Well, the Moorhead Old Time Festival happens every year, last weekend of July, here in
Moorhead, Kentucky.
We're out here on the Brown County Fairgrounds.
We've hosted it here every year.
The first year we did it, we did it in October.
It was a little bit too cold, so we decided to move it to July, which I think was a very
good move.
It really helped grow the attendance because a lot of people come here that are on their
way to other festivals.
There's a big one that happens up in West Virginia right after this.
So the Moorhead Old Time Music Festival is really a group of volunteers that just get
together for the sake of having good music.
It's a completely volunteer run festival.
And every year we have all kinds of people jump in and do a small part, and it makes
it all come together.
The Moorhead Old Time Music Festival has been going on for 11 years now.
It was originally founded by Brett Ratliff, Jesse Wells, Nathan Kaiser, Don Rogers, Carmen
Rogers, and Ryan Perkins.
I love a lot of things about the Moorhead Old Time Music Festival.
It's very inclusive.
It's very grassroots.
A lot of the people who come and take part and love this festival have been part of it
for years now.
There's a lot of emphasis on regional music.
Even in the contests, there is a lot of credit given for music that is regionally accurate.
And of course, there are deep roots for this music in this part of the country.
A lot of music history, even in bluegrass, old time country, a lot of styles of music.
There's deep history here in eastern Kentucky.
And within a few hundred miles of Moorhead, we're kind of at the center of all of it.
A lot of music history, even in bluegrass, old time country, a lot of styles of music.
Oh, where did you get those high top shoes and the dress that you wear so fine?
I got my shoes from a railroading man and the dresses from a driver in the mine.
Hop-hi, hop-hi, hop-hi, my loon-loon girl.
Hop-hi, hop-hi, hop-hi my loon-loon girl.
I'll pawn you my watch and I'll pawn you my chain, I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring
To pay my little loon-loon's fine, I'll pawn you my wagon and my team.
Hop-hi, hop-hi, hop-hi, my little blue girl.
Hop-hi, hop-hi, hop-hi, my little blue girl.
Well, old-time music is, you know, we tend to put labels on music now for reasons, you know,
feel like sell records, things like that, we tend to put labels on styles of music.
But I guess the easiest explanation would be that this music kind of predates bluegrass music,
and it makes for different types of mountain sounds, ways of playing the banjo and the fiddle
that were very common in the mountains.
You know, back long ago, I think people would have just called this music.
I was born here just the same as you, another time, another day.
I'm sure the good Lord took his time, made each of us just this way.
I walked beside you step by step, and it never crossed my mind that I would grow up one of the different kind.
That didn't stop me from chopping the wood, scraping my knees like a boy should,
going down to the creek in the noonday sun, bringing out my shirt when the work got done.
First things first, I'm a blue-collar man, with scars on my knuckles, dust on my hands.
You probably wouldn't have ever known, I've got a man waiting on me at home.
To tell you the truth, I don't want to fight, just want to say one thing, I'll write to you.
Ain't we flashing blood all through, and ain't we brothers too?
I think that a festival like this is part of the whole community of musicians.
And that community of musicians has been important for generations.
When people love this music, they're part of something that's not just about who has the most press this week,
or who's selling the most records this week, or who's on the hit parade.
You're part of something that is generations old, and hopefully will continue for generations to come.
Just like a stranger in my hometown, I got bitter day by day, went home every night with the mess they made.
First things first, I'm a blue-collar man, with scars on my knuckles, dust on my hands.
You probably wouldn't have ever known, I've got a man waiting on me at home.
To tell you the truth, I don't want to fight, just want to say one thing, I'll write to you.
Ain't we flashing blood all through, and ain't we brothers too?
It will be, that's the plan, I always have it the last weekend of July.
People come prepared with shelters and tents and stuff, because this weekend in Kentucky you never know what the weather may bring.
We've had big storms, and we've had heat, but we've also had a lot of nice weather,
and no matter what, we always seem to make it work, and everybody enjoys it and has a good time.
The day after the storm, I'm a blue-collar man, with scars on my hands.
I always have it the last weekend of July.
The day after the storm, I'm a blue-collar man, with scars on my hands.
I always have it the last weekend of July.
The day after the storm, I'm a blue-collar man.
The day after the storm, I'm a blue-collar man.
I think something really unique about the festival is how much that it changes every year.
There's always some of the same people, but there's always a lot of new people,
and every year you kind of meet new people and you grow a huge network of friends and musicians that you've met,
because people come from all over.
This year I've met a girl from Australia. She may be the one who's come the farthest,
but people come from all over the states.
A lot of people from places like North Carolina and Virginia and West Virginia, where this music is really popular.
But I think that's why it's unique. This really is kind of a festival for everybody,
but it's also just a good networking opportunity for musicians.
This festival is going to go on and on because the people who are involved in it love this music,
love this community, and want to continue this festival on into the future.
It's going to be great right on and on and on and on.
I just got to heaven and I gotta walk around.
Who's that yonder dressed in blue?
Said it must be the children had her coming through.
Who's that yonder dressed in red?
Said it must be the children had Moses left.
Sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
Sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
Why don't you sit down?
No, I can't sit down.
I just got to heaven and I gotta walk around.
Sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
Sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
Why don't you sit down?
No, I can't sit down.
I just got to heaven and I gotta walk around.
Who's that yonder dressed in white?
Said it must be the child of the Israelites.
Who's that yonder dressed in black?
Said it must be the hypocrites turning back.
Sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
Sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
No, I can't sit down.
