Paste Studio on The Road rambles on, this time to Wilkesboro, N.C., for the 36th annual MerleFest! The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Doc Watson’s son Merle, and features “traditional plus” music, described by Doc Watson himself as, “the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.” Watch Boston-based progressive bluegrassers Twisted Pine play under the influence of Jerry Douglas, the baddest dobro man in the land.
Full Session
First up is “Lone Star,” a self-described “travelin’ song” where time changes abound, featuring an epic instrumental bridge with room to stretch out, evocative of the Grateful Dead’s deepest space explorations. After this Paste x MerleFest session, check out their studio version of the song, hot off the presses.
“Lonestar”
The fun crescendos when dobro maestro Jerry Douglas materializes to accompany the band for a medley mashing up Bill Monroe’s “The One I Love Is Gone” with Vulfpeck’s “El Chepe,” featuring birthday boy Chris Sartori leading the charge on upright bass.
“The One I Love Is Gone (Bill Monroe) / El Chepe (Vulfpeck)”
The Twists and Jerry Douglas wrap their session with a song inspired by the Floridian sunset, titled “Green Flash.” Stick around after the session for a surprise birthday celebration fueled by the chocolate buttercream cake masters at Dom Bakeries, a family-owned North Carolina institution in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
