entertaining no doubt.  I need to take a quick moment to tell you just how good this band sounds in person, how their wave of sweet sonority washes over you, coats your being in goodness, and brings a smile to the lips and jig to the midsection:  it is pretty special and most definitely worth checking out.  Find some dates and see these folks soon — well, only if you like good music, that is.  But that’s between you and the mirror, no?  “Lookin' Tough, Feelin' Good” was next in line for our musical delight, with its driving energy and feeling reminiscent a bit of The Talking Heads (with a major horn section — who tore things apart all set long I feel need to mention).  Their version of Traffic’s iconic “Feelin’ Alright” was a very nice and well-executed surprise with yet more excellent horn work from Chris, Greg Sanderson, and Josh Schwartz.  This was my first time seeing Turkuaz and I know that I couldn’t possibly be my last after how much freakin’ fun those guys were!!  Any group that can transport you on a magic carpet of musicianship away from the heat and humidity and into a place of pure musical enjoyment is a band worth anyone’s time, everyone’s time.  This, my friends, is such a band.  In spades.  Go. See. Turkuaz!

Turkuaz

    After Turkuaz wrapped, we hightailed it over to the Believe in Music Stage to get in on some Grand Ole’ Ditch action, All Good-style.  Playing their first All Good as well, the boys from Cumberland, MD, pulled out all the stops and gave one hell of a great show that Friday afternoon.  The band opened with “Open Road” (fitting, no?) setting the tone immediately for their set, Jody Mosser’s masterful dobro and lead vocals starting us all into the next 45 minutes of powerhouse pickin’, done the Ditch way.  It sure is a treat to watch Jody play, him being one of those musicians who wears his joy and fulfillment at his job written all over his face for all to see.  Once again, though, why just read when you can experience, too?  VIDEO

The fellas from Cumberland, MD, made their All Good debut this past Friday on the Believe in Music Stage. Tore. It. Up. Thanks, Ditch!!

They followed next with the bouncing and driving “Unwind” taking that right into “Whippoorwill”.  After that we got a reggae-ed up treat of an old Dillards song, “Man at the Mill”, which grooved and funked to the backbeat all punctuated by the sounds of dobro and mandolin.  A really cool tune to be sure — grateful to have gotten that one.  Then it was time for some hard drivin’ fast pickin’ in the form of the instrumental “Chester’s Breakdown” featuring some truly fine fiddle fronting from 'Fiddlin' Ray Bruckman.  Craig Miller jumped up and sang us the next song, “Take Me Back”, all the while doling out some right dandy banjo.  I really enjoyed this one, featuring some really cool multi-vocal lines and tight harmonies.  Looking forward to hearing it again sometime soon.  Sitting under the azure blue skies with a slight breeze blowing cooling the head the thought occurred to me at just how incredible this all was and how thankful I was to be there hearing such lovely music in such a lovely setting.  And surrounded by lovely people, of course!  Which made the whirlwind instrumental ride that came up next so fantastic — “Dragon’s Breath” was populated by massive amounts of great music and skill, each member trading the solo back and forth with ease and precision, especially Ryan Hohing shredding things to pieces on guitar.  Also of note, Todd Hocherl’s drumming really anchors the intensity of this band, providing so much of the driving force and feeling that, in my opinion, helps make Ditch the superlative band that they are.  Then we were treated to a selection from their new album called “Cabins in the Laurel” featuring Lucas Matthews on lead vocals — how lucky to get yet another “Colorado” song in the grass and jam world repertoire and a great one at that!!  Being from Boulder I am very prejudiced (how could I not be?) when it comes to songs about my state and, I must admit, I just love the ever-growing body of them.  And “Cabins” is most definitely a welcome addition to the mix!  Thanks for that little gift, boys!  And thanks for that sweet, sweet guitar solo, Jody!  Later down the set we got some Del McCoury action in with a little “I’ve Endured” finally closing things down with “Bluelight” the smiles on each face up there a perfect display of the joy we all felt at the Believe in Music Stage that afternoon.  Way to simply burn down your first All Good showing, my friends!  Absolutely one of the best sets I saw all festival.  Excellent job, Ditch, and thank you!!  Catch you round the bend really soon, I hope!

Grand Ole' Ditch

    Later that day we found our way once again to the Crane Stage, this time for those Stillwater, NJ, fellows, Railroad Earth.  I was very happy to see them included in the lineup for this year and I was looking forward to having a nice change of pace.  Todd Sheaffer kicked things off for us and the band with the opening strains and lines of “When the Sun Gets in Your Blood”, the whole ensemble instantly sounding texture-tight and ever-harmonious from the very beginning.  An auspicious start to a lovely set from RRE!!   As if pandering to me here in WV, the boys fired up a rock solid, lengthy, and jam-laden “Colorado” next, with so much of that iconic fiddle by Tim Carbone.  So much and so wonderful.  As well as some very fine playing, of course, from all the other gents, especially John Skehan on mandolin.  Ah, Colorado…summertime.  Thanks for that one, you guys!!  The pensive and introspective “Been Down This Road” came afterwards followed by the powerful and funky “Mighty River” which flowed like a round-robin from musician to musician, each one showcasing their immense talent and then receding flawlessly back into the ensemble sound, the entirety spanned by Todd’s unmistakably recognizable voice and vocals.  Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood) joined in on electric guitar with Railroad on the stage for a long and mellow “Grandfather Mountain” (11:37), another display of world-class musicianship from each member of the band.  It really could not be stressed enough just how incredibly excellent each of these gents is at his chosen instrument(s) — it is as if a collection of highly acclaimed professors and doctors of music decided to form a stupendous string band and go on the road hitting places like All Good.  Simply put, a Railroad Earth performance is like few others in terms of the amount of musical acumen and ability all in one group. Later in the set came that prime instrumental-heavy powerhouse, “Warhead Boogie”, which took us all on its well-known but wonderful musical journey eliding right into “Tuba Mirum” which, in turn, went directly into “Chasin’ a Rainbow”, Carbone’s familiar fiddle riffs anchoring us into the song like an old friend.  Ending jam?  You bet…and a really sweet one, too.  The back and forth between Andy and John and Tim was just stellar and completely on-point.  Then, tying a ribbon on the whole affair, the boys decided to finish things up with some pickin’ and grinnin’ for us with a very fine “Bringin’ My Baby Home”: 

Railroad Earth finished their excellent set with this song on Friday at All Good 2015. Great time, guys, many thanks!!

    Back over on the Dragon it was time.  “What time?” you ask.  “Time for The Word,” I answer.  “Time for The Word.”  And time for The Word it was, indeed.  Power.  Intensity.  Electricity.  Dirty good music. The Word.  They came out swinging with the robust “Come By Here” from their recent album Soul Food.  Really incredible sound live to be sure.  The term “wall of sound” comes to mind.  But what sound!!  That Sacred Steel plus a hard edge of rock plus gospel plus funk plus soul plus so much more, it really has a unique a intensive sound when experienced up close and personal.  In case you are unfamiliar with the roster, The Word are:  Robert Randolph (pedal steel guitar), John Medeski (keyboards), Luther Dickinson (electric guitar), Cody Dickinson (drums, washboard), and Chris Chew (bass guitar).  Virtuosos each in their own right on their own instrument, as an ensemble they are well-nigh unstoppable.  The overall sound they end up creating is a moving happenstance, one that changes the listener.  It is impossible to be in the presence of such powerfully good music without coming away a bit better than before.  Instrumental after marvelous instrumental flew past and I lamented at my ignorance of their catalogue, it being my first time seeing them and all.  However, I also know this won’t be the last time I see them nor will I refrain from grabbing their album as soon as possible.  One particularly trippy moment came in the form of some electric washboard weirdness care of Cody Dickinson.  Never heard an electric washboard before — it was fascinating.  Later on down the riveting set we got a really nice keys-heavy “Glory Glory” which also featured some searing hot slide thanks to Mr. Robert Randolph.  So much attitude, so much in-your-face.  And so appreciated!  It must also be said just how spacey and out there this band gets at times as well — an extremely well-rounded group of gents musically.  Wonderful set, wonderful times!  Really looking very much forward to my next Word show.  Let’s hope it’s not too far in the future!  However, as The Word was wrapping things we were already booking it back over to the Crane for some JRAD all up in our business…

The Word

    I couldn't possibly have anything more wonderful to say about the band that came next on the Crane Stage -- their unmatchable energy and loyal dedication to performing the music of The Grateful Dead and perform it extremely well is almost immeasurable.  All of this led by that human octopus on the drums, Mr. Joe Russo himself, the man whose intricate and complex rhythms seem to accomplish in one person what the Dead did in two.  His leadership and guidance hurtles the band time and again wonderfully down the halls of musical nostalgia, all reimagined and given new, vibrant life.  The band, of course, is Joe Russo's Almost Dead and has quickly become my favorite Dead band on the beat -- this show not being one to let me down!  They opened their set with a near picture-perfect "Reuben and Cherise", Tom Hamilton’s lead guitar and vocals so very reminiscent of Jerry.  There was also a really decent and mellow jam at the end of "Reuben" that really got the jam juices flowing for the remainder of their show taking things directly into "Feel Like a Stranger" from there.  "Stranger", in turn, went straight into a very spacey and kinda trippy "King Solomon's Marbles".  But it just so happens we have some footage of that very jam for your viewing pleasure!! 

JRAD played a lengthy and pretty amazing "King Solomon's Marbles" jam at the end of "Feels Like a Stranger" on Friday night at All Good 2015. Here's how it went...

After that epic, happily heavily instrumental and jam-laden three song run, things took a quick pause and then continued with "Alligator" featuring some sweet jazzy, honky tonk piano stylings from Marco Benevento.  Nothing like a good keys solo!  And nothing like a really, really good keys solo, either!!   Man were these boys hot tonight!  Which made the next song, "Franklin's Tower", a particularly welcome addition to the setlist that evening.  And they just spanked this crowd favorite, and spanked it well and good.  If you are looking to experience the music of the Dead in a fresh and fun and fantastic manner, then get thee to a JRAD show as soon as humanly possible.  Each new time I see them I am always left with wanting more of their renditions of my faves.  Like their final song of the night:  "Sugar Magnolia".  Sunshine daydream.  Going where the wind blows.  Man, what a great way to end a supremely excellent set.  It most certainly had all of us singing and swaying and smoothly enjoying this wonderful song.  Lost in the heady delight with a mind full of being Grateful for 1.25 hours it was time to motivate ourselves to get ready for the evening’s remaining music.  What a day of music so far and what a night to go…not to mention Saturday on the horizon.  

JRAD

    Let’s leave you with this parting shot from Lettuce’s fire hot set, shall we?  Just a little something good and extra from our Friday at All Good: 

Funky, groovy, rocking it out...Lettuce gave a very fine midnight set at All Good 2015. Here's a little bit of it for you.

Saturday on the way, folks!  Stay tuned!!

All Good Music Festival 2015 - Summit Point, WV - Thursday

All Good Music Festival 2015

Festival Experience Archive

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Thursday

Introduction - Travel - Security - Food and Beverage - Vending

    All Good was back from hiatus and we decided to make the trip to the new location out in Summit Point, WV.  Luckily for us, Berry Hill Farm is a mere stone’s throw from our Northern Virginia office so for once we didn’t have to make a lengthy drive to get to a set of festival grounds.  We took relish in our good fortune.  The drive itself is lovely, all the more so the closer you get to the Farm:  rolling hills and pastoral farmlands stretching out under tree-lines of a host of greens and browns dotted by ancient homesteads and barns. It certainly makes for an enjoyable trek.  Even the traffic getting in was negligible — we waited in a bit of stop and go, but the worst was at the gates getting in.  Security was pretty slow by comparison to many other festivals and thorough making that part of the “dance” a bit cumbersome, but, after a long wait, we were checked, in, and to our campsite pretty quickly overall.  I think it’s a fair assessment to say that that part of the process could be reimagined for next year to make things go much more quickly.  Camping was “open field style” set up in grids around the various pastures of Berry Hill — pretty hilly in places so that is something to consider next year if you go.  You know, in case you don’t want to wake up with all your blood in your head or feet, etc.  Once we got settled, we took a nice foot trip around the grounds to familiarize ourselves with the new digs.  We pretty much immediately found the main venue complex as well as the secondary vendors’ area since the grounds aren’t so huge as to be a pain in the feet.  Food-wise, the offerings were varied and delicious with plenty of choices for the omnivore as well as the vegetarian and vegan.  Cheddar jalapeño hush puppies (Holy guacamole! So good!!), gourmet veggie burgers, buffalo chicken mac’n’cheese, smoothies, cheesesteaks, and many other delightful delectables graced the menus of the food folks making it very easy and affordable to take a meal or two inside the venue or at the secondary vendors each day.  As for beverages, cold beer, sodas, and water were the main choices with there also being a watering station provided inside the venue area.  Hydration was key, however, as it was a rather humid weekend with temperatures hitting some sunny heats for sure…we were all grateful for the watering station.  Here’s a hint for you:  fill your water bottle with ice and finish whatever liquid is in it before the gate — they weren’t letting any water into the venue but would allow ice, hence, ice + watering station = cold water all show.  So worth it!  In addition to food vendors, All Good attracted many other excellent  vendors purveying their various wares from psychedelic art to wrap jewelry to pins and all other assorted hippie accouterment that one could want to ogle and, perhaps purchase, at a festival.  But, of course, there was also just a wee bit of music at All Good, too.  Wanna hear about it?  Well, c’mon then, let’s get to it, shall we?

Thursday Highlights:  Twiddle - Cabinet - The Motet - moe. - Greensky Bluegrass

    First and foremost, it must be said that the RFID wristband venue gate entrance system slowed things down pretty terribly at times forming big lines to get into the place.  I would be a fan of the chip bracelets if they sped the entry process up, however, this wasn’t the case more often than not at All Good this year.  However, it was a rebuilding year for the organization and a new festival venue to boot, so hiccups were to be understood and expected.  However, this is an area that the festival might reexamine for the future in order to make things easier rather than more tedious.  Just a friendly suggestion.  But, I digress, we were going to talk about some music, right?

    We strolled down the hill from the gate to the strains of Twiddle’s first number, having gained our access and first paid our homage to that well-known All Good symbol, the statue of the Smiling Buddha.  What a fantastic idol to have watching over such joyous proceedings all weekend!  Next, we headed towards the Dragon Stage just as Twiddle were getting into the second song of their set, the sound bouncing and up-beating towards us through the crowd.  These all were the first notes of music to peal out over the pasture-turned-venue, these first few songs, Twiddle having the honor of christening the stage and venue with their music.  As the flags waved in the back of the bowl and with the words “Welcome To All Good” in the traditional giant letters of bold colors bidding hospitality and laughter and joy to all that read them, all eyes were on the stage, all ears tuned to the speakers for more.  This was, admittedly, my first time seeing Twiddle.  In fact, I was to log several firsts this weekend.  But, even though unfamiliar with songs or even their titles, I grew quickly familiarized with their sound and feeling.  At times reggae-seeming, at other times funk and groove, and definitely a roots vibe, but all imbued with an infectious and enjoyably intense energy that kept their show moving and the crowd dancing.  During their set, I found the guitar chops of lead man Mihali Savoulidis particularly impressive — man, can that cat shred!  So fun was this band we even got a nice “Harry Hood” teaser in one of their songs, but, sadly they didn’t go fully into it.  But, believe-you-me, I wasn’t too disappointed.  The end of their set left me very happy, a bit exhausted from the dancing, and yearning for more.  Twiddle definitely being another band I need to and will start following, no doubt.  Hard to turn down that energy!  And, speaking of energy, how about another band with seemingly limitless amounts of it?

Twiddle

    We hustled over to the Crane Stage so we could get a good spot for Cabinet, who’d be up any minute.  The lads took the stage as the setting sun bathed their faces in yellow light and immediately opened up with an explosive display of hard drivin’ fast pickin’ leading with a personal favorite, “Old Farmer’s Mill”, featuring a masterful solo from Mickey Coviello on guitar.  A superb beginning to a superb set.  Next up, they gave us a “Cut Down Tree” which had Pappy Biondo up to the mic — take a quick look and listen to get the full effects:  

Cabinet tearing up the Crane Stage at All Good Thursday afternoon. Fast pickin', hard drivin' string music!!

    A sizzling instrumental followed filled to the brim with tight, skillful solos from every member, showcasing the major instrumental talents of this band.  White hot slamgrass kaboom.  Right into your brain.  Amazing.  “Won’t somebody roll a celebration?” was one of the calls from “Celebration” which came next.  Won’t somebody, indeed?  Then it was time to slow things down slightly with another favorite of mine, “Doors”, with J.P. Biondo on lead — just lovely.  However, as per their wont, this band doesn’t spend much time in the slower end of the tempo section and so picked things back up with the quick-paced “Poor Man’s Blues”, featuring some tight harmonies from the boys.  Afterwards, they gave us a very fine rendition of that old bluegrass standard “99 Years (And One Dark Day)” and ending things with another riveting instrumental guaranteeing we’d all be dancing until the end.  One incredible amount of music packed into a mere 30 minute set!!  Definitely had me looking very much forward to Friday’s afternoon set from them (Cabinet being the only band at All Good to have two sets).  Bravo, boys!!

Cabinet

    Later on down the line that evening we were back at the Crane Stage for Colorado’s own The Motet, a funk band like no other.  These guys have been favorites of mine ever since I moved to Colorado six years ago and we were very pumped to hear their kind of sound here at All Good.  Sadly, due to some misplaced gear, we were only able to make it for the second half of their set.  But, with a band like The Motet, you happily take what you can get.  And we got some of that great special kind of funk for which they are known.  There was so much elated energy on stage, but also juxtaposed to some dark and dirty, sometimes bass-heavy jams.  Then there were some choice moments like the “Jungle Boogie” tease that went into a groovy instrumental version of David Bowie’s “Fame”.  Keeping with some tasty covers, they rocked into a great version of “Get Down Tonight” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band.  Get down, get down tonight!!  And get down we all definitely did thanks to the stylings of this Colorado band!  But then, all of a sudden and before we knew it, it was time for moe. over on the Dragon Stage.  Time for more hustle!

    Gimme some moe.!  Then gimme some moe.!  (Then how about a wee bit moe.???)   Hands down one of the better shows from them I have seen recently — one of those where everything just comes together, where everyone is on point and making wonderful music.  By now the venue area was getting pretty packed for this Thursday night.  Plenty of moe.rons in the crowd dancing and singing along to their favorite band from N.Y.  The band certainly came ready to entertain and have a good time doing so, as if exemplified by Al’s sparkly jacket and big smile walking out on stage.  Opening things up with the familiar notes of “Brent Black” the boys got things off to a bold and delightfully in-our-faces beginning to things, which featured a monstrous, dirty, excellent jam full of some rather ridiculous guitar work from Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey.  This went directly into a swift and deadly “Not Coming Down” tearing straight into the much mellower “Wormwood” right after that contained a beautiful middle section with some lovely melody guitar from Chuck.  The clear crowd favorite “Okay Alright” was up next, one that had everybody singing along: 

Thursday night with moe. on the Dragon Stage at All Good in Summit Point, WV. A really tight set.

     Later on in the set, Vinny Amico and Jim Loughlin nailed down a rhythm section duet highlighting them both throughout in a thunderous display of percussion abilities.  This went right back into a “Brent Black” instrumental reprise followed by one from their latest album.  The Beatles-feeling “Silver Sun” (clocking in at a hefty 15:18 no less) began in its chill fashion as normal but, by the end of the song, faces were melted left and right.  Suffice it to say this is a song with some great weight and substance!  And the remainder of the set was chocked full of long selections for us, building the set higher and higher with each subsequent one.  The ever strange and cheeky “Spine of a Dog” came next down the line, funky and fresh as always.  Some more noteworthy percussion here backing that world-class “guitarmanship” for which this band is notorious in so many good ways.  What an enjoyable thing it is to watch moe. in action, especially on a great night like tonight!  Working things down to the close, they threw down a nice and lengthy “The Road” which followed that successful moe. blueprint of chill into frenzy.  They fellas ended their two hours’ worth of entertaining the hell out of us with the quick-clipped, bouncy-attitude-laden  “Akimbo” keeping us all dancing until the very last note.  What a stellar set from moe.!  Thank you for pulling out all the stops for us, friends — trust me, it was and is much appreciated!!

moe.

    And there was Greensky.  Those progressive bluegrass boys from Kalamazoo.  While it was hard to follow moe.’s superb set, GSBG gave it their all and delivered a really solid show filled with selections from their recent album, old favorites, and some great covers.  They opened with an on-point “Demons” featuring a really fine banjo solo from Mike Bont as well as some heady mando work from Paul Hoffman: 

Here is the opener from GSBG's midnight set on Thursday at All Good 2015 - enjoy!!

     They followed that with “Kerosene” and the ever-popular “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox”, only the second time I’ve been graced with hearing that song from Greensky.  It should be noted that the mellow, determined Mike Bont delivered another monster solo during this one — monster, indeed, just like the mandolin one Phoff followed with, dirty and gritty.  Very much a crowd-pleaser, too, we were talking about it in our crew afterwards most assuredly.  Then it was high time to “Burn Them” featuring that suave songster Phoff on lead vocals.  Later we got some more Hoffman from the new album with “Windshield” and “The Four” both excellent and current standards in the GSBG repertoire.  One of my favorite covers from them was up for us all next:  “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits.  Dave Bruzza really tore things open on guitar during his solo during “Money” — damn, can that gent pick the six string!  Into the final stretch we headed alongside the band as they threw down a crazy good, long, and energetic “Broke Mountain Breakdown” which they, in turn, took directly into “Atlantic City” and then back into a “Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise” to close things out for their set.  Rock solid from start to finish.  Another amazing addition to the night’s music.  And very much appreciated!

Greensky Bluegrass

    One final note from the evening…we decided to enjoy Sound Tribe’s set at the close of the night, taking some time off and getting into the All Good vibe.  However, there was one moment that needs mentioning:  the rain began falling lightly and playing in the lights above the stage as we all danced below, joyous and glistening in the night’s light, all of us having a fabulous time when the band began playing “Fire on the Mountain” and we all pretty much lost our collective minds.  One of the very coolest and most poignant moments at All Good this year and one I had to share.  What a great starting day with so much more to come.  Fantastic.

Stay tuned for Friday!!!

Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2015 - Festival Experience Archive - Sunday

Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2015

Festival Experience Archive

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Sunday Highlights

Fruition - Greensky Bluegrass - Ricky Skaggs, Ry Cooder, and Sharon White

    T’was the hottest day of the fest and we could feel in our hair follicles.  Which meant it was also time for yet more of the hottest music to be found that Sunday, June 21st, 2015.  That friendly, fine Father’s Day in southwest Colorado.  And who was first on our docket?  Fruition on the Elks Park Stage, that was who!  And for their first time at Telluride Bluegrass, too, if you can believe it!!  If you’ve never heard, never seen this ridiculously talented and insufferably cool band from Portland, OR, then please, please do yourself the favor of checking them out as soon as humanly and humanely possible.  Their blended sound of rock and folk and grass and attitude and smiles is unique and one worth sampling…and then going back for seconds through sixths or so.  We walked up to the stage to the familiar sounds of guitar and mando, drums and bass right as they finished their first song.  Damn.  Hate being late to good music.  Their second selection was a new number with vocals by Kellen Asebroek and a distinctive reggae undertone.  Why take my word for it?  Why don’t you enjoy a bit of we enjoyed that day?  

Fruition tearing up the Telluride Bluegrass Elks Park Stage - Sunday afternoon. The most folks seen dancing at a secondary stage show to be sure.

Of absolute note here is just how positively the crowd was reacting to seeing Fruition play.  By far the most people were standing and dancing for this band than any other we saw at the secondary stage.  And that sun was pretty warm.  And plentiful.  And people didn’t seem to care one bit as they enjoyed the delightful stylings of this fine crew out of Portland.  Up next was the sweet and loving “She Loves Me Like High Waters” followed by the rocking number from a recent EP that Fruition did with Grant Farm, “Random Lee” — this one had pretty much everyone there up and moving and grooving.  Folk rock at its finest here, ladies and gents.  Excellence and fun all wrapped up together in an easy-to-love kind of band.  And they weren’t done yet!  Miss Allie Krall joined them for a song called “Labor of Love” from their upcoming album — in fact, this is, apparently, Mimi Naja’s favorite of the new tracks.  A hopping, clapping rhythm coupled with superb rock guitar and Jay’s wonderfully unique vocals helped quickly make this one of my new favorites as well.  After taking a few moments for much gratitude to the fest and their fellow bands, it was time for the old crowd favorite, “Mountain Annie”.  Really love the melody line of that song!  Something so catchy and haunting and gentle about it.  Just makes you want to hit “repeat one” on the shuffle for awhile.  Following “Mountain Annie” was the advice-riddled “Just Close Your Eyes” and then it was time for the big closer with “Gotta Get Back Home”, this last one almost feeling like a musical overlay to the time of the weekend, things starting to wrap up, pushing towards the final stretch.  Then, come Monday, gotta get back home.  And then they were done, last chords, final notes ringing out…or were they?  Guess who scored an encore??  And boy did they ever bring out an encore!  They said they only had a few minutes left so, why not completely melt our faces with a searing hot “Boil Over”?  I mean this one was en fuego, my friends.  They kickstarted that monster machine and tore through about three-and-a-half minutes of pure musical ecstasy with us, for us, for them.  And then there was a second encore!!  “Meet Me on the Mountain”!!  It was, most assuredly, one incredible hell of a way to put the final smack down on their first Telluride showing.  Damn!  I have not doubts of a them being invited back again.  Probably yearly after that set.  Damn!  Double damn!  And then it was the Main Stage shuffle back over to Town Park to catch some Greensky Bluegrass.  Tell yeah!!

Fruition

    Blue skies above our heads.  Green grasses beneath our toes.  Greeksky Bluegrass on stage.  Life, she is good, eh?  In all seriousness, though, what a wonderful set of alignment to get that much good all at once and in one place.  The boys from Kalamazoo threw down a solid set drawing mostly on tracks from their most recent album, If Sorrows Swim, understandably so having an audience like that to play some of your prouder works for.  Must have been a very jubilant moment for them.  It certainly was for us as they opened with “A Letter to Seymour” featuring Bruzza on the lead vocals.  We could hear in his voice that Dave was suffering vocally a bit or even losing his voice — we felt badly for him and tried to send him good vibes all set to make it through.  Which he did boldly hitting that mic for every solo.  Hope he made a speedy recovery afterwards — I know full-well what it is like to have no voice on stage.  Not a great feeling.  The sweet, serene, and slightly sad “In Control” followed with Phoff on the vocals in front of the afternoon’s crowd segueing into a quick version of “Burn Them” which you can check out here: 

Greensky Bluegrass with the signature song "Burn Them" from their new album, If Sorrows Swim. Telluride Bluegrass Main Stage - Sunday afternoon.

A universally-loved cover of theirs was next, Traffic’s “Light Up or Leave Me Alone” which sounded as crisp and on-point as any selection so far.  The middle jam was, in a word, intense.  And long and quite exploratory.  So far so great.  This was shaping up to be a solid set.  More good ones from the album, we got a nice “The Four” and “Kerosene” (which had a really decent mid-jam itself, one that got a little dark for awhile) before none other than the Sam Bush appeared on stage to augment GSBG’s awesomeness even further with his own fiddle prowess!  Getting a little Gospel on us the six musicians delivered a delightful and reverent “Will the Circle be Unbroken” and then unleashed some more Bruzza with “Worried About the Weather”.  Always incredible to have Sam sit in with one of your favorite bands…or just with any band, really.  And then how about some of the Grateful Dead redemption energy again?  A little “Black Muddy River” maybe?  Which sounded supremely excellent.  They just keep getting better and better and pulling forth such essence and feeling from that piece.  Then, channeling his funky inner Chuck Brown from the night before, Phoffman threw down a little “I Feel Like Bustin’ Loose” intro into “Don’t Lie” to close out their set on the Main Stage this year.  “Don’t Lie” featured another lengthy (16:00+!!), monster jam worth mentioning — anyone seeing a theme here?  It is a real pleasure to watch these five guys work their way around their instruments and as an ensemble.  Like during this “Don’t Lie” jam.  Give them 10 years and who knows how incredible they will be?  And, of course, they got an encore after that giving us “Windshield” as their Telluride 2015 good-bye.  Thanks for the ‘Ride, you guys.  What a thrill!!

Greensky Bluegrass with Sam Bush

Ricky Skaggs, Ry Cooder, and Sharon White along with several other talented musicians closed out the 42nd Telluride Bluegrass Festival with their set on Sunday night. Here is how they opened up...

    There, wasn’t that just musical excellence personified?  That, my lads and lasses, was the Gospel styling of Ricky Skaggs, Ry Cooder, Sharon White, and friends.  Living legends on one stage, in the same ensemble.  And boy, did it show!  As with “Take Me in Your Lifeboat”, their second song of the evening.  First impressions?  Top-notch harmonies, no doubt.  Ry Cooder on guitar?  Like watching a mellow god of peerless ability.  Ricky Skaggs?  Seen him before…just love the guy.  Great stage presence and the man can pick.  I already saw exactly why this trio was pulled together here at Telluride.  Later on down the set came an old Hank Williams ballad from Sharon White — “A Mansion on the Hill”, its sad and longing refrain and honky tonk tragedy feel hearkening back to an earlier time in music.  Flatt and Scruggs “On My Mind” was another nostalgic selection bringing that classic sound and feeling of bluegrass of yore to Telluride, featuring Ricky on fiddle.  Speaking of Ricky, he was full of stories and regaling that evening like about singing with Ralph Stanley when he was merely 15 years old.  Can you imagine?  Singing songs like “Daniel Prayed”, their next selection, for instance.  “Morning, noon, and night” I could listen to these three and their ensemble play and sing.  See what I did there?  Later still a really cool and swung version of “Hold Watcha Got” was on the menu.  Really dug this interpretation of it.  And so did the dancing crowd!  Another treat for all of us…more Flatt and Scruggs — “No Doubt About It”.  I was certainly getting into this whole yesteryear vibe tonight.  Which meant that the final, ultimate, final, completely, final (did I say final?) closing song of the 42nd Telluride Bluegrass Festival was Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” which they absolutely crushed.  Hard drivin’, fast pickin’, classic singin’ right until the beautiful end!  Hats off to this trio and their band for an amazing set.  Hats off to the organizers of the Festival for all their incredible efforts.  Hats off to the technical support army that makes these things happen.  Hats off to all the bands and artists for all the unparalleled joy and music!  And, hats off to all the festival goers who made my first Telluride so special, so unique, so memorable, and so good that I’ll see you next year!!

Ricky Skaggs, Ry Cooder, Sharon White, and Friends