Battle of the Bands (Bluegrass Style)

Last night I attended a Battle of the Bands at the Mountaineer Opry House in Milton, WV. If you take I64 W from Charleston and take exit 28 you can't miss it. It is right beside of the Exxon next to the Interstate. I would post a link to their website, but I don't think they have one. It is essentially an old cinderblock barn turned Opry house. The lack of several well-lit, marked exits was a bit scary but it wasn't a bad place to be.

Ten bands played 3 songs each, then 5 returned for the showdown of 2 songs each before the prizes were awarded. I can't remember which band won, or the names of all the bands but it was still a great time. From the pictures above, I can tell you that the second shot is of Rushhour. I'm not sure on the name of the band in the third shot, but I do know that the young boy on the banjo is 12, while the other boy with the fiddle is only 10 years old. They played as well if not better than most of the other players there.

I will definitely revisit this quaint little place, and hopefully have enough elbow room to take some good photos. The house was packed with around 200-250 people. While amazed at all the talent I saw last night, I am still amazed that people can play acoustic guitars THAT fast.