I’ve had occasion this week to speak with both Alan Bibey and Wayne Benson, two of the premier mandolinists playing bluegrass today. They are teaming up this year for a number of projects sure to be of interest to students of the mandolin, and folks who just love to hear them played.
Within the next several months, Al and Wayne will start work on a new twin mandolin project for Pinecastle Records. Their intent is to write some new music together, and arrange some more with harmony parts for mandolin duets.
Al said that they will have Ron Stewart on banjo, Stewart Duncan on fiddle, Tony Rice on guitar and Barry Bales on bass. He and Wayne will be featured on nearly all the members of the mandolin family and the material is expected to be largely grassy with a few ventures just a bit outside.
If all goes well, you can hope to see this new mando duo CD in the spring of ‘09.
The discussions about the CD have led the pair to also team up for a number of mandolin workshops with the first scheduled for March 26 in Woodstock, GA. The format will have them teaching both an hour long beginner and an advanced/intermediate class following a Q&A with the two of them together. Students who take the beginner or advanced classes will have the chance to spend time with both Wayne and Alan, and the evening will conclude with a duo concert.
Anyone who would like to attend should contact Dan Connell at 678-643-7531. If you are interested in hosting one of their joint mandolin workshops, contact Alan for details.
Our Grasstowne buddies, Alan Bibey and Phil Leadbetter, both contacted us earlier this week mentioning the big doin’s in Bristol, TN on Saturday (1/26).
It’s the 3rd annual Pickin’ at the Paramount all star show where top bluegrass artists get together for two shows, performing together in round robin-type groupings quite different from the way fans are used to seeing them.
Artists involved in this year’s show include Mike Bub, Tim Laughlin, Ron Stewart, Adam Steffey, Jim Hurst, Dale Ann Bradley, Bradley Walker, Alecia Nugent, Terry Baucom, Phil Leadbetter, Alan Bibey, David Talbot, Missy Raines, Ricky Wasson, Kenny & Amanda Smith and Josh Williams. Cindy Baucom will be the emcee.
If you live within a comfortable drive’s distance of Bristol, this show would be well worth the trip. Shows are at 3:00 and 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Center for the Arts, a restored art deco movie house from the 1920’s.
More details about online ticket purchasing can be found on The Paraount site.
Mando monster Alan Bibey has recently added a free tab section on his new web site, where he also plans to offer tips for mandolinists.
The first two transcriptions posted are for mandolin tunes Alan has written and recorded: Shoot The Moon (co-written by Ronnie Bowman) from the first BlueRidge CD, Common Ground, and Grasstowne City Limits from the debut Grasstowne release, The Road Headin’ Home.
posted by Guest Contributor on 12.25.07 @ 8:00 am Tags: Alan Bibey, XMAS 07
Here is a Christmas memory from master mandolinist Alan Bibey, who performs with Grasstowne.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of great Christmas memories, but here are some of my earliest recollections.
Every Christmas as a kid was spent at my Grandparent’s. My Dad, my cousins and I would sit around jamming until time to eat, which ended up being hours if we got there early enough. I always pushed to get there as early as possible because we’d get previews of dinner while we played if we were real cool about it. Which I doubt I ever was BUT…
Occasionally Papa or Granny would come in and ask us to play a particular tune but mainly we were playing because it was just so much fun!
Christmas always brings back memories of why I play to start with, and reminds me of what a great time we had back then, as well as what a great family I’ve been blessed with.
The guys in Grasstowne recently had a video bio completed and graciously consented to allow us to present it here for our readers.
The video features interviews with Steve Gulley, Alan Bibey, and Phil Leadbetter, interspersed with performances from a festival in Virginia as well as IBMA in Nashville. The result is a three minute video that should be of interest to fans of the band or the respective pickers. If you’re not a fan, check it out, you might just become one!
The new CD from Dwight McCall just landed in my mailbox over the weekend. The CD is titled Never Say Never Again, taking it’s name from the second song on the recording. Today is the release date for this recording, so it should be available now. It’s released on the Rural Rhythm label.
Dwight has been playing mandolin and singing with J.D. Crowe’s band The New South for several years now. Fans of Dwight’s first solo recording, Kentucky Peace of Mind, will want to get this new CD.
The recording includes a total of 14 songs ranging from the traditional Blue Eyed Boston Boy to the more contemporary feeling title cut written by Wayne Winkle and Craig Market. One track I’m especially excited about is Logan’s Crossroad written by Mike Evens and published by Brinksongs. This is a great Civil War song telling the story of a long battle that saw the loss of “many good men.” I’ve loved this tune since I first heard the demo a year ago.
Another cut worth mention is the classic Michael Martin Murphy tune Lost River. I remember this cut from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and it’s always been a favorite. Dwight’s version begins with an incredible mandolin kick-off from mando master Alan Bibey, and the rest of the track lives up to the standard set by Alan. The ending solo section, split by Alan’s mandolin and Ron Stewart’s banjo, is sure to bring to a smile your face. This cut was a highlight for me.
Two of the 14 songs are gospel, one written by Jon Weisberger and the other penned by Dwight himself. The later, He Never Turned Away, is one of the more uptempo songs on the CD and one I would list as a favorite.
The traditional tune, Little Bessie, is the last song I’ll mention. The harmony singing on this tune is excellent, featuring Dwight on lead and baritone vocals, and Rickey Wasson filling in the low tenor. It’s also my favorite mix on the entire CD with the solos out front and the rhythm pounding.
Overall this is a strong outing for Dwight, which finds him surrounded by stellar musicians on each track.
The artists featured on the disc include:
Dwight McCall: mandolin and vocals
Alan Bibey: mandolin
Ron Stewart: banjo, fiddle and mandolin
Harold Nixon: bass
Brian Stephens: guitar
Randy Kohrs: dobro
Lou Reid: vocals
Ricky Wasson: vocals
Steve Gulley: vocals
Missy Werner: vocals
I couldn’t find any audio samples online, but you can take my word for it, this is a great recording.
Audio samples for all 13 tracks of the upcoming debut project from Grasstowne, The Road Headin’ Home, are now posted on the band’s web site.
Grasstowne is made up of Steve Gulley on guitar, Alan Bibey on mandolin, Phil Leadbetter on resonator guitar, Jason Davis on banjo and Lee Sawyer on bass. The band was formed in December of 2006 when Steve, Alan and Phil decided to leave their respective bands (Mountain Heart, BlueRidge and Wildfire) and strike out on their own.
Alan told me last week that the new CD is being manufactured now, and that they would have copies for sale by mid-April. Pre-orders are enabled now on the Grasstowne site.
From conception to a new CD in four months - that may be a bluegrass record!
We heard yesterday from Alan Bibey, fresh from a week of recording with his new band, Grasstowne. He reports that they are about halfway finished with the new project, as yet untitled, which has already been set for a June 15 release on Pinecastle.
Alan voiced excitement, not only about recording with such talented musicians as Steve Gulley, Phil Leadbetter, Jason David and Lee Sawyer - with guest appearances from Stuart Duncan and Tim Crouch on fiddle - but also for the material they were cutting, and the arrangements.
The songs we have for this project are the strongest of any recording I have done. There are three Steve Gulley tunes, one from Tim Stafford, and a Craig Market song.
I wrote a new instrumental for this project, called Grasstowne City Limits. It’s a Monroe-feeling tune in B. I can’t wait for everybody to hear this CD!
Bibey said that he is singing three or four tunes, and Gulley the rest, and that almost all are never-before-recorded songs. He especially mentioned one remake, a high-lead version of Lizzie Lou, which the Osborne Brothers cut in 1974.
The band will make their official debut this weekend at the SPBGMA Convention in Nashville, appearing on Friday (2/2) at 6:30 p.m. (CST).
After that, they are back in the studio next week to try and complete overdubs and vocals, and put this highly-anticipated initial release in the can.
Alan Bibey called to let us know that Grasstowne has finished the year with a full complement of pickers, having just brought Lee Sawyer on to play bass. He joins Alan on mandolin, Steve Gulley on guitar, Phil Leadbetter on resophonic guitar and Jason Davis on banjo in this new bluegrass startup.
Lee had performed previously with The Larry Stephenson Band, and hails from Lexington, NC.
Alan said that Lee can “flat kick a bass in the hind end,” or words to that effect. The band is hoping to get in the studio soon, with a track released via Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass early in ‘07.
We have posted many times recently about Grasstowne, this fall’s big bluegrass start-up featuring Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley and Phil Leadbetter.
This week’s news is that the band has signed a 3 CD deal with Pinecastle Records, with work on the first expected to begin just after the new year. They hope to have it out by June of 2007.
Both Phil and Alan were interviewed about the new band this month on The GrassCast. You can hear these interviews online, in your web browser, by visiting The GrassCast page.
This week on The GrassCast we continue our theme of interviewing members of the new band Grasstowne. Last week we interviewed Phil Leadbetter. This week John interviews Alan Bibey. Alan has been fronting the band Blueridge for the last 6 years or so. He now leaves that band to join Phil and Steve Gulley to form Grasstowne.
Alan discusses with John why he made this decision. This interview was recorded Wednesday afternoon Dec 6th, less than a week after the announcement of Grasstowne.
We originally reported the band name as being Grasstowne and then later corrected that to say a decision on the name had not yet been made. That update was incorrect. The name is, in fact, Grasstowne.
It seems the band members were in agreement on the name all along, but there was some miscommunication between the band and their publicist. Our update was based on a request from the publicist to remove the name from our report, as it was her understanding that it was incorrect.
We now have confirmation from the band that Grasstowne is indeed the name they have chosen. We encourage you to keep an eye, or an ear, on this group as we expect they’ll be making some great music in the near future.
UPDATE 12/2/2006: Turns out the “new band” will be called Grasstowne after all.
I had a chance to speak with Alan Bibey yesterday about his decision to leave BlueRidge and embark on the Grasstowne“new band” adventure with Steve Gulley and Phil Leadbetter which Brance just detailed. Alan had been agonizing over this for several days, and expressed a range of thoughts and emotions about the change.
On the one hand, leaving something he had help start (with Terry Baucom) in BlueRidge was an odd feeling, Alan had been more than just a founding member, as he was deeply involved in all their business arrangements and musical direction as well. Of course, he had also become very close with the members of the band over the years.
“It has been a great experience these last ten years with Blueridge. I want to thank all the musicians and life long friends that I’ve had the opportunity to play with during this time. I wish them all the best!”
Alan said that he isn’t sure yet what the guys in BlueRidge will do, but suggested that folks keep an eye on the band’s website for more announcements as they settle on a plan.
Most of our conversation, however, centered on how much he was looking forward to working with the new group, tentatively described on their MySpace page as Gulley/Ledbetter/Bibey.
“I’m very excited about this new and exciting adventure with Steve and Phil, two extraordinary musicians and people. I have been fortunate to have been friends with these two gentlemen for quite sometime, and have respected their work for many years.
I especially admire their dedication to the professional side of the business, and think that the three of us can go further together than we might on our own.”
Alan said that they are already in discussions with a major bluegrass label, and hope to start recording soon. We’ll update with more details as we learn them.
UPDATE 9:55: We just heard that the new band will not be called Grasstowne, as they had initially planned. Not sure yet what the name will be. We have edited the text/headlines of a couple of this morning’s post to reflect this change.
UPDATE 12/2/2006: It seems the original reporting on this was correct and Grasstowne is the name the new band will be using.
Dobro master Phil Leadbetter announced earlier this week that he would be leaving Wildfire to pursue other ventures. At the time he promised an announcement on Dec 1st as to his future plans and we have that announcement as promised.
After nearly 6 years with Wildfire, a band he helped form after leaving J.D. Crowe, Phil is starting a new band. To use a baseball analogy we’ve previously engaged here on The Bluegrass Blog, one might say that the bluegrass trading/signing season has begun with the creation of this new band.
Guitarist/Vocalist Steve Gulley has announced that he will be joining Phil in the new band and thus departing from his gig with Mountain Heart. Steve earned a reputation for his soaring tenor voice while performing on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in Renfro, KY. After that Steve attended the Doyle Lawson School of Bluegrass where he met future Mountain Heart band mates Barry Abernathy and Jim Van Cleve. In 1998 Gulley, Van Cleve, and Abernathy were joined by Adam Steffey and bass player Johnny Dowdle to form the group Mountain Heart. In addition to the impact that band has had on the bluegrass world, Gulley has also contributed his unique vocal abilities to numerous other recordings in the last 10 years.
In another major departure, Alan Bibey will be leaving BlueRidge, the band he has lead for many years, to join Phil and Steve in this new undertaking. Alan has been a founding member of a number of celebrated bluegrass bands including the New Quicksilver, IIIrd Tyme Out, and BlueRidge. Known as one of the most gifted mandolin players of his generation, Alan brings a wealth of musical knowledge and background to the new band. It is our understanding that BlueRidge will fulfill their currently contracted dates and no more.
These three players are coming together to form what is sure to be a major league band with a great sound. Word has not yet been released as to who will fill the bass and banjo roles in the new band, but we expect an announcement on that very soon. This is bound to be some great music and we’ll look forward to hearing what this band produces.
The three have decided on the name Grasstowne and are currently accepting bookings for the 2007 season.
UPDATE 9:56 AM: It seems the guys are still debating on a name so for now they ask that you visit them online at their Myspace page.
Here’s the second part of late night wanderings around the showcases. There was some really great music being played late last night, and I didn’t even make it to any of the jam sessions happening on various floors of the hotel. Here are a few more photos and some impressions of last night’s events.
It appeared as if Eddie Stubbs sat in one place for the entire day doing live interviews and broadcasts for WSM. At some point I stumbled across Byron House and Cody Kilby out in the hall working up a tune. Moving the other direction down the hall I spotted Chris Jones deep in conversation. Then I heard Don Rigsby & Midnight Call throwing down on some hard driving bluegrass.
Eddie Stubbs
Byron & Cody
Chris Jones
Don Rigsby
I headed back toward the PineCastle showcase room and caught a jam in hall with Carl Jackson and some others. I finally did make to the PineCastle room which is where I spent the remainder of my evening. The first act I saw was the John Cowan Band. John was great as usual. I spent some time talking with Barry Scott in hall and then went back in and sat down to watch John Cowan and Ronnie McCoury accompany Pat Flynn on a set.
Carl Jackson
John Cowan Band
Ronnie McCoury
After that Blueridge took the stage. I may be a little biased since these guys are friends of mine, but I say with all honesty that it was the best performance I saw last night. The group as a whole is just incredible, they are tight and rehearsed, they know their arrangements, and the material is wonderful. In addition to all that, Alan Bibey is simply one of the best mandolin players in the business and Junior Sisk has got to be the most soulful singer I know. When he sings a song, you believe him. It’s always a great performance, but it’s also completely heartfelt. They really are a great traditional band, though Alan is certainly capable of so much on the mandolin that I hate to qualify him that way. If you can’t tell, I like these guys’ music. Check them out when you get a chance.
BlueRidge
Alan & Junior
Alan Johnson
Alan Bibey
That’s it for now, but we have more photos of the event from contributing photographers and we’ll try and get some more galleries up soon.
This week’s edition of The GrassCast features a discussion with Alan Bibey of BlueRidge. Alan talks about their new CD, Gettin’ Ready, their first for Pinecastle - and their first all-Gospel release - and we include samples of several tunes in the interview.
This GrassCast is 10 minutes in length and the file download size is 11.5 MB.
Below is an mp3 file for you to listen here or download. The GrassCast is also available in the iTunes music store as an enhanced podcast containing photos and hyperlinks relative to the subject matter being discussed in the interview.
To subscribe with your own podcatching software, copy and past this url into the appropriate entry box in your software: http://www.thegrasscast.com/rss
Information on the 2006 Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend is now available on the RBW web site. The event will be held November 10-12 in Roanoke, VA and offers three days of intensive instruction in the fine points of playing bluegrass music.
This year’s faculty includes the members of BlueRidge, along with first time instructors Eddie Adcock and George Shuffler, plus returning favorites Kenny Baker, Jack Lawrence, Allen Shelton and Roland White.
The biggest news for RBW ‘06 is the inclusion this year of classes and workshops in bluegrass singing. Both individual vocal tips and workshop instruction in bluegrass harmony will be offered throughout the weekend, spearheaded by noted singer and vocal instructor Don Rigsby.
The 2006 faculty includes both legendary bluegrass pioneers and actively touring artists.
Banjo: Allen Shelton, Eddie Adcock, Joey Cox Fiddle: Kenny Baker, Jackie Miller, Alan Johnson Guitar: David Grier, Jack Lawrence, George Shuffler Mandolin: David McLaughlin, Roland White, Alan Bibey Voice/Harmony: Don Rigsby, Junior Sisk, Eddie Biggerstaff
Once again, Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments will be donating a new instrument to be offered in a raffle to fund the RBW Scholarship for deserving young bluegrass students. Four full scholarships (tuition and accommodations) will be awarded to outstanding bluegrass musicians between the ages of 13-24, selected based on demonstrated ability through an application process.
This year, a new RB-250 banjo will be raffled, with chances to win sold at $10. Find all the details about the raffle and the scholarship on the RBW site.
A new gospel CD from the band BlueRidge is soon to be released on Pinecastle Records. The title of the new CD will be Gettin’ Ready. The disc contains 12 tunes, 9 of which are originals from Junior Sisk, Alan Bibey, Paul Williams, Timmy Massey, and David Johnson.
The official release date is in early March but the band is told they will have product by the middle of February, so look for it at their record table soon! Be sure to check their tour schedule for a concert near you.
Alan Bibey, the band leader, had this to say about the new CD:
I think the variety of the material is what I like best about the project. It has everything from a cappella, to hard driving bluegrass gospel, to more contemporary originals. One original tune a friend of mine wrote that features Sonya Isaacs, has a more contemporary feel and is one of the best written tunes I’ve had the pleasure of recording! Also, I think a high point of the CD is Alan Johnson’s bass singing. A good bass singer like that really adds a lot on a gospel project like this.
In addition to the new CD, BlueRidge has a new website under development that will include an online store and several other exciting new features. Right now they have a sign-up form you can use to register for updates about the CD and website. You can find it on the front page of their website, BlueRidgeBluegrass.com.
Pinecastle Records and BlueRidge have joined forces, with Alan Bibey & Co. signing with the Florida-based label for their next recording, a Gospel project slated for an early 2006 release. In addition to Bibey on mandolin, BlueRidge is made up of Junior Sisk on guitar, Eddie Biggerstaff on bass, Alan Johnson on fiddle, and Joey Cox on banjo.
Their most recent release, Side By Side, was nominated for a Grammy, reached #3 on the Bluegrass Now chart, and had a song hold the #1 position on the BN Gospel Truths chart for three months.
When we contacted Alan Bibey for comment on this new agreement, he was pointedly enthusiastic about BlueRidge’s new label partner:
BlueRidge has agreed to a one record deal, with an option for 2 more with Pinecastle Records, and we look forward to what will hopefully be a long, prosperous relationship for both of us! We’re thinking of January as a possible release date for the Gospel CD, with a bluegrass project to follow later in the year.
UPDATE 10/4: Alan Bibey has recently informed us that the source from which we drew some of the info about their Side By Side CD contained some incorrect data. It ended up voted as the #2 CD for the year in Bluegrass Now, and while it was in the running for a Grammy, it did not receive an actual nomination. Thanks for the clarification, Al!
I’ve had occasion this week to speak with both Alan Bibey and Wayne Benson, two of the premier mandolinists playing bluegrass today. They are teaming up this year for a number of projects sure to be of interest to students of the mandolin, and folks who just love to hear them played.
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We heard yesterday from Alan Bibey, fresh from a week of recording with his new band, 
Dobro master 
Guitarist/Vocalist 
In another major departure, 
This week’s edition of The GrassCast features a discussion with Alan Bibey of 
