THE BIG BEND BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL, October 3-4
preview by: David Kowal
The 4th Annual Big Bend Bluegrass Festival is almost upon us here in Alpine, Texas, and it looks to be every bit as exciting as in past years. It will be held at the Alpine Civic Center on Friday, October 3, through Saturday, October 4. The 4th Annual Big Bend Bluegrass Festival is a product of the Big Bend Bluegrass Association and is generously sponsored by Visit Alpine, TX and local businesses, and is made possible by participants like you.
Here, in the high desert of the Big Bend, things that need extensive moisture do not grow well, especially grass. Thankfully, a different type of grass – Bluegrass – has been the exception. Bluegrass is a form of American roots music, with its origin in Irish, Scottish, and English traditional music transported by immigrants to Appalachia, where it saw its most significant developments in the 1940s. The driving, high-energy sound of traditional bluegrass is generated by acoustic instruments (including fiddle, 5-string banjo, guitar, mandolin, upright string bass, and, more recently, dobro, harmonica, and accordion), by its inclusion of instrumental “breakdowns” and vocal harmonies arranged in “stacks.” The name by which this music has come to be called derives from the seminal band, the Bluegrass Boys, led by Kentuckian Bill Monroe, who is generally considered the “founder” of American bluegrass music. Traditional Bluegrass – which is still going strong – has expanded from Monroe’s day into new “progressive” directions, sometimes referred to as “New Grass,” with the addition of non-traditional instruments, the incorporation of other musical genres like jazz, folk, rock n’ roll, and Afro-American blues, and an expansion of themes.
Bluegrass has taken root here in Alpine thanks to the able direction of Cyndi Perdue and the Big Bend Bluegrass Association (a designated 501c3 non-profit), which she heads. In 2021, Cyndi relocated a festival that her dad had originated and run for 21 years in Wickett, Texas, to Alpine. She brought with her a love and knowledge of the bluegrass tradition, which has helped her line up a top-notch roster of award-winning musicians from around the nation to perform over the past four years.
Past performers have included the Kody Norris Show, Special Consensus, Spring Street, the Finley River Band, Hillbilly Fever, Bobby Gile, Riley Gilbreath, the Baker Family Band, Bluegrass Express, and Second Time Around, among others. And returning is one of the most exhilarating headliners from past years, the multiple award-winning Edgar Loudermilk Band, headed by the highly accomplished namesake bass player, vocalist, and songwriter, who has a long and distinguished career in bluegrass. Zack Autry joins him on mandolin, Jake Goforth on flat-pick guitar, and the group’s newest addition, Eddie Hoyle on banjo, each an award-winning musician in their own right. This group, one of my all-time favorites, is truly outstanding in their songwriting, musicianship, and interpretation of contemporary bluegrass and gospel music.
This year, the award-winning and long-standing Larry Stephens Band will be the festival’s headliners. Playing throughout the US and Canada for over 30 years, the band is led by acclaimed tenor vocalist and mandolin player, Stephens, an inductee of the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame and five-time awardee as male vocalist of the year from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music (SPBGMA). Frequent presenters on the Grand Ole Opry, the band — which plays bluegrass, gospel, traditional country, Americana, and folk — consists of Stephens on mandolin, Norbert McGettigan on bass, Derek Vaden on banjo, and Matt Downing on guitar, all of whom contribute vocals.
The Purple Hulls consist of twin sisters Katy Lou and Penny Lea Clark, on guitar and banjo. Named after the crop they grow – purple hull peas – on their family farm in East Texas, the Purple Hulls honed their musical skills in Nashville, writing songs for Sony Publishing, touring as backup musicians, and doing session work, before returning to Texas and taking on an independent musical career. They are one of the sole all-female bluegrass groups that excel in the genre.
The Catahoula Drive bluegrass band was originally formed by four friends who entered an award contest at SPMGMA and became a touring band in 2017. Purveyors of original bluegrass, the band consists of Devon Avery on banjo, Tres Nugent on bass, Dennis Steward on mandolin, and Jame Alwell on guitar.
The young Edwards brothers, Everett on guitar and Davis on accordion, are local Alpine favorites who bring strong musicianship to the stage when playing folk, country, and Americana tunes. Everett has previously performed on the Alpine bluegrass stage as a member of the Old Rugged Choir. The brother’s musical talent was recently the subject of a front-page article in the Alpine Avalanche.
And returning to this year’s line-up is another local group, the Sul Ross University Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of adjunct professor of Music, Nicolas Hurt. This group of talented students plays a variety of selections ranging from classical to popular.
As in last year’s, there are several workshops scheduled for songwriters, guitar, banjo, and mandolin players, as well as free-ranging jam sessions, so bring your instrument if you play…… It is sure to be a great time!