But the performances made all the waiting around worthwhile. There was a lot of music on the show that wasn’t bluegrass (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, the amazing Irma Thomas, and the emcee, actress Minnie Driver), so I won’t talk about that here. Suffice to say it will be well worth tuning in to the PBS special when it airs in March 2010.

Of bluegrass interest was Bela Fleck, who played a couple solo pieces. The one he played on the cello banjo was really cool. It was some music that he learned in Tanzania and Mali on the trip to Africa that resulted in the documentary film Throw Down Your Heart, and the CD of the same name. His second tune started out solo but quickly turned duo when he was joined on stage by Abigail Washburn, who sang I’ve Got The Keys To The Kingdom. His final tune was another duet—this time with Jerry Douglas. He said that they were “kids together on Rounder.” Indeed Bela was only 19 when the label first signed him.

The final act of the evening was Alison Krauss + Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas. It was great to see the band play together again, since they’ve been off doing individual projects for so long. They did five numbers including the first song that Alison recorded for Rounder back when she was a teenager, Too Late to Cry, written by John Pennell, who was in the audience. They sang their last song, A Living Prayer, gathered around one mic. The magical performance earned them a genuine standing ovation long enough to merit an encore, Ghost in this House.

After Ghost everyone pretty much thought the show was over and started leaving until Minnie Driver came back on stage and said that there’s a big finale with everyone singing on stage and “don’t leave!!” The feel-good medley of Angels Watching Over Me/I’ll Fly Away/Down By The Riverside was the perfect ending to the celebratory show.

One last note—part of the background set for the show were huge versions of album covers. It especially tickled me that one of the covers blown up was J.D. Crowe and The New South (Rounder 0044) in colors much more vibrant than they ever were on the cardboard LP jacket. It was, by the way, the second cover. Not the original one with J.D. signaling his intentions.

Well, now we have Rounder Records with a big anniversary of their own, choosing Monday, October 12 to commemorate 40 years in business. They have been recording bluegrass, roots, alternative and Americana music since 1970. A special concert at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House will be filmed for a later broadcast on PBS stations during 2010.

The show will feature performances by Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Irma Thomas, Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas along with host (and performer) Minnie Driver. A portion of the proceeds from Monday’s concert will go to the NARAS Grammy In The Schools Programs.

From a recent Rounder press release…

Rounder Records was founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy and Bill Nowlin.  With only their passionate enthusiasm for American roots music lighting the way, the three Boston area college students cast their lot into the perilous music industry. “Before founding Rounder, we were basically music fans,” says Rounder Records co-founder Ken Irwin. “None of us,” echoes co-conspirator Bill Nowlin, “had any record industry experience whatsoever.”

“I doubt that ‘industry experience’ is a term we would have comprehended at the time we started Rounder!” interjects the third member of the Rounder triumvirate, Marian Leighton.

Ticket information can be found online.

The broadcast of Alison Krauss & Union Station at The White House (with Brad Paisley and Charley Pride) airs on GAC this weekend. If you didn’t get to watch it live online, you can catch it on cable Sunday (8/23) at either 8:00 p.m. or midnight (technically Monday morning).

The show will air once again in September, on 9/9 at 10:00 p.m., and 9/10 at 2:00 a.m. All times eastern.

Be sure to check out the photos Ron Block sent us from their visit to the White House in July.

Ron Block gave us an inside look with some photos he took on Tuesday (7/21), and I have a report from Mike Mitchell, who runs the Floyd Music School in Floyd, VA, who escorted a group of his young musicians to DC for the trip.

The students from Floyd were even interviewed for local TV in Roanoke.

Mike shared some of the highlights (and lowlights) of their trip…

On Tuesday the 21st students and teachers from the Floyd Music School went to the White House for the much publicized First Lady’s Music Education series. We were hosted in the lower east wing. Around 150 students (from schools listed below) were in attendance and the kids and teachers alike got to practice a little close up hero worship.

Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley were introduced by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and someone from one of the Country Music associations in Nashville. That feller introduced Brad, Alison, a fifth grader from Nashville, and his backup guitarist and never once acknowledged Dan Tyminski, who came in to back up Alison on Angeline the Baker, they tore it up of course!  But the FMS group was so surprised by the slight that we hollered a big “Danny” when he got on the stage.

We were expecting a  “two hour interactive songwriting workshop” but, none the less, enjoyed a one hour moderated session.  Brad played two of his tunes and Alison and Dan fiddled one and sang one, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.”  They discussed how they were brought up to be performers and good players. Alison noted that she was a Midwest fiddle competition kid but really found the best fiddling when she came to the South, mentioning Kentucky and Virginia.  They both stated that a move to Nashville, following a good business model, investing the due amount of time, money and sweat were the ingredients of their success.  I found it interesting that Paisley, when asked (by an FMS student) how much home time he had, said “about four days a week” in contrast to Alison, who said “mostly when I’m recording.”

The kids were all enthralled with these stars, and many of my students said that they had been newly inspired.

Although we were invited to attend a private concert by these artists, the White House people escorted us out of the building and claimed no knowledge of the invitation.  Apparently the photo opportunity was over and the kids were not needed.  So, confused and a little disoriented, we went back to our hotel.

I want to share our disappointment not to pick a fight or start any trouble, but in support of my students and their families who were very excited about this event, and spent considerable time and money to be there for it.

Moving on, we regrouped, went to Ruby Tuesdays in Arlington, then saw the Monuments at night and caught a great concert given by the USAF rock band on the Capitol Building Steps. They did a bunch of great 70’s R&B classics and were a really tight, good cover band. Their CD, which they gave out free to the kids, included all original material from band members.

The other schools and music camps in attendance were:

• Mountain Music School, Big Stone Gap, VA
• W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School in Nashville, TN
• East TN Children’s Choir: East Tennessee Children’s Choir in Bristol, TN
• Girard Academic Music Program, Philadelphia, PA
• Girls’ High School, Philadelphia, PA
• The High School for Creative and Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
• The Southwark School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Shawmont School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Northeast High School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Longstreth School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Greenfield Albert Middle School, PA
• The Conwell School, PA

Mitchell is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist as well as a music teacher. He performs as a solo artist and as a member of Blue Moonshine.

Mike is especially excited about his twin fiddle show on August 8 with Buddy Pendleton at the Steppin’ Out Festival in Blacksburg, VA.

The Philadelphia Inquirer had two stories about the visits to the White House by the several Philly area schools. Find them online here and here.

The president began the evening by reflecting on country music’s impact. “Now I know folks think that I’m a city boy,” he said to laughter, “but I do appreciate listening to country music because, like all Americans, I do appreciate the broad and indelible impact that country has had on our nation.”

Accompanied by her band, Union Station, Krauss led off with a set that included a stirring “Man of Constant Sorrow” and an appropriately haunting “Ghost in This House.”

The article also covered the afternoon workshop with music students selected from all over the country.

As did a similar story is in The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville:

Paisley also offered props to Krauss, saying, “She is my favorite country singer, by far.” Though when a student asked the musicians to name a country singer they think is particularly cute, he declined to mention Krauss, instead deadpanning, “Jimmy Dickens.”

And Krauss responded to one students’ question about the price of fame by nodding and saying the chief difference is that “You can’t go out without a shower anymore. I had to go get my license renewed and the lady did my new driver’s license and she said, ‘I can’t believe you go out looking like that.’”

The appearance of Krauss and Brad Paisley was part of the President and Mrs Obama’s effort to showcase American culture.

We will have some more personal coverage of the White House event throughout the day today.

HT: Katy Daley

There will be a workshop from 2:00-3:00 p.m. at The White House where 120 music students from all over the US will learn more about bluegrass and country music from Alison and her band, along with country superstar Brad Paisley. Songwriting as well as instrumental and vocal performance will be covered, and there will be a song performed from student and professional songwriters who collaborated through the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words and Music program.

Then at 7:30 p.m. (EDT), there will be a concert in the State Room, emceed by Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs, and including remarks from the President. It will be broadcast live online via The White House streaming video site.

This event will be hosted by Michelle Obama in her role as First Lady, and presented in association with The Country Music Association, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, produced by the Grand Ole Opry and Great American Country Television. One imagines that a TV special may be forthcoming?

We will have more details about this afternoon and evening’s goings on after the fact.

Starting this Sunday (7/19), they will broadcast a show with Alison Krauss & Union Station, recorded shortly after the release of their 2001 CD, New Favorite. Look for it at 8:00 p.m. on GAC.

It is scheduled to air a number of times this next week:

• Sunday 7/19 – 8:00 p.m.
• Monday 7/20 – 12:00 a.m.
• Monday 7/20 – 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday 7/22 – 9:00 p.m.
• Thursday 7/23 – 1:00 a.m.
• Thursday 7/23 – 5:00 p.m.

All times eastern.

The album showcases Adam as both a vocalist and a fiery mandolinist, accompanied by an all-star cast of pickers and singers with whom he has toured and recorded over the years.

Maybe you’ve heard of some of these folks: Ron Stewart and Ron Block on banjo, Clay Hess, Bryan Sutton and Dan Tymisnki on guitar, Stuart Duncan and Ron Stewart on fiddle, Randy Kohrs on slide guitars, and Barry Bales on bass.

He found a couple of singers too… Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Ronnie Bowman and Chris Stapleton.

The CD will soon ship to radio so you’ll be hearing a lot of it shortly, but in the meantime, here are bits of three tracks to show what is contained therein.

First up, the title track (from Josh Shilling and Craig Market) with Adam on lead vocal, and Chris Stapleton providing harmonies.

Next, a spicy Scotty Stoneman number, with Dan Tyminski on vocals.

And lastly, Half Past Four a great old time fiddle tune given the modern grass treatment by Adam and company.

That is some mighty powerful pickin’ and singin’!

You can read more about One More For The Road, including some comments from Adam, in our earlier post about the project.

They are heading into the studio later this month with an eye towards completing rhythm tracks before the end of August. Barry says that some of the material is quite different from what they have recorded in the past, but that all of it is fabulous – and that Alison is in great voice.

He isn’t sure when the CD will be released, but says that they may be doing some TV appearances late this year. Touring for 2010 is being planned now.

The most recent version of AKUS will be intact for this project: Barry on bass, Dan Tyminski on guitar/mandolin, Ron Block on banjo/guitar, Jerry Douglas on resonator guitars, and Alison on fiddle and vocals. Tyminski will also be singing a couple of songs on the CD.

There will have to be some schedule shuffling next year with both Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski booking shows for 2010. Barry should be a busy little beaver.

Barry now maintains a Facebook page and a Twitter feed if you want to keep up with his comings and goings.

He has spent time with two powerfully influential acts – Alison Krauss & Union Station and Mountain Heart – where he has been featured on both mandolin and lead vocals. Adam is currently a member of Dan Tyminski’s band, and lent his mandolin to Dan’s Wheel’s CD.

Steffey’s name can also be found in the credits on a great many new recordings, with Alecia Nugent’s Hillbilly Goddess being the most recent. He has been voted as the IBMA’s Mandolin Player Of The Year 7 times, and is an adjunct faculty member in the ETSU Bluegrass, Old Time & Country Music program.

But for all that, solo projects under his name have been in short supply. Save one CD from 2002, Grateful, Adam’s music has been found only on albums by other artists.

Thanks to Sugar Hill Records, that is all about to change. They will be releasing a new Adam Steffey CD in September showcasing his singing and mandolin playing, and the musical artistry of the many fine musicians with whom he has been associated in the recent past.

The new album will have 12 tracks, split three ways. Four will be instrumentals, Adam sings five, and three feature guest vocalists. And what a group of guests! Alison Krauss, Ronnie Bowman and Dan Tyminski each take center stage for one song.

Helping out on the picking side are Ron Block and Ron Stewart on banjo, Clay Hess, Bryan Sutton and Dan Tymisnki on guitar, Stuart Duncan and Ron Stewart on fiddle, Randy Kohrs on a variety of resonator and slide guitars, and Barry Bales on bass. Tina Steffey, Adam’s new bride, adds clawhammer banjo to one track as well.

I met with Steffey last week to talk about the new CD, and he mentioned how excited he was to see it as a Sugar Hill release.

“This is something I’ve been thinking about doing for some time, but was unsure how well it would be received in today’s uncertain climate for record labels. I discussed it with Crossroads Music, where my Grateful CD was released, and found that they were moving towards digital-only distribution.

I really wanted actual CDs for sales at shows, and Barry Bales suggested that I contact Gary Paczosa at Sugar Hill.”

Adam and Gary had worked together many times. Paczosa engineered the AKUS albums while Adam was with the band, and was now the A&R director at Sugar Hill. Bales had already signed on as producer for the new project and he had to nudge Adam a bit to make the contact.

“I really didn’t figure that this was something that would interest Sugar Hill, but I emailed Gary about it, and he called me back right away. He said that they really didn’t have many bluegrass releases scheduled, and mine sounded like it would fit right in.

Gary and Barry agreed to produce together and we started tracking at Gary’s studio in February. He is a brilliant engineer, and so is his assistant, Brandon Bell.”

Of the four instrumentals, two are newly-written Steffey originals. The other two are a version of Durang’s Hornpipe and Half Past Four.

“I knew that I didn’t want this to be an all-instrumental record, but I absolutely wanted to pick some on there. We did Durang’s with a sort of old time feel in D, and Tina played clawhammer banjo. That one ended up going down live.

Half Past Four is an old time song I learned from a YouTube video shot at Clifftop, though we grassed it up pretty solid.”

Whenever you talk with Adam about his singing, the apologies start to flow. He sings with a distinctive, gritty baritone and despite his self-deprecation, his vocal numbers with AKUS and Mountain Heart were always among their most requested songs. No Place To Hide with Alison and Mountain Man with MH are perfect examples.

He mentioned three of the five that he sings…

“A Broken Heart Keeps Beatin’ is one I had learned from The Traditional Grass. It was on their Songs Of Love And Life CD. They sang it up high, but I had to drop it down a few notches.

Trusting In Jesus is a Ron Block song that I remember from my time with AKUS. We actually recorded it for the Everytime You Say Goodbye album, but it ended up not being included.

When Ron was in the studio tracking with us, I asked him if he had any new songs we might consider. Ron said that he really hadn’t been writing much recently, and then he reminded me that Trusting In Jesus had never been released.

Then I cut Don’t Lie To Me, a Red Allen song from the 1960s.”

The song that had Adam more animated than any other is one that he thinks could end up being the title track.

One More For The Road is a new song that Josh Shilling and Craig Market wrote. Its got that mean sort of groove that I like so much – its a great song.

After I had cut my vocal, Barry called me over and said that he had a sort of crazy idea for this one. He suggested that we try something different, and call Chris Stapleton from The Steeldrivers to come in and sing harmony. I love Chris’ voice, so I was all for it.

Barry gave him a call, and luckily he was in town. Chris only lives a few blocks from Gary’s studio, and said that he could be right over. Barry explained that we wanted to try something different, and that we weren’t even sure it would work.

Chris has a gravelly kind of voice – like mine, only good – but I didn’t know he had such a wide range. Barry had him adding harmony lines, and they just tried all sorts of different things. He really made that song, and he was in and out of the studio in 45 minutes.”

I’ll admit that I’m a big fan of Adam’s singing and am delighted that he will be doing the bulk of the vocal tracks on the new recording. Still, it’s hard not to be excited about a new album with such stellar guest singers.

“I am so pumped about having Alison, Dan and Ronnie singing on here.

The one Dan sings is Let Me Fall, which I heard Scotty Stoneman sing on a White Brothers CD. It’s a real barn burner and we are already doing it on our shows. Somebody actually requested it recently at a show which blew my mind since we’ve only performed it a few times.”

Ronnie Bowman sings Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends, a Kris Kristofferson song that was a hit for Ronnie Milsap in 1974.

“When I called Ronnie about doing this song, he had just been to see Ronnie Milsap at The Ryman. As soon as I told him the title, he said, ‘No…  not Ronnie Milsap!’

He was concerned since Milsap never misses a note, but then again, neither does Ronnie Bowman. We did it as a ballad, and he sang the feet out from under it.”

Adam’s biggest concern was finding the right song for Alison Krauss. Knowing her to be such a perfectionist, he knew that the fit had to be right.

“Actually Barry came up with the idea of her doing Warm Kentucky Sunshine, one that The Bluegrass Cardinals had on their Cardinal Class record. Barry said that they had been jamming on that one backstage with AKUS, and sometimes during sound check, and that she did a beautiful job with it.

She liked the idea and we needed another ballad so it turned out perfect.

Working with Alison in the studio is a treat. She is such a warm, real and funny person but when it comes to music, she is a genius. She did a scratch track that sounded perfect to me, but she is coming in sometime this week to cut a finished vocal track.

Most of her fans don’t know what a down-to-earth person she is. I got to see her and Robert Plant when they were in Roanoke last year, and took Tina backstage after the show to meet everyone. Alison came up and acted embarrassed saying ‘I was so nervous up there knowing you were in the audience. I was up on stage going ‘Adam is going to think this is so weird.’ ‘

Of course the music was fantastic. She introduced me to Robert Plant, who was also a regular guy. He even recognized my name and knew that I had been in Alison’s band.

That was a weird moment…”

All in all, Adam says that this was his most rewarding time in the studio to date.

“Barry and Gary made it so easy for me. All I had to do is sit down and pick.

If no one else likes it, at least I had a whale of a time!”

Somehow, I don’t thing that will be much of an issue.

Of course, I’ve never heard of these guys, or their YouTube show, but it seems to be a popular online video channel.

Congratulations to Ricky and the boys!

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant won 5 Grammies for their Raising Sand CD – Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Pop Collaboration With Vocals, Country Collaboration with Vocals, and Contemporary Folk/Americana Album.

Wow…

B?©la Fleck & The Flecktones won the Best Pop Instrumental Album award for their Christmas-themed CD, Jingle All The Way.

Unfortunately, none of the other bluegrass or bluegrass-tinged artists or projects that received nominations went home with awards. Oh well… there’s always next year.

The possibility of a second Plant/Krauss collaboration has generated a great deal of speculation, and is sure to disappoint both Zepp fans hoping for a reunion and AKUS fans longing for a new band project.

From the WKDF web report…

“We’ve got a whole bunch of songs, and we’re just going, ‚ÄòDoes that work and does that work?’” Plant told the United Kingdom’s Absolute Radio. “So we’re trying it out again.”

One possible title being floated right now is ‘A Gated Community’, as “it’s like being in a looney bin,” Plant said. He also added that they were nowhere near a final decision on the title.

You can read the full article at 103wkdf.com, and hear the recent interview with Absolute Radio online.

Josh will also start work soon on the debut album from The Josh Williams Band, and is currently selecting the material. His booking agent, Jim Roe, said that Josh is accepting song submissions, so all you writers out there, if you have something you would like him to hear, it can be sent to:

Josh also sent along a photo of a very special show he did back in early December. He had been invited to perform as a trio with Alison Krauss and Ron Block at the Successful Christian Living Ministries retreat in Talladega, AL.

“I have admired both of these people for years, as great musicians, singers, and writers, but getting to work closely with them was quite a thrill for me. I had admired Ron for his musicianship, and song writing, but this past weekend I also realized that he is one of the finest Christian gentlemen I’ve ever met. Where Alison is concerned, I’ve loved her playing and singing for years, and have always agreed with the many writers and commentators when they referred to her beautiful voice as angelic. But I don’t think I really ever understood the full depth of that statement until I was standing next to her singing the hymns we sang in Alabama. I actually felt like I was singing with a genuine Angel.”

You can follow Josh’s tour schedule on his web site.

He will join host Carol Beaugard from 11:00 a.m. until noon to talk about his new AcuTab banjo instructional DVD, A Fresh Look At Bluegrass Banjo, and his work with Alison Krauss & Union Station. Carol will also play some of Ron’s many recordings during the hour.

The show is broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon (EDT) on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

His first banjo instructional DVD will be released by AcuTab next week, offering more than three and a half hours of discussion, demonstration and detailed instruction from this multi-Grammy and IBMA award winning banjo picker.

Entitled Ron Block – A Fresh Look At Bluegrass Banjo, the package includes two DVDs and a printed tab booklet. Ron starts by analyzing his style, and particular aspects that stand out like tone production, his use of bends and chokes, how he arranges solos, and improvisation. He also covers his practice routine, showing drills and exercises he uses to stay in shape and move forward as a banjo player.

Seven of Ron’s most requested solos are taught in detail, including six he has recorded with Union Station – Cluck Old Hen, Tiny Broken Heart, Man Of Constant Sorrow, I’ll Remember You Love In My Prayers, Everytime You Say Goodbye, Bright Sunny South, and My Poor Old Heart. He also teaches his complex and challenging solo for Smashville, from Sierra Hull’s Secrets CD.

AcuTab has prepared a YouTube trailer to give a flavor of what is included on the DVDs.

The Ron Block banjo DVD will begin shipping on December 8, and there is a special offer for the first 300 orders placed directly with AcuTab. They will receive an autographed copy of the DVD, and two free sets of Huber banjo strings.

You can find more details at acutab.com.

Ron plans to create several more instructional DVDs with AcuTab over the next few years, including additional projects for both banjo and guitar.

AcuTab will release instructional videos in 2009 for Jim Van Cleve, Sierra Hull, Ron Stewart and JD Crowe. You can request notification when they are available by visiting the AcuTab site.

Much of the site’s content speaks to the intersection of religion and culture.

One week ago, one of the authors, Noah Berlatsky, posted a blog entitled Bluegrass Apocalypse. In the article he states that

Bluegrass has been transformed from a mostly played-out festival circuit relic into a viable commercial force. But at what cost?

He then attempts to explain this transformation as the result of efforts to

Polish bluegrass up, recruit a female singer, and capture a bigger audience

You know of whom he speaks, Alison Krauss. Berlatsky describes Krauss’ music as “vaguely spiritualized prettiness” and then goes on to make this incredible statement.

As this suggests, I loathe Alison Krauss’s music in all its obsessive, over-produced perfection. To me, it sounds like every note on her albums has been focus-grouped, voted on by committee, and then carefully performed by a soulless government functionary. The vestige of rural authenticity — the tunes, the fiddles ‚Äî are there almost for purposes of ritual emasculation.

Joe Carter, another author on the site, responded with his own piece from which I took the title of this post, Bluegrass Blasphemy. Carter takes Berlatsky to task for being an “urban, over-educated atheist,” and defends Alison’s honor as the primary instructor who gives “singing lessons to the seraphim” in her spare time.

Berlatsky then responded on his personal blog by saying that Carter, indeed anyone who claims “country authenticity,” is simply a poseur. His reasoning?

…country has gotten to this place where credibility has everything to do with liking this or that product, and very little to do with any actual values or morals. Rural identity is just another affectation, bolstered through arbitrary product purchases.

Krauss’ music is the result of sheer giftedness combined with countless hours of rigorous devotion to a craft. Berlatsky seems to have equated inauthenticity with this exceeding excellence.

As someone who grew up in a rural community and currently lives another, I rejoice to see the virtuosity of the practitioners of the bluegrass arts. In no way do I find them inauthentic, or think them to be poseurs.

The DVD is the home edition of a television special from GAC, itself envisioned as a live recreation of several songs from Alison’s A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection CD from 2007. It reunites her with recent duet partners James Taylor (How’s The World Treating You), Brad Paisley (Whiskey Lullaby), and John Waite (Lay Down Beside Me) and two songs with Tony Rice (Sawing On The Strings, Shadows).

All the performances were filmed live at The Tracking Room in Nashville, and both the audio and video quality are exceptional. Interviews with most of the participants are also featured, including lengthy comments from Krauss and Rice.

Alison is joined in the video by her Union Station cohorts (Ron Block, Dan Tyminski, Barry Bales, Jerry Douglas) plus Sam Bush, Steve Cox, Stuart Duncan, John Hobbs, Abraham Laboriel Sr., Greg Morrow, and Gordon Mote.

The video sample at Amazon is from the Gordon Lightfoot song Shadows, famously brought into the bluegrass/new acoustic world by Tony Rice, who is featured in the clip along with Union Station.

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is taking place September 26-28. The only bluegrass related acts I saw on the bill where the Krauss-Plant show and The Sparrow Quartet with Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck.

If you’d like to go, you could attend in style. YallWire.com, and it’s network affiliates, is giving away two VIP tickets to the festival. VIP treatment includes access to the VIP lounge with air-conditioned bathrooms, free lunch and dinner buffets, free drinks (water, beer, wine), and more.

To enter the contest you have to register with blastro.com (YallWire’s parent company), and leave a comment telling them why you should be the lucky winner. There are currently less than 250 entries, so the odds are pretty good. The winner will be chosen by the end of this week though, so hurry.

YallWire.com features free music videos from bluegrass, country, and Christian artists.

Jerry Douglas is nominated again for Musician Of The Year, and award he has won three times previously – in ‘02, ‘05 and ‘07.

Alison Krauss received nominations for both Female Vocalist, and with Robert Plant in the Musical Event category for the song Gone, Gone, Gone from their Raising Sand project.

It is quite a testament to her reigning star power that Krauss is nominated by both the CMA and the IBMA as a female vocalist in a year when she has been absent from recording and performing either country or bluegrass music.

The winners will be announced during a live ABC telecast of the awards show at 8:00 p.m. on November 12. The show will be held in Nashville.

A full list of nominees can be found on the CMA web site.