David Grier has been a hero of mine as long as I’ve been playing guitar. I spent many hours attempting to learn Eye of the Hurricane. So I was excited to hear his newest CD Evocative.

David had been talking about this recording for a long time and I was eager to hear it. He told me it was different, so I wasn’t surprised 24 seconds into the first song to hear the drums and electric guitar enter the mix. What I wasn’t prepared for was the unique mixture of David’s signature acoustic sound along with banjo, fiddle and other bluegrass sounds, woven together with drums, electric guitar, accordion, wind instruments, etc.

Evocative was released back in June of this year and has had all kinds of labels attached to it. Some have called it “daring” others “innovative.” I call it “Davidative.” There’s really not another word for it. It’s just David. You’ll either love it or hate it, depending on how open you are to things outside the bluegrass norm.

It’s not bluegrass, though David himself has trouble escaping the bluegrass in his blood. You can hear the grass coming out on every track, and I doubt very much that David would have it any other way. He just took the liberty of adding some new spice to the soup, so to speak.

Each song is different, some are quite and contemplative, others are playful and bounding with energy. Some are solo guitar, others are a full ensemble cast of musicians and instruments. The supporting cast of musicians is as diverse as the arrangements. Evocative features a line up of musicians from the likes of Stuart Duncan, Noam Pikelny and Victor Wooten to Jeff Taylor, John Gardner and Paul Franklin.

Regardless of mood or arrangement, David always applies the appropriate touch to his guitar. His tone is fantastic and his creativity is in full swing.

If you enjoy good guitar playing, you’ll want to put your ear on this one.

Here’s a couple little samples of the sounds you can expect to hear on Evocative.

Their 2008 Best of list doesn’t include a bluegrass category, but nonetheless, David Grier made the list. In the category for “Pop Etc,” David topped the list with his live CD, Live at the Linda.

The only other bluegrass mention is in the “Music DVDs” category. Where Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass (1993/2008) – Vision Arts Video gets a mention.

Congrats to David Grier for this recognition of a high quality recording and performance.

Be sure to read Audiophile Audition’s July 2008 review of the CD. Here’s an excerpt.

Except for the occasional audience noise and applause, this could be mistaken for a first-rate studio recording. This CD will appeal to fans of bluegrass, Americana, contemporary acoustic music, folk, or anyone who is a fan of fine guitar playing. Grier plays at the highest levels of performance. Highly recommended.

First up is Second Season, from 2008 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, Kristin Scott Benson.

This CD has been “sort of” released for a few months. Though its official street date is tomorrow (1/13/09), Pinecastle shipped it to radio in late October of last year and had copies available for sale through the Music Shed over the holidays. The CD has already showed up in the Top Albums chart for XM and Sirius satellite radio, so you may have heard some cuts already.

There is so much to like about this project. Kristin’s banjo playing is crisp, clean and note-perfect throughout. The song choices – including four new instrumentals of hers – show her skill as a producer, arranger and composer for the banjo. The opening track, Kristin’s Don’t Tread On Me, and Bill Emerson’s No Steering, No Brakes have her tearing up the five bluegrass-style, while her arrangements of Sandy River Belle and Greencastle Hornpipe indicate her facility bringing old time and Celtic tunes into the bluegrass realm.

The vocal numbers mixed among the instrumentals are appropriate to the general feel of the CD, and all feature vocalists with whom Kristin has worked over the years. No Southern Comfort, sung by Josh Williams, is a real standout, as is Imagine That, sung in close duet harmony by Sally Jones and Mickey Harris.

As if all that wasn’t sufficient reason to recommend this recording, it also has guitar wizard David Grier featured on six of twelve tracks, and boy does he shine. David performs primarily in a solo setting these days, and what a treat to hear him in a bluegrass setting.

All of the pickers and singers provide first rate performances. Jim Van Cleve and Shad Cobb play fiddle, Andy Todd and Mickey Harris are on bass, Cody Kilby also plays guitar, and Kristin’s husband Wayne Benson is on mandolin.

With tomorrow’s wide release, you should be able to find Second Season wherever you shop for bluegrass recordings, both on compact disc and via digital download.

Audio samples are available from iTunes and Music Shed.

After a brief promotional announcement, he launches into a flatpick version of Angeline The Baker in his inimitable style.

His live set can be heard in its entirety once more on Bluegrass Country, tonight at 3:00 a.m. (technically 12/12).

He will join hosts Katy Daley and Lee Michael Demsey to pick some guitar and talk about his latest CD, Live at the Linda. Grier is one of the finest flatpick improvisers around, and his live performances are always a treat.

David is in the Washington area for a solo concert Monday night for the Institute of Musical Traditions.

You can hear the 24/7 bluegrass feed at www.bluegrasscountry.org.

One of the surest signs of the continuing growth of interest in bluegrass music is the success of the many new instructional camps and workshops held each year. Some are instrument specific, while others offer classes for many or all bluegrass instruments at the same time. They are gaining in number and popularity all over the US and Europe as pickers seek to learn more about the music they love.

St. Louis Flatpick is one hosted by guitarist Bull Harman, who developed the concept and started the weekend workshop event to help boost interest in flatpicking in the Midwest.

My wife, Tammy, and I attend workshops throughout the U.S. and have noticed that our area was severely lacking in a weekend workshop type event. So based upon on our experience with others’ weekends, we decided to start St. Louis Flatpick. We are proud to say that this is our 4th year, of hopefully many. We planned the 3 day event months before it’s actual time to allow for preparation and advertising. Our Exhibit Hall hosts several of our sponsors throughout the weekend and our Saturday evening concert has become the highlight of the weekend. Students are thrilled at the opportunity to sit back and watch their instructors shine.

Our goal was to bring a workshop of this kind to the Midwest area, where there aren’t classes available of this type. We outgrew our first hotel after the first year moved to the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel in St. Louis where we have lots of room to grow including a ballroom for the concert.

This year’s event will be March 7, 8 & 9th in St. Louis, MO. Featured instructors will be Clay Hess and David Grier

Live At The Linda was recorded in concert at the Linda Norris Auditorium in Albany, NY in September of 2006. It showcases David in his element – performing his unique improvised guitar style before an appreciative audience.

The 13 tunes are drawn from David’s own compositions, traditional fiddle music (Red Haired Boy, Red Wing, Bonaparte’s Retreat), bluegrass instrumentals (Randy Lynn Rag, Old Ebeneezer Scrooge) and pop hits (Killing Me Softly, Yesterday).

There are no audio samples up yet online, but David says that you’ll be able to find them on his web site soon.

Over the years Jon has recorded with a number of other bluegrass legends including David Grisman, Frank Wakefield, Peter Rowan, the Forbes Family, Dave Evans, Paul Adkins, Walter Hensley, Bob and Danny Paisley, and more.

Sadly, Jon is now in the hospital due to liver failure. This makes the third time this year he has been hospitalized. Like many other musicians, Jon does not health insurance and is faced with rising medial bills. In the midst of this, he is in need of a liver transplant if he is to survive.

The bluegrass community is coming together in an effort to assist this beloved fiddle player. A fund has been started to raise money for the transplant and to help offset his medical expenses.

Several things are being done to raise money for the fund.

A benefit concert is being held on Friday, October 19, from 7:00-11:00 PM. The concert takes place at The Arcadia Fire Hall, in Arcadia, MD. Admission is $35 at the door. Performers include The Del McCoury Band, David Grisman, David Grier, and The Forbes Family.

Eastman Strings has kindly donated a beautiful 904 D Mandolin to be raffled off at the concert, with all proceeds going directly to Jon’s medical fund.

James Reams, Walter Hensley & The Barons of Bluegrass are donating all proceeds (during the month of October) from the sale of the CD Wild Card, featuring Jon Glik on fiddle, to Jon’s medical fund. To order the CD, they ask that you mail a check for $15, made out to Jon Glik Medical Fund, to Mountain Redbird Music, 565 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215. They ask that you also include $1 in cash or postage stamps to cover shipping costs.

You may also contribute directly to the fund by sending a check to Jon’s sister, Barbara Glik. Again, the check should be made out to Jon Glik Medical Fund, and mailed to:

Barbara Glik
P.O. Box 4005
Annapolis, MD 21403

Let’s all pull together and help one of our own in his time of need.

The video is 60 minutes long and includes David teaching 11 of his original tunes. David explains the techniques involved as well as the musical choices made on each tune. A good number of close-ups are included so you can really see what he’s doing with each hand. A tab book is included with the DVD.

The instruction level seems oriented toward intermediate or above levels to me. A beginner would probably struggle with much of it.

Songs include:

• Wheeling
• Engagement Waltz
• The Old Hotel Rag
• Lone Soldier
• Smith Chapel
• Bluegrass Itch
• That’s Just Perfect
• Eye of the Hurricane
• Impulsive
• Shadowbrook
• Porkchops and Applesauce

The inclusion of Eye of the Hurricane makes this video worth having for me. That is my all time favorite David Grier tune.

The DVD is available for purchase from David’s website at “>DavidGrier.com

The Canadian Press has an AP piece on Rhonda Vincent which focuses on her musical upbringing in The Sally Mountain Show with her family, including some discussion of her attempts to find success with mainstream country in the 1990s.

“It was very confusing because they were saying, ‘Can you take the bluegrass out of your voice?”‘ she recalled. “And then we were looking at songs, and I said, ‘I would never sing that song.’ It had something about beer, and it was kind of suggestive. I said I would never sing that, but they would bring it to me and say this is the song you’re going to do.”

Read the full article online.

There is also an article on David Grier in the folk music section of Bella Online. It spends time on David’s musical immersion as a child as well.

David was quick to correct me when I asked him if it was true that he had began playing guitar at the age of 5 under his dad’s direction. He stated it “wasn’t so much under his direction. I mean at first I had little plastic guitars which I played around with. My dad would show me things but let me go on my own. If he’d pushed, I would have rebelled.” He did admit, his dad had suggested the guitar because of its versatility. David’s dad, Lemar Grier, played banjo for Bill Monroe; thus, David was immersed in acoustic music by virtue of his heritage.

Find the full article online.

The show has been scheduled again this year, and will be held next weekend (1/20/07) at The Paramount Center on historic State Street in Bristol.

The format of the current show is similar to the one we started in 2000, and reminiscent of the old “package tour” shows popular in the 1950s and 60s. An all star cast of prominent bluegrass pickers and singers will rotate on and off the stage in a variety of configurations, generally performing material outside of what you might normally hear them doing.

This year’s lineup includes Bobby Hicks, Ronnie Bowman, Mike Bub, David Talbot, Larry Cordle, Rob McCoury, Don Rigsby, Kim Fox, Darrell Webb, Steve Gulley, Jason Carter, Barry Bales, Paul Williams, Kenny & Amanda Smith and David Grier.

There will be two shows on January 20, at 3:00 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets and show details can be found at the Pickin’ at the Paramount site, or the Paramount Center site.

This year’s faculty includes the members of BlueRidge, along with first time instructors Eddie Adcock and George Shuffler, plus returning favorites Kenny Baker, Jack Lawrence, Allen Shelton and Roland White.

The biggest news for RBW ‘06 is the inclusion this year of classes and workshops in bluegrass singing. Both individual vocal tips and workshop instruction in bluegrass harmony will be offered throughout the weekend, spearheaded by noted singer and vocal instructor Don Rigsby.

The 2006 faculty includes both legendary bluegrass pioneers and actively touring artists.

Once again, Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments will be donating a new instrument to be offered in a raffle to fund the RBW Scholarship for deserving young bluegrass students. Four full scholarships (tuition and accommodations) will be awarded to outstanding bluegrass musicians between the ages of 13-24, selected based on demonstrated ability through an application process.

This year, a new RB-250 banjo will be raffled, with chances to win sold at $10. Find all the details about the raffle and the scholarship on the RBW site.