The new Born Lonesome music video from Cadillac Sky we posted about earlier this month will be featured this afternoon (11/30) on the CMT Pure cable channel.

If your cable provider includes this new music channel in their digital lineup, check them out at 1:45 p.m. (EST).

It’s an eerie, shadowy video - directed by Roger Pistole - that perfectly fits the dark mood of the song. C-Sky’s Bryan Simpson had suggested that several viewings might be required to catch the story being told in the video, and after seeing it just the once, I can readily concur.

The video is also available for viewing on CMT Loaded online.

For the last ten years, the state of Virginia has been without a state song. This proves to be a confusing situation for those in charge of sporting events and public inaugurations. The search for a new song has continually stalled because the delegates involved in the search process can’t seem to find any common ground to agree on when it comes to musical tastes.

The Washington Times is reporting this morning that during a radio interview yesterday in Richmond, a caller asked Gov. Tim Kaine about the situation. The Governor’s response was to say that he preferred to stay out of that debate, joking that he didn’t have thick enough skin to deal with it.

He just couldn’t seem to follow his own advice though, and suggested that his pick for a new state song would be the bluegrass gospel tune Will The Circle Be Unbroken. After offering that suggestion he continued to joke, saying:

I’m sure my popularity will plummet even further after having waded into that.

The anticipated critisism has already begun, with one state legislator suggesting that Kaine’s comments couldn’t be taken seriously because,

he’s from Kansas, so what does he know?

(more…)

This past week in Nashville a number of bluegrass and country acts came together to participate in the taping of the next Gaither Homecoming DVD. This time around it’s country and bluegrass gospel music throughout.

Of course, all the performances are centered on the common theme of faith that runs through both the country and bluegrass genres, creating the overlap into the gospel world inhabited by Gaither.

From the seasoned hall-of-famers and pioneers to the young up-and-comers, most every singer in attendance learned to sing in church, and it is those enduring truths to which they keep coming back.

Here’s the list of artists who were present for the taping.

Vince Gill, George Jones, Marty Stuart, Ralph Stanley, Dailey & Vincent, Jimmy Fortune, Buddy Greene, Jason Crabb, The Isaacs, Gordon Mote, Doyle Lawson & QuicksilverRhonda Vincent, The Booth Brothers, Cherryholmes, Jeff and Sheri Easter, Larry Sparks and The Lonesome Ramblers, The Grascals, Lisa Daggs, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Ben Speer, The Collingsworth Family, and The Gaither Vocal Band.

That’s quite a lineup and should be a great product for those looking to get their hands on some bluegrass gospel music in DVD form.

The Country-Bluegrass Homecoming is scheduled for release on both VHS and DVD sometime in mid to late 2008. In the meantime, the Gaither website was just updated to include a photo gallery of images taken both out front, backstage, and behind the scenes during the taping. A quick perusal revealed pictures of The Grascals, Dailey & Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Cherryholmes, Vince Gill, Ralph Stanley, and many more.

Don’t forget that our own John Lawless will be interviewed this morning on the Lonesome Pine RFD show, carried on WFDU 89.1 FM.

The show broadcasts from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, and serves the New York City metro market. John will be on with WFDU’s Carol Beaugard and Steve Lutke at approximately 10:15 a.m. (EST) to discuss his activities in the bluegrass world - including, of course, The Bluegrass Blog.

If you live beyond the reach of the WFDU broadcast signal, you can catch the show live via audio streaming at www.wfdu.fm.

Lonesome Pine RFD is also aired as a rebroadcast on BluegrassCountry.org. Carol said that she would include John’s interview in an edition of her show there as well.

The Associated Press is reporting that James Monroe, son of the Father of Bluegrass Music, is selling the concert hall he has been running near the Kentucky/Tennessee state line, about 40 miles north of Nashville.

The son of the late bluegrass legend Bill Monroe is selling the music hall he opened two years ago near the Tennessee state line, saying the duties of running the venue conflicted with his own musical career.

“We’ve had two incredible concert seasons with sellout crowds for such artists as Gene Watson, Lorrie Morgan, Vern Gosdin, Jimmy Dickens and Bill Anderson. It’s really succeeded beyond my expectations,” James Monroe, a bluegrass musician, said in a statement.

Read the full AP piece online.

Pete Wernick tells us that he has one scholarship yet to be awarded for his Advanced Banjo Camp in Colorado January 21-26, 2008.

The scholarship is intended for players who might otherwise not have the resources to attend Pete’s camps, and covers the cost of tuition only. Four have been awarded already, with three going to teen pickers from Utah, Kentucky, and Massachusetts.

Pete hosts a number of banjo camps every year, each oriented towards the needs of players at specific skill levels. The Advanced Camp is geared to motivated players in performing bands, and focuses on execution, performance, and creative approaches within the bluegrass format. Pete says that it’s the only banjo camp of its kind, and class size is limited to 15.

To apply for the sole remaining scholarship spot, contact Pete by email. Accommodations and airport shuttle, if needed, are approximately $400.

The latest edition of Acoustic Guitar Magazine features an article written by guitar master Scott Nygaard, entitled Flying High: Clarence White Feature Lesson.

The article includes a good bit of historical information about Clarence, including his influences, and comments from some of today’s legends who were influenced by his playing. One quote that seems to sum up the feelings most professionals have for Clarence is from guitar great Tony Rice.

I couldn’t play like him. I still can’t play like him. Nobody else can either.

Despite Rice’s accurate assessment that no one can play like Clarence, Nygaard feels that we can still learn from him and capture at least a little part of his style in our own playing. To that end, the article includes tablature examples for 13 different licks and passages, including one rhythm passage, a turn through 9lb Hammer, and some wilder licks that might take a bit of practice to master.

The online version of the article includes mp3 audio files to let you hear Nygaard perform the lick as an aid to your learning experience.

If you are a guitar player, here is a chance to grab a couple new moves that will not only expand your mind and playing, but make the other pickers you play with take notice.

We’ve caught word of a few other new projects expected at some point in 2008.

Kati Penn is working now on a new project with Blue Highway’s Rob Ickes producing. She is planning a mid-2008 release.

Starting soon on a new album is Revonda Roberts & Harvest Wind, hoping to follow-up the success they saw with their Ancient Days CD,  which garnered a 2007 Dove Award Nomination.

Also tracking this fall/winter are The Infamous Stringdusters, with plans to turn over a final master to Sugar Hill early in ‘08. When I saw them earlier this year, there were a number of new songs in the show which they mentioned had been recently written by band members, all of which would be excellent candidates for inclusion on a new release.

No word yet on a release date for the second ‘Dusters CD.

2008 is shaping up as a powerful year for new bluegrass releases.

Rounder Records has set February 12, 2008 as the release date for Through the Window of a Train, the next CD from Blue Highway.

Blessed with three notable singers and songwriters, Blue Highway is rarely in need of material, and this new project is made up entirely of songs written within the band - their second CD with this distinction.

One of them, Tim Stafford, who I would put forward as perhaps the most thoughtful and insightful songwriter in and around bluegrass, shared a few words about the title track from the new CD.

“Through The Window Of A Train is one that I wrote with Steve Gulley. It was a title I had laying around and we thought it would make a strong song idea. The concept was a fellow—prompted by the anonymity of modern interstate travel—remembering his youth and what it was like to travel on that train with his Dad, the wonder of watching the world go by…

It may be an old theme in bluegrass, but it turned out to be upbeat and poignant at the same time, which is usually a good combination. I was certain we had ripped off some other melody at first!

Melody and feel-wise, I had the Country Gentlemen of the 1970s in mind - one of the most influential bands for me.”

You can read some of Tim’s other comments about the new CD in an interview we ran earlier this year.

One truly remarkable thing about Blue Highway is the fact that, entering their 14th year as a professional touring act, they still perform and record with the same membership with which they began. Though banjo player Jason Burleson briefly stepped aside in 1999 only to return shortly thereafter, there has been no turnover in personnel.

In addition to Stafford on guitar and Burleson on banjo, the band is made up of Rob Ickes on resonator guitar, Shawn Lane on mandolin/fiddle and Wayne Taylor on bass.

Tim also mentioned that 2008 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the band, with new dates still being added to their schedule.

How about some banjo frivolity for a Wednesday afternoon? Here is a YouTube clip featuring a bass banjo.

These were not too uncommon in the 1920s when banjo bands and orchestras enjoyed their brief window of popularity. They filled the role of an upright bass, with a bass scale neck and fingerboard mounted to a very large banjo body.

The banjo that ate New York?

Every once in a while a CD comes along that just stuns me. Just before Thanksgiving the new CD by Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent landed in my mailbox. I had been anticipating this CD ever since Jamie told me they were recording. I’ll admit that Jamie has been one of my favorite singers since I first heard him with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

The Dailey & Vincent CD lived up to every expectation I had, and then some. I knew I was going to like Jamie’s singing, and I expected he would choose good songs. I had no idea the band would sound this good. The band members are all great players, but the ensemble is so much stronger than any individual, these guys really understand what it means to be a band.

Jamie handles the rhythm guitar work and lead vocals on seven of the twelve tunes. The other five songs are led by Darrin Vincent who is also playing bass, and at times some guitar. As the name implies, these two guys form the core of the group, when not singing lead, each adds flawless harmony vocals. In addition, they’ve surrounded themselves with some other great players.

Jeff Parker, formerly of Lonesome River Band, is the mandolin player and also contributes harmony vocals. Those familiar with Parker will know that he is one of the best harmony singers in the business, and his ability to blend perfectly with Darrin and Jamie contributes to the outstanding quality of the vocals on this record.

Joe Dean is a young man with a bright future ahead of him. He played banjo with Bull Harman & Bull’s Eye before joining Dailey & Vincent. Though he is the youngest and least experienced member of the band, his banjo playing is mature, tasteful, and flawlessly timed. I was very impressed with this young man’s playing on this record. And as a surprise to me, he adds the bass vocal to a gospel quartet song.

Since the recording was finished, Adam Haynes has been added to the band as the fiddle player. Adam has played with such noted bluegrass acts as David Parmley and Continental Divide, and most recently, The James King Band.

Adam wasn’t a part of the band while the CD was being recorded, and so they called on the talents of (more…)

Your humble blogger will be a guest this coming Friday morning (11/30) on WFDU-FM, broadcast on 89.1 FM in the New York City metro market. I’ll join hosts Carol Beaugard and Steve Lutke at 10:15 a.m. (EST) to talk about The Bluegrass Blog and my other various bluegrass activities.

Steve is a fellow banjo picker, so Carol will have to ride herd to keep us from taking the whole discussion in a banjocentric direction.

I’m certainly looking foward to speaking with them on Friday, and hope that you can join us over the air, or online at www.wfdu.fm.

The Dixie Bee-Liners have come a long way to this point, where they are anticipating their debut, full-length CD release, Ripe, on Pinecastle Records.

Band principals Brandi Hart, a Lexington, KY native, joined Buddy Woodward in his native New York city where the group got its start.

Brandi worked in marketing and design while Buddy did stage work until they decided that a move to Virginia was the best course to pursue a career in and around bluegrass music.

Woodward had worked previously in a production of a play based on the life and career of The Stanley Brothers at Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA and Hart had a job offer from The Crooked Road - Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, also based in Abingdon.

They made the move to Virginia in the summer of ‘06, and a year later, were signed to Pinecastle to record a new CD. The result, produced by Bil VornDick and featuring original material written by Woodward and Hart, is due in April of 2008.

Brandi took advantage of her own graphics background and design experience and handled art-direction for the project herself.

“Because of the title track, Ripe, we went for a vintage fruit-crate theme, and we even wrote ‘Grown & packed in Washington Co., VA’ on the CD cover. We are so proud to be living and working along in this beautiful and unbelievably musical part of Virginia.

The illustrations and package design were done by Raymond Smith. He’s famous for his vintage-style Hoboken postcards, but he’s also a wonderful painter. An Englishman named Paul Bevoir also consulted on the package design.”

Also paying homage to their new home in Virginia is the lead off track from Ripe, Down The Crooked Road, which has just been released to bluegrass radio. You can hear the song on The Dixie Bee-Liners’ MySpace page.

“I really hope that this new song brings greater attention to The Crooked Road. Southwestern Virginia has a great wealth of musical history & heritage to offer bluegrass fans. I know once people visit this region and see America’s mountain music traditions alive and well, they’ll want to keep coming back for more”

UPDATE 1:10 p.m.: I neglected to mention that Down The Crooked Road is being offered to radio via two distribution channels. It is featured on the current edition of Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass (Volume 90), and for stations that do not subscribe to Prime Cuts, it is available from RadioSubmit.com.

Stations will have to register and verify their status, but there is no charge for the RadioSubmit service.

Tonight’s (11/27)edition of the Tuesday Opry has both Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and Cherryholmes scheduled to perform. This will be Rhonda’s last show for 2007, as she and the band are taking December off to recuperate from a very busy year.

The show runs from 8:00-10:00 p.m. (EST), and airs in the Nashville market on WSM AM 650, simulcast via online streaming at wsmonline.com.

A Gibson F-5L mandolin has been donated by the manufacturer to benefit the Butch Baldassari Medical Fund, and is being offered for sale via Gruhn Guitars in Nashville.

All proceeds from the sale will go to Butch’s Medical Fund.

This is a “Fern” style mandolin, described on Gruhn’s site as follows:

This instrument (sn 70920020) was signed Sept. 20, 2007 by Dave Harvey. It features tone bar bracing, gold-plated hardware, hand-stained finish, rectangular hard case and full warranty. MSLP is $8443.

Bids are submitted by email, and will be accepted through Monday, December 3, at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Bidding details, and some additional photos, can be seen on the Gruhn Guitars web site.

Several other newly donated instruments will be offered for sale in a similar manner over the net few months, including a Collings MT, a Weber F-style and a Trinity College Celtic mandola.

With regard to Butch’s health, Mandolin Cafe has posted a very encouraging report from just before Thanksgiving.

It has been a very upbeat couple of weeks at the Baldassari household and once again, I am in the “pinching myself mode.” Butch awakened last Wednesday, sat up in bed and said, “My legs are back!” It was fantastic! He walked around fast and straight and didn’t miss a beat. That night he joined us at church supper where Blake and I go every (other) Wednesday alone. Many of our church family took note of, not only his presence but, the fact that Butch was doing laps, almost in sing-song rhythm, around Fellowship Hall!

Read the whole report at Mandolin Cafe.

We covered this issue in some detail in the past, with a good deal of discussion taking place in the comments (here and here). The issue seems to have slipped off the radar lately, but the debate continues in the background.

Just recently, the US Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia set dates for briefings related to appeals filed by webcasting groups unhappy with the rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board for internet radio royalties. Briefs are due February 25 (2008) for the webcasters, April 25 for the CRB, and May 15 for SoundExchange. Reply briefs will be due on June 12. The court has yet to schedule oral arguments in the case.

With a summer break for the court and the length of process involved in a case like this, it is likely we won’t a see a decision until late 2008 at the earliest.

There has been at least one settlement announced, concerning the case, at this time. The settlement limits the minimum fee for multiple channels (streams) to $50,000 per company. This is welcome relief for businesses such as Pandora that allow each individual listener to create their own channel, resulting in millions of channels for which they would have been charged under the initial CRB decision.

It is possible that other settlements could be reached outside of court, rendering theses appeals unnecessary. Barring that, it looks to be a year or more before this issue is settled. In the meantime, be sure to visit your favorite bluegrass internet radio station and enjoy the music.

The first single from the new Robert Plant and Alison Krauss CD, Raising Sand, is for the song, Gone, Gone, Gone. The world premier of the music video for the single will be on November 29 on CMT’s Top 20 Countdown.

The show’s format is the familiar countdown to number one, with choices for favorite videos each week being partly determined by online voting. The Gone, Gone, Gone video is set to enter CMT in a medium-heavy rotation, with better than 20 airings weekly.

We have received a number of press releases suggesting that the video will air at 4:00 p.m. on 12/29, but the CMT site indicates that Top 20 Countdown is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. that day.

The video should be available for online viewing after the TV debut.

Here’s another bluegrass anniversary worth noting.

It was almost exactly one year ago that we told you about a new band forming with prominent members drawn from several popular touring acts.

The announcement came on December 1, 2006 of the imminent debut of Grasstowne, with Alan Bibey from BlueRidge, Steve Gulley from Mountain Heart and Phil Leadbetter from Wildfire joining forces. In the course of that year, Al, Phil and Steve put a crack band together, recorded a CD, showcased at IBMA and toured all over the US.

The December issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine has Grasstowne’s debut CD, The Road Headin’ Home, is the #1 release in The National Bluegrass Survey. Phil Leadbetter tells us that this is a huge honor for them, and for their label Pinecastle Records, who has never had a CD chart in the top spot in BU before this month.

Alan Bibey passed along recently that they have nearly 100 dates booked for 2008 - including a July tour of Scandinavia - so more of you should have a chance to catch them on the road next year.

If there was an award for fastest start in bluegrass music, these guys would be serious contenders. Congratulations, fellas.

It can be argued that a music video is a good promotional tool. And while that may be true, bluegrass artists seeking to get a video out to their fans have quite probably felt some frustration. Youtube and other online streaming services can be a good way to let people see your video, but what about getting a higher quality version into the hands of your fans?

TuneCore may be your solution. The company has been around for a while and offers a service allowing you to sell music through iTunes and other similar digital retailers. The way TuneCore works is quite different from other services such as CDBaby. TuneCore charges you a flat rate submission fee (per song, album, or video) along with a yearly hosting fee. After that, you keep 100% of the money paid out by iTunes.

Your video must meet iTunes requirements, and at this time only music videos are being handled by TuneCore. No other type of video will be submitted to iTunes. iTunes sells the videos for $1.99, you get $1.40.

Most videos will cost you $85 upfront and a $20 annual hosting fee. Longer videos may incur a higher setup charge from TuneCore. The upfront submission fee is non-refundable, so if iTunes rejects the video for quality reasons, you lose the money.

A band would only need to sell 75 copies of the video through iTunes to break even during the first 12 months.

If your band does submit a video that gets accepted into the iTunes store, please let us know so we can get the word out here to the bluegrass community.

Congratulations to our friends at ukbluegrass.com! They have just completed their first year online promoting British Bluegrass, and are celebrating with a giveaway for their UK readers.

Prizes are drawn from recent releases from a number of prominent bluegrass Brits (Howard Burton, Papa Truck, Daily Planet and Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys) plus the limited edition edition ukbluegrass teddy bear shown above.

To enter, you must register online at ukbluegrass.com, and be a legal resident of the United Kingdom.

Happy Birthday to you…