By Derek & Jean Brandon

| Friday concerts | Saturday concerts | Sat night private party |

The 2007 HSB festival will be on 6th and 7th October

The Official HSB 2006 Poster
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AFTER ARRIVING LATE on the previous two days we decided to get organised today. We left early with our daughter Pam driving but, unfortunately, she decided to take a short cut through the park. She was adamant that she wasn't lost but, after we'd passed by her project (the New Academy) for the third time… Say no more!

We finally got parked and, after a hike, arrived via the Porch Stage entrance just in time to hear the last chord from Warren Hellman's band, The Wronglers (sic). Pain. Derek apologised to Warren for missing his set, whereupon Warren commented, "Hey - you lucked out!" Well, we missed a report and photos at the very least but you can see last year's band report - The Wranglers.

Dale Anne Bradley (right) - Just give me bluegrass and a couple of bottles of red wine!

So we finally arrived at the Main (Banjo) Stage on a beautiful, sunny day to the strains of Me And Bobby McGee emanating from the ever-smiling face of Dale Anne Bradley, accompanied as usual by Coon Creek. Dale Anne was in great voice, why wouldn't she be? She's the consummate professional, consistently excellent! We'll keep this short because we've written reams on this outfit in previous HSB reports. See Editors Choice

We watched them set up for Hazel Dickens, wondering what they would do today about the punishing sun, which she is allergic to. They set up a little café parasol on stage, which looked really cute and really did the job well.

She had Barry Mitterhof on mandolin today (we saw him in Skyline with Tony Trishka many years ago in Edale, England, and with Tony and David Grier in 1999)

Hazel was in good voice and kicked off with Look Up Look Down That Lonesome Road. She gave us a varied program of her own songs plus some traditional material. The stalwart Dudley Connell (whose voice just seems to get more mellow as time goes by) featured on the Carter Stanley song, I'm Lonesome Without You, with Hazel on harmony vocals. Other offerings included Aragon Mill (a great job on that one, Hazel) and one of Jean's personal favourites, Its Hard To Tell The Singer From The Song, followed by New John Henry Blues and My Hearts Own Love.

She has the happy knack of crafting good songs with a life message tucked up inside them; long may she continue. The band came into its own with a version of Big Mon, which Hazel followed with Just A Few Old Memories, which is one of her own songs that was recorded by Dolly Parton on her album The Grass Is Blue.

America's Poor, You'll Get No More Of Me and The All American Dream finished up a very satisfying set from Hazel Dickens and her group, which comprised Barry Mitterhof (mandolin), Dudley Connell (guitar / vocals), Tom Adams (banjo), Jack Lindeman (fiddle) and Marshall Wilbon on bass.

Next came Tim O'Brien and Cornbread Nation, with Tim's sister Molly O'Brien as his special guest, plus Casey Driessen on fiddle and Dan on bass. Tim opened his set with Vote Away Them Blues, Republican Blues and No Hiding Place Down Here.

Molly's great voice soared up with a superb rendition of Gillian Welch's I Am An Orphan Girl. Their voices blended beautifully, as one would expect from brother and sister. It was a rare treat to see them both together like this.

At 2.30 p.m. Paul Mann (photo, right) was doing his usual great job as M.C. and there was still no sign of the Blue Angels display team.

Then it was time for Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. What can we say that we haven't already said about them? Except, perhaps, to quote Ricky himself: "Bluegrass Music, one of God's great creations!" played in the way that only they know how. It was pure dynamite!

They kicked off with a high octane version of How Mountain Girls Can Love followed by Back To Old Kentucky at only a slightly slower speed with a knuckle-breaking guitar break from Cody Kilby. What a formidable group of musicians Ricky has in Kentucky Thunder: - Andy Lefwich (fiddle), Cody Kilby (guitar), Mark Fane, (bass), Dan Vincent (guitar / harmony vocals) Paul Brewster (guitar) and the superb Jim Mills on banjo.

Ricky introduced Why Oh Why Did You Wander? as a tribute to Bill Monroe, announcing that Bluegrass would be 60 years old in September this year. They continued their spot with a wealth of traditional material including Toy Heart, Bluegrass Breakdown, Remember The Cross and I Live A Simple Life. They roared into Little Maggie with great banjo from Jim Mills and Cody Kilby rocked his socks off on Guitar. A double "Yeehaw" for that one!

Then just as Ricky started Uncle Penn two Blue Angels streaked in from nowhere and did two huge blue smoke rings overhead followed by another formation of four planes. Most probably they had come to refuel with some of the very high octane bluegrass that was flying around but could find nowhere to land because the whole place was jam packed full of people who were upset by the disruption. Or maybe it was just a 'salute to bluegrass'. Who knows? Whatever, Ricky & Co. continued to finish on Black-Eyed Suzy and did Shady Grove for an encore. That was some awesome Bluegrass from Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder! But now for us it was time to stretch our legs and have a drink as they set up for The Del Mc Coury Band.

The Del McCoury Band, sharp dressers as they are, took the stage as the usual picture of sartorial elegance. Then Del's glass-shattering voice soared over Speedway Meadows with Count Me Out, accompanied by Ronnie McCoury (mandolin / vocals), Robbie McCoury (banjo), Jason Carter (fiddle) and Alan Bartram on bass. Great. They play a mixed bag of material, all in their inimitable bluegrass style, including Nashville Cats, the Richard Thompson song about the fabled British motorcycle Vincent, All Aboard and Promised Land.

About this time a commotion broke out in the dance swamp area, when there was a break-out towards the stage. It threatened to turn nasty but the security people soon got everything quietly under control,. Things settled down and Del and the boys did Rain And Snow as an encore.

We last saw brilliant guitarist and wordsmith, fellow countryman Richard Thompson at Strawberry so Derek went to try and see him on the Rooster stage in Marx' Meadow. What was to be a 'peep' turned into an epic because of the huge crowds. People were everywhere in this narrow, steep-sided valley, including hanging in tress! But it was worth the effort if only to see and hear Richard perform Vincent. The only practical way out was through the crowds up the steep slopes of Marx' Meadow. At the top there were many people who couldn't even see the stage, but they were happy just to be there and be able to hear the music. "Hey, man, this is so cool," said one, as Derek tripped over him, "This guy's just great! Never heard him before." And he probably still hasn't seen him.

The way back from Arrow stage conveniently passed by the Arrow stage with The Way Backs. Last year they played wit Darrel Anger on fiddle, but this time it was and guest Bob Weir, onetime of The Grateful Dead, crouching-dancing back and forth on the stage in his shorts. Derek arrived in time to see the mega-long performance of the Rolling Stones' number Fade Away. One of Derek's kinds of music and, fair do's, they were very, very good. Our daughter Pam's friend Joe Kyle was excellent on bass. At the end the group was joined by Gilliam Welch and David Rawlins, forming what looked like being a most incongruous combination, but it all worked out very well, to the great delight of the crowd. Waybacks line-up and bios

Jean would've liked to see the Waybacks, but the masses of people defeated her so she settled down to see Emmylou Harris.

Emmylou Harris

She had a full band this year, with bluegrass veterans from the Seldom Scene and the Tony Rice outfits. How can one go wrong with the like of Mike Aldridge (dobro), John Starling (guitar / vocals) Ricky Simpkins (mandolin / banjo / fiddle) and Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin) and on bass. They played some good uplifting stuff to start the set including Roses In The Snow, Sweet Dreams Of You, One Of These Days and If I Be Lifted Up. Emmylou followed this by three of her typical sentimental ballads back to back (or, as Derek would say, dirges).

Her material had a high spiritual content this year with several gospel songs, including Jordan and Green Pastures plus Pancho and Lefty, Making Believe and Memories Of You (the latter by Alan O'Bryant of The Nashville Bluegrass Band)

They finished on a Bill Monroe number, then encored with Get Up John - a great up-beat number to finish the weekend.

After the encore, Warren got up and reminded everyone of the reason why he's started the Festival: - he just adores Hazel Dickens and Emmylou Harris and wants them to play for him. Well, he didn't actually say that last bit, but it's true. He said that they were the heart and soul of the Festival. Whatever, Emmylou pulled Hazel up onto the stage and they finished HSB 2006 with a duet.

What a great Festival weekend this has been. A real celebration of Bluegrass music and music in general. I'm just sorry this report can't include the many great and talented people on the other stages. There were so many of them and moving between stages was so difficult, not to mention the overlapping schedules, that they just couldn't be covered here. We're thinking perhaps if you want to write up something next time and take some pics you might like to send it along? Hey, come on - don't worry - we'll do the editing and knock it into English! We really could use the help.

We'd like to mention that although the increase in security was welcome, on Sunday it was particularly tight and Derek found it extremely difficult to get good photos this year.

Warren picks his banjo and a friends brain

Warren Hellman closed the festival by thanking just about everyone - the voluntary staff, the performers, the security, everyone who had come to help out with the clapping - yep, everyone except the Air Force… Well, it's actually Warren Hellman, the unpaid orginisers and helpers who really deserve the thanks, so - Thanks again to Warren and the many other people who help to make this the success it is.

Long may it continue. And we overheard his sons and daughters say that they would keep it going should the need arise …

As a footnote we'd like to add that this year many of the performers felt that they had to share their feelings about war in general and Iraq in particular. Even our main man Paul Mann, the M.C., gave extensive voice to his opinions on the subject, which were shared by the great majority of the attendees including us. However, we felt it better if a public show itself, such as this one, remains officially neutral because no-one can get on stage to voice an alternative opinion.

Derek & Jean Brandon, Chester, England. Write to us