Annapolis Baygrass Festival 2024 Review: A Homecoming Celebration

Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival took place September 21 & 22, 2024 at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, MD. The 2nd-year festival featured Oteil Burbridge & Friends, Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon, Sam Bush, Kitchen Dwellers, and many more.

Words and Images by Festy GoNuts

In our review of the 2023 Annapolis Baygrass Festival, we wrote that the inaugural fest already felt like home:

Hundreds of attendees walked through the entrance gates at Sandy Point State Park on Saturday, September 30th. They had no vision of what the festival grounds would look like. They had no feeling of what energy the festival would convey. They had no notions of what to expect.

It would be safe to say that some were pleasantly surprised, but most were completely blown away. Because Annapolis Baygrass Festival decided they weren’t going to be a first-year festival.

In fact, Annapolis Baygrass created what can take other festivals years to grow: a festival that feels like home.

Returning to Annapolis Baygrass a year later had a different feeling. A feeling of welcome excitement, because, unlike last year, we knew we were headed to something special. We knew that the music, the people, the grounds, and the vibes were going to be amazing. We knew what we were getting into, and it felt like a homecoming.

And there’s nothing quite as special as a Sophomore Homecoming!

Sophomores know what’s going on – they aren’t the ultra-green newbies from a year ago.

Sophomores know where the best lunch table is, what teacher lets them take the bathroom pass the most often, what classes they can get away with skipping, where to find a quiet space to finish their homework, and where to go after school on a half-day.

Sophomores attend Homecoming with confidence and pride mixed with youthful enthusiasm and excitement based on the knowledge of last year’s party.

So, here’s to the Annapolis Baygrass Festival Sophomore Homecoming Party!

An ​East Coast Homecoming

Festy GoNuts is based in Colorado, but we’ve got strong East Coast roots. (Kelly and Jason actually met in Ocean City, MD!). For us, Baygrass is a reason to return to some of those roots and relish in the nostalgia for our former lives on the East Coast.

We extended our Baygrass trip to visit Ocean City, MD – we ate steamed shrimp and picked Maryland Blue Crabs (if you’ve never done this, you must – but make sure to do it with a pro and listen to the rules!). We drank Yuengling and Natty Boh. We had more than a few Orange Crushes (a classic drink that originated in Ocean City but has been copied by every bar on the East Coast).

While not technically on the Eastern Shore, Baygrass embodies that Eastern Shore spirit – the festival features some of the best Maryland Crab Cakes around. (You may think you’ve had a Maryland Crab Cake, but, unless you’ve gotten it from the source, chances are you have no idea. It’s like getting a “Philly” Cheesesteak in Seattle. It may have steak and cheese, but it’s nowhere close to a Philly.) There are raw and grilled oysters. There’s a beach with views of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge – a constant symbol of the region – and sailboats dotting the horizon. The sweet bay breeze is filled with a moisture that makes our Colorado hair full and luxurious.

We are not alone in this feeling. Baygrass is a destination festival for many – and, for many, it is also an East Coast Homecoming.

Baygrass offers a great selection of partner hotels for those making the out-of-town trek, and, on top of that, there is an abundance of local Air BnB’s offering a variety of experiences.

For example, my family opted for an Air BnB in the heart of downtown Annapolis – they were a stone’s throw from the harbor and dozens of amazing restaurants, shops and activities. They easily made the short trip to and from the festival each day, and were able to enjoy their mornings in the beautiful town, as well as a few extra days on either side of the fest.

On a personal note, my “Homecoming” experience was extremely special. Seeing my parents and sister smiling and dancing all weekend is something I’ll never forget. My folks experienced their first Leftover Salmon show, their first ‘Dusting, and many more.

During their first Kitchen Dwellers experience, my father leaned towards me and asked, “Is this what you call ‘jamming’?”  Yes, Dad. That’s jamming. And he loved it.

The Homecoming Dance

At the center of Homecoming Weekend is the Homecoming Dance, and no dance is complete without a fantastic band. Baygrass was blessed with a full roster of them!

Homecoming Alumni Bands

While every band that played Baygrass was incredible (Seriously. Every set all weekend was phenomenal), there were several that especially made it feel like a Sophomore Homecoming.

House Band Geraldine once again kicked off the main-stage music, and hosted a special workshop presentation of the Baygrass theme song, “In The Water.” Seeing the members of Geraldine enjoying the festival all weekend long really made us smile – they are certainly an integral part of this event.

It was a bittersweet return to Sandy Point for 2023 Baygrass alumni The Dirty Grass Players, as their festival set marked the final Dirty Grass show for banjo player Alex Berman. Their Sunday opening performance had a large and enthusiastic crowd that could feel the emotion emanating from the stage during their show.

Cris Jacobs should be crowned the Mayor of Baygrass as far as we’re concerned. Last year the local icon blessed the festival with a rare Cris Jacobs & Smooth Kentucky show, and this year’s Cris Jacobs & Friends set was a huge highlight. Festy GoNuts is appealing to Baygrass right now – please always have Cris Jacobs on the Baygrass roster!

Home Away From Home

Several bands that feel like home (to Festy GoNuts) were represented at Annapolis Baygrass Festival.

It’s no secret that Leftover Salmon is one of our favorites, something that also seemed a consensus at the festival. Salmon originated in Colorado, and we have been blessed to see the Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass pioneers more than we can count. While Salmon is very well-traveled, many East Coast fans haven’t seen the band in a while – some in decades – and the crowd was incredibly appreciative of their set.

The Infamous Stringdusters aren’t from Colorado, but a few members are based out our way, and they certainly feel like home! The ‘Dusters were coming directly from their own Infamous Weekend Festival to close down Baygrass on Sunday night – but you’d never guess from their high-energy show that it was something like their 10th set in 3 days!

Kitchen Dwellers hail from Montana but their Galaxy Grass is from out of this world. While mando player Shawn Swain takes a medical leave of absence, fellow Boulderite and incredible picker Silas Herman is filling in. It was great to see Silas absolutely crush it with the Dwellers.

Big Richard is making big waves in the world of bluegrass. This Colorado band is still introducing themselves to the East Coast, but from everything we’ve heard they are definitely making a Big impression. They went “Craygrass for Baygrass’ and treated the Sunday afternoon crowd to what many called the set of the day.

The Homecoming Horns

What’s Homecoming without a marching band?

Well, maybe they didn’t march, but the BayBrass Horns-at-Large might as well have, as much as they were moving from stage to stage all weekend.

Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman and the legendary Ron Holloway took Annapolis Baygrass festival to a new level, plain and simple.

Their sit-ins with just about every band created musical moments that won’t soon be forgotten. Travis Book exclaimed after their Infamous Stringdusters sit-in, “Well that couldn’t have possibly gone any better!”. The trio of horns played an entire set with Brown Eyed Women, which was simply magical. Their sit-ins with Cris Jacobs, Kitchen Dwellers, and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country were absolute highlights.

Last year, Baygrass had Lindsay Lou as artist-at-large, and her presence left an undeniable mark on the festival, turning many sets of music into long lasting musical memories. This year, the Horns-at-Large continued in that vein, turning bluegrass into jazz, rock into roll, funk into… more funk!

Viva the BayBrass Horns-at-Large!

The Homecoming Bands

Baygrass was a dance party, plain and simple, and that was due to the variety of bands on the lineup, with every act getting the crowd moving and shaking their baygrass, and not a dull moment all weekend.  #shakeyourbaygrass

While the festival is dubbed Baygrass, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a bluegrass festival. (Ahem… we just told you about the horns!)

Sure, there are plenty of “bluegrass” bands and instruments in attendance, like The Lil Smokies, who lit it up on Saturday, leaving people talking all weekend about their uplifting early afternoon set.  Sierra Hull and her bluegrass band delighted the crowd, and Sierra lent her incredible mandolin chops to Leftover Salmon, sitting in and trading riffs with Drew Emmitt and Sam Bush!

But there was also a touch of Southern Rock with Trouble No More, featuring ripping electric guitar by the young phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederaurer in a celebration of the Allman Brothers.

Speaking of ripping electric guitar, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, who are storming the scene and appearing on festival lineups and headline bills across the country, delivered an incredible set that featured a 17-minute “Passing Storm” into a 17-minute “Dance in the Desert.” (Yes, Dad, that is also “jamming.”)

And then there was Saturday headliner Oteil Burbridge & Friends. All in attendance knew we were witnessing something special – even a brief rainstorm didn’t interrupt that dance party on the shores of the Bay.

With alternating stages, there was barely a lapse in music all weekend long. And every single act gave it their all. From the funk and rock of Oteil & Friends, Trouble No More, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, and Cris Jacobs, to the strings of Sierra Hull, The Lil Smokies, The Infamous Stringdusters, Geraldine and Sam Bush, the psychedelic jams from Kitchen Dwellers, The Dirty Grass Players, and Brown Eyed Women, the slamgrass of Leftover Salmon, the powerful picking and ballads of Big Richard, and the jazz, soul, blues and beyond from the BayBrass Horns-at-Large, the music at Baygrass offered something for everyone.

Tell your friends, Baygrass is much more than Bluegrass!

Homecoming Court of Baygrassers

The Homecoming Court is more than a group of peers elected to represent the class – it is a family of sorts.

Baygrass Festival is also a family. While that certainly encompasses the very family-friendly atmosphere of the festival that features a KidZone and activities for all ages, the family we are referring to are the Baygrassers.

Baygrassers are all those involved with the festival – either as attendees, volunteers, artists or staff.

We realized last year that Baygrass is also a verb:

When Annapolis Baygrass Festival was first announced to the public, it was a name, a date and a location. By the time we all arrived at Sandy Point State Park, the term BAYGRASS had evolved.

Baygrass became a verb. An action, a state, an occurrence. When we chose to attend Baygrass, we chose to Baygrass. We were committing to not impacting the environment with our festival activities. We were accepting that the Chesapeake Bay needs to be protected and restored. We were supporting the mental health of our friends, family and community.

This is why we Baygrass.

A member of the green team dancing and smiling with an attendee while directing them to the proper recycling vessel, a staff member busting a move on the beach, a photographer pausing during a shoot to watch the band and connect with the music – these are all Baygrassers enjoying the fest to the fullest.

Baygrassers Baygrassing!

Homecoming King – Sam Bush

Every Homecoming has a King, and at Baygrass 2024 it was no contest – the reigning King of Telluride Sam Bush blessed Baygrass with his royal presence and went above and beyond the duties of his crown.

Aside from the fantastic set with the Sam Bush Band, Sam also hosted an intimate artist workshop under the Baygrass Workshop Pavilion. For a crowd of about a hundred lucky Baygrassers, Sam Bush told stories, took questions, cracked jokes and picked some tunes.

Then, for extra measure, the gifted mandolin icon switched to fiddle and played an entire set with Leftover Salmon.

Long Live King Sam!

Homecoming Theme – Out of This World

What’s homecoming without a theme?

With Daniel Donato bringing the Cosmic Country, Kitchen Dwellers blasting off with Galaxy Grass, and The Infamous Stringdusters providing a dose of space dust, the 2024 Annapolis Baygrass Festival was Out of This World.

Many folks got the memo and brought their intergalactic attire, and when the sun set and the stars peeked out, the glow in the crowd was stellar.

A Baygrass Homecoming

It is evident that, like most Homecoming celebrations, Baygrass is a tradition that will endure for years to come.

As with most traditions, it will surely grow and develop more unique aspects that make it Baygrass.

There are already too many elements that shaped Byagrass into such a great fest to mention them all in one article – the incredible vendors, the non-profit organizations, the activities and games, the delicious food and drink, the VIP offerings, the educational and entertaining workshops, the beach!, the view, the park, the cleanliness, the missions, and so on and so on…

(We covered much of this in our Baygrass 2023 Review)

As you can see, there is much more to say about Baygrass.

Rest assured, we will continue to attend and continue to write, as there will never be a lack of things to relay about this incredible event that felt very much like a Homecoming to us.

So, see you at Baygrass 2025.

And watch out, because next year we’ll be Juniors!