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.

In my last letter, titled The Holy Grail, I told you a little bit about myself, my music, and how I fulfilled one of my dreams by meeting Alison Krauss while performing in Nashville last April. My band, No Strings Attached, and I have been very busy with touring, and recording new material. In addition to that, I just got back from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I attended a performance work shop. The time I spent at Berklee reinforced what I have learned about music, particularly bluegrass music.

Chapter 2 – Less Is More!

Most of us have grown up with the statement, “less is more.” As I learn and grow musically – remember I’m sixteen – I am coming to understand that concept more and more. My dad and my band members, who are older and often wiser than me, have always stressed that, although I should set challenging goals, I should not over complicate those goals by trying to perform music that I am either not ready for or that does not display my strengths. That’s not always easy advice to follow for a kid who wants to perform like Alison Krauss or fiddle like Stuart Duncan!

Throughout my school years, I have witnessed students performing music that is far beyond their abilities, especially in the area of vocals. Few ten-year-olds can sing like Barbara Streisand or Ella Fitzgerald. Singing songs beyond one’s ability and/or age is not only detrimental to one’s reputation.  Doing so is also unhealthy for one’s voice, especially if his or her voice is developing. Whenever I see or hear a young singer performing these difficult songs, I thank my band and my dad for their sound advice.

While I was at Berklee, I performed at a few of the college’s gigs. I chose some bluegrass and folk style songs. Both the staff and the students really enjoyed my selections. They weren’t the most difficult tunes to play or sing, but they harnessed what I like to call, my voice’s “sweet spots.” Every voice has unique gifts and unique boundaries, and I’ve worked hard to discover mine. It is absolutely crucial for a singer to discover his gifts and boundaries himself, as no other person can do so for him.

Because of my personal vocal awareness, I am able to let the song be the star!

I was drawn to bluegrass music because of its versatility and simplicity. There are great songs for all levels and types of performers, from the basic strum chords to the very difficult flat picking and everything in between. It’s also true with the harmonies. You may not be able to blend like the Gibson Brothers, but with practice, you can achieve some nice vocals.

The “less is more” idea also applies to studio recording. Good acoustic music doesn’t require a lot of bells and whistles. I try to save my “Brian Wilson” producing for other music that I write and perform. I love listening to complex rock productions or performing intricate classical music pieces, but I always find that some of the best music is so appealing because it’s not complicated.

When I check in next time, I’ll talk about my tour and the challenge for a young, unsigned artist to work the media, especially the internet. It’s not enough to have good music; one must be knowledgeable on how to get it to the people who want to hear it. I find this aspect of the music business extremely difficult.

Good-bye for now, and thanks for checking in. My band and I will be performing at the Remington Ryde Bluegrass festival on Saturday July 11 in Reedsville, Pennsylvania.

Go to the festival web site to see the times. Please stop by, and say hello. We would love to meet you.

So it is always a treat to find out about talented young pickers like Green on the Vyne, a Nashville-based quintet of teenaged grassers. Their debut CD, Ready For The Pickin’, was released a few weeks back, showing that these youngsters have learned quite a bit about music – plus performing and recording – at such a tender age.

Here’s a video introduction to the band…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Deanie explains how the band came together…

I was part owner in a music school (The Main Stage in Springfield, TN) and three of these band members, Sydni Perry, Ty Jackson and Emily Dean, were students of mine. I had been working with them individually for a while on their various instruments and singing, but often wondered what it would sound like – of if they would even know what to do – if I put them together in a trio setting.

It was amazing. I could not believe what I was hearing. They all three heard parts and the blend of them together was so intense; it brought me to tears. At this point they were only 12 and 13 years old. I was so in awe of how they knew instantly what to do with these parts….even though they hadn’t spent a lot of time around bluegrass music. They just instantly heard the natural bends and twist.

Then we added the most talented Casey Campbell, son of the late, great Jimmy Campbell. I have known Casey since birth. His mother Marcia is a lifelong friend of mine and my family’s. Casey just fit right in and added the traditional mandolin style that I was hearing with these vocals. He is such a tasteful old soul kind of player.

After that, we needed a banjo player. The band was formed in Robertson County, TN so there just so happened to be an incredible player that lived right there.  Luke Munday is a banjo player to look out for. He has has incredible timing and drive. Luke also provides great guitar skills to the band.

Emily plays bass, Ty plays guitar and Sydni sings. My goal was to just teach these 5 very talented young people how to work together as a band, how to play fills, how to work your harmonies, how to work up new songs, how to work through your conflicts, how to work in a studio, how to work your record table, how to do interviews….etc. I have some very talented people around me who help me out with all of this.

This turned into a really heartfelt project for me. I love these kids! Now it seems they have some dates booked and it has turned into something a little bigger than my music school sessions. Although, I still want them to continue to learn through this whole entire process and to have fun. If they aren’t having fun then what’s the point?

Despite their age, these young pickers take the music seriously and think that having a recording released is a very cool thing. As Casey puts it…

“I feel lucky to have the chance to put a CD like this at my age. Recording the album was a blast. You never realize how much you love a group of people until you sit in a room listening to the banjo player play for hours until he finally finds the tone he wants! Despite the fact that it took us over a year, two different recording studios, and many different strings to complete, I’m glad it happened and it’s finished. We are your average school kids by day, but crazy musicians and singers by night.”

And Emily is in complete agreement.

“It’s simply amazing. Two years ago I would’ve never thought that anything like this would be happening to me, or Green on the Vyne for that matter. This has always been my dream, and I can’t believe I’m getting to live it out at such a young age. This CD was basically my life for about a year and a half, so it’s so incredible to actually see it in print and share it with anyone and everyone who wants to hear it.”

The band had their CD release concert at the venerable Station Inn in Nashville, a fairly prestigious debut for an unknown young band. They may be getting attention for their music from Nashville’s bluegrass folks, but I wondered what their friends thought about them playing bluegrass.

Emily: “Even though most aren’t familiar with the genre, all of my friends are extremely supportive of my music. Not many of them understand why I put so much effort and time into Green on the Vyne, but when they come to see us play they quickly see just why I’m so passionate about what I do.”

Casey: “Although Bluegrass is not exactly ‘hip’ to most kids my age, my friends are still supportive and love to come out and see GOTV when we play around Nashville.”

Though they still have a few years to make career plans, both of them are eyeing the music business as a potential livelihood.

Casey: Music is my passion. I would love to have a career involving music whether I am playing music as a Bluegrass superstar, producing music, or even building and repairing instruments. As long as I can be a part of the future of Bluegrass music in any way, I’ll be content.”

Emily: “I would personally love to make music my career. My mom’s always told me to do what I love, and that just seems to fit. I can’t really say what I plan on doing after high school. That’s still a mystery to me. I hope to become a jazz/swing/ and folk singer all rolled into one. But even if music doesn’t become my main career, it will always be a huge part of my life.”

You can hear audio samples and purchase Ready For The Pickin’ – as a CD or digital downloads – on their MySpace page and at CD Baby.

I’m Kate Lee with No Strings Attached and this is my story, or at least some of it. It is better described as a small chapter from a book being written as I navigate this world of music. I will try to keep it brief, but it will be difficult, as there are already many great stories to tell. I say already because I have only been involved in music since I was nine in Fourth Grade, about seven years. It feels much longer because there have been so many rehearsals, performances, television and radio concerts, music and music writing contests, touring and uncounted hours of individual practicing. My stories will, I hope, be interesting as they are told through the eyes and memories of a teenager.

Chapter 1 – The Holy Grail

Actually it’s more like chapter 3 or 4 (I know I always have to be different) because I am going to start my story with some fairly recent events.

My friend and first guitarist, Jack Metzger once told my dad and I, after hearing we were going to write our own songs, that original material is the “Holy Grail” within the music industry. That has proven to be the truest, most valuable statement that anyone has ever told my dad and me.

Musically, everything changed in a very positive way the day after we wrote our first song. 20 Paces was written three years ago, and in a round about way it propelled Kate Lee with No Strings Attached into the “Big Leagues.” Soon we would be opening and sharing the stage with the likes of Rhonda Vincent, Nothin’ Fancy, Jay Unger, and The Grascals, as well as meetings with Gordon Lightfoot, Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs, and ultimately Alison Krauss. The rest of this chapter or story will be devoted to how I got to meet and spend an evening with Ms. Alison Krauss.

In April, I traveled to Nashville with my family to play a few writers nights and visit area colleges. I was honored to play at the Bluebird Cafe and the Commodore Grill, two of Nashville’s most revered music hot spots. During the Commodore gig, I was very excited to see two producers and an A& R from a record label come out to see me perform. The excitement didn’t end there.

Minutes before I was to perform, I noticed Ms. Alison Krauss enter the room. I thought that she coincidentally came out to see the show or meet a friend, but to my amazement she waved to me to come to her table. I was shocked to find out that she came out to see me perform! She explained that she was a fan of my music and that she really liked my song, Sarah Sing.

Imagine, my favorite artist saying that she liked my music. I had dreamed of meeting her and having her sign my fiddle for years.  Now it was really happening and at my performance! She stayed for my songs and then spent the evening talking to my parents and me. She told me to keep writing and performing my own music. It was a night I will remember the rest of my life. I’m quite sure that writing and performing original songs helped make that night a reality.

I couldn’t wait to tell my friend Jack about our meeting and how true his words were. I know that I have much to learn, and hopefully with a lot of hard work my songs and my performances will grow right along with me. I’m so glad that my dad decided that we should give writing a try. It’s like they say, you just have to hold your breath and “jump in.” Now I am writing songs on my own as well as co-writing.

Lastly, I’m so happy to note that Ms. Krauss was as nice as I had envisioned her to be. Maybe she could see a bit of herself in me and remembered the days when she was just starting her career, or maybe she just wanted to make a kid’s dream come true. Either way, it was a night of inspiration for me, and I now look forward to my summer gigs more than ever.

I hope you enjoyed my story. Please check in with The Bluegrass Blog from time to time to follow along with me in my music journey. I have much more to see, do, and say about it all. Next time I will tell you about how I, as a young girl from Upstate New York, got into writing and performing bluegrass music, and about my latest song written about the battle between old and new bluegrass. It asks the question, “What’s your shade of blue?”

Stop out to see me at one of my shows. Bye for now!