Here's the deadwood review.

Read on for some notes.

Early on, banjo player/fiddler/vocalist Rhiannon Giddens told the crowd about the band’s mentor, Joe Thompson of Mebane, N.C. Thompson’s musical history extends back to the 1920s, when he called square dances, and extended into a second career playing folk festivals, Giddens said. He still plays with the band occasionally. The 87-year-old fiddle player taught them well.

It wasn’t a dancing crowd, but it was an educated crowd. Apparently, the show drew quite a few people who had seen them last year at FloydFest, and they hooted it up. Justin Robinson noted the ruckus as he introduced one of the tunes.

“I just keep talkin’, and you all keep woo-in,’ ” he said, drawing yet more noise.

Giddens said that FloydFest was one of the band's favorite festival experiences.

"We stayed on a high from that for a long time," she said.

The Chocolate Drops pounded out tunes from the Carolina Piedmont, including the title cut of their recent CD, “Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind.” The song featured Dom Flemons blowing bass lines on a big glass jug, Giddens rocking the clawhammer banjo style and Robinson sawing a fiddle.

This was a really fun live show. I'm going to go see them at the Sun Music Hall, where Robinson said the band would be playing June 21. The show isn't listed yet. At the Sun, it will be rug-cutting time.

• Share this entry
  • Digg this entry
  • Mark in Ma.gnolia
  • Tag with del.icio.us
  • Seed Newsvine
  • Post to Google
  • Add to Yahoo!
  • Share on Facebook
  • Submit to Reddit
  • Related at Technorati
• Posted by Tad Dickens in Show reviews
• :: Comments (2)