Tonight, at the Manor in Poughkeepsie, there will be a free showing of the documentary “Bluegrass Country Soul,” on loan to us by Dick Bowden. This movie captures the sights, sounds, and magic of this three-day outdoor festival, the first of its kind, featuring bluegrass veterans and future stars alike sharing the primitive wood and cinder block stage. This documentary does more than just capture on of the largest bluegrass festivals of that decade, it’s also an interesting mixture of live performances, interviews, impromptu jam sessions and crowd footage of live music set in a small town surrounded by the now long gone red clay and tobacco shacks of North Carolina.

It’s impossible not to be captivated by Bluegrass Country Soul, a vivid documentary that puts you front and center at a legendary 1971 bluegrass festival where the future and past made beautiful music together. I’m personally partial to the Lilly Brothers, Tex Logan and Don Stover aggregation, but anywhere you turn the sound is pure joy.

– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Bluegrass Country Soul is a riveting cinema verite portrait of a bluegrass festival when it was still an underground phenomenon with a rabidly loyal fan base of spectator-participants. It documents a uniquely American musical style in its prime and in its element, without pretense or talking heads or axes to grind. For decades, as the bluegrass festival tradition exploded throughout the United States and abroad, the film gained a cult following, especially among musicians. Read More.

– Eddie Dean, The Washington Post

We hope to see you there. Bring your instruments if you also want to jam with us.