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 Morgantown
is an Old Time party town...
I recently visited the Wednesday night Old Time jam at the
West Virginia Brewing Co. restaurant and microbrewery (Brew Pub) in
Morgantown. I hadn't been there in a long time, so after talking to a friend who reminded me that it was still going strong after all
these years, I decided to stop in. Of course that happened to be the night
that friend wasn't there, but I did see a few familiar faces, and of
course Keith McManus was leading the bunch. Some of Keith's bandmates, The
Legendary Woodticks were also there, providing a solid core group who kept
things rolling with tunes and songs they knew well, always a key
ingredient to any good open jam session.
I rate this jam with a full five stars for the ambience
alone. The space available to the musicians was copious, and convenient
(i.e. people didn't have to walk between the musicians to get from the bar
to the restrooms) yet, there were plenty of tables around for the
listening public, as well as pool tables where folks could do something
else cool. Now I'm not a smoker, so I wouldn't be able to do this every
night without bringing some kind of oxygen supply, but hey, that's just
me! There was always a pitcher of good brew or water to pour from to wash
down the cinders.
Every road is paved with something, good intentions or
otherwise. While I had a great time the whole time I was there, I was
occasionally puzzled by the assortment of instruments people brought, and
the consequent sounds that issued forth. Consider me a purist, I look
forward to jamming Old Time music with the following instrumentation in
this order of preference: fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, mandolin,
harmonica. As an out-of-towner I have no business being judgmental about
how the Morgantown folks define their sound, but with a few exceptions, I
think of Old Time as a style that is for the most part played on strings.
It's the ongoing plight of every old time jam to preserve the traditional
sound without becoming oppressively authoritarian. I applaud Keith and the
rest of the Mo'town regulars who have walked that fine line and kept the
tunes going all these years. I'm sure going back again. :8^{>~
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