30th Annual Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival

Note As you read along, feel free to click on any of the images to see a larger version of the same.

The Bluegrass Widow (Helen) and I, along with our friend Kenny Innis, just returned from the 30th Annual Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival in Brunswick, Maine. We saw many of our Bluegrass Friends from Saint John, New Brunswick while we were there; I can think of 23 right off the top of my head.

As you enter the park and look to the left you'll see five animal carvings. All of the carvings were done by Tim Pickett from Eliot, Maine. The first, Tommy P. Banjo Bear was done in 1998. In 1999, Trudy P. Bass Bunny was carved. Then in 2000, 2001 and 2002, Toby P. Coyote was carved playing guitar, Trixie P. Fox was carved playing fiddle, and Tallulah P. Moose was carved playing mandolin. All of the carvings were made completely using a chain saw and all were done within the 4 day period of each festival in the years mentioned. That's impressive!

The photo above right is one of the Bluegrass Widow standing beside Trudy P., the bass bunny.

As usual, the festival was one of the very best I’ve ever attended, although I’ll admit I wasn’t too thrilled on Friday due to what I thought was a lack of Bluegrass content. Saturday and Sunday proved to be spectacular days, however.

Of course, the highlight of the entire event for me was Jim Mills and Kentucky Thunder on Saturday night. Go Jimmy! Pardon me, I meant to say Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.

Above left is a picture of Ricky Skaggs and some of the Thomas Point staff right after the show ended.

On the right is a picture of the Bluegrass Widow with Jim Mills (from Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder). I know what you're thinking... but you're wrong; the Widow is not all dreamy-eyed for Jimmy, she's just tired, okay? Actually, the real story here is that the Widow's eyes are faster than the speed of light itself... and there is no way you will ever get a picture of this girl with her eyes open if a camera flash is nearby. I once took 60 photos of the Bluegrass Widow and of those sixty pictures, there were only three in the whole lot in which she had her eyes open - and those three pictures were the only ones that didn't involve flash.

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, the Grascals and the Del McCoury Band also performed outstanding shows. In addition to the big boys, there were several other lesser known groups that performed very well; 24 bands in all, I believe.

We arrived on Friday around 1:00 PM, so we missed the Rhonda Vincent shows on Thursday. However, we did see Rhonda Vincent & The Rage in Rogersville, NB the weekend before. If her shows were anything at all like the Rogersville shows, then I’d have to say you probably got your money’s worth there as well.

It’s hard to know where to begin describing this festival. They advertise it as "The Spirit of beautiful Thomas Point Beach and Bluegrass Music!... Experience the MAGIC." Certainly, there definitely is a feeling of magic in the air at this festival. Unlike many other festival grounds that only have a stage and a big open field, Thomas Point Beach has everything you could ever want for a pefect holiday weekend.

First and foremost of course is the music, which is pretty much non-stop for three solid days. The camping areas of the park at Thomas Point Beach are just beautiful - full of tall pine and oak trees that provide you with just the right amount of shade while providing you with scenic beauty at the same time. The park was absolutely loaded with RV’s, trailers and tents this year - the most I’ve seen in the very few years I have attended the festival.

All through the day and into the wee hours of the morning you can take part in (or just listen to) one of several jams going on. At any given time, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there are at least 50 jams taking place, with the number probably doubling after the main shows have ended at night. As you walk around from camp site to camp site, you can hear the camp fires crackling and smell the smoke in the air.

While the stage shows were going on, there were also several workshops taking place. I managed to take in a mandolin workshop that was put on by Danny Roberts of the Grascals and also a banjo workshop put on by Aaron McDaris, also a member of the Grascals.

Helen and I spent a fair bit of time walking through the park, stopping to talk to total strangers and listening to several jam sessions. For the most part, we tried to stay out of the way of our Saint John friends so they could enjoy their weekend away. We made a new friend in Sharon from South Portland on Sunday evening and we exchanged addresses. I’m looking forward to visiting with her in the near future.

We had full intentions of going to the Sunday morning church service on the beach front, but alas, we stayed up just a bit too late with the jammers on Saturday evening. We almost made it, but not quite. We did take part in a Sunday morning gospel jam at 10:00 however. We saw fellow Saint Johners Tom Mason, Larry and Carlotta Walsh, David Maguire and Loretta and Clay Johnson and Irene at the gospel jam as well.

We spoke very briefly with Ricky Skaggs and Jim Mills before they headed out; Jim Mills said he remembered us from last May in Moncton, NB. Ricky and Kentucky Thunder had to make a very quick exit as they had to catch a flight from New York City at 4:00 AM. Just the same, they took time to sign autographs and had their picture taken with several fans. They didn’t leave the festival grounds until shortly after midnight, eastern standard time. I wonder how their flight worked out?

Now for the sad news if you don’t already know. The 30th Annual Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival was the final one, as Patti Crooker, camp ground owner and festival organizer is retiring. I don’t know what will happen, but it sure would be good if someone took the festival over. There are rumors of the County Bluegrass Festival in Fort Fairfiled, Maine picking up the Labor Day weekend dates, but it certainly won’t be the same as the Thomas Point festival. I just can’t imagine what could possibly generate the same magical feeling that you get at Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, Maine.

The people that own the bus in the photo to the right have attended every Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival for the past 30 years and what's more? They have parked their bus in the same spot for all of those years! The sign on the bus reads "On The Same Spot For 30 Years!!" There is another sign on the outside of the picket fence that reads "Eviction Notice," but you can't see the sign on the fence as it is blocked by the gentleman on the roadway side of the fence.

At the conclusion on Sunday evening there was a spectacular display of fireworks as we all celebrated 30 years of Bluegrass music at Thomas Point Beach - a happy and sad occasion at the same time.

Isn't She a Beauty?

Just look at her. Isn't she a beauty? Everything from her scroll and machine heads, to her slender neck and fret board, upper bouts, c-bouts and lower bouts, top, back, sides, bridge and tailpiece; she has it all! She's a 1963 model.

Pretty as a picture, she is! And she makes a fine piece of furniture too! What's that? You thought I was talking about the Bluegrass Widow? Nah, but she's not bad either. Say, old friend, what tipped you off that I wasn't talking about the Widow? Was it the fine piece of furniture comment or something else?

Actually, I am talking about the Bluegrass Widow's beauty metaphorically speaking, excluding the furniture remark, of course. Is she not beautiful? I certainly think she is. The Widow is not a 1963 model however. She's a...

Now you may be thinking, what kind of trouble are you in that makes it necessary to write a post like this? And the answer is none - no trouble at all. Perhaps you're thinking I'm simply trying to bank some extra points for those times that you know I'm going to mess up in the future. Nope, that's not it either. On the other hand, if there are points to be gained, I'll take 'em, but don't mention it to the Widow because it would just cancel them out if she thought the only reason I said somethhing nice was to get extra points.

I did read something in an e-mail just the other day though, the subject was Why Men Are Never Depressed and it said men get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. Sounds reasonable enough, I guess. But really, who does something hoping they'll gain extra points? Certainly not me - that's just nonsense.

I've just been taking extra notice of the Bluegrass Widow's beauty these past few months and I can't help but remark about it. Of course, you haven't seen her in the morning like I have. Did I just lose some points?

Click on the image to see a high quality version.

New Old Bass

The Bluegrass Widow's new bass has finally been delivered to its final destination - our living room! She's a beauty too.

There it is, pictured on the left. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) It's a model "C-1" with serial number 47452. According to Roger Stowers Kay Bass Information Page, that serial number would indicate it was manufactured in 1963.

Apparently, this bass has been in a closet for 20 years without a neck attached. Luthier George Barkhouse from Bedford, Nova Scotia carved a new neck for this bass, one that is wider than the original Kay neck. He also changed the dovetail joint that attaches the neck to the body, which, from what I understand was a problem on many Kay basses; the problem being that the joint would not release and break free in the event of a jolt to the bass, such as hitting a pothole while transporting or perhaps dropping the bass. Such a jolt would often break the neck rather than simply breaking the joint.

In addition to a new neck there is also a brand new solid ebony fingerboard and new strings. The tailpiece with the Kay logo is original as is the body and end-pin. According to George, the top-hat tuners are antique and at least 100 years old; a conversation piece if nothing else, especially among bass enthusiasts.

George left the action a little high until I had a chance to check it out for myself. I decided it was a little too high for my liking, so he took some measurements and proceeded to cut approximately 1/8 inch from the top of the bridge, made new string slots and sanded it to a smooth finish; it's almost as if he knew what he was doing!
Actually, from my first conversation with him in mid August of 2007, I got the impression that George Barkhouse was "the" bass setup and repair man in the Maritime provinces. He was recommended to me by Saint John bassist Peter Kindred and after visiting his shop and seeing him in action, I too feel very confident in recommending him for any bass repairs or adjustments you may need.

The two photos above are of George taking some initial measurements before cutting the bridge to adjust the action and sanding the bridge after cutting it on the bandsaw.

George Barkhouse isn't just a bass setup and repairman; he is a very accomplished bassist as well, having played for many years in Bluegrass, country and jazz bands. When he played a few licks and runs on the bass, Harvey and I just looked at each other with our best "deer in the headlight" looks, while I muttered "I'll never be able to do that." George assured me I would be able to do "that." We shall see. Thank you for the encouragement George.

George owns no less than seven basses of his own and this next photo is one of him showing us the bass he would be playing that very afternoon in a jazz ensemble; it's a 5-string bass. What a beautiful piece of equipment - immaculately finished and a pleasure to look at; I bet even more of a pleasure to hear in a full band setting.

Banjo players often speak of something called banjo acquisition syndrome (BAS) , but I dare say with seven bassess to his credit, George may very well suffer from another form of BAS, which of course is bass acquisition syndrome. I just want you to know George, there is help out there, but first, you must admit you have a problem. Suffering myself from a mild case of the general form of this disease, instrument acquisition syndrome, or IAS, that's all I'm going to say on the topic, but remember, we're all in this thing together.

Harvey Arbo sacrificed last Saturday to help me transport the bass from Bedford, NS to Saint John, NB where it is now adjusting to its new surroundings. Thank you Harvey for your help and friendship.

Harvey pulled into my driveway at 6:30 AM Saturday morning past, and for once in my life, I was ready and on time to leave; but that's only because I got confused. You see, I thought he said he was going to be there at 6:00 AM. According to the Bluegrass Widow however, I told her 6:30 AM. I am now looking in my Sent Items e-mail box and sure enough there is a message I sent to Helen stating "Harvey is going to pick me up at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning. We are going fishing for bass." Here's the thing. I was actually ready at 6:00 AM. Honest, I was! I know, it's a first, but it's true.

We played Bluegrass music from CDs and gabbed all the way down to Bedford. We stopped for gas, did the pee break thing and gabbed some more. When we were finished gabbing, we gabbed some more. I don't even know what we talked about. Mostly about nothing, I guess.

We arrived at George's house just before noon. Hey, those pee breaks take time and we weren't in a big rush anyway. We were having a great time; I think. Well, I was. To himself, Harvey was probably thinking "how do I get this guy to stop talking?!"

We spent close to 2 hours at George's place while he adjusted the bass, showed us several other basses he had in the shop and gave a few bass tips. That's Harvey in the photo near this text by the way, checking out the final adjustments made by George. Harvey approves!

On our way back home, we played Bluegrass music from CDs and gabbed. We stopped in Truro, NS for lunch. We tried Tim Hortons and discovered the small store was just a drive-thru. We decided Wendys would be okay, only to find out the store was closed for rennovations. We were 0 for 2. In the end, we settled on Pizza Delight.

So, we're back on the road headed toward Saint John, playing Bluegrass music from CDs and gabbing. Well what are we supposed to do?

Our last stop for gasoline was at the Magnetic Hill Esso in Moncton at which point Harvey asked me if I wanted to drive, so I did. We pulled into my driveway at 6:00 PM, unloaded the bass and Harvey was on his merry way. An enjoyable 12 hour day.

When Helen arrived home later that evening, she seemed quite excited; more than I thought she would be. After seeing the bass, I thought she might say something like "must we have that thing in our living room?" But no, quite the opposite. Instead, she remarked on its look of character and distinction and how nice it sounded.

I suppose if Helen starts playing Bluegrass music with us we might need to change her handle from Bluegrass Widow to something more appropriate, for she may no longer be a Bluegrass Widow. Let us see how it works out.

Things Are Not Always As They Appear

Me, Kenny Innis, Clay Johnson and the Bluegrass Widow (Helen) made a trip to North Lake to visit Ed & Becky Betts at their cottage for a Bluegrass weekend. Thank you very much Ed and Becky for your hospitality; as usual, first rate. Two nicer people I've never met.

Helen and I very much enjoyed our visit and I know Clay did as well. Unfortunately, our good friend Kenny Innis had to leave the jam early Saturday evening, but I know he enjoyed the time he was able to spend with us.

Bob and Inez Jones as well as Ed's Friend and Side Effects band mate, Dr. Gary Beatty joined the jam Saturday afternoon and evening. On Sunday afternoon Ed, Clay and I had a fine jam indeed while Helen and Becky endured the noise we were making. What I mean to say is "enjoyed." These words, endured and enjoyed are so easy to confuse in the context of jamming, plus they kind of sound the same. Yes, while Helen and Becky enjoyed the noise we were making is what I meant to say.

The photo at the top of this post was taken just before we left Ed and Becky's cottage at 3:00 PM Sunday afternoon. From left to right, that's Ed Betts, Helen Floyd on upright bass, Becky Betts and Clay Johnson. And that's where the title of this post comes in - Things Are Not Always As They Appear.

I know many of you are thinking - "Oh, isn't that nice? The Bluegrass Widow plays bass". Some of you are saying, "I didn't know Helen played bass." Well, things are not always as they appear are they? She doesn't play bass - yet! But doesn't she look like a natural the way she clutches that thing?

In fact, Harvey Arbo and I are planning to pick up the Bluegrass Widow's new bass this Saturday morning in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Actually it's not a new bass; it's an old 1940 something Kay bass with a brand new neck, new ebony fingerboard, new strings, 100 year old tuners and completely set up by George Barkhouse. From what I'm told, it's a beauty, just like the Bluegrass Widow - so hopefully, they'll be a good match for each other.

Hey, I told Hunny way back in August, "Merry Christmas," and then I ordered me up that fine bass. Of course if I recall, when I got my first banjo (the Deering Deluxe) I told her "happy birthday." When I ordered the second banjo (the Huber Jim Mills model) I think I told her "happy birthday" again. I'll let you come to your own conclusions about how all of that works but, if seeing me happy makes her happy, I'm very much looking forward to her next birthday!

I'm really looking forward to having the Widow, or should I say the wife (she hates it when a man refers to his spouse as "the wife"), take a stab at joining in with all of the Bluegrass fun we have. Who would ever have thought such a day would be upon us? I bet when she was growing up she never thought she would ever be listening to "hillbilly" music, let alone playing it. But, then she met me; hard-core Bluegrass hillbilly deluxe. Well Hunny, when we took our vows and said "for better or worse," I guess you got the "better."

I'm sure the Bluegrass Widow will have her own account of our visit with the Betts' shortly, so check her blog out if you're interested in some of her antics.

Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys Concert

Helen (aka the Bluegrass Widow) and I booked a short getaway package with our friends Ed & Becky Betts to go see Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys in a little town called Brownfield, Maine on Sunday, July 8, 2007. The concert was held at the Stone Mountain Arts Center, a humble 200 seat timber frame music hall nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains. We stayed at a quaint little place called Inn at Crystal Lake in Eaton, New Hamshire, about 15 minutes from the Stone Mountain Arts Center. It was a good 6 hour or better drive from our starting point of Saint John, New Brunswick - Canada.

I figured if I was ever going to have an opportunity to see Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, this might very well be as close as they would ever get to my part of the world, so a few months earlier I asked Ed and Becky if they might be interested in going as well and they said yes.

Ralph Stanley is a living legend and a pioneer of Bluegrass music - mountain style. Among the many awards that have been bestowed upon him, he did actually receive the Living Legend Award, two years ago if memory serves. I had never seen Ralph Stanley in a live performance so I jumped at the opportunity when it came along. I'm real happy Ed & Becky decided to go as well, for Helen and I might not have made the trip on our own. Thank you Ed and Becky.

We checked in at the Inn at Crystal Lake. It was a real old place with tons of "old stuff." Everyting seemed old. The building was old, the pictures on the walls were old, all of the ornaments and decorations were old. The owners were not old however, but everything else was definitely old or old fashioned. Actually, it was very nice and I would stay there again without hesitation, although I must admit I didn't care for the separate cold and hot water faucets in the bathroom.

The getaway package included a meal at the inn before the concert. We had a small amount of time to pass before dinner so Ed and I decided to practice a few tunes in my room for about 45 minutes while the ladies suffered it out. Well, they should have known better!

Near the end of our little jam session as Ed was finishing up Banks of the Ohio, out of our window we saw a turquoise colored bus go by the inn. We noticed the letters "RS" on the back and concluded that it must be Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys on the way to the arts center. Quite the detectives aren't we?

The inn served up a beautiful meal. The menu was printed just for the occasion and read Ralph Stanley Menu at the top - a nice touch. Helen, Becky and I had salmon with some kind of "special rice" while Ed opted for some kind of pork dish. I do remember the meal being very satisfying, something I don't often experience in a restaurant setting.

Okay, a small mention about the photos in this post is in order. The first photo at the top is one of Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys on stage near the beginning of the performance. The next picture is Dr. Ralph Stanley putting his autograph on what I call the banjo head of fame. It's a banjo head that I purchased at the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival two years ago especially for collecting the signatures of great banjo players. I was able to get two signatures on this trip - Dr. Ralph Stanley himself and Steve Sparkman, Ralph's current banjo player.

The third photo is one of Ed & Becky Betts standing in front of Ralph Stanley's tour bus, and the next photo is of my wife, Helen, in front of the same bus.

I took a few group pictures of Ed, Becky and Helen in front of the bus, but Helen decided to close her eyes for most of the pictures. In the one picture where Helen decided to keep her eyes open, Becky decided she would close hers. I just thought I'd explain that in case you were wondering why you don't see the three of them together. Now that I think about it, I'm feeling quite confident those thoughts never crossed your mind at all.

The next photo is Ed Betts posing with Ralph Stanley in what you might term "not the ideal lighting conditions" for taking a photo. Picture #6 is the great Steve Sparkman, a master of Stanley style banjo picking. Interestingly enough, Steve did not play a Stanleytone banjo at the concert, but instead was playing a Gibson archtop banjo with a neck made by Frank Neat.

The last picture is in fact a picture of Helen, Ed, and Becky standing on the stage after the concert was over. By the way, you can click on each image to view a larger version of the same.

Back to the subject at hand. The getaway package also included a shuttle service from the inn to the concert and back, but we decided to forgo the shuttle service. We had different plans for after the concert, like getting to know Dr. Ralph Stanley and Steve Sparkman a little better. We didn't want to be forced to leave early because of the shuttle service.

Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys put on a great performance. Dr. Ralph's voice was exactly like I've heard him on television several times before. He's got an old sounding, yet smooth voice that reminds you of the mountains themselves. One thing to note about Dr. Ralph Stanley is that even though he may be getting on in years, he is always on key when singing, at least that's what I've noticed.

Ralph's 14-year old grandson, Nathan Stanley filled in on guitar for the missing James Shelton whose mother had passed away the day before. Nathan did a great job and he's quite a singer and songwriter in his own right, and at a very young age.

Of course, one of my key interests was in Steve Sparkman, the banjo player. I was watching every move he made as he played all of the signature Stanley style licks on his archtop banjo. Like all other great players, he makes it look so easy.

Playing fiddle was Dewey Brown, a very good fiddler indeed and a good harmony singer as well. I was really impressed with the bass playing of Jack Cooke who has been with Ralph Stanley for an amazing 37 years! Jack really adds life to all of the tunes with his bass style and his onstage antics.

During the concert, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys played several of the most popular tunes in the Ralph Stanley repertoire, of which there are many. I was very surprised when they ended the show with Orange Blossom Special, simply because I had never heard Ralph Stanley do a rendition of that tune before.

We were able to speak with the band members both before and after the show. I found Ralph Stanley to be very humble and obliging and Steve Sparkman was equally so. We didn't really spend much time with the other band members. I guess you have to be a banjo player to get any attention.

Before the show I had asked Steve Sparkman about a lick used in Pretty Polly and he said "come see me after the show and I'll be happy to show you how it's done." That's exactly what I did, and it's for reasons like that opportunity that we opted out of the shuttle service. I didn't realize it at the time, but Becky captured the Pretty Polly lesson on video with her digital camera. Becky sent a copy of the video to me and I have received permission from Becky and Steve to post the video. The Pretty Polly video (8 MB) is on the Bluegrass Friends web site.

The following morning we had a nice breakfast at the Inn at Crystal Lake before departing. We packed up our belongings and prepared for the 6 plus hour drive home, listening to the sweetest sounds on earth all the way home - Bluegrass music. We had a good time.

Hunny Wants to Blog

Hunny made a decision - decided she wants to blog - muttered something about Bluegrass Widow the other day.

Widow: a woman whose husband leaves her alone frequently or for long periods to engage in a usually specified activity (like Bluegrass music).

Hey, she doesn't have to be a Bluegrass widow! I've been trying to get her to play an instrument for some time now but she's not bitin'. I invite her to accompany me at all of the Bluegrass festivals but she doesn't go for it. I ask her to go to all of the Bluegrass concerts, but she doesn't do that either. Is it really my fault she feels like a Bluegrass widow? Is it unreasonable that I play Bluegrass music in the morning while eating breakfast, while getting ready for work, in the car, at work, before bed and while trying to sleep? I'm listening to Bluegrass right now. The fact that Hunny isn't as enthusiastic as I am about all things Bluegrass can only mean one thing - the girl clearly needs help!

Do you see the jacket she's wearing in the photo above? I call that her mandolin jacket. Why? Because she'd look great with that jacket if she was holding a mandolin! Go ahead, visualize - I'll wait. There, see what I mean? But, because she has no interest in learning how to play a mandolin, it's just a waste of a good jacket!

I'm not exactly sure what Hunny is going to blog about, but I can only imagine a site riddled with jokes about everyone's favourite instrument, and you know which one I'm talkin' about - you know, the one with 5 strings. She seems to thrive on those jokes.

For those of you that might be interested in whatever foolishness she comes up with, here's a link to the Bluegrass Widow Blog: http://bluegrasswidow.blogspot.com/. Whatever you do, don't let her steer you away from Bluegrass music. Always remember, in the words of Lee Alward, "there's no doubt about it, Bluegrass music is the sweetest sound on earth!"