A family of torning bluegrass musicians decided to lease a barn (which already had seating from its previous life as a melodrama theater) in Kansas and turn it into a music venue.
Born in a barn | lawrence.com, 6/24/07: "He lists the things the Bluegrass Barn Theater has going for it:
• There are 1,000 campsites at Perry Lake, with no other entertainment options.
• Topeka and Lawrence are only a half-hour away, with other smaller towns even closer.
• Bluegrass fans traditionally travel a long way for festivals. With gasoline prices increasing, they might look for options closer to home."
Showing posts with label bluegrass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bluegrass. Show all posts
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Mixing country genres
Here's an interesting review of the first day of the Stagecoach Festival and the challenge of getting audiences to come for both modern country, and traditional country, alt-country, and bluegrass.
Although I wasn't there (friends including The Railbenders and Angie Stevens were -- the text message I got from Angie watching Willie Nelson was "Wow"), I'm going to guess it's just growing pains. Other festivals are able to successfully mix genres and this one will likely do so too as its reputation spreads.
Orange County Register, 5/6/07 - A hootenanny divided: "There were those who came to spend the day - the whole day, from noon till 11 p.m. - clogging up the Empire Polo Field by sitting in their camping chairs at the main (aka Mane) stage, patiently waiting for stoic cowboy icons Alan Jackson and George Strait to perform. ...
Out of roughly 25,000 attendees, this group accounted for at least 20,000. And they seemed to have a big boozy blast, because they had exactly the county-fair kinda day they had hoped for. ...
... some music lovers who came to this hoping for a completely different festival - a diverse, all-inclusive, history-appreciating bash....
Yet these people at most accounted for 5,000 of the total attendance. Spread them out among three stages and their numbers seemed even smaller.
... the overall failure to bridge gaps between these two camps, alt-country fans and the Nashville-controlled crowd, suggests that Goldenvoice's dream of a cross-pollinating über-country fest is a ways away from becoming a reality."
Although I wasn't there (friends including The Railbenders and Angie Stevens were -- the text message I got from Angie watching Willie Nelson was "Wow"), I'm going to guess it's just growing pains. Other festivals are able to successfully mix genres and this one will likely do so too as its reputation spreads.
Orange County Register, 5/6/07 - A hootenanny divided: "There were those who came to spend the day - the whole day, from noon till 11 p.m. - clogging up the Empire Polo Field by sitting in their camping chairs at the main (aka Mane) stage, patiently waiting for stoic cowboy icons Alan Jackson and George Strait to perform. ...
Out of roughly 25,000 attendees, this group accounted for at least 20,000. And they seemed to have a big boozy blast, because they had exactly the county-fair kinda day they had hoped for. ...
... some music lovers who came to this hoping for a completely different festival - a diverse, all-inclusive, history-appreciating bash....
Yet these people at most accounted for 5,000 of the total attendance. Spread them out among three stages and their numbers seemed even smaller.
... the overall failure to bridge gaps between these two camps, alt-country fans and the Nashville-controlled crowd, suggests that Goldenvoice's dream of a cross-pollinating über-country fest is a ways away from becoming a reality."
Sunday, April 01, 2007
More on the Crooked Road
Heritage music tourism at its finest.
ContraCostaTimes.com | 04/01/2007 | Fiddles, banjos, a beat: It's Virginia bluegrass: "As author Joe Wilson explains in 'A Guide to the Crooked Road,' bluegrass got its start on the eastern shores of Virginia when violins carried over by European settlers were first played alongside banjos brought by African slaves. This Colonial-era fiddle-and-banjo music eventually moved west to the Appalachians, mingling with the traditional songs of the Scots-Irish and Germans traveling through the Shenandoah Valley. Some of these travelers stuck around, and their descendants play songs passed down through the years, each generation keeping the sound fresh with modern interpretations...
What's so special about the Friday Night Jamboree [in Floyd, VA]? For starters, $3 gets you four bands in four hours -- a musical mix typically kicking off with a beat-the-devil gospel set that primes the mixed-age crowd for the dancing and instrumental wizardry to come. Then there's the quality of the music. Everyone in town seems to be a musician, the descendant of a musician or at least good friends with somebody who plays banjo. Finally, there's the crowd, which often spills out into the street. Since 'granny rules' are in place -- no drinking, smoking or abusive language -- everyone's here for the sheer love of bluegrass."
virginia
crooked road
tourism
bluegrass
ContraCostaTimes.com | 04/01/2007 | Fiddles, banjos, a beat: It's Virginia bluegrass: "As author Joe Wilson explains in 'A Guide to the Crooked Road,' bluegrass got its start on the eastern shores of Virginia when violins carried over by European settlers were first played alongside banjos brought by African slaves. This Colonial-era fiddle-and-banjo music eventually moved west to the Appalachians, mingling with the traditional songs of the Scots-Irish and Germans traveling through the Shenandoah Valley. Some of these travelers stuck around, and their descendants play songs passed down through the years, each generation keeping the sound fresh with modern interpretations...
What's so special about the Friday Night Jamboree [in Floyd, VA]? For starters, $3 gets you four bands in four hours -- a musical mix typically kicking off with a beat-the-devil gospel set that primes the mixed-age crowd for the dancing and instrumental wizardry to come. Then there's the quality of the music. Everyone in town seems to be a musician, the descendant of a musician or at least good friends with somebody who plays banjo. Finally, there's the crowd, which often spills out into the street. Since 'granny rules' are in place -- no drinking, smoking or abusive language -- everyone's here for the sheer love of bluegrass."
virginia
crooked road
tourism
bluegrass
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Teaching bluegrass in schools to promote tourism
Printer-Friendly Version: The Rocky Mount Town Council "is urging local colleges to include bluegrass and traditional mountain music in their music-department curriculum, alongside jazz and classical music.
"The council sent its suggestion in a letter mailed to nearby Ferrum College, Patrick Henry Community College in neighboring Henry County, and Southwest Virginia Community College in Roanoke....
[Mayor Steve] Angle acknowledged the council also has ulterior motives: Rocky Mount is the easternmost point on Virginia's increasingly popular Crooked Road, a 250-mile driving trail through Southwest Virginia that links sundry bluegrass venues under one marketing campaign. The council, Angle said, hopes to increase knowledge of the Crooked Road by enlisting the colleges to spur interest in bluegrass."
Virginia
crooked road
tourism
bluegrass
economic development
"The council sent its suggestion in a letter mailed to nearby Ferrum College, Patrick Henry Community College in neighboring Henry County, and Southwest Virginia Community College in Roanoke....
[Mayor Steve] Angle acknowledged the council also has ulterior motives: Rocky Mount is the easternmost point on Virginia's increasingly popular Crooked Road, a 250-mile driving trail through Southwest Virginia that links sundry bluegrass venues under one marketing campaign. The council, Angle said, hopes to increase knowledge of the Crooked Road by enlisting the colleges to spur interest in bluegrass."
Virginia
crooked road
tourism
bluegrass
economic development
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