Julie Hauserman writes in the St. Petersburg Times about one of my favorite gigs: the Suwannee SpringFest. I’ve been fortunate enough to play almost every Suwannee SpringFest, and all but one of its fall counterpart, MagnoliaFest.
I am among the thousands who flock to Springfest each year to hear an outstanding, eclectic lineup of musicians – not just bluegrass. Musicians travel from all over the world to play in the tiny town of Live Oak, along the Suwannee River.
The music is so good, and such a value, you almost don’t want to tell anybody about it.
I’ve seen a 14-year-old Tampa Bay area mandolin prodigy kick out a tune by funk legend Prince; a young Canadian band segue improbably from an Afro-Cuban-French-Canadian pop tune into a smoking rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love; a North Florida string band play acoustic arrangements of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I’ve danced myself sweaty while a Miami House of God steel guitar band whips the crowd into a gospel frenzy at 1 a.m.