This past weekend at Bend Oregon’s Summerfest, Bellingham Washington’s bluegrass band, Polecat put on one heck of a summertime show! The only shame was that their music seemed like it could have provided a great Central Oregon style dance party, yet wasn’t able to get one going with the crowd at such an early time slot (also probably because everyone was taking refuge from the intense sun under the peripheral umbrellas). Yet maybe what Bend needed first was to get to know the prowess of this band from up North… and with a couple hundred people listening intently to their set, that’s probably just what happened. The group’s fiddle player Cayley Schmid definitely set the bar high early on with her sometimes traditional and sometimes contemporary style of boot stompin’ bow work and other Polecat Members were not about to be outdone. Jeremy Elliott, the band’s electric guitar player, had some fancy finger work of his own going and at times you could honestly barely even see his hands moving! With Aaron Guest Polecat’s lead vocalist and acoustic guitar player closing his eyes and getting lost in the music quite often, Karl Olson banging out some light and sweet bluegrass drum beats, and Richard Reeves perfectly adhering all the members together with his upright bass, Polecat harnessed that seamless quality great bands are made of.

The best part about Polecat’s performance were the instrumental pieces played that really showcased the depth that bluegrass music has to offer. Guitar and fiddle became the lyrics and told stories with out anyone saying a word. One such song can be found in this video from that very show. Take it in and get ready to see them in Bend Oregon again when they come back through town Thursday, July 14th at McMenamin’s Father Luke’s Room. (7pm Free) And this time… be ready for an old fashioned dance party!