My Floyd Fest favorties this year

Take this list with a grain of salt. I didn't get to hear all the acts, and "rock" is my least favorite type of music, which means none of the really big names made it to my list. So here you go, alphabetically:

1. Blind Corn Liquor Pickers. Fine Kentucky bluegrass.

2. Blue Mule. Fine Virginia (?) bluegrass with lots of personality.

3. Bombadil. They were a fun rock band; their performance a little too clubby for Floyd Fest.

4. Chatham County Line. Awesomeness. Bluegrass. I would pay to see them again. 

5. Crooked Still. The only CD I bought. Bluegrass from Boston! I think they'll be famous.

6. David Grisman Quintet. This dude played the mandolin on The Dead's "American Beauty" album. Ripple, from that album, is probably my favoritest song ever, due in large part to the mandolin. Needless to say, I was very happy to hear this performance.

7. Golem. More pure awesomeness! Eastern European punk. Very danceable.

8. Junior League. Very nice and bluegrassy. Loved it when they did gospel.

9. Lynx. A one-woman hip-hop show. She's great and I hope she's able to make a living doing what she does. Beautiful voice. 

10. Oliver Mtukudzi. Zimbabwean pop. Only CD B. purchased

Performance Art: I loved all the dancers, those with and without fire. I just wish the organizers would give more respect to the dancers. Gyroscopic's big Saturday night performance, which was very well choreographed, was performed in almost utter darkness. And the band started sound checking their instruments in the middle of the girls' performance. Ugh! Anyway, it should have been great. I'm not sure if it is Emily, or whomever, but I love their story-telling dances. Ananda was wonderful in the mid-day performance at the dance tent on Saturday. Were they once part of Baraka Mundi, out of Asheville? (Speaking of, what happened to that troupe?). I didn't get to see Nizhmet do their fire thing on Friday because they were below the stage and the crowd got there before I did....Spiral, a hula hooper who should be a belly-dancer, was incredible to see perform.

Hoorah Cloggers (from Blacksburg!) were fantastic on Sunday. I don't know who their front man is but I just love his personality. 

Didn't stay to hear the Avett Brothers on Sunday, which there was some excitement about. I was annoyed at the description of their music in the schedule. "Smoke & mirrors"?, gimme a break. At least tell me what instrument you're playing. That's so annoying. I don't know, perhaps they really are that cool.

There's my 2 cents from someone who really doesn't listen to that much music:)