Clifftop
John Beland
No resultos on teh official web site yet.
Thanks in advance
john b
Kerry and Sheila Blech
Big Missouri did win the trad band contest -- their celebration
woke me about 3:30 am, at which point I had to use the bathroom,
and just outside that I ran into Rhys Jones and Christina Wheeler,
who fiddled for Big Mo'. I heard they'd won, congratulated
them on that and on their recent nuptials. Jim Collier was their
guitarist and Jeff Miller on the 5-string, don't know if anyone else
was in that band. Didn't see nor hear them in the contest.
Lester McCumbers won the fiddle contest. I did see those finals,
strong performances all, but Lester definitely won it hands down
with a powerful performance. I spent a good deal of that afternoon
listening to him and Linda McCumbers and Kim Johnson play on the
porch of The Lodge. I think I remember that Mike Bryant took second
in the fiddle contest -- then went home, aching really badly; he was
really hurting. Lynn Smith (you know who I mean) garnered third.
Stephanie Coleman snagged 4th, and Jarred Nutter took fifth.
Brian Fain won the banjo contest, but I don't recall who got the
other places. I was far, far away for all of the Non-Trad contest and
had no interest in who won. Other tallies should trickle in soon.
I am still highly sleep-deprived, and should add to that debit
over the next few days in Centralia.
Ciao,
Kerry
--
Steve Goldfield
The other places in banjo included Bob Smakula (I
think third), Cary Stickney (5th), Gordy Hinners (I think second),
trying to remember the other one. Cary is from New Mexico and
hadn't been to Clifftop before. The winner of the nontraditional
contest was a band called "Yeah Buddy." Mac Benford won the
senior banjo with Marvin Gaster second.
I had some nice jams with Jake Krack, Marvin Gaster (playing
fiddle), Chirps aka Lynn, Bob Townsend, my campmates (Al and Barbara
Lubanes), the West Virginia crowd including Doug Van Gundy,
and the Canadians and Ohioans who camped next to us. It only
rained for one day, though it was chilly after that. Oh, and
I had a short Melvin Wine jam just before leaving with
Aron (not sure how she spells her name) from Toronto and
Lieselotte from West Virginia. There was also a Wilson
Douglas party at Betty and Billy's camp.
We should note that the festival was dedicated to a fellow
from North Carolina who died without warning on the first
Friday, John Bloom. John played mandolin in the Stanly
County Boys, and Jackie Burgess told me that he played
in some other bands, too.
Steve
n article <ScgSc.235088$a24.108814@attbi_s03>,
Gloux
>from North Carolina who died without warning on the first
>Friday, John Bloom. John played mandolin in the Stanly
>County Boys, and Jackie Burgess told me that he played
>in some other bands, too.
Steve,
Actually it was Saturday evening, 7/31. John was playing bass in a jam with
Tina Liza-Jones, Earl White, Rusty Neithammer, Steve Arkin, Palmer and I. He
put down his bass and went to lay down, telling friends that he didn't feel
well. One ran for paramedics...Earl helped...when John left in the ambulance,
Earl said he had a weak pulse, but that it didn't look good for John. He
passed away at Oak Hill.
It certainly cast a somber tone over the festival for his close friends like
Jackie Burgess. John also played guitar and bass in the Stanly County Boys
with Jackie, Ann Griffey, and Ken and Kazumi Inoue.
Greenberry Leonard
<gl...@aol.comnojunk> wrote:
> Actually it was Saturday evening, 7/31. John was playing bass in a jam with
> Tina Liza-Jones, Earl White, Rusty Neithammer, Steve Arkin, Palmer and I. He
> put down his bass and went to lay down, telling friends that he didn't feel
> well. One ran for paramedics...Earl helped...when John left in the ambulance,
> Earl said he had a weak pulse, but that it didn't look good for John. He
> passed away at Oak Hill.
>
> It certainly cast a somber tone over the festival for his close friends like
> Jackie Burgess. John also played guitar and bass in the Stanly County Boys
> with Jackie, Ann Griffey, and Ken and Kazumi Inoue.
John will be sorely missed. I was fortunate to be able to spend time
with friends at John's camp and help pack up John's camping gear. One
friend gave me some CDs he recorded at Fiddler's Grove, the last time I
played with John. I'll treasure those CDs forever.
On the day John passed, he remarked that he was at his favorite place
on earth. We're sorry he had to leave, but happy that when he departed,
he was in his element, doing what he loved to do - make music with
cherished friends.
Here's the official obit:
Concord Independent Tribune
Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Mr. John Bloom
ROCKWELL - We mourn the too-soon passing of devoted husband, father and
friend, John Benjamin Bloom of Rockwell. He died while playing music at
the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, W.Va., on July 31,
2004.
John was born Nov. 28, 1952, in Augusta, Ga., to the late Ivan A. and
Frances Popkin Bloom.
He was a graduate of East Henderson High School and later attended
CPCC, Villanova University and N.C. A&T University, where he earned his
teaching certificate. He was an Industrial Arts teacher at Concord High
School.
John¹s passion was music, and he played in bands including the Cold
Creek Ramblers and the Stanley County Boys.
John is survived by his loving wife, Pam Everhardt Bloom; his son, Evan;
and brothers, Mark and Lee.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Piedmont
Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, with
the Rev. Wyman Rousseau officiating.
The family will receive friends at their home following the service.
Because of John¹s belief in the importance of music and art in the
school system, his generous spirit will live on through memorials made
to fund old-time music in the schools: Cabarrus Arts Council, PO Box
809, Concord, NC 28026.
To support the arts and gardens at Concord High School, memorials can
be made to Historic Union Garden Society, c/o First Charter Bank, 845
Church Street North, Suite 201, Concord, NC 28025.
Please indicate ³John Bloom Memorial² on the memo line of the check for
either memorial.
The funeral arrangements are being handled by Tyree Funeral Home in Oak
Hill, W.Va.
Gloux
Thank you so much for posting the John's obit...
-Greg
Pete and Debbie LaBerge
Kerry and Sheila Blech wrote:
> I was far, far away for all of the Non-Trad contest and
>had no interest in who won.
>
Hmmm...sounds like you might not be too fond of that particular contest,
Kerry. Or am I reading
too much into that sentence?
I've always liked the Non-Trad contest as much or more than any of the
others. Some wild stuff,
young performers and great music that just doesn't fit the old-time
mold. Well, OK, some is pretty marginal.
Last year, Sandia Hots were awesome. This year, Yeah, Buddies were
great. Where else
could you hear a fiddling take on the Beatles' tune "Fixin' A Hole"?
We really liked a group of youngsters called The Mudpuppies.
On the flatfoot side, I can save a few words by just saying, Ira, Rodney
and Gordy. I think, in that order.
In the Youth dance, the Enoch and McGuigan girls remain too cute for words.
I personally feel rather youthful, as the minimum age limit for dancing
geezerhood was raised to
60 this year. Why, just last year, I was a codger and now I've got
several more years of
mixing it up with the yung'uns!!
The cooler weather the last three days sure helped out up at the square
dances. Excellent calling
and dancing each night. A no contra zone...hmmm sounds like I'm not too
fond of them.
Not really, just love them square dances, especially those West
Virginia ones.
Pete LaBerge
>
>
>
>
Greenberry Leonard
LaBerge <plab...@epix.net> wrote:
> On the flatfoot side, I can save a few words by just saying, Ira, Rodney
> and Gordy. I think, in that order.
An Asheville-area sweep. Woo-hoo!
Nancy
She told me earlier that she was glad that her dad wasn't judging this
year so that she was eligible to win something! She and her older
sister Sarah, along with Chloe Edmonston were in a trad band that
played just two ahead of the one I was in. Great singing on Angeline
the Baker! Do y'all think there should be a youth band competition???
It was an interesting band contest where the Yeah Buddies won in
non-trad (the Beatles song was "Help") and the Hix were third in
trad... ALso, someone mentioned the Mudpuppies, who were in the finals
for non-trad, and placed 5th. John Bloom's son Evan played in that
band, so that was especially great to see him up there in tribute to
his dad. Jackie Burgess told me that Pam (John's wife) came up to see
him play that day.
Okay - that was disjointed enough. See you at the next thing. (Ron's
hoping he can play again before too long.)
Nancy Mamlin
Pete and Debbie LaBerge <plab...@epix.net> wrote in message news:<NECSc.5398$17.11...@news1.epix.net>...
Tammy Sawyer
> We really liked a group of youngsters called The Mudpuppies.
>
That group included John Bloom's son, Evan,on the mandolin, playing a
tune his dad wrote. I am great friends with John and his whole band,
and we were SO proud of Evan for doing the band thing. They were
awesome and had all involved bawling at the end. John was previously
in a band called the Mudpuppies in Charlotte so his son used the name
to honor him. We lost a truly special person and a great musician in
John and I want to thank anyone that was there that helped or even
supported his friends later in the week. He will be missed for a long
time, but we hope he's up there now playing with Tommy and Fred, he
sure deserves to be.