Brightest Young Things

photos by: Joel Didriksen
words by: Lissy Rosemont of Junior League
NPR stream here
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If you want to be a bright thing, study your illuminated elderly.

Before we go any further, lets set up your background music: go to Bob Boilen’s Live broadcast from last night’s show and turn volume up high:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18353822
Now, I first heard of Doc Waston when I was a baby. I met him at my family’s fiddler’s convention (www.fiddlersgrove.com) where he was discovered in 1960 while playing with Clarence “Tom” Ashley (Disc 2 of his “Legacy” CD explains or check out www.docsguitar.com). My dad (Hal Beaver and Blackgrass (www.myspace.com/halbeaverblackgrass)) grew up on Doc and considered Doc and his son, Merle, who has since passed away, heroes. That we kids were to feel the same way was understood and easily accepted.
Now I realize when you compare these types of antiquated facts to our happenin’ DC scene - it doesn’t burn that bright. But it’s a part of the story- of DC’s own musical history before the days of punk and of a number of current DC bands (maybe I should just speak for Junior League, but I bet Tom, Jesse, Mark, Justin and Rose could own up to some Doc Watson love as well if questioned).

I have fond memories of romping around with all sorts of country-fied children picking honeysuckles in Union Grove at the Fiddlers Grove Festival in North Carolina while Doc was flat-picking away on stage and singing simple, beautiful melodies to the adoring and focused adults in the audiences. His informal and unassuming presence combined with immense talent was just like that of all the folks at Fiddler’s Grove. Most of the adults there would be taking the stage after him or could be heard picking/jamming gout in the field. It’s an audience of musicians, similar to last night’s crowd at the Birchmere (that or historians I should say). So it never even occurred to me as a little girl that I was perhaps among something particularly special, in the national sense of the word. This is the part of growing up where you become grateful for your parents influence- well some of it. Mom’s rainbow flashy vinyl of Doc and Merle Watson from their prime time in the 60’s folk era (and her Southern hippie days) were a staple in our living room, and Doc was easily accessible most trips up to Union Grove every Spring for the Fiddler’s Convention. You go talk to him under the maple tree to the left of the main stage.

And then you grow up. And you pick up your own instrument. And step up to a mic. And realize that what you hear in your head from all those years at Union Grove and tunes coming out of the record player are in fact complicated pieces of work- despite the ease in which they are performed. Then you start touring yourself, and trying to be a pleasant enough performer, and you become even more in awe of the ‘treasures’, like Doc, that still have a smile and good attitude when in the spotlight. Buying tickets to see Doc Watson was a no brainer- A Doc show might as well be ‘church’ for young full time musicians trying to make it in the indie folk world. A much needed quiet in the storm.

Doc Watson, a blind flat-picking guitarist, vocalist, and harmonica player from North Carolina, is now 84 years old and will soon be celebrating his 62 anniversary with his often doted upon wife Rosa Lee. Fun fact: Rosa Lee and Doc, a fine inspiration when considering monogamy and true love , co-wrote the song “Long Journey Home” recently covered by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on their debut cd “Raising Sand”. (Hint hint- now that we (read the female Junior Leaguer) were moved to tears by this song last night, its inevitable that we will cover this fine love song this coming Saturday night at the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Benefit at Asylum Feb 2 in honor of our recently deceased friend and husband Phil Saeli). While Doc writes his own tunes, he’s famed for the traditional tunes he hit the hippie scene with…songs like “Shady Grove” and “Sitting on Top of the World” were apparently quite the rave during the folk scene- so Mom reports.

As I have moved into the role of an instrumentalist and vocalist and further into the business of trying to be a kind and decent person in the process – I have come to really appreciate musicians like Doc Watson- in one of those deep down in your soul fashions:

1) For the musicians- he lays back on the beat, but never slows it down. He picks complicated melodies (he explained he had to learn how to pick these complicated leads instead of rhythm because his fiddle player kept quitting the band and someone had to fill in the breaks at the square dances) but presents them in a laid back Sunday afternoon style. As Doc puts it “Fast and tasteful can be combined. It’s the choice of notes and the phrasing that make it tasteful or not—no matter how fast or slow it’s played. —Doc Watson, Excerpted from the very first issue of Frets, March 1979.

2) Then there’s the singing- he retains this lazy front porch old timer character to his wise baritone vocals as if he wasn’t flat-picking these wild fiddle tunes just below his chin. Doc croons charming soulful bluesy, spirtual-esque tunes of his own and others with the most endearing stories of his family, of North Carolina and of his favorite musical heroes in between songs, harmonica lessons and percussion breakdowns (alternating between claps, spoons, and cow ribs with the help of accompaniment David Holt).
You just feel good being near this musician and you find yourself wanting to move to western North Carolina, or at least grab yourself a ticket for Fiddler’s Grove or MerleFest (a festival run by Doc in honor of his deceased son, Merle) and double check your camping gear and guitar strings. The middle-aged audience was quietly singing along to each of the tunes and shameless eager for the next story, song or music lesson. I would bet good cash that 100% of last night’s sold out show at least owned one guitar.

Fun quotes from the stage:

“Honey, the flame still burns and I am still proud of this little girl (when talking about his wife Rosa Lee)”,
“music attracted me for as long as I can remember… I must have been three and mama was carrying me”
“I’m as informal with you folks as if I had you in my house” ,
“My Sisters gone on to that better world” ,
“She’s handicapped like myself” ,
“On the road its hard to find Slow food” (as opposed to fast food).

“To be recognized as a "national treasure" by President Jimmy Carter, honored with the National Medal of the Arts by President Bill Clinton, and given an honorary doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina calls for being more than a fine musician and entertainer”- Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

Song highlights- meaning download them now:

Windy and Warm

Train that Carried My Girl From Town

Your Long Journey Home

Summertime

Greenville Trestle high

Ready for the Times to Get Better
Video for “Deep River Blues”:

www.docsguitar.com
www.myspace.com/docsguitar
www.merlefest.org
www.fiddlersgrove.com

Previously in Live DC:

• 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
• 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
• 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
• 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
• 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
• 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
• 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre