Great music was afoot at the twenty-fifth anniversary South Country Fair, this past weekend. Thanks to an impressive line-up and beautiful weather, other than a Saturday night lightning storm, they had one of their best years yet. Organizer Trent Moranz 
estimated 2,300 people came through the gates.
While I had evening commitments all weekend, I missed all of the evening entertainment.
However, it is a credit to the organizers for booking a line up with such depth, that I caught most of the acts I wanted to see during the day, Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17.
I arrived early afternoon, Saturday in time to see parts of impressive sets by Clapping Monkeys on the East Stage as well as Po Girl’s Allison Russel.
it was an impressive study in contrasts as the talent on the main stage was more laid back and folky. Like Russel, who accompanied herself of guitar and banjo, played her laid back originals as well as some songs off her CD with JT Nero.
On the East Stage, Clapping Monkeys had a good sized crowd dancing with themselves in the sweltering heat in a set so cool, it made you forget the temperature.
The money set for me was Calgary/ B.C. acoustic blues duo Bill Hills and Ray Lemelin. They played several new songs off a new CD to be released in the Fall and some crowd favourites like their rooster song, which had the crowd calling “cock-a-doodle-do” in time with the chorus.
Hills captivated the crowd and danced in his seat while blowing incredible harp like Big Dave McLean as Lemelin kept the beat strong. there were some upbeat instrumentals and a new one called “Pepper Jig.” I especially liked another new song called “Itch I Can’t Scratch.
They took turns singing lead vocals. Lemelin’s jazz tinged guitar took the audience back to the ’30s.
As they were ending their set, another of my favourites Oh Susanna carried on with the mellow vibe on the main stage. She told stories and strummed guitar backed by a pedal steel player enhancing her traditional folk/ country music. She warned the crowd to “cover the ears of your tender ones,” as she dropped an F-bomb on a cool old song she wrote about teenaged boys growing up in a small town. Her song called “Long Black Train,” also captured my ear.
This ended up being a marked contrast to the East Stage again, where Fernie’s Shred Kelly was tearing up the stage with their first South Country Fair appearance.
Their banjo powered, rock edged folk had the crowd frenetically dancing up the dust in front of the stage.
They played a couple new songs as well as crowd favourites from their debut CD, including “I Hate Work,” and “Ghost In My Head” sung by Sage McBride who added haunting harmonies and keyboards throughout.
I had to leave for the opening of my art show at the Bowman Arts Centre, so I missed an incredible evening of music. However, Sunday was my day at the Fair.
Sonis McAllister and the Barracuda Orchestra won over a lot of new fans with their jazz, percussion powered weirdness on the South stage at just after noon. They were all dressed in white and brewed a concoction of unique music with saxophone, cello, violin and assorted hammers, pipes and megaphones.
The East Stage was rocking from the get-go with Toques and Beards who played an upbeat set of catchy country tinged rock music with excellent melodies.
I figured the brief break in between acts on both stages would be a good time to check out some of the creative camps in the campground. The Oldman River was full of bathers who frolicked in the water in front of a new tent city town which springs up every year for the fair. Some of the more creative camps including a massive skull backdrop.
The campsite is perfectly placed as from certain camps, you hear both stages going strong with Edmonton country quartet jessie Dee and Jacquie b fighting for the audience’s attention with Vancouver’s e.s.l.
I had to check them both out, beginning with e.s.l. These girls, pianist Marta Jaciubec-McKeever, cellist/bassist Cris Derksen, violinist Diona Davies, trumpet player Tess Kitchen and drummer Joy Mullen won my heart blending jazz, pop and Carribean influences and beautiful melodies.
But Jessie Dee and Jacquie B drew my attention with a fun set adding keyboards and accordion to guitar and stand up bass powered ’60s/’70s style country mixed with some jazz.
They came across sounding quite a bit like Twilight Hotel in places during their enjoyable set.
The big show for me was ‘master of the Telecaster’ Amos Garrett. I’d never seen him before, but play him a lot on my Saturday night blues show on CKXU.
He didn’t play any of his own songs, instead treating the enraptured audience to guitarified versions of music from jazz greats.
He played an array of jazz from many different eras, including bebop some jump blues from Louis Jordan, a couple Thelonious Monk tracks including the beautiful “Misterioso.” He played some Wes Montgomery as well as Miles Davis, punctuating the songs with stories of hitchhiking to Indianapolis to see Wes Montgomery before he recorded his first record and about the big band era as well as jokes about playing the wrong intro to one of them, though his bassist as well as guitarist were all set to follow him no matter what direction he wanted to take.
Garrett was an affable host singing in an immediately appealing baritone, his face scrunched up in concentration as he dug in and played beautifully tasteful leads. Throughout, his guitarist played some gorgeous harmonies.
Having Fred Eaglesmith close off Sunday kept the massive crowd in front of the stage until the end.
Eaglesmith shows are akin to a religious experience for blue collar folks and hippies alike, if only because you never know what Fred you’ll get, be it the cranky irascible Fred or the fun loving always joking Fred.
Sunday’s Fred was more on the fun loving side as he cracked jokes, tapped his mic to see if it was on when he didn’t feel people were laughing. 
He made good use of his hour some set, starting with some newer songs including “Sweet Corn” and “I Pray Now” from his “Tinderbox” CD, as well as “Careless” the “big song from last year’s album “Cha Cha Cha.” He took a couple shot at some of the louder members of the audience and then played some older songs like “Old John Deere” and “Pontiac” plus classics like “I Like Trains,” and the set ending “49 Tonnes.”
Before “I like Trains” he joked about Allan Jackson recording it saying he said “ I like how that old Eaglesmith does it.” “I’m only one year older than he is,” Eaglesmith laughed.
He was called back for an encore of a solo acoustic number.
Several songs from his brand new CD “6 Volts,” were also included. They show he is moving back to his country roots.
The Fabulous Ginn Sisters opened his show with a couple songs and added flute, mouth organ and harmony vocals to Eaglesmith’s set.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Eaglesmith had a new mandolin player, Mike Zinger, on stage. While nobody can ever replace the late, great Willie P. Bennett, mandolin is an integral part of Eaglesmith’s music. It has been missed over the past few years.
