Saturday night in Lincoln Hall, we were in the presence of legendary bluegrass greatness with Missy Raines’ performance with Allegheny and everybody knew it. And the band was phenomenal too!
Hers was pinnacle virtuosity and artistry on her upright bass that crossed all genres with a passion and joy that was “in the zone” – from this GRAMMY nominee and 10-time IBMA bass player of the year as well as the first woman to receive the award.
It was mirrored with equal intensity by the mastery and brilliance of her band, some of the brightest young stars in bluegrass today – Tristan Scroggins on mandolin, Ellie Hakanson on fiddle and Ben Garnett on guitar.
Their new album Love & Trouble was released by Compass Records the day before the Lincoln Hall performance. Transversing the breadth of folk, country, bluegrass and fusion jazz styles, they captured the audience in a combination of traditionally rooted bluegrass, covers like “Anywhere the Wind Blows” and Missy’s powerful and poignant originals like “Yanceyville Jail” and “Eula Dorsey.”
Songs from the album were embellished with an audience request of “Fast Moving Train” from their Highlander album and “Allegheny Town” from Royal Traveler, the latter fitting for this group named for the Allegheny Highlands of West Virginia where Raines grew up and for their warm welcome to the banks of their namesake Allegheny in Foxburg.
They closed the show with “Vonetta – an Earl Klugh instrumental on the album with all members blazing in their virtuoso turns and grooving on each other’s playing, bringing the audience to its feet.
Buy her album – buy all of them…this music will move you. This is a master whose humanity infuses her writing and whose brilliance as artist, trailblazer and icon is once in a generation – and each member of her band blazes with talent.
Humility from one so accomplished warms the heart – as Missy at intermission and after the concert spoke with the audience including adorable toddlers and lovely Lily Courson the great granddaughter of ARCA donors Michael & Linda Bradley.
Her band members were as gracious as was she – signing CDs and talking to the audience at the merch table – Elly Hakanson listening as Lily tells her she’s decided that as of tonight she’s decided to study the violin next year in school.
Special thanks was given from stage to long-time friends – fellow bluegrass bass player Karen Artis and her mandolin player husband Bob Artis, acknowledged from stage for his definitive book on the history of bluegrass that the young musicians on stage spoke said they had checked out of their library when they were young.
Following the retirement of the Artis’ band, Allegheny Drifters, both have been guiding and helping ARCA book the national touring bluegrass artists who have continued to build its bluegrass audience in recent years.
After the concert, fellow West Virginian poet and photographer, Greg Clary whose exhibit “The Vandalia in Me” at the Red Brick Gallery runs through Memorial Day weekend, presented Missy with his book of the same name and a framed copy of his photo with the sign Bluegrass Tonight.
So Missy could see the exhibit, before they left on Sunday morning, Greg Clary took her through the Upstairs Gallery at the Red Brick Gallery on Main Street as they connected places, people and memories – WV travelers sharing their journey and artistic inspiration.
