CMT.com, the online side of cable network CMT (Country Music Television), has posted a list of their Ten Favorite Bluegrass Albums of 2005.

The choices cover an interesting range of styles, and include both new and re-issue projects from legends and newcomers alike. Like any list of this sort, at least one selection is bound to infuriate someone, so check out the list and see which one gets your dander up.

The following is a contribution from Kip Martin, a semi-regular guest contributor to The Bluegrass Blog. The views expressed are his, and are not necessarily those of the authors of The Bluegrass Blog. Commenting is enabled for all ViewPoint posts, so please feel free to chime in with your own thoughts.

Recently, Ted Lehmann posted his observations in this space about what he views as a threat to the future of Bluegrass. I empathize with his concerns, but I have to disagree with much of what he said. Although he is seeing changes in Bluegrass, I don’t believe these changes are harbingers of doom–Bluegrass simply will not be homogenized as was the bland, syrupy genre formerly known as Country.

Historically, whenever a big change occurs in Bluegrass, people take sides and often passionately defend their positions. It was no different when Charlie Waller was accused of ‘polluting the waters’ when he brought non-Bluegrass material into his repertoire to expand his audience, nor was it different when Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek, Newgrass Revival, or the Osborne Brothers experimented with heretical ideas such as recording with drums, employing digital tools (e.g., pitch correction, room modeling, etc.), and working up non-Bluegrass material in there efforts to blur the boundaries. The wailing and gnashing of teeth from the opposing side usually stems from a fear of dilution of the tradition, increased commercialization, and a loss of clearly define definitions (e.g., What Is Bluegrass, Anyhow?). In my experience, these visionaries do a service for all of bluegrass. Instead of emptying out the Traditional camp as feared by the Bluegrass Fundamentalists, these crossover ploys seem to instead help the traditionalists grow in numbers while pushing the music out to new audiences. It’s a BIG tent–when new people come in, no one is pushed out! There’s plenty of room for both camps. I’m certainly glad Old & In the Way came along and caught my attention! (more…)

You and I know the importance of the banjo today, as well as the historical importance of the instrument. Importance to the music we love, bluegrass. But what about the broader historical background behind the banjo? The Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., is currently featuring an exhibit that celebrates what it calls “one of the most frequently encountered icons in American art,” the banjo. This exhibit is a collection of images that capture the history and evolution of the instrument, as well as it’s presence in American art.

Organized by the Palmer Museum of Art at The Pennsylvania State University, Picturing the Banjo will debut at the Corcoran where it will be on view from December 10, 2005 through March 5, 2006.

The exhibit will then travel to the Palmer Museum in Philadelphia March 30 through June 25, and on to the Boston Athenaeum July 26 through October 21.

Picturing the Banjo features 72 works on loan from 41 collections and examines the visual representation of the banjo, probing the icon”s aesthetic and cultural usage in American paintings, drawings, photographs and other artifacts.

Here are a couple additional links with more information.

Absolute Arts

Forbes Magazine [Editor’s Note: They mention Earl briefly and then go on to list Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks and Bela Fleck as “current banjo masters.” While I don’t think anyone would argue with that title being affixed to Bela’s name, the inclusion of Robison in that same description demonstrates their lack of knowledge about the instrument in today’s world.]

Del McCoury fans should enjoy reading this article, which ran in December 29 issue of The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, TN. Though published primarily as a preview piece on The Del McCoury Band’s annual New Year’s Eve concert in Nashville, the article also includes discussion with Del about how he got started in bluegrass, and some descriptions of “how it was back then.”

No news for serious followers of Del or the music, but worth a read all the same.

We posted last week to let everyone know that Rob Ickes and Tim Stafford would be guests on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered program on Christmas Day. At that time, we suggested that audio of the interview would appear on the All Things Considered web site not long after the show aired, and it has.

As might be expected, with two talented and thoughtful guys like this, the interview is both informative and entertaining, and includes a good bit of performance, live in the studio, as well.

The link to listen to the entire 15 minute audio segment online is here.

In episode #9 of The GrassCast we bring you an interview with Sammy Shelor. Sammy stopped by the AcuTab office to share some exciting news about The Lonesome River Band with John, and we captured it as an interview. They talk about Sammy announcements concerning the band, a new Sammy Shelor instructional DVD, a solo CD, and what else is new for 2006.

This GrassCast is 16 minutes in length and the file download size is 15 MB.

Direct Download: ep9_sammy_shelor.mp3
Subscribe with:
Free Download: The GrassCast iPodder software

To subscribe with your own podcatching software, copy and past this url into the appropriate entry box in your software: http://www.thegrasscast.com/rss

UPDATE [6:36 am]: LonesomeRiverBand.com does not appear to be pointing at the new page just yet. It will still take you to the old site. The new sign up page should be live sometime today. We’ll let you know as soon as it is.

NOTE: This post is open to comments, so please share your thoughts about this episode here. Also feel free to share with us your thoughts about The GrassCast in general.

We have posted several times about the recent embrace of traditional bluegrass instruments as a principal of study at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. While other post secondary schools facilitate the study of bluegrass music - most notably South Plains College in Levelland, TX and East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN - Berklee is the first to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in music for young players who wish to pursue a university study as a banjo, acoustic guitar, fiddle or mandolin player.

When we featured Berklee professor David Hollender’s report on The Del McCoury Band’s visit to Berklee this past November, he mentioned to us that a reporter from The Boston Globe was also in attendance that day, and was planning to write a piece about Berklee students using bluegrass instruments for the paper.

That story, written by Sarah Schweitzer, ran on the front page of the December 28 edition of the Globe, and can be accessed via the Globe’s web site, boston.com.

Celebrated tunesmith Roger Murrah, recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame, is planning to head into the studio in early 2006 to record his first ever songwriter album, on which he will personally give voice to some of the songs which have led to his success. Bluegrass fans will recognize Roger as the author of Some Things I Want To Sing About, recorded by both The Osborne Brothers and The Grascals, and Roger tells us that this will be the title track of the new CD.

Murrah has been in Nashville writing since the early 1970s and has been a fixture on that scene since his hits started coming in the 1980s. Songs like Goodbye Time, Don’t Rock The Jukebox, High Cotton, We’re In This Love Together, Ozark Mountain Jubilee, It Takes A Little Rain (To Make Love Grow), and many others have been recorded by some of the biggest names in country and pop music, and Roger’s publishing company, Murrah Music Corporation has placed songs for other writers with top artists. Murrah Music was selected as the Independent Publisher of the Year by Billboard Magazine in 1992.

Roger mentioned to us that he is a great fan of bluegrass music, and plans to include grassy versions of several of his hit songs for this new recording, though he hasn’t yet decided which ones they may be. Keith Stegal and Paul Compton are expected to produce.

“I actually got in the music business to be a singer, but all I’ve ever recorded are demos. I sort of ‘backed into’ writing and it took off in such a way that I couldn’t afford to think about all of the demands that are put on singers these days (and those days). I’m actually very thankful that things worked out as they have. But, I still have the bug to record.”

Murrah plans to release the CD on his own label, but with national distribution. No street date has been announced, but Roger has promised to keep us informed, and we will be sure to post updates as we receive them.

This post is a contribution from Ned Luberecki, banjo player with Chris Jones and The Night Drivers, and instructor at the Gibson Bluegrass Showcase in Nashville, TN.

Here’s the story of how I got to play banjo on a movie soundtrack. The movie is called Chrystal, and stars Billy Bob Thornton and Lisa Blount. It is now available on DVD at most video rental stores.

A few years ago, when I was still living in northwest Arkansas, a friend at a local music store handed me a fax they received from a movie production company, looking for area musicians for extras. The fax said that the film would feature “traditional” music and that they needed banjo and fiddle players for the audition. I called the number and was told what day and time to show up for the casting call. That same day, I got a call from a recording studio in Springfield, MO hiring me for a session on the same day as the casting call. (You gotta take the paying gig, right?) Turns out, it was for the soundtrack of the same movie!

The movie was filmed in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas and a sub-plot of the story involves an out-of-towner researching traditional music of the area” that”s where the banjo comes in. (Warning: This film contains nudity, drug content and violence, and is rated “R”.)

In the studio, I met the engineer and the other musicians, then Ray McKinnon (writer, producer and director of the film), Lisa Blount (the female lead in the film, who was there to sing her parts for the soundtrack) and Don Fleming (music supervisor). No, Billy Bob Thornton was not there, but and old friend, Dave Wilson (a former band mate from the group Radio Flyer) was there to play fiddle and mandolin. (more…)

We have tried to keep our readers informed about changes in the ways recorded music is distributed, as it is something that we think will be of interest to both consumers and producers of bluegrass music. The growth of the digital download phenomenon is one area that has been discussed on The Bluegrass Blog, and a recent announcement by Starbucks concerning their Hear Music Coffeehouses may involve another emerging trend to watch.

Initially, Hear Music was intended to offer compilation CDs and a wide variety of recorded music for sale in Starbucks retail outlets - something they will continue to do. The recent announcement, however, concerns two new coffeehouses - one in San Antonio and the other in Miami - that will feature over one million audio tracks which can be purchased and burned onto a custom CD on site. The focus here will be to have fewer manufactured CD titles for ready sale, and many more individual tracks for custom burning.

It appears that Starbucks intends to create a hard copy equivalent to the digital download sites. Pricing is designed to be competitive with popular download sites such as Apple’s iTunes Music Store, with burned CDs selling for $8.99 with seven tracks, and $.99 each for additional tracks. No plans have been announced to make downloading of tracks available for iPods or other portable players.

The San Antonio location opened on December 19 and the Miami coffeehouse in South Beach is expected to open in the next few weeks.

How this may affect the sales of bluegrass music and recordings by bluegrass artists remains to be seen, but since Hear Music locations allow users to listen before they burn, those who have long held that bluegrass would fare well in the market if only more people were exposed to it may see this as a potential opening.

This post is a contribution from Brad Davis. Brad is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording engineer who has worked with a literal who’s-who of bluegrass music. Visit Brad online at braddavismusic.com.

Several weekends ago, I was called to perform with the legendary Earl Scruggs in San Francisco at the Whitney Island festival. This was an americana festival showcasing a variety of music in a three day event in front of a sixty thousand plus crowd of hungry listeners. Earl Scruggs Family and Friends were to be one of the big headliners for this event.

After settling into the dressing room for several hours it was our time to perform. The band for that show consisted of Jennifer Kennedy, (known as the dobro girl), Gary Scruggs on bass and vocals, Keith Sewell on electric guitar and vocals, John Garner on drums, Jason Carter (Del McCoury’s fiddle player), Earl Scruggs, and myself on flattop and vocals.

Earl hardly ever says much unless he has something important to tell you, so it’s rare if he talks much at all. Just before the song Ballad Of Jed Clampett, while Gary was talking to the audience, I stood there beside Earl, both of us staring out at the sea of people, and Earl said in the straightest tone of voice, “Boy, you sure now how to draw a crowd.”

I laughed so hard I could hardly remember that I was supposed to be singing Jed Clampett. Earl Scruggs may be a man of few words, but when he does choose to say something, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be worth a listen!

Canadian acoustic-fusion group The Duhks created quite a stir when their self-titled CD was released on Sugar Hill Records earlier this year. The band has been touring extensively since that time, and new fans have been regularly frustrated by the fact that their debut recording, Your Daughters & Your Sons was not available in the US. It was released in Canada in limited distribution in 2002 and helped attract the ears of such acoustic music notables as B???la Fleck, who produced their Sugar Hill CD, but was hard to come by in the States.

Sugar Hill is now releasing Your Daughters & Your Sons on CD, and it will ship on January 24, 2006. Sugar Hill describes the re-release this way:

The material focuses more on Celtic and Old-Time traditions but does show the first twinklings of their song-molding process, which they refer to now as Duhk-ification. The album features several tunes that have been crowd favorites at the band’s electric live shows, such as Leatherwing Bat, Annabel and Rock of Ages. Fan response to these songs and others made it clear to Sugar Hill that there is a demand for “YD&YS” among Duhks fans new and old.

There are no audio samples on the Sugar Hill site, but the band has them on theirs.

The following was contributed by Chris Burton, a good friend of The Bluegrass Blog. Knowing how many of our readers are part time bluegrass performers, we asked Chris to discuss his recent experiences - and success - getting his debut solo release out and distributed online. The project features a mix of Chris’ original material and bluegrass classics, and features performances by original Lonesome River Band member Jerry McMillan, Amanda Smith, Ron Stewart and Blinky Moon Boys. Commenting is enabled on this post, so please feel free to share your feedback.

After two or more years of recording on a digital multi-track recorder in my basement, I finally released my first solo project The Way I See It a few months ago. The Bluegrass Blog was nice enough to do a post that talked about the project and about my plans for distribution, which mentioned the fact that the CD was being distributed to digital download services. The Blog Masters have suggested a follow up to help other unsigned artists with distribution, which obviously translates to sales and music getting heard.

Here is what is happening with my project, with a few simple suggestions that hopefully can make a project more successful. Chris Burton “? The Way I See It currently has been distributed to 19 download services. Some are very well known, some are not. It can take from 2 weeks to 3 months to get up and selling on any of these nineteen sites. It is available now on these popular sites: Apple iTunes, Sony Connect, Music Net, MSN Music, and a number of others.

How did I get the project sent to all of these services? It was easy. I signed up with CD Baby.com. For $35 they create what equates to an online store for your project. Bio, sound clips, a price that you set, accounting, etc. As a member, I can log on to the site and check any of the information about my project I want to (sales, hits which are listed daily, etc.). I can also change things (price, clips, bio) at any time. CD Baby keeps $4 per unit sold, and the rest comes back to me. (more…)

John Ratzenberger’s Made In America is a popular television program on the cable network, Travel Channel. The show journeys to sites all over the United States to highlight businesses, both large and small, who manufacture products here in America. A key ingredient in the show is the diverse range of companies they profile, along with their attempt to capture the nature of the personalities involved.

Just recently, the Made In America crew was in Spring Valley, CA at the Deering Banjos factory, shooting for a segment for the upcoming season. Janet Deering was enthusiastic about their visit.

“Yes, they were here filming all day on Dec. 6th and it will air sometime in the Spring of 2006. It takes them about 4 months to finish up a segment and get it on the air.

They are a wonderful crew of people and we really enjoyed the time with spent with John Ratzenberger. He is going to learn to play the banjo and his camera man is learning also. We had a great time together.”

Deering has maintained production of their entire line in California, resisting the trend to send manufacture of lower cost instruments, like their Goodtime Banjo line, to offshore facilities.

Video previews of upcoming episodes are posted on the show’s web site. Nothing there yet about the Deering segment, but perhaps that will appear as the air date draws near.

This post is a contribution from world renowned podcast celebrity Wichita Rutherford. Be sure to visit his site 5MinutesWithWichita.com to listen to his weekly podcast featuring interviews with bluegrass stars.

Bluegrass is an important part of our lives. Some see it as a musical style that attracts those with rickets, rotten teeth, beer bellies and sideburns. Though 3 of those 4 assets describe me, I see it as a style that encompasses tradition, feeling, history and art as well as a way of life. Those with a larger frontal lobe and a university degree will define E=MC2 this way: “As an object approaches the speed of light, the energy of motion is converted into mass.” That is true. Those who listen to lots of Bluegrass tend to define it this way: “The faster something goes, the heavier it gets.” Now THAT my friend is true AND understandable. As a whole I think we grassers tend to see life, as complicated and uncertain as it may be at times, in its simplest and purest terms. In a more “organic” form if you will. When an aggravation arises we see it as just that. An aggravation. To other folks that aggravation is a “problem.” You might agree with my Dad who says “My back hurts, and it”s an aggravation. If I had a debilitating disease, now THAT would be a problem. Big difference.” When true Bluegrassers have disagreements with one another, they get together and they talk about it. They don”t have someone else step in and tell you what they think you”re doing is wrong and that the friendship means nothing to you because of this or that. They don”t get lawyers and such to fix it to their liking. When they hear you”re upset about something they”ve done or may not have done, they”ll call you up and say “Why don”t I come over there and let”s talk about this” or “Why don”t you come over hear and we”ll talk about this then go eat.” We have a way of getting around all the nonsense that most people see as inevitable. We have an outlook on life that allows us to take on adversity and smile about it and talk about it and when it passes, we can laugh about it most of the time. Its good to be alive. And its good to love Bluegrass. And its great to be a part of it. Don”t you think so?

Your pal,

Wichita

The newest release in the CMH Records Pickin’ On series is just out, entitled Pickin’ On Nickel Creek: A Bluegrass Tribute. 11 songs taken from the three Nickel Creek recordings are done in instrumental bluegrass arrangements, including The Lighthouse Tale, When In Rome, Why Should The Fire Die, and Chris Thile’s masterful Ode To A Butterfly.

As is usually the case on these Pickin’ On releases, the players are drawn from the cream of the bluegrass crop. Mike Compton is on mandolin, Glenn Duncan on fiddle, Ned Luberecki on banjo and Chris Eldridge on guitar.

Mike Compton has posted some comments about the sessions on his blog which should be of interest to mandolinists, or anyone who finds the way this sort of music is recorded intriguing.

The CD is just going up on the CMH web site, and audio samples should be available there soon.

This post is a contribution from Tim Stafford, founding member of bluegrass supergroup Blue Highway, and a celebrated and sought-after songwriter and producer outside of the band. He was also a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station before the advent of Blue Highway.

Thanks to Brance Gillihan for asking me to say a few words here. I thought I”d shed a little light on a song I often get asked about, Some Day. This song appeared on Blue Highway”s Midnight Storm CD on Rebel Records in 1998 and has become our most-requested song. I”ve had countless folks tell me that they”ve either played the song or had it played at funerals; it”s even in wills for that purpose. It”s also been recorded a couple dozen times by other groups since then. The song makes a visceral impact on people, and the reason is simple: the heartfelt lyrics from a country woman who wanted to write her own eulogy.

My wife Trish showed me her Aunt Olive”s eulogy years ago. Olive Stockton was born in Ohio and married Jim Stockton from Flag Pond, TN. (Incidentally, Jim was the subject of another song of mine, Clay and Ottie while his brother Fred inspired Uncle Fred) They moved to Limestone, TN in Washington County, sang in a gospel quartet and she played piano in church. Trish says Olive was a voracious reader who always kept books for the kids to borrow. She often sent poems to the Johnson City Press-Chronicle, which was happy to publish them. Olive was a small, petite woman who was very soft-spoken and admired by everyone who knew her. I never met her, but everyone who did still smiles and speaks in glowing terms about her generosity and gentle spirit. At the time she wrote Some Day, she had four children and several grandchildren; she didn”t want people to grieve over her when she passed because her faith was strong. This is why the song”?even though it”s about death–is still very hopeful. (more…)

This post is a contribution from Cindy Baucom. Cindy hosts the syndicated radio show Knee Deep In Bluegrass. She is also the IBMA 2005 Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year.

When I think about some of my happiest memories, Christmas-time always comes to mind. I was raised in the northwest corner of North Carolina in Ashe County. We always had a real tree. Snow was abundant there, too. At Christmas, we could always count on gathering at Grandma’s to enjoy, not only her great cooking, but each other, as well.

I loved the Christmas I got my first cassette recorder with a plug-in mic…and I wore it out recording interviews with my family members, and live music. Yes. There was always music around the house, but especially at Christmas-time. My dad would play guitar and we would sing. Much of our time around the holidays we spent at Church preparing for the annual Christmas play. That was always such a special time. And waiting on Santa….my brothers and I would try to stay awake as long as we could. We would always manage to get up really, really early the check under the Christmas tree. One year I spent Christmas in bed with the mumps! But the Christmas I want to focus on and share with you, is Christmas 1970.

I was five years old and my brother, Jimmy, was seven. Our parents, in the middle of the afternoon, told us Santa had been there early. Sure enough, there were our presents under the tree. He got a “Ken” doll and I got “PJ” (Barbie’s Best Friend!) We had just started to play, when they loaded us into the car with our new toys to head to the hospital. We weren’t really sure at that point what was going on. But a few hours later, our little brother, Chris, was born. He will be 35 this coming Christmas Day. He and I share a love of music…swap CDs and share musical ideas.

Every Christmas is special, because of another special baby coming into the world…our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I thank God for the gift of salvation. Christmas means a lot to me. I love to see my own children, Houston, Molly and Hunter, as they open their gifts. I love to bake Christmas cookies with them and decorate the house. Terry and I have such a good time during the Holidays, when he has some time off. I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas with my family and friends. I hope your Christmas this year will bring many special memories, too.

This post is a contribution from Stephanie Dilling. Stephanie is the daughter of IIIrd Tyme Out banjoist Steve Dilling. She writes a monthly column for Bluegrass Now magazine. Check out Stephanie’s website at sdilling.com.

I was asked to write about a few of my favorite bluegrass memories of Christmas. I always knew that Christmas was around the corner when we made our annual trip to Myrtle Beach, SC for the bluegrass festival at the convention center. My dad was always performing there, and Myrtle Beach being so close, it was a chance for the family to go with my dad. While at the festival, we always had a chance to visit with friends and talk about the holidays and what our Christmas plans were. In between sets of music, there would always be a group that gathered some of the biggest stars of bluegrass music that were friends of my dad”s, that went out to eat with us. At the time, I didn”t know who half of these people were, but looking back, I am glad I had a chance to be a part of this.

In October of 2000, we moved into a new house. In early December, my parents decided to have a Christmas Party Open House! We had tons of people at the party. Most of them were my dad”s pickin” friends. Friends from Carolina Road band, Doug Driskell, (bus driver for IIIrd Tyme Out) and the Wells Family came to celebrate with us. There was lots of jamming, and good food! Mom had the house all decorated for Christmas and it looked so beautiful! On that same Christmas, I got a guitar as a present. I hope to learn to play it someday.

On behalf of Brance and myself, The Bluegrass Blog wishes a safe, joyous and very Merry Christmas to all of our readers, advertisers and friends all over the world! We hope you find time to recall the value of family and faith, and have a chance to renew your acquaintance with both.

We have two Christmas remembrances to share today from Guest Contributors, and then it’s back to bluegrass on Monday.