Arizona’s Ten Dollar Wedding won the battle of the bands competition at the 46th Huck Finn Jubilee in San Dimas, CA this past weekend. They beat out two other groups, The Cobblestone Ramblers and The Guesthouse, for the top prize.
The band, formed only two years ago, had previously taken first place at Flagstaff’s Pickin’ in the Pines festival last month. For their very first live performance, they competed at the Wickenburg, AZ Bluegrass Festival, which they also won, and where they will be a featured performer next month. This contest route has proven to be an effective way for new bands to establish themselves within the wider bluegrass community, and so it seems to be for this bunch.
Ten Dollar Wedding consists of Chris Doyle on guitar, Brian Mariner on mandolin, Mavis Enders on fiddle, Patrick Brady on banjo, and Marc Oxborrow on bass. They play a mix of traditional favorites and original compositions, including one they call Della Mae’s Revenge, a feminine retelling of a bluegrass classic.
Mavis shared some background on the song, written by their bassist.
“It’s a story told from the vantage point of Della Mae, the character from the bluegrass standard Big Spike Hammer. In Big Spike Hammer, Big Bill Johnson spends half of the song bragging about what a big, tough guy he is, and the other half complaining about his woman, Della Mae. We thought it was time to hear Della Mae’s side of the story!”
Have a listen…
You can keep up with Ten Dollar Wedding on Facebook, and download or stream their original songs on bandcamp.
