A nice event in Cedar Springs, Mi.

The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association held their Bluegrass Extravaganza on Nov. 21, 2009, and a good time was had by all. The WMBMA holds these events on a fairly regular basis, and you can always find some quality music and good entertainment when you attend one of our functions.

The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association Bluegrass Extravaganza

The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association has been making large strides over the last several years to bring quality entertainment and worthwhile events to it’s membership. We’ve got a dedicated board of directors and committed elected officers, who all take their mission of running a quality organization to heart. We’ve seen our efforts grow and improve each and every year, with each current board and officers being able to capitalize on the efforts of the outgoing group.

Membership is the life-blood of this organization, with membership dues going to help us fund many of our activities. As we attempt to grow membership so as to be able to fund a better and better organization, we mix in fundraising events like the Bluegrass Extravaganza. The Extravaganza gives us a chance to present some great entertainment to you at a very affordable price. With a $5.00 admission fee, it doesn’t cost the attendees very much to lisen to the best of our local and regional bands, as well as take part in some open jamming after the stage shows.

We hold our events at various locations, usually either in Lowell or Cedar Springs. This particular show took place at the Kent Theater in Cedar Springs, MI.

The bands are much appreciated

These events couldn’t take place without the generous contributions of the many bands that agree to volunteer their time. The W.M.B.M.A. has quite a roster of names to be able to call on when we need to book some music for our events. When you attend a Bluegrass Extravaganza, you should keep in mind that the musicians you see on the stage are donating their time. We appreciate our groups being willing to tie themselves up on a Saturday night to help further the W.M.B.M.A.! We hope you’ll help us by thanking each of these groups as you talk to them after their stage shows or throughout the week.

The Bluegrass Extravaganza takes the format of a stage show featuring two bands, followed by open jamming for any and all pickers who want to bring their insruments. Of course we hope as many members as possible will attend the show, but it’s important to note that our events are open to the public. No membership necessary.

First up: Luke Lenhart Family & Friends

One group in particular that always seems to come through for the association is Luke Lenhart Family & Friends Band. These folks are an institution in the west Michigan area, and they always do a quality job.

Faith and spirituality form the backbone of the bluegrass art form, and this group usually does a very good job at demonstrating the level of their own faith through the music they choose to perform. You can hear many gospel standards performed by this group, with some nice orginal gospel material thrown in. Along with the great gospel, they do some very clean and crisp instrumental work.

The front man of the group, Luke Lenhart, is known as a multi-instrumentalist. He plays several instruments very well, with his main instrument being the mandolin. To sit and watch Luke pick his mandolin is a treat; such good, solid technique, with precise notes and wonderful tone. The dedication he has for his art form shows through in his music.

Click me!

I’ve personally enjoyed seeing this group develop and change over the years, and I enjoy their dynamic. They are fun to jam with, and very entertaining on stage. Their lead singer/guitarist, Bernie, has a smooth voice and even smoother guitar technique, mixing in just the right amount of lead picking with his rhythm work.

One of the newest members of the group is Megan Kloska. She is sharing the vocal work and appears to be getting some tutelage from Luke on Mandolin. It was a joy to hear her sing; she did a great job!!

Rounding out the group are Luke’s mom Bev, on upright bass, and the fiddler Martin Van Eych. Bev is a really nice person and great bass player, and you might know Martin from his work playing classical violin or as the owner of Mocha ‘N Music in Hudsonville. Martin has musicians in to his little coffee shop on a weekly basis for some open mic picking of all musical styles.

Next up: Rogue River Grass

We almost always have two bands on the roster during a Bluegrass Extravaganza (I don’t think we’ve ever had just one) and our second band this night was Rogue River Grass. Check out their website at www.roguerivergrass.com.

Rogue River Grass happens to be what you might call a “fusion” group. The group consists of veterans of several different groups from several different genres. (Admin. note: as a matter of full disclosure, for those who don’t already know, I am actually the banjo player for this group.) Between them they have dozens and dozens of years in the local and national music scene. The word “fusion” applies to their style of music; they don’t bill themselves as a strictly bluegrass group. A better label would be “Americana”. At one of their concerts you can hear anything from Lynrd Skynrd to Bill Monroe to Van Morrison to Toad The Wet Sprocket to Jimmy Martin to Allman Brothers to Cheap Trick…and even more. They represent a little bit of a break from the strictly traditional bluegrass act, and they know they present quite the eclectic mix. Our W.M.B.M.A. audiences have been very gracious and accepting of the group and they are enjoyed.

The front man for this group is Eric Jon. He plays bass and handles lead & backup vocals. Eric has national prominence through a national tour with a country group that he founded back in the late 80′s/early 90′s: Solid Ground. They opened up for several professional acts that you would immediately recognize from the country world. Eric is also THE go-to guy on the local scene when a rock, country, blues, or acoustic group needs a bass player. He’s one of the best. Aside from his work with Rogue River, he is also very well known as the bass player for the local blues legend, Jimmy Stagger.

Handling lead vocals and rock solid rhythm guitar is Mark Zickefoose. We all just call him Foose. Foose is one heck of a great guy who has also seen some national prominence through his work as one of the side men with the bluegrass artist Audio Blaylock. Through that association, Foose has had the chance to meet and jam with many of the prominent bluegrass artists out there. Name a bluegrass picker anywhere through Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolina’s, or the Virginia’s, and Foose is likely on their cell phone speed dial.

Jim Dow handles vocals and lead/rhythm guitar for the group. Jim is a professional musician and does everything from pick and sing with Rogue River to play in a John Denver tribute group to gigging out with his wife as a duo, to teaching a music class at Kendall College Of Art & Design. Jim also teaches guitar. If you need guitar lessons, Jim is the guy to see.

Last but not least, bringing up the rear, is yours truly, Bluegrass Paul. I play banjo in a couple of different groups, and I teach banjo in the west Michigan area. I’m a veteran of a handful of bands, and I run a banjo-centric website at www.banjosrule.com. If you are very familiar with the W.M.B.M.A. then you’ve seen my face around since the beginning of the organization. Care to see a bit of Rogue River in action? Click this video link:

Last but not least: jamming!

The hallmark of any of our events is the open jam session that we always incorporate. After the stage show, many of the stage musicians, plus others that brought their instruments, gathered out in the lobby to pick and sing together. I was in on that jam and it was a lot of fun. I caught one song on my little digital recorder, which you can listen to by clicking this link:

Click here to listen to the musicians jamming: Love Please Come Home

All in all it was a great evening with some pretty good music and some good jamming. Let’s also be sure to thank Rick Chandler for bringing his sound gear and doing a great job running sound for the evening. He’s a pleasure to work with.

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Take care folks, and until next time: pick ‘em if ya got ‘em!

Bluegrass Paul
Social Media Director
www.wmbma.org

Tagged as: Banjo, Bass, Bluegrass, Bluegrass Extravaganza, Guitar, Jam session, Miscellaneous