Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Apparently west London has a thriving "folk scene", and that is from where Mumford & Sons emerged a few years ago.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Yeah, nowadays there are lots of banjo players all around London who are willing & able to teach Bluegrass style banjo, but 10 yrs ago when she started up there weren't that many where she's located.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

That amuses me.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

They start them pretty young, too! This little girl is playing the old-style Banjo-plucking way, which you don't see much these days. She went on to fame and (relative) fortune, but has largely left the pure bluegrass scene.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Stringbean didn't believe in banks, and he and his wife were murdered in 1978 for money the killers never found. The surviving murderer was paroled in 2014 after serving 41 years of a 198 year sentence.

The killers took only a chain saw and some firearms. In 1996, 23 years after the murders, $20,000 in paper money was discovered behind a chimney brick in Stringbean's home. The money had deteriorated to such an extent that it was not usable and had to be turned in to a bank.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

I live in Maine, so to some extent it seems like every festival (or event that includes music) involves bluegrass.

Often there will be a band comprising 8-12 children, all same family, all of whom play violin and/or guitar and/or sing.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Some of my family have travelled from Florida to Gerorgia (I think) for a bluegrass festival 2 or 3 times, and I know at least once Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder was playing. Skaggs was a child prodigy playing bluegrass and gospel on mandolin but got roped into a country music contract that kept him from recording his favourite styles for years. Although he was a big star playing country as soon as the contract expired he hit the road and hasn't stopped headlining tours and recording bluegrass and gospel since.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

One of the bands from last night:

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Nice to see all the contributions to this thread, especially the videos.
This is the line up for what I hope to go to
Darrington Bluegrass Festival 2017
Although there now may be a clash of dates, I am doing a road trip from Chicago to Seattle, and there might be some overlap of dates, depending on how fast or slow we decide the trip deserves.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

This one in Greenwood could be fun, and handy to the great Pacific Northwest:
The Greenwood Bluegrass Festival Presents
A Country/ Bluegrass Weekend
July 14-15-16 2017
Everyone Welcome!
Acoustic Instruments – Electric base acceptable
Dry Camping
Prices
Rig or tent & 2 Persons only $40 for the weekend
Day Visitors $6.00
Located at
Ball Park in Greenwood, BC
for info call or text 250-689-5777
Please leave a message fi you get voicemail
or email – [email protected]

I might actually take some of this in. I drove through Greenwood one misty morning and the whole town looked like it was carved out of a giant bud of marijuana.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

One of the few albums I took when I went up north in '72 was a Doc Watson record.. this is the sort of talent you may be fortunate enough to see at a festival.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

I think it would be good clean fun to go and see if Bill's house is still standing.

Someone told my friend Randy "You don't know what good clean fun is."
He replied, "No I don't, what good is it?"

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Bump.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

Bluegrass is awesome. Remember that BMG music club thing?
A friend has several of the Pickin' On... series. Pickin' on the Grateful Dead. Pickin' on reggae. Bluesgrass covers. Really fun.

Rocky Top, you'll always be, home sweet home to me...!
Good old Rocky Top,
Rocky Top, Tennessee.

Re: Anyone ever been to a Bluegrass festival?
 

One for Pulaski, these guys are our Boxing Day show.