Laura Orshaw and Friends

I stopped down to Tussey Mountain last night to see what’s going on. I had heard about an old timey jam down there on alternating Wednesdays, and although I couldn’t make it, I read that there was a bluegrass band their last Friday. I figured Tussey is another sympathetic venue for good ‘ol wooden music. I was right.

Last night was Laura Orshaw and Friends. I read online that she was quite the fiddle player, but there is always more to it than that, and I wanted to see it for myself.

The environment was a little hectic with skiers coming in and out, but Laura filled the room with sound and had me focused in on the band. This iteration of Laura Orshaw and Friends was a trio, and right away I couldn’t think of anything else I’d add. Competent, well timed and very nicely controlled guitar by Cory Kodish, held down the groove. George Wood modestly showed off banjo skills and made it look like anyone could do that. He’s one of them players who’s fingers hide behind his hand, so a thousand notes come out and it hardly looks like he’s moving. And, of course, Laura providing the melody with her voice and fiddle, seemingly effortless. I came to believe that if she were to sneeze into the microphone, it would be in key.

There was a 2nd mic on the guitar, but primarily the three played into a single mic and did the Appalachian Ballet to feature vocals or instrumentation. The audio was great, though being a guitar player I would have liked to hear that a bit more. Cory has a great technique and has a clear understanding of his place, so a sound guy can trust giving him the volume on the mic and letting him control his use of it. What impressed me was his ability to bounce back and forth between flatpicking a solo and an alternating bass chord foundation to the songs without varying volumes or rhythms. It's this foundation that George climbs into and Laura soars around.

Laura’s vocals were a pleasant surprise. Most of what I read about her talked about her fiddle playing but what I found is that her voice and fiddle compete to see who’s better. There’s a natural confidence and a willingness to travel some distance between notes that makes it distinctly country without sounding like an impersonation. I also liked the fact that she talked about each song in between, giving background to those who may not be familiar with the tune.

Their song selection was somehow familiar and unique at the same time. I feel they have a knack for picking less common “standards”, or perhaps it was the mix between old standards like Foggy Mountain Special and “new” standards like Larry Sparks’ Natural Thing to Do. Whatever it was, I got a clear sense of something fresh and unique about this band that I liked very much.

In addition to the fine music I heard last night, I also got to meet some very fine folks. Among the skiers coming in and out were about a dozen folks that didn’t come for the hills. Everyone was willing and eager to chat with me and each other and made it feel like cozy social setting rather than a bar or a ski resort. I’m getting the feeling that folks stick together and support each other’s endeavors around here which is a very nice thing. Maybe I’m jaded by so many years in Philadelphia, but I’m just amazed at how nice folks are here in Happy Valley. Maybe after all these years of living like a gypsy, I finally found a place worthy of putting roots down.