toria’s Breakmen are doing much to fire up the interest of younger listeners and participants. “After all these years of watching our scene, I feel that old time is big time right now. The Breakmen are great and the kind of act where the sum is greater than the parts. They have got character voices and superb harmonies,” says Edmonton-based journalist and picker Mike Sadava. “There are other acts, like Fish and Bird, who are absolutely fantastic, as is the band Outlaw Social. From what I can tell, Victoria is the centre of the old time music universe. At Sorrento, it seems like the young players opt for the old time workshops and courses while the older crowd still favor the hard core bluegrass,” adds Sadava. Sorrento has been the western Canadian Mecca for bluegrass and old time
music enthusiasts for 12 years, as an instruction centre for both emerging professionals and hobbyists. The faculty is always top drawer, and the impressive crew of teachers, which includes banjo master Tony Furtado, guitarist Russ Barenberg, and members of Seattle’s Downtown Mountain Boys will come together for one day festival on August 28. Acclaimed mandolin player John Reischman sees the week long workshop formats of Sorrento and other camps as pivotal in keeping the scene fresh. “They are great not only for the skills that are acquired by the students, but for developing a sense of community,” says the leader of the Jaybirds, before echoing some of Sadava’s thoughts. “Some of these young players are unbelievably talented. I sense a lot of them were inspired by Chris Thile and Nickel Creek,” figures Reischman, who was on
the frontlines of bluegrass and newgrass as a young musician, when he worked with the seminal Tony Rice Unit in the eighties. If the well continues to be replenished, as it has been in this new millennium, the future is bright for bluegrass and old time music across the west. Here are six of many acts to look out for on this summer’s circuit. • Dailey & Vincent: Edmonton Folk Music Festival (August 5 - 8) • The Avett Brothers: Calgary Folk Festival (July 22 - 25) • Claire Lynch: Blueberry Bluegrass Festival (July 30 - August 1) • Emitt-Nershi Band: StarBelly Jam Festival (July 16 - 18) • Red Clay Ramblers: Vancouver Island Musicfest (July 9 - 11) • Annie Lou: Vancouver Folk Festival (July 16 - 18)
BC Musician | July - August 2010 89