Headstash

Delfest 2011: A True Family Affair

Photo Credit: Katrina Taschman

Danielle said she got struck by lightning two years ago while camping out at DelFest along the Potomac River beneath the Appalachian Mountains.

When emergency responders arrived she said she refused medical attention because she didn’t want to miss Old Crow Medicine Show.

A paramedic told her that, as a professional, he advised she get treatment.

But as a bluegrass fan, he said, he would have done the same.

Danielle was my neighbor at this year’s festival, part of a community of dedicated foot-stomping bluegrass lovers that congregate each year at the Allegany fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD.

[FIND news, announcements and downloads on DelFest's official website.]

Muddy, but loving it - Photo Credit: Katrina Taschman

From May 26 to 29, campers swapped stories about the “Hailfest” of two years ago when Danielle got zapped and more than a few tents were destroyed by lemon-sized rocks falling from the sky.

These music lovers weren’t deterred from dancing in two feet of mud after a bleak Friday. Learning from experience, Danielle brought along a hardhat as protection against another lightning strike. More than a few campers lugged shovels for digging trenches to drain swamped campsites back into the river where children fished and played.

We all embraced the bad weather, joking that “It wouldn’t be DelFest if it weren’t raining.” Saturday and Sunday were sunny and warm, but the fairgrounds remained a mud bowl that straw and sawdust did little to improve.

This year, the festival’s fourth, brought out some of the biggest names in bluegrass music like Yonder Mountain String Band, The Punch Brothers, Railroad Earth, The Travelin’ McCourys and, of course, the festival’s namesake, The Del McCoury Band.

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Beyond the downpours, DelFest is known for its authentic, homegrown vibe. Many of the people in attendance had become friends at previous DelFests, and the campsites buzzed day and night with amateur bluegrass bands jamming on the mandolin, fiddle, banjo or guitar under gazebos or around campfires. All the while, children fished, played Frisbee and splashed in the puddles.

Photo Credit: Katrina Taschman

Most afternoons you could spot campers with wet clothes walking back to their sites after floating down the river on inner tubes.

The atmosphere was so intimate that at times I felt like I was crashing Del McCoury’s backyard family reunion. The Del McCoury Band and his sons’ spin-off band, the Travelin’ McCourys (with Ronnie on mandolin and Rob on banjo) played throughout the weekend.

During Drew Emmit’s birthday bash jam on Sunday night, I counted 11 people jamming on stage, including Del, his sons, and few grandsons. It felt like eavesdropping on their musical conversation as they took turns improvising on their different instruments.

[FIND complete lineup, ticketing information and analysis on our 2011 Festival Guide.]

As the founder and host of the festival, Del’s presence was everywhere. In addition to playing all weekend, a member of Del McCoury’s band sat in with almost every act at the festival. Del made light-humored comments each time he took the stage, once asking, “Who runs this place anyway?”

Del is a “living bluegrass legend,” as the DelFest program guide explains, “who won the 2010 lifetime achievement award by the National Endowment for the Arts.” It was obvious that other bands looked up to him and felt flattered to have been invited to his event.

Photo Credit: Katrina Taschman

Yonder Mountain String Band, the energetic Sunday-night headliner that came straight from Summer Camp, said they were grateful to be a part of Del’s festival. Warren Haynes, who played an acoustic set that many argued was a bit mellow for a Saturday night show, seemed star struck as he told the crowd his father would have been proud to see him play with the legendary picker.

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One of the things that stood out in this event’s musical acts was the mingling of bluegrass with the jam band, jazz and rock genres. Though the festival might seem exclusively bluegrass, the musicians put their flexibility on display all weekend. I found myself dancing to New Orleans-style jazz, then bluegrass and then a fusion of the two as Preservation Hall Jazz band shared a stage with the Del McCoury Band to play music from their recently released joint album.

I rocked out to fiddle solos during Jesse McReynold’s rendition of The Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” and “Ripple.” I was surprised when the Punch Brothers – a band that plays an upright bass – covered The Strokes’ “Reptilia,” and almost laughed out loud when Scythian played “Hava Nagila”, the traditional, high-energy, Jewish song meant for rejoicing.

Sometimes I preferred listening to bands from my shaded campsite while grilling kabobs and getting to know the neighbors. Other times I was antsy to finish my beer and join what I could tell were dancing, jubilant, mud-splashing crowds.

Photo Credit: Katrina Taschman

Additional tickets had to be purchased for the late-night shows, which went on until 4:00 a.m. I went to see Trampled by Turtles on Friday night, but their chaotic, in-your-face set in my sleepy state-of-mind forced me to retire early. I heard that Railroad Earth played a rocking set afterwards and that Del mistakenly called them “Cornmeal” numerous times.

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Psychograss and Travelin’ McCourys and Friends played Saturday night and Scythian on Sunday, playing a lively and creative set. Drew Emmitt’s Birthday Bash All-Star Bluegrass Jam wrapped up the festival perfectly. Someone brought a birthday cake on stage for Drew Emmitt’s 50th birthday, which added to the familiar feeling of the whole weekend.

Photo Credit: Katrina Taschman

DelFest had a spirit of community and togetherness running through the campground. There were no shady, strung-out fans the way there are at other events. Everywhere I turned I met easygoing people who were down to exchange stories, share their food or give a hand to their neighbors.

Back to Danielle – her boyfriend proposed to her this weekend. And really, what better time is there to ask for a woman’s hand than when surrounded by old friends, new friends, good music and positive attitudes?

If you ask me if I plan on attending DelFest again next year, I would have to repeat the festival’s rallying cry – “Del yeah!”

Because, as the old-timers said, no matter the weather, “You can’t stop a banjo player.”

 

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DelFest 2011 took place in Cumberland, MD from May 26 to 29.

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