Pinecastle Records recently announced the upcoming release of four new projects during the first two months of 2009.

Promos are being sent to radio this week, despite the lag of as much as three months between now and the actual street dates for these new albums.

• Second Season - Kristin Scott Benson (1/13/09)
• Lord Bless This House - Nothin’ Fancy (1/27/09)
• The Hangman - Ernie Thacker & Route 23 (2/10/09)
• Three Silver Dollars - David Parmley & Continental Divide (2/10/09)

We asked Matt Hood, Pinecastle’s Director of Radio promotion, why they send promos out so early for new releases, and about their promotional download service for radio.

“For some time we have been using a new schedule for our mainstream releases. There are a few reasons why we send out CDs to radio so far in advance. The first one has to do with the production timelines of the major bluegrass print magazines. It takes a magazine a certain amount of time to prepare each issue for printing and it takes the printer a certain amount of time to print the magazine. There can be a lag time of a couple of months. In order to chart a single during the month of the release date the DJs have to have a CD in time to review it, put it in rotation, and (if the CD merits it) report it to the folks that publish these airplay charts. The same issue applies to album reviews.

Also, many folks in the media have such a backlog of CDs to review that it can take them several months to even review a CD. The point is to get as much exposure during the immediate timeframe of the street date as possible and we’ve found that shipping CDs several months in advance of the street date helps us do that.

Our first real proof of concept was with Special Consensus’ The Trail Of Aching Hearts, which appeared on the National Bluegrass Survey in Bluegrass Unlimited the month of the release date. Almost every album we’ve released since then has done the same. We’ve also had similar results with the chart in Bluegrass Music Profiles that they started in 2007.

All of the charts, reviews, and airplay provide invaluable information to sales reps from our distributor who then work to place Pinecastle product into stores.” (more…)

Here in the Southeastern US we’re quite used to bluegrass events, including instructional camps and clinics. Seeing the same happen in other parts of the world always fascinates me.

It seems the main (only?) such event in the Czech Republic recently concluded. The 13th Annual Petr Brandejs Band Workshop provided instruction for over 100 students on guitar, 3-finger banjo, old-time banjo, mandolin, dobro, and bass.

The European Bluegrass Blog reports that plans are already underway for two workshops next year. One in Czech and one in Norway.

Petr Brandejs is already working on the next workshop, to be held in Novy Jicin (CZ) in March 2009, and another in Risør, Norway, in July.

If you visit this Czech TV station website, you’ll see a small rectangularly shaped box with some text in it, the first word being “Video.” Clicking either link in that box will open what appears to be a 3 minute news segment featuring the workshop, with lots of banjos and other bluegrass instruments getting plenty of screen time. The two links are to the same video. The first link is a larger version that weighs in at 69MB, while the second link is a lower quality version that is a mere 8MB.

We still have a lot of folks checking out the 2008 IBMA Red Carpet interview videos, but since they have moved off the front page, it isn’t easy to find them all in one place.

If you missed them earlier, these are videos we shot during the pre-awards show party at the 2008 IBMA convention on October 2. Katy Daley of WAMU’s Bluegrass Country was our charming hostess and she spoke briefly with many of the bluegrass stars before they headed into The Ryman for the big show.

It was fun to see our favorite artists dressed to kill and taking a turn on The Bluegrass Blog Red Carpet.

Here are direct links to the videos:

• Red Carpet interview #1 - Dailey & Vincent, Cadillac Sky
• Red Carpet interview #2 - Del McCoury, Dan Tyminski
• Red Carpet interview #3 - Eddie & Martha Adcock, Chris Eldridge
• Red Carpet interview #4 - G2, Missy Raines
• Red Carpet interview #5 - Russell Moore, Josh Williams
  
• See all 5 Red Carpet interviews

You can see all of our IBMA 2008 videos by following this link.

Mountain Roads Recordings of Bristol, Tennessee, has announced the signing of Johnny Williams from Danville, Virginia.

Williams is an award winning singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has been named Virginia State Champion Male Vocalist and is an award winning songwriter, having won the bluegrass division of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest in 1998 and 1999. He penned four songs for Bell Witch, The Movie soundtrack, three of which were recorded by The Jeanette Williams Band.

Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson, Special Consensus, Mark Newton and New Classic Grass have also recorded his songs. As well as writing solo, Williams has also co-written with other notable writers, such as Tom T. Hall and Dixie Hall.

Williams is active in many spheres of bluegrass music having been president of the Dan River Bluegrass Association for five years and producer of many local music events. He is a regular member of Big Country Bluegrass and supports and plays with his wife, Jeanette Williams, whenever he can.

Mountain Roads Recordings will release Williams’ first album for the label, Last Day of Galax in early 2009. Joining Williams on the album are his wife Jeanette Williams (bass), Chase Johner (mandolin), Tony Mabe and Debbie Yates (each playing banjo), Billy Hawks and Katheleen O’Connell (sharing the fiddle duties) and Kenneth Berrier (steel guitar).

Of the 15 songs on Last Day Of Galax several were written by Williams alone, two were co-written with Tom T and Dixie Hall. Among the others are songs penned by Greg Allman, Hank Williams and Randall Hylton.

Johnny Williams had this to say about the CD ….

“It features 9 of my originals and 2 songs I co-wrote with Tom T & Dixie Hall. It also includes an old Hank Williams classic, a Blue Grass Cardinals cut, an Allman Brothers song and an Old Time traditional fiddle tune. It’s the first time any of the original tunes have been recorded. It started out to be a song demo for me then turned into a full blown solo release. The great host of singers and musicians really brought it all together; Jeanette Williams, Amber Collins, Debbie Yates, Kathleen O’Connell, Chase Johner, Tony Mabe, Billy Hawks and Kenneth Berrier. Having Wesley Easter engineering at his Eastwood Studio was also a huge plus.”

Mountain Roads Recordings was formed by Karl and Gail Cooler in February this year in order to focus on the unique sounds that originate in the mountains.

With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas still to come, tickets for Del McCoury’s New Year’s Eve have already gone on sale.

McCoury Music has announced that tickets for their New Year’s Eve Party at The Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, are available on line from Ticketmaster.

Joining the Del McCoury Band & Friends will be Colorado’s Emmitt-Nershi Band and The Infamous Stringdusters. The party starts at 8:00 pm on Wednesday, December 31 and tickets are variously selling at $49.50, $34.50 and $24.50

McCoury Music promises over 4 hours of non-stop music, unique musical collaborations and unexpected guests.

Our own intrepid correspondent, Richard Thompson [bluegrassmercury], spent a week in Nashville, having traveled from the UK to attend the IBMA convention. It was his first trip to IBMA in 20 years, and we thought that his post-IBMA impressions and reflections would be of interest both to others who were likewise in attendance, and our many readers who would love to have been there.

bluegrassmercury - Travelogue #5
by Richard F Thompson

Nashville, Tenn Monday, September 29

Having spent a few days at a leisurely pace we continued in that vein on Monday morning and the impression that I got when registering at that IBMA booths in the lobby of the Convention Center was that not many other people were in a rush either.

However, a shortage of numbers didn’t mean a shortage of personalities as Karen and I gathered behind Ken Irwin and his wife. It was good to see him again and we recalled our first meeting, when he accompanied the Johnson Mountain Boys to England for their 1987 trip to headline the Edale Bluegrass Festival (June 1987) and appearances elsewhere in the country.

As first-timers for a convention in Nashville, we thought it prudent to attend the orientation presentation, but for me that was not before I had a few very anxious moments with a faulty mobile phone. How did we ever manage without them? In my frantic attempts to get the phone working I bumped - almost literally - into the Johnsons [Stewart, Sophia and Hannah], three fifths of The Toy Hearts. Would you believe it? We travelled so many miles and the first people I should meet live 20 miles from my home!

Later, Karen and I grabbed some food, had a drink and sat and watched people passing, hoping to see people we know or names that we recognised. Roland White was busy at a table not far from us. After a while, Katy Daley walked by and Roland and I spent some time chatting with her. Later, Roland, who was a traveling companion with me as a ‘roadie’ when the Nashville Bluegrass Band played some dates in England, generously gave me a copy of a Lester Flatt songbook, one of a handful that he had recently found in his loft. Aren’t bluegrass people so thoughtful and generous?

It wasn’t long afterwards that The Bluegrass Blog team had its first board meeting, so to speak. The minutes indicate that business was swiftly completed with introductions and a check that we all had what was needed for an enjoyable, yet business-like week.

One of the purposes for my attending the Convention was to learn; there was a lot that I either didn’t know or that needed improvement. All right, there still is! But that’s not the fault of seminar panelists or mentors. So, I went along to learn about writing a Press Release. Kudos here to Karen Byrd, the moderator, who provided an agenda and notes for all who attended and, since it was an interactive session, participated. It was a good session and I will refer to the notes repeatedly. (more…)

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder will appear tomorrow (10/25) on the CBS Saturday Early Show.

The show airs live from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. (eastern), but is carried at different times by CBS affiliates across the US.

Check the show schedule online to double check when it will be broadcast in your area.

More big bluegrass doin’s on online radio this Saturday (10/25).

At 1:00 p.m. (EDT) former Foggy Mountain Boys Jody Rainwater and Curly Seckler will join Steep Canyon Rangers for a live set on WSVS AM 800 in Crewe, VA. They will be performing together that evening in nearby Kenbridge, and will offer a taste of the show over the air (steamed live at www.wsvsam.com).

WSVS was the radio home for Flatt & Scruggs in 1954 and ‘55, where they did a live noontime show each weekday and also taped their Martha White shows for WSM in Nashville. Rainwater, who had left the band several years earlier, was a show host on WSVS while Lester and Earl were based in Crewe.

Curly and Jody look forward to spinning yarns about the old days on Saturday’s show, and getting a chance to perform together again backed by a fine young band who learned to play listening to the recordings they had made.

Then at 8:00 p.m. on WNCW in Spindale, NC, Merlefest will announce their artist lineup for 2009. [See update below]

John Adair from Merlefest and Christie Hutchens from Wilkes Community College will be on WNCW’s Martin Anderson to run down all the acts who will be on tap for the festival April 23-26, 2009.

Listen live online at wncw.org.

The lineup will be posted on the Melefest site after the show has concluded on Saturday at 9:00 p.m.

Update 10/26:  Ooops….. The Merlefest radio show is on Tuesday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m.

Richard Matteson JR lives in Louisville, KY. He teaches guitar at a local music store. He began playing bluegrass in the early 1980s with banjoist Derrick Phillips. In 1997 he formed his band, the Bluegrass Messengers. Matteson has published ten books. His most recent book, Bluegrass Picker’s Tunebook, is currently available from Mel Bay Publications.

Aside from his playing and writing, Matteson has begun to promote bluegrass music via the visual arts. In 2006 he began a series of paintings based on traditional American songs. The lyrics of the song are engraved on the canvas in small print and the painting depicts the story of the song. He has painted such bluegrass tunes as: Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Careless Love, Darlin’ Cory, Banjo Pickin’ Girl, and Molly & Tenbrooks. Matteson has kindly shared these five images with us.

Matteson continues to paint other songs while also doing concerts performing the songs he’s already painted while displaying the accompanying artwork. The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum, in Renfro Valley, KY, recently acquired two of Matteson’s paintings for display.

Matteson performed at the museum, displaying all ten of his bluegrass series song paintings, last Satuday Oct. 18th. Director of the museum, Robert Lawson, found the paintings compelling enough that he plans to exhibit Molly and Tenbrooks in the Bill Monroe exhibit area, and is currently working on a new display for Lily May Ledford, which will feature the painting of her song, Banjo Pickin’ Girl.

The paintings may be viewed on Matteson’s new Bluegrass and Artwork Blog.

Attendance figures for the 2008 IBMA World of Bluegrass trade show and Fan Fest have been announced. The big numbers are 19,546 and $4,300,000 - the cumulative daily attendance and the estimated economic impact of the week’s events.

While the move to Nashville from Louisville has generated the four highest attended conventions since the first was held in 1986 in Owensboro, KY, the 2008 numbers do show an attendance decline of nearly 11% from 2007.

This bears out our impression based on both discussions with exhibitors and traffic in the exhibit area this year. Given an uncertain economic climate and then-still high gas prices, I think everyone expected to see a drop for 2008. In truth, I had thought it might have been even steeper.

Our take is that the primary decline was among the non-business and/or part-time professional people - the many folks who typically come to jam, socialize and do a little business as well. The attendance at the official showcases, meals, keynote address and special awards didn’t strike me as off from 2007, nor did the crowds for the late night showcases.

The awards show at the Ryman sold out again, and the only serious complaints we heard came from exhibitors, especially those who depend on the traffic from serious fans and amateur pickers.

Here are the raw numbers as supplied by the IBMA.

Business Conference 2008

• 1729 Unique Attendees (5742 cumulative/4 days)
• 72 Exhibitors
• 19 Showcasing Artists (Avg. Attendance - 700)
• 10 Showcasing Songwriters
• 337 “After Hours” Artist Showcases
• 22 Seminars Attended by 1138
• 151 Mentor Sessions on 33 topics
• 1 Gig Fair (520 appointments for event producers and artists/agents)
• 2 Song Demo Listening Sessions
• 1 Crash Course for New Artists attended by 65
• 1 Crash Course for Songwriters attended by 94
• 1 Leadership Bluegrass “master class” for 38
• 1 General Membership Meeting
• 8 Member Constituency Meetings

IBMA Awards Show

• Attendance – 2,225 (sold out)
• Radio Broadcast on 320+ Network Affiliates (live on XM)
• Largest Broadcast of any Bluegrass Special

Fan Fest 2008

• 4,487 Unique Attendees (11,579 cumulative/3 days)
• Performing Artists - 60+ Acts on Three Stages
• 76 Exhibitors

Bluegrass In The Schools Programs

• Accredited Teacher In-Service Training Program for 52

Dan Hays at IBMA told us that Fan Fest income has not yet been fully tabulated and may not be available to the board for another couple of months.

Punch Brothers fans can check out three live cuts from the guys posted at Daytrotter.com.

There are live versions of Punch Bowl and the first movement of The Blind Leaving The Blind, both tracks from the band’s current CD, Punch. They also cut a version of Wilco’s Poor Places which they have been doing in their live show.

All three are available at Daytrotter for either online streaming or free download.

There are two special bluegrass radio shows on Friday morning (10/24) that will be streamed live online. Unfortunately, their air times coincide, so you’ll have to choose your own best option.

First up at 10:15 a.m., Jeanette Williams will join Carol Beaugard on WFDU to talk about her new CD, Thank You For Caring, and her participation in the third release from the Daughters Of Bluegrass, Bluegrass Bouquet, a celebration of female bluegrass artists and musicians. Music from these recordings will be featured as well.

Then at 11:00 a.m., Carol will welcome the ear-shattering instrumental duo Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile into the WFDU studio. The two have been out in support of their CD, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile, a CD/DVD combo project of mandolin/bass duets, ahead of their final show at Carnegie Hall next week.

Carol is a huge Thile fan so she’s sure to talk about his meteoric career at length, in addition to his current work with Meyer. Expect lots of music early in the show and in the 11:00 hour from the Meyer/Thile album, plus Nickel Creek, the Punch Brothers and Chris’ various solo CDs.

Her show, Lonesome Pine RFD, is broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon (EDT) on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

Also at 11:00 a.m., there will be live music over at WAMU’s Bluegrass Country.

Claire Lynch will be in the studio with host Lee Michael Demsey to spread the word about her show at The Birchmere Friday night. Guitarist Jim Hurst and bass player Mark Schatz will accompany Claire for an impromptu set in WAMU’s Studio 3. They will also talk about what The Claire Lynch Band is up to for the rest of 2008 and beyond, and whatever else Lee Michael might come up with.

You can catch their 24/7 online bluegrass feed at www.bluegrasscountry.org.

All in all, a good morning to tune in online.

Pete Wernick will celebrate 25 years leading instructional camps for banjo pickers when he convenes his Winter Banjo Camps in January 2009. The camps are held in Boulder, CO and separate events are held for beginner, intermediate and advanced players.

Pete has been credited with kicking off the concept of these multi-day workshops in bluegrass, which are now held regularly all over the world for the various bluegrass instruments. He has hosted more than 100 himself over these past 25 years.

You can find details about all of his camps on Pete’s web site.

Our friend Ted Lehmann has posted a very nice overview of the recent IBMA convention in Nashville on his blog.

He titles his piece IBMA - Why You Should Care, and uses nearly fifty of his fine photos to make the point, to wit, that reading online discussions…

“…it’s easy to get the impression that IBMA only gives unsatisfying awards and generates complaints from traditionalists, progressives, neo-proto-pseudo bluegrassers. Instead, what we encountered was a vital organization seeking to increase professionalism, provide opportunities for musicians and promoters to meet and make connections, showcase new and experienced bands, examine the many issues confronting bluegrass music in these difficult times, raise money to support bluegrass people in distress through Fan Fest, and provide a great time for all those who attend. That’s a pretty big agenda, and IBMA fulfilled its goal.”

Ted visited as many of the various World Of Bluegrass Activities as he could, and has photos from the Mentor Sessions, Gig Fair, Exhibit Hall and the official and late night showcases.

He concludes with the statement that titles his piece…

“So why should you care about IBMA? Because it’s about you. If you want to have a voice, IBMA is the place to have it. If you want to learn about the world of bluegrass, IBMA is the place to do it. If you want to luxuriate in an abundance of great bluegrass music from all the schools and strains of the genre, IBMA is the place to hear it. If you want to see your favorites and get a chance to talk with them, IBMA is the place to interact. We’re eager to get on board for next year’s event.”

Read the full piece online.

Mel Bay Publications has released a series of children’s chord books for young pickers getting started on banjo, mandolin or ukulele.

Each book runs 24 pages and presents the chords systematically, starting with simple shapes and moving later to more difficult fingerings. The chords are taught as they relate to common chord progressions and are shown both in extra large diagrams and photographs.

The books sell for $5.99 each and while they were written with young students in mind, Mel Bay suggests that they are “great for beginners of all ages.”

Find details on the banjo, mandolin or ukulele chord books online.

Here’s another happy ending for a stolen instrument alert…

We posted last week about a student at East Tennessee State University whose car was stolen, with her upright bass inside.

As it happens, it looks like the thieves weren’t much interested in the bass, or the car. Jamie Collins, the owner of both, got a call yesterday (10/22) from the police in Bristol, TN saying that they had found the car in a mall parking lot, with “something that looked like a giant violin in the back.”

Jamie should be reunited with her bass today.

Bluegrass Unlimited magazine has a special offer in effect for the rest of October.

Any subscription purchased until October 31 (new or renewal) will qualify for a free compilation CD of their choosing. The choices are sampler discs from Rounder, Rebel and Rural Rhythm Records, each featuring tracks from recently released projects from the labels.

The offer is only available online, and limited to US subscribers.

BU Managing Editor Sharon McGraw tells us that the upcoming November issue has a lengthy cover feature on Cherryholmes written by Casey Henry, and articles on guitarist Jim Hurst and folkgrass trio, Red Molly.

Rounder has announced January 20, 2009 as the release date for a new project from Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press.

Bluegrass & Beyond will feature 12 new tracks from Bobby and his band (Bobby Osborne Jr. on bass, Dana Cupp on banjo, Richard Bennett on guitar, and David Crow on fiddle), with guest appearances from Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, and Rhonda and Darrin Vincent.

Songs include new compositions and Bobby’s covers of hits like Drivin’ My Life Away and Girl from Yesterday. Rounder says that the sound is still vintage Osborne, sticking to the bluegrass and traditional country sound that has marked his music for nearly 60 years.

Track listing:

1. Let’s Sing Our Song
   
2. What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul
   
3. A Wise Man’s Mind Will Change
   
4. You Can
   
5. Different Definition of Love
   
6. Drivin’ My Life Away
   
7. Girl from Yesterday
   
8. Keystone Coal
   
9. After the Fire Is Gone
   
10. Hyden
    
11. Shenandoah Wind
    
12. Way Up on the Mountain

No audio samples online yet.

Rounder Records subtitles banjo man Tony Trischka’s newly-reissued 1985 album Hill Country as The Tony Trischka Bluegrass Album.

That reference doesn’t seem especially startling to modern eyes, following Tony’s success in 2007 with his Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular project, but when Hill Country was initially released on LP in ‘85, it smacked of heresy.

Tony explains why…

“After spending ten years putting out primarily progressive, left of center albums for Rounder, I decided I wanted to do a project that reflected my deep love for traditional bluegrass. I contacted the label and they were all for it.

My goal was to compose all of the music, in various categories……..blues tune, Scruggs/Keith tuner tune, gospel song, Stanleyesque tune, etc. I succeeded in doing that, and added in a traditional fiddle tune, to have a duet.”

In the mid-1980s, the sort of experimental string music we hear regularly now was far more controversial, and for many bluegrass purists the mere notion of one of “those pickers” crossing over to the traditional realm was beyond the pale. Artists like David Grisman, whose own variant on traditional string music was emerging at the time, had gone the opposite way - working initially in bluegrass and moving into what would soon be labeled as Dawg Music after doing his time as a grasser.

Trischka had not only started and stayed in the progressive camp until this time, but his music was more challenging harmonically to the ears of bluegrass fans of that day.

To further break the mold, Tony selected a different set of musicians for these sessions. Up to this point, he had primarily recorded with fellow string music progressives from the northeastern US like Russ Barenberg, Andy Statman, John Miller, Matt Glazer and Evan Stover.

“The majority of the tunes for Hill Country were recorded with the Nashville A team….Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor, with Mark Hembree (Monroe’s bassist around that time) and Sonny Osborne twinning with me on a tune we co-wrote. Two other sessions featured the Johnson Mountain Boys and Del McCoury. (more…)

Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer were the sole guests on Monday’s (10/20) Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, with the full 60 minutes dedicated to the music of their recent CD/DVD project, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile. Host Michael Jonathan also conducts brief interviews with both artists.

Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile features both an audio CD with 12 new compositions the duo wrote for this project, and a 50 minute DVD with rehearsals, performances and behind-the-scenes conversations. All the tunes are performed as duets on mandolin and upright bass.

Video in the Windows Media format can be found on the Woodsongs site.