Folks, the Greater Downstate Bluegrass Music Festival at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, IL is just around the corner and a great lineup awaits. The festival runs Friday, Nov 11 through Sunday Nov 13, 2011. You’re too late for reduced price advance reserve seating, but you can still get your tickets for $55 general admission and $60 for reserved seating for the weekend. Evening shows run $25 each.
Playing Friday are The Link Family, Donna Ulisse & Poor Mt. Boys, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper and Dailey & Vincent.
Dailey and Vincent
Saturday shows include The Harmans, Balsam Range, Rhonda Vincent & Rage, The Boxcars and Dry Branch Fire Squad. The Harmans and Dry Branch Fire Squad also finish out the festival with the Sunday morning show.
Of the nine groups playing, three won awards at the 2011 IBMA awards show last month. The Boxcars won Instrumental Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year (what’s that one all about),
The Boxcars at IBMA Awards 2011
Balsam Range won Song of the Year for “Trains I Missed” and Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper won Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year for “Goin’ Up Dry Branch“. In addition, Adam Steffey (The Boxcars’ mandolin player), won Mandolin Player of the Year (2 in a row now) and Michael Cleveland took home his Fiddle Player of the Year trophy. Michael Cleveland has won the Fiddle Player of the Year award so many times now that I think he might just bring the trophy back to the awards show with him and reuse it.
Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper via. Ted Lehman's Blog
Be sure to set aside some time to come out and enjoy the show. In addition to the performances will be jamming. The 10,000 square foot jamming area is large and loud. There are some more intimate rooms if you can find them but the majority of jamming takes place in the wide open spaces. Many folks come out to the festivals solely for the jamming. If your timing is right you might even find some of the touring pros jamming with pickers from all over the Midwest playing tunes from Bill Monroe to Flatt and Scruggs to the Steel Drivers.
See you at the festival.
Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL
3000 South Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62703 - 1-800-589-2769
Google map.
