Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival
{{Short description|Music festival in Oak Hill, New York}}
File:Amazing David Grisman, Chris Thile, Enrique Coria Winterhawk (Greyfox) Bluegrass Festival 1998.webm, Chris Thile and Enrique Coria at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in 1998]]
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival is an annual music festival held in mid-July in Oak Hill, Greene County, New York. The festival features a variety of acoustic music including traditional and contemporary bluegrass, jam bands, old-time, swing and Cajun.{{cite web|url=http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2014/07/reviews/shows/grey-fox-bluegrass-festival-walsh-farm-oak-hill-ny-july-17-20|title=Elmore Magazine - Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival / Walsh Farm / Oak Hill, NY / July 17–20|work=Elmore Magazine}} The festival presents nationally and internationally touring bluegrass bands and showcases emerging artists from around the country.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB96404663067878066|title=Bluegrass Thrives, Even in the Mud|author=James Ring Adams|date=20 July 2000|website=Wdj.com}} Music runs Thursday through Sunday the third weekend of July.camping opens on Wednesday. and attendance averages about 3,000.{{cite web|last=Adams|first=Kyle|date=11 July 2014|title=Grey Fox 2014 to be a festival of milestones|url=https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/news/grey-fox-2014-to-be-a-festival-of-milestones/article_8bf5f34d-3c67-598a-a2d4-2d4772d96cac.html|work=Columbia-Greene Media}}
In addition to performances on several stages, activities include dancing, camping, children's entertainment, yoga, jamming, hands-on music workshops, traditional dance instruction, professional development seminars for musicians, and a “Bluegrass Academy for Kids” ages 8 to 17.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-features/article/Grey-Fox-Bluegrass-Festival-marks-three-decades-6386461.php|title=Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival marks three decades of music, community|work=Times Union}}
History
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival began in 1984 as the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival on the Rothvoss Farm in Ancramdale, Columbia County, New York on the site of the 1976 Berkshire Mountain Bluegrass Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/arts/music/20fox.html|title=At the Corner of Dawg & Monroe, a New York D.I.Y. Bluegrass Festival|date=20 July 2007|work=The New York Times}} Producer Mary Tyler Doub asked Ron Thamason and his band the Dry Branch Fire Squad to host the festival's main stage show.{{Cite web |url=http://bluegrassmusic.com/content/2011/feature/ron-thomason-told-you-that-to-tell-you-this/ |title=Ron Thomason - Told You That to Tell You This - Bluegrass Unlimited Bluegrass Unlimited |access-date=2017-05-07 |archive-date=2014-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106054807/http://bluegrassmusic.com/content/2011/feature/ron-thomason-told-you-that-to-tell-you-this/ |url-status=dead }}
Doub moved the event to the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, New York on the banks of Catskill Creek in 2008.{{Cite web|url=https://dailygazette.com/2008/07/17/0717_greyfox/?print|title=Tim O'Brien to wear multiple musical hats at Grey Fox festival |website=Dailygazette.com|date=17 July 2008 |access-date=6 December 2021}} That year, Grey Fox was named Bluegrass Event of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.{{cite web|url=https://ibma.org/awards/recipient-history#eventyear|title=Recipient History|work=International Bluegrass Music Association|access-date=2016-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011642/https://ibma.org/awards/recipient-history#eventyear|archive-date=2018-01-03|url-status=dead}}
The 86-minute documentary, Bluegrass Journey (2003), was filmed in part at Grey Fox,[https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/307953/Bluegrass-Journey/overview]{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In 2005, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival was one of ten musical events around the world featured in BBC World's television series, Destination Music.{{cite web|url=http://bluegrasstoday.com/destination-music-follow-up/|title=Destination Music – follow up|work=Bluegrass Today|date=10 January 2006 }}
Program
Each year the festival program includes about than 40 acts on five stages{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00EFD61031F932A25754C0A9669D8B63|title=THE WEEK AHEAD - JULY 11--JULY 17 |website=Query.nytimes.com|date=11 July 2010}}" Notable artists have included Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Nickel Creek and Béla Fleck. The 2015 event included Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Abigail Washburn, Punch Brothers, Bill Keith, Hot Rize, the Infamous Stringdusters, the Gibson Brothers, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Balsam Range and others{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhregister.com/entertainment/article/Grey-Fox-Bluegrass-Festival-always-attracts-a-11347536.php|title=Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival always attracts a crowd to northern Catskills|date=11 July 2015|website=New Haven Register|access-date=6 December 2021}}
In 2015, Grey Fox was the setting of a two-hour Keith Banjo Summit honoring the influential music of Bill Keith. The summit was hosted by Béla Fleck and Tony Trischka, with Noam Pikelny, Mike Munford, Eric Weissberg, Marc Horowitz, Mike Kropp, and Ryan Cavanaugh participating, and Bill Keith in attendance.{{cite web|url=http://bluegrasstoday.com/fleck-trischka-and-friends-honor-bill-keith-at-grey-fox-banjo-summit/|title=Fleck, Trischka and friends honor Bill Keith at Grey Fox Banjo Summit|work=Bluegrass Today|date=20 July 2015 }}
Billy Strings was Artist-in-Residence at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in 2018 and 2019, followed by Jerry Douglas in 2022 and 2023. The 2023 lineup includes The Infamous Stringdusters, Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Keller Williams, and more.
References
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External links
- [https://greyfoxbluegrass.com/festival/ Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival]
- [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8E4FF1DC0A68603E Grey Fox Videos (2003-2012) (See new list for 2013-Present) - YouTube] Videos 2003-2012
- [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD0Hjm8DzotOzw1CDauvSnptnEiC-w006 Grey Fox Videos (2013-2019) - YouTube] videos 2013-2019