The Avett Brothers

The David Grisman Quintet

Ha Ha Tonka (photo: John Henry)

Saturday evening Chicago’s Congress Theater held host to the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival.  I was pretty curious how much of a festival atmosphere there would actually be considering the venue, but with the music starting at noon and going non-stop till 1 a.m., festival was a good label for the occasion.

I walked through the doors a bit after 6 p.m. and unfortunately only caught a few tunes of Majors Junction’s set.  This Chicago alt-country outfit has some great songwriting and is always a pleasure to catch live.  In between sets at the main stage there was a band set up on the side balcony.  Set changes were a bit stretched out, which slowed down the flow of the night at times, but the wait was well worth it.  Ha Ha Tonka hit the stage around 7 p.m. and plowed through a well received hour long set mixed of songs off their debut Buckle in the Bible Belt and new tunes they will be recording for their upcoming sophomore release on Bloodshot Records.  The new tunes lean more on the indie rock side rather than the foot stompin’, but the songs hit hard and there is still plenty of foot stompin’ to be had.  Really looking forward to hearing these tunes recorded.

The legendary mandolinist David Grisman, known for his days of jamming with Jerry Garcia, and his quintet were next to take the stage.  The level of musicianship on that stage was amazing!  All players were masters of their instrument, each of them trading off ripping solos, challenging each others abilities.  It takes a certain level of expertise to play Bluegrass the way these guys did.  Grisman seemed to be the main attraction of the night, but was not the one to steal the show.

Over the past year I have heard a tone of buzz about headliners The Avett Brothers and man did they live up to it.  These dapper North Carolina brothers play straight up Appalachian music, but with more attitude than the brattiest punk music, head banging and thrashing throughout their set.  Aside from playing guitar and banjo, each brother had some auxiliary percussion at their disposal, one with a high hat and one with a kick drum.  Throw in the stand up bass, some cello and some soaring southern harmonies and you’ve got yourself one of the rawest, most honest live bands around.  Please see these guys next time they through your town, you will not be disappointed, no matter what kind of music you are into.  You can check out their myspace profile to hear some tunes, but I would suggest checking out some live video first.

Tags: Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, David Grisman, Ha Ha Tonka, The Avett Brothers

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