Wha Bahs Steakhouse hosted Bowling Green’s only 70s-style music and arts festival, The Grateful Gathering, for the second straight year on August 6, 2011. And a great day it was. With a crowd a bit bigger than the inaugural event of 2010, and the addition of a second Grateful Dead tribute band, everything turned out just a bit bigger and better. And, as co-organizer Matt Pfefferkorn said, “That’s exactly what we were going for”.

Bluegrass Cellular once again was the title sponsor for this charity event. All proceeds go to the Son Rhea Foundation, which provides musical instruments to South Central Kentucky kids in school music programs. Son Rhea works with schools not only in Warren County but all the adjoining counties, to get those instruments where they will do the most good; in the schools and in the hands of budding musicians. Son Rhea president Tony Lindsey stated “We’re looking forward to this event every year now because it’s all about the music. We provide a good day of music, kid’s activities, interesting vendors, and great food by Wha Bahs for our fans, and we raise money to help out our local musicians of the future. It’s a mission near and dear to my heart”. With a little more than $3,000 raised during the event, Lindsey declared it a success.

The impressive lineup of performers included up and comers Televermin from Bowling Green, who quickly warmed things up. They were followed Scottsville’s own Johnny Thompson Band, who runs his own music school, The Scottsville Conservatory. Backed by three of his students, he did a really nice set of Grateful Dead tunes mixed with some Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, and other well known tunes. Thompson really got the jam spirit rolling. Next up were The Terrapin Travelers from Cincinnati, who returned for a second year. Just three guys on acoustic guitars singing Dead tunes. So the tone was being set nicely.

New to the Gathering this year was Canago, although they’re no strangers to the Bowling Green music scene. Their brand of jam-style dance funk really gets crowds going and dance floors full, but on this special day they did a bang up job on several Dead tunes. By now it was late afternoon and the groove was on. Next up was Steely James from Nashville, another alumnus from Gathering 1. He played some excellent originals along with, what else, some grateful Dead tunes. Now you might be thinking you’ve never been a Deadhead so what’s in this for me? But each performer has a unique style and to an untrained ear you might not even notice two artists had done the same song. So my advice to you is that this is just plain good music, and there’s a style for everyone.  Just go with the groove and you’ll love it.

Next was our first headliner, Terrapin Moon from Ohio. They are a true Grateful Dead tribute band, and as guitarist Charlie Roarke stated, “Hope you like Dead tunes because we’re going to play a lot of them”. Well, I liked it. They played a great 90-minute set that had people taking notice. This was their first time at the Gathering and I have a feeling they’ll be back next year. One-man dynamo Brennan Graves followed, and did a lively 40-minute set. Grateful Gathering co-organizer Chuck Lauth asked the crowd if they could believe all that sound came from one guy. Brennan plays around Bowling Green so if you get the chance you should check him out.

This brought us into the home stretch, and the two bands that played Wha Bah in April in the “Road to Grateful Gathering” event had their turns on the big stage. Fatbox played a hot one hour set that was just cooking with gas. This band, which is up to seven members now, puts out a wall of sound. Guitars, trumpet, keyboards, drums and percussion make it all so interesting, and their originals fit right into that Grateful Dead aura, not to mention their covers. Finally, it was great to see the Pranksters again from Louisville. They just have the genre down pat, and there was lots of dancing going on during their 90-minute set. So there you have it – eight bands/performers over eight hours, and all for a $12 with kids 12 and under free. Where else do you get a deal like that?

Of course, there’s more than music. There are artists, vendors, kid’s activities, and the great food and drink provided by Wha Bah. Organizer Chuck Lauth mentioned that “So far we keep the kids activities free, so parents can come and have a great time without having to pay to keep the kids happy too. The event is all about kids and music, and thanks to our sponsors we can keep it all reasonable. We even distribute party favors throughout the day to make sure the 70s theme is reinforced throughout the day. The light sticks were a big crowd pleaser”. Another great addition to this year’s event were the fire dancers, who capped off the evening with a 30-minute performance that was visually pleasing in the evening darkness. What a day.

The event sponsors, whose generosity make it all possible, include many of Bowling Green’s most popular businesses.  They included top sponsor Bluegrass Cellular, Wha Bahs Steakhouse, Kirby Funeral Home, WNKY, D93 WDNS FM, Alan Simpson attorney at law, Service Master, Fruit of the Loom, The Amplifier, Print Media, Print Mafia, Great Escape Records and Comics, AAA Systems, SKYe Magazine, Harley Davidson of Bowling Green, Yellowberri Creative Studio, Candlewood Suites, Bud Light, and Royal Music. These are the companies you’ll want to patronize if you like what’s being done here.

Pfefferkorn and Lauth say they’ll be back next year, and they plan to work hard to take it a step up, perhaps by bringing in a little more well-known band. But that will take sponsors and donors. Anyone interested in becoming part of this great event can contact Lauth at (270) 783-0386 or just post a comment with contact info on the event’s Facebook page, Grateful Gathering 2011. I’ll be there next year, hope you’ll be there too.      

About the author: Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman