Bluegrass music is deeply integrated into American musical culture and roots. Yet bluegrass isn’t a pure form. It’s an amalgamation of many preceding styles and individual root systems. None have revealed more about the instrumental beginnings of bluegrass than David “Dawg” Grisman. His mandolin virtuosity was simply too adventurous to not stray from the vein of Kentucky-born grass.

I decided to check out the Dawg Daze of Summer Festival this year because of three reasons: it was a great birthday outing for my girlfriend and me, I wanted to see JJ Grey and Mofro and it sounded low-key. The list of reasons I’ll be going back next year is much larger.

When I first heard about the Dawg Daze of Summer Festival in Lone Jack, Missouri (July 26 – 28, 2012), I knew I needed to go. There are a multitude of reasons for this, some being: The largest swimming pool in Missouri is there, the band selection is awesome, there are hiking trails and it’s on my birthday! You probably don’t want to go to this specifically for the last reason on my list, but the first three are golden!