It's a rainy night in Goodlettsville. ...a flood down in Georgia in January slowed down our remodeling projects, along with our blog posts...to a simmer while we welcomed visitors to Thistletop. (dont't forget to click on the pictures if you want them bigger!)Recently, we were visited by the Bluegrass Boss of Colorado 'hisself, Steel Pennies own Banjo King, Mr. David Patton, with his lovely Bass-playin' Bride of Boulder, Miz Kathy Foster-Patton. (check them out on MySpace) As the flood was gearing up for its havoc...we all headed to Long Hollow Jamboree, a hallowed hall where Bill Monroe, Marty Stuart and their minions layed out vast tracks with mandolin magic to meat-and-three eating citizens back as late as the mid-seventies. No one expects fresh from a steam table but here is chicken, catfish, BBQ, singing moist tunes to our taste buds. A choir of hash browns, fried apples, greens, cornbread and biscuits jumped on our plates followed by sweet tea and coffee. The very excellent band, Wild Country, morphed into covers by Merl Haggard, George Jones, Gram Parsons, and others, while the Ghost of Cowboy Copas listened.
David found a plaque given to the owner from Leroy Troy, of Tennessee Mafia Jug Band fame, commemorating Leroy's first performance there.After the Wild Country concert, a top-down Sumner County drive punctuated the night...that is...before the rains came.
The next night we headed to the Station Inn...the 12th Avenue South mini-Sistine Chapel for premier Bluegrass. We heard Darren Beachley and Legends of the Potomac. Beachley's voice is filled with the high notes that move with the tops of pine trees in a moonlit southern sky.
"By teaming up such revered masters as dobro player Mike Auldridge, bassist Tom Gray both founding members of the legendary, revolutionary band the Seldom Scene with rising-star vocalist Darren Beachley (formerly of bluegrass powerhouse Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver), Mandolinist Norman Wright (Bluegrass Cardinals, Country Gentlemen) and banjo player Mark Delaney (Country Gentlemen) such a group has been formed. Darren Beachley and the Legends of the Potomac harness the very best of bluegrass past and future." (LOTP website)
It was a pleasure hearing some of the "The Classic" players of the Country Gentlemen (the original group from 1960-64 consisting of of co-founders Charlie Waller on guitar and John Duffey on mandolin, with Eddie Adcock on banjo and Tom Gray on bass, were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1996. Later crossroads incurred including Jerry Douglas and Seldom Scene.) We had maximum fun because we were joined by Butch Payne and his lovely bride Joy from Lexington...It was a capitol idea. Everyone had a good time.
Refusing to gather at repose, David and Kathy played at Robbie's Barn, on Dry Creek Road. It's not often you see a deer head with Christmas lights, yes its almost never possible to see Elvis and The Mona Lisa on the same wall...but we did. The denim and polka dot dancers, the popcorn smell and walls covered with faded memories of Elvis and Mona made us forget the approching storm.
The flood was a double-barreled collision with fate and coincidence. Now that it's over...we'll be pickin' and grinnin' at Thistletop.
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