Kids Academy performance at the 2025 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival – photo © Tara Lindhardt
In years past the Kids Academy performed on the last day of the Grey Fox festival, which was Sunday. This year the organizers shifted when the Kids Academy performed to Saturday, which seemed to be popular since more people got to see them play. Grey Fox does a wonderful job of offering the Kids Academy for no extra cost to the kids who want to participate, of various ages and musical abilities.
The organizers of Grey Fox also raise money and annually provide scholarships to deserving young musicians toward their costs for college, which they present at the festival each year. The funds for the life-changing scholarships come from raffle sales, sponsors, and individual donors. You can also donate to this cause if you are interested. These are the Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarships. This year’s recipients were Souvik Hazra (from Kolkata, India) to attend Berklee College of Music, Dylan Kaplan (from Littlefield, MA) to go to the University of Glasgow (Scotland), Fiona Mattson (from Williamsville, VT) to study at Vermont State University, and Hayden Reidling (from Dawson, GA) to study at Berklee College of Music.
The Grey Fox Festival is also an eco-conscious festival providing so many people with opportunities to hear and learn about new music, see upcoming talent, and watch and hear their favorites on the festival circuit, as well as getting a chance to see the legends of the traditional music scene. They offer opportunities to learn dances or just shake your what-not at the Catskill Stage (often referred to by some festival attendees as “the Dance Tent”). Plus they have a wide variety of vendors, and activities for folks of all ages.
Another change in the schedule this year was following the Sunday morning gospel set by the host band, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, with an “all festival jam session” where the Litch Brothers Band led a jam session that was open to anyone and everyone in attendance. A fun, friendly, and interactive finale to a long action-packed weekend!
I have included a few tastes of some of the music fun from Saturday here. The weekend had plenty of straight, hard-driving bluegrass, rockabilly, Cajun, Quebecois music, progressive bluegrass, jamgrass, folk, Venezualachian music (combining Venezuela tunes and Appalachian tunes. Thank you Joe Troop of Joe & Larry for this word), etc. Great musicians young and old from around the US, and some from a variety of countries, were on the stages, the campground, and the audiences.
I basically learned a lot of my music playing at fiddlers’ convention-style festivals where we would all just jam with folks and wing it all day long, and I have to admit one of my favorite sets of the weekend was Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam set. He had a few hot pickin’ folks with him who functioned as the host band, and an all star lineup of musicians who sat in for a song or two, and they really captured that magic when good musicians are all in for a spontaneous musical adventure. Watching each other, listening, and reacting to the other musicians as they created that real jam magic on the stage.
I do love a good practiced set of music, too of course, but by golly, I think the big smiles and energy of that jam where everyone is meeting on the stage, feeling it out, and creating something fresh and authentic right there for the first time can be a magical experience – not just for the participants of the “jam,” but also for all those watching it.
I have provided a few videos so you can see for yourself. Describing music in words does not get the job done like being able to see and judge for oneself. Hope you find something here you might enjoy, and I look forward to seeing some of you folks at the wonderful Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival next year!
Unspoken Tradition performing Wild Bill Jones
Here is a little rockabilly with Dave Chapelle and Mark Gamsjager and the Luster Kings.
Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam performing The Road Is Rocky with Sierra Hull leading on vocals.
Kentucky Waltz by Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam with Sav Sankaran on vocals.
Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam with Woody Platt and Daren Shumaker
A wild adventure of a Salt Creek here.
And here are some photos.
