Claire Lynch and her fine band spent an hour in the studio with XM Satellite Radio’s Kyle Cantrell, recording an interview and some live performance for this week’s edition of Kyle’s Studio Series program. The show runs on XM’s Bluegrass Junction (Channel 14), and debuts each Friday at 8:00 a.m., with a number of rebroadcasts throughout the following week.

Kyle tells us that he has nailed down a regular schedule for the show, which will run as follows:

All times above are Eastern. Next week’s show (starting 5/19) will be a rebroadcast of the very first installment of Studio Series, featuring Cherryholmes.

As we mention whenever XM’s Studio Series comes up, if you are already an XM subscriber, Bluegrass Junction can be found on channel 14, or you can listen online when away from your XM receiver. Non-subscribers can register online for a free, 3 day online trial of XM Radio.

Our friend Donica Christensen at Hollerback PR sent us some photos and a recap of Jim VanCleve’s CD release party on Tuesday night at The Station Inn in Nashville. Jim was celebrating the official release of his debut solo project, No Apologies. You can read some of Jim’s thoughts about his solo release in a post we ran a few days back.

Here is Donica’s report:

Roughly 100 music industry professionals, bluegrass fans, and friends gathered at the Station Inn last night to celebrate the album release of No Apologies by Jim Van Cleve. Music started at 6:30 with a performance of Love for an Angel sung by Ronnie Bowman, leading into the song he sings on the album, Let the Big Dog Eat. The band, including all of Mountain Heart plus Ronnie Stewart on banjo and Rob Ickes on dobro, played for about 30 minutes featuring mostly material from the new CD, and a few favorites.

Attendees included Carl Jackson, Mark Newton, Alecia Nugent, Jon Weisberger, Ashby Frank, Jamie Harper, Garnet Bowman, Kim Gardner, Mike Drudge, Craig Shelburne (CMT.com), Bradley Collins (BMI) and Drew Hale (Bug Music).

A ticketed show by Mountain Heart followed the release party at 9 PM.

Jim also launched his own web site earlier this week.

You can click any of the images below to see a larger version.

We posted last week on a Bluegrass In The Schools program in Utah featuring Special Consensus which was previewed by the Salt Lake Tribune. Dan Nailen, the reporter who wrote the pre-event overview, also attended the workshop and concert and wrote a nice follow-up piece which ran in yesterday’s edition.

Thanks to the efforts of Mississippi’s Magnolia State Bluegrass Association, and the staff of the Governor’s office, the month of May 2006 has been officially declared to be Bluegrass Music Month in the state of Mississippi.

Click on the image below to see the official proclamation from Governor Haley Barbour.

Skaggs Family Records has just announced they have signed the Ft. Worth-based bluegrass band Cadillac Sky. The band consists of Bryan Simpson (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Matt Menefee (banjo), Mike Jump (guitar, vocals), Ross Holmes (fiddle, vocals), and Matt Blaize (upright bass, vocals).

In addition to their band website, they also have a myspace account.

The press release that Skaggs Family Records sent out included this comment from Ricky Skaggs:

“When I heard Cadillac Sky for the first time, I heard some of the freshest new bluegrass I had heard in a long time,” says Ricky Skaggs, president of the label. “They write all of their songs. Their vocals just killed me, and they have a new sound. I wanted them for Skaggs Family Records. Anytime you sign a brand new group, you’re taking a chance, but with a CD like this, I was willing to go for it. They’re great!”

As a lead-in to his performance tonight at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, TN, The Tennessean.com is featuring a story about David Peterson. David’s band 1946 has recently released a new CD titled In The Mountaintops To Roam and tonight’s performance event is to celebrate that release. We also recently featured an interview with David in The GrassCast.

The Tennessean article takes a look at Davids philosophy of bluegrass music. It’s sometimes controversial when he suggests that artists should not try to emulate the popular appeal of country music.

In our desire to make it more palatable to a wider audience, we may be removing the very thing that makes it attractive to people. Let bluegrass be bluegrass. If you start concentrating too much on a hip image, you’re going to take away the things that make it unique from everything else.

He does go on to say that he’s not against creativity and innovation, he just thinks every performer should play the music in a way that moves them, and not in a way they think will move others.

Let people do what they want to do and what they feel they need to do. But as for me, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not an extremely commercial entity, so I’m going to make the music that moves me. If I’m true to that, maybe somebody else will be moved.

Even though the Academy Of Country Music won’t present its premier awards until their Awards Show is broadcast on May 23rd, the winners of their Pre Show Awards were announced yesterday. Bryan Sutton is the 2006 recipient of the Specialty Instrument Award, with the actual trophy to be handed out prior to the televised presentation on 5/23. Congratulations to Bryan for this honor.

We’ll leave it to others to ponder what it says about modern country music when the acoustic, steel string guitar is considered to be a specialty instrument.

We have posted many times about the free ezine published by Angie Sumpter for new banjo pickers getting started later in life. The online publication, called Silver Strings, has been offered at no cost via Angie’s web site since late last summer, with easy access to all issues from the site. Starting with the May issue, a subscription is required, but there is no charge and you can cancel at any time.

Instructions for subscribing by email are found on the Silver Strings site, and once you subscribe, you will have access to all past and future editions of the magazine. Articles in the May issue include tips on learning banjo breaks up the neck (with tab) and a profile of 13 year old banjo picker Ryan Holladay.

Angie also started a Learning To Play The Banjo Blog last month, which like Silver Strings, consists of a mix of learning tips and motivational commentary.

Noted luthier John Condino will be offering a ten day course on mandolin building later this month. The course runs from May 22 through June 3, but classes will actually be held 5/22-26, and again from 5/30-6/3 at the Oregon College of Art & Craft in Portland, OR. Students will study and analyze some of the great carved top instruments of the past century, and also get some hands-on experience with the various tools and techniques employed in modern mandolin making.

The OCAC course catalog describes the class this way:

The goal is for each student to produce an instrument that is aesthetically pleasing, exhibits fine tonal sonority, and has a good feel for the player. Topics covered will include wood selection, instrument design, carving and voicing the top and back plates, jigs and construction methods, fretting and neck structure, professional setup techniques, and spirit varnish french polish finishing.

Costs range from $700-$950, depending on whether you supply your own tone woods, and registration is open until May 15. You can get more information about this course by contacting the college at 800.390.0632.

Our good friend and podcasting superstar, Wichita Rutherford, is giving away a free mandolin. And not only that, it’s been autographed by some of the biggest names in both bluegrass music, and rock. [Check the list in the photo to the right]

Wichita has plans to give away one of each of the instruments used in bluegrass. He’s starting with this mandolin, but will also give away a guitar, banjo, dobro, fiddle and bass.

All you have to do to enter the drawing is go visit him and join his mailing list. It’s that simple!

Rhonda Vincent will join Gracie Muldoon this afternoon at approximately 5:00 p.m. (EDT) for a live interview during the Muldoon In The Afternoon program, streamed live on worldwidebluegrass.com.

Gracie’s show runs three days each week (Mon, Tue, Fri) from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Mountain Heart’s celebrated young fiddler, Jim Van Cleve, steps out today with his first solo release. No Apologies is the title of his debut project on the Rural Rhythm label, where he showcases his well-established prowess as a fiddle man, but also his skills as a vocalist, producer and songwriter. Jim has invited the other members of Mountain Heart to participate, and Adam Steffey, Jason Moore, Barry Abernathy, Clay Jones and Steve Gulley are all featured, along with Ron Stewart, Rob Ickes, Bryan Sutton, Ronnie Bowman and Sonya Isaacs.

The CD should be available today in stores and from online resellers. There were no audio samples on the Rural Rhythm web site, but we did find a few on Jim’s MySpace page.

Jim shared some thoughts with us recently about how differently he reacted during the process of recording and releasing this project as a solo artist, as opposed to a member of Mountain Heart, or as a sideman on another artist’s session.

“In cutting No Apologies there were several major differences that became obvious to me as we were recording. First, I noticed that I was being INTENSELY more picky than I normally am. In doing a lot of studio work, you begin to learn what you sound like, kind of what your ‘thing’ is, and along with that, you learn when your performance is good and/or just ‘good enough.’

I noticed at about day three of cutting this record, that ‘good enough’ wasn’t good enough anymore. I realized that I was being VERY exacting in getting what I wanted from everybody that was playing or working on the record…from myself, from the engineer, from the label, even from the art director! I probably drove everybody crazy. I about drove myself crazy! I just became extremely driven to make the best project I knew how, from every angle. And that was mostly due to my name being on the front of the album when I was done…I would be solely responsible for the finished product…no group to disappear into or hide behind as you can kind of do with a band situation like Mountain Heart. A lot of times with Mountain Heart, we have an outside producer, and a lot of the things that I had to be on top of with No Apologies, I don’t really have to deal with on a Mountain Heart recording. So basically, I was realizing that as a producer, I was really doing a lot of work just trying to get the BEST performance from everybody I was paying to work on this record! In a lot of ways, the music was the easiest part…mostly because that’s the part I enjoy the most.”

We also wondered what it might be like to step out front as a singer after having been associated as a member of such an acclaimed vocal group as an instrumentalist.

“I have been taking notes, criticism and instruction for several years now from some of the finest singers in our industry with Mountain Heart. So it was actually pretty cool to get to finally do that myself some too. I let them (Barry Abernathy and Steve Gulley) tell me what they thought of it after the fact, and they were all really supportive… it seemed like they were almost proud in a way, actually. It’s fun to do, and I’m glad I finally got that monkey off my back!”

Jim will celebrate the CD’s release with a special performance tonight at The Station Inn in Nashville. There will be food and drink, and CD signing, followed by a performance from Mountain Heart. The release party begins at 5:30, with music from No Apologies being performed around 6:30. Mountain Heart goes on at 9:00, and separate tickets are required for their show.

We are hoping to have some photos from the party and show which we can post on The Bluegrass Blog tomorrow.

We had posted twice before about the episode of CMT’s Total Access program featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station. It aired originally in December of 2005 and includes both backstage and onstage footage of the band during their tour of the UK earlier that year. The segment where the band waits out a power outage just before the start of a concert is priceless!

The one hour program will run tonight (5/9) at 11:00 p.m., and again on Wednesday (5/10) at 4:00 p.m. It is scheduled once again on May 18 at 8:00 p.m. - all times Eastern. Alison’s fans will surely enjoy this very personal look at the band, and we expect that anyone with an appreciation for their music will enjoy it as well.

We’d like to add one more voice to today’s discussion about the IBMA Wellness Program, and its being rolled into the Education Committee. Here are a few words from the current Chair of that committee, Jon Weisberger.

“Health and wellness issues are indeed important for the IBMA to address on a consistent basis, including at the World of Bluegrass trade show, and in fact they will be addressed at this year’s WOB and, I’m confident, at future ones, too.

What’s important, I think, is to understand that the administrative decision to recombine all seminars, including wellness-related ones, under the purview of the WoB Education Committee, isn’t a reflection on the priority the organization assigns to these issues, but rather a reflection of the experiences we’ve had in trying to put together a comprehensive and well-organized educational program as part of the World of Bluegrass. As Dan Hays has already noted, we anticipate that Musicares - the NARAS health program of which Dave Moultrup spoke so highly on the GrassCast podcast - will be having its health fair at the trade show again this year, and while the Education Committee is just now finalizing its list of seminars to be offered this year (which, by the way, means that any comments about a lack of wellness-related seminars in 2006 were necessarily speculative), it appears just about certain that health issues will be among the topics addressed. We are also looking into some other health-related offerings that may not necessarily take the form of seminars.

Finally, the Education Committee always welcomes suggestions for seminar topics - not just during the springtime planning period for a given year’s trade show, but year-round - whether they’re offered by individuals or by a group of IBMA members. Probably the most convenient way to do this is via the contact us page on the IBMA’s website.”

As Brance mentioned earlier, our GrassCast podcast this week with David Moultrup discussed his activities with the IBMA Wellness Committee, and their efforts to encourage artists and performers to be aware of the particular mental and physical health issues that traveling musicians face - and especially the need to be proactive and take steps to “be and live well,” rather than simply seek help for health problems when they occur.

In the interview, David talks about the difficulties in convincing busy touring artists to think ahead about these issues, and the uphill struggle that this sort of project entails. Just prior to the release of his podcast, he contacted me with the news that activities of The Wellness Committee would be rolled into IBMA’s Education Committee, and that there would be no specific wellness sessions scheduled this year during the World Of Bluegrass week in Nashville.

We contacted Dan Hays, IBMA’s Executive Director for comment on this change.

“The need to offer activities that revolve around wellness issues at our World of Bluegrass events is indeed of interest and importance to the IBMA. We will continue in 2006 to offer a Health Fair through NARAS’ MusiCares program and our education committee, which plans seminars and other learning experiences, still plans to integrate topics into future offerings.

While we believe these topics are important, we also have to balance the requests and interest from industry professionals in seminars that speak to their work as artists, broadcasters, labels, event producers, media reps, agents, association leaders and others. In some years those interests may require us to put more resources into topics focusing on professional advancement.

Beyond our annual convention there are other means through which we can learn more about caring for ourselves and each other, including our publications and website. IBMA expects to continue working with individuals and organizations that do a great job of offering access to health and wellness information and services year round.”

David Moultrop also shared a few closing thoughts about his work with the Wellness Program, and the importance of it being addressed on an ongoing basis.

“I have always hoped that the Wellness Program would be able to continue.??? Even if it ended up that perhaps no sessions were scheduled in 2006, I held out hope that perhaps the absence of sessions would prompt an awareness of what had been building for the past four years.??? That awareness would then translate into a re-commitment on the organization’s part to re-allocate time the following year.”

And even for this year, I continue to contemplate the possibility that the Wellness Program can have a table in the exhibit hall, and that the opportunity is there for folks to come by and talk and ask questions informally.

I realize IBMA is in a tough spot.??? They need to create a program which appeals to their constituents, and many of the constituents have said that they’re not interested in health.??? Having a Wellness Program in the face of those responses is a little like a parent telling a kid that he’s got to eat his vegetables in addition to eating dessert.??? Tim O’Brien actually made a nice joke to that effect in his remarks as president, which I believe was the first year the Wellness Program was going.

But consider the long and well known history of various kinds of health related tragedies in the musical community, such as suicides, substance abuse problems, and eating disorders. ???Then consider the range of ordinary day to day problems, like repetitive stress injuries from playing instruments, diabetes, and expectable marital problems related to a musicians lifestyle.??? These topics and many more are, no doubt, more central to a musicians success than many other topics related to the technical and business sides of a musical career.”

It was truly a???feather in the cap for IBMA to support a program which addresses those topics. ???This is an issue which is central to the entire music industry, and they were willing to be trend setters. ???It would be a really good thing to continue to support it.”

Be sure to listen to David’s GrassCast interview.

Episode #27 of The GrassCast features an interview with David Moultrup. This interview was recorded last fall at IBMA. David is a member of the IBMA Wellness Committee. John and David discuss David’s background in the music, his passion for health, both physical and mental/emotional for musicians, and what the Wellness Committee does.

There will follow shortly a post with some news and information about the IBMA Wellness Committee, so be looking for that.

This GrassCast is 7 minutes in length and the file download size is 6.5 MB.

Below is our usual mp3 file for you to listen here or download. The GrassCast is also available in the iTunes music store as an enhanced podcast containing photos and hyperlinks relative to the subject matter being discussed in the interview.

Listen now:
Direct Download: ep27_david_moultrup.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

The next release from The Del McCoury Band, The Promised Land, is set for release on June 13, 2006. This will be the first all-Gospel project in Del’s long bluegrass career, and his third for his own label, McCoury Music. In a recent interview, Del told of how he very nearly recorded a sacred project back in the 1980s, but an unexpected personnel change put that project off. Now, 20 years later, he has his Gospel album nearly ready to be released.

The material is said to be a mix of old and new songs, including some obscure numbers from the Alfred Brumley catalog, and new compositions from Billy and Terry Smith, Shawn Camp, Ronnie Bowman and one Del has cowritten with Jerry Sally.

No audio files up yet on Del’s web site, but we’ll keep an eye out and post again when we find them.

The third video from Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Lonely Runs Both Ways CD is set to be released this week on CMT’s Top Twenty Countdown show. This new video is for If I Didn’t Know Any Better, and the band is proud to have worked with noted video director Wayne Isham this time out. Isham has directed numerous award winning videos, earning the distinction of being voted All Time Video Director at the MTV Awards several years back. He has worked many times with pop acts like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, 98 Degrees, Metallica and The Rolling Stones in a career that may soon include 200 video director credits.

The new AKUS video will debut on Thursday (5/11) on Top Twenty Countdown where Alison and Dan Tyminski will introduce the new release, along with host Lance Smith. Times for the show this week are posted below.

The video is set to debut on GAC during the 3rd week of May.

Heather Berry’s new CD, which we had mentioned once previously, is now available. Entitled, To A Dove, it was recently released on Tom T. and Dixie Hall’s Blue Circle Records label and features a number of Hall original songs and guest performances by a great many popular bluegrass artists.

There are 14 tracks in all from this talented young vocalist, and the roster of backing musicians and singers forms quite a testament to the impact this young lady has already made on our music. Among the guests on To A Dove are Mac Wiseman, Eddie and Martha Adcock, The Isaacs, Chris and Sally Jones, Don Rigsby, Cheryl and Sharon White, Alecia Nugent, Wayne Benson, Audie Blaylock, Dave Talbot, Mike Bub and Michael Cleveland.

Audio samples can be found on either the official Heather Berry or Blue Circle Records web sites, but we could not locate a link to purchase the CD on either site.

We have posted a good bit over the past few months about efforts to expose young folks to bluegrass music through the schools, and found an article in today’s Salt Lake Tribune about an event of this sort out west. This is a program which will be put on by Special Consensus, and sponsored by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association next Tuesday (5/9). The band will offer a workshop during the day for the students of Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, followed by a concert at the school that evening.

We mentioned in an earlier post the degree to which Greg Cahill of Special Consensus is credited with helping get the Bluegrass In The Schools program off the ground for the International Bluegrass Music Association, and both he and Dan Hays of IBMA are quoted in the newspaper piece, as is Tony Polychronis of the IAMA.

The article also makes note of the fact that Salt Lake City native Ron Spears is now a member of Special C, and it begins with Spears’ recollection of how difficult it was for him to find out about bluegrass when he developed a taste for the music as a teen.

Read the whole article here.