Great news for Seldom Scene fans…

SCENEchronized, their first CD of new recordings since 2000, is expected from Sugar Hill Records on August 14.

This new Scene project will contain 13 tracks, with songs from Paul Craft, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard and Donna Hughes. It also features a number of tributes to founding member, the late John Duffey, with refashioned versions of two songs he recorded with The Country Gentlemen and one he wrote and cut with the original Scene 34 years ago.

On this list is Katy Dear, one of my favorite Country Gentlemen songs ever. Current guitarist Dudley Connell explains how they came to choose this song, and record it with 3 part harmony start to finish.

“We all knew this one from the Gentlemen, and we would pull it out from time to time just for the sheer pleasure of harmonizing together.”

Lou Reid adds his homage to Duffey with a redo of This Morning At Nine, and Fred Travers sings Don’t Bother With White Satin, a John Duffey/Ann Hill composition that had appeared on their Act III album in 1973.

“I brought this song up with Duffey right after I joined the group [in 1995],” says Connell. “And he said that whenever he sang it, he only got a smattering of applause, so we never did it with Duffey. But now when we sing it live, it goes over really well.

Fred really nails it. I swear, it’s like he’s channeling Duffey.”

In true Seldom Scene fashion, they include a couple of rock/pop songs turned bluegrass: John Fogerty’s A Hundred And Ten In The Shade; Please Be With Me, recorded by both Eric Clapton and The Allman Brothers; Bob Dylan’s Tomorrow Is A Long Time.

Members of Seldom Scene are Dudley Connell (guitar), Lou Reid (mandolin), Fred Travers (dobro), Ronnie Simpkins (bass), and lone remaining original member, Ben Eldridge (banjo).

We couldn’t find any audio samples online yet, but we’ll be sure to post back when we do.