I wanted to spend a minute and tell you all about THE show I’m most excited about this fall…The Packway Handle Band at the Wildflower Pavilion. Forgive me if I ramble, but I really am excited about this show…
The show is this Friday and tickets can be purchased, and more info can be had, on the Wildflower Pavilion section of our website.
…now, about the Packway Handle Band…
About 4 years ago I saw a young band from Athens, GA at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. They were (are) all 20-somethings, but the sound they produced hinted to a time that had long since passed. Playing their instruments around a single mic with 4 part vocal harmonies, I was stunned. I, in all my traditional ignorance, had never seen or heard a band with such an energetic take on what I had always thought to be “old timey music.” There was something about the band that seemed so fresh, in spite of the trad. feeling. I was so blown away by the band that I went to Denver the next night to see them as well. The 2nd night did not disappoint. In fact, I can without hesitation contribute my current musical tastes and possibly my spot here on the Planet to The Packway Handle Band. I specifically remember after that second night in Denver going up to each member of the band, shaking their hand, and thanking them for giving me “a renewed interest in Bluegrass.” It was truly an unexpected love affair.
The bands music is not traditional, though they do play some traditional tunes. Many of the traditional tunes they do play have been reworked in some fashion or another to compliment their youthful energy and playful demeanor. They are probably more Folkgrass than they are Blue…but you’d never know it when they decide to rumble through an old standard.
Great songwriters, incredible vocals, and musicians that anyone would be excited to have at their camp…I’m excited to have found this band when I did. They have been around the world since then. Receiving acclaim everywhere they go. They even did a spot on the BBC Scotland’s Celtic Connections show this past year during a tour of Europe. (to watch the session click this link and look toward the bottom of the right side under “Traveling Folk Video”
I hope that you will join me on Friday when this young and talented group takes the stage in the Wildflower Pavilion. The next generation of acoustic music is out there…it’s just waiting for you to attend. You will not be disappointed, and you may even find yourself shaking their hands and thanking them for giving you “a renewed interest in Bluegrass.”
:cheers
D.