Leftover Salmon‘s Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt made sure the Suwannee Summer Clusterpluck lived up to it’s name last night with a clear-the-benches all-star jam featuring Larry and Jenny Keel, The Jon Stickley Trio, the Rev. Jeff Mosier and Brett Bass from Grandpa’s Cough Medicine! The first time event is a smaller scale bluegrass jam at the beloved Spirit Of The Suwannee Music Park and after fans spent a sunny day at the white sand beach they were ready to dance into the night in the cool music hall. Suwannee was founded to host bluegrass events the park has a long history of nights just like these. The players involved were well aware of the historic jams that have gone down on the hallowed grounds before them.

The always gregarious Herman and his long time musical brother-in-arms Emmitt are acting as the hosts for the bluegrass pickin’ party, and after a short stint as a duo, started calling up the rest of the players from the wings. The Jon Stickley Trio was due to close out the night so their gear was already poised and ready to go. While fiddler Lyndsay Pruett had been delighting crowds with her mixture of wails and high speed classically styled runs, it was her turn to smile gleefully as she looked down the line of musicians packing the stage. Her band mate, the multi-disciplined Patrick Armitage and the flat pickin’ wunderkind at the head of the trio, Jon Stickley, were both clearly excited about the fun to come as they exchanged massive grins on the sly.

Fellow flat picker, the explosive Larry Keel had just finished a destructive set, but was still full of energy as he bounded back onstage. His beloved wife Jenny was on hand to pluck the stand up bass and serve as the deep end of the musical curve for the shenanigans to follow. Bass snuck in from the wings stage right and Reverend Mosier entered from stage left. With an elbow to elbow line up of the cream of the crop from his left to right, Herman turned with his trademark eye twinkle and gave the signal to kick off the iconic first notes to the Allman Brothers Band classic “Midnight Rider.” Not content to let it rest there, the assembled wrecking crew promptly went through a short “Amos Moses,” a ripping take on Little Feat‘s “Sailing Shoes” before closing out with a take on the spiritual “Workin’ On A Building>Wheel Hoss.”

Rex Thomson was on hand to catch this experience on the camera for us all to enjoy! Check it out below.

Midnight Rider>Trouble Times>Ask The Fish>Amos Moses>Sailin’ Shoes>Workin’ On A Building>Wheel Hoss