Reader Jake Schepps recently wrote in to tell us about an article featured on the NPR website. The article, Leadbelly’s ‘Old Man’ and the Work Song Tradition, is a historic look at Huddie Ledbetter’s songs and the impact they had on the music of his day. Bluegrass is never mentioned in the article, but the songs and tradition talked about in the piece are part of the background behind bluegrass music.

If you are interested in music history, you might want to give it a read.

This morning at 8:00 a.m., Larry Stephenson joins XM’s Kyle Cantrell on Bluegrass Junction (Channel 14) for a set of live music and discussion. This is the first of several airings of Larry’s Studio Special appearance on XM, where he will talk about - and perform - songs from his upcoming CD, Life Stories.

The new CD won’t be officially released until September 5, but copies can be ordered now from Larry’s web site, where a few audio samples can be found as well.

If you miss the first airing this morning, there are several more chances to catch the show, starting Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.

Airtimes for the Studio Special broadcasts are:

All times shown are Eastern.

We just heard from our friend Ron Stewart, current fiddler with JD Crowe & The New South, and one of the busiest and most sought-after session players in bluegrass music.

He and his wife, Sherri, celebrated the birth of their son, McKinnley Levi Stewart, on August 5, and Ron couldn’t be happier as a new papa. Sherri traveled with Ron that day to his show, and as soon as they made it home that evening, McKinnley made his imminent arrival known.

Ron assured me that I was not the first to suggest the obvious White House Blues reference, to wit that “McKinnley hollered, McKinnley squalled.”

“I said it immediately when he was born, and he sure did. I have it on video.”

Ron also mentioned that they are expecting to see the new JD Crowe & The New South CD very soon. It had been announced as complete several months ago, but a decision was made to remix the project before mastering, delaying the release yet again.

It is entitled, Lefty’s Old Guitar, and due out on Rounder Records October 10. There is a pre-order option available on the Rounder site, along with a track listing, but no audio samples as yet.

Copies of the CD should be available from the band at shows starting in mid-September.

The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band has announced the availability of their latest recording, an all gospel project entitled Tell Someone. It is available online at their website or in person at their shows. There are also audio clips for several songs available on the merchandise page of their site. This is the third band project although Kenny and Amanda did have one CD previous to the incarnation of the band. This newest recording also comes out at a time when they have a couple new band members.

I had the opportunity to discuss the new recording with Kenny recently and asked him a couple questions about it. Here’s what he had to say.

Brance: I don’t recognize the bass player pictured on the new site, who is he?

Kenny: Our bass player is Zachary McLamb. Zak is from Four Oaks, NC. He is the best Bassist I have ever worked with. We’re really glad to have him in the band. (more…)

I just got a note from our pal Wichita Rutherford. He’s got something special happening at WichitasBlog.com and he wanted the bluegrass community to know about it first. Here’s what’s happening. Starting tomorrow at 11 AM Wichita is going to be giving away a bunch of copies of his DVD The Best of 5 Minutes With Wichita. Check it out.

The next 30 people to subscribe to Wichita’s Blog at WichitasBlog.com will win “The Best of 5 Minutes With Wichita” DVD. After the first 30 I’ll randomly pick another 30 names out of the next 200 subscribers and they will win a DVD also. Only one entry per person is allowed. We’ll be checking ISP #’s and stuff to make sure nobody enters twice by accident. So good luck! Ready? and…….. GO!!!!!!!!

Remember this doesn’t start until Friday August 25th at 11 AM. At that time go sign up and win. Wichita really wants to see some hardcore bluegrass fans win in this thing and he wanted The Bluegrass Blog readers to be the first to know about it.

Thanks Wichita!

The first single from the upcoming Chris Thile Thile CD, How To Grow A Woman From The Ground, is available now as an iTunes exclusive. The song is Chris’ take on Jimmy Rodgers’ Brakeman’s Blues, and features Chris on mandolin and vocal, with Chris Eldridge on guitar, Greg Garrison on bass, Noam Pikelny on banjo and Gabe Witcher on fiddle.

We have posted several times about this new project, and how it marks Thile’s return to an embrace of the bluegrass and traditional music that had initially attracted him to the mandolin. Not every song would fit that description, but this track has him in that environment. His version of Brakeman’s Blues features a wild, passionate set of variations on the classic line-ending yodel that manages to surprise you each time the phrase comes along. The pickers demonstrate in turn why they are considered to be among the enfants terrible of modern bluegrass, and Chris’ Monroe-inflected mandolin solo is especially impressive.

We’ll have more to say about it as the release date nears. It is a powerful recording from one of this music’s future stars. We hope to have a GrassCast interview with Chris before long as well.

The full CD will be released on September 12, but the single can be purchased now directly from the iTunes Music Store for $.99, where you can also hear an audio sample of the song in iTunes.

See previous posts:
Pre orders now available for new Thile CD
New tracks from upcoming Chris Thile release
Chris Thile trivia contest on MySpace
New Thile CD samples up
Chris Thile touring this summer

Last month, we reported on the planned attempt for a Guinness Book record in the Largest Musical Ensemble with banjo players during an Atlanta Braves baseball game on September 13. The event is spearheaded by the folks at Banjo.com, and will take place at Turner Field prior to the 9/13 game, with nearly 150 pickers currently registered to take part.

We first talked with John Drummond at Banjo.com when he announced this event in July, and he was hopeful then that Earl Scruggs could attend and witness this attempt. It is being presented officially as A Tribute To Earl Scruggs, and the song they will perform in the record attempt will be Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

He indicated at the time that Scruggs had been invited, and it has now been confirmed that he will attend. Earl will be in the stadium September 13, and be recognized during the pre game show. The organizers will present him with a group photo and video of the actual attempt, and if successful, the record will bear the reference to him in its title.

Drummond is encouraging any interested participants to visit their web site for more details, or register online to join the attempt. 4 and 6 string banjo players are also welcome to register, as are less skilled players who may only be able to vamp along, but each participant must be able to demonstrate an ability to play Foggy Mountain Breakdown proficiently in order to be counted in the official ensemble number.

John says that Guinness’ rules are quite firm, so he and his team have a detailed set of criteria and instructions for potential participants to review and follow. The more banjo pickers willing to join their effort, the better chance they have to put Earl Scruggs’ name in the record books.

Special ticket prices and group seating have been arranged for the participants, and rehearsals will be required earlier that afternoon to ensure that the group can perform as an ensemble by Guinness rules.

Read our earlier post: Guinness Book Record Attempt By Banjo Players

Tower Records is a name most music fans/buyers are familiar with. Most of us have probably bought a CD or two from Tower Records in the past. I know I’ve even seen some great “in store” performances by bluegrass artists that I love at a Tower Records store. That may be a thing of the past. Yesterday Tower Records entered Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The move will allow the company to sell its assets in a process that will be guided by the courts while protecting it from its creditors, including some of the major record labels. Company officials at Tower Records stated

This process, which is subject to court approval, sets in motion a timeline of events that will ultimately insure a sale of the company within approximately 60 days of the filing date.

The company hopes that a buyer will step forward quickly enough to allow the new owners to restructure in time to take advantage of the holiday buying season. In an effort to continue operational and inventory expenses as it completes the sale, the company has entered into an $85 million debtor-in-possession financing arrangement with a bank group led by CIT.

Failure to complete a sale in the allotted time frame could result in an asset liquidation, including the brand name, thus ending Tower Records as we know it.

Everyone likes free stuff. And everyone likes to be a winner. So here is your chance at both. Terry Herd, host of the most widely listened to bluegrass radio show on the planet - Into The Blue, is giving away a couple of great prize packages.

First I need to tell you about the Bluegrass & BBQ festival at Dollywood this September 15-27, 2006. The festival includes some great bluegrass music from artists such as Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs. You’ll find the full list of performers here. In addition to the great music the festival also features some great BBQ. Award-winning chef Steve Wright will be on hand cooking up some great food. Choose from pulled pork, barbequed chicken and ribs along with potato salad, baked beans, white bread and kosher pickles. There will be over 300 sauces available. I also here there will be a 25-pound apple pie at the Dessert Booth, along with other deserts.

If this sounds like a good time to you then you should enter the sweepstakes. Here’s the prize package that’s included:

Season passes for 2 to Bluegrass & BBQ
Official photograph of your meeting with Dolly
Autographed copy of Dolly’s “Dixie Fixin’s”
VIP Seating at all music events
3 Nights lodging for two (based on double occupancy)
Lunch, dinner & 2 VIP passes to all performances

And if that sweepstake isn’t enough for you, remember that we’ve told you before about another prize that Terry is giving away, a trip for two to the IBMA Awards Show and Fanfest. And this one includes the airfare to get you there on Southwest Airlines, complete accommodations for three days and nights in Nashville, plus tickets to the 17th Annual IBMA Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House and IBMA FanFest. Click here for more information.

Here’s another bit of news that may be of interest to bluegrass/acoustic songwriters. Submissions are now being accepted for the 3rd Annual International Acoustic Music Awards. Entries are accepted from anywhere in the world, in any language, and are accepted for a $35 submission fee.

Entries must not be wholly acoustic, but prominent use of acoustic instruments and voices must be used. There are a variety of stylistic categories, including one that is specifically labeled as Country/Bluegrass, as well as an Instrumental and Folk/Americana/Roots.

Prizes include more than $10,000 in merchandise and services, plus inclusion on the IAMA compilation CD distributed to radio. Criteria for judging is described in this way:

Winners will be chosen by a Blue Ribbon Judging Committee comprised of music industry professionals including A&R managers from record labels, publishers and producers. Entries are judged equally on music performance, production, originality, lyrics, melody and composition.

You can see a list of last year’s winners on the IAMA site, where you will also find the contest rules, and entry form.

The Nashville Songwriters Association International will be hosting their 2nd annual Songposium Week from September 22-30 in Nashville. The dates correspond quite nicely for any bluegrass songwriters who may be attending the IBMA World Of Bluegrass trade show and convention, which runs from September 25-30, and may wish to take advantage of what the NSAI offers as well.

Songposium involves a songwriting camp that runs 9/22-24, a week’s worth of classes on a variety of topics, and 6 nights of concerts and songwriter showcases at The Bluebird Caf???.

Classes are offered by a wide variety of successful songwriters, publishers, and other music industry pros, and NSAI suggests that the networking opportunities may be as valuable to participants as any of the actual information you can obtain. Opportunities will exist to have your music critiqued, and to attend panel discussions on the many legal and professional questions songwriters face in today’s changing music business.

Despite the location in Nashville, NSAI does not have a stated stylistic focus, and welcomes members who write songs without regard to genre or professional status. The various Songposium events will occur at a number of different venues in Nashville, including Belmont University.

Visit the NSAI site for more details and registration information.

The folks over at Mandolin Cafe are working on an interesting project, and can use your help.

For a while now they have been compiling a Mandolin Glossary, an alphabetical listing of terms and personalities with importance in the mando world. Visitors to the glossary can search by a specific word or phrase, or view all terms by the first letter. Given the fact that the mandolin has played a role in the music of so many different cultures - with different languages - this glossary could become a very valuable resource as it grows and matures.

Contributions to the glossary are being solicited, with instructions for doing so up on Mandolin Cafe. They are considering adding images to the glossary display, and ask that people who may have some to share contact them as well.

We’ve told you in the past about our friend Wichita Rutherford and the band he plays in, Van Heffer. As you may recall Wichita podcasted the entire video in 5 minute episodes earlier this year. Now it seems that somebody got ahold of a DVD copy and put the entire thing up on YouTube.com. Many people would be upset if someone did that to their product, video or recording. In light of the recent discussions on this site concerning copyright issues I wondered what Wichita thought of the development.

When asked his thoughts on the posting of the movie Wichita has this to say:

Them kids today, bless their little hearts. They fly around on the internet and listen to their music so loud, and they all got them iPods and stuff. I think its wonderful. I’m not mad or anything, its just the way of the ‘new music economy.’ They’re telling me its a ‘Viral Video’ now. Its good for folks to be able see what you’re proud of and what you’ve done. Besides, we weren’t selling the thing in the first place. I’ve even got a link to it over at my blog over at WichitasBlog.com.

In case you missed it, Wichita does have his own blog, where you can read his thoughts about what he calls The Bluegrass Way. Give him a visit.

One of the advantages of operating a news resource like The Bluegrass Blog is the opportunity to hear new CD releases before they are sent to radio, or made available to the general public. There is nothing like being in on a secret, especially when it’s a good’n.

The new CD from Dale Ann Bradley, Catch Tomorrow, surely falls into this category. Even in a long career filled with stellar recordings, this new project really catches the ear.

Many observers have noted that with as pure a voice as Dale Ann possess, and such a knack for choosing material suited for its strengths, she must only lack the support of a top notch band, and a record label willing and able to promote her, to see some legitimate success in this business.

The bands she has had for several years, and like so many in bluegrass, the membership is ever changing. Catch Tomorrow features primarily the members who contributed this past few years, like Michael Cleveland, Jesse Brock and Pete Kelly now departed, with Brock moving to Europe to marry and make music, and Cleveland and Kelly forming Michael’s new Flamekeeper band with Audie Blaylock. She now has vets Deanie Richardson and Scott Napier on the road with her and long-time bassist Vicki Simmons, and a new banjo hire is anticipated shortly.

With Catch Tomorrow, her debut collaboration with Compass Records, there is hope that the business partnership side of the equation is in place as well. This new release was produced by Compass founder and President, Alison Brown, who also contributes her banjo on several tracks. Dale Ann gives great credit to Brown for help with song selection and arranging, and it could be argued that this is the most cohesive and start-to-finish strong project from Bradley to date.

Much of the strongest material comes from Dale Ann herself, with autobiographical touches on songs like Run Rufus Run and Grandma’s Gift that tell as much about the world she grew up in as it does the actual characters in the stories. There is also a simply marvelous country-style duet with Marty Rabon on the old Dolly and Porter song, Holding On To Nothing, and a sparse and moving Gospel duet with Larry Sparks on Pass Me Not.

Dale Ann’s web site offers a few audio samples from the new release, and a pre-order option exists. It isn’t clear whether the orders can be shipped right away, or will arrive after the release date, but they are being accepted online now.

We have a terrific interview with Dale Ann which will be the subject of an upcoming episode of The GrassCast. It will be available here on The Bluegrass Blog and to all GrassCast subscribers closer to the official release date for the new CD (October 10). She talks at some length about her early days performing in Renfro Valley, KY and with The Coon Creek Girls as well as her more recent musical endeavors.

Be sure to keep an eye out for that GrassCast, and the release of Catch Tomorrow.

This afternoon at 4:30 p.m., bluegrass legend Curly Seckler will join Gracie Muldoon for an interview on WorldWideBluegras.com. Hearing Curly speak about his career in bluegrass can’t fail to be a rich treat for anyone who appreciates the history of our early pioneers. He was right there with them, playing mandolin and singing tenor with Flatt & Scruggs during the hey day of their popularity.

Prior to his time with Lester and Earl, he had performed with Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse and The Stanley Brothers, and though he left the business briefly in 1962, he returned to work with Lester Flatt when he formed The Nashville Grass, and kept that band name active after Flatt passed away in 1979, retiring himself in 1994.

His trademark “tenor flip” at the end of a line is considered as much a hallmark of classic Flatt & Scruggs recordings as any Scruggs banjo lick or Lester Flatt snarl, and he left his mark as a songwriter as well, with such classics as No Mother Or Dad coming from his pen.

Curly has been recording actively again this past few years, and his current release, Down In Caroline, is nominated as Recorded Event Of The Year for 2006 by the IBMA. It features a great set of new Seckler originals, with guests like Dudley Connell, Larry Sparks, Doc Watson, Rob Ickes, Herschel Sizemore, Russell Moore, Tater Tate and others.

He has a new CD which will be released in September, entitled Bluegrass, Don’t You Know. Like the current project, this will be on Copper Creek Records.

Curly is sure to talk about his new CD, and his IBMA nomination when he joins Gracie today on WWB. Hear the interview on Gracie’s show today (8/22) at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) by accessing WWB’s live streaming audio feed.

Gracie also hinted yesterday that they have some big news to announce about the Original Country Radio Network and WorldWideBluegrass.com, but it may not come today.

Thanks to Becky Taylor for passing along this heartwarming story which appears in today’s issue of The Richmond Times Dispatch.

It tells of how Jim Connor, then a member of The Kingston Trio, had his custom Vega banjo stolen after a show in 1971, only to have it restored to him when a former student spotted it on eBay. Especially encouraging is the reporting of eBay’s eager cooperation in halting the sale and establishing communication between the seller and Connor.

EBay stopped the sale of the instrument. With the help of the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office, Connor contacted New York City police.

The seller, who said that a relative had bought the banjo in a used-furniture store in Harlem, called Connor.

“He said, ‘If the instrument is really stolen, I want to cooperate,’” Connor said. Connor proved with pictures and affidavits that the instrument was his.

Connor ultimately purchased the banjo back, convinced that the current seller was in no way connected with the 35 year old theft in New York, and is delighted to be reunited with his old friend.

Read the full article on the Times Dispatch site.

Old Crow Medicine Show’s newest CD, Big Iron World, will be released next Tuesday August 29, 2006. They are currently accepting pre-orders through their online merchandise page. The first 500 to pre-order the disc before Monday, August 28 at midnight, will receive a limited-edition wristband from the band.

Sample clips from the disc can be heard on the band’s myspace page. The video is available in both Windows Media and Real Player formats.

In addition to the audio samples, they also have a music video available for the first track from the disc, Down Home Girl. It can be found between the about and friends sections of their myspace page.

The third live release from IIIrd Tyme Out, Round III At The Mac, should be available soon from the band at live shows, or from their online store.

As we reported late last year, this performance was recorded at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonburg, KY, commonly known as “The Mac,” in November of 2005. The show was captured for both audio and video, and while the DVD release seems to be a few months off, the audio CD is expected any day now.

Like the band’s past few projects, the new live CD is released on their own label, Chateau Music Group. Radio promos will go out as soon as they are received from the duplicators, and show hosts can contact Chateau to be make sure they are on the distribution list.

Two previous live shows have been successful audio CD releases for IIIrd Tyme Out, both recorded in this same venue. It looks like they are following a similar formula with the latest MAC CD, mixing older bluegrass favorites with some new songs, and even re-cutting a couple of 3TO tracks from earlier releases.

The band hopes to not only complete editing and post-production for the live DVD this year, but start in on a new studio project as well. We’ll post more details as we find them.

Jack Ryan and the folks who bring you The Americana Highway show on WIVK-FM in Knoxville, TN have launched an online poll, which will result in their first annual HEMI awards. As the name suggests, the show features a mix of music, drawing from popular bluegrass, country and Americana artists, with the nominees for these awards were chosen by the show staff from the artists/songs in their playlist.

Several categories are already posted, and new ones will be added each week leading up to the announcement of the winners on September 24. They include obvious ones like Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Band, as well as more obscure poll options as Favorite Cover Song, Favorite International Artist or Favorite Special Event Recording. Site visitors can vote once every 24 hours.

Eric Bohlen with Americana Highway shared some info on the HEMIs:

“HEMI doesn’t stand for anything it’s just our version of the Grammies or Emmys, and since the show is called The Americana Highway we thought HEMI because of the motor/engine tie-in.

The voting is done by listeners to the program and votes can be cast either online at The Americana Highway web site, or by sending an email to jack@americanahighway.com. The online poll results reflects only the the totals from the online voting and does not include email votes, which will allow a bit of “suspense” over who the winners are when they are revealed during our special winners show on September 24, 2006.

The awards are a fun way to recognize and showcase the artists and songs we play on our show. It is by no means a pure and scientific voting process, but designed to allow our listeners to express their choices in a fun and entertaining way.”

Americana Highway airs each Sunday evening at 10:30 p.m., and can be heard on the air in Knoxville at 107.7 FM, or by live streaming at the WIVK web site. You can also find past shows archived as podcasts on the Americana Highway site.

Editor’s note: Our own online IBMA Awards poll will be available again this year on The Bluegrass Blog. It will mirror the official IBMA ballot, and all registered users here can cast a single vote in each category. It will be available as soon as the official ballots are mailed.

Larry Keel has been a prominent fixture both in, and on the fringes of the bluegrass mainstream this past few years, but his place on the spectrum has been hard to pin down. Here he’s doing jamgrass shows, performing the sort of extended format piece that is a highlight of the style, and there he forms a bluegrass band, Natural Bridge, and has one of his songs cut by The Del McCoury Band. He has further clouded any attempts at pigeonholing his music by a set of brother duets and flatpick standards with his older sibling, Gary, entitled The Keel Brothers, Vol 1.

With Natural Bridge, Larry incorporated his unique, growly vocal delivery with his equally distinctive guitar style, inside the standard bluegrass ensemble. Their material has been a mix of traditional music with his own compositions, and their tour stops tend to be centered around venues and festivals that support more progressive acoustic music. Folks here in southwestern VA, though, recall Larry as a long-time Galax veteran, who learned and refined his craft in the same muddy fields as have many of the leading lights in mainstream bluegrass music today.

When we learned that original Natural Bridge banjo picker Andy Thorn would be leaving the group this summer, we wondered whether Larry would continue touring with a bluegrass group, or perhaps take his music in a new direction. The answer arrived this past week, when it was announced that Jason Flournoy, late of the popular jamgrass band Shanti Groove, will start up with Natural Bridge the second weekend in September when they play The Pour House in Charleston, SC.

Alt-acoustic and jamgrass fans may associate Jason with CO, since that was Shanti Groove’s home base, but he is a native of the southeastern US, learning to play banjo in western NC. It was here that he first met current Natural Bridge mandolinist Mark Schimick, with whom he shared the stage in a band known as Sassagrass before spending time with the Dixie Slam Mob prior to joining up with the Shantis.

In addition to Larry on guitar, Jason on banjo and Mark on mandolin, Natural Bridge includes Jenny Keel on bass.