The Grascals Entertain at Nashville’s River Road Bluegrass Festival
Don’t let the Nashville address fool you–Norm’s River Roadhouse isn’t your typical Music City venue. To get to Norm’s, you have to take I-40 to Charlotte Pike, hang a right on River Road and just when you think you’ve gone too far, you have to go just a little farther.
That’s what a small handful of bluegrass faithful did recently, in order to make their way to the 2nd annual River Road Bluegrass Festival. And with a lineup including the award-winning Grascals, it was undoubtedly a worthwhile trek.
Situated right along an untouched bank of the Cumberland River, the outdoor set-up at Norm’s is the perfect place to hear bluegrass, the makeshift stage, bonfire and homemade barbecue setting a front-porch jam session mood.
The Grascals hit the stage running as the headlining act—churning out tunes like “Mourning Dove,” “Leavin’s Heavy On My Mind,” and “Happy Go Lucky.” Terry Eldredge’s classic high lonesome coupled with Jamie Johnson’s down-home vocals amounts to some of the best contemporary bluegrass around, and the recent acquisition of Kristin Scott Benson—the IBMA’s 2008 Banjo Player of the Year–brings a new element to the band’s sound. The first ever “Grasgal,” according to Eldredge, seemed a little bit out of place aesthetically, although in terms of talent she was perfectly at home and at ease, seeming nonchalant and perhaps even stoic through much of the set, letting Eldredge and Johnson take care of the showmanship.
For most of its set, the Grascals stuck to blistering up-tempos, certainly an appropriate strategy for a Saturday night in the country. the band featured eight songs from their latest release Keep On Walkin’, including a good chunk of classic country and bluegrass covers, although the most satisfying portion of their set came when they delved deeper into their own material–a new track from their upcoming album, “Baby’s Waitin’ On The Other Side,” was a highlight and a sign of more good things to come from one of bluegrass’ best.
The Farewell Drifters, who opened for the Grascals, were fresh-faced compared to their headlining counterparts, but the group still displayed some serious musical chops. The Drifters were aptly named, sticking to light, mid-tempo fare and only occasionally dipping into a romp. The group’s tone was also a bit more progressive, leaning away from solid country themes in favor of more folksy lyrics.
Rescue Unit and Michelle Cupit also took to Norm’s stage, keeping the crowd occupied during the early afternoon hours.
Overall, the day provided some fine bluegrass and good company, even if the crowd was a little sparse. Hopefully, the word gets out and there’s a better showing next year. After all, there’s nothing better than some back-road, riverside pickin’.
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April 20, 2009 at 4:28 pm Permalink
I hate to admit it, but I find the Grascals annoying with all those whoops and hollers. Their frenetic approach to some songs doesn’t suit me either. They are the one bluegrass group that performs fairly often on the Opry where I’ll turn the volume down. As opposed to say Jesse McReynolds performing with his grand daughter Amanda Lynne where I always crank it up to hear Amanda’s enthusiastic vocal delivery.
April 20, 2009 at 4:58 pm Permalink
I sure miss their old Fiddler Jimmy Matingly. From the photo do they now have a female Fiddler? I will be looking for to their new cd.
April 20, 2009 at 5:04 pm Permalink
I’d like to think that the low turnout was due at least in part to the weather, but the sad fact is that it’s tough to get Nashvillains to turn out for outdoor bluegrass events, and this one wasn’t very well publicized, either.
Nice piece, Pierce, though I’d love to hear more about what you mean by Kristin appearing to be a little bit out of place aesthetically. And it’s too bad you missed (or at least didn’t write about) the Rescue Unit; they’re an outstanding group. Keep an eye out of them at the Station Inn.
Rick, is there any bluegrass group you’re enthusiastic about that doesn’t have a gal in the front line?
April 20, 2009 at 5:09 pm Permalink
“I sure miss their old Fiddler Jimmy Matingly. From the photo do they now have a female Fiddler? I will be looking for to their new cd.”
FWIW, Jimmy Mattingly’s on the album. Jeremy Abshire’s their fiddler, and Kristin Scott Benson’s been the banjo picker for a few months.
April 20, 2009 at 5:20 pm Permalink
Jon asked “Rick, is there any bluegrass group you’re enthusiastic about that doesn’t have a gal in the front line?” Umm, no now that you mention it. My favorite bluegrass acts are Rhonda Vincent, Cherryholmes (when Cia Leigh is on lead), and 3 Fox Drive which is not surprising as I just prefer female vocalists overall in any type of music. Newer acts I really like include The Steeldrivers and Dailey and Vincent, which just need female lead vocalists to become great!…(lol)
April 20, 2009 at 5:35 pm Permalink
Jon–I kinda threw this together on a whim, so allow me to explain. I was just simply stating that she’s up there with a bunch of guys, so she certainly sticks out. I certainly didn’t mean anything negative or derogatory.
It would sorta be like if there were a female in Rascal Flatts… OK, bad example.
The weather wasn’t that bad…it only rained very briefly on Sat night.
I did catch some of Rescue Unit and they were very good. I especially liked the English banjo player–that sounds like a separate story all to it’s own! Throw in Terri Clark’s fiddler, a couple of Lonesome River Band rejects and you got yourself a darn good band!
Maybe I can catch them some other time and do’em justice. (Unfortunately, the Station Inn is 21+ and I don’t meet that requirement)
I apologize for the sloppy coverage, but school is picking up down the home stretch and I’ve got lots of other stuff on my plate.
April 20, 2009 at 5:38 pm Permalink
Guess that means since the old banjo player is gone I won’t be able to boo anymore :D :D
April 20, 2009 at 6:00 pm Permalink
Hey, Pierce, no apology needed; I just didn’t get what you meant about Kristin. FWIW, with the exception of a year or two when she was in Sally Jones’ band, she’s almost always been the lone gal in an otherwise all-male band – Larry Stephenson’s (twice) and Larry Cordle’s.
On the Rescue Unit, it’s worth clarifying that Brandon and Mike are current members of the LRB (Brandon for the second time). Sim, the banjo player, is a top-notch luthier, known especially for his mandolins, so Nashville’s a logical place for him to be. If you search the Bluegrass Blog on his name (Sim Daley), you can get his full backstory.
And BTW, any time you want to get into the Station Inn for reviewing purposes, just let me know.
Merlefan, you can still boo Aaron McDaris at any Rhonda Vincent show ;-).
April 20, 2009 at 6:32 pm Permalink
Glad to hear aaron is in the rage. I saw Larry Stephenson’ last year with Kristin Scott Benson
April 20, 2009 at 7:31 pm Permalink
Jon, speaking of lone female artists in a male band, last year I saw Earl Scruggs perform at Stagecoach with his two sons and Hoot Hester and a young gal was playing a mean resonator guitar with them. Do you have any idea who this gal is?
April 20, 2009 at 9:25 pm Permalink
That would be Jennifer Kennedy.
April 20, 2009 at 9:31 pm Permalink
One I really like about the bluegrass shows they rarely are expensive. Last time I saw The Grascals it was just 15 bucks!
April 20, 2009 at 10:34 pm Permalink
I think that Norms is my favorite venue of all.
April 20, 2009 at 11:32 pm Permalink
Nice place to play, but I wish it was closer to town.
April 21, 2009 at 12:01 am Permalink
I’ll have to make it out there sometime to an indoors show. I really liked the outdoor setting… had a great feel/vibe to it.
April 21, 2009 at 9:47 am Permalink
One of the most unique outdoor venues for bluegrass is Cumberland Caverns. The show are held in the Volcano room 333 ft underground. The sound and acoustics is unreal! My favorite indoor venue is the Ryman
April 21, 2009 at 10:58 am Permalink
I’ve only been once, but man, the Station Inn was really cool for me. I saw the Mashville Brigade and had a blast, even though the crowd was sparse at best (due to weather that night). Coming from Dallas, where there isnt any Bluegrass tradition, it was awe-inspiring to simply look around and take it all in…
April 21, 2009 at 11:15 am Permalink
Anybody who’s in Nashville – and wants to hear bluegrass – should go to Douglas Corner Saturday night at 6pm. I’ll be there. (No, no, I wont be playing, I’ll be listening to my friend Donna!)
http://www.myspace.com/donnastanleyulisse
April 21, 2009 at 4:35 pm Permalink
Paula, does Donna ever sing any of the songs off of “Trouble At The Door”? I’d love to hear a bluegrassy version of “Sparks In An Old Flame’s Eyes”. Hmm…
April 21, 2009 at 5:03 pm Permalink
Jon, Thanks for the info on Jennifer Kennedy. I’d love to see these talented young bluegrass females form a junior version of Uncle Earl as a side project. With Sierra Hull, Molly Kate Cherryholmes, Jennifer Kennedy, and Sarah Jarosz involved how could you go wrong?
April 21, 2009 at 5:14 pm Permalink
Got a thing for underaged girls, do you, Rick?
April 21, 2009 at 5:53 pm Permalink
Jon, I was thinking more of trying to attract the Taylor Swift crowd towards some real country music. The novelty factor would surely garner media coverage…
April 21, 2009 at 9:10 pm Permalink
Rick – As far as I know the answer is no – at least not right now with the two bluegrass albums out recently. I met her and her husband Rick about four years ago and just really got to know them over the past year, so I missed the “Trouble At The Door” era, though I’ve heard the album and really like it. Donna’s vocals just captivate me – and I really just love her and Rick to death. Great people.
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