The folks at bluegrasscollege.org have put together a video sample from their latest online lesson. The song is Blue Night, sung by Tim O’Brien, with instrumental solos taught by Bill Evans (banjo), Rob Ickes (resonator guitar), Tyler Grant (guitar), Matt Flinner (mandolin), Mark Schatz (bass) and Megan Lynch (fiddle).

The sample shows brief segments from the various instruments, and the complete lesson contains two breaks each, with both audio and video at slow speeds for each instrument.

You can find more details - and a free sample lesson - at bluegrasscollege.org.

Punch Brothers have brought on young bass monster Paul Kowert to take the spot of departing founding member Greg Garrison. The band otherwise remains the same (Chris Thile on mandolin, Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar and Gabe Witcher on fiddle).

Kowert, 22 years old, had been touring this fall with mandolinist Mike Marshall in his Big Trio (along with 16 year old fiddler Alex  Hargreaves), and studied at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Edgar Meyer. He began with Thile’s band this past weekend.

We caught Punch Brothers last night in Roanoke, and Kowert is more than up to the task. Not only has he memorized the demanding Punch Brothers repertoire, but he is a brilliant soloist in his own right. His tone (both arco and bowed) was gorgeous, and his use of a C extender on the low E string - and his comfort playing at the uppermost region of the fingerboard - brought a new dimension to the band’s already impressive sound.

Thile seemed to revel in Kowert’s bass work, and could be seen congratulating him after a couple of songs. Paul also sings a good bit of the vocal harmony in the band.

I don’t suppose there is any news value in pointing out that each member of Punch Brothers was equally stunning on stage, as was the group as a whole. They continue to strike me as the most technically gifted string ensemble yet assembled, and the discipline they exhibit individually and as a unit is a wonder to behold.

No word as to Garrison’s current or future plans. His MySpace profile has been recently deleted.

Missy Raines, seven-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year, has signed a multi-project deal with Compass Records, run by fellow IBMA Award winner Alison Brown and her husband, Garry West.

A new CD will be released on February 10, 2009, the first full-length CD Missy has recorded with her band, New Hip. Members include Ethan Ballinger on mandolin, Michael Witcher on resonator guitar, and Dillon Hodges on guitar.

Missy was enthusiastic about the new record deal.

“This is a great day for me, I’m thrilled to be working with Alison and Garry and the team at Compass Records.  I feel it’s the absolute best label for us.

The new CD is called, Inside Out, and we recorded it here in Nashville with Ben Surratt at the Rec Room Studios. Of course it features all of the New Hip along with some special guests including Matt Flinner, John R. Burr, Doug Belote, and Megan McCormick.

We’re creating our own sounds drawing on a lot of deep roots and the music we’re coming up with gets me out of bed every morning very excited and looking forward. I can’t wait to share  it with our fans this next year.”

Another stolen instrument report. This one is from Bryan Turner of Cumberland Gap Connection. It seems someone swiped his bass Tuesday night at IBMA.

This is a somewhat unusual instrument. It’s a Knilling Thinline Jazz Bass. It looks much the same as any other upright bass, only much thinner.

The store where I bought it has a number on the Bass of 67188. I am not sure if that is the model number or the Serial number. It has some dings around the bottom edge of the back of the bass and some nicks on the Scroll. It also was equipped with a Realist pickup.

The bass was in a gig bag case when it was stolen.

Here are a couple photos of Bryan playing the instrument to give you an idea of what it looks like and where some of the dings he’s talking about are located.

If you play an instrument other than the upright bass or fiddle, you probably use a strap. If you play upright bass and use a strap, please send me a photo!

My point was that instrument straps are a vital part of the gear used by bluegrass musicians. Why not make a statement with yours? You could be like me and use a plain black leather strap, or you could use something a little more colorfull.

Colorado Case Company has been hand sewing instrument straps for years now and selling them direct at festivals. They’ve now taken the business online with its own website, guitarstrapsonline.com.

Don’t let the name fool you, they have straps for banjo, mandolin, and dobro as well. What is unique about their straps is that they are all hand sewn at their facility in Fort Collings, CO using interesting cloth prints. They don’t keep the same prints in stock at all times so if you don’t see something you like now, keep checking up on them, or take advantage of their custom options.

…we can make a strap out of any fabric you may have, or find in your local fabric store. This means you can take a strip of fabric from a favorite shirt, blanket or jeans, and convert it into a favorite guitar, banjo, mandolin or harp strap.

All straps are normally priced at $24.95 with an additional $5 charge for custom orders.

The Music Link, a California company who distributes a variety of musical instrument lines, many produced in Asia, has announced two new instruments which will be of interest to bluegrass pickers.

First up is the new Artist Deluxe Banjo from Recording King. This is a maple instrument with gold plated and engraved hardware, and is the most ornate Recording King model released to date.

It also features a bound ebony fingerboard, 3 ply rim and 20 hole tone ring. Like all the Recording King banjos, this one was designed by Greg Rich.

The Artist Deluxe carries a retail price of $2449.99. Recording King has a dealer locater page on their site, if you want to see one in person.

Also new from The Music Link is the Palatino Violin Corner Bass. This is a flat back, maple bass with a carved ebony fingerboard, 24:1 geared, single plate tuners, and is available in 3/4 size.

The Violin Corner bass comes with a Padded DuraGuard Nylon Bag and has a retail price of $999.99

Visit the Palatino Musical Instruments web site to find a dealer - either online or at a store near you.

Parker Guitars has introduced their first acoustic/electric bass guitar, unveiled this week at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. Parker has been known primarily for building electric guitars and basses for rock musicians, but have more recently developed instruments for acoustic and jazz players as well.

The PAB40 features an American Black Walnut body, Parker’s patented feedback suppressing Soundslot system, and an exclusive customized Fishman Matrix Pickup system designed to offer natural acoustic bass tones.

It will carry a list price of $1799 and ships with a hardshell case.

We couldn’t find the PAB40 on the Parker web site, but it should appear there soon. You can consult their dealer list to find a retailer near you who might have more information.

I just recently found an article about a ballet production that took place in the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts in Mountain View, CA. Once segment of the ballet featured a performance with bass player Edgar Meyer.

This from InsideBayArea.com:

The key segment of the evening was Smuins’ 2005 effort “Bluegrass/Slyde,” set to the music of famed string bassist Edgar Meyer. One wonders which to admire the most: the dancing or the athletic displays of the dancers. In this piece, Smuin indulged himself heavily in his tendency to weave in sudden, unexpected and very funny movements for the dancers.