2 July 2009, Fairfax County, Virginia
Nottoway Park, (near Vienna, Virginia): The Seldom Scene made its annual free concert appearance on the portable "Nottoway Nights" stage this evening and opened up with jokes about rainstorms - for good reason. Every time the group is scheduled it seems the performances are always up against monumental storms of some sort or another. Last night was a change - a perfect summer evening that got downright cool towards nightfall. The band is famous in these parts, or more to the point, famous nationally. When you consider Bluegrass three names come to mind - Ralph Stanley, The Country Gentlemen, and The Seldom Scene. The Seldom Scene probably had more to do with changing America's collective mind about the genre than any other musical force during the 70's and 80's. I remember my college days. I was working for the campus newspaper and the editor gave me the task of doing record and theatre reviews. Nobody else wanted to do it and I got a lot of free tickets and free records. We saw a lot of free ballet and opera during those times of trying to raise a child and live on the G.I. Bill. Two records came into the office one day: "Will the Circle be Unbroken" and "Old Train." That started it for me, and who would ever guess that bluegrass music would ever make such a resurgence in this country? Then come to find out I was living in the midst of some of the best bluegrass music and bands around. We are surely blessed living here in Virginia, if you dig the music. I still like my opera and ballet music - but for purity of acoustic brilliance and story-telling, Appalachian-based mountain music grounds me in my quest for the authentic. It can go astray at times - leaning toward the more crowd-pleasing modern 'country' crap and I'm sometimes disappointed when a good group will pander to the wider audience by including numbers that sound like they were just imported from Nashville. In the old days (of the 70's and 80's!) a wider audience recognized that the Seldom Scene was different - they were sticking to the basics, even if they were developing those basic bluegrass music components into a fine-tuned perfection. They remain fine-tuned perfection and that's probably why they are so nationally recognized. They are still a joy to listen to - but me? I'd rather be in Big Stone Gap listening to some locals beating out rhythms on handed-down instruments and singing gut-wrenching songs about hangings and love-gone-wrong.
(Nottoway Nights performances continue every Thursday night at Nottoway Park throughout the summer. Brought to you through County Parks funding and the generous support of local company sponsors. I was shocked to see the slim list of this year's commercial supporters - a sign of the tough economic times. Dig deep Brothers and Sisters! It would be a real community shame if the Fairfax County Parks entertainment programs had to discontinue. . . . .)
20 June 2009
A beautiful Summer evening at the Lincoln Memorial and once again the Washington D.C. based Polish American Arts Association presented the Third Annual Wianki Festival. This year's event witnessed the biggest crowd ever with an additional dance group from Philadelphia that added to a full program of dancing, music, and the traditional wreath-making which highlights the evening's entertainment. A large number of local Polish citizens from D.C.'s international community attended, along with the usual multi-ethnic D.C. crowd and various tourists who happen to accidentally bump into this unusual gathering. The professional dancing and public dancing went on until 10 o'clock in the evening. Contact the Polish American Arts Association for additional information and a complete listing of local and national events pertaining to the Polish and Polish/American communities.
Friday Night, 12 June 2009
They're back! and what a night of good music. The Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition, better known as "ABC," wowed the capacity crowd on this beautiful evening after another full day of threatening storms that never materialized. Fast becoming honorary citizens of our fair town, Roger Green never fails to mention how much the band enjoys playing for the Vienna public. They got off to a rocky start by being stranded in beltway traffic and showing up right before show-time. One never knows. Who can predict what will happen at any given moment on Metro D.C.'s wonderful highway system? When are the authorities going to get smart and begin issuing citations for idiots who cause traffic jams and the lolly-gaggers who slow down to see what's going on? Lead, follow, or get out of the way. But no problem - ABC took charge, set up all their equipment in about 7 minutes (I timed them) and then got a big round of applause for their thrown-together sound-check song. That's called professionalism. They barely had time to tune their instruments - which to any bluegrass musician worth his salt is a fine science. The good times continued for another hour and a half and concluded with a standing ovation encore song after the obligatory "Orange Blossom Special." You haven't lived until you've heard fiddler Sue Tice deliver her version of this old chestnut. It's obvious that Sue's fiddling is one of the strong glue-points that holds the whole group together. What she provides is most excellent nuance - never overbearing - coming in and out of a musical line with just the right touch. I could listen to her playing all night, but that's not the point. In this genre of music it's about the group and not anyone individual. She adds just enough color to each song on the program. This is great musicianship.
Thanks to Navy Federal for sponsoring ABC on this night's performance at our local Town Green music stage. The programs continue every Friday and Sunday evening until the end of summer.
Roger Green, Guitar - Dan Kimball, Mandolin - Bob Tice, Banjo - Sue Tice, Fiddle - Jim Duvall, Bass.
For more information go to www.annapolisbluegrass.com
Catch Roger Green's streaming Bluegrass Programs on WRYR 97.5 FM. Times and listings are available at www.wryr.org. The music and (Roger's interesting and expert commentary) is the Real Deal.
Darren Beachley and Legends of the Potomac, plus Kenny Ray Horton and Friends will be featured at a special performance at Brunswick (Md.) High School Auditorium on Saturday July 25th. Contact person Jill Hossler says the tickets are going fast. For good reason: this will be a special event for the newly formed "Legends of the Potomac." Fans of the group's members have been waiting since January for an album release and more public perfomances of this unique collection of outstanding talent, headed up by Darren Beachley, formerly of Quicksilver. The event is a fundraiser for the Brunswick Junior Baseball League - Darren's a home-town boy and used to play for the League, and also is an alumnus of the Brunswick High School. Hardcore Bluegrass lovers do not want to miss this one!
For more information Call: 1-301-371-7675 or mail to legendsconcert@aol.com
www.legendsofthepotomac.com and www.kennyrayhorton.com
15 May 2009 - Vienna Town Green, Vienna, Virginia
Now in its third Season, the Vienna Town Green Stage opened up on May 15th with the appearance of Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band. Forget the Nay-sayers, the Nay-Bobs, all those who negatively fought against our town ever having a public venue such as our Town Green. On Friday night, one of the biggest crowds I've ever seen at these events showed up in droves to enjoy some really good Bluegrass, made even more pleasurable by the fact that Bill Emerson is one our local, homegrown musical icons. He lives here, and for that we should be more appreciative. The audience was overflow into the grassy area behind the Freeman Store and the knoll behind the fountain. Children of all ages were everywhere - scads of them! - and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The town of Vienna has instituted a very family-friendly gathering space alongside the popular W & O.D. Bike Trail that meanders through downtown Vienna. In three years the audiences have grown and the programs provided have improved tremendously from their humble beginnings. Thanks in large part to Mayor Jane Seeman, Edythe Kelleher and her volunteers, and Vienna Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Salgado.
Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge of Hagerstown, Maryland, kick off the April Festival Weekend at Mr. B's Park in Ladysmith, Virginia this coming Thursday, April 23rd. I can't think of a better band to start the full weekend of music. This is high-power, high-mountain, take-no-prisoners Appalachian music at it's best. Ernie and Group has also instituted a new website (Welcome to the World of High-Tech, Ernie!) that is worth taking a look at. The weather predictions for this coming weekend are outstanding. For more information on admission prices and starting times, go to
and:
April, 2009
"Back in the World" - a phrase we vets often used to refer to home while we were creeping around the rice paddies of Viet Nam. Well, I'm back in the world after another whirl-wind trip to Viet Nam. How wondrous strange to go from the Huong Giang (Perfume) River in Hue to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It never fails to amaze me and I never tire of the juxtapositions in latitude and longitude. It's been a cold, uneven ease into spring here on the East Coast. I've just returned from 18 days in the extreme heat of the central region of Viet Nam. The rains were just beginning around Da Nang and the first rice crop of the year was already in the midst of harvest. I took the train from Ha Noi to Hue. As the countryside slid past from north to south, the fields assumed a more golden tint. Sections of green and golden paddy were cordoned off with meter after meter of plastic sheeting to protect the crop from rat infestation. Weed-whackers are now used to cut the endless hectares of rice-shaft - a change in the last few years from the tedious, labor intensive hand-cutting with rice-hooks. These are small changes, un-noticeable to most Viet Nam travelers, but not un-noticeable to me as I've traveled the past 21 years in this fabulous landscape.
Once again, and it seems timeless, we were four full days in the area west of Hoi An and Tam Ky known to the U.S. Marine Corps as simply "The Que Sons." The region encompasses an area about the size of two or three large U.S. counties. The western extreme is probably Hiep Duc and the governmental center is Que Son City - not exactly the garden spot of the universe, but Que Son City gives you access to Deo Le. I'd love to describe what's there, but fear doing so would open it up to every scroungy back-packer who ever thought he was leading the life of Jungle Jim in Viet Nam. At age 65 I've humped this region from grid square to grid square. If you don't know what "humped" means, stick to reading about all your friends' fantasies on the Lonely Planet website.
Krystian Tkaczewski of Tarnow, Poland appeared last night at the Embassy of Poland in the annual Celebration of the Birthday of Fryderyk Chopin. The performance was extraordinary and delighted the crowd of nearly 200 people in the main salon of the Embassy. Having attended this event for several years, I must admit that this was one of the best, in a long line of excellent pianists and musicians who've graced this venue. The 29-year old Tkaczewski is currently studying for his Doctorate in Hartford, Connecticut, and is also heavily involved in a number of international piano competitions. The list of international accomplishments at this point in his young career is phenomenal. The crowd called him back for two encores and wouldn't let him leave the room. He moved elegantly through one or two Chopin "work horses" interspersed with a number of Mazurkas, Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise op.22, and two pieces by Szymanowski. The program was prodigious, fast, with hardly any time for rests in between delivery. It was an exciting evening summed up by a reception following the performance with special dishes provided by Embassy Master Chef Adam Holewa. Embassy Cultural Counselor Mariusz Brymora, who's been a driving force behind this annual event for years announced that 2010 here in D.C. and around the U.S. will be a special year of Chopin-related events, performances, and recitals in honor of the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth.
Main Sponsors of this event: The Embassy of the Republic of Poland and The PAAA (The Polish American Arts Association of Washington, D.C.)
Above: Krystian Tkaczewski and Ed Henry.
Right: Sumptuous dinner of Polish Specialties provided by Master Chef Adam Holewa
This just in from Darren Beachley:
"We are thrilled to announce that Darren Beachley and (the recently formed) Legends of the Potomac have signed with Patuxent Records! Patuxent offers an unparalleled level of artistic control, in addition to boasting a reputation for working with some of the finest Bluegrass musicians in today's Washington, D.C. area scene. We have known Tom Mindte, creator of Patuxent Records, for years and are truly looking forward to collaborating with him. Recording is expected to begin in July 2009
In other good news, Darren will be re-releasing his first two solo projects, Remembrances and I love You to the Moon and Back on MasterShield Records."
