Strawberry Spring 2005

As I've done since 2001, thanks to Charlie Wallace, I've been attending the Strawberry Music Festival twice a year up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Yosemite.

This last Memorial Day I was able to bring up my sister and her family and share the experience. Between the six of us, we had some great musical experiences.

I had a tough go, however, with a soar throat and fever for most of the time. But thanks to a lot of rest and the pirate radio station at Strawberry, I was still able to take in some great music.

It's hard to have a bad time at Strawberry, but starting with the best performances, here's some music you should check out...

1. Kevin Welch & Kieran Kane & Fats Kaplin
GENRE: acoustic alt-country
HOOK: genuine sound, great lyrics
There's the main stage performances at Strawberry and then there's Amy's Orchid Cafe on Friday and Saturday nights. This Saturday featured a wonderful acoustic and very close up show, much like a Tree House Concert. Their show was acoustic, with three mics picking up both vocals and instruments (no cables!). I've always been a big Kevin Welch fan, but the three of them were the best experience at Strawberry.

2. Crooked Still
GENRE: bluegrass, blues, neo-traditional
HOOK: upbeat and irreverent reworking of old standards
This young band gets the award for best new find. There always seems to be a band I hear that really turns my head. In 2001 it was The Waifs, 2002 it was Tim O'Brien, 2003 was The Waybacks, 2004 was Railroad Earth. This year's band included a local angle, since the bluegrass cello was being played by Rushad Eggleston, who grew up in Big Sur and went to Carmel High School. My sister remembers him coming in to Cornucopia when she was still working there!

3. Railroad Earth
GENRE: bluegrass, jazz, folk, jam band
HOOK: Their beat is infectious and full of musical treats
Last year's best find came back again, and it was just as good. They're a mix of bluegrass and acoustic rock, and the fiddle player is something to see. Their best album is still The Good Life, but I could listen to their first recording, Black Bear Sessions, all day.

4. Eddie From Ohio
GENRE: folk rock
HOOK: funny! funny! funny!
I was so surprised by this band, having heard about them for years and never getting up to Santa Cruz to check them out at the Kuumbwa. They were definitely the funniest band in between songs and had the best stage presence. But their latest CD, This Is Me, has a least five genres on it, and each are stunning. Plus, I knew they were big fans of Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. Big points in my book.

5. Del McCoury Band
GENRE: bluegrass
HOOK: they perform with a single microphone
These guys are straight-up bluegrass and so amazing to watch. I first saw them at Strawberry in 2002, and it's still fresh. They play to single microphones and are constantly moving around gracefully as their parts come up. They play fast and fun, and I love their accents. My father's side traces back to Kentucky, so these boys are pro'ly kin!


HONORABLE MENTION
Biscuit Burners - This young bluegrass band out of North Carolina was my sister's first CD purchase at Strawberry, which totally surprised me. But they played the Birch Lake stage on Friday, so I got a good listen. Now I know why she digs 'em.

Riders in the Sky - I could only hear the show on the radio, but it sounded like so much fun. These traditional cowboy singers are such good showmen. I'm going to have to be much sicker to miss them again.


LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2005
The Strawberry Music Festival's Fall 2005 lineup looks even better, perhaps is one of the best we've ever seen. It was sold out prior to the Spring 2005 festival, AND WE MAY NOT GET TO GO! I have tickets, but our daughter Sonoma will be 3-4 weeks old at that point. I may have to hold a contest or something...