Musical Travels

"This I Believe": that it is worth "the Troubles and Trials" to drive to find and hear good music and favorite musicians. And also to make new discoveries. Our regular music trips include the local ones to the Rogue Folk Club concerts at St. James Hall in Vancouver and Cap College in North Vancouver, and to the Anza Club in Vancouver for bluegrass. Each year we attend the Wintergrass Festival in Tacoma and the Chilliwack festival out in the valley. In the summer we often make it to the Darrington Festival in Washington state and always catch at least one concert in the ZooTunes series at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Occasionally we have made it to Nancy's Farm outside Bellingham and to the Tractor Tavern in Seattle.[ its worth it to hear Uncle Earl]
For the first time this year we went to Portland, Oregon on the first weekend of January for the River City Bluegrass Festival which is more than Bluegrass by design. It is a three hour drive to stay over with family in Seattle and then 3 more hours by car to Portland. Our stay at the Doubletree Inn at Lloyd Center was excellent, very good price and better accomodations than we usually take. Transit in downtown Portland is excellent and free on the tram known as Max. At Wintergrass each February there is a high energy, high excitement atmosphere which hits us as soon as we enter the Sheraton Hotel which is now called the Murano. This probably relates to the hope that winter is over if Wintergrasss is here, a sign of new life and the light of music. By contrast, in Portland the festival is young and has yet to develop that special spirit. But the
performers are excellent.
On Friday night, hearing Tim O'Brien and his Cornbread Nation is like renewing a friendship once a year. His band of Danny Barnes, Dennis Crouch and Casey Driessen on the fiddle makes something special from great individual talents. Tim's humor adds just the right touch. The 11pm show Friday featured the Flatlanders from West Texas who transported us to a Texas honky tonk. They were the Friday night highlight for us. In my dreams I never imagined that I would get to hear the Flatlanders in my lifetime and they did not disappoint. Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock have their same roots in the Texas dust of Lubbock as Buddy Holly. They are not bluegrass but that unique music that comes out of West Texas. They have been described as being both 50 years behind the times and 15 years ahead. What a high energy endearing show they put on. They finished at 12:30 and we headed back to the hotel on the Max while the true bluegrassers played the night away.
Each day of a festival brings its surprises. Saturday brought Bryan Bowers, the legendary autoharp player whom we had not heard in over 30 years. He filled the center with his beautiful music and storytelling Thanks Michael for having introduced us to some much great music in your days of Ernie's Hot Wax. I remember listening to Bryan Bowers on LPs.
Five years ago we heard the Dry Branch Fire Squad and Ron Thomason for the first time and what memories they created. Now we got to hear them again. They are celebrating 30 years of playing as a band, and if not for festivals we would never have grown to love their music and Ron's storytelling. They are very funny, insightful and speak up for justice in daily living. They get inside your heart and remain in your head.
They are followed by the wondrous groups who never disappoint. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Del McCoury and the Boys and the Dan Tyminski Band. The finale featured Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives band. Marty did a salute to Porter Wagoner,intended to be here, but who passed away in October. This was special too.
Sunday is the festival day for Gospel music. Both Rhonda Vincent and the Dry Branch Fire Squad always do beautiful faith filled music at these shows and they have fun. Bryan Bowers encored in the afternoon, followed by Doyle Lawson and the Seldom Scene. A great way to finish a festival. John Reischman and the Jaybirds are an excellent Vancouver based band who showed the excellence of Canadian Bluegrass on Friday and Saturday. Also Rachel Harrington and the women of the Misty River Band made beautiful music on the lobby stage. I look forward to more of them.
We'll be back again to the River City Festival.
At the end of January we were fortunate to hear Martyn Joseph of Wales at Capilano College. He sings with such passion that you just want to tell others and introduce them to his music. He often sings of justice and political issues. Foremost he sings with a great appreciation of all that life has given him and us. In this unique performance he tried to reincarnate Elvis and it was delightful. Earlier in show he took on the persona of Bruce Springsteen and his Pete Seeger salute band and did a very incredible performance as he had all singing with him. Once more he gave us a night to remember.