September 2024 From The Editor

September is the ninth month of the year, which is a little misleading as “September” is taken from the Latin “septem” which means seven. Things become a little clearer when we find out that September was originally the seventh month of the oldest known Roman calendar. But due to continuous tinkering with calendars by various rulers who wanted their name attached, adding January and February to the mix, and the eventual intervention of the Pope, September was moved to ninth place. Or, perhaps all these changes were just a ploy from a worldwide cabal of greedy calendar salesmen.

 

Festivals

Clifftop and Galax are over, which generally marks the end of major Old Time Festivals for the season. Congratulations go out to Knoxville’s Blue Ridge Gathering, for taking first place in the Neo-Traditional Band category at Clifftop. This is the perfect follow up to the group’s second place win last year. As this year’s winner, they have been invited to perform a full set at Clifftop in 2025. Blue Ridge Gathering consists of Cody Bauer-fiddle, Jessica Watson-banjo/guitar, and Duck Ryan-banjo/guitar.

In further testament to the talents of the band members, Jessica Watson won the Best New Tune award at Clifftop this year. Duck Ryan won the Best New Song award at Clifftop last year, and Cody Bauer continues his winning ways, most recently placing third in the Old Time Fiddle category at Galax this year.

Keep these folks on your radar -they are destined for great things! There are a couple of photos below.

 

Jams

The local jams at Boyd’s Jig and Reel and the Laurel Theater are going strong. Those in attendance at the August 8th Laurel Theater jam got to play along with Old Time master Dan Levenson. Dan and some friends also joined the Boyd’s Jig and Reel group on August 13th. I’m sure everyone enjoyed those sessions as much as I did. There are some photos below.

The Crafty Bastard at Baker Creek jam, which took the summer off, is restarting on Sunday, September 15th at 3PM. Mark your calendars for the regular monthly schedule, which will be the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 3 PM starting in October.

Please join us at one or all of the Knoxville area jams. We are very fortunate to have these choices available, as in some areas, there are few organized playing opportunities, or you might have to drive for many miles to be part of the nearest Old Time jam. Plus you will meet a lot of nice people that love Old Time music!

 

Events

September is shaping up to be a lean month for Old Time related events - but that does not mean there are not any! The Laurel Theater is presenting Blind House on September 6th. Blind House is a Knoxville based bluegrass/old-time band that incorporates elements of indie rock, country and blues. And there are a couple of people in the band with whom you should be familiar: Duck Ryan and Cody Bauer. George Colyer, Ryan Dunaway, and Will Ross round out the lineup.

Not necessarily strictly Old Time, but the Laurel Theater is also presenting popular singer-songwriter, multi - instrumentalist and dancer Martha Spencer and Wonderland on Friday September 20th. 

In addition, the Laurel just announced a most welcomed Friday-Saturday parking option at nearby Christ Chapel’s gravel auxiliary parking lot. Christ Chapel is located at the corner of Highland and 16th Street.

 

Dale Is Moving

We are saddened to report that one of our own is leaving us. Dale Stansberry, whose fiddling and banjo playing we have enjoyed for years, is pulling up stakes and moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico. The move is job-related, and Dale tells us that he chose to live in Albuquerque because of their vibrant Old Time music scene. Our loss is their gain. (I hope they are up to speed on obscure G tunes.) A gathering of players convened recently to give Dale a proper send-off, which, of course, meant playing a bunch of Old Time music. There are some photos below. 

 

New On The Website

New this month on the website is a Tune History of “Going To The Free State” by Virginia fiddler John Ashby. It is a lively two part fiddle tune in cross A that shares a melody with a surprising number of other tunes. In the Music section, John Ashby himself is profiled, along with some interesting American history of “The Free State” (in present day northeastern Virginia). Did you know that there were kings of “The Free State?” One of them was John Ashby’s uncle! As a side note, those familiar with Northeast Tennessee’s 1784 breakaway “State of Franklin” will certainly detect a familiar theme. In fact, the “State of Franklin” was sometimes called “The Free State of Franklin.” No kings for Franklin though, but if there had been one, I imagine a log throne and coon skin crown would have been fitting.

 

Until next month,

Mark