The Del McCroury band totally sold me on blue grass. Everyone should listen to there album "the family" before writing off bluegrass. I stumbled upon him playing on a small sidestage at one of Phish's campout festivals. They were throwing down. I was the first time I had seen a band like that us just one Mic. and dance around it with instruments fading in and out... I was a believer. Before that the only bluegrass was the dead and Jerry Garcia band. May be some string cheese. Now I like it all. Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Tony Rice to name a few. When I was in high school a friends parents used to run a one of the larger blue grass festivals. They would throw parties now an then and there were always a bunch of old guys picking away in a circle in the backyard. Unfortunately I was too busy getting drunk and High to really pay attention. I knew they were really good. I just didn't know how good. Come to find out now that all the great bluegrass pickers were at those parties at onetime or another. Just one of those opportunities missed.
Oh man, such a big bluegrass fan! - Crooked Still (They're touring again! If you live in the east, get tickets!) - The Deadly Gentlemen (They're awesome and crazy and oh so wonderful.) - Joy Kills Sorrow (They just broke up and I was the most sad, but at least I got to see them 3 times.) - Trampled By Turtles (Oh my god they're so good!) - Yonder Mountain String Band - The Infamous Stringdusters - The Devil Makes Three - Nickel Creek - Punch Brothers And other stuff that isn't bluegrass but that y'all would probably like anyway, like The Tallest Man on Earth, Matthew And The Atlas, Josh Ritter, Gregory Alan Isakov, Chris Pureka, etc.
I forgot about Nickel Creek Deadly Gentleman and Punch Brothers And as long as we're adding non bluegrass stuff lez put down Old Man Marley The Weepies Beth Jean Houghton Alison Krauss Basis Bulat THE WAILIN JENNYs The Duhks The Greencards Dixie Beeliners
Dan Tyminski AKUS Blue Highway Del McCoury Band Jimmy Martin Bill Monroe - of course The Country Gentleman Seldom Scene Lonesome River Band Also liked the bluegrass inspired country releases by Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless, Emmy Lou Harris and The Dixie Chicks Used to go to a lot of festivals and such, but haven't in a while. Played in a few small time bands as well.
What do you play? Did you go to any of the big festivals: Rockygrass, Grey Fox, Merlefest etc? I am a huge fan of all the above, though I am not terribly familiar with the Lonesome River Band other than that Sammy Shelor is a monster on the 5. No Flatt and Scruggs? Blue Highway has probably been my favourite contemporary band for a long time, but not sure how it will go without Rob Ickes.
No, I stuck to the local festers. I'd like to go to some of the big ones some day, but haven't really had the funds and such. Plus I like being close enough to home so that if the weather is blazing hot, freezing cold, rainy, etc. I can bail out and go home, sleep in my own bed and then come back for the parking lot pickin or whatever. I admire Flatt and Scruggs as two of the important people who shaped the original sound of the music, but I can't say they're really amongst my favorites in terms of people I want to listen to on a regular basis. I mostly play guitar and mandolin and sing harmony. Have fooled around with the banjo, but never got very far with it.
^ High 5. What Reso' ya got? Unfortunatley I haven't got one yet so I use an acoustic, but it's good enough... On the subject of bluegrass *looks at kaiser-... Or right, yeah...* Over the course of the half term, I've been turned on to rockabilly and dabbled in country (hank williams, chet atkins, les paul, brian setzer, duane eddy, etc.), so I'm on my way to bluegrass, but not quite there yet.