Please, I beg of you, do NOT inflict that on anyone. Some joker showed up with a saw to a jam over the past year. Believe me, the novelty wore mighty thin mighty fast.
I’ve been to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival four times so I’ve seen a lot of these bands.
I agree with Exapno Mapcase and Cachalot, Béla Fleck is a fantastic musician and I’ve seen the Flecktones at least a dozen times, with Jeff Coffin and with Howard Levy.
I’ve seen Béla play jazz with Chick Corea twice, once at Telluride.
I’ve seen Béla play his Imposter Concerto with the Denver Symphony Orchestra.
I’ve seen Béla twice with his Africa Project.
I’ve seen Béla with his wife Abigail Washburn- all banjos, all night!
I’ve seen Béla with the Sparrow Quartet at Telluride (one of Abby’s projects).
I’ve seen Béla with the Sam Bush Band on New Year’s Eve- opening act, Uncle Earl (Abby’s band before she went solo).
Béla plays at Telluride every year, so I’ve seen him more than once with the Telluride House Band- Béla, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan and Bryan Sutton.
I can’t say that I’m particularly knowledgeable about bluegrass specifically, but I’ll enjoy pretty much anything with a fiddle in it.
I think this is OT adjacent, whatever it is.
Another bluegrass enjoyer, some of my favorites are Jimmy Martin, Del McCoury, Patty Loveless, and The Steeldrivers.
I bet that really was a good show!! Advertising was really pushing “with Jerry Douglas”…was he good? (pedal steel player)
I couldn’t get time off for that show . SB Bowl such a cool venue. Saw Mr Strings there a few years back and caught up on the “new” style of bluegrass. Loud and crazy!!! My head rang for a few days.
Jerry has been playing with her for decades. The billing is a legal deal because he gets a bigger share. He never disappoints.
The SB Bowl is ten minutes from my house. I’m there a lot. Great venue.
I am gonna “out” myself… I LOVE BANJO… ok, to be real I love all strings…
I especially like polyethnicslamgrass…
forgot to post link
YES! Meeeee! And I’m a heavy metal freak from the '80s.
Sierra Hull is THE MOST GIFTED mandolinist out there. Roll over, Big Bill, it’s her, hands down. Listen to 25 Trips album and the earlier hit “Best Buy”.
Also The Gibson Brothers’ “Where Nobody Knows My Name” is my all-time fave. Not to mention the Infamous Stringdusters, Molly Tuttle (although a little too religious for me sometimes) and The Boxcars.
I’ve been to IBMA Awards and festival five times-- once in Nashville, the rest in Raleigh, NC. It’s in Nashville this year. GO!
Jerry is best known as a Dobro player, although it wouldn’t surprise me if he played pedal steel well too. Decades ago I was playing for tips in a cafe when Jerry Douglas came in for dinner, and he left $20 in my tip jar. This was in Bristol TN/VA, the Birthplace of Country Music.
Last night’s concert featured *the McLain Family Band".
Ruth McLain Smith has been around the local jamboree for a while, but this was not the first time that she brought some of her family along.
They were great.
Another performer/group that I have actually paid money to hear was Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. I’d heard him before , usually with a buddy, but a couple years ago he came to a theater near(ish) us, and was even more incredible with his band onstage.
He is an amazing talent. But in terms of my personal preferences, a lot of what he does falls more in the category of, “Wow - that is amazing!” than, “Gee, that is really enjoyable to listen to and really showcases that tune.”
That is a fair comment. He is a very intense form of awesome.
I don’t know about that act but I agree with your sentiment. This isn’t limited to bluegrass. Sometimes the virtuosity dampens the soul.
Not bluegrass but Jake Shimabukuro is an example of that.
I knew the name Billy Strings and knew that he had just toured Australia and New Zealand but had never listened to him. A movie I was watching last night, Everybody Wants Some, has a segment featuring the Pink Floyd song Fearless as the topic of conversation.
Later, when I went to listen to it on YouTube I spotted a Billy Strings cover. I then got several more things of his. He is certainly a wonderful player and has put together a superb band.
I looked up his 4 recent gigs down here on Setlists and was amazed to see that, although they did 26 or 27 songs each night, I could only spot one song that they did twice.