This one features Katy Daley interviewing Audie Blaylock.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Darren Beachley & Legends Of The Potomac were up first. That may sound like a fairly grandiose name for a new band, but with former Seldom Sceners Tom Gray on bass, Mike Auldridge on resonator guitar, and former Bluegrass Cardinal Norman Wright on mandolin and tenor vocals, the name fits.

Their set featured music from an upcoming CD on Patuxent Records, with Darren Beachley (former member of Quicksilver) on guitar and lead vocals and Mark Delaney on banjo.

No matter how well they played or how solid the material they chose, nothing could overshadow getting to hear Wright’s soaring tenor on stage again! His voice was clear and strong and anyone who cherished his recordings with the Cardinals had to be immediately swept up in the sound – as I surely was.

The name also fits given that their style calls to mind what could be described as the Washington, DC bluegrass sound. Both The Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene emerged from that community in the 1960s and ’70s, and Darren and the Legends carry it forward just fine.

Next up was G2, a young bluegrass band from Sweden. Wonder what a Swedish bluegrass band sounds like?

Well with these guys, it sounds exactly like it does in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky or Tennessee. Their style is modern, but it’s clear that all five of them have intently studied the music, and they play it with a confidence and authority you might not expect from a young European band.

Almost all of their music is written by guitarist Christoffer Olsson, who also handles the lead vocals. As resonator guitarist Tobias Strömberg mentioned during the set, “It’s hard to believe all those big words come out of such a little man.” Olsson’s songs are thoughtful and original, avoiding the sort of stereotypes that can plague artists who work in a style that is foreign to their culture.

But all of these musicians could go to work for Doyle Lawson. Mandolinist Erik Igelström has obviously mastered his instrument, but plays with a highly individual style. Bass player Jimmy Sunnebrandt, like most of the band, grew up with a father who played country and bluegrass fiddle. Erik told a story about Jimmy as a tyke going with his father to shows, where he would sit in the front row reading Donald Duck comics until his dad would call him up to play a tune with them on fiddle. After he was finished, he would return to his seat and his reading.

Banjo picker Jens Koch really stands out, and is among the very best young, traditional bluegrass banjo players in any country. He works effortlessly in the JD Crowe/Ron Stewart idiom, and I can see him becoming one of the tops on his instrument in the next few years. Strömberg was impressive as well.

Igelström mentioned that the band is planning to spend as much as four months in the US in 2010, working as many dates as Roe Entertainment can get them heading into IBMA. It was a very strong performance.

Audie Blaylock & Redline finished out the afternoon set.

Establishing yourself as a band leader can be tough, even after working with Rhonda Vincent and Michael Cleveland. Audie has been building a band since this time last year, and the one he has assembled is top notch.

His solid guitar playing holds down the rhythm section with Matt Wallace on bass, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle and Evan Ward on banjo. Darrell Webb had been playing mandolin and singing tenor, but he is process of setting up his own band, so his status with the band is temporary.

Blaylock is a singularly powerful vocalist, and this group blends with him perfectly. Their trios were matched breath for breath, and the quartet number they did, Goodbye – from their self-titled debut CD – was stunning. And it was no fluke… I heard them again this evening and they nailed this song both times.

Fiddler McAvinue also merits special mention. He is an adventurous player, with an aggressive style of his own. His solo album, Rutlands Reel is an excellent recording you may want to consider.

All in all, a very entertaining group of artists, with enough variance in style to show that bluegrass music simply doesn’t all sound the same.

A 2011 wedding is planned, set for after Patrick graduates from Towson University. Sarah is also in school at Anne Arundel Community College.

Patrick isn’t sure whether they will have a bluegrass-themed wedding, but said that an engagement picking party was definitely on the horizon.

Congratulations Patrick and Sarah!

He will join host Kyle Cantrell as they play each track from Audie’s New CD, Audie Blaylock and Redline, and discuss the songs as they go.

The show debuts this morning (3/4) at 11:00 a.m. (EST) with rebroadcasts on Sunday (3/8) at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday (3/10) at 9:00 p.m.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on XM track 14 and Sirius channel 65.

Matt Wallace, who plays bass and sings harmony with Audie Blaylock and Redline, and his wife Diane are celebrating the birth of a son. Whitley Alan Wallace was born on February 28 at 5:45 p.m., weighing 6lbs, 14 oz and “standing” 20” tall.

Congratulations to the Wallaces, and the whole Redline family from The Bluegrass Blog!

It features 12 tracks of the hard-driving bluegrass sound that is Audie’s trademark, played by he and his hot young road band. Jason Johnson is on mandolin, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Evan Ward on banjo, Matt Wallace on bass, and Blaylock on guitar and lead vocals.

Like The Traditional Grass and The Johnson Mountain Boys before him, Audie manages to record music that sounds as though he hasn’t heard a lick of bluegrass later than the mid-1960s. Both in the song choice and the presentation, this record could pass as a “long lost master” from an earlier era.

A lot of that, of course, comes from his training under Jimmy Martin, with whom he worked as a young man. Audie includes one Martin/Paul Williams composition (Goodbye), a great Bobby Osborne song (You’ll Never Be The Same), and one from Frank Wakefield (Lonesome Weary Hearts) amidst a number of new songs, all of which sound like they’ve been around for years.

Audie agreed to let us offer a couple of audio samples from the album, and shared a few thoughts about the songs.

Whispering Waters – Listen now:    

“We were in the research and listening process for material for the CD and collected a handful of songs. This particular song was in the group and jumped out at me. It had a great melody, story content, and all the qualities that I like in a song. I particularly liked the high soaring chorus. We ran through the song with the band and after we played it, we knew that was a definite.”

Send Me Your Address From Heaven – Listen now:    

“I’ve always been a big Red Allen fan, and this particular song has always been one of my favorites. I have been singing it since I was a teenager at jams, festivals and the like.  I am not sure why I hadn’t recorded it before, but I knew I wanted to include it in this project.”

You can hear samples from all 12 tracks on Audie’s web site.

Audie made his name in bluegrass as a member of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, and during a long stint playing guitar with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. He has assembled a group of extremely talented young pickers, and focuses here on the sort of hard-hitting bluegrass that has always been his strong suit.

The first single, Lonesome Weary Heart, charted on Sirius and XM and in Bluegrass Unlimited, and the new one, Whispering Waters was released just last week.

Here’s a taste…

Listen now:

Carl Jackson contributes liner notes, and has high praise for the CD…

Many times these days, I hear people discussing what constitutes "bluegrass".  You’ll hear one person claim something is "bluegrass" because of this or another state just as boldly that it’s not "bluegrass" because of that.  Well, I’ve never been one to shy away from a good argument, but I can say one thing beyond a shadow of doubt and in only a few words.  This new project by Audie Blaylock and Redline is not only "bluegrass"‚Ķ its GREAT bluegrass‚Ķ no argument‚Ķ end of discussion!!!  I was blown away by the professionalism of Audie’s performance at IBMA Fanfest this past year and this album further confirms that he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of bluegrass music for years to come.

Joining Audie on guitar and lead vocals are the other members of Redline: Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Evan Ward on banjo, Matt Wallace on bass and Jason Johnson on mandolin.

Pre-orders are being accepted now on Audie’s web site, with autographed copies offered with the first 200 orders.

 UPDATE 12/16: You can catch a live interview with Audie tonight (12/16) at 7:00 p.m. (EST) on WorldWideBluegrass.com.

Patrick gave me a copy of his new CD, Rutlands Reel, just released on Patuxent Music, which features a mix of classic fiddle music and hard driving traditional bluegrass. A number of tracks feature Patrick and Michael Cleveland on twin fiddles (Rutland’s Reel, Down Yonder, Henry Rutland’s Country Classic Waltz) and one with Nate Leath (With Body And Soul), another stellar young fiddler.

Audie Blaylock plays guitar and sings a couple, with Jesse Brock and Michael Cleveland on mandolin, and Barry Reid on bass. Pete Kelly plays banjo throughout, excepting two banjo/fiddle duets with Chris Warner.

The fiddle playing is brilliant, and in a surprise for a 20 year old musician, the arrangements and note choices call to mind the seminal Kenny Baker albums of the 1970s. Fans of that fiddle style will be happy to know that the young ‘uns are keeping it alive.

There are no audio samples online just yet, but look for them soon on Patrick’s site.

Wednesday’s (10/1) lineup include will include performances from Lonesome River Band and Steep Canyon Rangers, plus a discussion about IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass program. Katy Daley told us that today’s broadcast will start with a live duet performance of Jerusalem Ridge by Michael Cleveland and Jesse Brock.

Appearing on (Wednesday 10/1) are:

• Michael Cleveland and Jesse Brock
• Archie Warnock on Leadership Bluegrass
• G-2 Bluegrass Band
• Audie Blaylock
• Lonesome River Band
• Steep Canyon Rangers

You can listen to Bluegrass Country via audio streaming online, and via HD Radio (88.5-2) in the Washington DC market. They will be coming to you online from their suite in the Renaissance Hotel 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00-7:00 p.m. (EDT).

Audie’s current band has been putting out some great sounds this year. Their tour schedule has been pretty full this year, and looks to continue that way into 2009. The band consists of Audie on guitar, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Evan Ward on banjo and vocals, Matt Wallace on bass and vocals, and Jason Johnson on mandolin and vocals.

If you haven’t heard them yet, you might be interested to hear how syndicated bluegrass radio DJ Terry Herd described their sound.

No holds barred, take no prisoners, hard driving’ bluegrass, just the way I like it.

That’s an apt description of this driving band that lives up to its name, Redline.

The band will be making an appearance this Friday, August 29, 2008, on WorldWideBluegrass.com. Gracie Muldoon will be interviewing the band at 1 PM EST. I’m sure some music will be played as well!

It turns out that Audie is not just serious about traditional bluegrass, but classic cars as well. He had driven his pride and joy to the cruise-in in Auburn, IN on Thursday evening, and it caught everyone’s attention.

From the article by Dave Kurtz…

The sound of well-tuned engines was making music to Blaylock’s ears.

"I’m 45. I’ve loved Mustangs since I was 4 years old," he said, explaining why he chose his car four years ago. "I was looking for a red ‘65 ‚Ķ but I really like this one.

"It’s called Acapulco Blue. It’s different, it’s not red or black."

Read the full piece online.

They have been hard at work on a new CD, which Audie promises will be chock full of hard-driving, traditional bluegrass music. They are sure to preview it on the show today.

Joining Audie in the band are Evan Ward on banjo, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Jason Johnson on mandolin, and Matt Wallace on bass.

The show originates before a live audience from Knoxville, TN, where it airs on 102.9 and 105.9 FM. You can also catch Audie and the guys online via the WDVX streaming broadcast over the Internet.

Knoxville folk/Americana artist Marc Jeffares is also on the bill.

During that second stint with Martin, Chris recorded two albums for Webco, All Original and Chris Warner & Friends, released as LPs and now out of print. He has recently compiled them both as a CD, Back Again, with 24 tracks featuring Warner as both banjoist and vocalist.

The tracks from All Original have Chris singing all lead vocals, with Del McCoury on tenor, and those from Chris Warner & Friends, have singing duties shared among Warner, Dudley Connell and Audie Blaylock.

But don’t think that banjo tunes get short shrift here. Chris knocks out 11 instrumentals mixed with 13 vocal tracks.

Newly minted bluegrass fans may not be aware of Warner’s top flight picking – and even long time listeners may not know him as a vocalist. Kudos to Chris for making this material available again, and to Pinecastle Records for their assistance in making it happen.

Audio samples for each track and online ordering are enabled on the Tom Adams web site, where Tom addresses the rumor that he and Chris are starting a band.

“With no official band name, no dates booked, and a disagreement over whether or not to wear matching shoes, I’d have to say yes, I believe there is a rumor that Chris and I are starting a band.”

I guess that settles that.

The track will be distributed shortly to bluegrass radio, but Audie sent us an audio sample so that folks can hear his new group, and as he put it, that they have the same “hard drivin’ traditional bluegrass sound” that has become his trademark.

Listen now:

Redline now features Rodney Worley on mandolin and vocals, Matt Wallace on bass and vocals, Evan Ward on banjo, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle and Blaylock on guitar and vocals.

You can hear the full track in the media player on Audie’s web site or on his MySpace page. It will be included on Audie’s next CD release.

Adams came to the attention of the bluegrass world as a member of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys in the 1980s – which is also where he first met Audie Blaylock, who was on mandolin with Martin at the time. The two mens’ paths would continue to cross as Adams and Blaylock later worked together with both Lynn Morris and Rhonda Vincent.

Tom describes his picking on the Trains CD as emblematic of the style he used when he played with Jimmy Martin – aggressive and hard-driving – with much of the material coming from the Martin repertoire.

The book is available from Tom’s Adams County Banjo web site, along with his three other banjo tab books.

Audie says that he has put together a strong new group, and feels like he has the best vocal trio now he has ever had. I was especially taken by his passion for maintaining a distinctive personal style, while preserving the core of the traditional bluegrass sound that has formed his musical identity.

They plan to get something down in the studio soon, as soon as the full complement of the reformed Redline is in place. Count me among those who are eager to hear what’s next for Audie Blaylock.

It turns out that he is reassembling his band, Redline, and is now accepting dates for the remainder of 2007 and beyond. He wants to ensure everyone that he will continue to perform and record the hard driving, traditional bluegrass music his many fans have come to expect.

For the short term, Audie is handling dates for Redline himself, and information on how to reach him can be found on his web site, where you can also find audio samples from his recordings.

Rakestraw has been performing with Timberline Drive, and was an original member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, back in the day. Three of his songs (Gentle River, I’m Alone Again, Lord Don’t Forsake Me) were included on her early releases.

No word yet on Audie’s future plans. We’ll post when we hear more.

At this point, the band is laying down some rhythm tracks while they continue to choose and arrange material. We’ll pass along whatever further details we can pick up as the work progresses.

The band is Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Audie Blaylock on guitar and vocals, Jesse Brock on mandolin and vocals, Barry Reed on bass and vocals, and John Mark Batchelor on banjo.

Should be a good’n.

All the Canadian dates are listed on the band’s tour schedule page online.

On another Michael Cleveland note: The April issue of Strings Magazine has a brief feature on Michael. It is the back page Encore column by Robert L. Doerschuk.

The April issue will be on newsstands soon, and the Strings web site will update when the cover date arrives. Many articles from each issue are posted online. The piece they did on Jason Carter in the March issue can now be read online.