4-17-06
Here we are back from another southern adventure. Max and I had the good fortune
to play at The Two Rivers Bluegrass Festival and with Steve and Sue again! The
Two Rivers BG Festival is held in Leakesville, MS. This years dates were April
4-8. Max and I performed as a duo, opening one night for Ronnie Reno and the
New Tradition. They were really good. Some of the best in classic bluegrass.
The weather was very nice that first day until night fell. We were camping in
out 1966 Scamper pop-up. Well let me say I was mighty glad we had brought our
heavy sleeping bag. I kept reminding myself I was in Mississippi not Michigan.
The next day, Wednesday, made up for it weather-wise. It was sunny and warm
all day. At The Two Rivers BG Festival rain or shine doesn't matter. The whole
thing is held under the roof of the large open-air arena of the Green County
Rural Events Center. It's cool in the heat of the day, dry when it rains and
warm when it's cool outdoors. It was very nice. Our Wednesday show was a two
parter, first a 15 min. gospel set, and then we had an open-ended slot to finish
the night. Max and I had a fun time and hope to play Two Rivers again. We met
some very nice folks and experienced true Southern Hospitality. Thanks to all
the folks at The Two Rivers Bluegrass Festival!
Amaryllis played in Fairhope, Alabama the following Friday night. We played out on the street for the monthly Art Walk. Artists put their paintings on the sidewalk for sale and then socialized with the crowd. The event is actually sponsored by the Artists. We met several folks from Michigan there, one guy from Holland, MI! As usual, Max and I had blast performing with Steve & Sue. We are all playing together in Goshen, IN on June 3 at LVDs. Please check the schedule at this site for more info. I suspect that we will be going to Fairhope a time or two more before 2006 ends.
All of our traveling was safe and easy. And luckily, we missed the tornadoes in Nashville by a very short time. Those folks really got it.
Well, so much for this trip. Check out the photos of where we've been, and come see us make music soon!
It sure has been a whirlwind of musical fun the last few weeks. On March 4 Max and I traveled to Marshall, MI to play a concert at the Franke Center For the Arts. The folks there treated us like stars. They were even playing All For Love’s Sake over the downtown outdoor music system! They did a great job of promotion, too. The had to bring in extra tables for the cabaret style seating once the walk-in crowd added themselves to the advance ticket holders. They are interested in having us back in August for an outdoor show.
On March 10 Max and I played the Alley Door Club with special guest John King helping out on guitar. If you were there you know what a great time it was. Over 200 folks showed up to listen to us. It seemed that every one I knew was there! I saw people I haven’t seen for years. Since we quit playing bars regularly we have lost touch with some folks. It was like a reunion of sorts. I want to give a tip of the hat and a hearty thanks to Bill Bodel and the staff at the Frauenthal Center For the Arts for putting together an upscale venue for local talent and the folks who want a classy, smoke-free, roomy environment to enjoy some of Muskegon’s talented musicians. They made us feel very special that night. Please attend their upcoming shows the first Friday of the month through May.
Two days after that wonderful Alley Door Club show, Max and I headed south to play a few gigs in the sunny south. We had a spot at the Bluegrass On The Bayou festival in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! One of the cool things about it is that it was billed as Ruth Bloomquist and Amaryllis. That’s right Steve and Sue played with us! First we met up with Steve & Sue in their new home, Fairhope, Alabama. While there we played two gigs, a bookstore called Over the Transom and the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Fair. This Arts & Crafts fair is one of the largest I’ve ever seen. The people of Fairhope have asked us to come back and play again! Those temps in the 70s will tempt me back soon.
On March 18 we found ourselves in a very gray, cold (temps 50 or less) and windy Baton Rouge. Bluegrass on the Bayou is held on the campus of LSU. It’s only the second year for this three day festival and it seems to be growing steadily. The lineup included Bluegrass stars Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, The Wilders, and Alecia Nugent to name just a few. They had 2 stages of entertainment this year. We played on the second stage just after sunset. That was a good thing because the stage lights on us brought the stage temperature up to about 60. With Amaryllis we have been using a one mic approach. With all of us using the special Audio Technica 4033 mic we don’t have the hassles of monitor mixes or wondering if the soundman is getting it right. Everything happens around the mic not at the mixing board. Well, it worked great! When we started there were only 3 people in the audience (the LSU gospel choir was on the mainstage) by the time we were through we had a crowd of around 100 very responsive new fans . Steve and Sue did a fantastic job. I am so happy to be playing with them again.
That’s all for now. We’ll soon be stopping back in Fairhope, AL on our way to Leakesville, MS and the Two Rivers Bluegrass Festival where we play April 4 and 5. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Ruth
Copyright© 2006, by Ruth Bloomquist