Not long after I'd slipped through Cincinnati and over the river, I realized that the northbound traffic was at a standstill. I later learned that a 4:00 AM accident still had things jammed up. It was after 9:30 when I drove by the long lines of semis. Near Pendleton, Kentucky, construction squeezed southbound traffic into a single lane, and things briefly came to a halt. After that it was clear sailing all the way.

The lunch crowd was near its peak when I reached Thomas Drugs but I still found a seat on one of the red swivel stools where I could savor a hand-dipped root beer float. Next to me, a lady and her nine year old granddaughter were finishing their sandwiches. Between them, possibly as incentive, sat a great looking banana split. When the sandwiches were gone they commenced on the split. Small bags of chips had come with the sandwiches and the girl had saved some of hers. It had never occurred to me to use salty potato chips to dip into ice cream, and her grandmother passed on the suggestion, but she certainly enjoyed it.

I've tried to recall where and how I first heard of The Cleverys but that's a memory that has been lost to time. It was at least several years ago, and the group's makeup has changed a bit since I first started watching for a chance to see them live. This is a family band just like the Ramones. Digger Cleverly, Ricky Lloyd Cleverly, Cub Cleverly, Dale Vernon Dale Cleverly, and Sock Cleverly are all first rate bluegrass musicians just like Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. They do some great original songs but they are best know for doing popular hit songs just like the cover band at your neighborhood pub. All of that ridiculous description is completely true with one exception. They do indeed cover songs from artists like Beck, Katy Perry, and Black Eyed Peas, but it's not much like the neighborhood cover band. If you find it difficult to imagine a bluegrass version of Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart", look it up on YouTube. There's a recent performance with the current lineup here.