Tag: Top 50 Moments

A Final BGS Top Moment

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

As we approach the end of the year, I’ve been reveling in the sensation of the world slowing down, surreal in a society that seemingly spins faster than ever. And as December draws to a close, I finally have a moment to take a deep breath and reflect on the year we’ve had.

At the top of 2022, I eagerly anticipated celebrating the ten year anniversary of BGS. In the process of digging through archives of old emails and photos I was reminded of so many special moments I’d forgotten: events and people that have helped shape the last decade. Everything from our very first blog post, to hanging backstage at countless festivals and shows, to producing an all-star video series in the middle of quarantine; every memory an individual building block of who we are today and where we’re headed tomorrow.

The Bluegrass Situation started in 2012 with the goal of bringing together like-minded music fans who didn’t feel represented in the existing roots music scene. But it’s become so much more than that. And it’s hard for me to express the gratitude and love I feel for every individual who has contributed in building an inclusive, fascinating melting pot of creativity and tradition.

So as this year – and our birthday celebration – draw to a close, I want nothing more than to say thank you for being a part of it all.

Wishing you and yours a peaceful and beautiful season with wonderful things awaiting us all in the New Year!

– Amy @ BGS

BGS Top 50 Moments: Lifting “The Weight” of the Pandemic With the Whiskey Sour Happy Hour

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

It was still early in the pandemic – April of 2020 maybe – when the idea started percolating amongst Ed and the BGS staff. Here we were, stuck at home in lockdown, seeing so many of our artist friends struggling to make ends meet while the world around us came to a screeching halt. We didn’t know what we should do, but we needed to do something.

And hence the Whiskey Sour Happy Hour was born. A riff on Ed’s long-running live variety show at Largo in L.A., the Whiskey Sour Radio Hour, we would pull all of our collective favors to create a four-part series that could hopefully bring a little joy to our friends and fans, and raise some money for two amazing charities in the process.

Collaborating with our friends at the Americana Music Association, WSHH quickly became a mashup of our very favorite folks – musicians, comedians, and entertainers – but also a way for our team to feel like we were re-connected. After months of isolation, it was re-energizing to not only be working on something creative, but something we were proud of, too.

Talent pooled in from all over – from Billy Strings to Stephen Colbert, Lee Ann Womack to Kenny G (yes, that Kenny G) – everyone performing live from their living rooms and brought together by host Ed Helms.

No other number signified the massive effort and joy that went into the WSHH than the all-star superjam rendition of “The Weight.” With over twenty-five contributors jamming along from across the country, it was six minutes of glorious respite, where the weight of the pandemic was suddenly lifted and we were once again surrounded by the comfort of friends.

Cover photo: I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan)

BGS Top 50 Moments: Americanafest Midnight Windup 2013

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

The energy was palpable in Nashville that day. It was Americanafest, and everyone who was anyone in this community was in town for the week-long conference, festival, and awards show.

The Bluegrass Situation’s Midnight Windup, held in The Cannery, was hosted by Ed Helms and his band The Lonesome Trio and featuring a cavalcade of guests that included David Bromberg, the Milk Carton Kids, Aoife O’Donovan, The Infamous Stringdusters, Joy Kills Sorrow, Black Prairie, and the Steep Canyon Rangers joined by an up and coming guitar slinger with an unforgettable name: Sturgill Simpson.

Even though we’d technically been up and running for over a year, that night felt like something of a launch party at an event that has subsequently become a homecoming every year since. We’re honored to return to Nashville to celebrate our tenth anniversary with several events during Americanafest, including a night of pure bluegrass hosted by fiddler Jason Carter and friends, a special pre-awards show happy hour at the City Winery Lounge (cake was involved!) and an afternoon of live music from the artists of Nettwerk Music Group at the Basement on Friday.

Cover photo by James R. Martin; gallery photos by Erika Goldring

BGS Top 50 Moments: Newport Folk Festival

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Dylan going electric in 1965. Lomax making his historic archive recordings in 1966. Joni taking the stage after 50-something years in 2022. Newport Folk is a festival full of milestone moments and lots of surprises. And for a brief moment in time in 2014, BGS was a small part of Newport Folk Fest’s long and storied history too, when we presented our Bluegrass Situation Workshop Stage inside the intimate Whaling Museum building on Sunday at the Fort.

Amidst a festival lineup that included such stalwarts as Nickel Creek, Trampled by Turtles, Dawes, Valerie June, Hozier, Jack White, and Mavis Staples, the BGS crew – helmed by co-founder Ed Helms and his Lonesome Trio bandmates Ian Riggs and Jake Tilove – hosted a few “up and coming” acts we were very excited about, singing songs about significant “firsts” in their lives. Some of those young whippersnappers you might have heard of, like Shakey Graves (joined by Chris Funk of the Decemberists and Langhorne Slim), Aoife O’Donovan, Wilie Watson (with special guest Sean Watkins), and Watchhouse (who were still going by Mandolin Orange at the time), which marked Andrew and Emily’s very first – but certainly not last – appearance at Newport.

That big “first” for us was significant – to be welcomed into the “Folk” Family and made to feel like we were all part of something big and wonderful. And it’s that feeling that’s brought us back to the Fort year after year ever since.

Photos by Samara Vise