Sunday afternoon jam brings together local musicians

by David St. Lawrence

About a year ago, Andrea Marshall, a local musician, and Woody Crenshaw, owner of the Floyd Country Store, started talking about the possibility of a Sunday afternoon jam session at the store. Marshall proposed an informal jam, not staged performances like the Friday Night Jamboree, just people sitting around picking and singing. Woody thought this was a fine idea as it would revive one of the original traditions at the store.

Andrea and Woody spread the word and the idea took off. The relaxed Sunday jam sessions have been attracting a growing number of musicians and spectators every weekend.

The jam is open to all levels of players. Most of the musicians come from Floyd County or close by and they grew up playing this music, but as the word spreads, the jam draws people from further afield and those who are just passing through. There have been musicians from Australia, Europe, Canada, and from all over the United States.

Andrea says, “It’s wonderful to play with all of these musicians who have such a knowledge of the local music. The audience continues to grow and there are couples who come and listen almost every week.”

In addition to performing and preserving local music traditions, the Sunday Jam raises money for a music program for preschoolers and kindergarteners through a weekly donation jar that enables people to contribute.

The Jam raised over $1000 this year for scholarships and instruments for the Early Childhood Music Educational Program, which is held every Friday morning in the back of the Floyd Country Store by Kari Thomas Kovick.

The Jam started the week before Thanksgiving in 2008, and it is held every Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. It’s called a “Mountain Music” jam because they play Bluegrass, Old Time and Country music.

It is open to everyone, and Andrea tries to keep a welcoming feeling about it. If she sees someone hovering in the background with an instrument, she invites them to join in and makes sure they feel welcome.

The sessions are a little more structured than those you see on South Locust on Friday nights in that the lead is passed around the circle so that everyone is given a chance to participate.

Somebody will start off, choose a tune and tell everybody what key they are playing in. Then the next person around the circle gets to choose the tune and so forth. If a person does not feel up to leading a new tune, the lead passes to the next person. This way everyone is encouraged to play.

As a result, there is a wide selection of music to be heard, and you will probably hear tunes that you do not hear elsewhere.

The players range from teenagers to musicians in their nineties and they come from diverse backgrounds. One of the musicians used to be a punk rocker; others play with well-known local groups.

Andrea works to keep the music flowing because there is usually a good sized audience, and they are very attentive listeners. The audience is encouraged to request tunes.

If you find yourself in Floyd between 2:00 and 5:00 on Sunday afternoon, drop in to the Floyd Country Store for some fine music that captures the musical traditions of this region.