Don't forget the 5th Jomeokee Traditional Music Festival in Pinnacle, NC in May, the 14th,15th&16th.
Jomeokee
Asheville, NC May 13-15th, 2005 with Footloose at
Wednesday night April 27th,2005 was an fond evening of acoustic instrumental music. Tony Williamson and Jeff Autry came to town for a reunion with Rex in what has become an annual pre-Merlefest tradition in Pilot Mountain at the Sawbriar.
2005 Dates with Footloose
recording:
February 26- Nashville, TN
February 27- Nashville, TN
February 28- Nashville, TN
March 1 -Nashville, TN
Dances:
March 23rd - Baltimore, MD
March 24th - Philadelphia, PA
March 25th - Washington, DC
March 26th - Frederick, MD
March 27th - Charlottesville, VA
November 6. Stewart Theatre on NC State campus in Raleigh, NC. Pinecone Bluegrass presented "Monsters of the Mandolin: a tribute to Jesse McReynolds" featuring Tony Williamson, Mike Marshall, Charlie Rappaport, and Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys; Robbie Link plays bass and a rare evening of guitar fun for Rex.
Magnolia Fest in Live Oak Florida was the place to catch Rex in a classic incarnation of the Larry Keel Experience with Mark Shimock on mandolin and guests including Joe Craven, Jim Lauderdale and Big Daddy Steve. And what about that late night Snake Oil Medicine show complete with surprise appearence by Rex and Mr. Cobblestone on the slinky. Thanks to Ruth and Dan of the Mammals for some fun Ol' Time fiddlin' and a late nate taxi service.
Rex and John Garris thank the folks producing the Banjo Masters show at the Ashe Civic Center in Jefferson, NC on Friday August 13th, an unlucky day for enemies of the five string banjo, indeed. Happy Birthday to Jamie Griggs followed the next week with another duo performance down in Columbia, SC at the El Burrito.
Cheers to fun picking and great food on the road with Larry and Jenny Thursday July29th 10PM
Jake's Toadhouse
2272 Lawerenceville Highway
Decatur GA
Friday, July 30th 11am AM
Asheville, NC Friday morning work shop with Vassar Clements, Curtis Burch, Big Daddy, Larry, Jenny,etc. at Thibadeuax Jones restaurant.
Friday, July 30th 8:30pm
Orange Peel
Bluebrass project
First set was bluegrass with Vassar and Jason Kreckel
Second set was alot of loud brass playing with Bernie Worrel and some other guys (I think he played with Miles Davis)
Saturday, July 31st 10 PM
Visulite Theater
1615 Elizabeth Ave.
Charlotte. NC
Keep abreast of these and others adventures of the one and only Larry Keel as he will be joined by Rex for shows this summer and fall. Rex played for the River Rendevous Dance Weekend in Coshocton, OH in July- a beautiful old dance hall haunted by the ghosts of Glen Miller and other big band greats from the 1930's. Well, not literally haunted. Rex is playing now and then with Footloose so, check them out.
July 4th, 2004 when Rex lit the fuse on John Garris and Ryan Cavanaugh in Carrboro, NC as part of the Tyler's Taproom Music Festival.
Rex played his final show with the John Cowan Band at the Richmond Original Roots festival on May 22nd, 2004.
Notes from the 2003-2004 Winter:
Rex finished Winter off with a warm St. Paddy's day show of traditional Irish Music in Durham on the the Duke Campus with Grainne Murphy and her brothers Patrick and Dennis, Todd Denman, Brian O'Connor, and Bill Moore.
The NYC show with Vassar began with a NTC style attempted murder of Rex's old fiddle at the hands of US Airways. The snow was pretty even if the drink vouchers weren't good in the restaurant.
Hoist one for the Station Inn show in January that left John Garris replacing a radiator hose. Thanks to Buddy the park ranger for transport assistance.
Notes from the Fall of 2003:
Survived LAX during wildfire induced shutdown after show in Palmdale, CA.
A noteworthy show in York, SC with Pasi filling for a Craig snagged at the border.
Vassar proved he is still a legend at the show at the other Bluebird in Bloomington, IN.
Farewell to Rex Smith McGee Sr. who it up to the rest of us on Sunday, October 19th.
Rex hit the road with the JCB with Pat Flynn and Stuart Duncan, all of us trying extra hard to fill the void left by Craig's mountain bike accident. The Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas September 19th-21st was an event to remember with meeting the likes of Tommy Emmanuel and listening to the youthful Daybreak.
Exciting new music continued through the fall of 2003 as Rex collaborates with former New Grass Revival vocalist and bassist John Cowan, guitarist extraorinaire Jeff Autry and Canadaian master of all things percussive Craig Bignell. Keep up with the John Cowan Band if you can and catch Rex at explore instrumental versatility on banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin.
Dancers in South Carolina were surprised to find a pinch-hitting Rex sitting in as a Rocket Boy with Tom and T.J. and the Moondance Weekend at Table Rock State Park early in September. Lots of fun traditional and surfing guitar tunes were on the menu.
Fiddlefest in Roanoke was the scene for a friendly banjo and fiddle contest where banjo picking buddy Ryan Cavanaugh met up with Rex as they took home (well, eventually received) a little more green than the average contest usually awards. Congratulations to everyone's new best friend Randy Lucas who won the $10,000 grand prize.
Rex performed for a jam packed crowd at the 2003 Telluride Bluegrass Festival on Sunday with the JCB and guests included Drew Emmitt, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, and Jeff Coffin amongst others. The instrumental debut of Rex's "Jessie's Pancakes" was, well, a near success.
Poor Richard's Concert Appearance on May 15th in Johnson City, TN at 7:30pm with the Larry Keel Experience.
May 2-4 Atlanta Dance Weekend with Footloose. The "What the Hey" event at Morningside Baptist Church featured Jim Roberts on percussion, Dean Herrington on Clarinet and Saxophone, Pete Campbell on Piano and David DiGiuseppe on Accordian.
Thursday March 27th at Warren Wilson Community College with Larry Ungar and David DiGiuseppe, and Friday at the Emerald Lounge with Larry Keel.
Footloose tour 2003 made for a great time in Keystone Heights Florida at the Vernals dance weekend and also in the majestic redwoods of the Monte Toyon camp in California. Kind of made the airport security hassle worth it. Nice clarinet obligato to Brise Picard penned by Dean on the flight home from Chicago. Too bad its debut fell on exhausted dancer's ears.
Thanks to all who made 2002 the best year yet.
NEW YEAR's EVE at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC with Larry Keel Experience and Rex's trombone and 6 string electric stratobanjo debut with Fizzlewah, described by Larry as "freaky, man, freaky".Chris dished out a Cajun spread second to none.
December highlights included 5 shows with the Larry Keel Experience (details at Larry's site) with guests Tony Rice and Vassar Clements.
November 21st as part of the Thursday night banjo series, an intimate crowd demanded an encore after a set dubbed "a sampler of European folk styles and light classical music" with the fabulous John Garris at the Prism in Charlottesville, Virginia.
An under-the-weather Rex paddled his way through a duo show at Tyler's on November the 10th with John Garris, the guitar phenomenon of the century.
Rex did a lot of fiddlin' this fall with Footloose one of the most sought after contra dance bands going these days. He flew to the southwest for October 31st-November 3rd,playing at the Dance in the Desert, near Phoenix. AZ
A great time was had at the 1st Annual Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford, Ireland. It was a special 1st trip to Ireland and safe to say the highlight of his travels thus far in 2002. Thanks to all the great Irish banjo players for generously sharing a different approach to the banjo.
Galax Fiddler's Convention in early August was a great reunion with all the picking buddies from years gone by.
Great fun in late July in appearances with the Larry Keel Experience in California and Oregon.
Apex, NC - 4th of July Street Festival with David DiGiuseppe
Sunday June 30th-at Tyler's, Main Street - Carrboro , an afternoon of great brews and tunes.
Avalon (formerly Club Gotham) and WB Yeats Irish Pub hosted the McGee Brothers and several other bluegrass music acts in a day long bluegrass music fest on Sunday, June 23rd, 2002.
June 7-8th Rex joined Larry Keel and and Vassar Clements for a special weekend at the VanHoy Campground in Union Grove, NC Smilefest info here.
Merlefest 2002 had Rex jump in with two of the great acoustic guitarists of our day, Larry Keel , and living legend Tony Rice.
Thanks to all the new friends from Dance Awakenings at Harbin Hot Springs ( north of Calistoga, Californina) for a truly memorable gathering of dance enthusiasts during the third week of April. Special thanks to the Atomic City Rhythm Rascals for being patient during Rex's discovery phase of their music.
. . . hosted Martin Stephenson, a truly entertaining character from Scotland at the weekly open session at Yeats Pub on March 10th.
The St. Paddy's day fest at Yeats included Rex with cousin Jason Shore laying it down for an overflow crowd.
. . . played at Estes Elementary School in Chapel Hill for the Carolina Song and Dance Society's Friday night dance on February 2nd and the St. Paddy's day blowout on March 15th , joined by Buz Lloyd and Tim Smith.
Rex played with the Martha Bassett Band at Ziggy's on January 26th, Sam Bush closed the show.
. . . with Footloose at the Triangle Country Dancers special Holiday contradance at the Big Barn.
. . . fiddled around with The Greenlevel Entertainers at the Cave on west Franklin Street in Chapel Hill Saturday December 1st
. . . in November 2001 Chapel Hill became the hub of Rex's world headquarters.
October 2001 provided a cultural touchstone for Rex as a visit to the Celtic Colours festival brought Rex many new friends and special musical experiences. The landscape, music and people make Cape Breton Island the rarest of jewels on our planet.
. . . a number of contradances with David DiGiuseppe, Pete Campbell, Jim Roberts and Dean Herrington later in October playing in several eastern cities: Boston, Nashville, Charlottesville, Knoxville, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Frederick,MD.
Thanks to all who came to the performance at Reynolda House in Winston Salem on November 9th, 2001. Rex was accompanied by the phenomenal John Garris and jumped in for a few tunes with the incomparable Irish guitarist John Doyle.
Photojournalist Josh Williams recently completed a multimedia documentary on Rex that is worth checking out.
efolkMusic is a preferred seller of Rex's latest release "24 Creations for Solo Banjo" This is a model online retail site. Buy some CDs there or sample a few MP3s and support a shining example of the way online music should be distributed. There's no faster way to get the CD and hear for yourself a noteworthy banjo event of this very young millenium.
