If you are interested in old instruments and the stories behind them, you’ll want to give this a look.

Click on the Episode #2 link in the player.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a music video producer, now’s your chance. Steve wants a music video for his tune Wally on the Run, so he’s holding a contest. You can create your own video to his song and enter to win $1000.

Since the song was written about Steve’s dog Wally, the video must contain one, or more, dogs. You can visit the contest page at DailyMotion.com for more details, and to watch some of the current entries. You’ll also find a link there to a page on Steve’s site where the track Wally on the Run may be downloaded for free during the contest timeframe.

The contest ends December 1, 2009, when Steve will choose the winner. 1st place will receive a cash prize of $1000, and presumably some promotion as the winner. 2nd place will receive $0.99.

Below is a short video from Steve explaining the contest.

Staying Together is one of the tracks on Gene’s latest CD, A Taste Of The Truth, released in August on Schanachie Records.

Their appearance was broadcast nationally via ABC sports.

Nice job, guys!

Here is the first installment, with Sam and the boys laying out a live version of the title track, along with some interview segments with Bush. Scott Vestal is on banjo, Stephen Mougin on guitar, Byron House on bass and Chris Brown on drums.

Sugar Hill also sent some photos from Sam’s album release party in Nashville on October 20. It was a star-studded affair, held at the Sound Emporium, which not only marked the street debut of Circles Around Me, but Sam and Lynn Bush’ 25th wedding anniversary as well.

Donica Christensen at Sugar Hill tells us that it was a fun-filled evening…

“The event was ‘invitation only’ and the guests included press and industry contacts, fellow musicians, and close personal friends of Sam and Lynn.  Sam’s record was played throughout the evening, and since it was also an anniversary party – we had a mic set up for toasts.  There were some great ones, including Garth Fundis, Dan Hays, Jerry Douglas, Rob McCoury, Guthrie Trapp, Jeff Hanna, and more.”

UPDATE 12:55 p.m. – Sam Bush has offered Bluegrass Blog readers a free download from his web site. Just go to sambush.com, and enter ‘bluegrassblog’ on the home page for a free download of Midnight on the Stormy Deep from Circles Around Me.

NFR head honcho Tim Shelton is mighty pleased with the result, and he shared a few words with us about it.

“The song was written by Tim Stafford and the first time I heard it I loved it. I’m a sucker for sad songs and this song just sounds sad. The video was directed by Matt Zervos and myself, and it’s pretty much a storyline/performance video.

Watching it, I think about a prank we pulled on our banjo player, Josh Miller. The last day of the shoot was done at the Zervos family home and they’ve got a long driveway with a big iron gate at the entrance of it. The gate has a big Z in the middle of it. We were all there waiting on Josh, and upon his arrival the gate was closed and Joe Booher told him the only way to open the gate was by walking up and placing his hand on the big Z.  And he did, so there he was standing with an instrument in one hand and his other hand on the Z waiting to get in…of course all he had to do was punch in the code next to the gate to get in, but we were all in the house looking out the window watching him… funny stuff.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Loveless returned to her traditional roots for her Mountain Soul album, released in 2001. That CD featured the talents of Earl Scruggs, Travis Tritt, Ricky Skaggs, Jon Randall, Stuart Duncan, Ron Ickes, and Jeff White on a set of bluegrass-flavored music. It was a critically-acclaimed success, fairly well-supported by Epic Records, and Patty took a string band out with her to tour.

Just last month, she released a follow-up, Mountain Soul II, another rousing set of bluegrass and traditional country music. Many of the songs are new, and the sound is acoustic, sincere and mighty powerful. Like Volume I, this one is produced by Patty’s husband, Emory Gordy Jr., and includes contributions from Rob Ickes, Jon Randall plus Vince Gill, Carl Jackson, Bryan Sutton, Mike Auldridge and Emmylou Harris.

Here’s a video of Patty in the studio, tracking Working On A Building with Del and Ronnie McCoury, and talking about how she came to include this song.

Audio for several complete tracks can be heard on Patty’s web site.

It will be the first from their upcoming Susanville CD, due for release later this month on Pinecastle Record.

Brandi filled me in on this evening’s plans…

“There will be a concert scene and an outdoor campfire jam scene tonight.

We’re inviting our friends & fans to join us… just simply being themselves and having fun listening to the music. We even have fans driving over from Virginia to make an appearance.  It’s going to be a really great time, and everyone is welcome.

The director simply asks that folks arrive between 6:30-7:30 p.m. (DCT) and avoid wearing logos.  Also, he requests that everyone please wear dark colors (blacks, greys, reds, dark blues).  We would suggest that folks wear layers because it will be cold tonight!”

Brandi also sent along a few photos of the early excitement…

The song will be included on their upcoming CD, Grown Up – A Revisionist History. In keeping with the Chapmans’ personality, the video is a fun, lighthearted piece – as befits the theme of the next album.

Jeremy Chapman describes it thusly…

“It’s our 20th anniversary CD featuring a new take on some of the early songs we played when we were kids.  We thought it would be fun to see what we could make of those old songs with the skills we’ve picked up over the years. It’s also the only way we ever would have picked Bubble Gum Baby to record, which I’m glad we did, because I think it turned out really cool, and fun.

Once we completed recording, we recruited the skills of Sid McGregor to direct a music video, and I think he and his crew came up with the perfect video for the song.”

Here’s a taste from their video tease.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The song is Saga Of The Old West, one Martin wrote, which is included on his current banjo CD, The Crow. He also performed it with the Rangers on the IBMA Awards Show last Thursday night in Nashville.

The two acts are on tour for the next six weeks or so, with dates across the US, plus stops in Canada and the UK. Find the tour info online.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’ll have an interview with the band’s “utility infielder,” John McEuen,  as a part of our IBMA Red Carpet coverage, which will be posted over the course of this week and next. McEuen was at IBMA last week to help promote the band’s new CD, and Steve Martin’s banjo CD, The Crow, which he co-produced with Tony Trischka and Pete Wernick.

John plays banjo, fiddle, mandolin and resonator guitar with the band, and is their most direct connection to the bluegrass world.

You can hear audio samples from Speed Of Life on the Dirt Band web site, and here is a behind-the-scenes video from the tracking sessions.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Casey Driessen takes us along as he and Luke Bulla journey to Scottsburg, IN and the shop of noted violinmaker John Silakowski to check out some new 5-string fiddles.

Watch and listen as he tries to narrow it down – which one will he choose?

Click here to view the embedded video.

This time out, they have a grassed-up version of the familiar Hush Little Baby.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“After a bit of a delay (due to artistic differences over the use of a drum ‚Äì now happily resolved!) The Bluegrass Babies launch their second video HUSH (little baby). This time they are in quieter (but not too quiet) mode with their gently rocking version of this much loved lullaby.”

Wonderful stuff… hat’s off to Roberts and Castle!

Bubble Gum Baby is track 5 from their newest CD Grown up (A Revisionist History). From the look of the photos, it looks as though the video will share some elements with the CD cover design.

The photo gallery on the band’s facebook page includes 17 photos. Some give you an idea of what the video should look like, others give you a behind the scenes look at the technical aspects of making the video, and still others show you what’s really happening at these video shoots! Take, for instance, this photo.

If you would like to see the rest of the photos from the video shoot, just visit The Chapman’s on Facebook.

We’ll be sure to bring you news of the video once it’s released.

The video is for Carolina Rain, from their current CD, Somewhere In Between. It was written by Becky Buller, and directed by Demetria Kolodimas and Carlos Torres of Genuine Human Productions.

It features eldest daughter Melissa as the lead vocalist, who plays bass with the group. Her husband Kyle Triplett plays banjo, with sisters Lindsey on mandolin, and Emily and Alysha on fiddles. Dad (Phil) and Mom (Dorene) both play guitar.

Phil tells us that they got their start in 2004 from humble beginnings.

“The Bankester Family really is one of those bands that was discovered in the parking lot at a small bluegrass festival. We only knew two songs at the time, but it was enough to get us hired for our first gig.”

Five years, hundreds of shows, thousands of miles, eleven states, two CDs, two vans and one son-in-law later, the family has matured into an fine band, as evidenced by their selection out of 120 entrants to showcase at IBMA this year.

Their showcase performance is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 9:00 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of The Renaissance Hotel.

Here’s the video…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s C-Sky, at their headbanging best.

Here’s Sam backstage at the Opry contemplating the award and its implications…

Sam Bush is giving away a pair of tickets to the show, held this Saturday (9/12) in Nashville. If you’ll be in town, enter online to grab a pair of seats – plus two for a future Nashville Symphony concert.

Sam has also released two more videos in his Ask Sam Anything series, where he responds to fan-submitted questions. First up is his answer to “What made you want to play music?”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Disc 1 contains a good deal of instruction in the areas of technique, practice routines, ear training, transposing tunes to various keys, etc. Examples are given using familiar bluegrass tunes such as 9lb Hammer, Banks of the Ohio, and continues on disc two with Pretty Polly.

Following all that instruction, Jim then teaches several of his most requested tunes, to round out the program.

The video trailer for the project was just finished yesterday and we’ve got an exclusive look at it for our readers here on The Bluegrass Blog. This is just a short showcase of the techniques and tunes you’ll learn on this DVD.

Enjoy…

Click here to view the embedded video.

John adds: Is this April Fools Day and I didn’t notice?