Julie Hogan and Tom Venne perform at the Madrid Bluegrass River Festival June 27 in St. Lawrence County. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

In the South, bluegrass festival season begins a lot earlier than it does in the Northeast, but now that summer is here, local fans are traveling around the country to see their favorite bands.

While seasonal Keene Valley residents Ted and Irene Lehmann were volunteering at the Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival in Tunbridge Vermont a couple of weeks ago to see the Gibson Brothers and many other award-winning acts, my wife Dawn and I were attending the Madrid Bluegrass River Festival in St. Lawrence County to see one of our favorite local bands, Beartracks, of Clinton County, featuring brother and sister Tom Venne and Julie Hogan.

With a few other festivals on our list this year, including the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival in August, the Plattsburgh Bluegrass Festival in September and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina in October, I’m looking forward to one of my favorite festivals next week: the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in Oak Hill, New York, which is known as the “Who’s Who” of bluegrass music.

If you’re paying close attention, you may notice that all the festivals in the previous paragraph have one band in common; the Gibson Brothers will be playing in all of them. Eric and Leigh Gibson and their band will also be performing at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 11 at the MacDonough Monument Bandshell in Plattsburgh during the Mayor’s Cup festivities.

As a banjo fan, I can’t wait to see the Grey Fox version of New York’s banjo summit on Friday, July 17, the day after the Gibson Brothers play two sets. Called the Keith-Style Banjo Summit, it will be hosted by Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka.

The Gibson Brothers bluegrass band, originally from Ellenburg Depot, plays a concert in 2013 in Champlain. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Joining them to honor the music and influence of Bill Keith will be a “Who’s Who of Banjo,” including Noam Pikelny, Mike Munford, Eric Weissberg, Marc Horowitz, Mike Kropp and Ryan Cavanaugh, along with Bill Keith himself. The 90-minute gathering starts at 7 p.m. at the Creekside Stage.

Keith is one of just a handful of musicians to have a whole style named after him. The Keith style was the catalyst that spawned new generations of banjo players such as Trischka, Fleck and Pikelny. Keith has worked with The Jim Kweskin Jugband, Jim Rooney, Red Allen & Frank Wakefield, Judy Collins, Clarence White, Richard Greene and David Grisman. His 1963 Decca recordings with Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys introduced his innovations to a world audience. Bill also wrote the Earl Scruggs banjo instruction book. Last October, the IBMA honored Keith with a Distinguished Achievement Award.

The Grey Fox Bluegrass festival will be held Thursday through Sunday, July 16-19, on the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill. Hosted by the Dry Branch Fire Squad, the bands will include: the Del McCoury Band; Hot Rize; the Sam Bush Band; the Infamous Stringdusters; Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn; Balsam Range; the SteelDrivers; Steep Canyon Rangers; the Gibson Brothers; Della Mae; the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band; Mr. Sun; Michael Daves and Friends (Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge, Brittany Haas, Jen Larsen, and Mike Bub); Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore; the HillBenders; and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen.

For more information, visit online at www.greyfoxbluegrass.com.