Regional bluegrass fans can rejoice that the Mayville Bluegrass Festival has stuck around for an eighth year, and this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is the time to check out why so many fans keep coming back to see the variety of national, international and local talent appearing on the stage in Mayville’s Lakeside Park (on Route 394). For more information and the fest’s complete lineup,

visit www.mayvillebluegrassfestival.com

. The headliner for this year’s festivities is the JOSH WILLIAMS BAND, appearing both evenings. Williams, a multitalented singer and instrumentalist, has worked with Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, the Tony Rice Unit and Special Consensus.

Do you think that having a high-profile role in such a high-powered musical offense as Rhonda Vincent and the Rage helped your playing?

Absolutely! It was a little difficult at first, making the transition from mandolin to guitar, but a few months into the job, it finally became natural to me. With Rhonda’s busy schedule, I think any good musician could become more than proficient. The first year in the Rage, we were on the road 300 days. What an experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn a lot of things from her, and Cahill as well.

Can you compare what your life has been like as a sideman and how it is to be leading a band and being responsible for who plays in it?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been a sideman for people who allowed me to share the spotlight, but it has always been a dream and a goal to lead my own band. I now have to take on the business aspect, however. That’s a whole other animal. I learned from two of the best “business people” in bluegrass. I got to see firsthand what to do and what not to do. The guys in the Josh Williams Band come first. My main priority is to make sure they are comfortable, appreciated, and that the overall band moral is high.

You’re doing two shows while playing in Mayville. What would you say to prospective attendees that would convince them to come out and watch you guys?

We enjoy what we do and take it very seriously. It doesn’t matter if there are four people in the audience or 4,000. The Josh Williams Band is a fun, family-oriented and entertaining bunch whose main concern is doing our best to perform and promote bluegrass music and treat our fans like our family.

–Garaud MacTaggart, Special to The News