Love One Another: DelFest 2016 Review & Photos

Words by: Carly Shields

Images by: Nick Price

DelFest :: 5.26-29.16 :: Allegany County Fairgrounds :: Cumberland, MD

View Nick’s gallery after Carly’s review.

Memorial Day Weekend has historically been a time of honor, celebration, remembrance and family. It’s also been a time of tough decisions for live music fans with all the great summer kick-off festivals happening throughout the country. But there’s one event that truly embodies the essence of Memorial Day, that’s a quintessentially American festival, and that’s the annual DelFest music festival in Cumberland, Maryland. In its ninth year at the breathtaking Allegany County Fairgrounds, DelFest once again honored its roots, celebrated the music that made it possible, remembered the legends that have shaped it, and brought campers together who didn’t even know they were family- yet.

In keeping with tradition, music on Thursday started with the Del McCoury Band “sound check,” essentially just the first of their three sets over the weekend – this one being more of an all request hour than a planned out set. As fans shouted deep tracks from the crowd, Del laughed with them enthusiastically, impressed with their knowledge of bluegrass history, one that’s intrinsically linked with his own. Del, along with his sons and band mates, played the requested tunes sprinkled with some rain and water songs to go with the weather.

Of course, the festival’s namesake would be found playing a lot more than just those three times, and this wasn’t even his first appearance of the weekend. Del was spotted golf carting around earlier that day as campers filed in, and again a great number of times as he stepped out with his perfect hair to see what was happening in the grounds.

Elephant Revival played a calming yet somewhat eerie set of pure mountain gospel-folk with the powerful leading vocals of Bridget Law and Bonnie Paine at the helm. They led the night gracefully into The Wood Brothers, who switched easily between poignant acoustic songs and fiercely rockin’ tunes that got the crowd revved up. The set included fan favorites like “When I Was Young,” “The Muse,” “Postcards From Hell,” and a fabulous “Luckiest Man” encore that even the tiniest voices were belting along to.

Closing the main stage that night was Yonder Mountain String Band, throwing it back with a handful of older tunes and a bigger selection of new ones. The newest members held their own against veterans Adam Aijala, Ben Kaufmann and Dave Johnston – Jacob Jolliff shredded the mandolin in such a way that fans (especially those new to this YMSB lineup) had to pick their jaws up off the gravel dance floor and rub their eyeballs from the heat he was creating, dancing his fingers wildly across the instrument’s tiny neck. And Allie Krall may have been just the touch these guys needed to take it to the next level; her vicious fiddling adds a layer of complexity to each song and her beautiful vocals open up a world of possibilities to this newest incarnation of the band.

Fruition was the first late night set of the weekend (an additional ticket option for festival-goers), opening the Music Hall with a fire and passion that was widely discussed throughout the rest of the fest. Their incredibly energetic and soulful bluegrass was almost more rock ‘n’ roll than not, and it certainly sparked a couple hundred new fans of this Portland, Oregon-based five-piece. Playing tracks off their newest album Labor Of Love, which Del is spinning on his SiriusXM station, they mixed it up with a few key covers featuring Allie Krall. Keeping weary campers excited all night, The Infamous Stringdusters had their first set of the weekend bringing out Nicki Bluhm to recall “Still The One” from their newest album Ladies And Gentlemen and closing with classic covers of “Cripple Creek” and “American Girl.”

On Friday morning, as the waves of mist dissipated around the rock towering above the campgrounds, early risers praised Mipso’s traditional yet expansive Americana set on the smaller Potomac stage; the weekend’s emcee Joe Craven opened the Grandstand with his band, The Sometimers, and as the temperature rose quickly to a sweat-inducing level, campers were already jumping into the Potomac River that flows adjacent to the fairgrounds to cool off. Pert Near Sandstone played a set of tightly crafted backyard bluegrass that came with a side of rhythmic country stomping from their fiddle player Matt Cartier, who, as well as a master of his instrument, is a national clogging champion.

It started to pour down rain toward the end of Fruition’s Grandstand set, but the tireless Delfest crew didn’t miss a beat, had equipment covered in a moments notice and got the stage ready pretty much on time for Grammy winner Jerry Douglas’s set with his Earls Of Leicester. The Dobro wizard played to a wet but nonetheless attentive and appreciative crowd while Sierra Hull serenaded fans on the side stage. As the Artist at Large, she’s actually a tiny but hugely talented mandolin prodigy who was seemingly best friends with everyone in her crowd. Personal shout-outs and birthday wishes are to be expected from someone as sweet as Sierra, especially when she spends more than a week on the Delfest grounds for Del’s Academy the preceding days.

The ‘Dusters played on the main stage before the award winning Del McCoury Band took the stage, featuring outstanding musicians on every instrument. Del’s sons Ronnie and Robbie both recently won player of the year on mandolin and banjo, respectively. Jason Carter and Alan Bartram are not to be ignored either – their prowess within the group is obvious and essential. For over 50 years, Del has defined and redefined bluegrass music, bridging generational gaps and making people smile with a mere glimpse of his bright eyes.

Friday’s headliner took the stage next, and the crowd was simply buzzing with anticipation. As the 10 other musicians walked to their spots, people were screaming as much for them as they were for Susan Tedeschi and her husband Derek Trucks. Their union and formation of this epic band has been a match made in blues-rock heaven and they shined no less brightly at the bluegrass festival. With sit-ins from Del, Ronnie, and several others, Tedeschi Trucks Band crushed all their hits, including one breathtaking number with singer Mike Mattison on lead vocals. Recalling their Joe Cocker tribute, Susan ripped “The Letter” with perfect slide solos from Derek that simply tickled the whole night. In classic DelFest fashion, the somewhat off-genre band they brought in was a sensation with each and every bluegrass diehard there.

Late night on Friday opened with Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, who proclaimed to an agreeing crowd that DelFest is “the best festival ever” and appropriately followed it with a grass-ified take on Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).” Mixed in with their reinvigorated traditional-style originals, they also covered Blind Melon’s “No Rain” which got the crowd all riled up for Yonder. The special guests abounded during YMSB’s late set, as did the crowd-pleasing originals and covers. As campers poured out of the music hall and stumbled back to their sites, pickers and singers hopped from fire to fire, jamming with anyone and everyone they came across as the sun rose over the mountain.

It was another hot morning with cooling drizzle in the forecast for the third day of DelFest as The Lil’ Smokies, winners of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival band competition, opened the Potomac stage, followed shortly by favorites from last year The Brothers Comatose. Their music is wildly energetic but somewhat foreboding at times. They ripped into what became a theme of the weekend, singing “Trippin’ on down the mountain, trippin’ on down the mountainside, trail blazing, gotta get where I’m goin’ tonight.” Nicki Bluhm joined them for a beautiful duet mixed in with other originals, a Ryan Adams song, a cover of Cake’s “Stickshifts And Safetybelts” and the Zultan’s “Valerie.”

When the Sam Bush Band took to the Grandstand, it looked like the younger generations hanging out in the field began to see him for the talented originator he is: a multi-instrumentalist and both a critical part the traditional bluegrass world and founder of the newgrass movement. And “performer” doesn’t even begin to describe his overflowing personality on stage. Fans rarely see a man smile so big, until of course they put him next to Del, and the combed joy on their faces could have stretched from end to end of the stage. Naturally, he’s a humble man as well, when Ronnie was called up, he said “I can’t believe I get to play with my hero!” To which Sam responded, “Is David Grisman here?”

Over side stage ways, duel comedian-musician Steve Poltz had a solo set, intermingling hilarious stories with some pre-written and some on-the spot tunes, such as “Let Trey Sing” (no doubt inspired by the shirts that grew from GD50). Saturday was purely packed with legendary musicians, Bruce Hornsby being only one, but a standout among many. He and The Noisemakers played several selections off their forthcoming album Rehab Reunion among classic Hornsby tunes to adoring fans such as “Mandolin Rain” > “That Would Be Something” and “Rainbow’s Cadillac,” with numerous easy to hear Grateful Dead teases throughout the set.

Following that was another set with some Dead recollection, from DelFest favorites Railroad Earth. Having the lucky set that transitioned from night to day was perfect for a band as mystical and fantastical as Railroad, but once the band settled into darkness and the lights were finally visible, during a mid-set cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America,” the city experienced a power surge and everything cut out. Again, before the crowd had time to wonder what had happened, the stage crew had generators pumping and the band joked that the aptly timed blackout was “brought to you by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC.” Everyone, no matter their preference, shared a laugh and sigh of relief that the music would continue. One of the highlights of the festival was Sierra Hull joining the band for an elongated “Bird In A House” that featured one of the strongest mandolin solos played all weekend.

Not to be outdone, The Travelin’ McCoury’s also played a fiery hot tribute that summed up the festival perfectly: respect and adoration for the past, commitment to the roots of bluegrass, but open hearts and eager minds ready to absorb the new wave of string music and grow with the developing traditions.

Saturday night in the Music Hall sold out during the week before the fest, so all day, fans were getting excited for these two quickly rising bands. Cabinet was up first, delivering a set that has been receiving praise ever since. Their dense and wandering sound was perfect for a late night, and they’re used to that by now, noting the following day that after many years on the lineup, they were finally invited to the Grandstand. In the true spirit of DelFest, they brought out a good friend, Cris Jacobs (formerly of The Bridge, now of Cris Jacobs Band), to help out with a few tunes, and of course the endlessly energetic Sierra Hull for “99 Years And One Dark Day.”

By the time Greensky Bluegrass came on stage, the little hall was overflowing with campers pumped for the set, and though the band and people close to them had recently suffered a great loss, they played their hearts out and dedicated the set to she who could not be with them. It was a beautiful night for those who knew, and for those who didn’t, the love was so palpable and the joy coming from the crowd to the band so tangible, it seemed to lift them just enough.

As Sundays typically go, it was a rest day for many, as most of the early sets are repeat bands, but also a busy day for the particularly adamant festival goer who may have had to miss one of these duplicates due to another set. The Brothers Comatose kicked the day off at The Grandstand, while Grand Ole’ Ditch played their second set on the Potomac Stage, another widely revered band of the weekend, Cabinet held their first stint on the main stage and the annual Sunday McCoury Family set happened in the Music Hall. Del and his sons were certainly not the only talented McCoury pickers on site. His grandson played in The Funky Broomestix (a group of kids barely out of high school who sound like they’ve been grooving together for decades) and another much younger one played mandolin. Many other players and behind-the-scene workers who are part of the immediate family were also on hand.

The Dustbowl Revival was another standout newcomer to the lineup. Their singular blend of West Coast Americana and New Orleans funk is a dirt-kicking, party starting phenomenon that’s sure to spread like wildfire. DelFest has a strong relationship with High Sierra Music Festival, which makes sense for all the West Coast bands they have on their lineup each year, and fans are lucky to have exposure these new emerging bands when they otherwise might not have.

As the weekend wound down, Keller Williams kept everyone very much up with a funky parade of tunes people could not stop bouncing too, including a fascinating and fun remix of the old bluegrass classic “I’m Working On A Building,” a few special requests from the crowd, a few sit-ins from the stars of the weekend and, as expected, a “Freaker By The Speaker” to wrap it up in a perfectly Keller bow.

The Del McCoury Band played again, a beautiful set of traditional bluegrass mixed with Del’s stories of his time coming up in the world or his memories associated with certain tunes. To close the weekend, Del chose Greensky, who has gone from Music Hall to Potomac Stage to this honorable platform. Seeing them rise has been much like watching DelFest grow – the family just keeps getting bigger, but the connections are still as strong. Again, their set was rather mellow, but with a killer “Leap Year” and a good selection of new tunes, ending with a wonderful cover of “Atlantic City” to close the whole thing.

There were two more late-night sets to see if fans opted to, though, and the campers who made it to the end were lucky to catch The Hillbenders play an outstanding bluegrass tribute to The Who’s Tommy, complete with narration and ceaseless energy. People in that room were blown away, faces staring in awe – melted some might say. But they were kicked back into life for the little they had left in them with Keller and The Travelin’ McCourys. Just watching the chemistry between these gentlemen unfold on stage is something that fans don’t get to see all the time. Bands that start together tend to have great chemistry, sure, but for musicians who simply dive into each other’s music, it may not always work out that way. For Keller, Ronnie, Robbie, Alan, and Jason, the instant bonding makes fans want to turn and love one another.

Therein lies the real theme of DelFest 2016: Love One Another. Dre Anders, a close member of the DelFest family, started a campaign a few months ago for people to submit videos of themselves singing part of that classic folk song. She pieced them together with clips taken right at DelFest that very day and passed out stickers to everyone with the famous “Del Yeah!” hidden within.

From the family love between the McCourys, to the extended DelFest family of musicians and staff, to entire loving network of campers at DelFest, people loved one another, and on Memorial Day, DelFest celebrated that love and peace, as they have for the past nine years, and as they will for hopefully many more years to come.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”276″ gal_title=”20160527 DelFest Nick Price”]