Chris Stuart is back in the studio this winter working on a new project. Like previous CDs with his band, Backcountry, it will primarily feature original songs written within the group, but in a first for Chris this new album will be a digital only release.

Crooked Man is expected to be available in early June, with eight new Chris  Stuart originals, a couple by banjo player Janet Beazley, and one from their teen aged fiddler, Christian Ward. Eric Ulum is on mandolin along with Austin Ward on bass and Stuart on guitar.

Chris shared a few words about the material on Crooked Man…

“The songs include one about Mary Surratt (hanged in 1865 as part of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy) and one by Janet called Lantern Bay Inn about a murder in the San Juan Islands off Washington state. I have a song about a murder that happened in West Virginia in 1931, and a song about a dog called Ofer and Yesbuddy . . . .another happy CSB recording!”

Chris told us that they will produce manufactured CDs for press and radio promotion, but will primarily distribute the project through digital download sites. A new band website will be created with album artwork, lyrics, studio photos and credits plus download purchases offered in either MP3 or AIF formats. It will also be available through download sites like iTunes and CD Baby.

Our friends at BluegrassCountry.org have launched a new feature as part of their 40th Anniversary celebration of bluegrass programming on WAMU. It’s called Musician Tips and will be a weekly audio segment with prominent bluegrass artists sharing advice on a wide range of topics that will be of interest to those seeking to improve their own songwriting, stage presence or performance.

Each tip will be run for a week in BluegrassCountry.org’s 24/7 bluegrass programming, and then be archived on their web site. You can hear the first in this series, from noted songwriter Chris Stuart, on the Musician’s Tips site, where you can also subscribe to the series as a podcast.

BluegrassCountry.org’s Katy Daly says that they have quite a lineup of artists in the pipeline.

In weeks to come we’ll feature tips from Bill Emerson, Jaime Daley, Sonya Isaacs, Joe Carr, Alan Munde, Ralph Stanley, Honi Deaton, all the Stringdusters, all the Steep Canyon Rangers, Mike Auldridge, Missy Raines, and Randy Kohrs, just to name a few.

I suppose it was only a matter of time…

Eric Uglum’s two mega-talented stepsons, Christian and Austin Ward, became members of Chris Stuart & Backcountry a few months back. Just recently, Chris’ Backcountry label released a new CD from Eric and his young wards, and now comes the announcement that Eric is the newest member of Backcountry.

Eric will be featured on both lead guitar and mandolin, and joins Christian Ward on fiddle, Austin Ward on bass, Janet Beazley on banjo, and bandleader (and chief songsmith) Chris Stuart on guitar.

Uglum had previously performed with Weary Hearts, Copperline and Lost Highway, and operates New Wine Studio in Hesperia, CA where all of the Backcountry releases have been recorded.

You can find the band’s schedule on their web site.

Our friends at UKBluegrass.com just let us know that they have posted to their blog an interview with John and Moira Wirtz who organize Europe’s largest bluegrass/old time music camp, Sore Fingers. The camp has been running each year since 1996 and is scheduled for April 9-14, 2007 this year.

The interview is quite readable and contains a lot of background historical information about the camp. They also talk about the goals they have for the camp this year and in the future. And in describing the camp’s atmosphere, they bring up one of my favorite things about this music, the accessibility of the players.

The instructors for this year’s camp are some of the best players bluegrass music has to offer including, Janet Beazley, Noam Pikelny, Casey Driessen, Rob Ickes, John Lowell, Chris Stuart, and others.

“The event is up there with any other camp,” says John, “but it’s uniquely British in the social aspect and the humour.” Most of the tutors get stuck in to the socialising without difficulty, mingling in the bar and taking part in the sessions. “I love seeing the kids jamming with the tutors,” says John.

What a great opportunity for these youngsters.

If you missed the last interview UKBluegrass.com posted you might want to check it out as well. It’s a good interview with current IBMA Board Chairman, Greg Cahill. You’ll find that interview here.

Bob Webster at BluegrassCountry.org had a chance to talk with Chris Stuart and Janet Beazley before their performance at Luckett’s Schoolhouse last month. That interview is being aired this week on WAMU and online at BluegrassCountry.org.

Aspiring songwriters should take note at Chris describes the thought process he uses to write songs like Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts, Julia Belle, and Mojave River. There is also a preview of the title cut from Chris’ upcoming release, The old Road to Jerusalem. The song was written by Chris and is performed by Eric Uglum & Sons, Austin and Christian Ward.

I’m listening to the show online as I type, but if you miss it today it will air everyday this week. Here’s the schedule:

• Monday, November 27 - 10:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, November 28 - 9:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 29 - 7:00 a.m.
• Thursday, November 30 - 5:55 a.m.
• Friday, December 1 - 11:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 2 - 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday December 3 - 6:00 p.m.

We just heard from our friend Chris Stuart, that he will be teaching the songwriting class at next April’s Sore Fingers Summer School in England. The camp runs April 9-13, 2007 and is held at the Kingham Hill School, located on the borders of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire.

In addition to his songwriting, Stuart performs with his band, Chris Stuart & Backcountry, and is a regular contributor to Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. He has a feature in the November issue on Lou Reid & Carolina.

Chris has been awarded the Chris Austin Songwriting prize at Merlefest, and has been selected for the IBMA Songwriter Showcase. His songs have been recorded by such bluegrass notables as Claire Lynch, Dale Ann Bradley, Larry Cordle, Suzanne Thomas, Sally Jones, and many others. Five of his songs have appeared on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart, including Julia Belle, recorded by his bandmate Janet Beazely, which recently spent several months on the chart. Janet will also be an instructor at Sore Fingers, teaching banjo classes next spring.

Here’s how Chris described his songwriting class:

My songwriting workshop will focus on the craft of writing songs in the bluegrass, roots, country, and Americana tradition, with emphasis on the structure and inspiration of traditional songs and how to write within a tradition but still be original and fresh. Throughout the week, students will listen to songs from a wide range of roots sources–from the 17th century to Bob Dylan’s latest work–play their songs for the class, partake in discussion, sing, play, and develop a sense of the joy and heartache that comes with songwriting. Other topics will include how to pitch your songs, the business side of songwriting, developing word play, melodic invention, and keeping a sense of humor throughout it all. It will be a busy and fun week!

Rob Ickes, Tim O’Brien and Noam Pikelny are also tentatively booked to teach next April at the week long camp. You can find more details at the Sore Fingers Summer School web site.

Chris Stuart has announced that Chris and Austin Ward have joined his band, Backcountry. It is a fairly odd occurrence when a pair of brothers joins a professional band at the same time, even odder when they are both still in their teens. Austin will be playing bass, and Chris fiddle, along with Stuart on guitar, Janet Beazely on banjo, and Mason Tuttle on mandolin and lead guitar.

Both Chris and Austin were chosen to represent the best of young bluegrass musicians when ABC News did a feature for the CMA Music Festival which was televised in the fall of 2005.

Chris was also selected as a recipient of the first Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend Scholarship in 2005 when he was just 13 years old. He traveled to VA from his home in CA for the chance to study for the weekend with some of the top fiddlers in the country, and made quite an impression on both the faculty and the students alike.

You can find a video clip of Chris jamming along with the other scholarship recipients from 2005, Haley Stiltner and Aaron Williams, on Haley’s web site. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the video clip.

Best of luck to Chris Stuart & Backcountry with their youth movement!

BluegrassGuide.com is hosting a Song Writer Chat Room tonight (March 14) at 8 PM EST. Tonight’s guest is Chris Stuart. Chris is a songwriter, touring and recording artist, and he runs an independent record label, Backcountry Music.

He’s had five of his songs appear on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart, won the songwriting contest at Merlefest in both bluegrass and gospel categories, been selected for IBMA songwriter and band showcases, and has toured with his band Chris Stuart & Backcountry in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and the Middle East. Chris writes feature articles for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. His songs have been recorded by Claire Lynch, Suzanne Thomas, Sally Jones, Tina Adair, and others, and he’s taught songwriting at the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop and at festival workshops and will be teaching at the Sorefingers bluegrass school in the UK in 2007.

It should be an informative and fun chat. If you are interested in songwriting, be sure to log on at BluegrassGuide.com.

With the Arab Middle East so much in the news these days, and full of so many disheartening images, we are delighted to offer a encouraging story about bluegrass music and the Sultanate of Oman. Oman is located on the Arabian Sea, just east of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Three bluegrass bands from California are currently on tour in Oman, where they will perform at a variety of venues for both Omani and American/European audiences. The bands are Lost Highway, Chris Stuart & Backcountry and Eric Uglum & Sons. The tour was organized by Bud Bierhaus, a bluegrass musician who performed with the band Copperline in southern CA before going to work for Halliburton in Oman.

Last summer, Bud contact Eric Uglum to see if he and his boys (Christian and Austin Ward) might be interested in a tour in Oman. Eric’s enthusiasm for the idea led Bud to suggest that some other bands be involved as well, and before long, an 8 day tour was scheduled. It began with a show yesterday (2/9) at the closing night of the Muscat Festival, a 30 day event which celebrates the many cultures and musical flavors of the diverse Omani workforce and populace. The remainder of the tour includes both concerts and workshops, some for American citizens groups and schools, others for the American Embassy staff and guests, and a couple for private interests.

Eric Uglum is the guitarist and mandolinist with Lost Highway, which also includes Ken Orrick (guitar), Dick Brown (banjo), Mike Tatar Jr. (fiddle) and Joe Ash (bass). Chris Stuart & Backcountry is made up of Janet Beazley (banjo), Mason Tuttle (bass), Brian Wicklund (fiddle) and Chris (guitar).

Chris Stuart also shared some thoughts about the trip:

“We’re really looking forward to going to Oman. It’s going to be an adventure and I’m particularly looking forward to playing the big Muscat Festival. I’m also taking some IBMA ‘Discover Bluegrass’ DVDs to leave in a few of the schools over there. Who knows, maybe someday there will be an Omani bluegrass band!”

Stacey Uglum (Eric’s wife and Christian and Austin Ward’s mom) is also going on the trip, and she promised to get back to us when they return, and send photos from the tour. We’ll pass along her report and some photos later this month.