MBOTMA Festival

We're just back from the MBOTMA August Festival at El Rancho Mañana in Richmond, MN (about 90 miles North-west of Mpls). We missed last year's festival to attend my uncle's 65th Wedding Anniversary and had to miss this spring's Homegrown Kickoff (where we were scheduled to perform) because of Lynn's mother's failing health. So we came early on Thursday afternoon and stayed as late on Sunday as we ever have (and got caught in the coming-back-from-up-north traffic on the way home).

We didn't perform but got a chance to hear most of the groups on the schedule. Lynn and I are mostly focused on old-time music these days, so we got to as many of the old-time performances and 'showcases' as we could. (Neither of us attended a workshop this year). The national acts were The Stairwell Sisters, The Dirk Powell Band, and Mike Seeger. The members of the Dirk Powell band also performed as the Cajun group Balfa Toujours. Local old-time groups we saw included The Ditch Lilies, Poor Benny, and The Roe Family Singers.

A great thing about this festival is that it is both Bluegrass and Old-time, so we also saw some great national and local bluegrass groups. Cadillac Sky and Mountain Heart are 'cutting edge' groups while Michael Cleveland and Grasstowne have a more traditional sound. It was fun to see Monroe's Crossing, which is Minnesota based and probably Minnesota's only 'full-time' bluegrass band as well as Brennen Leigh who now lives in Austin, but has North Dakota, Minnesota roots. Ivory Bridge, Sawtooth, Morgan's Run and Bag o' Dirt Band were the other local groups we saw.

When I first started coming to this Festival in the early 90's I was mostly a bluegrass fan; however, I would usually listen to the old time music as well. Now I mostly come for the old-time music, but I really like the fact that I can keep up with the bluegrass side of things as well.

That's all for today, hoping to post a few more things during the week while it's still fresh.