Ticket Bargains!

If you are going to Bear Creek Music and Art Festival November 10-13, and trust me -- you should not miss this most excellent North Florida  funk extravaganza -- you might want to get your ticket this week, because you can save a little.

This Saturday (October 15), the prices increase.  This week, you can pick  up a 3-day ticket for $165, a 4-day ticket for $235 and a 5-day ticket for $255. All tickets include primitive camping at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. You'll be able to get Friday- and Saturday-only tickets at the gate for $130.

Bear Creek is a mighty musical explosion: There are seven bands scheduled on Wednesday night, four stages and 16 bands Thursday night, six stages running Friday and Saturday, and four stages running Sunday. Plus all the crazy surprises, like pop-up performances throughout the park. Here is the lineup.

Another bargain will be available at Magnolia Fest October 20-23. If you go to Magfest, you'll be able to pick up tickets the Suwanee Springfest bluegrass-newgrass March 24-27 throwdown for just $110. Here's the Springfest lineup.

A Pickers Paradise

The Tennessee Firearms Perform In the Music Hall

In its 15th year, the Suwannee Springfest festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida this past weekend delivered a fresh sound and impeccable organization.

The longtime bluegrass festival was run for the first time this year by Big IV Productions, the team of Paul Levine and Lyle Williams. The duo produce a number of music events and festivals, most notably the funkified Bear Creek festival held at Spirit of the Suwannee in the fall.

There were a lot of worries among the crowd last year that the Suwannee Springfest would change when longtime bluegrass promoters Beth and Randy Judy bowed out. But the worries were for naught. Beth and Randy were present this year, with big smiles. Both hit the stage as performers themselves.

Levine and Williams added a fresh sensibility to the lineup. They had bluegrass legends Larry Keel, David Grisman, Joe Craven, and Jesse McReynolds. They preserved festival faves Donna the Buffalo, Dread Clampitt, Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Roddenberry, Sloppy Joe, Tornado Rider, and the Mosier Brothers.

They also added hot newgrass acts -- The Avett Brothers, Emmit-Nershi Band, The Honeycutters, Danny Barnes, Steep Canyon Rangers, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Cornmeal, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled by Turtles.

The new twists came with kick-ass danceable additions like the funky horn-heavy Motet, the high-energy Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and the absolutely astonishing avant-garde Surprise Me Mr. Davis. Surprise Me Mr. Davis is a super group with singer Nathan Moore, the members of The Slip and pianist Marco Benevento. They delivered, hands down, the best shows of the weekend, and some of the best music I have heard at a festival - period.

What is beautiful is to watch this event grow in new directions while elegantly honoring the traditions that make people return year after year to see their fest families and their favorite acts. Once again, we managed to build a beautiful, loving paradise among the live oaks along the Suwannee.

You can catch some great videos from the weekend here and here and here


Here is a great song by Surprise Me Mr. Davis. Enjoy!

The Avetts!

One of the hottest acts at this year's Suwannee Springfest, The Avett Brothers, are really something to see live. They will be amazing playing in the tree-filled ampitheatre at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Here's a little show to get y'all psyched up -- Enjoy!

How Cool Is This?

You can check out all the performers who are comg to Suwannee Springfest   at this new Springfest You Tube channel. Except for the hard-to-read yellow background and light type, it's a cool idea and a great way to get psyched for a great time March 24-27 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Here's a great one from the site:

Catch This Radio Interview With Peter Rowan

Bluegrass great Peter Rowan has just done an interview with National Public Radio's Fresh Air show, so you might want to check it out at the link I just included.

We get the pleasure of hearing Rowan's soulful voice every Magnolia Fest and Springfest at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. -- I especially loved his sit-in this year with Keller & The Keels

Thank You Beth and Randy Judy

Beth and Randy Judy with Vassar Clements and his daughter, Midge

Thank you for 14 wonderful years of great music at Suwannee Springfest and Magnolia Fest. All of us fans are very grateful for your hard work !

Awesome Google Page Today

Google's cool page today is dedicated to Vivaldi, but it makes a great image for us string-lovin' festers, dontcha think? Just a few weeks before we dance to the wailing fiddles at  Springfest, y'all!

Suwannee Springfest Lineup Announced!

Suwannee Springfest at the Spirit of the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. has released its full lineup, and it is a tasty mix of top-notch singer-songwriters and progressive newgrass that'll make a fine weekend indeed. The fest happens March 25 -28. You can get tickets here.

Frenzied, fun, fantastic Slamgrass  troubadours Leftover Salmon headline. Cajun-bluegrass-jam rockers Donna The Buffalo, punkgrass Tornado Rider, high-energy Scythian, ridiculously talented Dread Clampitt and  the new Nashville band 18 South (with killer guitarist Guthrie Trapp), members of The Duhks, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band  and the Mosier Brothers will keep it stepping.

The roster of singer-songwriters is impressive.  Jonathan Edwards hits Suwannee for the first time. Also  Robert Earl Keen,  bring tears-to-your-eyes Verlon Thompson, Joe Craven, Jim Lauderdale, Roy Book Binder, Grant Peeples arnd the New 76ers, Peter Rowan, and Gatorbone Trio.


Also new to Springfest this year is Ruthie Foster, who was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category for her record “The Truth According To Ruthie Foster.”

You can't beat the camping at this beautiful park and the crowd is just beautiful!

Four Good Shows in Tallahassee This Weekend

Grayton Beach's Newgrass pickers Dread Clampitt play at the new Stinky's Fish Camp on Highway 90, which is located in a strip mall east of Capital Circle that used to house the Tallahassee Car Museum (how Floridian is that, directions based on what USED to be there -- a truism my friend noticed is that every direction given in the South includes "where the Winn Dixie used to be")

Anyway, Stinky's is at 6725 Mahan Drive, in the old site of the Rose and Thorn pub. Show starts at 9 or 10.Dread Clampiptt will be playing next month at Suwannee Springfest in Live Oak.

Gainesville Afro-beat awesome band 3rd Stone plays at The Engine Room Saturday night as well.These guys  play Bear Creek Music and Art Festival and the Farm to Family Full Moon festivals outside Gainesville. You can get a taste of their sound at their website. 

Folk-rock experimental  band Akron/Family, with its soaring harmonies and otherworldly sound, plays at  9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Club Downunder, in the FSU Student Union. Warpaint opens. Tickets are $12 general public and free for FSU students with valid ID. For more, visit http://unionproductions.org/


Finally, reggae supergroup John Brown's Body plays the Engine Room Sunday night, doors open at 9. The bill also includes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Tomorrow's Bad Seeds. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 day of show.

Suwannee Springfest Early Bird Tix Still Available!

Early bird tickets --- at $126, up from $99 last year --- for Suwannee Springfest are available until Jan. 31. It happens March 25-28 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak. Fl. (Paradise.) Kids under 12 are free, thank you very much.

This fest is heavy on newgrass as usual, with Cajun-influenced jam band Donna The Bufffalo and high-energy slamgrass faves Leftover Salmon (celebrating their 20th year) headlining. (You can read all about Leftover Salmon, listen to their music, and get special free downloads at Jambase) The insane Tornado Rider will also play, the incomparable Peter Rowan, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

I am LOVING Springfest newcomers  18 South, (check out their mind-blowing cover of the Blind Boys of Alabama song "Run On") steppy, fun, Little-featish-Lyle-Lovett sound which has hot, hot, hot guitarist (and hell of a nice guy) Guthrie Trapp (who played with Dread Clampitt a bunch last year, and hot singer-songwriter Jessi Alexander, who is a good singer (and yes, she co-wrote Miley Cyrus' hit "The Climb." ) I'm pretty sure that's the only time you'll ever see Miley Cyrus in festgrrl's blog.


The Duhks, a young Canadian string band with a world-beat vibe, has broken up. Their cool and ridiculously talented fiddle player, Tania Elizabeth, has left the band. Duhks banjo player Leonard Podolok will be at Springfest with a new project, The Turtle Duhks, and former Duhks lead singer Jessee Havey will be there with The Jessee Havey project. Should be interesting, but I will really, really miss Tania Elizabeth. I still remember her amazing performances a few years ago when she was the only member of the band able to cross the Canadian border due to some bureacratic problem. She sat in with EVERYONE and absolutely killed it. Good luck Tania and hope we see you again soon!!


Here's Suwannee Springfest's lineup announcement:

"More than 30 of the finest performers in Americana & Roots Music will appear on the festival’s five stages with nearly 100 individual performances & workshops to be scheduled.


Leftover Salmon will make a rare Florida appearance Saturday evening at Suwannee Springfest in celebration of their 20th year performing together as a band. Salmon defined the contemporary Colorado bluegrass/newgrass sound which influenced groups like String Cheese Incident and later Yonder Mountain String Band. Their high-energy sets at festivals like Telluride Bluegrass, High Sierra, Merlefest and others helped to establish the band and those events’ reputation as well.

Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keene comes to Suwannee Springfest on the heels of his recent CD “The Rose Hotel” which held the #1 position on the Americana airplay charts for several weeks.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band will bring the funk to Thursday evening. Donna the Buffalo will rock the Suwannee Springfest stage for the 13th time beginning on Friday (they were not at the very first Suwannee Springfest).

Peter Rowan is marking his 14th Suwannee Springfest maintaining his role as the Festival Patriarch. Veteran bluesman Roy Book Binder also maintains a perfect reco rd as he performs for the 14th time. 2010 Blues Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster will bring her sultry tones to Springfest on Saturday. Mr. Get Your Mag On Jim Lauderdale, another Grammy nominee as well as multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven will appear on Saturday and Sunday.

Suwannee Springfest will also present several exciting new projects from other Americana favorites. While the Duhks take a brief hiatus, band leader Leonard Podalak is featuring his trio, The Turtle Duhks. And a brand new project featuring former original Duhks vocalist Jessee Havey will debut at the festival, too. Blueground Undergrass is also on hiatus, so Rev Mosier, Johnny Mo and David B will treat us to the new adventures of The Mosier Brothers with David Blackmon.

Another powerhouse new Americana band with deep bluegrass roots appearing is 18 South. The organic and earthy quality of their sound rings with overtones of Blues, Bluegrass, Jazz and Gospel. Larry Atamanuik and Mike Bub hold down a deep and unmovable groove behind Jimmy Wallace's rich vocals and slamming New Orleans Style Piano that in turn gives Guthrie Trapp the opportunity to freely express his fluid and versatile guitar style. With Jon Randall's mournful tenor vocals and solid guitar playing, the band provides a perfect venue for Jessi Alexander to nail the audience to the wall with her smoky heart wrenching vocals.

A young Louisiana group with a bluegrass background, The Belleville Outfit comes to the festival after a nomination for an Americana Music Association award last year. And pure bluegrass will be represented on the bill by The Steeldrivers and their popular new songs.

Expect the unexpected with Tornado Rider bringing smiles to all on the Amphitheater Stage on Thursday night and don’t miss the Emerald Coast favorite sons Dread Clampitt on Friday.

More acts will be added soon. For complete information, visit the Suwannee Springfest Lineup Page on MagMusic.com."