4 posts tagged “ernie bradley and grassy ridge”
23 August 09 - Lucketts, Virginia Event
"The Practitioners" arrived at Lucketts again for the 37th Annual Lucketts Fair. A yearly meeting of the true-believer Alchemists of the Bluegrass profession who come out of the hills of the region (and the Washington/Baltimore city suburbs) to brew up special concoctions of old-time string-band magic. There are Practitioners and then there are wannabees. Lucketts rarely fails in delivering two full days of strong chemistry from the Practitioners - those groups that have foresaken modernity, the easy way out, the cheap thrill, to deliver up real music without the baggage of slick packaging, stage gags, mechanical bulls, or having to swing out into the audience on ropes to make yourself known. This is entertainment the way it's supposed to be seen and heard. It's even more incredible to think that for Five bucks a day, you can listen to some of the best nationally known bluegrass Practitioners in the business of Bluegrass today.
I'm partial to Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge - I'll make that admission right now. This is one of the hardest working bands around. But right behind them is every other band that appeared on this year's roster. Each band was different in its own way, with different levels of talent, but you don't attend the Lucketts events to see shooting stars or inducted members of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame (believe me, they were there - talk about being shocked) you attend this event to immerse yourself in musical purity at the gut-level. Unadulterated vocals around one microphone. This is about the power of the voice, the words to the story, and the accompaniment of simple stringed intruments. Leave all the flowery and complicated stuff to people who wrote 19th Century Ballet music. The true believer Practitioner is born out of that simplicity of the Appalachians and mounts the stage knowing that he isn't there to hoodwink anybody out of their hard-earned pocket change - unless it's to buy a CD. Every act ends with, "Be sure and drop by our CD table and pick up our latest." Even with that I never feel cheated - it costs money to produce these things and we all know everyone is out to rape the artist who just might have the potential to make it big someday.
You know these guys are never going to get rich - the best they can hope for is deserved fame and recognition that somehow they'll be remembered long after they're gone, for carrying on a tradition that hopefully will never be forgotten by music lovers. At the root of it, the Practitioner delivers up his or her talents with the most amount of humility and honesty they can muster. That, my friends, is an appalachian tradition.
Members of Grassy Ridge tune up at the Lucketts Fair
Tom Gray of "Eastern Tradition" and bass-player Gary Cole of "Dirty River Band."
Lucketts, Virginia:
Celebrating 37 years of continuity, the annual Lucketts Fair kicks off on 22 August, 2009. This fair is about Bluegrass Music . .and then there's other stuff. There's kids' stuff. There's the usual fair-stuff. There's stuff in vendor stalls if you want to buy more stuff, and then if you attend these kinds of events just to stuff your face, there's plenty of that, too. It's mainly about the music and that's rarely a disappointment. The music tends toward the hardcore Appalachian Mountain-kind and is offered up continually throughout 22 and 23 August between 10:00 am and (around) 5:00 in the afternoon, depending upon encores. Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge and the Scott Brannon Band burned up the stage last year and both groups return this year. Here's the complete schedule:
22 August:
10:00 am The Patuxent Partners
10:50 Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge
11:40 Scott Brannon Band
12:30 Dark Hollow
1:20 The Patuxent Partners
2:10 Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge
3:00 Scott Brannon
3:50 Dark Hollow
23 August:
10:00 am Patent Pending (Gospel Set)
10:50 Skystone
11:40 Jay Armsworthy and Eastern Tradition
12:30 Iron Ridge
1:20 Patent Pending
2:10 Skystone
3:00 Jay Armsworthy and Eastern Tradition
3:50 Iron Ridge
For complete information go to www.luckettsfair.com. If you're driving from the metro D.C. area allow at least an hour to get to the fair due to traffic on Route 7 and Route 15. Parking is easy and plentiful and well-marked at the Fair site. The Fair entrance fee is actually three dollars cheaper this year! Two days of entertainment for 10 bucks? Such a Deal!
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:
For me, the Bluegrass Scene is always a surprise. It's usually pretty pleasant and worth the wait. Sometimes there's a little disappointment, but rarely. Let's take the musical aspect of what we're talking about. There are only a few basic chords and only a few harmony arrangements a person could either really blend into the most beautiful thing you've ever heard, or royally screw it up to the point where you wished the performer would get off the stage. The song has to tell a story too, that's an important part of the equation. Sometimes you keep hearing the same song over and over again, but that's OK - as long as you've perfected your presentation of it in a new and unique way (think Claire Lynch on "Wabash Cannonball"). So with a lot of anticipation of what I'd find out at the Lucketts Fair this past weekend, I was rewarded greatly.
I'd never been to the Lucketts Fair - had heard a lot about it, - stupid me that I'd missed it all these past 35 years. I drove out on Saturday dodging the traffic through Tyson's Corner, Sterling, Dranesville, Dulles Center, Landsdowne, and the rest of those featureless strip malls that have made a mockery of the northern Virginia landscape. Stop and Go. Stop and Go. and finally reached Route 15. I could calm down a bit from white-knuckling my steering wheel after thirty miles of playing dodge-'em cars with Land Rovers, Lexus and Cadillac SUV's, and mongol hordes of Soccer Mom 4-cylinder vans.(I thought there was a gas crisis?) Getting into the Fair and parking was easy due to the numerous parking volunteers and County Police on hand - God Bless Them - they did a great job handling the huge crowd that shows up for this biggest of annual events on Route 15.
The center piece of the event is the Lucketts Community Center (better known as the Old Lucketts School) and you can't miss it. The pre-1900's white, wooden, elementary school sits directly on Route 15. The most important factor in its continuing existence is Bluegrass music. There is so much going on around the school that for this particular weekend of the year the music moves outside to "The Gazebo." The performers start playing each day (Saturday and Sunday) at 10:00 a.m. and don't stop until 4:00 p.m. or a little later. A few big tents and plenty of chairs are provided so the ample audience can stay out of the sun. I have to admit that the audience is pretty much on the senior side of life, but conversations with them soon lets you know that these oldtimers are experts on the subject of 'Mountain Music' and they've come to enjoy a whole day of Mountain Music immersion. I had some amazing conversations with some real characters. These are hardcore fans who know their music and know the history of it.
Back to the pleasant surprise part - a total of eight groups played 16 sets for the weekend - admission price: $8 per day for some of the best bluegrass music you'll hear in this part of Virginia - and you get the rest of the Fair along with the basic admission price. The bands were amazing. The Scott Brannon Band ruled the day on Saturday, and wowed the crowd with his almost, laid-back way of getting into an old-time song and emotionally wringing it for all it's worth. Right behind Scott Brannon was Springfield Exit. The surprise here is the vocalizing of Linda Lay - she has one of the best voices in Bluegrass. "When I was little I listened to a lot of Dolly Parton, and I wanted to be just like Dolly," she said during one of the interludes. No you don't Linda, we're happy to listen to the voice of Linda Lay - and hope it stays that way.
I went back out on Sunday. It was hotter with less of a breeze, but thank God the humidity was low. There were even more people than Saturday, thousands of them, spread out over acres of craft stalls, activities for the kids, food tents, and a great bake sale going on in the Old School House. After Patent Pending, Flint Hollow, and Iron Ridge, Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge took control of the day. They're from Hagerstown. This is high-energy, gut-level, old string band stuff, with songs about coal mines, hard luck, and what we've come to expect out of a true Appalachian musical group. Ernie and his band were tight, straight up, and consistently had the audience in the palms of their hands. They did a highly unusual version of "Orange Blossom Special" that brought down the house. Also memorable was the song "Miners' Prayer." This group needs a record label - somebody needs to sign 'em up right now. Fortunately, they'll be back at Lucketts for the winter concert series.
Also on the Bill: The Patuxent Partners, The Company Store.
