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The Lake Lure Music Festival presented its "Come Back to Lake Lure" Bluegrass concert on Saturday, June 13th at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure.
The concert featured Carly Arrowood, Daniel Thrailkill and Paul Watson as the opening act and GRAMMY nominated The Poor Ramblin' Boys as the headliner on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon and early evening at Rumbling Bald's Beach Pavilion right on Lake Lure.
The concert-goers, expected to number near 400 attendees, placed beach chairs on the gently sloping lawn or on shaded hills, parked their golf carts on the beach or found a boat dock to put their feet in the water, enjoying the music from the beach pavilion stage with a beautiful view of the lake and Rumbling Bald property. Quite a few boats found their way into the cove during the day to get a glimpse of the bands on stage and hear their high-energy playing and harmonies.
Carley Arrowood on fiddle and Daniel Thrailkill on guitar provided the audience with virtuoso level playing of their instruments, along with beautifully tight harmonies, while Mr. Watson held the rhythm down with his stylish and subtle bass lines. After opening with several signature tunes from Ms. Arrowood's early albums, including her first single, "Goin' Home, Comin' On" and later single, "Chasing Indigo", Mr. Thrailkill took the lead on vocals on, "Go My Way", a Gordon Lightfoot song, while the trio later closed out their set with a dynamic and rousing instrumental, "Tsali's Run", written by Ms. Arrowood, that allowed all three musicians to feature their stellar playing.
After a short intermission, The Poor Ramblin' Boys bounded on stage for a high octane journey through their musical catalogue, including their #1 Bluegrass hit, "Wanderers Like Me", new single release, "Bottom of the Glass" and current hit, "Pardon Me", as well as various selections from their successful albums. There were many highlights as each of the five musicians took center stage showing off their stunning instrument talents, and three and four-part harmonies. Bass player, Jasper Lorentzen often brought his upright bass around the stage to play off one or two of his fellow band members, even taking center stage several times to play melodic and driving bass lines from bent and twisted positions more often seen by famous lead guitarists and singers. Singers, C.J. Lewandowski (mandolin) and Jereme Brown (banjo) often traded lead vocals and harmonies, while seamlessly playing lead fills, with riffs that were melodic and full of feeling. Fiddle player, Max Silverstein and guitarist, John Gooding, each were "coaxed" by Lewandowski, the band's leader, and the other band members to take on lead vocals for a song each, which revealed their singing prowess, and each added great depth and texture to the band's sound.
The band, led by Lewandowski, maintained a great rapport with the audience, having fun with each other and attendees, sharing self-deprecating humor and stories from the road.
The festival offered a terrific Backstage Experience ticket which included complimentary food and drink, live acoustic performances by both bands that were received with sustained applause and the opportunity for friends and acquaintances to spend time together and meet members of both bands in a relaxing setting under the Beach Pavilion.
Rumbling Bald's chefs and kitchen provided tasty food for both the backstage event and the main concert, including various light bites such as pork sliders and fresh shrimp backstage along with featured barbecue and an ice cream bar for the main event.
As the night came to a close at about 7:45pm, attendees rose to their feet for a sustained standing ovation for The Poor Ramblin' Boys. Folks lingered to take in the sunlight reflecting off beautiful Lake Lure, to commiserate on the great music and to get one more chance to meet the band.
The Lake Lure Music Festival offers its concerts in support of vital organizations in the area, including the Lake Lure Classical Academy K. through 12 school, and the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach, the food pantry that supports families and children that experience food insecurity.
The festival plans to make its next contributions to these organizations in the near future in support of important programs that are necessary for the community.
Founder and producing artistic director Chris Dolman, spoke from the stage about, "the importance of our community, coming together and supporting each other and the need to continue that support as communities, businesses and individuals come back post hurricane. He said, that "the concert was just one of many important wins for the area including the re-opening of the lake, along with the success of many businesses that have shown resilience through these times." He added, "Now is a great time to come back to Lake Lure. It's beautiful here."
For more information about the Lake Lure Music Festival including how to support the Festival, visit lakeluremusicfestival.com.
