The 'Second Time Around Folk Club', held at the White Lion, Middle Street, Beeston, Nottingham, hosted a well-attended Bluegrass night on Friday, 5 December, 2003, featuring Thadeus Kaye (guitar/vocals) and his wife Angela (double bass/vocals) and Friends. The 'Friends' should have been banjo picker Pete Ainsworth and his partner Shirley (guitar/vocals), who were originally booked to play but could not make the gig because of illness. Luckily Thadeus' long-time friend Brian Golbey was able to step in on mandolin and fiddle, supported also by John Keetley on banjo.

Photo :Pete Stanley & Brian Golbey at Didmarton

Golbey, ever the entertainer and now semi-retired, started off the proceedings with some Old-Timey numbers, including a lengthy solo piece on Jews harp! The good-sized audience loved this one.

But the night belonged to Thadeus. An outstanding flat-picker and singer, he and his wife Angela demonstrated convincingly - with lowly close harmony singing and tight ensemble picking - how Bluegrass should be performed. Spirited versions of Hylo Brown's Too Hot to Handle and Rodney Crowell's Leaving Lousiana In the Broad Daylight left lots of room for Thadeus to exercise his considerable guitar talents, with some deft runs incorporated into hot take-off solos a la Doc Watson/Tony Rice.

Thad, Angela, ??? and Brian Golbey

Their rending of Robbie Robertson's Cajun-flavoured Evangeline rivalled Emmylou Harris' well-known recording. This again was wonderful harmony singing with Angela's strong voice coming through.

A fast-paced Ragtime Annie, with a hot fiddle solo by Brian Golbey, was followed by their finale, a "shit-or-bust instrumental" (Thadeus' term, not mine!) the name of which escaped me. Fast and furious, it featured solos from every instrument except bass, and included a young fiddle player named Karl who had come from the audience to jam with them.

All in all a great Bluegrass night which is promised to be repeated at the club next year."

Brian W.Smith, Nottingham

16 Jan 2004