Thursday
Chis Thile - Normally he plays with Nickel Creek but this was just him playing mandolin solo. Very different just to hear the mandolin by itself, with him singing on some songs. He's very good and we'd hear him again playing with Nickel Creek and other acts.
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen - These guys were good. I'd never heard them before but I really liked them. More or less traditional.
The Long Bellow - Also a good act, but not one that I was particularly entranced by. I think I took some time to head back to camp for a bit.
John Cowan, John McFee and Friends - I missed this one when I headed back to camp to change into warmer clothes.
Del McCoury Band - Okay, these guys are the traditional bluegrass band. The music was absolutely top-notch. They were just so good. Sam Bush came out and played with them and he calls Del the King of Bluegrass. Certainly he's one of the few old-timers still around at 75 years old. If you've ever heard Larry the Cable Guy, you've heard Del. I'm convinced Del is where Larry the Cable Guy developed his voice. Way too funny! He's got that same funny sense of humor too. But the music - very legit. These guys were a highlight of the weekend.
Nickel Creek - These guys are as edgy as Del McCoury is traditional, but I'm a convert. I loved what they played. I've since grabbed some of their music on Spotify and I love all of it too. They take bluegrass style and apply it so differently to their original music that is something you've not heard before, but it's just lovely, happy music. Complex too. They had not recorded together for about six years I believe they said. Chris Thile plays with them and now you can hear that mandolin tied with the rest of the group. Just awesomeness.
Brandi Carlile - The last show of the night, but we didn't stay for more than one or two songs. Just not my style. They turned up the volume and her style was more rock/folk than bluegrass in my opinion. She has her followers, but I'm not one of them.
Tom Clark
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at Intellitect, living in Spokane, Washington. I also do a little development work on the side. And I love riding motorcycles all over the country with my friends.
