Merlefest 2007 Wish List

Since I wasn't able to go to Merlefest this year, I had plenty of time on my hands. I put it to good use, though, cooking up suggestions for the organizers as they prepare for the 20th festival next year. They put together a great lineup every year, but this is an occasion for thinking big. While my HW colleagues Larry and Stacy were having a great time at Merlefest, I was cooking up this Dream Team for next year:

The roster
Ryan Adams; Darol Anger; The Avett Brothers; Russ Barenberg; Norman Blake; Rory Block; BR549; Solomon Burke; Sam Bush; Caitlin Cary; Rosanne Cash; Chatham County Line; The Chieftans; Guy Clarke; Slaid Cleaves; Thad Cockrell; John Cowan; Dan Crary; J.D. Crowe; Rodney Crowell; Donna the Buffalo; Jerry Douglas; Casey Driessen; The Duhks; Steve Earle; Tim Easton; Alejandro Escovedo; The Flatlanders; Bela Fleck; Pat Flynn; Vince Gill; Johnny Gimble; The Gourds; The Greencards; David Grier; David Grisman; John Hammond Jr.; Emmylou Harris; John Hiatt; Chris Hillman; Hot Tuna; John Jorgenson; Alison Krauss & Union Station; Ray Lamontagne; Jim Lauderdale; Doyle Lawson; Albert Lee; Keb' Mo'; Kris Kristofferson; The Kruger Brothers; Jack Lawrence; Loretta Lynn; Buddy Miller; Nashville Bluegrass Band; Willie Nelson; Nickel Creek; Tim O'Brien; Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio; Tony Rice; Peter Rowan; Earl Scruggs; Ricky Skaggs; George Shuffler; Mindy Smith; Son Volt; Ralph Stanley; Marty Stuart; Bryan Sutton; Rhonda Vincent; The Waifs; Doc Watson; Richard Watson; Gillian Welch & David Rawlings; Wilco; Lucinda Williams.

The Dance Tent
On each of the four days, BR549 and Donna the Buffalo should be playing the dance tent. Two or three sets a day should do it. Better get a big tip jar.

The tributes
This lineup lends itself to a few tributes:

Clarence White � With the number of flatpickers on this roster � including Watson, Blake, Lawrence, Skaggs, Shuffler, Sutton, Crary, Barenberg and Rice � there's no reason not to do it.

Bill Monroe � They've done this before, but there's no reason not to do it again.

Vassar Clements � The musician's musician. Maybe we could even see Sam Bush on fiddle.

Townes Van Zandt � There are a lot of Van Zandt disciples in this lineup such as Clark, Earle, Crowell and Harris. They'd have plenty of great material, too.

Gram Parsons � Emmylou Harris would have no trouble lining up duet partners.

Merle Watson � Same for Doc. Who on the bill wouldn't want to sit down and play with him?

The reunions
The 20th Merlefest would be a worthy reason for a number of bands to reunite, too:

Frosty Morn � Doc sits in for the reunion of this Merle project every year. Now it's time to move it from the Walker Center to the main stage.

The Jayhawks � Gary Louris and Mark Olson seem content to get together and tour every year anyway, so why not convene the rest of the band for a one-off show?

New Grass Revival � It's a natural. Heck, for all I know they've all been on the same stage backing some other act.

Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band � It wouldn't be a true reunion of any Hot Band lineup, but it would be pretty great to have Harris, Crowell, Skaggs, Gill and Lee all on the same stage.

Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band � Supposedly who got top billing at Merlefest was partially to blame for the rift between Earle and McCoury, who could have kept packing 'em in if they kept touring to support "The Mountain." It's time to bury the hatchet.

Uncle Tupelo � Speaking of burying the hatchet ... Son Volt and Wilco played on the same bill at the Wakarusa Festival in Kansas last summer, but the hopes of UT fans were dashed when the weekend passed without a reunion. This is a longshot at best, but if you're going to dream ... dream big. Like I said, I had a lot of time on my hands.