This week, a special road trip episode featuring Walnut Valley original Pecan Grove campground jam band Old Sound recorded live at the 2024 Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Also, a performance from renowned singer-songwriter and folk music legacy Nathan McEuen.
The annual Walnut Valley Festival, now in it’s 53rd season, is one of the oldest and most respected acoustic music festivals in the world. Held at the Winfield, Kansas fairgrounds, more than 30 musical acts will perform on four separate stages, presenting over 200 hours of live music. Also, there is a dedicated contest stage where contestants vie for national and international championships in Finger Style Guitar, Flat Pick Guitar, Bluegrass Banjo, Old Time Fiddle, Mandolin, Mountain Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, and Autoharp. There is a juried arts and crafts fair, exhibits by renowned instrument makers and music shops, family activities, a bevy of food vendors, a farmer’s market and even a pub! An unusual aspect of Walnut Valley is its campground tradition. Campsites are not reserved and campers line up to claim a choice campsite during the "Land Rush.” Walnut Valley Festival goers often bring their own musical instruments to participate in the sometimes all night campground jam sessions. Bands like Old Sound and Sally & The Hurts that began as "Jam Bands" in the campgrounds, have even been invited to perform at the festival.
A trio of longtime friends and musical collaborators, Kansas City's Old Sound crafts an original brand of liquid folk music. The well-worn trio travels through song with evocative acoustic compositions, imagery-filled lyrics and beckoning three-part harmonies. The band holds deep roots running back to Winfield, KS where they grew up and cut their teeth in the picking circles and campground stages of the Walnut Valley Festival. Old Sound continues to evolve and bend the possibilities of modern acoustic music with rich, effects-driven live performances, while also creating a unique sound that could just as easily be heard around a campfire. - https://oldsoundmusic.com/
Nathan McEuen grew up surrounded by incredible music and talented musicians. By age five he started performing with his father, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Nathan soon became a natural showman. With over 40 years of touring, more than 3,000 shows, and appearances on American Idol, The Stagecoach Festival, the Grand Ole Opry, The Tonight Show, Music City Roots, and XM/Sirius Radio, his music has reached audiences around the world. Held in the highest esteem by his musical colleagues, Nathan has shared the stage with an impressive lineup of artists ranging from Bon Jovi to Willie Nelson.
In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1984 archival recording of Ozark original Kenny Sims performing the traditional American Civil War song “Goober Peas,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.
In his segment “Back in the Hills,” writer, professor and historian Dr. Brooks Blevins discusses the Ozark roots for one man’s inspiration that would ultimately result in the founding of the Grand Old Opry.
