This morning’s edition of the Washington Post has a review and pictures taken at yesterday evening’s hour-long concert at the White House featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station, Charley Pride and Brad Paisley.

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

Alison Krauss & Union Station will be in Washington, DC today (7/21) to help the Obamas celebrate American country music, and demonstrate the music to middle and high school students.

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.

The GAC television network (Great American Country) has acquired the rights to re-air episodes from the PBS series Soundstage on their cable channel. These feature live, in-studio performances by top contemporary artists, and GAC will be showing the episodes with country artists.

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.

One More For The Road, the new Adam Steffey CD isn’t due until September 22, but the good folks at Sugar Hill have agreed to let us offer a few sneak peeks here on The Bluegrass Blog.

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.