One of the first day’s mainstays is the poker run. Chris Sexton and his mother, Trish, have probably the most popular stop. They served Apple Pie and Blackberry moonshine from Old Smokey. The best hand wins their ticket to next year’s festival. Robyn Wines checked the poker hands and awarded the prize.
The other thing that all bluegrassers love is to eat, and Wednesday evening at the festival is potluck night. The festival provides fried chicken and everyone brings a covered dish. It’s safe to say that I ate too much!
Jay Andrews, with the assistance of Caleb Cox, is providing the sound for the weekend.
Sherry Boyd keeps the show running smoothly. She is likely the most in demand MC in bluegrass.
Nothin’ Fancy did their first set of music for the weekend. The band is celebrating its 30th year in 2024!
The evening was closed out by Caleb Bailey & Paine’s Run, who do a lot of original music. The band will be hosting its first festival over the 4th of July in 2025 in Grottoes, Virginia.
The rest of the weekend has shows beginning at 11:00 a.m. each morning. Thursday sees Blue Ridge Thunder, Chosen Road, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Nothin’ Fancy, and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.
Given an impressive history that can be traced back nearly 30 years, Nothin’ Fancy’s considerable accomplishments certainly belie an otherwise unassuming handle. Having tallied eleven full length albums, performances at such prestigious venues as the Ryman Auditorium, Lincoln Center the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, and Dollywood in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, they’ve garnered a collective reputation as eager entertainers and tireless troubadours who have shared their music with audiences both here and abroad. Their lengthy list of honors include six Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Entertainers of the Year awards, as well as induction into the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame.
Their’s is an auspicious series of accomplishments to be sure, and yet their music teems with an honesty and humility borne from a decidedly down home demeanor. In that regard, their appeal is spawned from an Everyman perspective, courtesy of abject observations that come across as both relatable and reflective. It’s little surprise that the band — Mike Andes (mandolin), Jacobs Lauzon (guitar), Jacob Flick (banjo and pedal steel), James Cox (bass) and Chris Sexton (fiddle) — write the bulk of their own material, and that even their sole cover, a take on John Prine’s Paradise finds a fit within their humble approach.
Like that particular song, much of their material is inspired by recollection and reflection, themes that are particularly prominent in the sweetly sentimental Time Gone By, the casual and carefree Here We Go Again and Little Island Love, and the cheerful The Things I’m Sorry For. Just An Old Farmer conveys gratitude for simple blessings, while the honky tonk twang of That’s What Bar’s Are For celebrates the kind of setting where it’s okay to make a fool of one’s self, given the fact that the neighborhood bar is, if nothing else, a safe space for good ‘ol boys to gather.
Even the album’s sole instrumental, Memories of Monroe, manages to make good on that feel-good appeal.
That’s not to say Nothin’ Fancy basks entirely in overt optimism. Dog Eat Dog World is more or less a paean to pessimism spawned from lessons learned. Gone At Last celebrates the fact that the singer’s lover has left, having hoped she would do so all along. So too, Paradise laments the intrusion of industry and development on a place that once was considered a sacred setting.
Still, Here We Go Again is mostly a welcome respite, a feel good record built on sunny sentiment. True to the title, it suggests there’s reason for a return.
The 21stNothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival has come and gone, and it was one for the record books. Something over 200 campers were parked at the Glen Maury campground. The music pavilion was packed with music fans.
Saturday rain tried to put a damper on the festivities. Rain is just a minor inconvenience for bluegrass music fans. The only disappointment of the weekend was when the Navy’s Country Current Band was unable to perform due to the Virginia wide state of emergency declared by the governor. Tropical storms are unpredictable and everyone understood the reasoning.
Shenandoah Valley bands kicked off both Friday and Saturday. Blue Ridge Thunder is a traditional “mountain music” band. Dark Hollow provided both bluegrass and classic country music. They have a full time pedal steel player in the band.
Nothin’ Fancy wore “throwback” Hawaiian Shirts for one of their sets. The shirts were an early signature of the band which will celebrate its 30th year in 2024.
Breaking Grass is a band that does just about all original music written by band leader Cody Farrar. They are high energy entertainers.
Friday also featured the tight harmonies of both Deeper Shade of Blue and Authentic Unlimited.
The 21stNothin’ Fancy Festival is off and running. Sherry Boyd has taken the MC position, one of the most highly respected MCs in the business. Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, VA is seeing the largest crowd ever for this festival.
Josh Grigsby and County Line opened the show. They are a local band that are very popular in the area.
Nick Chandler and Delivered followed. They are becoming a festival staple in many parts of the country.
Rhonda Vincent brought the Rage to Glen Maury Park. There are few accolades left to describe her and her band. It is always a top notch show. Nothin’ Fancy’s Chris Sexton joined the band playing cello as Rhonda and Adam Haynes played twin fiddles. The duo Wilson Fairchild joined Rhonda for a song in the evening set.
Nothin’ Fancy is playing each day of the festival. Rhonda joined them for a song. Mike Andes had the band and Rhonda pose for a “mic-less” picture opportunity.
The Malpass Brothers closed out the day with their classic country style. Wilson Fairchild joined them for some shenanigans at the end of their evening set.
There are two big days left. Head for Buena Vista to have a fun time!
Nothin’ Fancy has announced their new bass player after several months of trying out potential replacements since James Cox announced his departure at the beginning of the year. He goes simply by the stage name Jenkins.
When we got in touch with him yesterday, Jenkins told us that he grew up a bluegrass fan in South Carolina, before heading off to study music in college at USC. There he trained in jazz and has performed for many years in that idiom.
He says that he feels very good about joining the band and playing bluegrass full time.
“I am very proud to be a part of Nothin’ Fancy. It just feels right.”
Jenkins joins new band mates Mike Andes, founder and band leader, on mandolin, Chris Sexton on fiddle, Jacob Flick on banjo, and Curt Gausman on guitar.
From their start nearly three decades ago, Nothin’ Fancy has focused on offering an entertaining stage show, every bit as much as turning in some solid bluegrass music.
Sexton tells us that Jenkins is perfectly suited for that role.
“As Nothin’ Fancy approaches its 30th anniversary of being in business, it is really exciting to have completed our search for a bassist and be a whole band once again. And we could not be more excited about our upcoming gigs now that we have Jenkins laying down a perfectly-timed and tasteful foundation to our sound.
Jenkins is already proving his worth as our newest brother in our band. He is passionate about music (and our music in particular). He is dedicated to learning all he can, which is a daunting task considering there are 17 albums in Nothin’ Fancy’s discography!
Most of all, he is a team player, and is instantly likable by his band mates and fans alike. His first shows with us have re-energized our band, and made us work that much harder to deliver great shows that both are musically satisfying and keep the fans coming back for more.”
Nothin’ Fancy keeps a busy tour schedule year round, and you can follow their dates online. And they hope everyone will remember their annual Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival held in September at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, VA.
Mountain Fever has a new single for Nothin’ Fancy, the second from their upcoming sixth album with the label, Here We Go Again, expected later this year.
Like many of the band’s songs, Crash and Burn was written by founder, mandolinist, and lead singer, Mike Andes, who has helmed the group since 1994. Since launching nearly 30 years ago, they have produced 18 full length projects as Nothin’ Fancy.
They have also hosted their own bluegrass festival this past 20 years in central Virginia, held in September at Glenn Maury Park.
Andes says this one has been in the hopper for some time.
“As many songwriters will tell you, an upbeat song is the hardest to write. I wrote this tune several years ago in an attempt to get that upbeat feel. The song lends itself to two people fooling around with romantic notions knowing their relationship is only gonna Crash and Burn. With the help of our producer Aaron Ramsey, we got the right feel for the song, and I’m glad it has been recorded.”
With Mike on mandolin, support comes from Chris Sexton on fiddle, Jacob Lauzon on guitar, James Cox on bass, and Jacob Flick on banjo. Harmony vocals are provided by Sexton and guest singer, Amanda Cook.
James Cox, who has been playing bass for Virginia’s Nothin Fancy since 2016, has announced that he is leaving the group.
When he first came into the band, they described him as the quiet member as he mostly stayed still and rarely spoke, but over the intervening years, James has become active in the stage show with as big a personality as anyone in the group. If you’ve ever seen Nothin Fancy live, you realize that’s saying something.
Cox tells us that his reason for leaving is to focus on musical interests with his family.
“I have two projects I’m part of that demand more time and commitment for recording and playing live than I could give while remaining with Nothin Fancy.
One is The Jangles, which consists of myself and my twin brother, John. We focus on writing and recording original music that leans toward a 1960s sound, ranging from country and folk to surf rock and teeny bop. I play electric guitar, bass guitar, and harmonica in this project.
The other group is called The Mums. We play mostly original music that is influenced by 1980s and ’90s alternative rock, grunge, and shoegaze. I play bass guitar in this group, and John is on drums. There is also Lea Sharpe on guitar and vocals and her brother, Dan Sharpe, on lead guitar. I actually left this band in 2017 to play with Nothin Fancy, then rejoined in March of 2021 when Nothin Fancy was out of work because of COVID.
I am extremely grateful for the time I had with Nothin Fancy! I love those guys like family and I wish them all the best as we go our separate ways.”
Nothin Fancy returned the compliment, saying…
“Mike, Jacob, and Curt wish him all the best in his endeavors with the Jangles, and we encourage everyone to give James love and support as he starts this new chapter in his career.”
With the bass spot open, Nothin Fancy encourages anyone who would like to audition for the gig to please contact them by email.
In what is certain to be the final personnel change of 2022, Nothin’ Fancy has announced the addition of Curt Gausman to the band on guitar.
Gausman is a returning bluegrass veteran, living in Charlottesville, VA, who had performed with a number of bands in northern Virginia during the 1980s. Perhaps most prominent among his former gigs was with Hobbs and Partners, which also included Mark Delaney, currently on banjo with Danny Paisley, and noted luthier John Paganoni and his son Chris, who had filled in with Nothin’ Fancy several times.
Curt was also the founder of the Hazel River Band who recorded a pair of projects for Hay Holler Records. Until the pandemic shutdowns, he had successfully operated his own tour bus charter company.
He came to Nothin’ Fancy after the departure of Jake Lauzon back in September. Gausman auditioned during the Nothin’ Fancy festival, and impressed the band with his strong tenor singing and solid guitar playing. After joining them on the road at several shows this fall, founders Mike Andes and Chris Sexton have now made it official. Curt is their new guitarist.
His arrival also has allowed the band to return a number of older favorites from their repertoire to the show, especially gospel numbers featuring the vocal blend of Curt, Mike, Chris, and banjo player Jacob Flick on bass.
Mike and Chris, speaking for the band, say that they are pleased to usher Curt in as their newest member.
“As Nothin’ Fancy begins 2023, make sure to come see us at a show and hear what Curt brings to our sound. You’ll be glad you did!
Welcome aboard, Curt. We’re thrilled to have you with us.”
