Suwannee Springfest: Warm Sun and Hot Strings

The all-girl band, Della Mae, was a standout. festgrrl photo.

There are two maxims to always keep in mind when it comes to music festivals: One: Don’t stay home just because there’s a bad weather forecast; and Two: Never miss a Sunday show.

Both proved true for Suwannee Springfest 2016. The heavy rains forecast daily did not show up (save for a brief rain before dawn on Saturday which vanquished weekend dust.) We basked in stellar North Florida spring weather throughout the weekend. And on Sunday,  Keller Williams Grateful Grass was one of the best shows of the weekend. Here’s a taste of that loveliness:  

This was the 20^th year for Suwannee Springfest, and it always draws some of the best string players in the country. This year’s standouts were the Del McCoury Band, the John Stickley Trio

Jon Stickley Trio. Josh Webster photo.

and the Infamous Stringdusters, who turned out to be the weekend’s hard-working utility players, sitting in with numerous acts and backing Keller Williams for the Grateful Grass set.

The Infamous Stringdusters. festgrrl photo.

The MCourys. Josh Webster photo.

Some up-and-coming acts showed up at Suwannee with some fast-picking newgrass energy, including Cabinet, Fruition, Grandpa’s Cough Medicine, Taylor Martin’s Engine, Two Foot Level, The Virginia Daredevils, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, and the Rumpke Mountain Boys. Springfest veterans Quartermoon and Sloppy Joe were a treat.

Fruition. festgrrl photo.

Springfest’s organizers also showcased a nice mix of Americana acts featuring strong female vocalists, including Nora Jean Struthers, The Broadcast, Nikki Talley, the Habanero Honeys, Grits & Soul, and Canary in the Coalmine. The international touring all-girl bluegrass band Della Mae knocked it out of the park with every performance and had the crowd buzzing long after their shows ended.

Nikki Talley. festgrrl photo.

On Thursday night, North Carolina’s Jon Stickley Trio created alternately atmospheric and foot-stomping magic to an enthusiastic Thursday night crowd, and Stickley and fiddler extraordinaire Lyndsay Pruett did their share of memorable sit-ins in the days afterward, too.

Friday night was a powerhouse string of shows, with Jeff Austin Band, Brandi Carlile, Jon Prine, and Railroad Earth holding down the main stages. It was a very emotional evening. I’m a big Carlile fan, and I found her performance spellbinding and soulful. Judging by the crowd’s rapt attention, I was not the only one. You can check it out here, thanks to our SELFLESS TAPER FRIENDS: 

After Carlile’s show, singer-songwriter legend Jon Prine, now nearing 70, took the ampitheater stage. His show was a revelation, with the crowd showing  hushed devotion and hanging on every word of Prine’s poignant musical tales. You could hear a pin drop. That show reminded me of Lyle Lovett’s Suwannee jaw-dropping ampitheater performance a couple of years ago. I am not sure this video does it justice, but here it is thanks to our SELFLESS TAPER FRIENDS:

The evening was brought home nicely late-night by bluegrass stalwarts Railroad Earth, which had the crowd boogying happily under the stars.

Bright and sunny Saturday we were busy butterflies, darting from stage to stage, with breaks for campsite picking.   

The ampitheater stage. festgrrl photo.

festgrrl photo.

Vocal powerhouse Nikki Bluhm took the ampitheater stage around Happy Hour with her band The Gramblers. Don’t miss a chance to see Nicki Bluhm.  Set highlights included her catchy hit, “Little Too Late” as well as a great cover of Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.”

A fast-picking traditional bluegrass set followed by legend Del McCoury and his family band before Prine took the stage to make us all laugh and cry. Roots-rockers Donna the Buffalo held down the late-night slot presiding over a dance frenzy of their fans ("the herd") as only this quirky hippie band can.

Nikki Bluhm. Josh Webster photo.

On Sunday, Bluhm returned to the stage with Keller Williams and the Infamous Stringdusters and covered Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.” Grace Slick vocals aren't easy to pull off, but Bluhm nailed it. 

I was sorry she didn’t break out “Bird Song” during the Grateful Grass set, because she absolutely kills that song. See it hear:

All in all it was a love-filled weekend, if a bit hard for this writer since the sudden,tragic loss of a great musician and friend, Kenny Oliviero of Dread Clampitt, just days before. Beth Judy, co-founder of the festival, did a brief memorial reading for Kenny, a bass player and singer who graced those stages many times over the years.

Heartfelt love also went out to Springfest co-founder Randy Judy, who is battling back  from a serious stroke in Jacksonville. Special props to Jim Lauderdale, who performed a moving a Capella gospel tune after the words for Kenny and Randy were spoken.

As Lauderdale performed, I thought of a favorite Dread Clampitt song Kenny wrote, and recited these lyrics in my head as I watched the Spanish moss sway in the breeze.

"The world's so full of hate and retribution/and the light of love seems so far away/the best a man can do/is just keep on pushing through/and smile at the people that you pass along the way!"

Here's smiling at you!

Jim Lauderdale. festgrrl photo.