A Bluegrass Essay - My Bluegrass by Gary Robertson

I promised a lot of people I would write a very long essay to be included in my last issue of Bluegrass Virginia.  As I have had more and more difficulty writing, this won’t happen.  But, I do want to try to define
what I think Bluegrass is to me.  First, I truly believe Bluegrass began even before Bill Monroe started his band The Blue Grass Boys.  Here in Virginia and in Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky string bands
existed long before the 1939 date on which Bill Monroe first got his band together.  Oh, the music was rudimentary when compared to the complex music we call Bluegrass today, but it was most certainly the music our music grew out of.  Bluegrass music is played on six instruments only; Mandolin, Banjo, Guitar, Fiddle, Bass and Dobro.  You’ll notice I stated these are the only instruments that comprise Bluegrass.  I
believe this with all my heart.  Other instruments may do guest shots in Bluegrass settings, but these six
instruments are the basis of Bluegrass music.  This fact is the reason that most string music prior to Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys can’t really be called Bluegrass.  The instruments that make up Bluegrass were introduced into the American culture slowly and one by one.  They were changed and adapted as our music made demands of them.  Orville Gibson recognized the need for a different design on the Mandolin and
made radical changes from the old European “taterbug” shape to the modern shape we all recognize today.  Mandolin music had to be louder to compete with that of Guitars and Banjos.  Gibson along with many early builders transformed the Banjo from the weak fretless sound of the early instruments to the bright modern style of Banjo we enjoy today.  Martin took the European Guitar and made it bigger and stronger to accept steel strings and in turn made it louder.  The Fiddle and String Bass remain basically unchanged from the styles created in the 16th and 17th century, having been perfected hundreds of years ago.  The
newest instrument in Bluegrass is the Dobro.  Created by the Dopera brothers this acoustically amplified instrument found it’s way into Bluegrass because of a disagreement between Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs and the Grand Ole Opry.  *Briefly, Bill Monroe was jealous of his music (He felt that Flatt & Scruggs were playing his music and had basically stolen it from him.) was blocking the induction of Flatt & Scruggs as Opry members.  After an intense meeting between Monroe, The Martha White Flour Company (Martha White threatened to withdraw all advertising.) and the Grand Ole Opry leadership it was decided that Flatt & Scruggs could be members of the Opry if they did not feature a Mandolin as a lead instrument.  They agreed and shortly thereafter hired Josh Graves who brought the Dobro into the music of Flatt & Scruggs and hence into Bluegrass music. [*This account was told by Josh Graves on stage at the Bass Mountain Bluegrass Festival]  Now that we have all of the instrument established something should be said about the singing.  Singing is, by far, the most important element of Bluegrass music.  We would become
very tired of Bluegrass if there weren’t vocal numbers.  Here, indeed, Bill Monroe did establish the style of singing that has come to be Bluegrass.  He moved the average string band music to higher keys to match his tenor vocal range and the rest, as they say, is history.  It is when I get to this point in my discussion of Bluegrass that I have some serious disagreements with many scholars of our music.  In Nashville, in front of the Ryman Auditorium is a historical marker that proclaims that Bluegrass started there in 1945 when Bill Monroe along with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and Chubby Wise started Bluegrass music.  This proclamation has stuck in my craw ever since the historical marker was presented on stage as part of the first IBMA Awards in Nashville.  If we are to believe this, then we must deny the music of the first six years of Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys.  Can we deny that "Muleskinner Blues" is Bluegrass?  What about "Doghouse Blues" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky?"  Please, if you have these early recordings of Bill Monroe,
take some time and sit back and listen to the seeds that began this great music we all love called Bluegrass.  Let me pose this question to you.  If the music played by Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys prior to 1945
was not Bluegrass, why were Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs hired?  Why did they want to be part of the band?  It’s quite simple, Bill Monroe was on fire back then.  I have an old cassette tape of an Opry show before Flatt & Scruggs were members of the Blue Grass Boys and the crowd was wildly enthusiastic.  Monroe’s music was so new and all enthralling that the crowds screamed and cheered much as they did in later years for Elvis and The Beatles.  Bluegrass music has grown and changed, but has retained that basic flavor that makes it the music we love.  I read an article about BBQ recently in which the writer stated that each person is introduced to a food and is told this is BBQ.  From that point forward they judge all other BBQs by the one they were first told was BBQ.  This holds true for Bluegrass as well.  I was told Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys and Flatt & Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys were Bluegrass.  I have
based all my judgements concerning Bluegrass on those bands.  Now, my idea of Bluegrass has grown.  Yes, Bluegrass is and “idea.”  Bill had an idea and created his music.  We all have an idea of what
Bluegrass is and it can be very different from one person to the next.  My brother, Jim, and I came into Bluegrass at the same time, but we have different ideas of what Bluegrass is.  I have devoted the largest
portion of my adult life to following Bluegrass.  Jim, on the other hand, has raised his family and had many
distractions taking his focus away from Bluegrass.  We both still love the music of our beginnings, but I have allowed for a stretching of the envelope into which Bluegrass fits.  Jim remains more strongly rooted in the earlier styles.  Bluegrass, for me, encompasses a wide range of bands and styles and I enjoy most all of them.  Tastes in Bluegrass are as personal as are tastes for various foods.  I find my tastes to be wide ranging (I still don’t like an Electric Bass!), but with a decided leaning toward the traditional music that forms the basis for all of our music.         

Nothin' Fancy & Williams & Clark Expedition - Appomattox Bluegrass Series, February 22, 2009

As February rolls around the Appomattox County High School Athletic Boosters Club presents Nothin' Fancy and Williams & Clark Expedition on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009. There have already been two great shows in January featuring The Bluegrass Brothers and Dailey & Vincent.  Both of these shows were great and the February show promises the same.  We all know Nothin’ Fancy from around the Buena Vista/Lexington area of Virginia.  These guys not only present great original Bluegrass, but are a truly entertaining group.  Williams & Clark Expedition may well be making their first expedition into Central Virginia with the Appomattox Series perhaps being the best venue from which to be introduced. 

March has three great shows featuring; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver on March 1st, IIIrd Tyme Out on March 8th
and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage on March 15th.  Take that drive to Appomattox and join me on February 22nd with Nothin’ Fancy and Williams & Clark Expedition.

Cabin Fever Pickin' Party March 5, 6, 7 & 8, 2009 Hampton, Virginia

Can you believe it?  Before you know it the 2009 edition of the "Cabin Fever Pickin' Party" will have come and gone.  But let’s savor the fact that it isn’t here yet and that the fun is all ahead of us.  Cathy & Earl
Banton and their family have been presenting the wonderful weekend for 14 years.  Yeah, isn’t that amazing!  I can proudly proclaim that I have attended every show.  Now I have to admit that at one
weekend of Cabin Fever while we were back in Williamsburg, I showed up with one of the worst cases of the flu that I can ever recall having.  Many people left Cabin Fever that weekend with the flu and I have always felt bad about that, but not bad enough that if I had the flu again I still would come.  I’ve had my flu shot, so let’s hope that will not happen.  Speaking of Williamsburg, we used to meet at the George Washington Motor Inn and, boy oh boy, did we have some good times there.  There were only about 200 of us at that first Cabin Fever.  As a matter of fact we were so small that we didn’t even use up half of the hotel.  We may have only used half the rooms, but by golly they knew we were there.  We jammed everywhere.  The poor folks at the front desk must have been frazzled as the music around that front desk went on non-stop for three days.  I got there as early as I could that Thursday morning and when I walked in there was a group playing there in the lobby.  John “Charlie Moore” Donaldson asked me to get out my Banjo and we jammed for several hours.  I can truly say I was part of the very first jam at Cabin
Fever.  Later that evening there was a large jam where we all sat in chairs in a huge circle and passed around song after song.  With over 20 people in a jam and everyone wanting a chance to pick it takes a while to do just one song.  Another thing that has changed is smoking.  Back then I had just stopped smoking, but most of my friends still were.  There was an entire hallway of smoking rooms and the haze hung in that hall like a fog.  Now, most everyone doesn’t smoke and if they do, it must be outside.

It’s fun to reminisce about those days, but these “good new days” are coming up and that’s what this article is all about.  First, I need to tackle the hotel space issue.  We are up against another musical group this year.  The rock band “Phish” has come back together for a reunion concert tour.  Having been formed in the Hampton, Virginia area, they have a huge following in that area.  They have booked the Hampton Coliseum
over the same weekend as Cabin Fever and there huge following of fans has taken just about every spare room in all of Hampton and beyond.  So, if you didn’t plan ahead and book your room last year before
leaving Cabin Fever it is likely you will not find a room anywhere near Hampton.  All I can tell you is to be persistent and keep on trying.  Cabin Fever is just too much fun to miss.  Please, this year, be sure to turn in
your hotel reservation form as early as you can.  If you can’t get a room this year, please order your tickets in advance.  With the tickets there will be a hotel reservation form for the 2010 version of Cabin Fever.  Be sure to fill it out and go to the Holiday Inn, even if you don’t have a room, and drop that form in the box on the front desk.  This won’t guarantee you a room next year, but you’ll certainly have a better chance at
getting one.

This year, for the first time, there will be official showcase bands on Thursday evening.  The first band up on Thursday at 7:20PM will be Hard Drivin’ Grass.  These young folks from the Lynchburg area won the VFMA band championship back in 2007.  It is heartwarming to know that there is a new generation interested in Bluegrass and will carry on the tradition.  Next up is Some Assembly Required from around Richmond.  Some Assembly Required has been busy in the studio and expects to have their first CD available by the time of this showcase.  I’m afraid I’m a bit out of touch with the newer bands and really can’t tell you anything about them.  The last two band to play on Thursday are Blue Mountain Sunrise and Hanover Express.

Friday has a full day of showcases beginning with Jonathan Dillon.  If you’ve been around Bluegrass in Central Virginia the last few years you should have noticed Jonathan Dillon.  This young man began wowing crowds at a very young age and is now a veteran at under 15 years old.   Finishing out the afternoon showcases are; New Grass Revue, Eastern Tradition, Sweet Potato Pie and Loose Gravel.  After the supper break at 5 PM things get going again with Aspen Run followed by Ted Jones & The Tarheel Boys,
Blu’ Lonesome, Deer Creek Boys and Code Blue.

Throughout the day on Saturday there will be workshops on Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar, Bass, Fiddle, Dobro and vocals.  Check the schedule in your Cabin Fever program for times and places.   The early afternoon
showcases on Saturday begin with the Fitzmaurice Band followed by Thunder Creek, Kody Norris & The Watuga Mountain Boys, Deeper Shade of Blue and Northridge.  After supper things get started with Constant Change followed by The Virginia Ramblers, Greetings (Note, this may not be a band, but it is
listed as such), Lonesome Highway, The Midnight Ramblers and Mark Templeton & Pocket Change.

On Sunday at 9AM there is a Gospel service featuring the music of Bluegrass Gospel Express.

Here’s hoping you will join me as I enjoy my 14th annual “Cabin Fever Pickin’ Party.”  See you there!

"Night Owl Concerts - Shorter Showcases - More Bands!

I am in the process of booking the bands for this year’s “Night Owl Concerts” as part of the “Cabin Fever Pickin’ Party.”  This year I plan to cut the length of each concert by 5 minutes, in order to accommodate having 8 bands instead of the usual six.  Therefore the shows will begin at the usual 11PM, but will end at 2:20AM.  I regret this shortening of showcases, but since I am only allowed one night to present the Night Owl Concerts, this was the only way I could find to offer more bands for your listening pleasure.  Rest assured there will be less than 30 seconds between bands and we will end each set as nearly as we can to the
promised time.  I am not completely booked, but have bands selected and I am awaiting agreement.  Bands that definitely are playing are: Code Blue, The Flatland Bluegrass Band, The Willow Creek Band and Route 35.  I will announce the full schedule soon. As last year there will be no refreshments offered.  I found most folks didn’t even notice last year.  So, don’t forget the “Night Owl Concerts,” Saturday, March 7th, 2008 in the Holiday Room.

Appomattox Bluegrass Series, 2009 - Appomattox High School

With the arrival of steady cold temperatures comes the Appomattox Bluegrass Series, presented by the Appomattox High School Athletic Booster Club.  As in years past there will be six concerts presented throughout the months of January, February and March. There are two great shows coming up in January.  The first is on January 18th and features Salem,
Virginia’s Bluegrass Brothers.  The name of the group is doubly definitive since the Bluegrass Brothers is made up of two sets of Brothers.  The first set of brothers were part of the original family band called The Bluegrass Playboys.  After taking a decade or so to raise their families, two of the brothers, Victor and Robert Dowdy joined together to form The Bluegrass Brothers.  As time passed and two more members of the family joined the group.  Steven and Donald Dowdy, sons of Victor Dowdy, joined the

group, at first both playing Guitar, but now Donald plays Mandolin with the group.  The music of the Bluegrass Brothers is dynamic and boisterous.  I’ve always said if you can sit still through a Bluegrass
Brothers concert then you just don’t get it.  These fellows are entertainers first and singers and pickers second.  Be sure to drive out to Appomattox to see and hear the Bluegrass Brothers on January 18th,
The very next Sunday, January 25th, 2009 we’ll be treated to the IBMA Award winning Dailey & Vincent.  Dailey & Vincent were nominated for 10 awards and won 7 of the 10.  This makes them the first group to
win as many awards.  Awards are nice, but does this mean the band is that good?  Yes! Emphatically, I must tell you they are that good.  They are entertaining, and great fun.  Their music is flawless and the humor
sprinkled throughout the show keeps a smile on your face.  Jamie Dailey worked with Doyle Lawson for ten years and learned the business very well.  He is never proud, but always insists of giving his time with Dolye the credit it deserves.  Doyle Lawson has always felt humor is important and he and Jamie worked well together.  But, if you haven’t seen Dailey & Vincent then you haven’t seen anything yet.  Darrin Vincent worked for nearly ten years with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.  As a member of his family band, The Sally Mountain Show, along with his sister Rhonda Vincent,  Darrin learned his music at a young age and has never stopped learning.  He is in demand as a record producer as well as a performer.  He and Jamie fit so well together that it seems they have been a duo for years.  Be sure to get out to Appomattox for Dailey & Vincent.  You will be entertained.

 
Nothin’ Fancy and Williams & Clark Expedition will be in Appomattox on February 22nd.  There are three shows in March, the first being Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver on March 1st followed by IIIrd Tyme Out on March 8th and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage on March 15th.  More about these shows later.

Tickets are $15 in advance or at the door.  Even though there is no savings in buying your tickets in advance, I recommend doing so because sometimes these shows sell out and you wouldn’t want to miss out. 
Tickets are available at Carquest and Jamerson Building Supply in Appomattox, Taylor Forbes in
Farmville and Lynchburg Music in Lynchburg.  You may also order “will call” tickets by calling Allen or Kelly Smith at 434-248-6105 or by email at kellyandallen@yahoo.com.   You may also visit their website at
www.appomattoxbluegrass.com.  All shows are on Sunday afternoons and start at 2PM. I hope you will join me in Appomattox for six wonderful Sundays this winter.

Pic of Dailey & Vincent from last year's show in Appomattox.

Cabin Fever Pickin' Party March 5th thru 8th, 2009 Hampton, Virginia

As our memories of the holiday season begin to fade we are anxiously awaiting the winter to pass, so we can make that short drive down to Hampton, Virginia to enjoy the 14th annual “Cabin Fever Pickin’ Party.” 
Cathy & Earl Banton and their extended family have been working hard to get everything ready for us.  They do everything they can to make our visit as easy and friendly as possible.  For example, as in years past there is early registration.  That is you can turn in your tickets and receive your armbands on Thursday
instead of using part of Friday to get it done.  Also, if you arrive early you can turn in your 2010 Hotel Reservation Form, making getting the room and hotel of your choice more likely.  This prompts me to
recommend you order your tickets right now.  There is a $5 savings by ordering early.  Hey, you know you’re going so why not order your tickets at $25 each for the entire weekend and save that $5.  I think right here is the best time to explain the ticket price.  There are no one day tickets.  The cost is $25 for the weekend or if
you come just for one day, it’s still $25, so why not come for the weekend.  With your tickets you will receive the 2010 Hotel Reservation Form which you can fill out and turn in to the Hotel registration desk as
soon as you arrive. Personally, I look forward to Cabin Fever more and more each year.  So much so that I arrived on Tuesday
last year and plan to do the same this year, if not even earlier.  My thinking last year was that I would have a day with just me there, but I was wrong.  There were enough folks there for a big jam in the lobby.

The best thing about Cabin Fever is the jamming!  Oh yeah, the jamming.  The Holiday Inn in Hampton, Virginia was built over the years and there are 6 distinctly separate buildings that are all (Except for one) connected by a large atrium area.  With the various shapes of the buildings there were many little nooks and crannies created when the buildings were joined.  These small places are perfect for having small intimate jam sessions.  I’ve noticed there are two distinct types of jams.  There’s the “public jam” where the pickers
try to position themselves so they can be best seen and heard by folks all around the hotel.  You’ll find these folks crowded near the pay phones just off the atrium or in the lobby near the hotel registration desk.  The
“private jams” occur in the little nooks around the hotel or for those who wish to be even more private they will jam in their hotel rooms.  But, even these “private jam” folks will leave the room door open so people can come and go.  As indoor events go, and I’ve attended many including SPBGMA and IBMA, there is not a Bluegrass event with more jamming than Cabin Fever.

 
There are folks who aren’t really interested in jamming, but still love Bluegrass music.  They would rather be entertained by bands on stage.  Well, Cabin Fever hosts 4 days of showcase bands on the main stage.  The
bands scheduled to play this year are: Hard Travelin Bluegrass; Some Assembly Required; Blue Mountain Sunrise; Hanover Express; Jonathan Dillon; New Grass Revue; Eastern Tradition; Sweet Potato Pie; Loose Gravel; Aspen Run; Ted Jones & The Tarheel Boys; Blu’ Lonsum’; Deer Creek Boys; Code Blue; The Fitzmaurice Band; Thunder Creek; Kody Norris & The Watuga Mountain Boys; Deeper Shade ofBlue; Northridge; Constant Change; The Virginia Ramblers; Greetings; Lonesome Highway; The Midnight Ramblers; Mark Templeton & Pocket Change and Bluegrass Gospel Express.  So, if you prefer to sit and be entertained then there is plenty of music to enjoy.

  
There are lots of restaurants around within walking distance, so meals aren’t a problem.  There is a very nice restaurant right there in the Holiday Inn in the atrium.  They serve buffet breakfast on weekends as well and lunch and dinner meals. So, get those tickets and make plans to join me in Hampton, Virginia at the “Cabin Fever Pickin’ Party.”

Here are some photos from Cabin Fever 2000.