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Dec 2011
Dec 22nd. Geiser Grand Hotel, Baker City OR
January 2012
February 2012
April 2012
5th Tri-Cities WA, with James King
6th Baker City, OR with James King
July 2012
20th Hardtimes Bluegrass Fest. ... Hamilton, MT
21st Hardtimes Bluegrass Fest......Hamilton, MT
22ndHardtimes Bluegrass Fest..... Hamilton, MT
August 2012
17th Council Mnt. Festival, Council ID.
18th Council Mnt. Festival, Council, ID.
J.D. Webb and The Downstate Ramblers now booking for the 2012 Season. Give us a call .
Pleased to announce that we are putting together a Concert in Baker City, Or. on April 6th 2012 with James King and the James King Band. Details will follow.
We would love to see who all has been coming into the site. Please drop us a note on our guest book.
News
Schedule
Sponsors/Supporters
Our Music
Below are a few clips of our music.
For Booking Information
J.D. Webb
541-519-1522
For more than sixty years, The Downstate Ramblers have been bringing audiences quality music and entertainment. This award winning band is now in its third generation of great entertainers.
An Article from the Past
written by Larry Pasalaqua Sr.
The Downstate Ramblers
The Downstate Ramblers are a relatively new name on the bluegrass scene. The group is based in Southern Illinois, but its members span quite a great distance. Band members are: Mike Varady, bass, Effingham, Ill. Jim Turner,mandolin, Iuka, Ill. Gerald Jones, fiddle, Terre Haute, Ind... Ken Dace, guitar, and J.D. Webb , banjo are the band leaders. Until recently, the group has been working the Southern Illinois are4a and only occasionally venturing out of state. During this season, the Ramblers have decided to get out into that big wooley world of big time bluegrass and so far they are really going great. Recently, I had the opportunity to observe this band as they worked
Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Festival, and I liked both what I heard and saw. Not only did they perform their music well, but they really put on a super show. They seem to have the right combination to keep a crowd hopping. On stag3e, the
Ramblers are at the height of their glory. They really have a good time, and the audience can always sense it and they join right in. The Ramblers are the kind of group that makes just about everyone in the audience feel better about everything. When I asked Ken about this, his comment was that they like to think that they make the guy that has had the worst day in the world forget about his troubles for a while and just have fun. Personally, I think that's a philosophy and the Ramblers make sure that they do just that, make you feel good. The group members always seem to know what the other is going to do, and believe me that is important in any good bluegrass band. This fact makes for a very smooth performance.There was never a dead spot in their show at any time: for instance, on one of their evening performances, the humidity was very high and the bass just went completely out of tune. Instead of stopping the sown or stumbling around, Ken took his guitar back and started helping Mike tun the bass. Without a work, J.D. stepped up to the mike and quite humoursly began to explain the working parts of a banjo. Now this in itself is not big thing, but it just goes to show what I said before, these guys do a smooth show with no dead spots.
Another of the tings that pleased me about the Ramblers was the fact that they took the time to pick with anyone that wanted to pick. I spent several evenings, while at Bean Blossom, either picking with or listening to the group playing with at time twenty or thirty parking lot pickers. In fact I heard that they were rolled out of bed one morning because somebody wanted to pick. They just got up, got dressed, grabbed their instruments and with big grin, J.D. said," what y'all wanna pick".All in all, I feel that the Downstate Ramblers are going to one of the biggest comers on the bluegrass scene. Be ready to watch them climb, because, I think they have what it takes to make it. They are good musicians, great entertainers, and most important, they are all great guys.Note** The above article was pulbished back in 1977. and was written by good freiend and supporter Larry Pasalaqua. Larry is gone now, but when we recently recieved this article from a very gracious lady, we just had to put it on here.
