We posted several times last year about the demise of Bluegrass Now, which had published continuously for 18 years. Stung by the widespread downturn in print periodicals, publishers Wayne and Deb Bledsoe closed the magazine down after the December 2008 issue.

Bluegrass Now tried going all-digital in March 2008, hoping that eliminating the print and mailing costs would allow them to survive with an online subscription model, but unfortunately for the entire bluegrass community, it was not to be.

The Bledsoes spelled it out in in their farewell message…

Although Bluegrass Now has avoided the magnitude of problems afflicting the major publishers, the economic downturn has impacted us in a variety of ways. After prolonged deliberations, we have decided that rather than compromise the integrity and quality of the magazine, which we have sought to maintain since its inception in 1990, we will cease publication at the end of this year.

One thing left unresolved was the status of the existing online subscribers when the magazine closed up shop. That issue has finally been resolved, and all current subscribers as of 12/08 will be offered an online subscription to Flatpicking Digital, the online home of Flatpicking Guitar magazine.

FGM publisher Dan Miller explains how the switch-off will work.

“Before they went out of business they were only offering a digital version of the magazine, so I’m allowing all of those people who still had issues remaining on their subscription to Bluegrass Now to have a one year digital subscription to Flatpicking Guitar Magazine – both our digital magazine and the audio files.”

Former BN subscribers can contact FGM for more details if they have not yet been contacted about this offer.

Toy Hearts, one of Britain’s top bluegrass acts, has a new video on YouTube.

It’s the title track of their current CD, When I Cut Loose, recorded earlier this month at the Ely Folk Festival in Ely Cambridgeshire, UK.

The group is a “grown up” family band, based around banjo picker Stewart Johnson and his two daughters, Hannah on mandolin and Sophia on guitar. In addition, Bradley Blackwell is on bass and Howard Gregory on fiddle.

We spoke recently with Sophia, who was featured in the July/August issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. She shared a few words about the video, and the band’s plans for the rest of this year.

“That song was written by me, my sister and my dad – its our attempt to add to the ‘train song’ genre!!

The Toy Hearts will be coming over to the USA for a 5 week tour starting at the beginning of September.

We will be starting at the Tristate bluegrass festival in Kendalville, IA, then driving and gigging through St Louis, Oklahoma City and on into Texas. We are playing at the Bluegrass Heritage Festival in Arlington TX, then spending 2 weeks gigging in Texas before finally going up to Nashville for IBMA. We already have 5 after hours showcases confirmed.”

Sophia also told us that she had just quit her day job to manage Toy Hearts full time. Bluegrass is thriving in the UK, it seems.

You can find out more about the band on their web site or MySpace page.

Flatpicking Bluegrass is the latest CD from FGM Records, the label branch of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. The CD features 12 flatpicking masters on 12 traditional bluegrass numbers. These are all vocal tunes, no instrumentals here. According to Dan Miller, publisher of FGM, the goal of the recording was to highlight the role that can be played by lead guitar in a strictly vocal, bluegrass setting.

While many still think of “flatpicking” the guitar as taking solos on fiddle tunes, the flatpickers on this recording are here to show you that the guitar also has something to say on traditional bluegrass vocal tunes.

The majority of the tracks were recorded in Nashville, and the band remains the same on each song with the exception of the guitar player/lead singer, and the occasional harmony vocalist.

The back up band includes Shad Cobb on fiddle, Charlie Chadwick on bass, Chris Joslin on Dobro and banjo, and Dave Harvey on mandolin. Tim May and Brad Davis provide harmony vocals on most tunes, although others also sing harmony on select tunes.

The line up of guitar players is impressive, as is the song list of traditional tunes.

1. My Home’s Across The Blue Ridge Mountains – Steven Mougin
2. East Virginia Blues – John Chapman
3. Six White Horses – Jeff White
4. When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall – Jim Hurst
5. Long Journey Home – Josh Williams
6. I’ll Stay Around – Tim Stafford
7. Banks Of The Ohio – Brad Davis
8. Why Don’t You Tell Me So – Richard Bennett
9. In The Pines – Chris Jones
10. Teardrops In My Eyes - Jim Nunally
11. Gone Home – Tim May
12. Air Mail Special On The Fly – Kenny Smith

The consistency of the band from track to track lends a unity to the disc, which, when paired with the diversity of vocal and guitar styles represented, results in a very pleasant and interesting 40 minutes of music.

Choosing a favorite track would be nearly impossible. Each player brings a unique approach that distinguishes each track from the others. There is something to be appreciated and enjoyed from each recording.

Fans of both flatpicking guitar and traditional bluegrass should equally enjoy this CD. If you happen to be a fan of both, Flatpicking Bluegrass is custom made for you!

The Peaceful Bend Americana Music Fest took place last weekend, outside St. Louis, MO. Due to other commitments, I wasn’t able to attend the entire weekend, but I was on hand for the opening ceremonies on Thursday evening.

The festival is centered around flatpick guitar playing and instruction. It is held on the grounds of the Peaceful Bend Vineyard. The venue is small and intimate allowing for a great deal of interaction between performers/instructors, and the students/fans.

Thursday night I taped the 3rd in a series of performance DVDs for the festival’s promotors, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and SimpleFolk Productions. The recording went well and I’m about to be knee deep in editing for a while.

Like the others in the series, the concert featured the guitar work of three outstanding players. This year it is Scott Nygaard, Jack Lawrence, and Robert Bowlin. Once I get the editing done I’m sure we’ll post a short clip or two to give you a taste.

Opening for the trio were the 2008 IBMA and 2009 SPGMA Guitar Player of the Year Josh Williams, and 2008 Walnut Valley International Competition and 2009 Merlefest Flatpicking Champion Tyler Grant.It was a fun night and I’m sure the rest of the weekend was great as well. Here’s a few thought from Tyler Grant.

Josh and I did four numbers on Thursday night to open for the trio’s DVD shoot. The acoustics were very nice in the wine cellar, and it was a comfortable venue to play and to sit back and listen. A little glass of wine made it even more comfortable, and every now and then one of Clyde and Katie’s dogs would wander in making the whole atmosphere feel even more down-home and country. The trio of Bowlin, Lawrence and Nygaard with Wil Maring on upright bass was outstanding. Each guitarist brought his own style to the forefront, while all three met in the middle for some truly beautiful music. It would take an entire post just to go into the details of the show, so I will just advise readers to buy the DVD and hear for themselves. Gorgeous guitar music and some stellar vocal contributions from Jack, Wil and Robert.

You can read all his thoughts on the weekend in the Flatpick-L Archives, here and here.

If you’re interested in photos of the event, be sure to check out this page on the Flatpicking Guitar Ning Network.