Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys perform at the Long View Center during the Bluegrass Ramble at World of Bluegrass, September 25, 2013 in Raleigh, NC. (photo: Samuel M. Simpkins/The Tennessean)
RALEIGH, N.C. - After hundreds of attendees picked the day away at the Raleigh Convention Center on Wednesday, dozens of bluegrass bands took over local venues of all shapes and sizes - from dive bars to gastropubs to a century-old church - later that evening for the "Bluegrass Ramble," which continues through Saturday as part of the 2013 "World of Bluegrass" events in Raleigh, N.C.
Photographer Sam Simpkins and I started our evening at the aforementioned church building - the Long View Center, which has been a Raleigh landmark since the late 19th century. There, helping to kick off the first of eight hours of music were Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Kickin Grass Band plays at the Pour House during the Bluegrass Ramble at World of Bluegrass, September 25, 2013 in Raleigh, NC. (photo: Samuel M. Simpkins/The Tennessean)
After closing their set with Bill Monroe's "I'm Going back to old Kentucky," they headed downstairs, where - next to the Long View's selection of pies and coffee - the band signed CDs and talked to new fans. An hour later, they'd be setting up for a second performance at a bar one block away. Leader Lindsay Rachel Petroff said they were enjoying the hectic pace.
"It’s like a concentrated version of what we’re doing all of the time," she told us. "But what’s really cool about it is all of our friends are here. All of the bands that we cross paths with all over the country, everybody’s here. It’s like a family reunion."
Raleigh's own Kickin Grass Band shared their own enthusiasm for their bluegrass buddies setting up camp in their backyard for the week. An early evening crowd of locals and visitors packed into The Pour House - a two story dive with a capacity just shy of 300 - for their performance. It was even more cramped two doors down at bar and restaurant Tir Na Nog, where we had to crane our necks to get a glimpse of fellow locals The Gravy Boys playing a very unexpected version of The Zombies' '60s classic, "Time of the Season"
Steep Canyon Rangers perform at the Long View Center during the Bluegrass Ramble at World of Bluegrass, September 25, 2013 in Raleigh, NC. (photo: Samuel M. Simpkins/The Tennessean)
It took a trip to North Carolina for us to find out about new Nashvillian Kristy Cox and Calder Highway, who told her audience upstairs at the Architect Bar & Social House that she moved to Music City from Australia three weeks ago - and she's still getting the lay of the land. Between tunes, she wondered if there were any country music fans in the audience. "Is that a dirty word here?" she asked. It didn't matter - that slow-churning number may have been the most crowd-pleasing tune, as was another penned about a 26-year-old with four children. "I'm 28 and I have 2 guitars," she said "I think that's a good trade."
Steep Canyon Rangers have a busy week ahead of them, as they'll host tomorrow night's International Bluegrass Music Awards and perform with Steve Martin this weekend at the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival. But the Grammy-winning group made time to stop by the Long View Center to perform songs from their brand-new (bluegrass albums) chart-topper, "Tell the Ones I Love." We enjoyed rollicking cuts like "Stand and Deliver" (which, oddly enough, struck us like a twangy take on Dire Straits "Money for Nothing.") The North Carolina band seemed to be enjoying themselves, too.
"How about this IBMA in Raleigh?" singer/guitarist Woody Platt asked as the room applauded. "We started our band just down the road in Chapel Hill about 10 or 12 years ago, so it's about time we had a homecoming. It feels good."
