Saturday, November 23, CBMS sponsored a day of bluegrass at the new Great Colorado Marketplace, which just opened this past summer at I25 and Johnson's Corner near Loveland CO.

At the IBMA convention in October, Alison Brown - banjo player extraordinaire - gave the opening address and the essence of her speech was "What is bluegrass and where is it going?" Alison considers bluegrass a musical genre based on tradition but also one able to stretch its borders to be inclusive of other types of music. I think Alison would have enjoyed the performances on Saturday and I think they are typical of what she was trying to say.

There was a wide variety of music as well as age groups. In my opinion, one of the most wonderful aspects of this music is that it appeals to all ages. Bluegrassers respect each individual musician, regardless of age. The youngest musician who performed was Jessica Caudill, 15, of Fleeting Moment, and the oldest was Bing Solomon and I won't tell his age!

The day started with Mountain Railway, more old-time than traditional bluegrass because their banjo style was clawhammer, but Calvin Weatherall's lead vocals are certainly high and lonesome. They were followed by Company Q, definitely 'roots' music - an old-time dance band whose music pre-dated bluegrass by decades. Their music included great tunes played on the hammered dulcimer. Fleeting Moment, a family band, played next. Their set list included a variety of song styles and even Arthur, their chicken, got in the act. Still Lookin', an all female band (quite an anomaly in bluegrass music), followed them, and their chicken got in the act, too, only he was headless. Guess that's an anomaly, too! Two new great songs about chickens in the wonderful tradition of bluegrass music.

Well, the day did close with some real, hard-driving bluegrass in the form of the Cheyenne Lonesome Band. Those guys are great! A lady walked up near me and said "Now, that's bluegrass"! And it was. But, so were the other bands.

I hope the bands in Colorado can keep up this spirit of innovation and the love of this music. We'll all be better off for it.

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