The Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival, 2000
The Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival, 2000
The Seldom Scene:
I managed to see two Seldom Scene sets during the afternoon, so they really weren't all that seldomly seen. Indeed, I'd even heard of them previously -- they get great writeups in Dirty Linen. Except for a couple of points where they almost verged into a barbershop quartet sort of sound, I definitely enjoyed them. Their playing was tight and enthusiastic. I'd see them for a third set and more sometime...
Bandmembers are: Ben Eldridge, Dudley Connell, Lou Reid (no, not that Lou Reid, I think...), Ronnie Simpkins (is he related to the Richie Simpkins of the Lonesome River Band???), and Fred Travers.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for good mandolin and banjo.
After their first set, I snagged (and paid for) their most recent CD, Scene It All. This one is dedicated to the memory of the late John Duffey, bandmember and vocalist on previous releases. In talking with one afficionado, I learned that John Duffey was quite a character, and that (according to my source) I really should have bought an earlier album to get the real feel of the band. At some point, I no doubt will. This album, however, is not at all shabby.
