The Graves' Mountain Festival of Music May 28th, 29th & 30th, 2009 Graves' Mountain Lodge, Syria, Virginia

This year marks the 17th annual "Graves’ Mountain Festival of Music" at the Graves’ Mountain Lodge in Syria, Virginia.  I can proudly say I only missed the first one and I’m sorry I missed that one.  There's a lot to tell you so I better get with it.

On Thursday the bands performing are: Heather Berry & Tony, The Wells Family, Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time and Cherryholmes.

If that wasn’t a top line up Friday just keeps getting better with: Next Best Thing (Rhonda Vincent’s daughters and the 5th generation of Vincent family Bluegrass), U. S. Navy band Country Current, Mark Templeton & Pocket Change, The James King Band, The Lonesome River Band, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out and a very special event, The Heights of Grass reunion featuring Don Grubb, Billy Lux, Vernon Hughes, Richard Ward and more.

Jimmy Graves didn’t want Thursday and Friday to be beat out, so the line up for Saturday will be: The Bluegrass Brothers, The Mark Newton Band, Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain, The Steeldrivers, The Seldom Scene, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage followed by a special Graves’ Mountain Jam hosted by Carl Jackson and Mark Newton with many special guests.

Specially priced 3-day advance tickets are only $70 if purchased before May 1st.  This is a $20 savings per ticket  if bought at the gate,  so, I urge you to order these advance tickets now.  Camping in the rough is free with 3-day tickets.

There’s no need to bring food with you as there is an abundance of the Graves’ Mountain Famous Foods available.  The specialty for Thursday is BBQ Pork Spare Ribs (available throughout the weekend), for Friday is Fried Rainbow Trout and on Saturday is Rib-Eye Steak.  Also available are burgers, fries, ice cream and soft drinks.

The Graves’ Mountain Festival of Music is Virginia’s largest Bluegrass festival which means there are lots of people wanting to sit at the stage.  Chair tickets are available beginning on Wednesday morning May 27th, with the placing of chairs based upon your ticket number at 1PM that day (2 chairs per ticket!) So, if you want to be close to the stage arrive early! Join me at Grave’s Mountain as we enjoy the beautiful scenery while enjoying the best of Bluegrass music.

Grottoes Family Bluegrass Festival June 18th, 19th & 20th, 2009 Grand Caverns Regional Park - Grottoes, Virginia

Sweet Brenda & Calvin Lawson as Lawson Entertainment present the spring edition of the “Grottoes Family
Bluegrass Festival” this coming June 18th, 19th & 20th, 2009 at the Grand Caverns Regional Park in
Grottoes, Virginia.
There’s a lot to do at the Grottoes Festival including walking along the river, seeing the caverns and
swimming in the Olympic sized pool, but the most important and best thing to do at the Grottoes Bluegrass
Festival is see and hear the bands.
Coming up on Thursday at Grottoes is the humor and fine Bluegrass of Gold Wing Express doing two great
shows at 5PM and 7:30PM.  In between those shows there’ll be a pit luck dinner, so bring along your favorite dish or dessert and join in the fun and fellowship.

The festival get seriously underway on Friday and the following great bands perform: Allegheny Blue, Skyline Express, Next Best Thing, The Josh Williams Band and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out.

There’s another great day of Bluegrass on Saturday with: The Little Mountain Boys, Big Country Bluegrass, The Deer Creek Boys, Country Fried Grass and The Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Band.

Tickets may be purchased in advance at $50 for the weekend by sending a check or money order to: Grottoes Family Bluegrass, 5401 Cralles Road, Amelia, Virginia 23002.  You may phone Lawson Entertainment at 804-561-0705 or 804-921-0606.  Or email them at lawsonentertainment@aol.com.  Also check out the festival at www.grottoesfamilybluegrass.com.
Rough camping is $20 for the entire weekend with the gates opening on Tuesday at 4:30PM. Grand Caverns Regional Park is a beautiful little park with green grass and nice large shade trees.  Mark your calendar of the Grottoes Family Bluegrass Festival.

Bluegrass At Sedalia, 2009 June 25th, 26th and 27th - Big Island, Virginia

The James River Bluegrass Association and The Sedalia Center for the Cultural Arts present “Bluegrass At Sedalia, 2009.”   If you remember the festivals of 30 years ago you might feel you have stepped back in time when attending festival at Sedalia.  What do I mean?  I certainly do not mean the days when drinking and drug use rampaged through the festival grounds and children were in danger.  No!  I mean there was a certain togetherness back in those days with campers all close together and it seemed you knew everyone around you.  It feels that way at Sedalia.  When you get there you’ll see what I mean.

The bands playing at Sedalia are: Black Bear Express, Blackwater, The Bluegrass Brothers, The Deer Creek Boys, FaithRidge, Hard Drivin’ Grass, High Ground, Kinney Rorrer & The New North Carolina Ramblers, Mark Templeton & Pocket Change, Reed Creek and Smith Mountain Grass.

Camping at Sedalia is on a first come first served basis with the campground opening June 21st.  Electrical hook-ups are limited and run $40 for the three nights of the festival.  rough camping is $5 per night.  

One of the neat things about Sedalia is the entirely covered concert area.  It seems not matter how hot the day the stage area is comfortable and much cooler than the the area around it.

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.  When I was a kid my Mama used to make “fried pies.”  Fried pies are
made using dried fruit that has been reconstituted and places on one half of a round piece of pie crust that is then folded over and crimped closed and then pan fried to a deep golden brown.  Last year I saw a guy eating what looked to me just like a fried pie.  I asked him where he got it and sure enough this lady had brought over a large bunch of peach and apple fried pies.  They were so good I bought a dozen to take home with me.  Mmmm, Mmmmm!  They were good! Other foods at Sedalia include BBQ ribs and chicken cooked right on the premises.  I’ve got to tell you if you want any of this wonderful BBQ you better line up when they start emptying the grill.
Order $40 advance tickets by writing 1108 Sedalia School Road, Big Island, VA 24526 or by calling 434-299-5080 or check out their website at www.sedaliacenter.org.  Maybe I’ll see you there.

5th Annual James King Bluegrass Festival Rockahock Campground - Lanexa, Virginia June 25th, 26th & 27th, 2009

Once again "The James King Bluegrass Festival" will occur at the Rockahock Campground on Lanexa, Virginia thus coming June 25th, 26th and 27th, 2009.   The Rockahock Campground is on the Chickahominy River just off US Route 60 near Williamsburg, Virginia.  Earlybird advance tickets priced at $55 for the weekend are available if ordered before May 1st, 2009.  That’s a $10 savings over the regular $65 ticket price.  So, if you know you’re going why not order in advance.

Again this year the line up is fine including: The James King Band (All three days!), Sierra Hull & Highway 111, Bradley Walker, Lost & Found, Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen, Blue Highway, Country Fried Grass, Code Blue, Bill Emerson & The Sweet Dixie Band, Lawson Creek, Gold Wing Express and many more to be announced.  That’s quite a diversified line up of great Bluegrass
music.

Full service camping at Rockahock is handled differently than at most festivals, therefore my best advice to you is to go on-line to www.rockahock.com to check on festival camping and rates.  Primitive RV sites are available for $40 for the weekend or $15 per night.

Next door to the campground is a fine Italian Restaurant, so if you get tired of eating “festival” food there’s a really nice place to sit and have dinner.

Rockahock has a large pavilion available to festival goers for their use to jam.  Also attached to this pavilion is the campground shower house.  These showers are each completely separate from the others and can be used by either sex.  When you enter the shower you are alone and can lock the door behind you.  This is a great idea and a feature that really impresses me. Another interesting difference that separates Rockahock from other festivals is the fact that the stage area is considered part of the bar and restaurant.  You can buy beer and mixed drinks and drink them in your lawn chair as you watch the show.  This same feature, however prevents you from bringing anything into the area with you.  Just as with any restaurant you cannot bring food or drink into the stage area.

So, make plans to join your friends at the James King bluegrass Festival at The Rockahock Campground on June 25th, 26th and 27th, 2009.

26th Annual Mineral Bluegrass Festival July 16th, 17th & 18th, 2009 Walton Park - Mineral, Virginia

Adams & Anderson LLC presents the 26th annual Mineral Bluegrass Festival at Walton Park in Mineral, Virginia this coming July 16th, 17th and 18th, 2009. The first festival ever held at Walton park was presented in 1978 by Lester Flatt and The Martha White Caravan.  As I’ve mentioned in these pages before I remember so well sitting in Sacra’s Restaurant on Saturday morning eating breakfast with the other tables filled with my Bluegrass heroes.  Lester Flatt and his bandmates were at one table.  Jim & Jesse were at another.  There was Jimmy Martin sitting at a table and Ralph Stanley at yet another.  My brother and I were going on and on about Bluegrass, but we could hear these guys talking about fixing the roof or working on their car.  They were talking about every day things just like we do when we’re at work.  I’ll never forget it.

On Thursday at Mineral things get underway with Lonesome Will Mullins & The Virginia Playboys followed by: Paul Williams & The Victory Trio, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Marty Raybon & Full Circle and Dailey & Vincent.  

Friday has yet another host of bands including: Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition, Bill Yates & The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band, The Chuck Wagon Gang (Is this Bluegrass?) Goldwing Express and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out.

There’s yet another big day of Bluegrass on Saturday with: The Little Mountain Boys, The Virginia Ramblers, The Gary Waldrep Band, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, The Grascals & Rhonda Vincent & The Rage.

Advance tickets for the weekend are $75 which is a $10 (Must be received by July 6th, 2009) savings over the at the gate price.  Rough camping is available at $25 for the weekend.  Full hook-ups are very limited, so please call ahead for availability.  Call 540-894-9811 for camping details.

Appomattox Bluegrass Series Continues in March! Three Big Shows Featuring: Doyle, Russell & Rhonda! & Cabin Fever, Too!

March is the biggest month yet for Bluegrass in Appomattox as the Appomattox County High School Athletic Booster's Club presents three big shows on three consecutive Sunday afternoons.   Things get started right off with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver on Sunday, March 1st at 2PM.  Doyle started his own band more than 25 years ago and has always kept a top notch group of band mates.  Packed with humor plus instrumental and vocal virtuosity Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver never fail to entertain.  Then coming up on the very next Sunday, March 8th at 2PM, is another great concert by Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out.  Russell Moore is a graduate of the "Doyle Lawson School of Bluegrass" and it shows.  IIIrd Tyme Out never fails to present and entertaining and musical performance.  The next Sunday, March 15th at 2PM, features the First Lady of Bluegrass, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage.  This will be my first chance to see and hear Rhonda with her new band, so that should be a new treat.  Rhonda has always known how to sing and perform Bluegrass as well as delivering some beautiful ballads with a decidedly more contemporary sound.  The doors open at around 1PM for all of the shows, so plan to arrive early so you can pick your seat.  Don't worry about lunch as the Booster's Club will be serving grilled hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs with all the fixin's.  I'll see y'all there!

Also, don't forget The Cabin Fever Pickin' Party is coming up next weekend March 5th thru March 8th.  Cabin Fever is a weekend full of Bluegrass and jamming along with socializing with your friends and meeting the bands.  I'll see you there, too!  I'm gonna be tired by the time the Ides of March arrive.

"BLUEGRASS RAMBLE" March, 2009 - Blog Only

Today is Saturday, February 21st and the laundry is in the wash and my day begins.  This weekend will be a Bluegrass weekend.  Of course most of my weekends involve Bluegrass in some fashion, if only listening to WBBC, The Bobcat and the "Sweet Brenda & Him" show on Sunday morning from 7 to 10 AM, 93.5FM.  But, this weekend is one just chock full of Bluegrass.  Last night I drove to Farmer's Cafe in Blackstone to hear The Flatland Bluegrass Band in concert.  They did a fine job, as always.  Be sure to come to the "Night Owl Concerts" as part of the "Cabin Fever Pickin' Party" in Hampton, Virginia coming up in less than two weeks from March 5th through March March 8th at the Holiday Inn.  Last night was a lot of fun, but my weekend is just getting started.  Tonight I'll be driving out to Farmville, Virginia to hear two great bands at the VFW Hall.  Those two bands are Eddie Gill & The Grassmasters and Donnie Mason and In The Tradition.  Bosth of these bands play good old hard driving traditional Bluegrass.  Eddie is known for his soaring tenor leads, while Donnie has that special touch with heart songs and is especially gifted with his ability to bring a tear to your eye with his heartfelt recitations.  If you've got nothing to do tonight, make your way out to Farmville and join me for a great evening of Bluegrass.  I'm not sure when things get started, but I wouldn't get there any later than 7PM.  Now, you might think, "Well, Gary's Bluegrass weekend is over." but you'd be wrong because I'm heading back out again tomorrow toward Appomattox, Virginia to the Appomattox County High School to hear two more great bands.  Presented as part of the Appomattox County High School Athletic Booster Club's Winter Bluegrass Series, this Sunday's concert features Lexington, Virginia's own Nothin' Fancy Bluegrass Band and a great band from Nashville, Tennessee, known as Williams & Clark Expedition.  The show gets underway at 2PM, but the doors open at 1PM, so plan to get there early and claim your favorite seat.  Don't worry about lunch as the Booster's club grills up some geat Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers along with chips and other snack items.  I'm a nut about Bluegrass, so I'll probably be there really early.  so, if you read this and came because you saw my blog, come up to me and let me know.

I suppose many of you are wondering when I'm planning on sending out that last newsletter.  Well, so am I!  No, actually my plans are to enjoy Cabin Fever and then after I get back home I'll get serious and write up that last issue.  Most of you read my blog, but there are a few who for one reason or another don't have computers.  If you know one of those folks let them know about my plans.  While I'm here blogging I wanted to let you know about The Virginia Bluegrass Family/Bluegrass Virginia "Night Owl Concerts."  This year, in an effort to present more music and give more bands a chance to play, I have reduced the set times to 25 minutes each.  The showcases will begin at the usual 11PM time and end at about 2:20AM early Sunday morning.  Here's the schedule:

11:00PM -Flatland Bluegrass Band  11:25PM -  The Fitzmaurice Band        11:50PM -  Code Blue                       12:15AM - The Willow Creek Band        12:40AM - Deep Creek                     1:05AM   - GrassStreet                       1:30AM   - Some Assembly Required      1:55AM   - Jollet Lane                       

So there you have the schedule.  Note that anywhere in this blog whenever you see words that are highlighted in different color (called hyperlinks) type they are instant links to the web sites of that particular band or organization.  Simply place you mouse over the hyperlink and click.

Also, I will not be attending the March meeting of The Virginia Bluegrass Family as I am so excited about Cabin Fever that I plan to be in Hampton that night getting things started early.  Tom Reeves will be passing the bucket around, so please be generous and help out the church so they'll keep letting us use the facility.  Well, that's the Ramble for this time around.  I'll see all of you at Cabin Fever, won't I?

"NUFF SAID!"