Mount airy

[David O'Brien]

"Can we wrangle a cafe get-together this year? I'll be 1/2-way up the hill for a few days. Maybe we should put together a mando-band for one of the contests!"

Yes, Woody usually has us gather on Saturday, near the back at the fence. As for a mando ensemble, I think that is a great idea, in honor of our departed friend from the mando-mafia, Kelly.

[hanknc]

decode for the rest of us

[csstanley]

Hey all, another Mt. Airy native living in Northern Stokes County. And I don't have all my teeth either.

I'll be at Mt. Airy and would love to get together with yall. I ain't able to get on here much cause of my job and all.

Hey DobNC, I got a bunch of family from Dobson. Daddy went to Surry Central, as well as my brothers for a while.

[David O'Brien]

At the Spring Mt. Airy Fiddler's Festival, held the first full weekend in June, Woody, a mandolin player, and Southeast CoMando Gathering alum, has a gathering of mandolin players and we sit around, about 20 of us, and share tunes, swap instruments, and just hang out for an hour or two and it is fun. Mt. Airy is in North Carolina, possibly the mythical town of Mayberry, as in Andy Griffith. This fiddlers convention is one of the best to jam at, meet and see folks like Tim O'Brien, Bela Fleck, Bruce Hornsby, never know who is going to be walking in the crowd. So you can enter the band contest, why not enter a mandolin shenanigan band?

[David O'Brien]

Hey cs, I play in a band with Joe Freeman, a dobro player from Madison, and the rest of us are from Stokes County, we are Blues Creek, with Scott Brown on banjo, we play some at Ronnie's Little Bluegrass Opry.

[csstanley]

I'll keep an eye open for yall around.

I used to play some with Frank Bode in a Bluegrass Gospel band. I dare say you know him.

[kudzugypsy]

i would venture an guess that there are more BG pickers in a 25 mile radius of Mt. Airy than the entire combined pickers west of the Mississippi...and that aint a stretch either!

i took some visiting friends from San Francisco up there once and people were picking on the street, in the park, in barber shops, rest homes, fruit stands, school house championship clogging - it completely blew their minds...not to even mention the Mayberry effect.

[mando-picker]

Hey kudzu, Its great in this area. your probably right, in a 50 mile radius of mt airy, guessing about 2 in 10 people play either old timey or bluegrass. Its great when you show up at a jam and their ages range from 70 year old to 10 year old. Just think about it, every 1 musician you read about their are 5 more that will never get mentioned.
Thanks Dennis

[Soupy1957]

The wife and I went in to Mt. Airy a couple of summers ago, ("that guys barbershop" was "Floyd's" on the TV show), and didn't see any pickers hangin out, but I'm sure there are folks around there who do.

-Soupy1957

P.S.: The house that Andy grew up in is sure a simple place....very non-descript.

[mando-picker]

Hey soupy, across the street from floyds is the downtown cienama ( close enough you no what I mean) Every Sat. from 10 till 1:30 their is an open jam upstairs. Down stairs is the Merry Go Round which is broadcasted live every Sat. I noticed that WPAQ is being advertised on the cafe now that is our local radio station AM 740 bluegrass and old timey every day . I was their today we had a good jam also the 2 bands that played on stage. I talked to a man and his wife today and they were just passing through on their way back to new york and they couldnt believe the down home feeling thats in the air here, they had a very good time. Its great when you dont have to go far to "Be in BlueGrass"

[mingusb1]

OK, Mount Airy Fiddlin' in T-minus a little more than a week!! I'm heading up late Thursday evening.

Is there a Cafe get-together already planned? Wanna meet in the stables, or where you get the hamburgers? Saturday early afternoon?

Other suggestions?

Can't wait!
Z

[mando-picker]

hey mingus, since your comin here thursday, the arts council has a jam on thursday nites, downtown mt. airy ,at the Andy griffith play house I think it starts at 7:00

[hanknc]

740 AM is the first button on my car radio. Maybe I'll see some of you cats there.