Festival Review: Nimblefingers 2016

Sometimes, all the best laid plans of festival promoters go, as they say, gang agley. Sorrento's Nimblefingers Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival in 2016 seemed to go that way. But, through adversity, some magic can come out of failed plans.

I got to this festival a bit late, since I had to work earlier in the day. I had to be up really early to set up an info table, so I was up at 6 AM and didn't get out to the festival til about 2:30 PM.

The festival grounds were pretty interesting. It was held at the Sorrento Centre, which is kind of like a campground, though almost all of the “camping” seemed to be done in bungalows. After seeing the crowd for the festival, it kind of made sense. It was an equal mix of retired baby-boomers with a bit too much money on their hands (these were most of the “campers”) and heavily-bearded hipsters in skinny jeans. More fodder for the article on roots music and hipsters I have knocking around in the back of my skull...

The weather was rainy pretty much all day. The drive out was plagued by rain, and the rain came and went all day at the festival grounds. I arrived at a dry spot in the weather, and after a quick look around to try to find the concert organizer to set up some interviews, I went to the main stage. The stages here were pretty small and also very minimalist. The main stage looked like a big front porch, complete with a big hedge in front of it. Canadian Chris Coole was fronting his band, the Lonesome Ace Stringband, doing some pretty straight-forward bluegrass.

After his set, I went to the other stage, called the Shady Grove Stage. Thanks to the rain, this stage turned out to be a rubber tarp on the ground, with a rug on top of it, a low waterproof tent over that, and a blanket providing a backdrop. I saw BC's Sarah Jane Scouten playing there with a three piece band, crouching down almost comically under the rain tent. Despite the cramped space, they seemed pretty happy to be playing and Sarah's fiddler was top notch.

As for the interviews, I never did track down the festival organizer, but the people at the merch table told me just to come by after an artist finished a set, since they'll be signing albums. I hung out half-heartedly watching the main stage and standing under my umbrella, and watching the merch table waiting for artists to show up. Sarah Jane Scouten didn't show up, neither did Chris Coole. Seemed like the rain was definitely keeping them away and they were likely somewhere dry.

Old Man Leudecke, a banjo player and songwriter, played next, purely solo. He was interesting, nice narrative songwriting. He also ran his banjo through an effect pedal and seemed to use a rudimentary drum machine for a couple of songs. He's one of the few people I got on video, since handling a phone recorder and an umbrella at the same time was pretty tricky. He was also the only artist I got an interview with; he gave me about five minutes in between signings and a video performance. I also got to chat with two bluegrass radio Djs from CJLY in Nelson. Check outtheir show here!

During the All-Stars performance at 5 PM, featuring many of the performers of the day, there were technical issues, with two amps overheating and refusing to restart. The rain began to pour at this point, so I think that was a factor too. The announcers said they were working on some solutions, and eventually moved everything into a small, domed gazebo in the middle of the campground. Everyone crammed into the dome and sat on benches, with everyone else outside the dome looking in, huddled under umbrellas and roped up tarps.

This turned into a great turn of events. The festival became really intimate and fun at this point. As they set up the audio equipment, we were treated to an impromptu set from the Canotes, a pair of identical twin brothers from the US who played old-time novelty songs on ukelele and fiddle. They did about five songs that were really funny and very entertaining. Everyone had a great time laughing and clapping along.

Once they were done, US guitarist Molly Tuttle and her band took the stage. She was also at Salmon Arm this year, but I didn't get a chance to see her there. Here's where the festival really showed why it existed. Not only did they bring in top-notch Canadian talent like Chris Coole and mandolin player John Reischman (who played backup on this band), they had some fantastic American bluegrass players. And they bring it into the small town of Sorrento, which has only a few hundred people in it. Molly played a subtle, country-tinged style of bluegrass what was relaxing to listen to, and a nice compliment to the rain pouring down.

Bruce Molsky, another American player, took the stage with Allison de Groot on guitar. Molsky is a fiddle player, and he moved back and forth between bluegrass and traditional US folk fiddle. He had a great range and several wonderful passages of just pure fiddle playing.

The last band of the time were the Railsplitters, a truly sublime five-piece band. Not only did they play a few traditional bluegrass tunes, they played a huge variety of folk styles, often melding them together in fascinating ways. They played all their instruments in incredible harmony, while playing with incredible virtuosity. Unlike some forms of progressive rock, this was both intricate and very down to earth at the same time. There wasn't a sense they were showing off, they pretty much played and smiled at each other, enjoying what they were doing and how they were entertaining. They eventually added John Reischman on second mandolin, a fiddle player and another banjo player, putting eight people on a tiny stage, playing their hearts out. Fantastic capping concert for the festival!

Another thing that sets this festival apart from others was that the musicians hosted workshops the week before and after the one day music festival, which is very nice for anyone trying to learn an instrument, to get teaching from seasoned live performers who actually play instruments for a living. This was a great festival, despite the weather and technical problems, and I'll be back next year if I can.