The amateur bluegrass music scene is a part of our community that rarely sees the spotlight. Amateur pickers and singers work hard to hone their craft, and rejoice in opportunities to perform for other bluegrass lovers. Many have years of playing experience, and all are thankful for the clubs, associations, and venues that provide them a place to jam or play on stage.
Just such is the subject of Clyde’s Place, a short film by David Puckett on the Maness Pottery and Music Barn in Carthage, North Carolina. There they host a weekly jam and potluck on Tuesday nights, and have made it a local tradition for the past 40 years.
David is a film student at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, where he is taught by filmmaker Randolph Benson. For his class titled Anytown USA, Benson visited the town of Robbins, just outside of Carthage to find topics to select for his students, who were to create a short film on their chosen theme over the next 10 weeks. Puckett chose Clyde’s, and he captured both the fun, friendly vibe at the weekly jams, and the eccentric personality of the proprietor.
Long live the local jams!
