Trackin' Turkeys in Arkansas

Following OIBF, the Leos headed east to Waldron, AR to the Turkey Track Bluegrass Park for their 35th Annual Fall Festival. We arrived on Monday for the festival starting on Thursday only to find several hundred RVs already there ahead of us. As I learned later, many had been there for 3-4 weeks, just hanging out, jamming and waiting for the festival to start. Early in the week there were some activities planned, including a Poker Run, Golf Cart Games and the Golf Cart Parade.

 

Golf Cart Parade

Once the festival started, the attention shifted to the stage. Unlike OIBF, Turkey Track is much more weighted toward traditional bluegrass music, with a sprinkling of classic country music.

Nationally known performers on the bill included Larry Sparks and The Lonesome Ramblers, The James King Band, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, The Steeldrivers and Rhonda Vincent and The Rage. Also included were regional favorites, Springstreet and Louisiana Grass.

I learned that my Olympus camera, while waterproof and shockproof is not the best for taking videos at a distance from the stage. So some of the following are not of the best quality. With that qualification, here are some highlights from the festival.

Springstreet is a band from northeast Oklahoma. For part-time musicians (as are most bluegrass bands), these guys are exceptional.

Springstreet - covering Blue Highway's Between the Rows

Friday's highlight was Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. Fortuanately, they were able to get in their afternoon set before the torrential rains hit.

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper - Back to Old Virginia

And then the sky opened...

Sound check for Larry Sparks in the rain 

It didn't just rain or sprinkle or shower...it poured!! Fortunately, I came prepared with both poncho and umbrella. So I was among the few who remained for the rest of the afternoon lineup. 

On Saturday, rain remained in the forecast, but held off until 10:00 PM. This gave us the chance to get in two shows by Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, but only one by the favorite "hometown" band, Louisiana Grass.

Rhonda Vincent always puts on a first class show. She is a frequent performer at Turkey Track and a crowd favorite. And, it's always interesting to see what hair color she brings with her. This year she was a blond. She also has made a big change to The Rage by adding a Dobro guitar player to the band for the first time. Brent Burke joined The Rage in April of this year and added a whole new dimension to  their music. Not only is Brent an exceptional musician, but he holds the distinction of being the first and only collage graduate in the country (and the world for that matter) with a bachelor's of arts degree with a major in bluegrass, old time and country music.

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage kick-off their Saturday evening set

For the afternoon show, I was still using my Olympus camera and its battery was running low. By the evening I pulled out my Kodak, which has a better zoom and allowed me to some better video.

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage - Who's Forgetin' Who

The wrap-up at Turkey Track is always given to the hometown band, Louisiana Grass. They were scheduled for 10:00 PM on Saturday night. I don't know if they took the stage or not, because by that time the Loes were battened down in our trailer as Turkey Track got hit with another round of torrential rain, this time accompanied by winds gusting to 70 mph. I suspect Louisiana Grass was hunkered down as well. However, I did catch their show during the afternoon and they were as strong as ever.

 Louisiana Grass

So, with Turkey Track behind us, the Leos are now headed to Texas for our winter camp on the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels.  We have big plans for the winter months. Topping the list is getting Maggie and Jonas hitched. When we aren't doing the wedding things, we want to do some winter gardening, work on some volunteer projects and, of course, fish. So check in from time to time to see how the winter months develop for the Wandering Leos.

OIBF...OMG...Part2

After The April Verch Band kicked off the Saturday evening show (pun intended), The Quebe Sisters from Fort Worth kept the show moving with a heavy dose of Western Swing.

The Quebe Sisters with a Sons of the Pioneers tune

The Quebe Sisters should be considered another International act, since Texas is considered a foreign country to the folks in Oklahoma. Be that as it may, they were a big hit. You just can't go wrong with three pretty girls playing Bob Wills tunes on the fiddle. The Quebe Sisters are frequent performers on the Grand Old Opry and have also performed at the Kennedy Center, NYC's Lincoln Center, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and on the Marty Stuart Show on RFD TV. They have appeared in concert with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Riders in the Sky, and Marty Stuart.

Following the Sisters came the Brothers, the perennial favorite Kruger Brothers. On Friday evening they had been the closing act, starting at 8:00 PM and ran till 10:30 PM.  This was their 13th year at OIBF and it wouldn't seem like the same festival without them.

 Kruger Brothers Carolina in the Fall

Originally from Germany and raise in Switzerland, Jens and Uwe Kruger have been performing since they were 11 and 12 years old. Their professional careers began in 1979 as street performers on Europe. They have been performing in the US since 1997 and now make their home in North Carolina. Along with their bass player, Joel Lansberg, this trio has become recognized for their musicianship and crowd appeal.

But, unlike Friday night the Brothers had to keep their show short (only an hour and ten minutes...the crowd wouldn't let them stop), so the the headline act of the festival could get on stage.

Vince Gill came to play serious bluegrass. And he brought with him a serious bluegrass "pick-up band": Dan Tyminski from Alison Krauss and Union Station, on guitar, Jim Mills from Doyle Lawson's Quick Silver, on banjo, Mike Bub, formerly with the Dell McCoury Band, on bass and former Bluegrass Boy and IOBF organizer Byron Berline on fiddle.

Vince Gill and  Friends open with East Virginia Blues

While Vince is well know as a country music performer, the bluegrass community knows his roots are in their music. While in high school in Norman, Oklahoma, he performed at area bluegrass festivals with the band Mountain Smoke. Following graduation he moved to Louisville, Ky to be part of the band Bluegrass Alliance. After a brief time with Ricky Skagg's Boone Creek band, he moved to Los Angeles at the invitation of Byron Berline to join his band, Sundance. Vince credits Byron for helping him get his career started by taking a chance on him at age 19 and giving him a real start in the music business. Their friendship has continued  since.

He and his "pick-up band" kept the crowd clappin', stompin' and cheerin' for more for the next hour and a half.

Vince Gill and Friends with Blue Moon of Kentucky

Once again the OIBF lived up to its billing as one of the most diverse and highest quality festivals in the country. And the clock is ticking till next year.

Next Stop...Turkey Track...gobble gobble!

OIBF...OMG...Part1

I'm on a slow internet connection today, so I'll keep this short. But if I can get the clip I want to post uploaded, it will give a taste of the highlights of the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival. So here goes...

 

April Verch heats things up at OIBF 2012 

OK, that upload took an hour and a half. But...OMG!! No one does it like April. This was Saturday night and the temperature was around 48 degrees and dropping. Perhaps she was just trying to keep warm. I have more video to upload, but they are longer, so look for Part2 in the next few days.