Roanoke bluegrass weekend

[jim_n_virginia]

Got back Sunday night from the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend. Been meaning to get this up as I told friends I would post some pictures.

Went up there with 4 friends that I talked all into going with me. The Holiday Inn where they held it was in a beautiful part of Virginia in the Roanoke Valley right at the foothills of the Blueridge mountains.

The drive up there was spectacular as all the leaves were changing and what not.

We get to the RBW early, Thursday afternoon and there are people waiting for us. We get a package with our name tags and booklet with sheet music and schedule. Booklet very well made and professionally done. But then again AccuTab Publishing is sponsoring the event so it is not a surprise.
Inside the package is also several packs of free mandolin strings. They know before hand what you play so I assume banjo players got banjo strings and guitar players etc.

FREE is good! Well maybe not free because of the cost of the weekend ($425.00 not including the room which is $72.00 a night) it is feels like free and a great way to start off.

There are a few people there but I guess most will arrive Friday morning. The vendors room is open and I walk in and who do I see? I finally get to meet Big Joe and he's sitting there with a whole assortment of tasty Gibson mandolins ready to be played.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/BigJoe_mandolins.jpg

And I gotta say BIG is right. Big Joe is a gentle giant! What a nice guy. And very knowlegable about mandolins and quick to let you play his famed DMM which I have to say is one of the best sounding and playing mandolins I have ever heard.

For the nest three days we get up at 7:30am and eat a catered breakfast and we are in workshops till noon. Then a lunch break and then more intensive workshops until 4pm.

The teachers they had lined up were top notch. Jack Lawrence and David Grier on the guitar, Michael Clevand on the fiddle, Eddie Adcock on the banjo. Different teachers every day for each class.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/Don_Grier_staff.jpg

Don Rigsby taught the voice class and did an excellent job. I took a few classes and not only did I thoughly enjoy them but I learned a LOT! Don is a professor of vocal bluegreass music at Moorehead College. He is a very talented singer definitely knew what he was talking about.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/DonRigsby.jpg

[jim_n_virginia]

BUT mostly... I concentrated on the mandolin classes... and oh what classes they had. Never before have I ever had the chance to get up close and study with great players like Alan Bibey and David McLaughlin formerly with the Hunger Mountain Boys and the great Roland White, Clarence White's older mandolin playing brother.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/Roland.jpg

Alan Bibey without a doubt taught the best classes all day Sunday. Not only is he a great guy but just has a natural talent for teaching. It was easy to tell which teachers had teaching experience because a few other teachers (not mandolin) I could tell did not have a lot of experience in conveying their thoughts. I mean they did their job and was good but as any public school teacher can tell you it definitely is a skill to get up and teach.

We all had a chance to play for each teacher in class and be evaluated and to ask any questions we wanted. We asked so many Questions that after a while there were no more to ask and we just asked to hear them play something.

It's hard to believe but I'm telling you it is a thing of wonder just watching Bibey go through the scales. His timing, speed and clarity is amazing. He can go through scales and make your jaw drop. Thile ain't got NOTHING on Alan Bibey!

My fellow classmates ranged from back porch picker to Issac Eichner who is the reigning 2006 Winfield mandolin champ. The kid had to be about 17 and very much reminded me of Thile's style. Very fast and clean.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/Bibey_n_Issac.jpg

I met no less than 5 or 6 people from the Mandolin Cafe and that was very cool. mandoplayer was there on a scholarship and drove all the way from OK to be there. THATS what I call dedication and on top of that he is a great picker himself, I was very impressed!

SORRY mandoplayer! The picture I took of you and all the scholarship recipents didn't come out as they didn't allow flash during the All Star Performance and the image came out too dark! # #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

cwilson SORRY I didn't get any pictures of us jamming til 2am because I was having so much fun picking that I forgot to use my camera!

After the classes and after another catered dinner. Then we got our choice to either play in the vendor room or several breakout jam rooms reserved for the RBW attendees. Sorry I have NO pictures of any of this because I was TOO BUSY PLAYING! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

But the highlight of my trip and one of the main reasons I went was to meet THE man himself... Herschel Sizemore.

My friend BrianT here on the Cafe told me about him a couple of years ago and I knew if he impressed Brian I knew he must be great.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/Bibey_Herschel.jpg

I will say right now I have met many people that I would consider an expert at playing the mandolin. Alan Bibey is an expert at playing the mandolin. But Herschel is a true master of the instrument.

Not as fast as Thile. Not as wild as Bush. The complete opposite of Bill Monroe. He picks clean and fast and all most always sticks with the melody. In fact much of his teaching is to play the melody and not go off into Lala land improvisational fireworks where you can no longer hear the melody.

The power in his chopping is amazing if you consider that he is 71 years old! Loud, powerful... strong and with pinpoint accuracy are the only ways I could describe Herschel's playing and chopping.

And just as amazing, when he chops it's just with just a little flick of the wrist and not like the big chops that most of us do from the elbow.

I asked Herschel why did he use only his wrist and make such small chops and he said to me.... "How wide is your fretboard?"

Oh yeah Herschel was playing his 1923 #10 Loar signed Gibson. It was a fantastic sounding instrument to say the least. In fact Herschel likes Loar's so much that HE OWNS FOUR OF THEM! #

YES thats right.. FOUR Loar signed mandolins!

cont.

[jim_n_virginia]

I asked him which one was his favorite and he told me and about 3 others to follow him and he would show us his favorite.

He took us back to a room and took out a case. In it was a Derrington signed mandolin that he flew to Nashville at the request of Charlie and picked out every piece of wood. He gave instructions on how he wanted the equipment, inlay, finish and tone. And when the mandolin was done.. Charlie GAVE it to Herschel! Herschel says that mandolin means as much to him as any of his Loars because Charlie was a close friend to him also.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/HershelSizemore.jpg

Saturday Night was the ALL Star Concert. It was open to the public. It had all the instructors that taught at the RBW and also many special guests.

The best part was that RBW attendees got to sit in a special reserved section right up front.

It was a two hour show packed with great playing. You know how most Bluegrass concerts or festivals have a headliner with a few opening bands for them? Well imagine a 2 hour show with ALL headliners.

A real treat for me was when George Shuffler came out and picked and sang a song and it was very emotional. He looked to be in his late 80's and while he moved very slow he didn't drop on lick or a word. VERY, VERY inspiring to see that with our music we can play for a very, very long time.. GOD willing.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/fiddle_n_banjo.jpg

All in all I had a great time and plan to go back next year. If I have one complaint it would be that it wasn't long enough! I could have spent a week there!

A pretty cool thing I found out was that the man who owns AccuTab and puts on the event used to live in my area and I have several musical Friends that know John Lawless who is a very talented banjo player (we won't hold that against him! LOL!) and his sister owns a very popular neighborhood diner called "Charlie's" strangely enough.

John even has a band that got to play at the ALL Star Concert, one of the perks of putting it on I suppose. I can't remember the name og John's band but they were very good.

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/LAwless_n_band.jpg

[jim_n_virginia]

I definitely plan on going again next year and highly recommend it if you want not only a great learning experience but a nice weekend away from it all.

WHEW! Now I'm going to go rest my fingers.. that was a LOT to type! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

http://members.aol.com/ghentactor/rbw/Me_Herschel.jpg[/IMG]

[JEStanek]

Sounds great! How was the Homeplace (if you made it)?

Jamie

[jim_n_virginia]

Sounds great! #How was the Homeplace (if you made it)?

Jamie
You know after 3 days of picking till 2 am and getting up at 7:30am for workshops all I wanted to do was get home and sleep!

We did stop at the most unusual Truckstop I've ever been too. It was called White's Truckstop about and hour outside of Roanoke heading south.

The owner who had passed away a few years ago was an avid collector of unusual guns and knives. There were huge collections behind glass on the walls. It was an amazing collection.

And... the food was not bad! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Lane Pryce]

Jim thanks for the reveiw. Looks as if you guys had a great experience. Lp

[AlanN]

Yes, looks like a boatload of fun. Did you get a chance to jam much with the pros? outside the classroom thing.

[Flowerpot]

John Lawless's band is Acoustic Endeavors, originally founded by great pickers and songwriters Warren Amberson and Kelly Green. The pic shows (L-R) Billy Hurt (fiddle), Dewey Peters (guitar), Warren(bass), Kelly, and John.

By the way, Herschel is the man!

[mandotar]

Excellent review Jim! You did a great job with Jerusalem Ridge for the class.

This was my 7th or 8th year attending the event and I wouldn't miss it for anything. The Saturday evening concert is always the highlight of the weekend.

Roland White rules!!!

Stuart Jennings

[Bob Simmers]

I took one 3 1/2 hr lesson from Herschel this past winter. A great mandolinist and teacher. Did he talk about the 'right hand' much? He gave me some very important lessons on the right hand.
I think you've convinced me to go next year. I think about it every year but never go.

[mandopete]

Looks like a blast - I'm totally jealous!

[Big Joe]

Hey Guys...I always love the RBW. It is long hours and a lot of work, but it is good to see my friends and I always love spending time with Hershcel and his wife (Joyce). My wife went along. She worked on quilts most of the time and we had to make our obligatory trip to a quilt shop for her. We went over bent mountain to Floyd VA to see the three story school house converted to a material and quilt shop. That made her happy. I got to spend the rest of the time with all my buddies.

The instruction given at these is top rate every year and the concert on Saturday night is pretty much a jam session live and on stage before the whole audience. This concert is always one of the best you will ever hear.

I hope to see all my friends, new and old, again next year if not before. Oh, Jim, it was great meeting you!

[jim_n_virginia]

Yes, looks like a boatload of fun. Did you get a chance to jam much with the pros? outside the classroom thing.
Yes you do! They pretty much all come in the Vendor room and try out all the Gibsons and jam. The only instructor I didn't jam with was Roland because he was playing with a banjo player one on one doing some fantastic finger work. No WAY was I going to jump in and mess that up!

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[bluegrassplayer]

Hey Jim,
It was nice meeting you. It was a real treat to play that F-4 of yours.

RBW has been the highlight of my year.(yes, even more than christmas) I went last year and thought that I wouldn't ever have a better weekend in my life, then I come this year and had an even better time.

Hope to see you guys there next year!
Micah
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[cgwilsonjr]

Jim: It was indeed a good time. The jamming was the most fun for me. It was also a real treat playing so many great mandos like Big Joe's DMM, your old F-4, and a handful of high-end Gibsons. Also, being in the guitar class it was awesome to be 10 feet from David Grier playing his '46 D-28 and Jack Lawrence playing his '53 D-28. Also, George Shuffler was a grand gentleman who should write a book about the heyday of BG, as he was right in the middle of it. Life is good. Chuck

[jim_n_virginia]

Also, George Shuffler was a grand gentleman who should write a book about the heyday of BG, as he was right in the middle of it.
Chuck it was fun to play your Collins, awesome instrument and it's amazing that it is so light! Never got to play your Brentrup though and thats the one I would love to check out as I have never even seen one before.

Yeah and Mr Shuffler was awesome. Still playing and still sounding good after all these years. If I get to play as long as he has I would indeed count myself lucky AND blessed. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[bluegrassplayer]

Hey cgwilsonjr,
were you the guy that I talked to in the hall outside of the elevators after the faculty concert? I really liked your Brentrup and Collings. I have never played any of those before.

Micah

[cgwilsonjr]

Micah: Yes that was me. It was nice talking to you. You are a fine young picker...keep it up. Chuck

[bluegrassplayer]

I forgot to mention the mando-tasting. I got to pick on a Stanley; Brentrup; Gibson MM, DMM, Bibey, Doyle Lawson, Goldrush, Fern, Sam Bush, F5-G, 1910 F-4, and (I think) a May 19, 1923 Loar (John McLaughlin's). All I have to say is WOW http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif .