Written by: Marshall Williams

Photos by: Joey Pye

North Florida was dreary and rainy the week leading up to the Southeast`s premier Americana/Bluegrass festival, Springfest, at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP).  Which is not too bad considering the rest of the country was freezing; but Thursday 3/20 the sun was shining bright with temps in the 70`s.  I was excited for the weekend to come, leaving on Thursday afternoon driving west on I-10 with my girlfriend Mary and good friend Joey and the sun on my face heading to the best festival grounds in the country.  It only takes an hour and a half from my house to the park; we arrived with the sun going down and found a great campsite in the shade of the beautiful oaks draped in Spanish moss.  Between the three of us we got camp set up with no problem (we are all Suwanee veterans) and we were ready to roll.  I wanted to see Town Mountain, but their set was over by the time we got the tent set up. So we decided to have a few cold ones and head down to the amphitheater to see The Duhks.  They are a Springfest favorite and are festival regulars in general; so only playing a Thursday slot was rare, as they usually play more than once over the course of a weekend. The Duhks set was really good; their energy was amazing, you could tell they were a crowd favorite with everyone singing along.  After The Duhks we decided to take a walk around the lake in the campground before we went to see Comeback Alice at the Music Hall. They were a bluesy band which was a nice addition to this festival lineup, and I had never heard them before.  Comeback Alice had that Southern Blues Soul sound that made for great listening before I decided to call it a night and get some sleep.

Friday I woke up to beautiful weather: sunshine and blue skies, with a day packed with great music.  I had friends coming from St. Pete and Tallahassee on Friday, so I hung out in the campground in the morning waiting on them.  Meanwhile, I got to know some of our neighbors which were all really nice great people. This festival never ceases to amaze me at the amount of families and pickers that come. Some of the music you hear just meandering through the campgrounds and trails is just so great!  There is just something about a group of guys sitting around a camp fire pickin’ bluegrass, no electricity needed. If you go to music festivals you know the best ones are like Springfest: annual and in a beautiful place so people can plan a year in advance.  The SOSMP is so nice; it’s one of the few parks in the nation that families go to on vacation just to camp on the magnificent Suwanee river, whether or not a festival is being held. The park also allows golf carts and even rents them, which can be really nice when at a music festival dancing and walking all weekend long. My friends arrived around 2pm, so we all helped set up camp and cook lunch; before long we had three tents, two easy ups, two tables, chairs and a fire pit dug. It was looking like a nice campsite for the weekend.

By the time all this happened we made it down for the beginning of the Steep Canyon Rangers, which was all Mary was talking about leading up to this weekend.  They sounded crisp and looked sharp all wearing suits. The crowd was really starting to file in being Friday afternoon; everyone had arrived and setup for the weekend, and were ready to see some music.  Walking into the Amphitheater for the first time in the light at the Suwanee always makes me pause and soak in the beauty and energy of this place.  Everyone was talking about the weather and how nice it was and how the weekend was supposed to be dry, which would be a miracle considering it always rains at Springfest.  The Steep Canyon Rangers were great; they played my personal favorite “Call the Captain”, and it set the mood for the rest of the festival for me.  Then we went to check out JacksonVegas which is a hometown band for me, out of Jacksonville FL; I had never seen them and my friend Joey said it was a must.  I’m glad I did; I could not believe I had never seen them and they are from my hometown.  Jason Isbell was next on the Amphitheater stage would be another first for me; I had seen him with the Drive By Truckers, but not solo.  Being a Drive by Truckers fan I was excited and he did not disappoint; his lyrics were great as always and the band sounded tight.  They brought some Southern rock to the fest and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it.  Jason Isbell even played a few of his Drive by Truckers standards.  After that it was time to get some food, which brings up another reason this is one of the premier festival grounds. They have a real restaurant that is open to the public every day and a camp store that has everything from ice and beer to ice cream.  Also, the food vendors are top notch with options ranging from pizza to Maine lobster and a little bit of everything in between.

The Punch Brothers were the headliner this evening playing the 9:45pm slot and the Amphitheater was packed with people, including many seeing the renowned Punch Brothers for the first time. The band admitted they have rarely played the state of Florida.  Chris Thile has a great stage presence and keeps the crowd laughing and interested, although I don’t know if it’s necessary, considering the Punch Brothers musical capabilities are limitless. It was truly mesmerizing to listen to them; their set had a string quintet classical beauty to it that just blew me away.  I had lost all my friends in the crowd, except my girlfriend who walked with me to the front of the stage during the Punch Brothers.  We decided they would be at our spot in the field where Floodwood was playing, and sure enough, they were there getting down to Floodwood.  I had never heard of Floodwood; they are a New York band whose lead guitarist Al Schnier and drummer Vinnie Amico are also members of moe.  They had a great sound and put on a fun show to make you dance and kick up some dust.  Greensky Bluegrass had the last set of the night and boy did they put on a show! If you thought bluegrass music couldn’t have a light show, you would be proven wrong by this band.  The boys from Greensky sounded even better than the last time I saw them and they kept the crowd dancing into Saturday morning.  After the show, pickin’ circles were everywhere from little campsites to Slopryland and the Bill Monroe shrine; what a great festival, with the chance to just walk around and listen to so much great music from your fellow festival goers.

Sam Bush kicked off Saturday for me with his show starting at 3pm. Sam Bush did one of his best covers which is “Sailin’ Shoes” into “Crossroads” back into “Sailin’ Shoes”.  He was one of the main reasons I wanted to attend and Sam Bush did not disappoint.  He was immediately followed by the Steep Canyon Rangers’ second set of the weekend out in the meadow stage, which seemed to be a more laid back vibe; so let’s see where we can take this compared to Fridays set.  This time they were not in suits and looked like they were also enjoying the fest and beautiful Florida sun.  Mary liked the show so much she decided to buy a t-shirt on the spot.  Del McCoury was up next and being the legend he is, he did not fail to impress and show everyone why he has been in the business for over fifty years.

Sunday I woke up late and was slow moving, as all festival goers know that Sunday morning feeling at a fest, especially Springfest.  We decided that we would pack up camp and drive down to the amphitheater so after the shows we would be ready to roll out and hit the road.  It took a while and some food to get motivated to pack; then we saw dark clouds gathering and figured it had not rained all weekend, so perhaps a rain storm was overdue. We packed pretty quick trying to beat the rain, but we didn’t succeed.  Fortunately, the rain was just a nice drizzle and it only lasted ten minutes, enough to knock the dust down; what a beautiful weekend for this amazing festival. I got down to the stage in time for the Southern Soul Assembly, and I was so excited to see this group of amazing songwriters and storytellers playing together and sharing the stage.  The band had great energy and approached it like it was a Sunday afternoon sitting on the front porch just playing together.  They were all sitting down and dressed very relaxed; and for those who have seen JJ Grey perform, he does not dress down.  The crowd loved them and you could tell Southern pride is alive and well at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. What more could you ask for? It was a great way to end an amazing weekend.  Can’t wait for Magfest in the fall!