Once again, Special C mandolinist Ashby Frank will be sharing his impressions of the band’s European tour with the readers of The Bluegrass Blog. He left from Nashville this past Wednesday, and sent his first travelogue installment from just outside Copenhagen in Denmark.

Tuesday night was another blast at Mashville, even though I’m still fighting off the remnants of the IBMA bug. The lineup was Josh Williams, Jenee Fleenor, Randy Barnes, Thomas Wywrot and myself. We went a little bit late with the show because our resident “country star” and good friend Dierks Bentley made an appearance and brought a crew from CBS Sunday Morning with him to film his activities for the night. They set up all kinds of lights and did some interviewing, so our break was a little longer than normal, but it didn’t really bother anybody. I’m not sure when it will air, but look for Dierks Bentley with the Mashville Brigade on CBS Sunday Morning some time in the near future! hehe

Got home around 1:30, and Wednesday I slept until 9:30 or 10 and got up to finish packing then it was off the the airport. Our flight to Chicago left around 4pm CST and landed safely an hour and a half later, and then we had a little layover at O’Hare before the 8 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I tried to get a little sleep towards the end of the flight, but woke up around 2AM my time, or 9AM Frankfurt time for the breakfast that the crew was serving. We landed around 11AM Frankfurt time, and then our fearless leader Greg gathered the rental van, and we were off to Denmark!

None of us had much sleep, but we had a 9 hour drive ahead of us. We went from Frankfurt through Hannover, then had a quick schnitzel at some road side place, and then it was on to the ferry station towards Denmark.

By the time we got on the ferry we had all been up and traveling for well over 24 hours, minus a few uncomfortable naps here and there. We still had a few hours to go before we arrived here, outside of Copenhagen. There was a little bluegrass welcome committee to greet us, and give us the keys to this hostel-like place where we’re staying.

This is my first time in Denmark, and just like most everywhere I’ve been over here in Europe they speak enough English to help me get around and everyone is very helpful. Had a great breakfast already today, and now it’s time for a little rest before the show tonight.

Battery’s about to die, and I’m power adapter-less at the moment, so that’s all for now.

Hopefully I can update again soon! Goodbye from Denmark!

Chris Pandolfi has now posted the third installment in his video travelogue of The Infamous Stringdusters’ summer tour of the western US.

This time out, we find the guys at the Northwest String Summit in North Plains, OR. See our heroes prepare for the fest with a Quickie Mart stop, creating an improvised set list, and covering Jerry Reed’s marvelous song, The Likes Of Me – also famously recorded by Tony Rice.

Dale Ann Bradley graces the cover of the latest edition of Bluegrass Unlimited.

The August 2009 issue also includes a lengthy article about Bradley by Larry Nager, which chronicles her career in bluegrass from her early days with the New Coon Creek Girls through her latest compass CD, Don’t Turn Your Back, and her ongoing struggle with diabetes.

There is also a fascinating travelogue written by Dan Loftin, Nashville photographer and teller of tall tales, about his road trip with Jim Mills to shoot some of the pre war banjos for Mills’ book, Gibson’s Original Mastertones: Flathead 5-String Banjos of the 1930s-40s.

Casey Henry has a piece on dance troupe Footworks, and Murphy Henry has one on bluegrass pioneer Gloria Belle. Regular features include the BU personal appearance calendar, Notes & Queries and the monthly National Bluegrass Survey chart, where Lonesome River Band continues their run at #1 with Them Blues from their No Turning Back CD.

In discussing the August issue with BU Managing Editor Sharon McGraw, it came out that this cover is the second of three in a row that will feature female artists – a first from the magazine. Valerie Smith and Becky Buller had the July cover, and Claire Lynch will be there for September.

You can read the cover story on Dale Ann, and find subscription and single issue purchase information on the Bluegrass Unlimited web site.

Chris Pandolfi has sent along the second video installment in his Infamous Stringdusters travelogue, chronicling the band’s ongoing tour of the western US.

It’s a fun look at the way the guys interact with each other off stage, and shows some of their day off adventures in Colorado.

See the first installment here.