As the sun set pink and red and orange on the mountains of Western Carolina, God looked down on the people of Merlefest and he sayeth unto them, “Let there be Twang!” And The Derailers took the stage. And it was good.
The Austin, Texas, band (pictured right) slid through a liquid-smooth set of pedal-steel-heavy country rock that smacked of bourbon and Bakersfield. Afterwards, while the main stage was busy being set up for Thursday-night headliners the Indigo Girls, banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and his musical cohorts cooled out the attentive festival crowd with some traditional acoustic music from the front-porch, log-cabin side stage. And I’m not talking about a Spaghetti Western storefront—I mean a real-deal log cabin.
The high, lonesome sounds echoed into the valley as the people clapped their hands and stomped their feet in the slight chill of the Wilkesboro mountain air.
Fleck and company begin to pick things up, slowly morphing from an old-timey sound into a frenzied bout of jazz flurries and Chet-Atkins-style lightning-speed arpeggios. There are few who can pick banjo like Bela Fleck.
Back on the main stage, Knee Deep In Bluegrass host and radio personality Cindy Baucom emcees, reading a list of Merlefest sponsors (including Paste) as the Indigo Girls tune up. The Derailers amble about the unfinished hardwood floors of the backstage area and Americana artist Mindy Smith hangs out—cracking jokes, making fun of my bright-red Acapulco shirt and gushing over the Indigo Girls. Can you really blame her?
“I love Emily [Saliers],” says Smith. “I could listen to her sing the phone book.” She then spends a considerable amount of time extolling the virtues of Atlanta-based guitarist Caroline Aiken. Smith wants to stick around and meet the Indigos but her friend and fill-in tour manager reminds her it’s a long drive back to the hotel and, besides, she’s got to save her voice for tomorrow’s performance. So Smith smiles, shakes hands, says goodbye and takes off for the night.
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls (pictured right) take the stage before a dwindling crowd around 11:00 p.m., receiving a warm welcome from those who’ve stuck around. And the acoustic duo treats the crowd to an inspired set filled with their gorgeous trademark harmonies. On some tunes Ray plays Mandolin, and on some Saliers picks up a slide and tears it up on her acoustic. They crank through material form their new album, All That We Let In, and classic Indigo Girls tunes like “Shame On You,” “Galileo,” “Get Out The Map” and “Power of Two.” Towards the end of the set, the Indigos welcome Grammy-winning artist, Harvard graduate and International Bluegrass Music Association “Banjo Player Of The Year” Allison Brown to the stage. The three of them break into “Closer to Fine” and it is simply amazing. Brown rips a wild, mind-blowing banjo run. “Man that f—s me up,” Saliers laughs in to the microphone, staring in awe.
I always liked the Indigo Girls, but somewhere along the way I’d forgot just how deep the well runs when it comes to their songwriting skills and lyrical abilities. But tonight I was reminded, joyfully.
(Emily Saliers, Indigo Girls, Amy Ray & Allison Brown – photos by Steve LaBate)