In bluegrass circles, we are accustomed to the band member merry-go-round that occurs every few years. The Winter of ‘06/’07 has been an especially volatile one in this respect, and it seems that there are still a few shoes left hanging in the air.

The newest entry in the 2006 Bluegrass Band Sweepstakes is Flash Train, from Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, with former members of some of the top acts in the business. Their resumes include time with James King, Lonesome River Band, JD Crowe, Wildfire and The Warrior River Boys.

Flash Train consists of Joe Clark on mandolin, Andy Ruff on dobro, Darrell Webb on guitar, Nicholas Ball on banjo and Jerry Cole on bass.

Their web site is still under construction, but you can contact them from there. They also have a page on MySpace which includes four audio samples from the new band.

As a side note, we hear from Curt Chapman of Wildfire that they have brought in new members and will be continuing on with their own brand of contemporary bluegrass. We expect to be able to announce their new lineup in a few days.