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Headstash's NORTHWEST STRING SUMMIT 2012 Review Guide

: By Josh McHale; Published on August 20, 2012

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2012 Lineup: Yonder Mountain String Band, Karl Densons Tiny Universe, 7 Walkers feat. Bill Kreutzmann, Papa Mali, George Porter, Jr, Matt Hubbard, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Greensky Bluegrass, Jeff Austin & Friends, Darol Anger and the Fury feat. Sharon Gilchrist, Maeve Gilchrist, Emmy Phelps & Rushad Eggleston, Elephant Revival, Danny Barnes and the Scratch Track Gospel Show, Deadly Gentelman, Joy Kills Sorrow, Banjokillers! Pete Kartsounes Band, Fruition String Band, Windy Hill

Festival Website: http://www.stringsummit.com/

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Yonder Mountain String Band Sets

Friday, August 10

Set I: Out of The Blue, Criminal, Idaho, Don't You Lean On Me, Fine Excuses, Mother's Only Son, No Exceptions, On The Run > Kentucky Mandolin > On The Run
Set II: Ten Pockets, Casualty, Rag Doll, Culpepper Woodchuck, Death Trip, If Your Ever In Oklahoma

Saturday, August 11

Set I: If There's Still Ramblin' in the Rambler (Let Him Go) > Only A Northern Song > If There's Still Ramblin' in the Rambler (Let Him Go), Straight Line, Polka On The Banjo, Corona, Polly Put The Kettle On, Snow On The Pines > Shake Me Up > Snow On The Pines
Set II: Shakedown Street, They Love Each Other, Southern Flavor, Pass This Way, All The Time, To See You Coming Round The Bend, Crow Black Chicken, Traffic Jam > The Eleven > Sideshow Blues
Encore: Rag Mama, Red Rocking Chair

Sunday, August 12

Set I: Blue Collar Blues > Left Me in a Hole, What The Night Brings, Little Lover, Troubled Mind > 20 Eyes > Troubled Mind, Winds of Wyoming, Cuckoo's Nest > Dawn's Early Light > Over the Waterfall
Set II: Pretty Daughter, Jail Song, Don't Worry Happy Birthday, Damned If The Right One Didn't Go Wrong, My Gal, I Am The Slime, This Train is Bound For Glory, Raleigh & Spencer, Lord Only Knows (Part One) > Years With Rose > Peace of Mind
Encore: Sharecropper's Son, Two Hits and The Joint Turned Brown

Review and Highlights

The 11th annual Northwest String Summit delivered another unforgettable weekend on the hallowed grounds of Horning's Hideout in North Plains, OR. Landing on the weekend of the anniversary of beloved guitarist Jerry Garcia's death, tribute to The Grateful Dead rang out through the trees all weekend.

Jeff Austin and Friends, 7 Walkers and The New Riders of the Purple Sage all played amazing sets that contained classic Dead covers and sent countless Deadheads back down memory lane.

Photo Credit: Josh McHale

Yonder Mountain String Band played an extraordinary three nights with each set providing the audience with a unique taste of their musical diversity. They started the weekend off with a fury – it wouldn’t be NWSS without some maddening fiddle work by Darol Anger and a few new twisted up facial expressions by boy wonder, Jeff Austin. At one point in the weekend, Austin even donned a beautiful pink tutu, which almost distracted everyone from his squished-up face.

Other notable acts of the weekend included a stellar Saturday night performance by Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, who played tribute to another beloved musician with a rendition of The Beastie Boys’ “Sure Shot” Tiny Universe closed out the music on the Main Stage Saturday night with funky flavor that really shifted gears and diverged from the stringy theme of the weekend. Their performance was top-notch.

The weather at Horning's was hot, with temperatures climbing into the high 80s to low 90s by the end of the weekend. A couple renegade dips into the pond were common as people were seen hanging around the banks in the afternoon trying to beat the heat.

At dusk each night, the International Space Station could also been seen flying overhead, coming right over the Main Stage and zipping across the bowl disappearing into the trees. On Saturday, Austin made sure to remind everyone that there are people up there. Seeing that glowing blob moving across the sky was pretty far out.

One of the most memorable takeaways from String Summit is how family oriented it is. When families bring out the kids for the weekend, the atmosphere and energy of the entire festival really changes. The little ones bring out a lot of love and innocence that pours out of everyone there and it feels like a family reunion of sorts. Horning’s quickly becomes a heartfelt environment and the event becomes a great way for people to end a wild festival season with the ones they love.

If you've never been to String Summit, it's certainly worth the trip. You'll be hard pressed to find a better atmosphere for enjoying some great tunes.