Given the enviable task of joining the assemblage of players for all four nights of warming up the crowd was Head For The Hills, a four piece out of Colorado. Head For The Hills took the opportunity to heart and on the last night of the tour, took the stage and quickly had all in the crowd dancing on the floor or bobbing their heads as they laid down their tracks. The band offered straight ahead bluegrass, but presented with modern production and amplification showing versatility in their songwriting, with somber numbers to contrast the picking and grinning and a depth of sound and tone that was startling. They finished their set to a round of cheers, and cleared the way for a set by our hosts, The Travelin’ McCourys.
When they’re not backing their legendary father Del McCoury, the band tours as their own entity, taking their music out various tangents, working en masse with other bands such as on their recent CD recording with the Lee Boys and their various guest appearances and special runs such as this Bluegrass Ball tour. Always mindful to take a few moments and show their fans some love, the band took a middle set and showcased some of their own brand of fireworks, with Ronnie uncorking monsterous runs, and notable takes by Jason Carter singing and playing his absolute best during Cold Cold Heart and bassist Bartram leading the band in a song dedicated to their boss, the senior McCoury, Del, who though not present physically, is always present in not just the talent passed down to his sons but in their family resemblances as well. Taking a rare opportunity to amp up and spread out, eschewing their normal “old-time-y” use of a single centered mic they stood alongside each other and ran through their songs with a precision that was inspiring. The musicians’ looks of concentration spoke volumes of their dedication to their craft, as if they were trying to telegraph every note and nuance to perfection.
Taking a short break, they returned to the stage and welcomed their first guest, Allie Kral, to their midst. Bringing a wild streak that immediately changed the tone and tenor that had come before, Kral dueled and dueted with Carter, a player whose work her appreciation for is well known. As soon as the first number was unspooled, Jeff Austin and Drew Emmitt were summoned to the stage, and a three headed mandolin monster was born.
The next song quickly devolved into a spotlight for the talented trio of Emmit, Austin and McCoury on their eight stringed beauties. Each of the musicians traded licks and face-splitting grins as they went ‘round the circle time and again. As they finished their jam section of the piece a loud cheer rose from the crowd and the players looked out, as if having forgotten there was anyone else in the universe while they were lost in the moment. And so it went for the next 40 minutes, songs would be introduced, and at any moment, from one side of the stage to the other, one, two even three of the stellar squad would be laying down breathtaking examples of skill and dexterity.
Banjoist McCoury would move fingers faster than the eyes could see, and Kilby would show the tricks and tradecraft he had picked up from his years working with Ricky Skaggs and the Kentucky Thunder. Acting as co-hosts Austin and Ronnie McCoury took turns singing leads and directing traffic with subtle nods and out right encouragement to go for it. Kicking all the “Non little mini guitar things” – apparently the term for mandolins in Jeff Austin-verse! – the three pickers took a couple of numbers to themselves, with a ten minute version of the Yonder tune Death Trip featuring the jam session of the evening, as the three took turns trying to get reactions from their peers, bringing nothing but their best.
After a rousing run through the next few tunes, the band then pretended to leave the stage, huddling and waving eyes away as they chose a closing track. A call went out from Ronnie for the “Head For The Hills boys” and they quickly answered, joining the stage and packing it to its capacity. Jeff Austin dedicated the evening’s last song to Owsley “Bear” Stanley who had passed the day before. A counter-culture luminary, Austin started up Fire on the Mountain receiving massive cheers before Austin corrected the crowd’s errant assumption that it was the Grateful Dead’s song, but instead it was the bluegrass standard of the same name. With a furious finish, the Bluegrass Ball ended, leaving people exhausted but ready for more. Let’s hope the future gives it to them.
