As promised, Michael Cleveland unveiled his new young banjo player, Gaven Largent, during his set at SPBGMA last weekend. Largest who had been a SPBGMA regular since he was a young teen showed the audience more accustomed to seeing him sliding around on a reso-guitar that he was an accomplished 5 stringer as well.
Here’s video of the band performing their gratified version of Julian Lennon’s Much Too Late For Goodbyes, which serves as the opening track of their current album, On Down The Line. Josh Richards also shines on the lead vocal, demonstrating an agility and command of falsetto uncommon in contemporary bluegrass.
Michael also gave Gaven a chance to display his dobro skills in a brilliant duet with the fiddle. They chose Fisher’s Hornpipe, and the audience was thrilled to see that every time Largent pushed Michael with a showy lick, Cleveland always had more than enough in the tank to push right back.
If you watch the videos, I’m sure you’ll agree. Largent is a great addition to an already strong band.
