MerleFest | 04.24 - 04.27 | NC

OCMS and Levon Helm fucking rule!!!

Excellent photographs Willa (nice to have met you!) and Gabe (I love that shot of James Nash!). Merlefest 2008 was a blast/blur. Highlights for me were: Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives (Kenny Vaughan is a phenominal guitarist); Tift Merritt; the Hillside Album Hour with The Waybacks, John Cowan, and friends; and the Midnight Jam. Some new acts I was exposed to and recommend are: The Wilders, The Circuit Riders, and Bearfoot. You can check out some of my favorite shots from 2008 here: http://www.kmjames.org

Awesome recap and photos.

Anson thanks again for another great review. The Rowan/HBR set was awsome as well as the O'Brian/Stringdusters set. Marty Stewart again did a great job as well as the Sam Bush set was really enjoyable. Skaggs/Hornsby with bluegrass versions of Valley Road and other Hornsby staples was out of this world. I am ready for 2009 lets have Chatham County Line, Steep Canyon Rangers and Railroad Earth and I might be in HEAVEN!!!

wow, Levon looks ancient. though the most recent pic/vid of him i've seen in a while is from the Last Waltz so...glad to see him again though, always loved his voice. so much soul in it.

Merle Fest

The only pure major festival left

Undabo Jack!

thank you god for blue & newgrass!

I love these review articles that Jambase posts. The photos are especially great in this set.

Thanks!

Gary

http://www.festivalfriendly.com

Top notch summary and photos all the way!! Bravo!

This looks like it was so good, I think my head would have exploded if I had been there.

MerleFest is a truly awesome festival. This was my first year attending and I have plans to go back. The stages are cool, the festival grounds are easy to navigate and the staff is friendly and helpful. Do yourself a favor...GO TO MERLEFEST! You will not be disappointed!

Anson Burtch-incredible review. I appreciate the set-up of the article: I particularly like how you first present the upcoming artists. That is part of what makes Merlefest so appealing to a younger crowd: you can always expect to discover some young, up-and-coming artists. Excellent photographs as always. The close-ups by Gabe are fantastic. My favorite is of James Nash from the Waybacks. Another awesome year, another great article! Thanks!

awesome pics!!!! i wanna make it NEXT YEAR