There is more to tell about events on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, plus we have a video interview with Sam Bush, a video report from the big Rural Rhythm showcase on Wednesday, and our Red Carpet interviews from last night.

For starters, here’s a photo gallery from the Exhibit Hall on Thursday afternoon. With Fan Fest beginning this morning (10/2), the hall is likely to be more active today, but through the week, there was an obvious shortage of both exhibitors and visitors. We spoke to a number of vendors, and will share some of their comments and concerns in our follow-up coverage next week.

After several months offline, the band is very excited to announce that their brand new and improved website is finally fully online. Guitarist and harmony singer in the five-piece group Sophia Johnson, is swift to give credit where it is due …..

“A great big thank you goes out to Simon Flatres for his hard work and patience over the website! You did a very fine job!”

Typically, there is information on gigs and releases, reviews, biographies of band members and photographs. Also while there, you can watch videos of the band, hear music samples, purchase both of their albums and sign up for their mailing list.

However, according to Ms. Johnson, the most exciting news for the band is that their now well-loved live favourite and DJ’s choice, The Angels Sing to Me, is featured on the January release of Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass.

“The Johnsons are very pleased to be getting their music heard across the pond, hopefully played on some bluegrass stations and look forward to increasing their connections and fans in the USA.”

Andy Falco, of the Infamous Stringdusters and a good friend of The Toy Hearts, provided advice regarding the radio mix.

Here’s the fourth installment of the video content we’re bringing you as part of our Infamous Stringdusters promotion.

The album The Infamous Stringdusters, will be released on June 10, 2008. See our original post for information about the pre-order special.

This video is provided in cooperation with The Infamous Stringdusters, Sugar Hill Records, and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.

Each episode (5 in total) will be accompanied by either a streaming track or an mp3 download from the new CD. Access to the tracks will be limited to registered users of The Bluegrass Blog, and accessing the track will enter you in a promotional giveaway to win one of three autographed copies of the CD.

We also have one other contest for you – there will only be one winner in this contest, but it’s big. We’re giving away a pair of tickets to this year’s Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, a meet and greet with the band at the festival, and some merchandise the guys will autograph just for you on site.

Enjoy the video, download this week’s track, and enter to win free festival tickets!

This fourth installment of the video is a live performance at the 2008 Merlefest. The tune is Lovin’ You, written by Sarah Siskind who wrote Simple Love from Allison Krauss’ A Hundred Miles Or More CD and Goodbye Is All We Have from the last AKUS CD, Lonely Runs Both Ways – and is also engaged to Travis Book of the ‘Dusters. Tim O’Brien joins the guys onstage for the performance.

The free mp3 download this week is the live version of Lovin’ You from the live CD download available only when you pre-order the new CD. This version is over 8 minutes long, featuring extended instrumental sections.

Enter to win an autographed CD (and listen to the streaming track)

Enter to win a pair of tickets to the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival

Here’s the third installment of the video content we’re bringing you as part of our Infamous Stringdusters promotion.

The album The Infamous Stringdusters, will be released on June 10, 2008. See our original post for information about the pre-order special.

This video is provided in cooperation with The Infamous Stringdusters, Sugar Hill Records, and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.

Each episode (5 in total) will be accompanied by either a streaming track or an mp3 download from the new CD. Access to the tracks will be limited to registered users of The Bluegrass Blog, and accessing the track will enter you in a promotional giveaway to win one of three autographed copies of the CD.

We also have one other contest for you – there will only be one winner in this contest, but it’s big. We’re giving away a pair of tickets to this year’s Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, a meet and greet with the band at the festival, and some merchandise the guys will autograph just for you on site.

Enjoy the video, download this week’s track, and enter to win free festival tickets!

This third installment of the video focuses on the addition of guitar player Andy Falco to the band. This week we also have a free mp3 download from the new CD.

Enter to win an autographed CD (and listen to the streaming track)

Enter to win a pair of tickets to the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival

As you might expect, the boys pick it solid throughout, and surely do so throughout this one hour production.

Guitarmageddon, co-produced with SimpleFolk Productions, showcases three young flatpicking firebrands who have been making their presence felt in bluegrass this past few years. Chris Eldridge, Andy Falco and Josh Williams are featured in this one hour DVD performing live at Nashville’s storied Station Inn in a variety of settings.

The three each offer solo arrangements, are paired as duos, pick as a trio, and are joined by Cody Kilby on banjo and Mike Bub on bass for some rockin’ bluegrass numbers. Each of the three guitarists are interviewed, as is J.T. Gray, current owner of the Station Inn.

A total of 15 songs are included, among them favorites like Cherokee Shuffle, East Tennessee Blues, Jesse James, Nine Pound Hammer, and Salt Creek.

There doesn’t seem to be a video sample up online yet, but they may be posted soon on Flatpicking Guitar’s YouTube channel.

You can find more details in the Flatpicking Guitar online store.

They will be featured in the 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. segment (EST), which airs in the Nashville market on WSM AM 650, and simulcast via online streaming at wsmonline.com.

For many fans of the band, this could be your first chance to sample the ‘Dusters with new guitarist, Andy Falco, who stepped in when founding member Chris Eldridge left to work with Chris Thile.

Also on tonight’s Opry broadcast is Ricky Skaggs, appearing in the 9:30 – 10:00 p.m. slot.

The concert is to benefit Mr. Scottie Henson, one of the charter members of the Jackson Purchase Friends of Bluegrass, the organization behind many bluegrass events in Western Kentucky. Henson is known to the bluegrass community as an instructor, as well as a member of The Kentucky Opry in Draffenville, KY. Recently Henson underwent double aortic aneursm surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

The surgery went well, but shortly after the operation Scottie started being plagued by all kinds of setbacks, including pneumonia and kidney failure, but through the miracles of medical science and the prayers of hundreds of his friends, he has survived, and has now been moved to Select Specialty Hospital in Nashville to begin a long and difficult rehabilitation. His wife and daughter have been with him in Nashville since August 28, 2007 sleeping on the sofas in Vanderbilt Surgical Intensive Care waiting room, and in Motels, and eating every meal out the entire time.

Now that the worst is past and Henson seems to be recovering, Josh Williams, who had Scottie as his first musical instructor, along with the Campbell Family, the proprietors of The Kentucky Opry, JPFOB, and members of Henson’s home church, the Hamlet Baptist Church, have planned this benefit to help defray the medical costs not covered by Henson’s insurance.

Joining Josh Williams will be the other two members of the soon to be FGM DVD release Guitarmageddon, Andy Falco and Chris Eldridge.

The show is scheduled to take place at The Kentucky Opry on December 7, 2007 from 7 PM to Midnight. There is no set price for admission, they ask that attendies simply make a donation to the fund.

The Kentucky Opry is located 5 miles North of Benton, Kentucky on U.S. Highway 641 North. It is also six miles south of Kentucky Dam Village State Park. It is less than one mile from the Purchase Parkway South via Exit 47, and only 5 1/2 miles off Interstate 24 at Kentucky Exit 25A.

What an opportune time for his solo CD project to be released! Sentenced To Life With The Blues has been released by Flatpicking Guitar Records, with 13 tracks that demonstrate Falco’s guitar prowess on a fairly wide range of flatpicking material. Guest performers include Josh Williams, Cody Kilby, Adam Steffey, Luke Bulla, Jason Carter, Andy Hall, Noam Pikelney, Jim Van Cleve, Andy Leftwich, Alecia Nugent, Rob Ickes and more.

You can hear severalaudio samples online at Andy’s MySpace page.

Eldridge, who was given the nickname “Critter” by Tony Rice while still a young boy, is the son of Seldom Scene banjo picker Ben Eldridge. He has made quite a name for himself of late, both with The Infamous Stringdusters, and for his playing with Chris Thile on the How To Grow A Woman From The Ground CD and tour.

Andy Hall, dobro player and vocalist with the Stringdusters, said that is was sad news when they first learned that he would be leaving, since the nucleus of the band had held together for so many years before they broke through, and they were all very close friends. He acknowledged the bittersweet nature of the change.

“Critter wanted to challenge himself musically in a new way, and felt like Chris’ band was the way for him to go. He is a great musician – and a great friend – and while we’re sorry to see him go, we all feel good about him being where he wants to be.”

But while recognizing that change always brings its challenges, Hall and the rest of the band are delighted that they could pick up Andy Falco as their new guitarist.

“We are all really psyched to have Falco with the band. He is one of the meanest guitar players out there, and he is also a long time friend. Andy has an amazing ear, and has just the sort of diverse musical background we need – rock, jazz and bluegrass – along with a funky, cool rhythmic sense.

We’ve been able to jam a few times with Falco, and the sound was awesome. I can’t wait to get to rehearsing with him seriously.”

Andy is likewise excited to pick with the Stringdusters.

“I am looking forward to joining the Dusters… They are a group that has incredible musicianship and creativity, and they’re also a great bunch of guys. They have been good friends of mine for quite a while, and I’ve always been a big fan of the band. It’s truly an honor to have been asked to join, and I can’t wait to start.”

The cover feature of the current (July/August) issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine is on Andy Falco, in which none other than Chris Eldridge had this to say:

“Andy plays with great passion and heart. I love his timing and his drive.”

Hall indicated that once they get this personnel transition behind them, the next move is to start collecting material for their second CD.

“We plan to start recording late this fall, and are really glad that Andy will be involved. Right now, we’re just having fun writing and getting excited about new songs.”

He also let on that they were all pretty beat after spending six weeks on the road. They performed 5-6 nights each week while they were out, doing festivals, clubs and concert halls, and sharing a number of dates with Crooked Still.

“Yeah… it was a long tour, but we had a lot of fun and met some great people. There was some great music as well, sitting in with The John Cowan band at Telluride, and having Sam Bush sit in with us last weekend at FloydFest.”

Check The Infamous Stringdusters’ tour schedule online, and make a point to catch one of the last shows with Chris Eldridge in August – and to check out the new sound when Andy Falco takes over in September. It’s not yet on the web schedule, but The ‘Dusters have a European tour in the works for 2008 as well.

The first set opened with the Osborne Brothers standby Listening To The Rain, and a fair number of other standards were sprinkled throughout both sets making for a pleasant mixture of traditional and original tunes. Breaking from accepted practice, Alecia honored a request and ended the first set with a slow sad song from her self titled first CD. The title of the song is Paper and Pen. If you haven’t heard it, you can find audio samples on Rounder’s website. Be warned, it’s a sad one.

Let me give you my impressions about the band Alecia has touring with her now.

I’ve known Andy Falco for several years and have been a fan of his guitar playing since I first heard him set pick to string. Saturday night Andy got an enthusiastic response from the crowd on nearly every guitar solo. There is just something about his bluesy, downstroke driven, aggressive style that has something of Monroe’s mandolin style in it.

Ashby Frank has been a good mandolin player for a long time and he’s only 23, but Saturday night I was really struck by the economy of movement in his right had. I was sitting in the front row and could really see the ease with which he played. It’s very enjoyable to watch a musician with that kind of control over their instrument. I rest easy in the knowledge that bluegrass music will continue to grow, expand, and excel into the future in the capable hands of young pickers like this.

Thomas Wywrot I had known as a guitar player, but I was quite impressed with his ability on the banjo. He was driving and aggressive without being overbearing. He worked the mic like a pro making plenty of room for the guitar and mandolin in the mix. During the first set he played an original instrumental of his own composition that I didn’t catch the name of, but it was an enjoyable tune that got the crowd stirred up nicely.

Jennifer Strickland I didn’t know before Saturday night. I was pleasantly surprised to find she is Missouri girl. Having grown up outside KC myself, I always get a kick out of meeting another Missourian on the bluegrass circuit. She did a great job on the bass and harmony vocals all evening.

And that’s just the band. Alecia herself lived up to her title as the Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, as recently awarded by SPBGMA. If you’re a fan of good bluegrass singing, you need to make a point to go hear Alecia.

Overall this was a great show. The material was good, the performance was great, the MC work (shared by the entire band) was funny and entertaining, and the whole experience was enjoyable. If Alecia and band happen to be in your area (tour schedule is on her website), I encourage to take the opportunity to go hear some fine bluegrass music from this award winning singer and her band.

If you are in Nashville today be sure to stop by the Station Inn at 7pm or 9pm to catch one of the sets. I you can’t make to the show, you’ll be able to buy the DVD from Flatpicking Guitar Magazine here in a month or two.

• Chris Eldridge – The Infamous Stringdusters / Chris Thile and How To Grow A Band
• Andy Falco – Alecia Nugent
• Josh Williams – Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

The show will be held at the world famous Station Inn (It’s not on their calendar yet, but it was just confirmed.) in Nashville, TN on February 19, 2007. That’s a Monday night, so if you’re in Nashville that week, be sure to come out. Who knows, you might end up on video!

We’ll be recording two shows that evening, one at 7PM and the other at 9PM. Tickets are $10 per show or $15 for both. I don’t believe there is any advance ticketing, it’s just pay at the door and first come, first serve.

The concert is being produced by Dan Miller at Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, and is the fourth in a series of concert DVD productions he and I have done together. The first three are available from Flatpicking Mercantile and feature the “A list” of bluegrass flatpicking guitarists. Here’s a clip from the last one in the series, Live In Kansas City, featuring Cody Kilby, Brad Davis, and Tim May.