Papa and I headed south last Friday morning, and ended up in Wilmington, Ohio. Joe Mullins and his family hosted the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, a great destination for bluegrass fans. I am ever so glad we made the trip.
On December 12, 2006, I made a post about the death of Dempsey Young. Just a few short weeks later, I posted again concerning Lost & Found. Most of us did not expect to see the band again soon. They were scheduled to play at Jekyll Island, but we thought Allen might cancel. However, the first table we saw in the vendor area at Jekyll Island that year was Allen’s. When the band took the stage, many of us in the audience were crying. We spoke with people who had come to the show from Dempsey’s church to support the band, and everyone was amazed at Allen’s determination to continue. Papa went up to take a picture, and came back crying; he reported that Allen was singing with tears running down his cheeks.
Scott Napier played mandolin, tough enough with a new band, but impossible so short a time after Dempsey’s tragic death. I remember the looks of determination on the faces of Scott and Ronald Smith, the L&F banjo player, as they completed “Golden Slippers”, completely synchronized, and strikingly similar to the way Ronald and Dempsey had previously done. It was a signature tune for Dempsey, and he and Ronald had it to a T. It actually seems like the audience was holding it’s collective breath; then, finally the song ended. No major mistakes, no real problems.
We have seen Allen Mills and his band a since. This past Friday at Wilmington, however, seemed different. The band took the stage with assurance; the old demons seems past, and a bright future ahead. Scott and Ronald smiled and enjoyed a performance of Golden Slippers, and the entire band seemed relaxed and in sync. Scotty Sparks (guitar and vocals) is a wonderful singer, and Allen brings some humor and smiles along with his singing and bass playing. They had fun, I had fun, as did the rest of the audience. So, my favorite photo from last weekend is of L&F:
My next favorite is of the mandolin player that helped make it happen.
And my third favorite is of the Ronald Smith, another part of the team.
What I like about these guys is their ability to bring their talent to help Allen renew and revitalize L&F. What I like about these photos is they show the band is clearly meshed, and having fun. I enjoyed their shows, like the new CD!
The show wasn’t about Lost & Found, but their performance struck me, but for some reason I found myself noticing the difference from the first show without Dempsey, the one at Jekyll Island several years ago. There were many other find bands on stage; Papa’s pictures are here, and I have much more to say about the show tomorrow!
