Over the weekend of March 19th – March 21st, I went down to the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park to the 8th annual Suwannee Spring Reunion festival. This annual festival continues the tradition of the park honoring its bluegrass and jam band roots. It featured headlining sets from bands like Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Grisman Project, Peter Rowan and more.
There’s also a vast selection of artists to see at this festival every year that make the event a must see. Before going further, I need to acknowledge that I don’t know all of the songs all of these bands played and I’ll do my best to hit the highlights of some of these sets.
Jim Lauderdale and The Game Changers
On Thursday, March 19th, I started the festival off with a set from Jim Lauderdale and The Game Changers. Jim Lauderdale is usually one of the acts you can count on to see multiple days throughout the fest, but this year he’s only doing one set with his Game Changers band. He just released a new record with this band called Country Super Hits Volume 2 and featured a few cuts from that in this set. He started the show off with “It Blows My Mind” from the Time Flies album and from there went on to do “The Road Is A River” and “Wild On Me Fast” from that record. He then did “I’m A Lucky Loser” from the 2024 record My Favorite Place which is a great track.
One of the highlights of the set was the track “Game Changer” from the album of the same name. Another highlight was a full band version of the new track “Artificial Intelligence” from his new record. I’ve heard this song by him before, but this was the first time I’ve seen it live with a band. He also played a cut from his record Buddy & Jim with Buddy Miller called “I Lost The Job Of Living You” which was one of my favorite cuts from that album.
Going even further back, he did his 1991 hit “The King Of Broken Hearts” which is one of my favorite Jim Lauderdale tracks. This set was a great full band country set from Jim and he closed it out with another one of his great 90’s tunes “Hole In My Head” from the 1998 record Whisper.
Grass Is Dead Music Hall Set
Following this set, I went over to the music hall for a late night set from north Florida’s best Grateful Dead tribute act, Grass Is Dead. If you’ve never seen this band, I highly recommend checking them out. They’re one of the best Dead tribute bands out there and Billy Gilmore and crew only get better each time I see them. This was the first of three sets across the weekend for this band.
This was a very Dead heavy set which started with “Alabama Getaway” and moved into “Brown Eyed Women” before jamming out with “Sitting On Top Of The World”. An early highlight was “Jack-A-Roe” into a blazing rendition of the bluegrass instrumental “E.M.D.” which was originally by David Grisman. From there we got “Cumberland Blues” before a version of John Hartford’s “Joseph’s Dream”.
Finally, the band wrapped up with a set of “Eyes Of The World->He’s Gone-> Cassidy” which made a great finale. This set was very lively with lots of dancing in the music hall and a good end to a lighter first day of the festival.
The Fretliners
To start my day Friday, I only caught a portion of The Fretliner’s set on the amp stage. They mostly played tunes that are not featured on their 2023 self-titled record from what I saw, but I caught “Autumn Rivers Bend”, “Hole In The Sky” and “Josephina” during their set here.
This is a great newer bluegrass band from Colorado and I looked forward to seeing more of them on Saturday.
Sam Grisman Project
I was really here for two bands on Friday, Sam Grisman Project and Steep Canyon Rangers. Sam Grisman Project recently released a full double album of songs, but they have such a wide repertoire that I only noticed a couple off that record the whole weekend. They play a lot of old standards from the likes of David Grisman, John Hartford, Vasser Clements, and others from that era of bluegrass.
They started the show with some music from David Grisman including a fire version of the traditional “Shady Grove”. From there they did an original tune called “California Disappears”. They played a John Hartford tune that I don’t think I’ve heard live before called “Heading Down Into The Mystery”. They also did the tune “Rosie McFall” which is an old bluegrass number that was often covered by the Grateful Dead.
It was at this point in the set that John Mailander joined the band and sat in for the rest of the show. John Mailander is an artist in residency at this festival and you’ll see him randomly appear in bands’ sets when they need another fiddle or mandolin player. The band then did the Tom Waits song “Picture In A Frame” and “Blues For Vasser” which was originally written by David Grisman for Vasser Clements with John Mailander featured heavily in both.
We then got an original fiddle tune in “Riley’s Run” followed by the Grisman tune “Dawg Patch”. They then did a version of “Waiting For A Miracle” which was a Bruce Cockburn song made popular by the Jerry Garcia Band. We got another original tune from guitar player Max Flansburg called “Just A Lie” followed by a bluegrass version of the Grateful Dead tune “Brokedown Palace” before closing out with the traditional tune “Big Railroad Blues”. This was the first of two sets from Sam Grisman Project, they will do another set later on with Peter Rowan.
The next band on the Amp stage was the Steep Canyon Rangers. I have seen them at this fest before in 2019 and it was cool to see them again. They kicked things off with a track from their 2023 album Morning Shift titled “Alabama Calling”. Unlike the previous set, this band does more original music than covers. Speaking of original music, the band announced they have a new record called Next Act releasing later this summer and played a few tunes from it including “Hard Luck Kid”.
This was followed by another new song that was my favorite of the newer material they played called “Roll Of The Dice”. They then played one of my favorite older Steep Canyon Ranges tunes with “Come Dance” from their 2013 album Tell The Ones I Love. The band then went back to their new album for the title track called “Next Act” before doing a bit of harmonizing on the track “As I Go” from the 2012 album Nobody Knows You. They then played another track from their new album called “Circling The Drain” before going into a long jam of my favorite Steep Canyon Rangers tune called “Tell The Ones I Love”. The band then got into a Tom Petty cover with “Yer So Bad”.
The band also played “Fare Thee Well, Carolina Gals” from the Morning Shift record before jamming out an instrumental with John Mailander and Larry Keel joining in for the finale of the set. I love how this band incorporates drums on some of their music, and some is more traditional bluegrass, it helps keep their shows going with variety throughout the set. This was the end of Friday night for me, and Saturday is another full day.
Spirit Of The Suwannee Music Park at Night
Peter Rowan and Jerry Douglas in the Music Hall
Saturday was the final day of the festival for me and the main thing I’ve been looking forward to on this day was the Sam Grisman Project set with Peter Rowan later in the day. I started the day off though with a set featuring Peter Rowan and Jerry Douglas in the music hall. This set was largely old blues songs that I’m not as familiar with, but when you have Jerry Douglas and Peter Rowan playing a sit down set together, I’m in.
They started off with “Dig My Grave With A Silver Spade” before going into “Penitentiary Blues (Big Brazos)” which Peter Rowan recorded on his 2022 record Calling You From My Mountain. They then played another Peter Rowan tune from the 1991 album All On A Rising Day called “Howlin’ At The Moon”. The next song I recognized was “Mojo Hand” which was a Lightning Hopkins cover.
They then played another old blues number called “Give The Devil His Due” before going into a newer Peter Rowan tune called “Sunset Eyes” from his 2025 album Tales of the Free Mexican Airforce which is a record a lot of folks slept on last year. This was a great short set. The music hall at Suwannee is a perfect place for an afternoon blues duo set and it would be hard to find one better than Peter Rowan and Jerry Douglas.
The Fretliners in the Dance Tent
Next, I caught some of the Fretliners second set over at the dance tent in the park. When I walked up they were already playing “Lonesome Holler” from their self titled and only release. Next I heard a new song from them called “The Storm” followed by an instrumental called “Snapping Turtle”. They then did a John Hartford cover called “All Of His Blues”.
We got another instrumental fiddle tune called “Squirrel Hunters” before they did a great rendition of “House Of The Rising Sun”. They then closed out with their original tunes “Josephina” and “Suitcases & Heartaches”. If you like more traditional leaning modern bluegrass, The Fretliners would definitely be a band you don’t want to miss.
Shawn Camp and Verlon Thompson playing the tunes of Guy Clark
There was only a little bit before the next Grass Is Dead set over at the Amp stage, so I stuck around and heard Shawn Camp and Verlon Thompson playing the tunes of Guy Clark for a bit. I only caught two songs but they were both two of my favorite Guy Clark songs so I can’t complain.
They started the set off with “Texas 1947” from Old No. 1 before going into “Desperados Waiting For A Train” from the same album. This festival has a lot of intimate sets like this every year and it’s great to be able to see the artist you’re there to see in different types of sets.
Grass Is Dead Amp Stage Set
Grass Is Dead feat. David Gans
Next, I went to the amp stage for the second Grass Is Dead set of the weekend. This set was a bit more bluegrass leaning than the earlier set that was heavier on the Dead. The first song I caught was “Dark Hollow” which is a bluegrass traditional, followed by “Ship Of Fools” from the Dead’s 1974 release From The Mars Hotel.
They then did a Billy Gilmore original with the killer tune “Twisted Riff”. Up next they brought out David Gans for a run of Dead songs. David Gans hosts the Grateful Dead Hour which has been nationally syndicated on radio since 1987 and it’s safe to say his work has helped introduce a lot of people to the Dead. Together they started with “Scarlet Begonias” before going into “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” and ending with the great Dead tune “Deal”. This was another great set from this band and I highly recommend seeking out a Grass Is Dead set if you’re ever in north Florida.
Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Project playing Old & In The Way
Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Project ft. Jerry Douglas
After the Grass Is Dead, I stuck around the amp stage and watched Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Project set up. I had been looking forward to seeing a set like this since these two performed a show at the Ryman together earlier this year. If you are unfamiliar with Old and In The Way, they were a bluegrass supergroup that formed in 1973 and were only together for nine months, but became one of the most influential bands in bluegrass and later in the subgenre of jamgrass. The band featured Jerry Garcia on banjo, David Grisman on mandolin, Peter Rowan on guitar and lead vocals, Vassar Clements on fiddle and John Kahn on upright bass. They were one of the early pioneers of what was considered newgrass at the time.
This show featured Peter Rowan back on guitar and lead vocals for some tunes and David Grisman’s son, Sam Grisman and his band backing him up. They started the set off with an Old and In The Way classic in “The Hobo Song” which was featured on their 1975 self-titled LP. They then played “Cold Rain and Snow” featuring Hattie Craven on backing vocals. She was featured on several songs throughout the set. Following that track they played the Vasser Clements tune “Kissimmee Kid” which is a great instrumental which showcased the hillbilly jazz style that was a hallmark of the band. They did a lot of Bill Monroe tunes this evening including “Muleskinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)”. Peter Rowan and Vasser Clements were both former bluegrass boys with Bill Monroe so there is a lot of history here in this set. They then played “Uncle Pen” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” which are both Bill Monroe classics before going into the David Grisman tune “Opus 47”.
After that tune, they then played my favorite Peter Rowan song in “The Walls Of Time” and I loved this full band version. I will have a video of that song in the article. They then played what I believe is a Peter Rowan song called “Dust Bowl Children”. As I said earlier, I’m not always familiar with these tunes. After “Dust Bowl Children”, the Sam Grisman Project took center stage and did an old fiddle tune “Rosin On The Gourd”. The group then got back to some Old and In The Way music with the band’s theme song written by David Grisman called “Old And In The Way”.
Peter Rowan then brought out a special guest for the set in Jerry Douglas and he stayed with the band for the rest of the set. They started this section of the set off with “Thirsty in the Rain” before going into the Vassar Clements tune “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”. The band played “Corina, Corina” which is an old traditional before going into Peter Rowan’s biggest song and finale, “Midnight Moonlight”. This set was probably the highlight of the weekend for me and one of the best sets I’ve seen in a while.
I’ve always been a fan of Peter Rowan and pairing with the Sam Grisman Project makes for the perfect Old and In The Way tribute. I highly recommend seeing one of these shows if they come near you. I do wish that they played some more of the Old and In The Way tunes here, but I loved how the set played tribute to both Old and In The Way and the connection with Bill Monroe. It showcases how Old And In The Way is a turning point band for the genre of bluegrass.
Jon Stickley Trio
After Old And In The Way I went to see a set by the Jon Stickley Trio. This group is very unique and is often a part of these festivals at Suwannee and they’re usually a late night set, so I was happy to see them earlier in the evening than after midnight. This band is purely instrumental and is about as close as you’d get to seeing a bluegrass rave.
The band brings high dance energy to the set and it’s nonstop. I couldn’t begin to give you a rundown of what they played, just know that it was all blazing fast. The band fuses different genres into what they play with nods to jazz, metal, funk and a lot of things you don’t typically hear in bluegrass.
I highly recommend checking this band out if you ever get a chance to see them live. I had hoped to see a couple of other sets this weekend, but this was the end of the festival for me this year.
I highly recommend checking out this festival if you like bluegrass, jamgrass, jam bands or any of the above. With bands like Sam Grisman Project this year, Kitchen Dwellers last year and even featuring Billy Strings in it’s 2019 lineup, you can tell it’s a very forward thinking festival when it comes to lineups.
They also have a good mix of some of the artists we come back for every year such as staples like Peter Rowan, Sean Camp, Jon Stickley Trio and more. I’m already anticipating the fall version of the festival and we will have information on that as soon as we can publish it.
