Dan Tyminski & Ronnie Bowman
at Lil John’s Mountain Music Festival
Cane Creek Campground, Snow Camp
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Cane Creek Campground in Snow Camp hosted the thirty-eighth installment of Lil’ John’s Mountain Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend.
I arrived late to the festival grounds Saturday, just in time to catch the young, quite comedic stylings of Salt & Light, a group featuring impressive instrumentation and a bassist who’s outsized by his instrument. Next up came the driving sounds of Sideline, quickly becoming one of North Carolina’s best bluegrass groups. In a sea of contemporary acts, Sideline sticks out with twang-heavy vocals and lighting-fast picking.
The blistering sounds of Sideline gave way to the festival headliners, Dan Tyminski and Ronnie Bowman. The unaccompanied pair of old friends soon began telling stories and playing songs from their time together in the Lonesome River Band. Both have taken different paths since that spell, Tyminski rocketing to success with his parts in the film O Brother Where Art Thou? and Alison Krauss’ Union Station. Bowman, however, continued with his songwriting career, penning hits for Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney. Most recently, he shared a writing credit on the Chris Stapleton smash “Nobody to Blame.” As the duo performed a string of hits, the crowd rocked back and forth in their camp chairs and hollered for their favorites.
Below, catch clips from m Dan Tyminski and Ronnie Bowman.
Dan Tyminski & Ronnie Bowman, “Money In The Bank” & “Left This Country Boy Sitting All Alone”
