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Bluegrass culture envelops Troy Posted: Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 - 10:20:55 am MDT By Brad Fuqua The Western News
Into the wee hours of the morning, you can hear the pickin’ going on in the distance. Some play in bands, others just pick for fun. It’s a lifestyle ... a culture.Troy joined the summer circuit of bluegrass festivals this past weekend with its inaugural event at Roosevelt Park. “In Montana I’ve found to be rich in bluegrass musicians, more so than any other place I’ve ever been,” said Curtis Rathburn, who made his way to the Kootenai River Bluegrass Festival from Missoula. “Per capita, there are a lot of pickers out there, a lot of great musicians out there, people who have been doing it a long time.” “It’s a lifestyle all right. People do this all over the country, they live for it,” Rathburn said. “You see all the RVs and people drive from festival to festival all summer long after they retire, and they live for it.” Steve Weih of Whitefish used to be engrossed in that culture by participating in festivals in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. It had been two to three years since he had been to one before making the trip to Troy. “I’ve seen some familiar faces and friends of mine that I used to pick with at other festivals,” said Weih, a banjo player. “I’ve been living in the West about 16 years and saw some old friends and renewed some acquaintances.” Both Rathburn and Weih took part in the festival’s “band scramble.” In this event, anyone is invited to fill out a card with his or her name and instrument and toss it into a hat. Names are drawn and groups assembled for some fun on stage. “There just happens to be a lot of musicians here that don’t get a chance to get on stage,” Rathburn said. “People are allowed to learn two songs and then you go up there and play with people you’ve never played with before. It’s fun.” Hundreds of people showed up for the three-day event, which included not only music but several other activities, including various types of workshops. “For a first-time festival, it’s a good turnout,” said Weih, a former festival organizer himself. “It looks like they have good local support here. I think it’s a good location because you have Spokane on one side and Kalispell and Whitefish on the other side. I understand what they’re going through but I think they have their act down. It’s a good formula, a good venue.” The Troy Fine Arts Council received a $10,000 “Travel Montana” grant from the Montana Department of Commerce to get the festival started. The grant could last three years with it gradually declining. “If we can break even, then we’ll make it a little bigger and have more money,” project director Ralph Stever said. “The bands right now are great but if you really want a headliner, they’re pretty expensive. We just couldn’t afford them ... it’s $10,000 to $15,000 for someone who would really draw.” This first year’s headliners included Billy Pilgrims out of Colorado and Jackstraw from Portland, Ore. Bryan Bowers, a veteran auto-harp player and storyteller, was also among those on hand.
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The Western News
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