Blue Plantation Band News

REVIEW: Blue Plantation
The Charleston City Paper
BY: Sara Miller

Blue Plantation offer listeners an earful of traditional bluegrass music — fast, foot-stompin tunes that beg for an active audience and in the best of times, inspire one.

Music
Piccolo Spoleto
Blue Plantation
May 31 at 5 p.m.
Charleston Music Hall
37 John St.
554-6060

Old Grass, New Grass, Blue Grass
Blue Plantation demonstrate the old traditions at the Charleston Music Hall

Blue Plantation take listeners on a trip through some of the most memorable traditional music made in America, from the earliest fiddle music through the fusion bluegrass of today.

The quartet of skilled musicians ably handle the music of legends like Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, and David Grisman, many tinged with a rustic, Celtic influence. They also keep the audience happy with reworked versions of some old favorites like the Beverly Hillbillies TV theme song.

Front man Allan Thompson, handling fiddle, banjo, harmonica, and dobro, balanced out his shakiness as a speaker with his mastery of these various instruments, especially the banjo. Thompson began with an explanation of the fiddle?s arrival to the colonies of America and a subsequent Irish fiddle jig.

On the second song, Thompson switched to banjo and the rest of Blue Plantation ambled onto the stage guitarist Aaron Gdovicak, bassist Jake Howlwegner, and mandolin player David Vaughan. Thompson displayed the clawhammer banjo style on a Doc and Merle Watson song, then the fire really lit under Blue Plantation.

Before they launched into Monroe's, "Frog on the Lilly Pad," Thompson explained that Earl Scruggs longtime Bill Monroe band member, used a 3-finger style of banjo picking. Thompson then proceeded to wail on the banjo like nobody's business!

When Blue Plantation launched into a Foggy Mountain Boys tune, Vaughan and Thompson's voices came together in a clear, balanced harmony, with Vaughn's clean, higher tone blending perfectly with Thompson's low, gruff vocals.

The musicianship of the four men really started to shine when they launched into Flatt & Scruggs "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" from the '60s movie Bonnie and Clyde. Gdovicak and Vaughan were pickin' like madmen, while Thompson pulled his harmonica out of his shirt pocket in between spurts playing the dobro.

After this tune, Thompson invited some of his music students, who play in their own young musicians' group called Celtic Grass, onto the stage. These precocious youngsters brought up mandolins, fiddles, and a guitar; one hardworking lad played his fiddle with a cast on his right arm.

The Charleston Music Hall offers a great space for semi-plugged concerts, as evidenced when Celtic Grass joined Blue Plantation on their mics. There was still a rich, full sound that flowed from the large group, warming up the auditorium and the crowd.

Blue Plantation then played a couple of Grisman's jazzy-style bluegrass songs; each driven by Vaughan's fine mandolin work. The cheekiness of "EMD" (for Eat My Dust; Vaughan explained) fit perfectly with Blue Plantation's sassy style.

Thompson, who seemed a tad wooden while speaking to the crowd, loosened up as he described writing an original number while driving through the mountains.

"I have a bad habit of playing the mandolin when I'm driving at night," he said before launching in a fine tune they call "Pickin' on Bill," an homage to Monroe featuring plenty of superfast fiddling.
They finished out the concert with a string of nostalgic favorites, including the Hillbillies theme, a Grateful Dead song ("I Know You Riders are Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone"), and naturally, the Deliverance theme, "Dueling Banjos." Then they invited Celtic Grass back up and ended with a flourish, finally driving the audience to clap along excitedly.



		Blue Plantation Band News Read the review of the Blue Plantation Band from their 2005 Spoleto performance.
			REVIEW: Blue Plantation The Charleston City Paper BY: Sara Miller Blue Plantation offer listeners an earful of traditional bluegrass music — fast, foot-stompin tunes that beg for an active audience and in the best of times, inspire one. Music Piccolo Spoleto Blue Plantation May 31 at 5 p.m. Charleston Music Hall 37 John St. 554-6060 Old Grass, New Grass, Blue Grass Blue Plantation demonstrate the old traditions at the Charleston Music Hall Blue Plantation take listeners on a trip through some of the most memorable traditional music made in America, from the earliest fiddle music through the fusion bluegrass of today. The quartet of skilled musicians ably handle the music of legends like Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, and David Grisman, many tinged with a rustic, Celtic influence. They also keep the audience happy with reworked versions of some old favorites like the Beverly Hillbillies TV theme song. Front man Allan Thompson, handling fiddle, banjo, harmonica, and dobro, balanced out his shakiness as a speaker with his mastery of these various instruments, especially the banjo. Thompson began with an explanation of the fiddle?s arrival to the colonies of America and a subsequent Irish fiddle jig. On the second song, Thompson switched to banjo and the rest of Blue Plantation ambled onto the stage guitarist Aaron Gdovicak, bassist Jake Howlwegner, and mandolin player David Vaughan. Thompson displayed the clawhammer banjo style on a Doc and Merle Watson song, then the fire really lit under Blue Plantation. Before they launched into Monroe's, "Frog on the Lilly Pad," Thompson explained that Earl Scruggs longtime Bill Monroe band member, used a 3-finger style of banjo picking. Thompson then proceeded to wail on the banjo like nobody's business! When Blue Plantation launched into a Foggy Mountain Boys tune, Vaughan and Thompson's voices came together in a clear, balanced harmony, with Vaughn's clean, higher tone blending perfectly with Thompson's low, gruff vocals. The musicianship of the four men really started to shine when they launched into Flatt & Scruggs "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" from the '60s movie Bonnie and Clyde. Gdovicak and Vaughan were pickin' like madmen, while Thompson pulled his harmonica out of his shirt pocket in between spurts playing the dobro. After this tune, Thompson invited some of his music students, who play in their own young musicians' group called Celtic Grass, onto the stage. These precocious youngsters brought up mandolins, fiddles, and a guitar; one hardworking lad played his fiddle with a cast on his right arm. The Charleston Music Hall offers a great space for semi-plugged concerts, as evidenced when Celtic Grass joined Blue Plantation on their mics. There was still a rich, full sound that flowed from the large group, warming up the auditorium and the crowd. Blue Plantation then played a couple of Grisman's jazzy-style bluegrass songs; each driven by Vaughan's fine mandolin work. The cheekiness of "EMD" (for Eat My Dust; Vaughan explained) fit perfectly with Blue Plantation's sassy style. Thompson, who seemed a tad wooden while speaking to the crowd, loosened up as he described writing an original number while driving through the mountains. "I have a bad habit of playing the mandolin when I'm driving at night," he said before launching in a fine tune they call "Pickin' on Bill," an homage to Monroe featuring plenty of superfast fiddling. They finished out the concert with a string of nostalgic favorites, including the Hillbillies theme, a Grateful Dead song ("I Know You Riders are Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone"), and naturally, the Deliverance theme, "Dueling Banjos." Then they invited Celtic Grass back up and ended with a flourish, finally driving the audience to clap along excitedly.