The grounds of KC Campground, Milan, Michigan are already filling with campers. There is room for more, but this is as large an early crowd as I have seen. Here is the view to the northeast of our camper at noon, Wednesday.
And here this is what it looks like to northwest at the same time.
You should all come on out, a great line-up is in store. We expect typical Michigan August weather, hot, humid, and maybe an afternoon showers or two.
For many years, the Oakland Community College Bluegrass Series has been a highlight of our dark, Detroit area winters. Last spring Oakland Community College (OCC) announced it was ending support for all performing arts, effectively ending the concerts.
Tom Laing, who has assisted the College staff with talent selection, was very disappointed. Greg Cahill of Special Consensus has described Tom as, “A great supporter of Bluegrass”, and Tom proved himself as such, springing into action. Tom and wife Barb have collected signatures in support of the series, and started a mailing list of interest people. He also began investigation into other venues in which the series could be presented.
Tom Laing receives thanks and a memento of appreciation from OCC’s Velma Jones at the final OCC bluegrass concert on May 14, 2010.
In a recent communication from Tom, we learn the following concerning the status of the OCC Series and possible alternative locations:
I met July 27th with Chancellor Dr. Timothy Meyer. I was encouraged by the meeting as he is a bluegrass fan and attended one of our concerts last season. It was a completely pleasant visit.
He has invited me to meet with one of their chief accountants to review the past six years’ financial data I developed which shows a positive balance sheet.
Thanks to several members of our bluegrass audience, we are pursuing four other sites as alternates, if necessary. These are located in Royal Oak, Trenton, Taylor, and Waterford.
I will soon survey each of you by email as to which of these locations you would attend if a move from OCC is required.
Thank you for your loyalty and continued support. Stay tuned!!
Tom Laing
I suggest everyone support Tom in his efforts. If you want to be added to Tom’s list and keep up to date on his progress on this issue, use my contact link to send me your e-mail address, which I will forward to Tom.
We ventured over to Ann Arbor last Thursday, July 8, 2010 to see Dailey & Vincent. As I anticipated, it was a high powered show: powerful vocals, powerful instrumentals, impressive stage presence, a truly great experience for the audience. Attention to detail, in singing and presentation, is the hallmark of a Dailey & Vincent performance. The Cracker Barrel Logo sat atop vertical pedestal displaying the band name, “Dailey & Vincent”; the background color matches the cover of the band’s current CD, available only at Cracker Barrel. Jamie Daily mentioned that the band’s relationship to Cracker Barrel is about to be extended to the bus. Watch for a rolling Cracker Barrel logo at a show near you!
We took our 11 year old grandson along, and he really enjoyed the show. He especially mentioned the “bass singer”, who could sing “real low”. The last time we saw D&V, Christian Davis was new to the group, and just settling in. He now seems to be a comfortable part of the group, adding a little humor to the act along with his great bass vocals.
Christian Davis
On the other end of the vocal range, Jamie Dailey is a finely tuned performer. Like a batter at the plate, he spreads his feet about shoulder width, stands straight and square, and belts it out. Darrin Vincent is one of the best harmony singer you will see out there, and also sings some great lead. Jeff Parker, and Joe Dean, Jr., add complementary vocals. Jesse Stockman plays the fiddle, Dean the banjo and guitar, Parker the mandolin and guitar. Dailey plays guitar, and played bass on one song, Vincent plays bass, but can play anything stage. He treated us to a tune on the archtop guitar during the show, it was much appreciated. Davis strummed a guitar on some selections, in what appears to the a concession to the bluegrass way. I really noticed no weakness in this group, the song selection, and the presentation.
L-R: Jesse Stockman, Jeff Parker, Jamie Dailey, Darrin Vincent, Christian Davis, Joe Dean, Jr.
I try to pick my favorite of Papa’s photos when I post about a group of photos, and it is always a challenge. Today, it is this one of Joe Dean.
You will want to see check out a Dailey and Vincent performance when they are in your area. The rest of Papa’s pictures are in the gallery.
I was flattered several weeks ago, when Tipper, of The Blind Pig and the Acorn, asked me to write a guest post for her blog. To lay the groundwork, let me tell you a bit about Tipper, and her blog. Tipper’s writing focuses on Appalachian culture, her art work, and the music her family makes. She offers a view of life in her section of Appalachia, a place secure and familiar to her, but perhaps not as familiar to some of her readers.
I have been reading Tipper’s blog for quite some time, it was suggested to me by one of my genealogy blogging buddies, Apple. Apple writes the very interesting Apple’s Tree. Ya gotta hand it to her, her creative title beats the dickens out of “Granny’s Genealogy”.
One thing that you learn very quickly after you begin blogging is about the community of bloggers, based on common interests and goals. Thus, it does not seem to much a stretch that a fellow genealogist might also read my personal blog, note my interest in music, and suggest I would enjoy Tipper’s blog. Enjoy it I do; especially like her Appalachian Vocabulary Test posts. Language is an important part of how we live, and tells a lot about us, our culture and our feelings. It has been interesting for me to see how many of the phrases used in Tipper’s neck of the woods also are used, or have been used by people in Michigan.
In addition, there are many things about the rural life in the Appalachians which have parallels to my own small town and rural Michigan home. That place where I lived for over forty years, and raised my children, is never far from me, and is very responsible for who I am. I do not see a lot of difference from the rural experience from one place in the country to another; or perhaps I especially notice the similarities between Tipper’s Appalachian world and my northern Michigan home.
Back to the guest post, what an honor to be asked to write about music, especially about the music of the mountains. Papa and I have spent a substantial part of our forty-year marriage following, listening to, and learning about folk music. Bluegrass is our favorite, but we would have never heard any bluegrass without the folk movement of the ’60′s, which helped spread string band and bluegrass music to a wider audience.
For the post, I chose to relate a little of how a girl from northern Michigan could have heard or found an interest in the music tradition of the Appalachians , and to include interviews with two gentleman who are involved in keeping the music alive. A tip of the hat to Big Mike Ramsey (Son!) and Dr. Everett Lilly, of the Songcatchers, who both generously assisted me, put up with my pestering and questions, and gave me some insight into their efforts to bring the music of Appalachia to a wider audience.
Now, the best part, my post is part of a series on the Music of Appalachia, and there is a big giveaway to go along with the series. I know you are going to want to enter to win the beautiful guitar Tipper is giving away as a part of it all. So hop on over to The Blind Pig and the Acorn this morning, and give my little effort a read, leave a comment. Then, enter to win the guitar, and continue to drop by Tipper’s blog often.
Thanks to Tipper, to Big Mike, to Dr. Lilly, and to all of you who will rush over, read my post, discover Tipper’s great writing, and enter to win the guitar!
We are headed up to Waterford to see J.D. Crowe tonight. I looked around the yard to see if I had anything to take up to our friend, Matt, and this is what I found:
Really that picture is after I removed what I needed. Here is what I had after I picked and gave a bunch away.
Something is in the oven.
Travel safe, guys.
Crazy happenings in my cyber world, and I will probably never understand them, so why try? I noticed this morning that my Count down timer on the sidebar had disappeared. Looked at the administration page and could not find it in the plugins. DRAT! So I downloaded, reinstalled and activated it. Funny, all my events were still there, even though the plugin directory had been missing. It must save the events somewhere in the MySQL database. In spite of my annoyance, I did learn something from that.
I am preparing for a trip out to New York. It is dual purpose trip, I will be seeing my cousins, and doing a bunch of genealogical research. Papa is not making this trip with me, for a couple of reasons. I will miss him, we do not spend much time apart. I plan will sleep in a little, take a few pictures, hit all the libraries, cemeteries and courthouses that I can, and enjoy the journey. I did find a couple of bluegrass concerts in the area, not sure if I will be taking advantage of those or not.
I have a place to stay, people to see, a packed suitcase, computer bag, and other essentials ready to go. I am grateful that Papa and our daughters will be here to hold down the fort. I am a little apprehensive, since they may find that I really don’t do much around the house. We shall see.
In the meantime, head over to one of two fine bluegrass events scheduled for this weekend. We will be attending an appearance by J.D. Crowe at the Waterford campus of Oakland County Community College on Friday night. I am excited since this will be the first time we have seen our friend, Matt, with the group.
The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association is hosting MayFest Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds in Lowell, Michigan. The Chapmans are headlining the show. You can find out more on the West Michigan site.
The season is here, support live music!
We made a quick trip to Cadillac, Michigan on Saturday, May 8, and combined a Mother’s Day visit with a trip out to the Gopherwood Concert Series. On Stage: Detour Bluegrass. Gopherwood concerts are held at the Elks Club in downtown Cadillac. Jeff Rose said it was is funky to play bluegrass under the Elk heads. Our friend Jimmy, who is the Detour sound man, said it is hard to control the sound in the oddly shaped old room and high ceilings. I think most of the bands we have seen lately would love to play to a crowd on 200+ in a third floor room of an old downtown building.
(L-R Peter Knupfer, Kevin Gaugier, Jeff Rose, Missy Armstrong, Zak Bunce, Scott Zylstra)
Detour’s Jeff Rose traces his family roots to Kentucky, like so many Michigan pickers. I remember him singing and playing at the Wheatland Music Festival, more years ago that I will admit. The folk music movement in northern Michigan grew in, around, and out of Wheatland, which continues to present diverse acoustic and roots music to a large audience. Rose’s solid song writing is the foundation of the Detour sound.
Zak Bunce and his sister Rachel Davis performed with their family band, Lake Effect, at Wheatland and all across the area for many years. They began at a young age and just grew up singing and playing. Jeff Rose said Zak, “Grew up under our feet”. It was great to see his Mom, Tiyi Schippers introduce Detour, and watch her “proud Mom” smile on Mother’s Day weekend.
There is no weak link in this band, Peter, Kevin and Scott combine with Jeff and Zak to provide strong instrumentals which are on par with any national touring band. Missy Armstrong just joined the band; that addition pumped up the harmony vocals and added another great lead vocal. Detour is riding high, the Jeff Rose penned “My Life Just Ain’t a Bluegrass Song”, from their latest release is #30 on the WAMU Bluegrass Unlimited top 30 count down. That is quite an accomplishment for a band playing for broad, acoustic audiences, mostly in Michigan. I love the band’s sound that never leaves tradition far behind. Make no mistake, this is a very good band.
You can check Detour out on MySpace, when you do, listen to Wilene’s Waltz. That is my current favorite, Peter’s fiddle just flows out and surrounds me. The rest of our photos are in the gallery.
On Saturday, May 8, 2010 Detour Bluegrass will appear as part of the Gopherwood Concert Series in Cadillac, MI. Gopherwood concerts are held in the Cadillac Elks, 122 S. Mitchell St. There is parking in the rear near the elevator. According to the series website:
At this time our online ticket sales have been suspended due to technical difficulties. We apologize for the inconvenience. Advance tickets can be purchased at Toy town in downtown Cadillac, or by calling 231-775-2813. Also, we have changed our ticket price structure. Student prices are now for kids age 13-20. Children 12 and under are FREE. We hope this will encourage you to come out to a Gopherwood show, and also help introduce your children to a wide variety of great music.
Detour, L-R Peter Knupfer, Kevin Gaugier, Jeff Rose, Zak Bunce, Scott Zylstra
photo from Pickin on CF, © 2009 CandidPix.info
Detour is an excellent band, one of few Michigan based outfits currently receiving national airplay and chart action on an album. Detour recently added singer/guitarist Missy Armstrong to their line-up, and we are anxious to hear her with the group.
You can hear music from the latest Detour CD on their MySpace page.
Val Smith packs a ton of energy and power into her performances. She will appear with her band Liberty Pike Friday night at the Springfield High School Theater, Holland, Ohio. Showtime is 7 p.m. The address of the school is: 1470 S. McCord Rd., Holland, OH 43528.
Valerie plays music that pushes beyond traditional bluegrass; her music which is pleasing and surprising and a nice sort of way.
The current members of her band are (L-R) the beautiful and talented Rebekah Long, the fabulous Becky Buller, and the equally talented but not quite as beautiful Ernie Evans. Kentucky Border, A band featuring Ernie’s brother Gil Evens on bass, will open the show.
Nothin’ Fancy (www.nothinfancybluegrass.com) hits the stage at Lila Jones Theater, Oakland Community College, Royal Oak Campus Friday, April 22, 2010. Although there is another concert remaining in the series, this will be the last bluegrass performance in Royal Oak this year. The May appearance by J.D. Crowe will be on the Waterford campus.
We first saw Nothin’ Fancy years ago at Jekyll Island, when they were a more regional band. Hard work and persistence has brought them to wider audiences. More recently, the group appeared at the City of Auburn Hills festival in September, 2009, where this photo was taken.
Nothin’ Fancy adds a little humor to some powerful playing and singing in their shows. I hope you will be able to come out a support this fine concert series on Friday.
