More cruise offerings for bluegrass folks. This one is the Bell Buckle Music Cruise sailing to Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas on Carnival Cruise Line’s Sensation. The dates for this cruise are February 4 - 8, 2007. The line up for this cruise is as follows with this one note. Their list of performers includes Ernie Thacker. Due to his condition, recovering from his accident, I doubt his attendance. I did attempt to contact Bell Buckle Music concerning this, but as of yet have received no response.

• Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike
• Lonesome River Band
• Tresa Jordan & Southern Lite
• Ernie Thacker & Route 23
• Riverbend Bluegrass
• Swinging Bridge
• Randy Kohrs
• Monroe Crossing
• Smokey Greene

Greg Spatz, fiddler with John Reischman and The Jaybirds, is more than just a talented musician. He is also a published author with two novels and a collection of stories to his credit, who serves as a professor of Creative Writing at Eastern Washington University. His most recent book merges both of his artistic pursuits, and carries a special appeal for followers of bluegrass and acoustic music.

Fiddler’s Dream, published in April 2006 by SMU Press, is the story of a prodigious young fiddler, who makes the move to Nashville at 19 to pursue his dream of working in a professional bluegrass band. Though the story isn’t wholly focused on the musical side of his quest, it has been praised by critics for the degree to which Spatz fuses the details of a musician’s thoughts, dreams and frustrations with a more common coming of age literary theme.

The book combines these two threads throughout, as the young fiddler searches out his estranged father, with whom he has had no contact in years, and who was himself a famous bluegrass artist.

Here is snippet of a review by David Flood that appeared recently in The Seattle Times:

The novel “Fiddler’s Dream” is not just a coming-of-age story but a poetic insight into the world of the musician. Don’t expect a history of bluegrass music but rather a tightly focused chronicle of one fiddler’s odyssey, down to the throbbing fingers. Although the dramatic build up just prior to Jesse meeting his father seems to go on too long, Spatz cuts this novel off on just the right notes, creating one of most inspired final sentences I have read in a long time.

Find more details on the book, or order online, at the SMU Press site.

Casey Henry wrote in to tell us about an interesting radio show she heard. She listened while driving, then found it online and sent us a link. It’s from a radio show call Marketplace Money and the episode is Money Matters: A musical investment. The show is concerned with instruments as an investment, and accordingly they interview George Gruhn. The online version is in Real Player format.

There’s a new “it” investment that’s hitting all the right chords on the market. Kai talks with guitar expert George Gruhn about collecting vintage instruments.

This past Sunday’s edition of The Huntsville Times included a lengthy feature on Claire Lynch. She is a native of the Huntsville, AL area, where she lives still today.

Occasioned by the release of her latest CD, New Day, the article by Times writer Ryan Hickman offers a very personal glimpse into Claire’s reasons for leaving the music world in 2000, and her subsequent return earlier this year.

“There’s always been that struggle for me being a mom and having a musical career,” Lynch said. “This time I just laid it down, and I really didn’t think I would pick it up again. I thought I was done.”

But for the loyal fan base she has amassed through 30 years of music, Lynch once again found her ambition.

“This time I hope to go at it stronger than I’ve ever done,” she said. “I’ve made that clear to my record company and to my fans.”

Read the full article on the Huntsville Times web site.

We previously reported that Alison Krauss was producing a new CD by Alan Jackson that was said to be a bluegrass record. Alison did produce the new CD, but this morning we noticed a report on a Net Music Countdown stating that the new CD is finished, but isn’t bluegrass.

“‘[Like] Red On a Rose’ was one of the first things we cut,” Alan says. “I loved it the first time I heard the demo.” After recording this and a couple of other songs, Alan and Alison decided they should move ahead and work together on a complete album. They initially got together thinking they might try working on a bluegrass project of some sort…but the songs they record ended up taking them in a bit of a different direction.

Just ahead of the July trading deadline, Kenny & Amanda Smith have acquired Joey Cox from BlueRidge for Jason Davis, and a song to be named later. The trade was announced over the weekend by the Bluegrass Commissioner’s office.

OK… there was no trade. I made that part up. The baseball metaphor was just too delicious to resist.

But Joey Cox is headed for The Kenny & Amanda Smith Band, starting July 28 for their show in Columbus, OH at the Musician’s Against Childhood Cancer Festival. This young banjo picker first attracted attention with Lou Reid & Carolina in 2003 on their Carolina I’m Coming Home CD, but left shortly after its release to join Blue Ridge when Terry Baucom returned to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver that summer.

Joey is featured on the current BlueRidge CD, Gettin’ Ready, and on the second Huber Banjos release, Cuppa ‘Jo.

Jason Davis, who is leaving Kenny & Amanda next week, will be filling in with BlueRidge for the short term. It is possible that he could end up with the gig full time, but Alan Bibey is still auditioning banjo pickers for the next few weeks.

Jason’s banjo will be featured on the upcoming Kenny & Amanda Smith CD on Rebel, their first all-Gospel project entitled Tell Someone. It is due for a late September release, and Tom Garber at Rebel tells us that it is “fine, fine, fine!”

He also contributes two tracks to the Cuppa ‘Jo CD from Huber.

Rebel Records is pleased to announce the release tomorrow of Don Rigsby’s first CD project as a band leader. Don has quite a stellar resume in bluegrass, including stints with The Bluegrass Cardinals, JD Crowe & The New South, Lonesome River Band and Longview, each of which produced memorable recorded output, as well as live performances. Don recorded two duet projects with Dudley Connell and three under his own name, but never before with his own band.

The new Rebel release is Hillbilly Heartache, and features Don’s band, Midnight Call. Members include Shayne Bartley on guitar, Dale Vanderpool on banjo, Jesse Wells on fiddle & clawhammer banjo, Robert Maynard on bass and of course Don on mandolin, guitar, and lead vocals. All of the band members contribute vocally as well.

Hillbilly Heartache includes songs by Shawn Camp, Larry Shell, Tim Stafford, and Jim Lauderdale, and will be available in stores on July 18.

No audio samples are yet up on either Don’s or Rebel’s web sites, but the CD should be available soon on iTunes and other sites with audio snippets enabled.

Here’s a blog I recently discovered, A Whiff of Smiff, that is written by the wife of one of the Grascals. She’s written a post that features all the Grascal wives. These gals are troopers for being married to full time bluegrass musicians.

Actually, none of us have actually seen our respective spouses for more than 5 minutes the last three months with festival season being in high gear, recording, Fan Fair and all that jazz.

But what a great attitude they have.

Shows like Thursday night’s at the Ryman make the blood, sweat and tears worth it. When the second cd Long List of Heartaches is released on August 29 on Rounder and everybody loves it…it will be worth it, too.

From all the bluegrass fans, to all the bluegrass spouses…thanks for loaning them to us!

Farmer’s Almanac TV has a video interview with renowned master luthier Randy Wood available on their web site. Host Jim Wann visits Randy at his shop (Randy Wood Guitars) to talk about how he came to be involved in luthiery, and discuss some of the famous musicians who have called on Randy to build or repair their instruments.

View the video on the Farmer’s Almanac site. Click on the Pickin’ Parlor link.

Find out more about Randy and his celebrated mandolins, guitars and resophonic guitars on his web site.

a49
We have posted a number of times recently about the buzz being generated in anticipation of Chris Thile’s next solo release, an ensemble project entitled How To Grow A Woman From The Ground. It is due from Sugar Hill Records on September 12.

As we mentioned earlier, the new CD was recorded with some of the “Young Turks” of progressive bluegrass, including Gabe Witcher on fiddle, Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar, and Greg Garrison on bass. It was cut live in the studio, using only a pair of wide pattern microphones. The material is a mix of Thile originals, and covers from such disparate sources as The White Stripes and Jimmie Rodgers.

Sugar Hill circulated a press release this week in which Chris shared some of the reasons for his return to recording with the traditional bluegrass configuration, after several years or moving far beyond that realm, frustrating many early fans in the process - while also achieving dramatic success with Nickel Creek.

“For me, at least, New York demands that you find what it is about you that’s unique. There are so many talented people — exceptional people — that to stand out, you either have to be completely average or really, really different. And having been trained in the ways of bluegrass as a kid, I realized how much that meant to me. I felt, you can’t fight yourself; any time you’re fighting yourself, you might not lose, but you just can’t win. And I realized, I do that well, because that’s what I grew up with. So it signifies a return of sorts; I’m realizing what a meaningful part of my life that music is.”

Chris has been making audio samples available on his MySpace page, featuring complete tracks from the CD, offered in rotation leading up to the 9/12 street date. Currently, two songs from How To Grow A Woman From The Ground can be heard, Stay Away and O Santo De Polvora, plus a live version of Ophelia, recorded with the How To Grow A Band personnel at a club show.

Previous posts on this thread:

Chris Thile touring this summer
New Thile CD samples up
Chris Thile trivia contest on MySpace
274

John Lawless, one of your authors here at The Bluegrass Blog, will be a guest on streaming Internet radio station WorldWideBluegrass.com today (7/14) at 4:30 p.m. (EDT).

John will join Gracie Muldoon during her Muldoon In The Afternoon program, along with bandmates Warren Amberson and Kelly Green of Acoustic Endeavors. They will surely discuss their new CD, On A Farm, as well as John’s work here on The Bluegrass Blog.

Listen to the interview live via streaming audio at 4:30 today.

Nickel Creek fans can find video online of songs taken from recent live performances, posted on two different web sites.

Three songs recorded at the Bonnaro Festival in June are available on the AT&T Blue Room site. Included are Scotch & Soda, Somebody More Like You, and an extended version of The Fox.

There is another live performance of Scotch & Soda available on the Farmer’s Almanac TV site. This segment also features an interview with the band.

AT&T Blue Room has Bonnaro video from Bela Fleck & The Flecktones as well, P’Lod, Frontiers and Stomping Grounds.

Back in April of this year we brought you the sad news of Ernie Thacker’s automobile accident. From time to time since then we have reported back on his condition. Here’s another update that we just received from David Russell at The Bluegrass Journal.

He’s doing a little better each day but he’s still in a whole lot of hurt. He’s undergone several operations to repair things like a dislocated elbow and his diaphragm. His lungs are getting stronger, and the last we heard they were weaning him off the respirator so he can breath on his own. Ernie did contact me and said that he was working (from his hospital bed have you) on getting the mixing finished for a new CD he wants to get out the door.

I will let you know more as soon as we hear from him. Thanks

We ask that you remember to keep Ernie in your thoughts and prayers through this time of healing.

Previous:
A note from Ernie Thacker
Ernie Thacker Update
Ernie Thacker update in WV paper
Ernie Thacker benefit - date change
Ernie Thacker Health Update
Ernie Thacker Update

This week we continue our talk with August Watters, who in addition to being an accomplished mandolinist, guitarist and banjo pickers, is also an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. This week August describes his involvement with the Boston Bluegrass Union and their effort to present bluegrass instructional opportunities to young people.

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

Below is an 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: ep37_august_watters_2.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

Here is another cruise option for those who are considering the purchase of vacation packages for their favorite blog authors (and don’t forget our spouses!).

This is the 9th Annual ETA Bluegrass Cruise. They lay claim to being the original bluegrass music cruise. The dates for this particular cruise are February 18-25, 2007. It sails from Fort Lauderdale to the Eastern Caribbean, making stops in San Juan, St. Thomas, LaRomana, Grand Turks/Caicos Islands, and finally returning to Ft. Lauderdale.

This ETA cruise features quite a line up. Check it out.

• Cherryholmes
• Mark Newton
• Audie Blaylock
• Lorraine Jordan
• Wildfire
• Mike Cleveland
• Marty Raybon
• Tim Graves & Cherokee
• Chasin’ Steel

If that’s not enough, they’ve figured out a way for you to get involved in the entertainment.

THE FAMOUS ETA TALENT SHOW WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE CRUISE FOR ALL ETA GUESTS! JOIN THE FUN AND SHOW US WHAT YOU’VE GOT!

For more information about the artists, the ship, the rooms and rates:
Call: 888-711-7447
Visit: ETA Bluegrass Cruise

Rebel Records is set to release a compilation CD on July 17 featuring the music of Jimmy Arnold, one of the most gifted pickers ever to play bluegrass music. The project is entitled Riding With Ol’ Mosby, and contains 17 tracks taken from his three Rebel releases Rainbow Ride, Strictly Arnold, and Southern Soul.

All but three are instrumentals, showcasing Jimmy’s impeccable work on banjo, fiddle and guitar. The compilation will also include three previously unreleased tracks, from Rainbow Ride, and Arnold’s Guitar album.

Jimmy Arnold was an instrumentalist with very few peers when he first hit the scene in the early 1970s. He played with fiddle legend Joe Greene in Nashville, and even performed for a while with Keith Whitley before his first solo project, Strictly Arnold, was released in 1974. Especially on banjo, Jimmy mixed modern and traditional styles effortlessly, and with a gorgeous, singing tone that has strongly influenced some of today’s leading banjo pickers. His playing was daring and adventurous, but always joyous and playful at the same time.

Stories of his memorable picking at jam sessions and festival parking lots are legion, and few witnessed such a performance without being powerfully affected.

Even as a young man, alcohol was a recurring problem for Jimmy, and those who knew and loved him saw his drinking as a path to certain self destruction. Gigs with bands that had been eager to hire him were often short-lived, and despite releasing several further LPs, he abandoned music in the mid-80s and opened a tattoo parlor in NC. His addictive tendencies got the best of him again, and drug abuse and eventually prison marked his life during this time.

Jimmy returned from prison a changed man, however, and stayed clean and returned to music, becoming active in church. Sadly, his body could never recover from the earlier chemical assaults, and he passed away in 1992, dying of heart failure on Christmas Day.

Many younger bluegrass fans - and players as well - are unfamiliar with the tremendous contributions Jimmy Arnold made to our music. This Rebel release should make it easier for people to hear and study his playing, and we hope many will do so.

Both Strictly Arnold and Rainbow Ride are scheduled for simultaneous release in their entirety on iTunes, for download only, on July 17.

Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike will be featured on Kyle Cantrell’s Studio Special program on XM later today. An encore presentation of their interview and live performance in the XM studio will run at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon (7/13). Valerie is recovering from recent surgery on her vocal chords, but she hopes to be back out with the band soon.

Tomorrow, Studio Special will re-air their show featuring Mountain Heart, at 8:00 a.m. (7/14). The show runs on XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction (Channel 14).

Over at WorldWideBluegrass.com, Tim Shelton of New Found Road will join Terry Poirier on Kicking Canadian Grass between noon and 3:00 p.m.

You can listen to WWB online via streaming audio.

Gospel veterans Jeff & Sheri Easter are spearheading an effort to restore the original Lewis Family Homeplace in Lincolnton, GA. This is the house where Mom and Pop Lewis raised their children, and where members of the legendary Lewis Family (Polly, Janis, Talmadge and Little Roy) were born.

They are raising money now to return the house to its original condition when first built in 1935 by the Lewis patriarch. Contributions are tax deductible, as the restoration project is organized as a non-profit 501c(3).

Details about contributions can be found here.

Sheri Easter is a member of the Lewis family, and a former member of the Lewis Family. Her mom is Polly Lewis (Polly Williamson Copsey), and Sheri performed with the group along with her husband, Jeff, until they struck out on their own in 1988.

Here’s another bluegrass cruise for you to ponder when planning the family vacation. It’s the Bahamas Bluegrass Cruise and, you guessed it, it’s traveling to the Bahamas! It sails out of Port Canaveral, FL and the dates for the cruise are February 11-15, 2007. Ports of call include Freeport and Nassau.

The performers on this cruise are:

• Rhonda Vincent & The Rage
• Nothin’ Fancy
• Willaims & Clark Expedition
• Martin Family

For information about cruise rates, rooms, and booking:
Call: 800.593.8803
Email: cruise@bluegrasscruise.com
Visit: BluegrassCruise.com

Many of the articles from the July/August issue of International Bluegrass, the official publication of the IBMA, can be found on the organization’s web site. It is distributed by mail to all professional members, but not available in print otherwise.

The online accessibility is new this year, and allows non-members and members alike to see much of the content in digital form.

Articles on the site include news about the RowFax songwriter tip sheet incorporating more bluegrass (at IBMA’s urging), and offering a discount to IBMA members; a listing of entertainers scheduled to perform at this year’s Fan Fest (9/29-10/1); information for application to Leadership Bluegrass 2007.

See the list of articles available on the IBMA site. Nancy Cardwell of IBMA suggested that a couple of the links were not working properly, but that she would remedy that first thing this morning.