The Summer (July/August) issue of Bluegrass Music Profiles is out, with Cody Shuler of Pine Mountain Railroad on the cover.

Cody discusses his mandolins, the members of Pine Mountain Railroad – including new bass player, Bryan Turner – and their brand new, self-titled project. He also talks about his friendships with Raymond Fairchild and Jimmy Martin.

As is the BMP style, the Shuler piece is presented in an interview format. Here’s just a taste…

BMP: How do you feel about your band’s latest project?

CODY SHULER: The album is self titled, Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about it. The songs are a great fit for our style and I am very pleased with how the album turned out. Most of the songs are written in a traditional style, but performed with a new approach. There are some fast songs, sad songs, happy songs, quartets, and duets. I wanted the album to have some hard driving songs as well as a few gospel tunes. It’s full of music we really love to sing and play so what better than to self title the album. It is us.

How does this one differ from previous PMRR projects?

Well, I guess I could say that this album is different in many ways. For one, the last album, Pickin’, Praisin’, And Singin’ was all gospel, which we enjoyed doing. We were all raised in church and have sung several of those songs many times. It had a lot of quartets and songs with five-part harmony. The CD before that, Alone With Forever, was mostly bluegrass with a few gospel songs. A lot of people really liked it. The main difference in this newest album and the last two is that we have a lot of songs written in the traditional style that are really hard driving. The two albums before didn’t have that. This album really reflects what you will hear in one of our concerts.

Publisher Kevin Kerfoot fills us in on what else you’ll find in this issue of BMP.

“The new issue also includes a Grass Cats color poster, Brenda Lawson’s DJ Profile, interviews with Jamie Johnson of The Grascals and Carolyn Routh of Nu-Blu, a feature on Louie Setzer & The Appalachian Mountain Boys, ShopTalk with Sierra Hull, Bill Emerson and Randy Kohrs Bluegrass Favorites, a Promoter Profile on Michael Johnathon and the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, and Donna Hughes’ Songwriter Profile.”

Find single issue purchase and subscription info online.

Here’s another happy event in the bluegrass world. Maggie and Brian Stephens, bass player and guitarist/mandolinist respectively with Donna Hughes‘ band, are celebrating yesterday’s birth of their first child.

Lilly Kate Stephens was born June 15, weighing in at 7lbs 2oz (19-1/2″ long).

Congratulations, and welcome Lily!

Nu-Blu is yet another talented young bluegrass band, based around the singing of Carolyn and Daniel Routh from North Carolina. The couple have been performing together since 2003 and were married after the release of their first CD, The Grass Still Grows, in 2005.

Their second album, Nights, was to have been released on Pinecastle this Spring, but with the company folding in February, those plans had to be revisited. Nu-Blu was actually the last act to be signed to the label before it closed down, and with the finished project in hand they have decided to put it out themselves.

In addition to the Rouths, the band consists of Kendall Gates on mandolin and Levi Auston on banjo. Daniel Routh plays guitar and Carolyn is on bass. Their music is polished and contemporary, as this sampler from Nights demonstrates.

Nights audio sampler: 

Carolyn shared the story of how she and Daniel started playing music, and eventually fell in love. Their story would make quite a a song in itself.

“Daniel and I met in the fall of 2000 when he was playing banjo with Donna Hughes. I had a Contemporary Christian group and needed a bass player. Daniel learned to play bass to fill the spot. Those first months for us were filled with creative differences but we shared a love for the Lord and the love of music. By 2002 The band, Faithful Journey had switched format and was playing Christian Rock. I had a respect for bluegrass but really had never been a fan until Daniel took me to see Lonesome River Band back during the time that my old friend John Wade was playing bass with them. To say I was hooked by the second song is an understatement. I’ve told Sammy many times that he is directly responsible for my bluegrass addiction.

Shortly after that, Faithful Journey fell apart and Daniel and I continued on with a classic rock band.

Finally in 2003 we could resist the bluegrass urge no longer and formed Nu-Blu. By now because of the music we had become best friends. Thanksgiving weekend 2003 I had two strokes and nearly died. I lost my speech and the use of my right side. Daniel was my constant companion through it all. He never left my side in the months of rehab that followed but there was still no real ‘love interest.’ I really don’t know when I first knew I loved him. It just sort of ‘was.’ (more…)

Last week’s Just Plain Folks Awards in Nashville brought good news to a number of our favorite bluegrass gals.

Donna Hughes, Valerie Smith and Donna Ulisse each won in different categories. Hughes took Bluegrass Album for Gaining Wisdom, Ulisse, Bluegrass Song for I’m Calling Heaven Down, and Smith Gospel Album for Wash Away Your Troubles.

Congratulations, ladies!

Just Plain Folks is a web-based community of musicians, songwriters, artists, publishers, producers, labels and other music business folks. They bill their annual awards as the world’s largest independent awards, with over 560,000 songs and  42,000 albums considered for recognition in the 2009 cycle.

They describe their mission as follows:

1. To provide a networking environment of inclusion and cooperation between our members for the benefit of the group and individuals involved.
2. To share wisdom, ideas and experiences with others who have been there, and to help educate those who have yet to make the journey.
3. To form long term relationships with a myriad of other industry professionals whose talents and efforts need a venue to be enjoyed and benefited from.
4. To set the example for the world of the power of the Internet and total freedom of communication, when it is not restricted by the boundaries of the corporate world, or damaged by the adversarial nature of the music industry in general.
5. To show others that deep down, we are all much more alike than different. The thoughts and hopes and dreams we all share are much the same whether we are Grammy Winners, Hit Songwriters, Industry leading Superstars in our fields, or we are an 11 year old kid with a new dream, or a 78 year old who still dares to dream!
6. And the most important goal: To have a lot of fun doing it!

The Awards Show was held on Saturday (August 29) at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. You can see the complete list of winners (including runner ups) at the JPF web site.