Springfest on the Suwannee - Part Two

A sleepless but entertaining Friday night left me less than refreshed for a long day of music on Saturday. But a good wash and a nice breakfast with plenty of coffee helped wake the senses and made me ready for the first act of the day.

I headed to the dance stage to kick off my morning with Josh's Jam. Fourteen year old Josh Pinkham is making a name for himself, not only among the music loving public but also in music circles. I first saw him back in October at Magnoliafest where he joined the likes of Joe Craven, Vassar Clements and Sam Bush on stage for a bluegrass jam. Here he was with his own parents and some pretty cool friends that included Darol Anger. You can see where Josh gets his talent from, as his mom and dad are both accomplished musicians. Josh though, has something more up his sleeve and is set to be a major force in music in years to come.

I left Josh and his lovely family to head to the much cooler Music Hall, to catch the end of a fine flat picking guitar workshop with David Grier, Larry Keel, Gabe Valla and James Nash. The real reason I was there was to catch a songwriter's workshop with three of my very favorites. My all time hero Guy Clark was holding court with his musical partner Verlon Thompson and another new favorite of mine Jim Lauderdale. They ran through as many of their best songs as they could, happily allowing the audience to call many of the songs. I was only awakened from the magic of it all when I realised that I had to get to the Old Florida Stage to catch the end of Ralph Roddenberry's set, if only to see if he was any the worse for wear from his all night session.

Ralph was in great form and the audience in the small tent were on their feet dancing to his infectious good humor. You will be hearing a lot more about Ralph in the near future I am very sure.

Then it was a hasty walk to the Dance Stage again for the best young band to emerge on the music scene in many a long year. The Duhks are just great and with every passing day more and more people know about them. They are another band I had heard for the first time back in October last year and in the 6 short months since I saw them they have become even more confident and polished than they were back then. They have also picked up a record deal with Sugar Hill and the band are getting ready for that first release which they hope will be very soon. Live though, they shine, and not just in their obvious playing ability. They have a charisma and charm to go with their imaginative arrangements, a sense of humor to go with the live performances and a deep love of so many styles of music that you never know which direction a tune will take.

From the Duhks I headed back to the main stage for a solo set by Peter Rowan. Well it was advertised as a solo set but since his occasional collaborators Bryn and Billy Bright of the Two High String Band were also appearing at the festival, it became a Texas Trio show and no-one had any complaints about it. Pete was as relaxed as you can get, sitting on a crate in bare feet and looking for all the world like a man very happy at his work. It simply personified the laid back, ego free atmosphere of Springfest and in the warm afternoon sun the happy crowd sang along with Pete on his front porch.

It was back to the shade of the Music Hall for me after that for Phillips Grier & Flinner and a great set of tunes from these amazing musicians. On any other day of the year this trio would have kept me glued to my seat for the entire set. Something bigger was calling me though. I had to get back to the main stage and transfer all my digital pictures to the laptop so I would have plenty of free space for the rest of the evening. I was very glad I did.

Backstage in the tent where the musician warm up and make themselves ready for the show, something very special was happening. The next act on the main stage was to be a bluegrass jam with Bela Fleck, Vassar Clements, Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, Mike Marshall and Bryn Bright. I was lucky enough to be allowed to stand inside the tent with these legends of bluegrass while they warmed up together. Of course when they hit the stage the crowd erupted and a very rare and beautiful musical event unfolded before our eyes.

I ran over to the Music Hall after the bluegrass jam to catch the last part of a workshop with the McCoury Boys. By this time Ronnie and Rob had come to the question and answer part of the night and they looked relaxed and were extremely friendly as they answered questions from the audience.

Then it was back to the main stage for a very pleasant dinner and more Guy Clark who was warming the gathering crowds ahead of the feast of music that was to come. After Guy, Tony Rice and his band arrived on stage to show us just how guitar should be played. Tony, as dapper as ever, led us through many of his old favorites.

The main stage at Springfest is set in a lovely natural amphitheater with a seated area in front of the stage and up behind on the sloping hills there are many trees. From the earliest part of the weekend the trees get joined together by hundreds of hammocks as people mark their place for the nighttime entertainment. As the sun goes down the candles and nightlights are lit and with the smoke from the local food vendors and nearby campsites drifting through the scene, everything becomes magical.

Del McCoury took to the stage just as the sun set and kicked some bluegrass behind with his band. Del is another man with great on-stage style and knows how to work the audience. He is a master at running the show and his band, which includes his two sons Ronnie and Rob, are fine musicians who have themselves inherited their father's showmanship.

Then it was Bela's turn. I had been looking forward to this all day. I spent many a long year listening to Bela's incredible banjo playing but as a bass player I was also very keen to catch the incredible Victor Wooten. So on a very warm spring evening in Florida, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones took to the stage in front of a now completely packed outdoor arena and blew us all away. Bela, Jeff, Victor and the eccentric and colorful Future Man were in top form as they ran through years of classic jazz infused banjo music. Victor as always had my head spinning with his amazing technique but it is the craftsmanship of each of the musicians and their ability to work off each other than brings the whole thing together. With all the technology though the most moving part of the show was when Bela sat and played his old departed friend John Hartford's banjo and played a couple of beautiful simple tunes for him. The crowd lapped up every last second of Bela's set and it seemed that even the purest bluegrass fans were impressed by all this modern music.

That was enough for me for the evening as last night's lack of sleep was taking it's toll. So it was with the sound of Donna the Buffalo coming from one direction and, once again, Ralph Roddenberry kicking up a storm from the other direction that I laid down to sleep. This time a herd of wild wildebeests trampling though my tent could not have woken me but I do think I went to sleep humming one of Ralph's songs.

Sunday morning dawned and it was time to pack up the tent and get ready to leave. Not before we stopped by the main stage one more time for some tunes from young Josh Pinkham and a chance to say farewell to Beth and Randy and the people who made us feel like family once again.

Roll on October and Magnoliafest and whatever treats they will have in store for us then. Rest assured JigTime will be there to bring you all the sights and sounds from one of the last festivals of the summer.

Also look out in coming weeks for a full photogallery from Springfest 2004

Return to Part One