Saturday

Besides their regular sets, many musicians performing throughout the festival took time to lead workshops and tutorials for fans and pros alike. All the panels were well attended, and offered a rare opportunity for the casual players to interact with seasoned veterans. A fine chance for cherished memories to be formed and real connections to be made between audience and performers by letting them work and learn from each other. All over the park there were players surrounded by studious faces, soaking in new techniques and skills, opening themselves like plants to the sun’s nurturing rays.

Asheville, North Carolina was well represented on Saturday both in the evening’s headliner, The Avett Brothers and in native Asheville-ites Josh Philips Folk Festival. Philips’ band features a depth of styles from Americana to rock, roots and reggae. Backed by Stellar vocalist Debrissa McKinney and a versatile group, the positive energy flowed freely and soon the crowd was dancing. Texas made itself heard in the form of multi-instrumentalist Danny Barnes, who, accompanied simply by a drummer, put out a wall of electrified banjo and guitar that belied the simple presentation. Keeping closest to the traditional Bluegrass style, The Travelin’ McCourys brought their amazing pedigree to the amphitheatre, with Woody Platt of the Steep Canyon Rangers sitting in on the guitar. Fiddler Jason Carter, who had been pulling extra duty all weekend fiddling away as a McCoury, also sat in with the Emmitt-Nershi Band for both of their sets as well. Truly The Travelin’ McCourys were MVPs of the weekend, traveling the stages and grounds, instruments in hand looking or a song to join in on.

Following a rousing second helping of the Emmitt-Nershi Band, the amphitheatre crowd swelled to its mightiest of the weekend, from the front row all the way back to the many communal hammocks that encircled the back of the tree-lined concert area, in preparation for the Avett Brothers. In the midst of a career arc that any group would envy, the Avetts have had success across the board, from album sales to sold out shows coast to coast. With a non-traditional mix of cello, upright bass, banjo and guitar, they poured such heartfelt energy into each and every song that they left themselves spent and gasping. That passion was reflected back to them by their fans and during numbers like “Murder in the City” and “Paranoia in B Flat Major” where the crowd sang back to the band, perfectly in unison. After a short break, what would normally be a one or two song encore turned into a nearly thirty minute mini-set as it seemed the band could not bear to leave their fans wanting in any way.

Few in the crowd had completely recovered as Cornmeal took the stage for a second heaping helping, bringing their trademark psychedelic streak to the fore in a more pronounced fashion. Some songs started with a more traditional feel, but they inexorably melted into long, slowly building pieces of space music, whirling into a cyclone of crazed energy before settling back down again, crashing back to Earth. Hard working Jason Carter joined Allie Kral for some inspired fiddle interplay, and Carter’s band mates Ronnie and Robbie McCoury came out for the song “Rise Above” which Cornmeal segued directly into the Bee Gees disco classic “You Should Be Dancing.” The members of Cornmeal seemed to take particular delight in getting the McCourys to take a walk on the boogie-side. Closing their set with their traditional flourish, guitarist Nowak surprised both the crowd and his band mates with a prodigious leap skyward signaling a joyous end to a magic day of music.

Sunday

Waking up on the last day of any festival is always bittersweet, as the inevitable return to reality looms large for all, but that impending rejoining of society as a whole often leads to a “Blow it all out” feeling among the bands and fans alike, and all the music on the last day bore this out. Long traveled sideman and songwriter and sideman Verlon Thompson brought his guitar to the laid back morning fans, who listened to his thoughtful tales. The same held true for Jim Lauderdale, whose flashy style of dress belies his serious chops as a country/bluegrass singer songwriter. After starting off on a light note, Sunday’s entertainment got a bit crazier with a follow up helping of the Acoustic Syndicate. It’s been a while since the Syndicate did any extensive touring, and a majority of the crowd remained converged at their set, enjoying the melding of bluegrass and rock and roll.

While it’s rare for a festival to hit its fifteenth anniversary, it’s a function of the love that Randy Judy has for the festival itself. This year marked a decided effort to grow the party, and as such he has partnered with promoters Lyle Williams and Paul Levine to help book acts and plan the festivities. On Sunday afternoon the organizers took the mic one by one, outlining hopes for the future, and clearing up one of the most pressing questions on the minds of long time fans of the Suwannee Springfest—Would Donna the Buffalo, festival favorites and veterans of many Springfest memories be coming back. A booming roar went up when it was announced that of course the zydeco-roots flavored band would be back, which only grew louder as the band itself took the stage. Tara Nevins and her gang had the most adamant cheering section of the weekend, built by years of appearances and the hard working sound of a truly focused band, bent on musical elevation. By the end of their set, seemingly every musician on the grounds had joined them onstage, and the crowd was as one, dancing in the shaded expanse of the amphitheater’s dirt floor. With smiling faces as far as the eye could see, this was indeed a fitting end to the fifteenth Springfest, with a promise of bigger things on the horizon.

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