Tag: BGS Presents

Cayamo – A Photo Recap of the 15th Journey Through Song

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

It was another sunny, music-filled week on Cayamo! With so many memorable collaborations and crossovers, this was a Cayamo we won’t soon forget, and this year’s lineup seriously brought the summer camp energy with all the fun that went down.

BGS’ official onboard events started with a tribute to the country music of the ’90s in Party On, Garth, hosted by Kelsey Waldon and her hot band. Just a few of our favorite moments: Caitlin Canty kicking off “Strawberry Wine” only to be joined onstage by the songwriter Matraca Berg herself, as well as Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Rainbow Girls brought the chaotic energy that “Goodbye Earl” deserves to the stage, resulting in an epic singalong. Allison Russell and Steve Poltz’s unforgettable “Waterfalls” jam and Twisted Pine’s enchanting take on The Cranberries’ “Dreams” let us all venture outside the country sphere. S.G. Goodman joined Kelsey onstage for “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” straight into “Chattahoochee” for a dancing crowd, and Kelsey went out “Swingin'” with some John Anderson. Other guests included Michaela Anne, Julie Williams, Libby Weitnauer, Thomas Bryan Eaton, Emma Burney of the Burney Sisters, and Paul Thorn.

Wednesday night found us in the Stardust Theater after hours for the first ever BGS Nightcap, hosted by Jerry Douglas. There weremany special moments throughout this set that we’ll be thinking about for a while. Jerry and the band spent the night hanging and jamming on the couch-filled stage with guests like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tommy Emmanuel, Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, David Bromberg, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, and Twisted Pine, who closed it all out with a beautifully twisted version of John Hartford’s “Long Hot Summer Days.” As a result, we’ve firmly decided that roots music needs more flute.

In addition to solo sets from all these artists and more, there were so many fun collaborations onboard throughout the week, like Motown vs. Stax hosted by Devon Gilfillian and the Black Opry Revue, a tribute to the Rolling Stones hosted by Steve Poltz, Trampled by Tweedy, and Dirt Does Dylan, just to name a few. See below for some of our favorite moments from the week, as captured by Will Byington.

And just as this year’s fun ends, we’re already getting excited for 2024! Cayamo has announced their initial lineup, which includes folks like Lyle Lovett, Lucius, Nikki Lane, the Mavericks, and Sunny War. You can sign up for the pre-sale here (open until Feb. 26th at 11:59pm ET) and check out the full lineup (so far!) at cayamo.com.

 

Photos by Will Byington

Songs of Joy and Celebration Aboard Cayamo

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Editor’s Note: We’re headed back out to sea for the 15th edition of Cayamo: A Journey Through Song! There are still cabins available if you’d like to join in the fun.

The BGS team is currently working on getting our land legs back after a week at sea with the Sixthman team, as we made our music-filled journey from Miami to St. Thomas and St. Kitts aboard the 14th edition of Cayamo – and what a week it was!

After two long years away from much of our roots music community (in person, at least) Cayamo felt like a reunion – and we were so happy to celebrate BGS’ 10th birthday with a huge jam set with so many of our friends. Sierra Hull and Madison Cunningham hosted The Bluegrass Situation’s Party of the Deck-ade, a set that took place on the pool deck as we pulled away from St. Kitts, featuring songs of joy and celebration via collaborations amongst the likes of Aoife O’Donovan, the Punch Brothers, Kathleen Edwards, Brittney Spencer, Robbie Fulks, Jim Lauderdale, Tommy Emmanuel, Missy Raines, Rainbow Girls, Dear Darling, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, and Hogslop String Band as our trusty house band.

On top of all this music, we were also grateful for the chance to simply sit and talk – and Fiona Prine took advantage of this time with her Let’s Sit and Talk series, having in-depth conversations with Emmylou Harris, as well as members of John Prine’s band. (Be on the lookout – these conversations are coming to BGS in podcast form soon!)

Cayamo was a week of non-stop music, unforgettable collaborations, and moments of joy, from a nautical set by the Punch Brothers, to mid-set stage dives – into a literal pool – from Hogslop String Band, to many opportunities to honor the memory and music of John Prine and those we’ve lost in the past few years – just to name a few. Below, take a look at some of our favorite moments from the Party of the Deck-ade and the entire Cayamo trip, as captured by Will Byington and Cortney Pizzarelli:

 

Cover Image: Cortney Pizzarelli
All photos by Will Byington and Cortney Pizzarelli