MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, has noticed the theme of The Gibson Brothers’ recent Sugar Hill release. The title track, Iron & Diamonds, tells an autobiographical story of where the brothers grew up in Lyon Mountain, NY where pretty much everyone was involved in mining - and town baseball.

In a story by staff writer Doug Miller, the Gibsons are interviewed about the album, and growing up in a baseball tradition.

Eric and Leigh both played for the Lyon Mountain Miners out of high school and witnessed a juggernaut of a team, a perennial league championship contender with some serious Major League ties.

The local Kowalowski family, for example, had several players on the team, including Tom, who was signed by the Yankees, although he never made it to the Major Leagues.

“He coached my team and had tons of stories,” Eric says. “Like getting to catch Whitey Ford and hitting a home run off Don Drysdale, who yelled at him and knocked him down the next time he was up.”

Eric says there’s a local legend that the Yankees tried to get in touch with a few other Kowalowski boys for tryouts, but the mining company got the letter and never gave it to them.

“I don’t know how true that is,” Eric says, “but it’s still a good story.”

The article also makes note of how Bill Monroe was a great baseball fan, and how Eric and Leigh make a point to catch as many major league games as they can during teh summer touring season.

You can read the full piece at MLB.com.

I had a chance to speak today with Jessica Lovell, the fiddling third of the sibling trio, The Lovell Sisters. She was making final preparations to leave for their European tour, which begins this Sunday (8/31) in Norway.

We talked in some detail about what the three young ladies have been doing for the past year or so, and got an answer to the question they have been hearing from their fans for the past two years… “When are you guys going to have a new CD out?”

The only studio recording they have released came in 2005 (When Forever Rolls Around), not long after they won the National Teen Talent Competition on Prairie Home Companion, and only a short time after the three of them embraced bluegrass music, leaving their classical studies behind.

Big things have happened for the girls since then, and their sound has matured as their professional life has expanded. A new album seemed like an obvious next step after being invited to showcase at IBMA in the fall of 2006, and by the middle of 2007, Jessica said that it looked like all their hopes were about to be fulfilled.

“We were working with a manager who was shopping us to labels in Nashville, and we had met with five of them who were serious about signing us. After a lot of thought and discussion, we decided to sign with Lyric Street Records, which is a division of Disney.

They had paired us up with producer Mark Bright, and everything seemed perfect. Mark had just finished producing Carrie Underwood, so we knew he could work well with female artists, and he had previously produced Mountain Heart, so we knew he was great with bluegrass and acoustic instruments.”

As they got closer to start recording, they started to get nervous about the direction things were taking. It was becoming clear that the label had chosen a path and a sound for the Lovells, and that the artist’s input wasn’t a high priority.

“It really hit me when Mark Bright mentioned one day that when he worked with Rascal Flatts, the biggest problem he had was convincing them not to record any of their original material. That hit me hard, as we wanted to do exactly that!

I don’t mean any disrespect to Mark or Lyric Street. They were great to us and treated us very fairly. It just started to look like we were heading into a place where we would lose control over our music.” (more…)

Del McCoury has always been hip to the younger crowd, and it seems he’s staying that way. While fans download and trade bootlegs of live recordings, many artists see this as detracting from their CD sales. Other industry people see it as stealing from songwriters who deserve a royalty for such recordings. Del has decided this situation isn’t a problem, it’s an opportunity.

McCoury has just announced the launch of the McCoury Music Club. It works like this. Fans pay $100 for a 12 month (if paid in full up front, you get 2 extra months for free) membership to the site. The membership benefits include one live show download each month. This amounts to $7 or $8 per show, depending on how you choose to pay for the membership. This looks like a win all the way around. That’s not a bad price for a recording, the band gets paid, and I’m assuming the songwriters will as well.

The site is promising that most shows will be from recordings made within 60 days of the upload, with the occasional archival show being offered. It also promises to reward members with extra tracks, and even exclusive studio tracks from time to time. McCoury Music Club members will be the first to hear songs from a new box set scheduled for release a few months from now.

Don’t want to pay for a membership? Don’t worry. McCoury is also planning to offer individual shows for sale to non-members. This won’t happen for a few more months, but it’s coming. If more than one show is made available during any month, members will have to pay to download the additional concert. The member price will be discounted from the non-member though.

Another feature of the site that I noticed was a non-working button that reads “Give The Club“. This button is located just under the “Subscribe To The Club” button, and appears as though you will be able to purchase a club membership as a gift at some point in the near future.

This is an exciting new business model for a bluegrass band to adopt. I like the approach, but only time will tell if it works.

Bluegrass Underground, the new live performance radio show we posted about last month, debuts tonight (8/29) on WSM. The show features a live performance by The Steeldrivers, recorded August 16 more than 300 feet underground at Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, TN.

The show’s premise is based around the unique environment where it is recorded, this underground cavern completely removed from any sound generated at the earth’s surface. Each month, a new episode will be taped before a live audience, using as few microphones as possible to capture the natural acoustic sound, and aired on the last Friday night of the month.

Producer Todd Mayo told us that this first concert taping was a sellout, and that The Steeldrivers put on a whale of a show. He also sent along some photos that demonstrate the dramatic surroundings where they record.

Here’s a video clip that gives an even better look at the concert hall.

The Grascals will be performing live today (8/29) on the News at Noon program on Chicago’s WGN TV. WGN is carried on most US basic cable packages and many satellite packages as well.

They will be highlighting songs from their new CD, Keep On Walkin’ which has been a fixture on the Billboard bluegrass chart since its release.

Look for The Grascals on WGN at noon central time on Friday, August 29. WGN posts many video clips from the News at Noon show online, so keep an eye out there if you miss them live.

Some of our readers may have seen a video documentary on Bill Monroe in the mid 1990s called Bill Monroe - Father Of Bluegrass Music. It aired on several PBS affiliate stations and The Nashville Network (TNN), and was briefly available on VHS and later DVD, but was not widely distributed - until now.

Using both archival footage and newly shot performances during Monroe’s final years, together with lengthy interviews, the film tells the story of Bill Monroe in his own words, with his own music. There are musical segments from Bill and The Blue Grass Boys along with a reunion performance featuring Del McCoury, Chubby Wise and Bill Keith.

Interviews on the impact of Bill Monroe’s music are included with artists as diverse as Jerry Garcia and Roy Acuff, as well as legends like Lester Flatt, Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton and John Hartford.

Bill Monroe - Father Of Bluegrass Music has been remastered for DVD and was re-released by MVD Entertainment in July of 2008, and is available now for purchase.

The 90 minute film was the brainchild of Steve Gelbhardt and Larry Nager, who wrote, produced and directed it as a labor of love while both held down full-time employment outside the music or film worlds. We had a chance to get some details from both of them about this film and how they came to create it.

Nager, who will host a screening and a panel discussion during IBMA week at The Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum (10/2), shared a bit about his involvement.

“The film’s inception came through director Steve Gebhardt, who approached me about writing it (and writing a lot of the grant application materials). It was 1988 or 1989.

I was then music editor of the Cincinnati Post and before that, had played upright bass with Red Allen, the Harley Allen-Mike Lilly Band, the Katie Laur Band. At the time I was playing sporadic shows with former Blue Grass Boy, Tony Ellis (we were the first bluegrass group to play in Belarus). So the Bill Monroe project seemed a perfect fit, bringing together both my worlds. And Mr. Monroe was the reason I started playing in the first place, through an album I happened to pick up in 1969 when I was 15 - 16 Bluegrass Instrumentals.” (more…)

Ernest V. Stoneman’s contributions to the musical heritage of 20th century America cannot be ignored. He was among the first rural performers to record and release his music. He practically defined the “three chords and the truth” approach to songwriting. He formed a unified whole out of the disparate world views of modern society and the mountain traditions of Southwestern Virginia.

Next month (September 23, 2008) will see the release of a two-disc compilation of his works, titled The Unsung Father Of Country Music, 1925-1934. Included with the disc is a 44 page booklet containing an introduction by Patsy Stoneman, along with many historical images.

The release party for this CD set is a planned two-day affair to be held in Galax, VA September 5-6. The event will include live concerts, presentations, and advance sales of the product. On September 5 there will be a series of performances, by local and regional artists, presented at the Rex Theater in Galax. September 6 will see a presentation by Henry Sapoznik, co-producer of the box set, taking place at the Blue Ridge Music Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax, VA, followed by a performance by Roni, Patsy & Donna Stoneman. This event is free, and open to the public.

Many of Virginia’s leading political figures have invited, including Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA), Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA, 9th Dist.), Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and Senator John Warner (R-VA). If they all choose to attend, this is sure to be a high profile event honoring the music of one of America’s historical treasures, Ernest V. Stoneman.

2008 also marks Stoneman’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. A well deserved honor.

Nonesuch is set to release a CD/DVD combo project from Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile, titled Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile.

The CD includes 12 new instrumental compositions the two have c0-written, performed with Thile on mandolin and Meyer on bass.

The companion DVD features 50 minute’s worth of live performances, rehearsals and conversation between these two stellar virtuosos, who both separately and together have been responsible for some dramatic rethinking about the capabilities of their respective instruments.

The release date is September 23, and pre-ordering is enabled on the Nonesuch web site, where you can also hear the audio for one full track.

After 21 years together, one of the most popular and well-known names on the British bluegrass music scene, Monroe’s Revenge, has finally released their debut CD.

The band from south-east England has made regular appearances at festivals around the country for over two decades, playing traditional and contemporary songs and fast-paced, virtuoso instrumentals with a rootsy, edgy energy.

Their new self-titled CD contains 17 tracks and includes favourites from their live set such as Washington County, I’m Working On A Building and He Will Set Your Fields on Fire. Other songs that are included are Hemlocks And Primroses, Just Because, Muddy Water, Pig In A Pen, Good Imitation Of The Blues, Somewhere On The Road Tonight, One More Dollar (Gillian Welch and David Rawlings) and the Kenny Baker fiddle tune Denver Belle.

The band is fronted by Dave Plane (guitar and vocals), who has been playing bluegrass music since the 1960s, with Roger Blackbourn (playing banjo and providing vocals), Joe Hymas (mandolin and vocals), Richard Partridge (fiddle and vocals) and Dick Embery (double bass). Many commentators consider that this line-up is its strongest yet.

Fiddler Richard Partridge has provided a bit about the band’s recent history that has culminated in the release of their CD …………….

“Monroe’s Revenge’s current line-up has been playing together for the last three or four years. I joined on fiddle about five years ago (it’s hard to remember exactly) and Joe Hymas joined us on mandolin a year or two later. Having gigged fairly regularly to increasingly receptive audiences (last year we were the ‘headlining British band’ at Didmarton, having the penultimate slot on the Saturday night, after Mollie O’Brien and before the American headliner, Blue Highway) we eventually felt that we were ready to record an album.

The choice of material was pretty much a ‘no-brainer;’ we knew which were the strongest songs in our current repertory. Some of them, such as Roust-a-bout, are ones that our singer/guitarist Dave Plane sang for years in his duo with the late Andy Townend. Others we have brought in more recently.

It took a couple of years of experimenting to work out how we wanted to record it. We decided against the modern way of recording rhythm tracks first and overdubbing everything else. Everything on the CD is recorded live with no overdubs. We feel that the live energy more than makes up for any roughness in the playing and achieves what we hope we have become known for; raw, hard-driving bluegrass.”

The CD can be bought at their shows or through their brand new website where you can also hear sample tracks.

Other musical samples can be enjoyed by visiting their MySpace page.

Rural Rhythm Records has announced plans for an early 2009 release of a new CD from Audie Blaylock & Redline. A single from the new CD, Lonesome Weary Heart, has already been released to radio and is currently charting. All future radio requests will be handled by Rural Rhythm. The single is also available via RadioSubmit.com.

Audie’s current band has been putting out some great sounds this year. Their tour schedule has been pretty full this year, and looks to continue that way into 2009. The band consists of Audie on guitar, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Evan Ward on banjo and vocals, Matt Wallace on bass and vocals, and Jason Johnson on mandolin and vocals.

If you haven’t heard them yet, you might be interested to hear how syndicated bluegrass radio DJ Terry Herd described their sound.

No holds barred, take no prisoners, hard driving’ bluegrass, just the way I like it.

That’s an apt description of this driving band that lives up to its name, Redline.

The band will be making an appearance this Friday, August 29, 2008, on WorldWideBluegrass.com. Gracie Muldoon will be interviewing the band at 1 PM EST. I’m sure some music will be played as well!

Tennessee Shines is a new live music radio show which debuts tonight (8/27) on WDVX, broadcasting at 89.9 FM in Knoxville, TN and via live audio streaming at wdvx.xom. The two hour show will be hosted by Jim Lauderdale and broadcast live on the last Wednesday of each month from Knoxville’s historic Bijou Theater.

Tonight’s guests will be The SteelDrivers, Darrell Scott, Shawn Camp and the everybodyfields.

In addition to live performances from each of the musical guests, Jim will be chatting with the bands, finding out what they have been doing, and what they have on the horizon. He will also participating in a songwriters session with Shawn Camp and both Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton from The SteelDrivers.

WDVX will be the base radio home for Tennessee Shines, and discussions are now underway to bring the show into wider syndication, and hopefully satellite radio as well.

Guests have been booked for the September edition of Tennessee Shines, and the lineup will be announced during this evening’s program. Tonight’s show is sold out, but tickets to attend future shows can be obtained through the Tennessee Theater box office, and as available, at the door.

Tune in from 7:00-9:30 p.m. to catch the debut program tonight.

We posted a couple of months ago about The Wright Kids, a trio of young bluegrass pickers who have been selected to compete in the third season of NBC’s hugely popular show, America’s Got Talent.

The Wright Kids are just that - Sage (mandolin/fiddle) is 12, Baruch (guitar) is 9, and Levi (bass) is 6.

After being invited to audition for the show’s judges, the Wrights are set to appear on tonight’s (8/27) program, where they will perform live. Viewer voting this evening will determine whether they return to perform again on next week’s show.

You can hear audio samples from their new CD, Playing On The Job, on The Wright Kids web site, along with some video of them live on stage.

Far be it from us to suggest that you all tune in and cast a vote for the cute young grassers. Let your conscience be your guide, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).

We’re just saying…

We told you last week about the launch of ResoHangout.com, a forum and social networking site for resonator guitarists, created by the folks who manage the popular Banjo Hangout and Fiddle Hangout sites.

At that time we mentioned that a similar site was in the work for flatpickers which is now up and operational online.

FlatpickerHangout.com offers the same discussion forum, tab archive, online video lessons, product reviews, classified ads, chat rooms and myHangout home pages as the other Hangout sites. Registration is required to access many of the features offered, but there is no cost to become a member.

To celebrate the launch of the new site, visitors can enter a drawing for a Martin DX model limited edition guitar from Janet Davis Music. You can find the entry details and all the other guitar resources at FlatpickerHangout.com.

The Richmond Indiana-based Palladium-Item reported on Sunday that bluegrass veteran Larry Sparks is to receive the Legacy Continues Award from the Starr-Gennett Foundation.

Sparks who has enjoyed over 40 years as a professional bluegrass musician, beginning when he started high school and was at the same time working for the Stanley Brothers. Subsequently, he formed his own band, The Lonesome Ramblers.

Twice he has been named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Male Vocalist of the Year (2004 and 2005) and was honoured for Album of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year (both for 40; 2005).

Sparks is headlining the foundation’s Walk of Fame Musical Festival on September 6, when the award will be made.

To read the full story go to the Pal-Item website.

The Starr-Gennett Foundation Inc. is dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Gennett Records and its parent organization, the Starr Piano Company. The Foundation is working to save this important legacy and foster worldwide appreciation for this remarkable piece of American popular music history.

For information about the Starr-Gennett Foundation, the arrangements for the day’s events (on September 6), including a concert appearance by Mike Compton and David Long, and the evening Larry Sparks concert visit the Starr-Gennett Foundation website.

Larry Sparks latest CD is the Gospel collection I Don’t Regret A Mile (Sparks Music), the first release on his own label.

Renowned banjo master Béla Fleck has recorded a Christmas project in collaboration with his touring band, The Flecktones. Jingle All The Way contains their arrangements of familiar Christmas and holiday music, and is expected for release on Rounder Records September 30.

The selections pay homage to all-time Christmas favorites (Jingle Bells, O Come All Ye Faithful), classical pieces (Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Danse of the Sugar Plum Fairies), and a number of modern songs more recently associated with the Christmas season (Mel Torme’s The Christmas Song, Vince Guaraldi’s Linus and Lucy [from A Charlie Brown Christmas], Joni Mitchell’s River).

In addition to The Flecktones (Victor Wooten on electric bass, Jeff Coffin on sax and flute, and Future Man on percussion) performers include Edgar Meyer, Andy Statman & Tuvan throat singers The Alash Ensemble.

The full track listing follows:

1. Jingle Bells
2. Silent Night
3. Sleigh Ride
4. The Christmas Song
5. Twelve Days of Christmas
6. J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio - BVW 248 # 41
7. Christmas Time Is Here
8. Linus and Lucy
9. Jingle Bells (reprise)
10. The Hanukkah Waltz
11. Danse of the Sugar Plum Fairies
12. What Child Is This/Dyngyldai
13. O Come All Ye Faithful
14. Medley
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
16. River

Audio samples for two tracks are available online.

Grammy winning singer/songwriter, Jim Lauderdale is currently in the studio finishing up the vocals on a new bluegrass recording. I’m told the recording is shaping up even stronger than his last outing, The Bluegrass Diaries.

Lauderdale’s approach to songwriting and recording appears to be somewhat unique.

In typical Lauderdale style, he’s writing the lyrics after the instrumentation has been tracked, so he comes in to sing whenever he finishes a song.

It’s worked for him in the past…

It’s being recorded at Randy Kohrs’ Slack Key Studio in Nashville. The recording began back in March, and is nearing completion now. Jim’s goal is to finish the recording by Sept 1, 2008, though I don’t yet have any info as to a release date, or even a title.

I enjoy Lauderdale’s singing, and his songwriting. I thought Diaries was a great recording, and I’m looking forward to hearing this latest CD. We’ll bring you updates as we get them.

Our friends at ukbluegrass are looking forward to the appearance of one of the hottest new groups in bluegrass today, Cadillac Sky, at this year’s Didmartin Bluegrass Festival at the end of the month. The 20th iteration of this event takes place between August 29th and 31st at Kemble Airfield, near Cirencester, and will feature a line-up of bands from the USA, Europe and Great Britain.

Headliners this year are Texas five-piece Cadillac Sky, who released their second album, Gravity’s Our Enemy, on August 19. ukbluegrass spoke to the band’s singer and mandolin player Bryan Simpson about the new record and their upcoming visit to England.

In addition, there are appearances at the Didmartin festival by Growling Old Men (USA), and UK groups New Essex Bluegrass Band, Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys, Down County Boys, Rabbi John and more. There is a full band listing and schedule at the festival’s website.

The full interview can found here.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I like Pandora.com. The internet radio service is one of my two favorite (iLike is the other) ways to discover new music. Pandora might be shutting down soon however.

With the increase in royalty rates dictated by the CRB recently, Pandora is facing a situation in which 70% of their revenue will be eaten up by song royalties. That doesn’t leave a lot for paying the bills, and staff, let alone expansion.

Founder Tim Westergren says Pandora’s funding comes from venture capitalists who won’t be inspired to continue supporting a business who’s revenue model is broken.

We’re losing money as it is. The moment we think this problem in Washington is not going to get solved, we have to pull the plug because all we’re doing is wasting money. We’re funded by venture capital. They’re not going to chase a company whose business model has been broken. So if it doesn’t feel like its headed towards a solution, we’re done.

Jon Simson, of SoundExchange, has said Pandora needs to adopt a new business model that includes audio ads placed between songs, if it is to survive as a viable business. Pandora, however, doesn’t seem to keen on that idea. Pandora’s thinkers feel that such a model would be a turn off for listeners and simply drive them away.

Pandora is hoping for relief from Washington lawmakers, who they are hoping will alter the royalty system as it currently stands. They feel the disparity in revenue percentages paid by internet radio (70-300% depending on which internet station you talk to), when compared with satellite radio (6%) or terrestrial radio (0%), is unfair and should be amended.

On the other hand, SoundExchange points out that satellite radio brings in a total revenue of $115 per listener per year, whereas internet radio stations average only $3.50 per listener per year. Their argument is that the percentage must be higher to generate a similar amount of royalties for a similar amount of listening. The thought process being, if the internet radio stations can’t figure out how to earn income, that’s no one’s fault but their own.

On the one hand, I understand the sentiment. If I were the creator of a product, which others sold, and one retailer sold it for a price I liked while another told me they needed a steep discount because they couldn’t sell it for much, I might choose not to sell to that retailer.

On the other hand, at a time when the industry is hemorrhaging due to slumping CD sales, some revenue is better than none. I don’t buy the argument that the industry needs time to develop, it’s had the time and just hasn’t developed a revenue model that will generate the kind of royalty rate SoundExchange would like to see. But they are generating a royalty. 25% of something, is more than 70% of nothing.

The first single from Melonie Cannon’s upcoming project, I Call It Gone, has been released to radio.

The song was written by Marla Cannon-Goodman, Jennifer Hanson and Michael Heeney, and offers the first glimpse at her next CD, And The Wheels Turn, due October 7 on Rural Rhythm.

It tells the story of ending a failed romance without remorse, and you can hear an audio sample below.

Listen now:

The new CD draws on the musicianship of some of Nashville’s top bluegrass artists, with contributions from Dan Tyminski, Adam Steffey, Tim Stafford, Randy Kohrs, Aubrey Haynie, Wyatt Rice, Jody King, Barry Bales and Deanie Richardson. Helping out with harmony vocals are Ronnie Bowman, Garnet Imes Bowman, Sonya Isaacs and more.

Melonie is especially excited about one guest artist, with whom she sings a duet. Country music legend Willie Nelson joins her for one track, Back To Earth, a song he wrote and recorded on his Songbird album.

He had high praise for the new CD.

“Melonie Cannon is one of the best singers I know. Her new bluegrass album is fantastic. I love her voice anyway, but singing with a great bluegrass band was a good idea. They blend well together. The fact that I got to sing with her on a song I wrote makes it even better.”

We hope to get some thoughts from Melonie about the new CD soon.

Rick Jamison, a bluegrass songwriter based in northern California, has recently launched a blog about his craft, titled appropriately enough, On Songwriting.

The new site went live on July 14, and Rick has already posted 5 songwriter profiles among 11 posts. He says that traffic has been picking up, and he is very pleased to see that an interest exists among songwriters - and interested observers - for a site of this kind.

Rick explained a bit about what led him to create his new blog, and what he hopes it can accomplish.

“I have been thinking for some time about creating a website where I and other songwriters could share ideas, experiences and insights about this personal — and often lonely — endeavor. In July, I followed through on that goal by securing a domain (www.onsongwriting.com) and launching the blog.

In the process of thinking through what a useful site might look like, I landed on the combination of featuring artist profiles (helps introduce ourselves to each other and others who may be interested), links to MP3s and URLs (hear what others are doing and fast-track to other songwriting sites/online resources) and songwriting hints and tips (can be helpful when you’re staring at a blank sheet of paper and forget how to start).”

New material will be posted twice each week.

“On Mondays, the site features my own musings on the topic of songwriting — everything from the art of creativity to recording considerations to sources of inspiration. Each Thursday, I plan to feature a ‘Songwriter Profile’ where I interview active songwriters from a variety of genres. Songwriters who are interested in being featured in a future profile are welcome to contact me by email.“

Rick is also developing another site as an adjunct to On Songwriting, which will be social networking space for songwriters. It is expected to launch at some point in September.

“In my day job, I have recently become the Online Community Manager for a software company in Silicon Valley. As I try to fulfill all that goes with that professional role, I wanted to simultaneously create an online community site around a pursuit that I’m personally engaged in and passionate about.”

Follow the discussion online at OnSongwriting.com.

UPDATE 2:45 p.m.  Rick said that he got busy over this past weekend, and the songwriters social networking site is now active at onsongwriting.ning.com.