Travelling through the wilds of the UK,  well Wiltshire actually,  we finally arrive at the festival site. More like a mini Glastonbury,  but nice all the same. Today is a good one for me, as being a huge fan and having the privalege of knowing the band through going to 12 previous dates. We meet up with John Wheeler lead singer, guitarist and fiddle player with the hugely successful rockgrass band 'Hayseed Dixie'...here's a bit of history.

They come from the fertile valley of Deer Lick Holler deep in the heart of Appalachia. They bring with them a sound which is old,  yet new.  In an area completely isolated from outside cultural and musical influence,  the band of acoustic musicians grew up playing traditional music of their fore fathers. 

 

Then as fate would have it one afternoon a stranger passed through, unfortunately for him but fortunatley for great appreciators of music worldwide, the stranger crashed his car and expired... but his legacy lives on. 

 

In the back seat of the car,  the boys found a box of old vinyl records as they looked for some identification.  The name on the records was AC/DC.  All the boys had to listen to them on was an old Edison Victrola,  that only played 78 rpm.  They agreed it was mighty fine music, a bit different,  but mighty fine all the same.

In memory of the stranger who had perished,  they set about learning the new songs injecting elements of their own traditional mountain style, thus Rockgrass was born!

Half way through a mammoth European tour,  Hayseed Dixie have a new album out "A  Hot Piece of Grass".  Fresh from mainstage performances at Glastonbury and 'T in The Park'  there is no stopping them and who would want to! 

 

At 11.30pm,  they hit the stage blistering through covers of 'Walk this Way', 'Hells Bells', plus some traditional tunes.  You cannot describe the genius in writing, you have to see them live...  which really is something special.