Concert Review: Big Fat Gap (Haw River Ballroom)

Big Fat Gap
BY MARK DOLEJS

Big Fat Gap brought its annual Holiday Reunion Show to the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw on Friday night. Founding band member Miles Andrews led the group both on vocals and his upright bass.

Big Fat Gap's Miles Andrews
He was joined on stage by Bobby Britt on fiddle, Jason Beverly on mandolin, Rick Lafleur on banjo, Levi Austin on banjo, Andrew Marlin on mandolin, and Jeff Stickley on guitar.

Big Fat Gap's Andrew Marlin, Jeff Stickley, and Miles Andrews
Big Fat Gap hails from Chapel Hill and got their start in 2001, playing open mic shows. Through the years, the members have changed, with probably more than 25 different people playing in the band. This lineup was tight and sounded great!

Big Fat Gap's Atlas and Miles Andrews
Throughout their 3-hour non-stop set, they welcomed guest after guest to the stage for various songs. At one point, Andrews’ nine-year-old son, Atlas, joined the band singing along on “Where My Chickens At?”

Big Fat Gap's Andrew Marlin and Jon Hill
Jon Hill joined along for most of the night, singing and playing one hellava mandolin. During “Stone Wall Around My Heart,” Hill joined in on vocals as Andrew Marlin led the song.

Big Fat Gap's Bobby Britt
I asked Andrews before the show about a set list, and he responded, “set list, oh hell no!” So, after they finished one song, Andrews would look to the others on the stage for input on what song they would play next.

Big Fat Gap's Jason Beverly and Rick Lafleur
One of my favorites of the night had Jason Beverly on vocals on “Whiskey for Breakfast.” Such a fun sing-a-long song. Another favorite that the crowd really got into was “Blue Virginia Blues.”

Big Fat Gap's Levi Austin
The band ended their non-stop reunion with a fantastic rendition of “Sally Goodin.” For this final song, the group was joined on stage by Lee Bidgood on fiddle and John Templeton on banjo. Both are also founding members of Big Fat Gap.

Old Charlotte Highwaymen
Opening the night was Old Charlotte Highwaymen, a band led by John Templeton on banjo and vocals, along with Lee Bidgood on mandolin, ten-year-old Willis Bidgood on fiddle, Martin Stam on bass and Ben “Baby Copperhead” Lee on guitar and banjo.

Old Charlotte Highwaymen's Lee Bidgood and John Templeton
These guys started their set with an old time tune called “Lazy John.” They also played a couple of Christmas tunes, including “I Saw Three Ships” and “Go Tell it on the Mountain.”

Old Charlotte Highwaymen with guest vocalist Eloise Templeton
I really enjoy when my worlds collide. Lee Bidgood sang a Czech campfire song called “Zatoka.” The romantic song about a cowboy leaving his family to work the cattle trail, was sung in Czech. I don’t speak Czech, but this song gave me chills. My Dolejs ancestors came to this country from Prague in the latter 1800s.

Old Charlotte Highwaymen's Lee Bidgood and John Templeton
This group quickly got the crowd into the music with great song selections including “Forever Young,” “Wild Mountain Rose” and a great cover of Neil Young’s “For the Turnstiles.”

I look forward to crossing paths with both of these bands in the future.

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MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

Read Mark's posts here.