Grey Fox Day 2

I'm sitting in a seat just off the only aisle that cuts the huge mess of camping chairs that is the Main Stage seating. The Del McCoury Band just took the stage to an incredible amount of applause (Del has one many awards and has been playing bluegrass for 50+ years) and people keep giving me funny looks for having a laptop in my lap. I'll admit I do feel pretty out of place when I pull out my computer to type these posts, but c'est la vie. Del just finished his first song, they're awesome!

Del

 After last nights post we witnessed the more contemporary stylings of Donna the Buffalo, the first band yet to have a drumset and electric guitar. They played roots informed music that also drew on elements of blues, psych, and rock, with a fun interplay between their front womans beautiful voice and charm by their front man's mumbly singing and laid back style. Word has it they're playing in the dance tent tonight till 1 am, and I think I might be there. After the Main Stage closed Alex and I headed back to our tent where we found our swedish neighbors having a jam session around a flashlight (fire's aren't allowed). Alex pulled out his bass and sat in with and the neighbors on the other side of the truck for a few songs, it was wonderful.

Alex      

This morning I was awoken by a sudden heat rise inside my tent as the sun came up and promptly turned it into a miniature oven. The early start gave me a chance to dip in the stream before plowing headfirst into the reeds of Bluegrass. I pulled the guitar out of the pickup and headed to the Slow Jam tent, where an hour long slow jam was directed by one of the artists. Songs were kept simple and slow so everyone could play along, and I got the chance to learn a little about Bluegrass guitar in the follow up sessions that focused on each instrument individually.
 Bill  

After putting the guitar back in the truck, I found myself at the Master Stage, just in time to catch some of the banjo picker's session. Bill Keith, Greg Liszt, Mark Cassidy, and Jason Mckendree are masters of the craft, each playing different styles and variations of banjo. Their session gave me a glimpse into the complexity and subtlety of banjo playing, as did Bill Keith's Banjo Playing 101 later in the afternoon. After the banjo player's I the tail end of Tristan Clarridge and Emma Hardin's presentation about how they play cello in two groups that fuse Bluegrass and contemporary styles. Tristan plays in Crooked Still, and Emma plays in the Rocking Acoustic Circus. which I saw play a set at the Master Stage several hours later.
At 7pm the Master Stage featured a showcase of the Berklee Roots music program. They somehow jammed 4 acts into an hour, featuring my friend Alex and several of my classmates playing classic bluegrass and originals of their own. I'm pretty beat right now, and in a little hurry to catch some more of the mainstage acts. The wifi area here is in and out, so I'm trying to make the blog a little more attractive with the limited internet and battery time I have.

Photos by Alex Muir (except the one of him, I shot that, cool angle right?)