World Wide Bluegrass Radio (WWB), an online radio station that streams bluegrass music 24/7, has announced the debut of another live show. Starting this Wednesday, April 26, Gary Booher will offer his program, Tennessee Backroads with Gary Booher, at 4:00 p.m. (eastern). Gary performs with his family band, The Boohers, and has previous experience as a radio broadcaster. His new show is expected to feature a mix of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.

Gary also plans to host an online chat during his show each week where he will take requests and dedications, or just “hang out” online with listeners while he is cybercasting. You can catch his show every Wednesday afternoon at 4:00.

WWB is a part of the Original Country Radio Network, and now offers 30 hours each week of hosted programming. Many shows are hosted by volunteer DJS, and the management of WWB are always in hearing from folks who be willing to host their own show.

We just received this update from the folks who manage Ernie Thacker’s web site. See our earlier post about his recent serious accident.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

A Letter from Ernie’s Family

We would like to let everyone know that Ernie is still very critical but by the wonderful power of God, he will survive this tragic accident!

The doctors are saying that the prognosis is looking better each day. His lungs have improved and that a lot of the swelling has gone down. He now has started taking kidney dialysis but the doctors feel that it is only temporary!

There is a trust fund available for him -

The Ernie Thacker Fund
ATTN. Theda Viers at New Peoples Bank
P.O Box 1053
Grundy, Va. 24614.

Any donations would greatly be appreciated!

We would like to express our appreciation to everyone that has called, prayed, and sent donations! We can’t thank you enough.

We Love You All!

Love, The Family of Ernie Thacker

We just heard from Rob Ickes that Three Ring Circle recorded an interview and a live performance last week for Kyle Cantrell’s Studio Sessions program on XM Satellite Radio. Kyle’s show, Bluegrass Junction, is found on XM Channel 14, and Three Ring Circle’s program will run for the first time on Wednesday, April 26 at 9:00 a.m. Rob said that it will be rebroadcast Thursday (4/27) at 6:00 p.m., and on Friday (4/28) at midnight, and probably a few more times over the next week or so.

Three Ring Circle is a side project Rob put together with Andy Leftwich and Dave Pomeroy, and their debut CD has recently been released on Earwave Records.

As we have mentioned before, XM subscribers can find Bluegrass Junction on channel 14, and can listen online when away from your XM receiver. Non-subscribers can register online for a free, 3 day online trial of XM Radio.

The folks at Mountain High Bluegrass Association asked us to mention that the 2006 edition of The Bluegrass Guide is available. The Guide contains an extensive list of festivals and bluegrass events, as well as band profiles, and is published in a Northeast and Florida edition.

This year’s issue has an extensive feature article, A Nostalgic Look Back at The Johnson Mountain Boys, by Candi Sawyer, who took over the publication of the Guide when Cuzin Al retired after 18 years of publication. The article tells how this terrific band came to be, and became so popular on the bluegrass circuit in the 1980s. Most of the JMB alumni contributed to the article, and fans of the band will surely want to have a copy.

The Bluegrass Guide sells for $10, and can be ordered online.

We’ve heard from several more bluegrass bands and artists who have set up music sites at MySpace.com.

Check them out:

Important note! If you want to send us your MySpace info, please be sure to include your full MySpace URL, as the search functions on their site will not always return the proper result based solely on your name.

A new music download service has been launched, run by a team of audio professionals who are also committed festivalgoers. FestivaLink.net was formed to find a way to offer high quality, legal audio downloads of live shows, recorded at major festivals. They will offer their debut service as a joint effort with Merlefest, making professional quality recordings available for download within days of the festival’s conclusion. The concert audio will be remixed, edited and mastered, and offered in three formats:

To help entice new users to register and try this new service, they are offering a free MP3 download to anyone who signs up by May 1. More details can be found at FestivaLink.net.

Ernie Thacker was recently hospitalized after a car accident Tuesday evening. He is in very serious condition and is still hospitalized. His family is asking for prayer.

Don Rigsby reports that:

Ernie was thrown from the car and broke every rib, ruptured his aorta, and suffered numerous injuries. He was in surgery for many hours, and lost his spleen. As of late yesterday, he was still in intensive care, however he was stable and was showing some signs of improving finally. There is some serious concern that he will be paralyzed from the waist down, however we’re praying this is a temporary thing from all the trauma.

At this time that is all that we know about his physical condition. Don did say that benefit concerts are in the works for Virginia and Kentucky. We also have word that others are planning benefits in Michigan, Ohio, and possible Indiana. The expenses relating to his medical care are likely to be overwhelming.

We’ll keep you posted as we know more, and will update as we find more details about ways in which fans and friends can offer financial support. Also be sure to visit his website for updates.

Update 3:00 p.m. We just heard from David Russell of The Bluegrass Journal, and he is working on setting up a benefit show for Ernie and his family at the Huron Valley Eagles Club in Flat Rock, MI on July 22. He asked that anyone who lives in that area and who may be willing and able to help with the show to please email him, or call at (419) 250-5096. Bands who would be willing to perform are also encouraged to get in touch with David.

Episode #25 of The GrassCast features an interview with Don Rigsby. This interview was recorded last fall at IBMA. John visits with Don about the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music, his band Midnight Call, and Longview.

This GrassCast is 17 minutes in length and the file download size is 16 MB.

Below is our usual mp3 file for you to listen here or download. The GrassCast is also available in the iTunes music store and this episode marks our forth enhanced podcast. The version available through iTunes contains photos and hyperlinks relative to the subject matter being discussed in the interview.

Listen now:
Direct Download: ep25_don_rigsby.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

We have learned that the IBMA Board of Directors has agreed to change the Fan Fest from a three day event, to something closer to two and a half. Typically, this festival, which serves as a fundraiser for their Bluegrass Trust Fund to assist bluegrass artists in times of emergency need, runs on the Friday-Sunday following the IBMA World of Bluegrass trade show and convention. Over the years, it has become a tradition that exhibitors began tearing down and heading home early on Sunday, and attendance at the Fan Fest has been dwindling on Sundays, partially as a result of the impression that Sunday was the getaway day.

With this recognition in mind, the Board voted to host only the Sunday morning Bluegrass Chapel and gospel performances, officially ending the Fan Fest by mid day. Their decision recognized the fact that Sunday attendance has been falling for some time, and that resources and efforts should be directed where members and fans were leading them.

Also of note from the most recent Board minutes is the fact that IBMA’s membership was up by 4% in 2005, standing now at 2450. Anyone who works in the bluegrass music industry, even on a part time basis, is eligible to join in a professional capacity, and fans are encouraged to join the Grass Roots Club to help assist the organization. Only professional members are entitled to vote for board members, or in the balloting for the annual IBMA Awards.

We just got a note from Justin Moses, informing us that he has rejoined Blue Moon Rising. When I first heard the band (showcasing at IBMA several years ago), Justin was their banjo player. He left not long after that, but is now back with band playing dobro and fiddle, and singing tenor.

Justin also mentioned that his new solo CD is nearly finished, and he hopes to have it available by mid-May on his web site. Sample audio tracks are available there now.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the showcase acts for 2006 World Of Bluegrass. These acts will perform before the decision makers in bluegrass music, expected to include more than 2,000 music industry professionals from all over the world when the convention and trade show takes place in Nashville between September 25 and October 1. The purpose of these showcases is to introduce new talent to the industry,and highlight established acts who are embarking on a new venture, or moving in a new direction.

Applications were received by more than 100 bands, with final selections made by the IBMA Showcase Selection Committee. Invitations to showcase have been issued to the following acts:

Another six showcase acts will be announced at a later date, and are put forward by their labels to appear at sponsored showcase events.

Billboard.com is reporting that Bela Fleck & The Flecktones will launch an Acoustic Planet Vol. II tour this summer, with support from Yonder Mountain String Band, The Del McCoury Band, Natalie McMaster and Chris Thile.

The tour will run for several days on the west coast in late June, and then pick back up again in early August for an east coast run.

The lineup will vary on the east and west coast legs, and you can find those details and the tour dates on Billboard’s site.

This week’s Grand Ole Opry Live show on GAC will feature Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. You can catch it on the Great American Country cable TV network from 8:00-8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Saturday, April 22, with encore presentations Sunday (4/23) at noon and 9:00 p.m., and Tuesday (4/25) at 9:00 p.m and midnight.

Rhonda will be featured again during the radio broadcast between 11:00-11:30 p.m., and Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys will perform in the midnight to 12:30 a.m. slot. The Whites are also on The Opry this week, in the 7:30-8:00 and 10:30-11:00 segments (all times EDT).

You can listen over the air (650 AM out of Nashville) or via online streaming, to hear the entire Opry broadcast.

We made reference in a recent post to the many concerts, festivals and other events associated with the 9th Annual European World Of Bluegrass, held May 25, 26 and 27 2006 in Voorthuizen, The Netherlands. This festival and trade show event is the culmination of International Bluegrass Month in May, during which bluegrass associations and promoters all over Europe will present shows in their area.

We found a link that lists and describes these many events, and which we presume is updated as information changes. You can always visit the main EWOB site for details.

The next episode of the popular PBS live music series, Austin City Limits, will be a rebroadcast of a performance by Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas. This program, which was recorded in 2005 and debuted last October, also features Kathleen Edwards.

The show is offered to PBS affiliates to run during the week of April 22-28, and the affiliates choose the time and day to run each episode. As the saying goes, be sure to consult your local listings to find out when the show may air in your area.

There is a sneak preview video clip on the ACL site in Real Media format.

We’ve mentioned the USA Songwriting Competition previously, letting everyone know about the contest and the May 31st deadline for submissions. Winners receive prizes and guaranteed airplay for the winning songs on the Acoustic Caf??? radio show and on XM Satellite Radio. Despite the name, the event is open to songwriters from all over the world in 15 categories - including country, folk and instrumental.

We just got word that last year’s winner in the country category, Darrell Scott, will have his winning song for 2005, Good Ol USA, cut by Faith Hill.

Find all the details, and the rules of the competition on the USA Songwriting Competition web site.

Darol Anger’s second project for Compass Records featuring his Republic Of Strings ensemble has been released. The group includes Anger on violin and Scott Nygaard on guitar, plus a number of exceptional young string musicians and vocalists. Entitled Generation Nation to highlight the multi-generational aspect of the group, the CD offers a mix of musical genres that should appeal to a great many acoustic music listeners.

Anger’s list of credentials includes time with the groundbreaking original David Grisman Quintet and the much-heralded Turtle Island String Quartet, and he is equally well regarded for his work as a string music educator. His discography is singularly impressive, and encompasses a wide variety of styles and formats. Nygaard has been a prominent guitarist for many years, including stints with Tim O’Brien’s O’Boys and Laurie Lewis’ Grant Street. He spent eight years as an editor with Acoustic Guitar magazine, a post he has recently resigned to focus on performance.

The group is completed by two young string phenoms, Rushad Eggleston on cello and Brittany Haas on fiddle (five string). Eggleston, only a few years out of college, and Haas, just starting at Princeton, bring an energy and passion to their music that has been a striking aspect of their short but notable careers. Rushad has the distinction of being the first student to be extended a “full ride” at the Berklee College Of Music, meaning that his full four years of tuition and related expenses were paid by scholarship. He has developed a technique on cello that allows him to move fluidly within a wide range of styles, including classical, jazz, and even bluegrass and old time fiddle music. Haas, like Eggleston, started attracting attention in her early teens, and Anger produced her debut, self-titled solo recording, which also featured her older sister, Natalie, on cello. She has been pointed in describing herself as a “fiddler,” and seems especially keen on old time fiddle music.

Other performers on Generation Nation include Todd Sickafoose on bass, John Pinkham on mandolin, Tristan Clarridge on cello and Tyler Andal on fiddle, with guest vocalists Terry Pinkham, Aoife O”Donovan, Marsha Genensky and Chris Webster.

You can hear audio samples on the Darol Anger web site.

Republic Of Strings is currently on tour, with a number of dates featuring Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek on violin.

The John Cowan Band is asking their many fans and friends to consider joining up as a River Runner, a new street team that is being assembled to help artists promote their shows and music. This effort is being headed up by Lotos Nile, the firm that handles the Cowan Band’s publicity. They also work with Cherryholmes, John Prine and Darrell Scott, and have done campaigns for Ricky Skaggs, June Carter Cash and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Folks who sign up as a River Runner will be notified whenever an artist promotion campaign is getting started, with an invitation to become involved should it be of interest. There is no obligation and no cost, and members earn points for each campaign they join, which can be redeemed for merchandise and other goodies. Campaign activities could involve as little as putting up posters or posting to bulletin boards, though more ma be requested in other cases.

Details and signup form here.

Mountain Heart is featured in a current news story on CMT.com. The story focuses on the production of their newest album, Wide Open. This CD marks new territory for the band as they hired producer Mark Bright. Bright has produced such country acts as Racal Flatts, Dee Messina, and Carrie Underwood. The band was looking for a different sound, something large and impressive that could compete with country music on the radio, but still maintain it’s bluegrass purity.

Gulley says, “Mark asked us to do a lot of things we probably weren’t comfortable with doing musically, but we did them anyway because we trusted him. That’s a big, big, big thing to have somebody who hears everything exactly like you’re thinking it.”

For information about Wide Open, you can read this post, or listen to this episode of The GrassCast.

Of course, since Michael Cleveland, Jesse Brock and Pete Kelly have left Dale Ann Bradley’s band to work with Flamekeeper, one immediately wonders who will be working on Dale Ann’s shows. I had a chance to speak with Vicki Simmons yesterday, who has not only played bass and sung with Dale Ann for many years, but handles business and booking arrangements for the group as well. Vicki mentioned that personnel changes are always tough, especially when the departing members are held in such high regard as Michael, Pete and Jesse, but that it’s a part of the business which Dale Ann has faced many times, always showcasing her unique vocal sound, but with subtle new twists to the ensemble sound as new members join her show.

The new banjo player will be Elmer Burchett, who is making a return appearance with Dale Ann. Elmer has also worked with Ronnie Bowman, Rambler’s Choice, and David Parmley & Continental Divide. His songwriting skills will also be a welcome contribution to the band.

Deanie Richardson will play fiddle on most 2006 dates, except for a few that conflict with existing commitments. She has been the fiddler for Patty Loveless for the past ten years, but with Patty taking this year off from touring, Deanie was eager to get out and play, and is delighted to take this position with Dale Ann and Vicki.

Auditions for the mandolin spot are ongoing, and the new mandolinist is expected to be announced within the next few weeks.

In reflecting on the outgoing members, Vicki pointed out that she and Dale Ann have been aware of the fact that Michael would eventually move on. They had all discussed this many times, and Vicki said that they had even suggested to Michael that when his CD was released, it might be the ideal time for him to step out on his own.

“We have worked with Michael twice now and he is a wonderful talent. We’ve known him since he was in high school, and we think the world of him and wish him the best. He wanted a fuller schedule than we could consider doing, and this move was inevitable.

His heart is in that traditional style of music, and we are behind him 100%.”

Vicki also indicated that Pete Kelly was someone who they hated to lose, but understood that he, too, wanted a fuller schedule of dates, and with Jesse Brock getting married, they were expecting to lose him this spring as well.

“Pete was the best employee we’ve had in 25 years, and we want to see him and Jesse do what they feel is best for their lives and careers.”

Vicki was also very excited about the new CD they are recording for Compass Records. She said that it is about 2/3 of the way finished, and that they feel like it is a step up both in production and quality of material from their previous work. It will feature some firsts for Dale Ann, like a recording of her singing an Irish song, with the Irish group L???nasa. She has also recorded a country-style duet with Marty Rabon, and will have Alison Krauss in shortly to record some vocals with her.

Much of the new project was recorded with the recently departed members, and Dale Ann says that she is very pleased that the sound of that group has been captured forever. Other guests will include Tim O’Brien, Jeff White and Stuart Duncan. The CD should be available in late summer early fall.