To Appalachia, with love and music from Chester NJ, on Saturday

Bluegrass is not typically played by three-piece bands.  At a minimum, a bluegrass line-up usually consists of guitar, bass, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin.

That fact does not stop bassist Jerry Fabris, mandolin player and vocalist Earl Karlsen, and banjo player Arnie Reisman, who perform as the Wee Doggies.

Based in Essex County, the Wee Doggies play apply their stripped-down instrumentation to such decidedly non-bluegrass tunes as “Paint It Black” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

“We’re kind of unusual,” said Fabris.  “We’re just a three-piece, and we take songs from other genres and do them bluegrass style.”

The freewheeling approach is one reason why the Wee Doggies are a good fit for the Front Porch Bluegrass Festival in Chester.

Since 2009, the festival has featured performances by various acoustic acts: singer-songwriters, folk groups, country bands, and yes, even a bluegrass act or two.

The 10th annual Front Porch Bluegrass Festival will be held in its usual local, Gazebo Park in Chester, on Saturday, July 7.

The event, which also features food sales, crafters, and activities for kids, serves as a fundraiser for the Big Youth Group (BYG), a collective of several churches in the greater Chester area.

The BYG sends volunteers from the churches to assist families in Appalachia each summer. This year, the service project will go to help residents Kentucky.

Fabris has played the festival every year.  (This year, in fact, he will do double duty by playing with a group called the Pine Sap Kings, as well as the Wee Doggies.)

“The festival is a lot of fun,” Fabris said.  “It’s a good cause, and there’s a local, small-town feel.  It’s like people can just walk down Main Street in Chester and stop by the park to hear music.”

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The fact that a music event celebrating music associated with Appalachia to that region of the country is not a coincidence.

“The festival has always been about sharing the culture of where we’re going,” said Christy Hemmes of Andover, one of the original organizers.  “It’s very cool to see the cultures come together, even for a little while.”

The Front Porch Bluegrass Festival began modestly in 2009 with only a handful of acts.  “The first year, we basically made no money.  It has now become, by far, the biggest fundraiser for our mission,” said Hemmes.

Furthermore, this year’s festival will serve as a send-off for the volunteers, who will leave for Kentucky the next week.

The event has become a favorite destination for visitors and for musicians, noted Ronald McConnell, who was stage manager for the first year and has since served as band coordinator.

“Everyone has fun,” said McConnell.  “Musicians enjoy playing (the festival), and that catches on to the audience.”  He noted that many of the artists (such as Jerry Fabris) return year after year, depending on their performance schedule.

McConnell said that he has never felt constrained by the word “Bluegrass” in the festival’s name.  “It’s only a word,” he said.  “We have Americana, folk, honky-tonk.

“The common thing is that just about everything is in the acoustic vein,” he added.  McConnell knows about acoustic sounds; he is distantly related to the legendary Carter Family, one of the architects of country music.

Though McConnell said that the music may be the draw, but audiences are always reminded about the service projects to Appalachia.  “We don’t want people to forget the cause,” he said.  “The musicians always mention it from the stage.”

IF YOU WANT TO GO

10th ANNUAL FRONT PORCH BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

WHAT: Festival of live music from about a dozen musical acts, primarily in the genres of folk and bluegrass.  Event raises funds to send young people on annual service trip to Appalachia by the Big Youth Group (BYG).  Food for sale, including a pig roast.  Auction of musical instruments.  Children’s activities and vendors.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 7.  Rain or shine.

WHERE: Gazebo Park, Main Street, Chester.

ADMISSION: Free.  Funds raised through food sales, instrument auctions, and donations.

INFORMATION: www.frontporchbluegrassfestival.com

STORY HIGHLIGHTS:

The 10th annual Front Porch Bluegrass Festival will be held at Gazebo Park in Chester on Saturday, July 7.

The free event includes performances by about a dozen musical acts, with an emphasis on folk and bluegrass.  Vendors, crafters, and activities for children are also included.

Proceeds from food sales, instrument auctions, and other donations go towards the BYG (Big Youth Group), a service organization composed of area churches that send volunteers to repair homes in Appalachia.

 

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