Day 58 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Saturday June 28th, day 58 of our 2025 summer adventure. I enjoyed the perfect temperature walk without any rain. Then it was coffee outside and a visit from Greg, the restaurant owner. We enjoyed some banana bread we got from Mammy's Donut Shop the other day. Rhonda pulled in just before the start of the program for today.

At noon today was the kids program. They take "finding" the next bluegrass talent very seriously here! The first group on the stage were 3 siblings and their Grandma. They call their band 'Pickin' With Grandma.' The second group was two brothers they call themselves 'The High Brothers.' They are 8 & 11 and have never played before this weekend. 

The third act was Jerry from Tennessee. He plays, Bass, Bango, a little Mandolin and he sings! He is only 12 years old. The fourth act was a 15 year old girl, named Pat. She plays the Dobro. She has been playing for 3 years now. All the kids joined in on 'How Mountain Girls Can Love' for their finale.

The first professional band up was Cutter & Cash and The Kentucky Grass. Making their home in Marion, Kentucky, Cutter & Cash Singleton feel blessed to be a part of something that’s just so special. Not even 18-years old and they are the founding members of a rising bluegrass band. They have even performed at the Grand Ole Opry. Their newest album is produced by Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely. With a nod toward traditional bluegrass groups, the band always dresses to impress. Their fiddle player is Trustin Baker of Birch Tree, MO. He used to play with his siblings as The Baker Family. 

The second band up was The United States Navy Band Country Current. They are the Navy's premier country-bluegrass ensemble. The group is nationally renowned for its versatility and musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass. This five-member ensemble employs musicians from diverse backgrounds with extensive high-profile recording and touring experience in the music scenes of Nashville, New York, New Orleans and more. In the tradition of country music, each member is a skilled performer on multiple instruments. 

A staple of the bluegrass scene, Country Current has shared the stage with music luminaries Rhonda Vincent, Dailey and Vincent, Mountain Heart, Little Roy Lewis, Third Time Out, The Lonesome River Band, Josh Williams, The Seldom Scene, J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Ned Luberecki, Chris Jones and many others. Country Current routinely performs at bluegrass festivals such as Darrington, Windgap, Gettysburg, Lake Havasu and Grass Valley. In 2011, Country Current became the first military band to perform at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

The unique thing about this group is there are two members that have strong ties to the bluegrass scene. Guitar and Lead Vocalist, MU1 Sally Ziesing is the eldest daughter of Rhonda Vincent, Queen of Bluegrass. Also, the Bass player, MU1 Danny Stewart Jr is the son of Bluegrass Promoter Danny Stewart. Additionally, the Fiddle and Mandolin player, MU1  Patrick McAvinue, was the 2017 IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year.

There was a change in the line-up, as Junior Sisk had bus trouble... So, the third set was Rhonda Vincent and The Rage! After a brief delay because of a little bit of rain, Rhonda Vincent and The Rage took the stage at the Remington Ryde Bluegrass Fest! She began her professional music career at the age of five, playing drums with her family's band, the Sally Mountain Show. 

She picked up the mandolin at eight and the fiddle at ten, performing with the family band at festivals on weekends. Rhonda has had deals with Rebel Records, Giant, and Rounder Records. Her band, The Rage helps her with hard-driving, high-energy contemporary bluegrass. Rhonda Vincent's daughter, Sally is the guitarist and lead vocalist with US Navy Band Country Current. She joined her mother on stage, with Rhonda's granddaughter, Faye Monroe.

Dinner break came next, giving Junior Sisk more time to arrive. At the dinner break we ran into Rich Baker and his wife! We know Rich from the Hemlock Fair and we have not seen them in years! What a small world! We learned they were here last year too and we never ran into them at all!

Junior Sisk and his band, Red Camel Collective, were the fourth act of the day. He is widely recognized as one of today's top bluegrass vocalists and is a constant reminder that traditional bluegrass is still alive and well. His bluegrass pedigree runs deep, influenced by a father who wrote songs and played guitar and a mother who sang. Sisk first learned to play around age 14. 

His early influences included The Stanley Brothers, Larry Sparks, and Dave Evans, but he often credits the Johnson Mountain Boys with inspiring him to pursue bluegrass professionally. Junior Sisk’s band is Heather Berry Mabe on guitar, Tony Mabe on banjo, Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, and Curt Love on bass. The band pays tribute to the man who brought them together with their name, taken from Junior’s song, The Man in Red Camels. It was a great set!

Cutter & Cash and The Kentucky Grass played their second set. 

The United States Navy Band Country Current played their last set.

Larry Efaw & the Bluegrass Mountaineers played a single set today. His bass player is a 16 year old girl. She was singing a song and forgot the words... Larry gave her a good razzing... it was all in good fun!

The sunset was gorgeous!

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage played their last set. They have to drive almost 450 miles to Vermont to arrive for their set at 1:30pm tomorrow. It will be a long night for the bus driver!

Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice finished out the 2025 Remington Ride Bluegrass Festival. Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!