FiddleFork Online is a popular web community frequented by fiddlers, and students of the instrument. The site features content of interest to string musicians including an active bulletin board style discussion forum. FiddleFork has over 7500 registered members and is run by Mike McGee.

“I started FiddleFork back in 2001 as a one-stop portal devoted exclusively to Fiddle music” said McGee. ” Being a fiddle player myself I knew that this secluded market sector was being left out and neglected by most music companies, so I simply decided to go at it on my own.”

Starting last week, they have enabled licensed online purchase and immediate downloads of both audio and video files. The audio files are MP3s and the videos are AVIs. These video clips are designed as learning aids and each features a single fiddle tune.

The site also has a large free download area with a variety of file types: MIDI, ABC (tab), Band-In-A-Box and standard notation - all exclusively fiddle content, covering a wide spectrum of traditional and folk string music genres.

At only 14 years of age, Stephanie Dilling has been in and around bluegrass music since the day she was born. Her father, IIIrd Tyme Out banjoist Steve Dilling, and her mother Macie have taken her all over the country to see her father perform, and regularly introduce her to new people. At the age of 11 she began working on, and developing, web sites. She does the official website for her dad, and is currently working on her website. Both can be found at sdilling.com At the age of 12 she started writing her first column for the North Carolina Bluegrass Association newsletter, Banjo In The Hollow. She wrote articles that included stories on younger musicians such as Ryan Holladay, and the Cagle Family. In November of 2004, she started writing a monthly article for Bluegrass Now. The first article came out in February of 2005. Her hobbies include; bowling, going to church, hanging out with friends, playing on the computer, babysitting, and cooking. Stephanie lives in Raleigh, North Carolina at home with her parents, her brother Matt, her basset hound Dollie, and her cat Cacee.

We are proud to welcome Greg Cahill as a Guest Contributor. Greg founded the band The Special Consensus in 1975 and continues to be an influential force in bluegrass music. More about Greg from his website:

In addition to conducting workshops at festivals and teaching at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Greg has released four instructional videos and is the former Chairperson of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bluegrass In The Schools Committee. In 2004, Greg was elected Vice Chairperson of the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Chicago Tribune columnist, and long-time bluegrass fan, David Royko is back with his annual list of the Best Recordings in Bluegrass for 2005. This year’s list includes some old and new, as Royko mentions both new releases and a couple of reissues and compilations with older, previously-released material.

As he put it in his brief introduction to the list:

“The bluegrass music world owes much of its vitality to the musical diversity of its practitioners and their collective comfort (and occasional discomfort) with maintaining the traditions of the past while forging ahead into innovative territory. These are some particularly exciting recordings that, together, exemplify the music’s balancing of the past with the future.”

David Royko is both a skillful writer and an insightful critic, and we commend his Trib article to all of our readers.

We are happy to introduce Tim Stafford as a Guest Contributor. Tim is the guitar player with bluegrass supergroup Blue Highway, and is also known as one of bluegrass music’s great songwriters. Be sure to visit both his website and the band’s website, where you can purchase CDs directly from them.

In addition to his work as a performer and a songwriter, Tim is also a very skilled producer, and an author. His contribution(s) to The Bluegrass Blog is sure to be insightful, informative, and interesting.

You can read Tim’s full bio here.

Casey Henry is the daughter of banjo player Murphy Henry. Casey is an accomplished banjo player in her own right, as well as an instructor. Here is some background info from her website:

She started playing bass at the age of twelve, and joined her parents” band at fourteen. A year later she took up the banjo and never looked back. Throughout high school and college Casey played with several local Virginia bands and taught banjo in Charlottesville. Upon graduating from the University of Virginia in May 2000 with a BA in English and Women”s Studies, Casey put out her first banjo CD, “Real Women Drive Trucks,” which was greeted with much critical praise.

Since relocating to Nashville, Tenn., in early 2001 Casey has played with Uncle Earl, the Jim Hurst Band, June Carter Cash, and Tennessee Heartstrings, who released one CD in 2004, “New Strings, New Hearts.” Casey”s writing has been published in several music magazines and she gives banjo lessons in Nashville.

Currently Casey and her brother Chris are fronting a band called The Two-Stringers.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall is offering a fabulous opportunity for exceptional young bowed and fretted string musicians as a part of their Professional Training Workshops series. Entitled The Edgar Meyer Workshop: Porous Borders of Music, the workshop will run from May 14-21, 2006 and tuition, lodging and travel expenses will be provided at no cost to 15 players between the ages of 18-30. Applications will be accepted for violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and Dobro.

The workshop is designed to help serious players bridge the gaps between western classical and folk music genres, and will involve study of both composed and improvised music. Led by Meyer, one of the most celebrated double bassists of his generation, the workshops will also feature coaching from Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall and Fred Sherry.

Non-scholarship students are welcome to attend for a modest audit fee, and scholarship applicants under the age of 18 will be considered, but prior approval of the Weill Institute is required for younger applicants. The week will conclude with a concert in Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall.

More details, including a downloadable application form and brochure, can be found on the Weill Music Institute’s Professional Training Workshops web site. The application deadline is January 17, 2006.

I’ve known Brad Davis for about 5 or 6 years now and I don’t think I’ve met a finer person. He’s an incredible guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording engineer. Brad has been playing guitar since he was 5 and when you hear him, you can tell it is something he was meant to do. He has played with a number of country music and rock music stars, but in our world, he’s known for his time with The Sam Bush Band and the legendary Earl Scruggs.

You can read Brad’s full bio on his website.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy Brad’s contributions to The Bluegrass Blog

We received a note from Mark Miracle, mandolinist with Mountain Therapy, about his original t-shirt designs, including one in support of the Bill Monroe postage stamp campaign.

Mark’s company is called Grassware, and they have a variety a bluegrass-themed apparel items available on their web site.

The Bluegrass Blog is proud to welcome Wichita Rutherford as a Guest Contributor.

Formerly a pool cleaner, Wichita is now a world renowned podcast superstar. His podcast 5minuteswithwichita.com has ushered bluegrass into the mainstream of the podcasting world. Each week he interviews a different bluegrass star for 5 minutes. They are fun, informative, and downright precious. If you haven’t heard his podcast, you’re really missing out.

Wichita also hosts two radio shows on SIRIUS satellite radio. Listen to Wichita’s show “Nothing New Here” on Channel 65 Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET and then on Saturdays from 9 pm to 10 pm ET. Also listen to “Wichita Rutherford’s GrooveGrass Show” every Friday at 8:00 pm ET on channel 103.

In episode #7 of The GrassCast we listen in on a conversation John had with Tim O’Brien during the IBMA event in October. John and Tim talk about the event being in Nashville, and about Tim’s new CDs.

This GrassCast is 9 minutes in length and the file download size is 8 MB.

Direct Download: ep6_tim_obrien.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

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

Alan Stewart is a name that won’t be familiar to most (if any) bluegrass fans. He’s not a player, he’s not a writer, in fact, he’s not involved in the business of bluegrass at all. But it’s what he is that’s important. Alan is a marketing expert. He co-hosts The Marketer”s Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sharing with you the tools and tactics for marketing your business both online and off.

We asked Alan to contribute to The Bluegrass Blog because we felt his insight into marketing could be of benefit to any person working the business of bluegrass. If you play in a band, promote a festival, or run any other small business, you should be listening to The Marketer”s Podcast. I discovered it quite by accident through iTunes a few months ago and it quickly became the podcast I most anticipated each week.

If you are interesting in doing a better job of marketing yourself, or your product, you should really benefit from Alan’s contribution(s) to The Bluegrass Blog.

Brance has mentioned that we have a number of fabulous Guest Contributors lined up for the next few weeks. We’ve done so both to keep new content on The Bluegrass Blog while he is away next week (on his honeymoon!), and while I spend Christmas with my family, but also to give a slightly different flavor to the site during this special time of year.

Hard news is slow during the holidays when everyone in bluegrass hopes to spend time with those that matter most in their lives, and performers and bluegrass business people alike are on vacation, just as we all are. We will continue to publish such news as does surface between now and the end of the year, but much of what we post is likely to be less specifically “newsy,” and more of general interest to anyone who enjoys bluegrass - or just plain fun!

It is possible that we will offer more opinion pieces during this time as well, many of which may be opened for general comments. We hope that you enjoy what we have in store for the next few weeks, and as always, invite your feedback, pro or con.

Brance and I send along our kindest regards for your support of The Bluegrass Blog, along with our sincere wishes for a joyous and Merry Christmas!

We just got a note from the guys in Cornbread Red about their recent release on CMH Records, Pickin’ On Def Leppard - A Bluegrass Tribute. A mention of the CD has showed up on the official Def Leppard web site, and five copies of the CD will be given away in a random drawing on December 31.

As you might imagine, this CD features bluegrass arrangements of Def Leppard hits, including a most unlikely grass version of Pour Some Sugar On Me and Photograph. Audio samples for all the tracks can be heard on the Def Leppard site, along with instructions on how to enter the drawing for a free CD.

Musician, teacher, author, small business owner, performer, and passionate fan, Murphy Henry is what this business is all about. Murphy grew up, as many of us did, singing in church and taking piano lessons. During the folk music craze she learned to play guitar. She later switched to bass and landed her first band gig. But after only a few shows she heard the banjo calling her name. She has been teaching banjo, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele since the mid seventies, and has grown her teaching career into a business that produces instructional videos and DVDs that not only teach you tunes, but also train your ears to hear music. The Murphy Method is the title of her teaching style and it’s also the name of her business. Murphy is one of the most recognized names in bluegrass instruction, but I know from talking to her that she is an avid student of the music as well. She practices what she teaches, namely, listening. This passion for the details of the texture and fabric of the music is what makes her such a great teacher, and a great writer. We are proud to welcome Murphy to the ranks of our Guest Contributors.

For a more detailed bio, as well as information about her instructional products, please visit Murphy online at murphymethod.com.

Good bluegrass on the Grand Ole Opry again this weekend. The Del McCoury Band will perform during the 9:00-9:30 p.m. segment, and then again on the late show in the 12:30-1:00 a.m. segment.

Del won’t be featured during the segment televised on GAC TV, but if you can catch WSM 650 AM over the air, or want to listen via online streaming, you can hear the program.

I am very proud to introduce Alan Munde as a Guest Contributor on The Bluegrass Blog. I spent 3 years under Alan’s tutelage at South Plains College. Alan is the banjo instructor and the bluegrass ensemble instructor at the school. Here is a quote from Alan’s website alanmundegazette.com to give you some background:

From his early creative work with Sam Bush in Poor Richard’s Almanac to his traditional bluegrass apprenticeship with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys to his 21-year stint anchoring the landmark Country Gazette, Alan has blazed a trail as one of the most innovative and influential banjo players of all time.

Alan is currently an At Large member of the IBMA Board of Directors. Alan is a legend, he’s one of the greatest musicians to ever pick up a 5-string banjo, and he’s one of the funniest people I think I’ve ever met. I have a lot of fond memories from the time I spent learning about banjo, bluegrass, and life itself from Alan.

I’ve known Cindy Baucom for a number of years now and I’ve been proud to call her my friend for just as long. But when I was trying to gather the words to introduce her as a guest contributor here on The Bluegrass Blog, I realized that she could do a much better job than I could. So I took a moment to visit her site and read what she had written as a short bio. After reading it, I decided to just quote it here for you. So this is taken from her site kneedeepinbluegrass.com.

A love of Bluegrass was instilled in me early in life. My father, a Bluegrass Musician, frequently had band practices at our home as I was growing up in the mountains of North Carolina (Ashe County). As a child I attended Fiddlers Conventions and Bluegrass Festivals, having the opportunity to hear some of the best music anywhere; but more importantly, starting building friendships many of which remain with me today. My radio career started at the age of 17. Over the past 15 years, I have served as Emcee for many top festivals including Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival in Denton, NC, Bass Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Burlington, NC, IBMA FanFest in Lousiville, KY and many others. I have been a contributor to Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine as both a writer and photographer. I have also performed locally and regionally with a number of bands over the past 20 years.

Cindy is the host of the syndicated radio show Knee Deep In Bluegrass. She is also the IBMA 2005 Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year. I’m sure you will all enjoy Cindy’s contribution to The Bluegrass Blog as a Guest Contributor.

The 4th Annual American Banjo Camp, run by Ken Perlman and Peter Langston, is now accepting registration for the 2006 sessions. Intense instruction is offered in both old time and bluegrass banjo, with plenty of opportunities for jamming as well. Novice players are welcome.

As always, the instructional staff is drawn from top pros in their field. The bluegrass faculty includes Bill Keith, Ned Luberecki, Mike Stahlman, Kristin Scott Benson, Pat Cloud, and Murphy Henry. On the old time side the faculty will include Paul Brown, Brad Leftwich, Ken Perlman, Laura Smith, Riley Baugus and Howie Bursen.

The dates for 2006 are September 8-10, and the camp is held in Fort Flagler State Park, in Nordland, WA. More details on the various instructors, plus a registration form is available on the ABC web site.

3 Fox Drive will be headed west next month, with a number of show dates in California in mid-January of ‘06. The Nashville-based bluegrass band will be stopping in Tuolomne, Berkeley, Los Gatos and Redding between January 18-21.

They will be offering instrumental workshops as well at a couple of these tour stops. More details on the shows can be found on their web site.

The band had toured for many years as The Fox Family, and features siblings Kim, Barb and Joel Fox along with Mike Anglin, Megan Lynch and Jim Reed.