Lonesome River Band at the 2022 Florida Classic – photo © Bill Warren
The Florida Classic – classic bluegrass, classic country, classic ’50s rock, classic cars and trucks, and great people!
The sound crew worked tirelessly all weekend. Larry Payton, Donnie Carver, Josh Griffin, Clarence Canada, and Steve Holdeman deserve a big thank you!
The first Friday show was Redd Volkaert and the Malpass Brothers telling Merle Haggard stories and singing his music. It was quite a trip down memory lane.
Teea Goans followed with a set of old feel country music. She is often seen on RFD-TV’s Larry’s Country Diner.
Sherry Boyd then introduced Deeper Shade of Blue for their final set of the weekend. Redd Volkaert again joined them with his 1953 Telecaster.
The Malpass Brothers kicked off their first of two days at the Classic. They take an audience back to the days of stars like Ernest Tubb, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, and many more.
The Dan Tyminski Band did a Friday set that again captivated the audience. This is a band that must be seen if one has the opportunity.
The Atlantic City Boys present the stylings of Frankie Valli music – yet another classic era. The Boys present the dance moves and the harmonies of days gone by.
The Moonlight Jam was hosted by Justin Mason and Blue Night. The youngest was part of the Remedy Tree band playing mandolin.
Saturday started with a classic car and truck show. There were some unique vehicles. One was an old body 1952 Ford truck built on a modern Ford F450 chassis. Another was a fire breathing Mack truck.
Remedy Tree from St. Augustine opened the stage show. They present a mix of original and old time music and are one of the Florida bands that appear in a number of EMS festivals.
Justin Mason and Blue Night is an Orlando based group that plays original and traditional bluegrass music. Fifteen year old Bryce Griffin was given the late Roscoe Canady’s mandolin last weekend. He played it on stage at the Classic. Justin has been part of the bluegrass scene in Florida since he was a youngster. He also plays in a band with his father and a brother called Alligator Alley and is the face and voice of the Florida bluegrass community. He takes pictures and documents the majority of bluegrass events across the state. He keeps everyone informed of what and where everything is going on.
Redd Volkaert did a set of his own. He presented some of the best in classic country music.
The Malpass Brothers did their final set of the weekend. We learned that Taylor received a degree in brain surgery from “Dook” University during the pandemic – it took three whole months. He also was certified as a marriage counselor, a priest, and a jet pilot. He flies his private jet all over the world!! 
The Lonesome River Band is one of those acts where there are not enough superlatives left to describe. They have been a staple of the bluegrass community for forty years. Redd Volkaert joined the band for a couple tunes and it made for a fun time.
Classic country artist, Moe Bandy, closed out the festival. He presented a set of his best music. The audience thoroughly enjoyed it.
I found a jam on my way to my campsite to end the weekend.
Support your local music venues.
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