Bluegrass Music Jammin’ in Narrows
Text and Photos by Kevin Riley Locally, it is a well-known fact that if one is interested in taking in some of the bluegrass music scene, you had better head over to Floyd on a Friday night. Or, you may want to go down to Galax and see what is going on there. A lesser-known venue for local bluegrass music is found in Narrows near the western edge of Giles County. While Giles is recognized for great paddling, fishing, hiking, a certain waterfall and the movie, “Dirty Dancing,” it is not the first place that comes to mind for bluegrass music, yet. There is a small, dedicated group of local folks and kids who would like to change that. MacArthur Inn, named after the famous WW II Pacific theater general, hosts local musicians every Thursday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. They gather for dinner and then play old-time and 22
NRV MAGAZINE
bluegrass music next to the restored 78 rpm jukebox in the parlor. On the third Thursday of the month, it isn’t just the oldtimers showcasing their skills. It’s “youth night” from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and these kids are already quite accomplished. Two families of brothers are actively working on taking their skills to the next level. The McGlothlin brothers of Narrows, Max and Sam, have been playing together for several years. Max, 15, has been playing fiddle since the age of 4 and playing gigs since he was seven. His younger brother, Sam, has joined him, and the two switch back-and-forth between the fiddle and guitar. The Albert (rhymes with TALLbert) brothers, DJ [age 15], Sam [14] and Shane [12] also play bluegrass. The two families have been working to combine forces and are beginning to meld into
something of a band. D.J.’s specialty is banjo, while his brother, Sam (aka Big Sam) plays guitar. Shane is the newcomer and has been playing bass about six months. This entire endeavor has been nourished and, in a way, curated by the McGlothlin brothers’ maternal grandfather, Dave Lloyd. Back in the day, during Dave’s entrance exam into Virginia Tech, he was told that his aptitude for music was greater than his aptitude for engineering. He was more confident in his ability to earn a living as an engineer than as a musician, so he went in that direction. But he took the information to heart, enrolled in fiddle lessons and kept fine-tuning his music. Many years later, his grandson Max came along, and grandpa Dave and little Max began playing music together. Max initially took an interest in the fiddle
March/Apri l 2020
