|
 Merlefest, the annual Bluegrass
and Americana festival held in Wilkesboro, NC, is a tribute to Doc Watson's late
son, Eddy Merle Watson, who died as the result of tractor accident in 1985. Doc
and Merle had toured and performed together for about 20 years before Merle's
passing. With the help of Ralph Rinzler, the first Merlefest took place as a
benefit concert in 1988. Today, the festival has a reputation as being one of
the best bluegrass, country and Americana festivals in the world.
Jam packed with nearly 75 minutes of diverse music, "Merlefest Live! The Best of
2003" gives us a taste of the great multi-day premier event with a stellar
lineup ranging from Asleep at the Wheel to Guy Clark, Don Edwards to Jimmie Dale
Gilmore, Ricky Skaggs to Hot Rize. Of the eighteen tracks on this sampler, Doc
Watson is featured on three (Roll in my Sweet Baby's Arms, Make Me a Pallet on
Your Floor, Match Box Blues). The latter is one that Doc learned from Blind
Lemon Jefferson. We're given traditional bluegrass (Ralph Stanley performing "A
Robin Built on a Nest on Daddy's Grave"), Gospel (Mountain Heart's "John"),
country (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band doing Rodney Crowell's "An American Dream").
I have eclectic musical tastes, and I enjoyed nearly every one of the songs
presented with the unique character of the performer featured. Those with more
clearcut musical preferences may tend to favor some tracks over the others. Some
may like the Texas groups; Others may perk up at more traditional sounds. I've
never cared a lot for acoustic guitars with pickups that don't preserve their
acoustic tonal qualities. Any day, give me the clean crisp sound of Bryan
Sutton's flattop over the electrified acoustic sound of Jimmie Dale Gilmore's
instrument. Doc's guitar also exhibits some of this buzziness that slightly
annoys me. I reckon such pickups are needed for adequate sound reinforcement at
festivals like Merlegrass that attracts 80,000 participants over a 4-day run.
As with many live albums, the songs open and close with applause. This conveys
some of the crowd's energy, but a little bit goes a long way on a CD. If any
artists steal the show, my votes go to Rhonda Vincent ("Caught in the
Crossfire"), Vassar Clements all-star Jam (with a nine-minute version of "Orange
Blossom Special"), and Doyle Lawson ("Hard Game of Love"). Vassar's jam was a
celebration of his 75th Birthday and included Vassar, Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Tony
Rice, Bryan Sutton, Mark Schatz, and Peter Rowan. And how can one not like Ricky
Skaggs' snappy version of "How Mountain Girls Can Love"? A couple surprises are
from some groups I wasn't very familiar with - Red Stick Ramblers (with an
original "Main Street Blues") and Donna the Buffalo ("Conscious
Evolution"). I'd buy the former's album, but the latter's music isn't really my
cup o'tea.
Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC was again the site for MerleFest 2004
(the 17th annual) on April 29 - May 2, 2004. Did any of you make it there? From
the sounds of this 2003 CD, it was the happening place to be, and Merlefest is a
festival that offers a little something for everyone. The festival also has some
CD, VHS and DVD products available from their 2002 event, as well as some "Fresh
Faces at Merlefest" CDs from 2003 and 2004. (Joe Ross)
MERLEFEST
LIVE! The Best of 2003
Vanguard Records 79766-2
Welk Music Group, 2700 Pennsylvania Ave., Santa Monica, CA. 90404
http://www.merlefest.org
Playing Time - 74:31 |
