Review: Old Settler’s Music Festival

By Paul T. Mueller

We Banjo 3

Despite being forced to relocate on relatively short notice, the Old Settler’s Music Festival came off without any major hitches over four days in late April. The Texas festival, in its 31st year, recently acquired a permanent site, a 45-acre plot near the tiny town of Tilmon, southeast of the central Texas barbecue Mecca of Lockhart. Organizers had expected this year’s event to take place at its longtime location, a leased site near Driftwood, southwest of Austin, giving them another year to prepare the new location. But that plan fell through, forcing the festival to scramble to get the new site ready. A few rough edges were in evidence, but for the most part the facilities were in good shape for the thousands of music fans, many of whom spent the long weekend in a campground adjacent to the performance area.

Old Settler’s (named for its original home, Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock, Texas) has always had something of a hippie vibe, and that atmosphere lives on. Tie-dyed clothing, sparkly capes, headbands and other countercultural accoutrements were much in evidence. Vendors’ wares included various handcrafted items, as well as clothing suitable to the occasion. And the atmosphere was perfumed with the occasional whiff of suspicious substances, along with the aromas of barbecue smoke, corn dogs and kettle corn.

Because of day-job demands, your reporter couldn’t get to OSMF until Friday. The Thursday lineup included Austin-area folkies The Deer, veteran bluegrassers The Travelin’ McCourys, Irish band We Banjo 3, and Grateful Ball, featuring members of The Travelin’ McCourys and the Jeff Austin Band playing bluegrass interpretations of Grateful Dead songs. Schedule conflicts and heavy rain on Saturday also limited attendance options; what follows are impressions of some of the festival’s nearly 40 sets (not counting middle-of-the-night “Camp Shhh-Times” acoustic sets, open to campers only).

Steve Poltz

Friday:
Donna the Buffalo – Jammy rock from the veteran outfit, playing one of the first sets on the Black’s Original BBQ stage, the larger of the two main stages. The sound was loud but clear, and punctuated, as might be expected, with some “420” jokes.
We Banjo 3 – Spirited tunes from “the originators of Celtgrass,” on their first U.S. tour.
Jamestown Revival – rootsy rock from the Texas-based band featuring childhood friends Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay.
Calexico – An eclectic mix of rock, jazz, country and various Latin styles, featuring the fine vocals of John Burns. Martin Wenk turned in excellent performances on several instruments, notably trumpet.
Tomar and the FCs – energetic soul to close out a chilly evening on the festival’s smaller Bluebonnet Stage. The Austin-based band is anchored by charismatic frontman Tomar Williams.

Saturday:
Jon Stickley Trio – A band consisting of acoustic guitar, violin and drums might seem to promise a relatively quiet experience, but Saturday’s opening set on the big stage featured a lot of volume. The tunes had a Celtic feel to them; the long but well-structured instrumental arrangements were reminiscent of early Yes music.
Steve Poltz – The Canadian-turned-Southern Californian folkie troubadour entertained the crowd with his usual mix of zany humor, keen observation and fine musicianship. A highlight was a moving rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Not Dark Yet,” which Poltz dedicated to the late Jimmy LaFave.
The Peterson Brothers Band – Powerful blues and rock featuring brothers Glenn and Alex Peterson, from the not-far-away city of Bastrop. Their set included plenty of pyrotechnics, with Glenn’s guitar soaring over Alex’s fluid bass, but also a sweet rendition of “Amazing Grace” that featured Alex on violin.
Colter Wall – Thoughtful country with a Canadian twist, featuring interesting lyrics and excellent vocals that belied Wall’s 22 years. The inclusion of a Townes Van Zandt song was a nice touch.
Sean McConnell – More well-done singer-songwriter fare from a Massachusetts native now based in Nashville. Backed by a capable band, McConnell played a high-energy set that included a moving song about his father and a nice cover of “The Boys of Summer” that seemed oddly appropriate in the midst of a late-spring downpour.
The California Honeydrops – An infectious blend of rock, soul, jazz and various other influences, all built around the charismatic singer and trumpeter Lech Wierzynski, a native of Poland who grew up listening to American jazz and R&B before moving to the United States. Highlight: a jazzy, funky rendition of Allen Toussaint’s “Yes We Can Can.”

Peterson Brothers Band

Will Hoge – High-energy roots rock, backing often confessional lyrics by the Nashville-based singer-songwriter. Between songs, Hoge told a touching story of being re-inspired in his musical pursuits by his young sons’ earnest attempts at pursuing their own rock ‘n’ roll dreams in his garage.
I’m With Her – One of the highlights of the festival, and probably the best-attended set of the weekend. The acoustic supergroup – Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan – dazzled the crowd with their world-class playing and beautiful harmonies, drawing their set mostly from their recent debut album, See You Around. They also played a tune by Swedish acoustic trio Väsen, which performed a well-received set at last year’s OSMF.

Sunday:
Balsam Range – Well-played traditional bluegrass on the small but comfortable Campground Stage (the festival was originally called the Old Settler’s Bluegrass Festival).
The Cleverlys – Bluegrass versions of pop songs by artists including Beck, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lady Gaga, among others. Funny stuff, especially combined with between-songs banter, but the “faux family band” from Arkansas backed it up with serious vocal and instrumental chops.
Galeano – High-energy Latin pop, including salsa and cumbia, from a band led by José Galeano, frontman of Austin-based Grupo Fantasma. Galeano did a fine job on vocals and timbales, backed by excellent rhythm and horn sections, plus keyboards and additional vocals. He urged those in attendance to get up and dance, and many happily obliged.

Other OSMF 2018 performers included Frankie Leonie, Front Country, the Jeff Austin Band, Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass, Darlingside, The War and Treaty, JD McPherson, Wade Bowen, Railroad Earth, Bob Schneider and Ray Wylie Hubbard.