Aiken Bluegrass Festival

Dood and I were fairly impressed that Aiken, SC would host a Bluegrass Festival. Dood turned me onto Bluegrass a few years ago and although I haven’t gotten into as much as he has, I still enjoy it from time to time. When we looked at the lineup, we were impressed to see Steep Canyon Rangers playing. That was what really drew us in. Dood’s friend, Adam, brought him a Steep Canyon Rangers CD while we lived in Greenville, SC and he has been hooked ever since!

The fifth annual Aiken Bluegrass Festival was held on May 8-10 to benefit STAR Riding and Driving. STAR provides services to disabled adults and kids through interaction with horses. What better way to raise money in horse country, Aiken, than to have a Bluegrass Festival! This year, the lineup was fantastic with the Hackensaw Boys playing Friday and Saturday. I’ve got a friend in North Carolina that raves about the Hackensaw Boys, so I was excited to see them in action.

We were only able to make it out on Saturday with work and all keeping us occupied on Thursday and Friday.

We got up early Saturday morning and left so we could “beat the crowd.” Having just moved from Massachusetts, we are used to the hustle and bustle of any event that draws a crowd. We got mentally prepared to walk a long ways, be stuck out in the sun for hours and be REALLY far away from the stage. We got to the festival about 30 minutes before things were to get started, expecting to have to wait in line to park….and there were n

o crowds as far as the eye could see…Pleasant surprise – no waiting…AND WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PAY FOR PARKING! In MA, you pay for parking EVERYWHERE!

We went in, parked, right next to the stage almost and looked at the festival grounds. We packed up our lawn chairs and slathered on the sun screen, but as we set our gaze on the grounds – we saw a big tent with chairs and tables set up. This keeps getting better and better! We set up our lawn chairs inside the tent to avoid the lobster-esque look that Dood tends to acquire during sun exposure. We had a gre

at view of the festival grounds, the stage and were positioned so that the wind hit us just right! It was a beautiful day for some Bluegrass!

The first band to start the show off was, what I like to call, traditional Bluegrass. Savannah River Grass came out stompin’! Five gents from right around the area and they had us all tappin’ our toes.

They were followed by the Dixie Bee-liners. It’s always nice to see the ladies on stage. I always enjoy hearing the ladies sing, but it’s a real treat when you get to watch them sing and play the fiddle and guitar!

Dapple Grays came out next and impressed us all. Such great bands with different sounds! Dappled Grays are from Atlanta and have had some MTV exposure as well as playing with many big names in the acoustic arena.

Cadillac Sky came barreling out next and these guys had the look of a rock band, but busted out the Bluegrass tunes in full force. These guys are from Texas and can pull out the gospel bluegrass as well as the rockin’ tunes that make you want to get up and shake your tail feather!!!

Steep Canyon Rangers were up next and I was super impressed. CD’s can only account for a small percentage of the energy that comes from a live band. We happened to relocate closer to the stage as the sun went down and I’m so glad that we did – these guys put on a fantastic show and were dressed to impress!

The last show for us was the Hackensaw Boys – we weren’t able to stay around for Drew Emmitt. The Hackensaw Boys…what can I say? The only words that come to mind are: Bluegrass on Crack! Don’t plan on going to see the Hackensaw Boys if you plan on sitting down the entire show. These six guys are a whirlwind of music and energy! I still can't figure out how they play so fast, stay together in synch, dance around and have funat the same time! They couldn't keep from breaking their strings! They were definitely the highlight of the festival for us and have converted me to one of their biggest fans. Check them out on YouTube - Hackensaw Boys - Cannonball.

All the bands were fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of the festival. Even though we are southerners at heart, we did go through a bit of culture shock moving back down to the south after only two years. The great thing about the festival is that you can bring your kids, your dogs and the whole family and have a great day! Even the port-a-potties get two thumbs up! The food vendors were reasonable, there were plenty of tables and chairs, there were games to keep the kids entertained and come on – for $15, you get to see 8 bands? How is any of that not worth heading out next year?!