NAVACERRADA '07
BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

 

 

As scheduled, our 2nd Navacerrada Bluegrass Festival was held on 14 July 2007. From our point of view as promoters and organizers, we have a positive valuation of how everyting worked out, knowing at the same time that there were some things that can be improved for sure.

As it was planned, at 1 pm a good part of the members of the bands that were going to take part in the Festival gathered in thestreets of the village for a great jamming session. We were a good bunch there, and so, once the jam was over, we split into several groups to go and taste the great gastronomy of the place. We enjoyed our meals and one another's company in the "terrazas" in the square where the Festival was going to be held, just opposite the stage itself.

At 4 the PA started to be installed and at 5.30 the members of Hootenanny were on stage checking the sound, enduring the sun over them like real heros, considering they are British and not so used to our Spanish high temperatures.

The Festival took off with the Viagrass trio (guitar, mandolin and bass), who offered a repertoire of instrumentals played flawlessly, as usual. We consider them to be one of the best bands in Spain.

Highnoon and Foigrass were the two following bands, six players each, and both with a repertoire of classic and contemporary bluegrass where vocals and instruments blended perfectly.

With the Lluis Gómez Quintet the music style turned into something different, for apart from presenting a repertoire of instrumentals, a new instrument not usually played in a bluegrass context was introduced: the harmonica. We already knew Lluis banjo playing, but we were surprised to find out how well a harmonica can fit in a bluegrass repertoire, with a solid rythm section behind. It was one of the highlights on the Festival for sure.

After the Lluis Gómez Quintet, the music style once again turned into something different with Lilly Drumeva, whose band took us into country flavoured paths.

After Lilly, Autopista6 took us into Bluegrass once again, playing eight vocal and instrumental pieces of different origins, from bluegrass to country, pop, rock..And it was during the performance of Autopista6 that we had the big surprise of the night: three young cowgirls,

Cristina, Mónica and Paula, who had been selling the tickets of the raffle that would take place later on, went up on the stage to sing along and linedance to one of the songs of the band. They had a great success in their performance considering the big appalause they got. They represent in any case the continuity in this music, and hopefully we will see them by themselves on stage in the near future.


After Autopista6 we could enjoy one of the best country bands from Madrid, Mar & los Tex. Mar's fantastic voive was solidly backed up by her band, and we all enjoyed a varied reperotire that spanned from sweet country ballads to rock themes.

To top it all we had Leon Hunt, the British banjo wizard, with his band Hootenanny: a flawless rythm section to back up the mandolin and the (once more) harmonica solos and Leon's magical runs along his banjo neck. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night...

Once the festival was over, a good bucnh of musicians (it's never enough for us) sat down in front of the stage in the street and enjoyed a good jamming session accompanied by a good number of the people who had attended the festival.

All in all,the best thing of all was the responsive audience and the friendly atmosphere that surrounded the event all the time.Although Bluegrass and Country music is not a well-known phenomenon here in Spain, the amount of people that attended was a great success, and so was their response. That's why we have already started getting ready for next year's III Navacerrada ´08 Bluegrassand Country Festival! We hope to see you around then!
Play your banjo solid, John...