Magnoliafest 2003 - Joy by the Suwannee

I felt a little guilty being in such a lovely place in the sunshine when my friends back in Ireland were complaining that winter had set in and that it was freezing. So, on Saturday morning when I was dipping my toes in the beautiful Suwannee River and thinking about the lovely journey and the even more enjoyable Friday night playing music, a pang of sympathy ran down my spine.

I am sure my friends were having an equally fun weekend back in wet and windy Ireland so the guilt trip subsided quickly and I got on with the business of having fun. We were at Magnoliafest in The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park , a wonderful well organized place in the most beautiful of settings. The river ran by, dark and moody as people played and bathed in its cool waters.

We had arrived in this paradise the previous evening and managed to get the tent up as the last strands of daylight made way for a warm clear dusk. The sound of a lone banjo across the path had our little boy Kevin wandering towards it and so we were accidentally introduced to Tim and Susan and a few other camping neighbors. Soon a guitar was produced and we were happily singing and playing in the beautiful Florida woods. It was too nice to leave so we opted not to head back the mile or so to the main festival site which would go on until the very small hours. We bedded down for the night and were only awoken briefly at the sound of what I believe was The Snake Oil Medicine Show playing on the back of some sort of moving vehicle while leading some happy revelers to the river.

Saturday was glorious. The sun shone and after our visit to the river and a fine breakfast it was time to get on with some work. Well that's if you consider seeing some of your favorite musicians play while you take pictures of them, work.

The first stop of the day was at the main stage for the bright and cheery Hackensaw Boys a frenzy of old time mountain and bluegrass music. That's the way to start the day. Then it was off to the dance stage to hear Celtic Soul. It's a slightly misleading name as Celtic is only one of many musical styles they throw in their set. They are a polished band and set to do great things along the way.

I got back in time to catch the end of the McCloskey Brothers very tight set and was about leave again to go see Jerry Douglas when two ladies from Sugar Hill Records advised me to hang around for The Duhks. I am glad I did too. The Duhks warrant a completely separate review and I will get a profile of them up there soon. Simply though, this band is going to be huge. Hailing from Winnipeg they are full of the joys of youth, multicultural influences from Celtic to Country and multitalented band members who pull of a very slick and extremely enjoyable set. Watch for them. They are certain to turn heads in this business very soon.

Then it was Jerry. Jerry Douglas as always, shone on both sets I saw him play that day. One on the Dance Stage and one on the main stage. The main stage was the better of the two I thought but maybe that was just the beautiful setting of an amphitheater among the trees. Still Jerry Douglas can do very little wrong and his band which included Mark Cosgrove playing the meanest acoustic guitar I have heard in some time, rocked the house.

Back on the dance stage it was a long set for Jim Lauderdale who took a solo set in one of his many bright suits. He was then joined by now regular collaborators Donna the Buffalo who always put on a wonderful show.

The sun was starting to take its toll so I headed back to the shelter of the main stage and on the way bumped into my new but very dear pal Martha Scanlan from the Reeltime Travelers. Martha and co band member Thomas Sneed had decided to hang out for the weekend even though their sets had all finished on the Friday evening. After a big Tennessee hug I set off backstage to settle myself near the action for the day. I wouldn't have to leave here now until quitting time. First up was that great set from Jerry Douglas followed hot on his heels by another of my great heroes Peter Rowan with Crucial Reggae a fantastic respite from the fiddles and Banjos of the day. The huge crowd lapped it all up and by the time Sam Bush came on they were ready for anything.

Before Sam Bush I spent some time in the hospitality area with The Duhks and it brought back far too many memories of agonizingly long trips on tour buses over Europe. Theirs was an epic by any standards. 40 hours from Winnipeg to Florida they cheerily told me. Ah but they are young and living their dreams. You can't buy that.

Now I have seen Sam many times in the last year but have never been disappointed. This was no exception. He swept us through the now familiar set of tunes and songs and left the crowd baying for more. As the crowd continued to cheer I walked back to the campsite. It was a beautiful autumn evening in Florida and pitch dark on the little road that took me back to the designated quiet camping area we had chosen. I could feel the day's music still warm inside and the silence was only broken occasionally by the distant sound of another band taking the crowd to a whole other place. For me the day was complete and tomorrow was going to come quickly when my tired but very happy body hit the sleeping bag.

Sunday dawned and our final day began. I go to a lot of shows and festivals and there are few that fill me with any sort of sadness when I have to leave, but there was a little pang today as we set about breaking down the campsite. I hadn't even had a chance to lay in the lovely hammock my wife had bought and assembled while I was off carousing with musicians. That woman is far too good for the likes of me.

After the camp was broken down we headed back to the main stage for the last short day's music for us. As we neared the amphitheater the strains of some beautiful laid back old time country wafted towards us. A quick look at the program confirmed that this was the New Traditionals and featured one of the hard working hosts of this amazing festival Randy Judy. This was a gentle way to ease into Sunday and it all suddenly made sense. Only musicians could run something like this. The type of bands they booked, the location, the laid back and friendly atmosphere backstage, the non confrontational security staff, the hospitality area where not only food and beverages were available but where people just hung out and made new friends. I know I made some over the couple of days we were there. These people do this for love of music and people, not for money.

Then all of this goodwill was reinforced by an incredible solo performance by Joe Craven one of the nicest people anywhere on the planet on and off stage. Joe and his fiddle warmed the crowd. He is famous for his work with people like David Grisman but solo he is a joy. He even paid tribute to the entire festival in a specially written and hilarious rap, mentioning every single act and almost every member of staff along the way.

Celtic Soul then hit the stage for another blinding set of tunes that was perfect for the parade of kids and adults who appeared from no-where in fancy dress. Thus only went to further fuel the already very happy crowd. Dancing broke out everywhere and it seemed that things couldn't get much better.

After Celtic Soul had made sure all the adrenalin had abandoned my body and with everything making sense in my normally befuddled brain some very special people wandered onto the stage. Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Joe Craven, Billy Gilmore and the legendary Vassar Clements got together for an historic jam. The mood was light and friendly and we witnessed some of the legends of Bluegrass together doing what they do best. Like a good Irish traditional session everyone seemed to know what the other was thinking but even when things went a little astray musically these veterans easily pulled it back and very few of us were any the wiser.

It was all in all just magic music and moments to cherish, like Joe Craven using Vassar Clements as a drum and the entire band laying on their backs on the stage, legs in the air as Vassar took a solo. Everything was great and good with the world for that hour or more as I happily snapped pictures just feet from the people who have inspired me all my life.

It was a sad drive away from Florida until I happened to turn the radio on to a program of the awards winners at the recent IBMA event in Louisville , KY. Then I realized that bluegrass, Americana and music itself is filled with great times like these and that I would be back in the spring for more.

Thanks Beth and Randy for a wonderful time. The world needs more of you.

Have a look at some pictures from Magnoliafest right Here

And here are some related links to broswe at your leisure

Sam Bush http://www.sambush.com
Harvestfest http://www.harvestfest.com
Reeltime Travelers http://www.reeltimetravelers.com
Jim Lauderdale http://www.jimlauderdale.com
Magnoliafest http://www.magnoliafest.com
The Duhks http://www.duhks.com
Jerry Douglas http://www.jerrydouglas.com