The gracious banjo maestro, Bill Keith, shaking hands with Jonny Cody after playing ‘Devil’s Dream’ together at a campsite during Grey Fox 2013—fifty years from the day that Bill first played it with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Photo by Fred Robbins
BANJO GREATS GATHER AT GREY FOX FOR KEITH-STYLE BANJO SUMMIT
Surely a highlight of this year’s Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival will be a very special Keith-Style Banjo Summit hosted by Béla Fleck and Tony Trischka. As if this “Triple Crown of Banjo” wasn’t enough, joining them on stage to honor the music and enormous influence of Bill Keith will be the award-winning Noam Pikelny, Eric Weissberg, Mike Munford, Marc Horowitz, Mike Kropp, and Ryan Cavanaugh, along with Bill Keith himself. The 90-minute Keith-style banjo gathering will be on Friday, July 17 beginning at 7:00pm at the Creekside Stage.
Banjoist extraordinaire Bill Keith (beaconbanjo.com) is one of just a handful of musicians to have a whole style named after him. The Keith style was the catalyst that spawned new generations of envelope pushers such as Tony Trischka, Béla Fleck and Noam Pikelny. Bill has worked with The Jim Kweskin Jugband, Jim Rooney, Red Allen & Frank Wakefield, Judy Collins, Clarence White, Richard Greene and David Grisman. His 1963 Decca recordings with Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys introduced his innovations to a world audience. Bill also wrote the Earl Scruggs banjo instruction book. Last October, the IBMA honored Bill with a richly deserved Distinguished Achievement Award.
YOUTUBE LINK: Bill Keith playing Cherokee Shuffle and commenting on the Keith-Style at Grey Fox 2011 in workshop with J.D. Crowe, Tony Trischka, and Mike Munford. https://youtu.be/Q3QlfvOOt9c
ONE OF I LOVE NY’S SEVEN MUSIC FESTIVALS NOT TO BE MISSED It’s really no wonder that I Love NY Tourism picked Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival among its “Seven Music Festivals Not to Be Missed” in 2015. A Who’s Who of Bluegrass Music in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of Greene County, Grey Fox features more than 40 bands, 170 performances, and dozens of workshops on five stages. Each year, music seekers from 30+ states and a dozen countries gather at the Walsh Farm to enjoy four days of camping, jamming, dancing, kids activities, festive foods, artisanal vendors, and more.
ALL STAR LINEUP Grey Fox consistently presents an all-star lineup of the most celebrated musicians in bluegrass, and its roots and branches. Held Thursday through Sunday, July 16-19, on the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, NY, and hosted by the Dry Branch Fire Squad, fans will see: The Del McCoury Band; Hot Rize; The Sam Bush Band; The Infamous Stringdusters; Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn; Greensky Bluegrass; Balsam Range; The SteelDrivers; Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers with Special Guest, Elmo Otto; Steep Canyon Rangers; The Gibson Brothers; Della Mae; The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band; Mr. Sun; Michael Daves and Friends (Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge, Brittany Haas, Jen Larsen, and Mike Bub); Joe Craven; Billy Strings & Don Julin; Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore; The HillBenders; Mike Compton & Joe Newberry; Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; Scythian; Love Canon; Front Country; I Draw Slow; Jim Gaudet & the Railroad Boys; Shyam Nepali & Raj Kapoor; Rushad Eggleston; Bruce Molsky, Tony Trischka & the Berklee All-Stars; The Stray Birds; Wood & Wire, Mile 12; The Mark Whitaker Band; Wrong is Right; The Wiles; Abby Hollander Band; Ethan Jodziewicz and Tatiana Hargreaves; The Zolla Boys; and more!
A GATHERING OF THE BELOVED KIND While the lineup is always jaw-dropping on all five stages at Grey Fox, the festival is known far and wide for its friendly family camping scene, stellar bluegrass jams that go well into the night, emerging artist showcases that help launch musical careers, and memorable learning opportunities for players of all levels and for casual listeners and die-hard fans alike. All of these factors combine to make it the place to be for acoustic music seekers each July.
MAJOR SPONSORS ArtistWorks.com, Beard Guitars, Bluegrass Unlimited, Blue Highways TV, Collings Guitars, D’Addario, Deering Banjos, Eastman Guitars and Mandolins, The Event Company, Freshgrass, Northfield Mandolins, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Thirsty Lizards, and WAMU’s BluegrassCountry.org, with support from the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association.
DATE / LOCATION Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Thursday thru Sunday, July 16-19, 2015 On the Walsh Farm, 1 Poultney Road, Oak Hill, NY 12460
TICKETS Full Festival Tickets: $215 (age 13 and up) Day Tickets (Thur, Fri, Sat): $75 (age 13 and up) Senior Discount: $5 off at Gate (age 60 and up) Kids (age 12 and under): Free with ticketed adult Sunday admission: Cash donation or non-perishable pantry items (collected at ticket gate) to benefit Community Action of Greene County.
FOR MORE INFORMATION www.GreyFoxBluegrass.com www.facebook.com/greyfoxbluegrass www.twitter.com/gfbluegrass 888.946.8495 / 315.404.5738 [email protected]
PRESS CONTACT: Mary Burdette, Assistant Director 603.677.2178 [email protected]