Cherryholmes will be appearing on tonight’s Tuesday Grand Ole Opry, in the initial segment that airs from 8:00-8:30 p.m.
The Opry broadcast is available over the air in the Nashville market on WSM AM 650, and simulcast worldwide via online streaming at wsmonline.com. It can also be heard live on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville).
The band has continued to offer some sneak peeks from their next CD on YouTube. Throughout the video clips posted so far, they have refered to the project as Cherryholmes III, but that may just be the working title for this next Skaggs Family project.
In this clip, we see guest artist Rob Ickes preparing to track his part on the uptempo bluegrass song, Traveler.
You can see all of the video clips on the Skaggs Family YouTube channel.
Cherryholmes also has a UK tour scheduled for this summer, doing shows in both Wales and England prior to their big show at the Cambridge Folk Festival at the end of July. You can see a list of their UK dates at ukbluegrass.com.
In an interesting twist of fate, we found a connection between two recent stories that had run on The Bluegrass Blog earlier this month.
Faithful readers will recall the story from May 7 about North Carolina mandolinist John Santa and his new book of nonfiction, Bluegrass Is My Second Language. On May 8, we had a piece about The Baghdad Bad Boys, a group of US servicemen stationed in Iraq who get together regularly to pick some bluegrass.
Not long after that pair of stories were posted, we heard back from Santa that Lt. Col. Greg Rawlings - who is quoted in the piece about bluegrass in Baghdad - had become a new friend of his, and further, that a group with whom John is affiliated was partly responsible for getting musical instruments and accessories into the hands of the G.I.s in Iraq. To make the coincidence complete, Santa told us that he and Rawlings had become acquainted through his book.
“When Greg went over to Baghdad he complained that the instruments there were in terrible shape so my group, The RDU Session Players went to work.”
I asked Santa to tell me a bit more about this group, and how they had contributed to bluegrass in Baghdad, and he shared this wonderful story - in the same roundabout, narrative style as he tells the many others in Bluegrass Is My Second Language.
“The RDU Session Players is a group I started many years ago, and which is described in more detail in my book.
I write music for films and commercials, and as I got more successful I was able to bring in some of the better local players to work on projects with me. We would knock out the music for the client pretty quickly (like I said, these players were the best of the best), and then sit around and play and always end up saying (as they were packing up their gear) we need to do this more often.
So I started inviting them over once a month and as we got older and they found better ways to make a living in music rather than constantly being on the road, more and more of them came to play. For a long time I didn’t allow spectators on the grounds that the best music played was played FOR musicians and BY musicians at three in the morning. Then one late spring night my neighbors down the street rolled in about 2 AM and saw us outside on the car port and walked up and sat down in the middle of a long jam. (more…)
posted by John on 05.14.08 @ 11:05 am Tags: EBMA, EWOB
Jan de Mooy from The Netherlands sent along a number of terrific photos he took during the European World of Bluegrass festival in Voorthuizen earlier this month.
He captured images of of 12 different bands on stage, from 9 different European countries.
Here are the photos, tagged with his comments. Thanks Jan!
Chris Pandolfi, banjo player with The Infamous Stringdusters, is debuting his talent as a documentary filmmaker during the band’s current European tour. He will be posting video updates on YouTube while the band is overseas, with the first three available now online.
This initial installment covers their first two days in Germany, with a bit of live show footage and their attempts at learning a bit of German.
We’ll have more Infamous Stringdusters video later this morning, along with a chance to win in our new ‘Dusters promotion. Check back later for details.
No matter where you find yourself in the world, a bluegrass jam is sure to lift your spirits. We often take for granted the availability of jam sessions here in the US, while our overseas contemporaries are somewhat harder pressed to find a picking. Imagine the difficulty if you’re a soldier stationed in Iraq.
This morning a story came to my attention of a regular bluegrass jam at Camp Victory in Baghdad. A group of US soldiers calling themselves alternately The Baghdad Bad Boys, or The Stained-Glass Bluegrass, meet regularly in the camp chapel for bluegrass night.
The soldiers love this gathering because it relaxes the tensions of the work place, which for them might be a tad more tension than any of us are used to day in and day out! And in the words of Lt. Col. Greg Rawlings from Fort Bragg,
It keeps me from choking people during the week.
The Fayetteville Observer ran the story, and has even posted a YouTube clip of the soldiers jamming on Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Be sure to stop by the YouTube site and leave a comment encouraging these brave soldiers and letting them know we appreciate them.
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant were featured on the BBC One TV programme Later …. With Jools Holland on Tuesday night, May 6.
The duo, currently on tour in Europe performed two songs, Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) and One Woman Man.
Holland conducted a brief interview with the couple also during the half hour show. Also on Tuesday’s programme was Emmylou Harris, accompanied by Buddy Miller, singing Gold.
Krauss and Plant, who were supported by the likes of T Bone Burnett, Dennis Crouch, Stuart Duncan, Jay Bellerose and Buddy Miller, will be guests of Jools Holland again on BBC Two Friday, May 9, 11.35 p.m. (GMT), during which they will sing Killing The Blues.
The Later show posted a preview clip on their web site from tomorrow night’s show.
Singer/songwriter Liz Meyer wrote in to let us know how the EWOB festival went this past weekend.
She tells us the weather was great in Voorthuizen and the music was even better. For three days this small Dutch town was teaming with bluegrass musicians from all over the world. 41 bands from 15 different countries, including three US bands, participated in the festivities.
These three days, May 1-3, were the culmination of a month of bluegrass celebrations that took place as part of the European World of Bluegrass. It also served as the kickoff for bluegrass month in Europe. During the month of May there are 195 European festivals and events where fans will be able to take in some good bluegrass on the old continent.
One of the most exciting parts of the EWOB festival is the European Bluegrass Band competition.
Winners are chosen each year by the musicians performing at the festival. The first place winner each year is invited to perform at the IBMA World of Bluegrass the following year. Here are this year’s winners.
European Bluegrass Band 2008: ACOUSTICURE (Hungary)
European Bluegrass Band 2008: 4-WHEEL DRIVE (The Netherlands)
The #1 European Bluegrass Band 2008, Acousticure, is the first bluegrass band from Hungary to appear at this colorful international gathering, performing at the past 2 European World of Bluegrass Festivals. An energetic 4-piece group of impressive multi-instrumentalists, Acousticure keeps the sound crew hopping with frequent instrument changes. Their young spokesman, mandolin-fiddler-guitarist Zsolt Pinter, has spent enough time in the USA to speak English like a native, and has a remarkable command of bluegrass-country vocals. Acousticure’s musical vision playfully fuses bluegrass influences from old-time to newgrass, often incorporating their native Hungarian folk music. (An example of the latter, Kis Kece Lanyom, can be heard on the European World of Bluegrass 2007 CD from Strictly Country Records.) The US bluegrass scene will get a chance to experience Acousticure onstage in Nashville at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass convention in October 2009, where they will perform as the #1 European Bluegrass Band.
The professional band awards aren’t the only awards given during EWOB though. Each year the festival audience selects their favorite groups from among the showcase performances. Call it a Fan’s Choice Awards if you will. This year’s winners are:
posted by John on 04.23.08 @ 10:58 am Tags: G2, Jens Koch
Here’s a cautionary tale for bluegrass musicians who also like to try their hand at risky extreme sports. It comes from Jens Koch, the superb young banjo player with Swedish bluegrass group, G2.
Three years ago - before G2 caught the ears of fans and critics alike at EBMA and IBMA - he broke his left wrist horribly in a snowboarding accident. Two bones snapped, and though the bones were set, they didn’t heal properly, requiring that they be re-broken and rebuilt.
“They transplanted some bone from my hip to my wrist so that the radius bone would be long enough, and have the right angle.
Then they used some metal screws and plates (pre-war, of course…I’ve been told it was titanium from Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory in the 30s) to fasten it all together.”
He was unable to play at all for six weeks after the accident, and tells us that after the hardware was installed, played in pain for the next two years.
“The tendons in my wrist and forearm had constantly been grinding on those screws and the plate, causing pain and inflammation. But finally, after a long wait, I got them taken out.
What a relief!! I felt a difference right away because my fingers run a little smoother.”
Though winter sports are a big thing in Sweden, Jens says that he now considers himself a former snowboarder, and agrees that bluegrass music and extreme sports aren’t a good mix.
“Maybe we should all stick to golf or…building snowmen.”
G2, along with the newly restored Koch wrist, will be an invited showcase act at the 2008 IBMA World Of Bluegrass convention in Nashville this fall. Audio samples from their debut release, Where The Tall Grass Grows, can be found on the band’s web site.
The European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) has a very comprehensive European festival schedule online on their new website. The listing provides information regarding each concert, including the date, location, name of the event, appropriate website or email link, and additional comments about the event. Listings are provided through the end of calendar year 2008.
In addition to the listing of events, the site also has a thorough guide for US bands interested in touring Europe. The guide includes information regarding venues, travel logistics, lodging, traveling with instruments, merchandise sales, and tips on the various cultural differences you might encounter.
If you’re in Europe, or considering a summer vacation there, and would like to take in a bluegrass festival or concert, be sure to consult their listing of events.
If you think you’d like to take your band to Europe on a performance tour, this guide should provide valuable information.
As the International Bluegrass Music Association is at pains to remind us, bluegrass music is a truly worldwide phenomenon. Though the IBMA is based in the US, and the largest part of the membership resides here, no small part of their focus is on the furtherance of the music outside of this country.
The continued growth of the Eurpean Bluegrass Music Association is but one example of those efforts bearing fruit. As is, in a smaller way, this story we received from Sharon Lombardi in France about a recent workshop in Belgium.
As usual, this workshop was entirely devoted to acoustic instruments, such as guitar, fiddle, double-bass and harmonica. As far as the bluegrass part was concerned, we came close to a full bluegrass band. Not only could you attend Roberto Dalla Vecchia’s guitar workshop, Jean-Marie Redon’s banjo workshop or Jesper Rübner-Petersen’s mandolin workshop, but also the brand-new resophonic guitar workshop, taught by Henrich Novak.
Almost one hundred and thirty students came from all over Europe and even the United States and spent a week attending workshops, concerts and even jamming.
It was the seventh year that Jean-Marie Redon led the banjo workshop. It was so popular that it was full only a few days after registration had started.
The next workshop is scheduled for the first week of April 2009 and you can register from January 2009.
Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone was among the winners in this past weekend’s JUNO Awards ceremonies in Calgary. The awards are given by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) each year to Canadian recording artists and professionals for excellence in pop, jazz, classical, rock, country and a variety of roots and traditional music forms.
Stone received the Instrumental Album Of The Year award for his CD Utmost, which CARAS described thusly on its site:
A masterful banjoist, composer, educator, Stone’s music is steeped in the repertoire, technique, and lore of old-time and bluegrass music. He has studied with banjo elders Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, and Bill Evans, as well as luminaries Bill Frisell and Dave Douglas. Though he is best known for his roots/jazz band Tricycle, his new album, The Utmost, features inventive roots music and a fresh new, sound.
Jayme’s next project is the culmination of his extensive travels in western Africa, researching the banjo’s roots, meeting and collaborating with African players, and writing/recording with them in the process. You can read the banjo travelogues that he prepared during his African visit last Spring here on The Bluegrass Blog.
He will also be featured in an upcoming CBC concert in Winnipeg that will showcase a wide variety of banjo music, including performances by Stone, Cathy Fink and Leonard Podolak among others. The concert will be recorded for a later Canada Live broadcast on CBC.
Look for details about the new CD (due 6/28) and Stone’s fall US tour to appear soon on his web site.
posted by John on 04.07.08 @ 10:36 am Tag: Niall Toner
One of Ireland’s most prominent bluegrass artists is Niall Toner, and he is set to release his third CD of original music later this month. Niall tells us that the new project features ten songs and two instrumentals, and will be on the Avalon Records label.
He also invites everyone to visit the Niall Toner Band MySpace page, where you can view a documentary film about the band.
The documentary was filmed at the 2007 Athy Bluegrass Festival by a local young lady called Kate Bradbury. She is a specialist in Marine Biology, and this was her first venture with a band. I had sent her a couple of our CDs, and she loved the music, and offered to come to the festival and do some shooting. The Carlton Hotel in Athy, where all the gigs for the Festival were staged, were also very accommodating, and they allowed us to use their Library room. Kate also filmed a short part of our live set in the Hotel Bar. Kate did the editing herself, and we were so pleased with the results, we decided to put the two pieces up on our MySpace page.
posted by Brance on 03.28.08 @ 8:16 am Tag: Industry News
Dutch country and bluegrass periodical, Country Gazette, is scheduled to publish it’s last issue next month. The magazine has been in publication for 35 years, covering all things country and bluegrass in Northern Europe. On April 26, 2008, the May/June issue number 368 will be the last one.
Publishers Hans and Jannie van Dam are retiring, and have not found anyone to take over publication of the magazine. They have spent a great many years supporting the music and I’m sure fans and subscribers will be sorry to see them go.
The last issue promises a complete overview of festival and concert dates for the calendar year 2008, along with suggested websites and other resources for fans to continue keeping up with the music in the future.
We posted last month about British bluegrass twins The Carrivick Sisters competing on the Upstaged program on BBC TV. The show is a talent competition and Laura and Charlotte were selected to compete in the finals after their initial appearances.
The final stages of the show occur this week, and the sisters competed today (3/26). They will be closed up in a glass box performing for six hours while the cameras rolled.
“The time has finally come and we will be reentering the Upstaged box on Wednesday the 26th. Then if we win, we will be back on Saturday - then if we win that it’s Sunday! We are up against Dizzi Dulcimer on Wednesday, then depending on who wins, it would be Badger Trap or Raving Loonies Stole My Heart. If we get to the actual final then we are most likely to come up against the Vloggers. They have around 30,000 fans between them and kept winning no matter what they did taking 95% of the vote. We were getting 80% so we need all the help we can get! So tell all your friends and family and hopefully we can win this! The website is www.bbc.co.uk/upstaged for those who are new to all this and it only takes a minute to register. The show starts at around 3.30pm. (GMT).”
Anyone can register and cast a vote, so let’s keep the bluegrass going in this competition!
A new festival has been announced for November of 2008, which the promoters describe as the first of its kind. The Thailand Country Bluegrass Music Festival will be held in Pakchong, about 100 miles northeast of Bangkok, November 1-3.
According to the festival organizer, Thanit Tanitapanee, there is a growing interest in country and bluegrass music - and “cowboy culture” - throughout Thailand, and he is hopeful of finding 1,000 people or more in attendance when the festival debuts later this year.
“Me and my friends are working to make it happen. Because we love country and bluegrass music and we like all the musicians and the bands to get their show on stage.
The Festival would be held in Pakchong (well known for the Khao Yai World Heritage Park) 160 Kms. from Bangkok. Pakchong now names ‘Cowboy Town.’ “
Tanitapanee invites any bands or musicians who would like to perform on the festival to either contact him by email, or post a note on the blog he has set up to promote the event. He is also eager to hear from potential sponsors for the festival.
Lets hope this is only the beginning for bluegrass fests in Thailand!
posted by John on 03.03.08 @ 8:47 am Tag: Lovell Sisters
We just received an email from a show promoter in Norway announcing that The Lovell Sisters would be spending two weeks touring Norway and Belgium in September of 2008.
There is nothing up yet on the sisters’ official web site - they only list dates through August - so keep an eye on that site for further details.
posted by John on 02.28.08 @ 10:23 am Tag: Niall Toner
We received a note from our friend Richard Hawkins who runs the Bluegrass Ireland Blog, and posts at the European Bluegrass Blog, about a bluegrass connection to last weekend’s Academy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. Richard pointed out that one of the writers of the award for Music (Song), Glen Hansard, is a former member of Ireland’s Niall Toner Band.
Toner is a longtime singer and songwriter in Ireland who Hawkins describes as the godfather of Irish bluegrass.
Hansard and fellow songwriter and Marketa Irglova won for the song Falling Slowly from the movie, Once. You can see a live performance video of the song on the Fox Searchlight web site.
posted by John on 02.27.08 @ 10:12 am Tag: Cherryholmes
The various live performances from the recent Celtic Connections festival in Scotland that have been aired on BBC Scotland can be accessed online.
Cherryholmes is among the acts whose appearances were aired, and three songs from their set (Black & White, Turn Me Down and Tell Me Why) can be seen on the BBC site.
Performances from The Packway Handle Band are also featured, including a couple of web exclusive videos.
Banjoist Jayme Stone and mandolinist John Reischman each received a JUNO nomination from The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences last week. The awards, which celebrate the work of Canadian musical artists, will be announced at the 37th annual JUNO Awards gala on April 6, 2008 in Calgary, AB.
Stone is nominated for his CD, The Utmost, in the Instrumental Album Of The Year category and Reischman in the Roots & Traditional Album Of The Year: Group category for the Stellar Jays project with his group, The Jaybirds.
Our friend Laura Leder from Cool Mandolin Company emailed recently to ask us to remind students of bluegrass and old time music - both here in the US, and in the UK and Europe - about Sore Fingers Week 2008.
The annual event will be held March 24-28 in Oxfordshire (UK), with classes offered in a residential setting over five days for fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, resophonic guitar, bass, singing and autoharp. The faculty is drawn from top performers from both sides of the Atlantic.
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We received a note from our friend Richard Hawkins who runs the 
