IIIrd Tyme Out’s Steve Dilling on stage during the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

The 5th annual Franklin Music Festival has come and gone again, leaving me counting the days until next year. For those not familiar, this festival is a two day event jam packed with the best bluegrass has to offer. What a well run festival! For the folks that come every year, it’s like being with family. Those attending have come to regard this festival as one of the finest in Kentucky. I happen to agree. Everything is held under a big top tent, giving protection from the sun, or as Friday night proved, a constant down pour of rain. There is a pavilion for jammers, adequate camping, and some great ice cream from local favorite, Chaney’s Dairy Barn. My hats off to Kimberly Williams and all the volunteers who make this one of my favorite festivals.

Friday’s stellar line up consisted of host band The Williams & Clark Expedition, Nothin’ Fancy, Cherryholmes, Dailey & Vincent, and Rhonda Vincent & the Rage.

Williams & Clark Expedition are always a crowd favorite. They have a way of making you feel like your sitting around the living room, listening to old friends picking. Blake Williams has quickly become one of my favorite front men. I don’t know how he keeps all those stories and jokes in his head. He can keep the crowd reeling with laughter, and in the same breath rip into a banjo solo that makes everyone roar with applause. Williams & Clark also had special guest, Tim Crouch, playing fiddle both days. If you have not heard him live, you have probably heard him on recordings and did not know it. He is one fine fiddler.

Virginia’s own Nothin’ Fancy was a band I had never heard live before this festival. I didn’t really know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised with how tight these guys are. Both instrumentally and vocally, Nothing Fancy has it all. These guys are great showmen. They have an energy on stage that really carries over to the crowd. I loved their set arrangements, one including a rendition of Bob Seeger’s “Turn the Page” that absolutely rocked. Can’t wait to see these guys again.

Bobby Clark from Williams & Clark Expedition on stage at the Franklin Music Festival.

Cherryholmes always impresses with their unbelievable technical ability. It is fun seeing these kids grow up to become consumate entertainers. Their music has a drive very few can match.

Rhonda and the boys were back again this year, and as always blew the crowd away. One of my favorite moments was when Rhonda’s mom and brother Darrin of Dailey & Vincent, joined her on stage to do the tune “Golden Slippers with Wings”, that they used to do in their family band “The Sally Mountain Show”. I remember seeing them in the early 80’s in Hannibal, MO doing the same tune, and it brought back some great memories.

The group I was looking the most forward to seeing live for the first time was Dailey & Vincent, and believe me, they did not disappoint. All the hype about these guys is more than justified. Instrumentally, they are incredible, vocally they are unbelievable!

Multiple standing ovations were given, namely for their rendition of their hit “More than a Name On a Wall”, and an A Cappella number to end the show called “Do You Want to Go to Heaven When You Die”. This last song brought the house down. There is no one on the scene today that can match Dailey & Vincent vocally. I can’t wait to see what these guys come up with next.

Saturday, the rains subsided and the great music continued. The line up consisted of The Williams & Clark Expedition, The Martins, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, The Isaacs, and The Grascals.

The Martins are a a family band that I was not familiar with. They are a wonderfully talented group playing hard driving, down home bluegrass. All the children in this group are accomplished instrumentalist. Watch for this group to be one of the up and coming stars of the bluegrass world.

What can anyone say about The Isaacs that has not already been said. They are the complete package. Although they stray in and out of the bluegrass genre, I don’t think anyone minds. Their songs are inventive, inspirational, and entertaining. I believe on of my favorites moments was starting their second set singing the national anthem acappela. I saw more than one moist eye in the house with that rendition.

I have listened to Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out for years, and they never disappoint. Russell was a bit under the weather with some sinus problems, but came through like a champ to entertain the crowd. They wowed the crowd instrumentally as well, and did a great rendition of “John & Mary”, with Wayne Benson playing an open tuned mandola. These guys are truly unbelievable live, a must see.

The Grascals gave another great performance. I love their stage presence. They are just so comfortable on stage. They seem to really love performing, and seem genuinely happy to be in front of the crowd.

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Dailey & Vincent entertains the crowd at the 5th Annual Franklin Music Festival during their afternoon set on Friday Sept. 5.

The 5th Annual Franklin Music Festival, still fresh in the minds of all who attended, has some big changes in store for next year. The biggest of those changes is a move from it’s current location to the Bluegrass Music RV Park on the out-skirts of Franklin, KY just a stones throw from Interstate 65. The second bit of news is that host band Williams & Clark Expedition will be the events lone producers.

The decision to move the festival was based two major factors according to Kimberly Williams of Williams & Clark Expedition.

“Our decision to move the festival was based on a couple of things. The committee who first approached us 6 years ago about having a festival, informed us 2 months ago that they would no longer be able to continue the event beyond 2008 due to the fact they are a volunteer board who each have full time jobs. That combined with their family commitments and so forth just required too much time of them to continue with the event.”

“Williams & Clark Expedition believe this is too good of an event to let die and we decided to take over the entire festival at that point.”

The other factor that came into play in moving the festival are the rules and regulations governing the use of the camping facilities the city installed at the park, Williams informed us. “The City of Franklin, KY installed the campsites for the festival prior to the first year’s event and no private entity is allowed to use them. Therefore, we opted to move the event starting in 2009 to the Blue Grass Music RV Park, right off I-65 at KY Exit 6.”

“The new venue is a much better option for our campers and also for the drive-in crowd. It is a much better and permanent facility overall and the owners of the RV park were so excited about the prospect of having the event at their location, that they are building an 18,000 square foot covered pavilion for us. Our band will now be the sole producers of the event and are thrilled with the move and have received nothing but favorable response from this year’s festival attendees.”

The 6th Annual Franklin Music Festival, set for September 11 & 12, will feature a lineup that should be sure to please even the staunchest bluegrass critic. Bluegrass Artists currently booked for the 2009 festival include: Steep Canyon Rangers, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Nothin’ Fancy, The Lonesome River Band, The Dillards, Grand Ole Opry Star Connie Smith, Next Best Thing and The Bluegrass Brothers and Williams & Clark Expedition.

For tickets and camping information for next years Franklin Music Festival visit the festival website.

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Here’s round 2 of the photo’s from the 2008 Franklin Music Festival that took place this last weekend (Sept 5-6). We’ll have more info and pictures coming later in the week.

Rhonda Vincent on stage at the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

IIIrd Tyme Out’s Russell Moore on stage at the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

Jere Cherryholmes during the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

Wayne Benson from IIIrd Tyme Out on stage during the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

Wayne Southards from Williams & Clark Expedition on stage during the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

Terry Eldridge & Aaron McDaris from The Grascals entertaining the crowd at the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

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Here’s round 1 of the photo’s from the 2008 Franklin Music Festival that took place this last weekend (Sept 5-6). We’ll have more info and pictures coming later in the week.

Chris Sexton (l) and Hunter Berry (r) twin fiddlin’ during Nothin’ Fancy’s set.

Nothin’ Fancy onstage during the 2008 Franklin Music Fest.

The 2008 Franklin Music Festival under the big top.

Kimberly Williams & Wayne Southards on stage during one of Williams & Clark Expedition’s performances at the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

Danny Roberts & Jeremy Abshire during The Grascals’ 2008 Franklin Music Festival set.

The crowd enjoys Williams & Clark Expedition’s afternoon performance during the 2008 Franklin Music Festival.

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Williams & Clark Expedition has released a new CD “Brand New Set of Blues.”

Williams and Clark Expedition has recently released their 5th career album. The CD, titled Brand New Set of Blues, is beginning to pick up spins on bluegrass radio and is receiving rave reviews according to the group’s recent newsletter.

Brand New Set of Blues is currently available for purchase directly from Williams & Clark Expedition’s recently revamped website. The project is available on CD or for the more gadget inclined, the group is also offering single song downloads for $.99 each that are ripe for the Ipod pickin’.

In addition to a performance at the Station Inn in Nashville, Tenn. on June 20th, Williams & Clark Expedition are scheduled to appear at the Summersville Bluegrass Festival, Coot Williams Road Bluegrass Festival, Dollywood’s Bluegrass & BBQ and the Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festiva over the course of the summer festival season.

Also coming up on the Williams & Clark Expedition schedule is the Franklin Music Festival in Franklin, KY on Sept 5-6. Williams & Clark Expedition hosts 2 days of some of the biggest names in Bluegrass including Dailey & Vincent, Nothing Fancy, Cherryholmes, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, IIIrd Tyme Out, The Isaacs, The Grascals and The Martins. If your looking to wrap up the dog days of summer with a short festival that’s long on quality this one’s hard to beat.

Brand New Set of Blues Track Listing:

1. Brand New Set Of Blues
2. Destiny’s Highway
3. In My Heart
4. Jalapeño Quickstep
5. (Love Is Coming To) A Heart Near You
6. Marching
7. Ridin’ That Midnight Train
8. Goodbye Heartache
9. Lifetime Of Love
10. Heaven On Earth
11. Highlands Ramble
12. Travelin’ Heaven’s Road
13. Tennessee Waltz
14. Comedy Track

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