Word had reached us about a banjo player being featured in a number of recent episodes of The Jerry Springer Show - the notorious “reality TV” show based in Chicago. The banjo picking was intended not as a performance, but to add a flavor to a hillbilly-themed episode.

When we further learned that the banjo player in question was Greg Cahill, founder of Special Consensus, President of the International Bluegrass Music Association and long-time Chicago resident, I knew there had to be an interesting story behind the Springer appearances.

When I reached him a few days ago, his first reaction was “I was hoping to keep this under the radar, but it seems the word is definitely out.” Knowing Greg to be a serious musician and a truly dignified gentleman, I asked him to fill us in on the back story, which he has graciously agreed to do.

“I have been involved in the Chicago studio scene for about 30 years – which is a primary reason for not moving to Nashville years ago (in addition to having family here). I have played on countless commercial jingles, recordings and radio and television shows in Chicago studios over the years, but the majority of commercial studio work began moving to Los Angeles at the beginning of the New Millennium (as it had moved from New York City to Chicago in the 1990s). There remain a small number of quality studios in Chicago and I am very fortunate to continue to maintain my position as a first call banjo player (in spite of spending about 150-160 days a year on the road with The Special Consensus). My studio connection has afforded me the opportunity to play the banjo on various television show soundtracks (including the Oprah show); it is because of this connection that I was contacted to play the banjo on the Jerry Springer Show, which appears on the NBC network.

I was very reluctant to accept the offer at first because I find it extremely offensive when people make fun of people publicly (and I never watch the show for that reason). But a producer of the Springer show contacted me personally to assure me that the folks who appear on the show are fully aware of the presentation of the show and are happy to be part of it; the purpose of the show is simply to have fun. My primary concern was that I would jeopardize my studio connections, especially with NBC, if I refused to appear on the show so I agreed to make an appearance. Part of my agreement with the producers was that I would wear a hat and that my name would not be listed in any show credits. (more…)

Tonight is a special night for Greg Cahill and the guys in Special Consensus.

When they perform tonight at The Livery in Benton Harbor, MI they will not only throw down some solid bluegrass for the listening audience, they’ll also be throwing down a few of the venue’s newest offerings. The Livery is both a micro brewery and a music room, and they have just debuted a special brew called Special C.

It’s a dark Czech lager in honor of Special Consensus’ long career in the bluegrass business.

“For over 30 years banjo player and good friend Greg Cahill has led the world famous Bluegrass band Special Consensus. Always featuring the best up and coming talent, this beer is named in their honor! Deep mahogany in color, this lager has a rich malt flavor balanced by an assertive hop character.”

Mandolinist Ashby Frank also passed along that they will start work on a new CD as soon as they return from this weekend’s trip.

Niall Toner will be on Ireland’s RTÉ Radio 1 this week with the first two installments of his Nashville Sessions series, recorded while he was in attendance at the IBMA World Of Bluegrass convention earlier this fall.

These shows will air at 1:00 p.m. (EST - 6:00 p.m. local UK time) on December 27 and 28 and feature interviews with several performers, songwriters and instrument builders Niall caught up with in Nashville. Guests include Greg Cahill, Pete Wernick, Barry and Holly Tashian, Steve Huber, Goldheart, Broken Wire, Steve Kaufmann, Keith Sewell and a number of others.

Additional shows to be broadcast in 2008 will be announced shortly after the new year.

RTÉ Radio 1 broadcasts over the air at 88-89 FM, and listeners worldwide can tune in online via live audio streaming.

Niall is also hard at work finishing up his latest CD, We Believe In Clean Endings. He says it will feature 13 of his new songs, and a release date for next year should be announced by February.

We heard yesterday from Greg Cahill, banjo player and road manager with the well-traveled Special Consensus - and in his spare time, President and Chair of the IBMA Board of Directors.

Greg has long been out in front when it comes to getting bluegrass music before audiences of young people, and school performances are a regular feature of Special C tours.

Just a brief note to let everyone know bluegrass music is alive and well in the wilds of WY and MT.

The Special C completed our annual visit with WY students and community members in Casper and Thermopolis last week and it was very rewarding to see so many young people so enthusiastic about bluegrass music. We presented our in-school program (with two student fiddler members of The Casper Fiddle Club) last Wednesday afternoon at Southridge Elementary School and then met with the Fiddle Club members after the presentation.

The Fiddle Club membership includes many Southridge students and other community members, ranging in age from about 8 to 83 (playing all of the bluegrass instruments). We had them perform a few songs with us during our evening concert. The next day we visited Hot Springs County High School in Thermopolis and presented another program to the student body before meeting with the Bluegrass Academy members (sponsored by the Lights On program).

The Bluegrass Academy is an annual 12 week program that includes teaching students and community members of all ages how to play and sing bluegrass music. We asked them to perform a song with us during our evening concert as well and received a very enthusiastic response from the audience.

We headed to Polson, MT, on Friday to do a concert at Polson High School, with proceeds donated to the local youth home, and then to Red Lodge, MT on Saturday to play a benefit concert for the Search and Rescue program. A very rewarding and enjoyable tour for us - even in spite of the below-zero temperatures and snow!

Wishing everyone a very safe and enjoyable holiday season…

In my own limited experience, I have found that middle and high school audiences respond quite warmly to bluegrass music. Hats off to Greg and Special C for making this so much a part of their tours.

If you tune in (log on) to WorldWideBluegrass.com at 6:00 p.m. EDT this evening (7/31), you can hear an interview with Greg Cahill, banjo player with Special Consensus, and Board Chair for the IBMA. He will join WWB host Uncle Billy Dunbar for discussion - and surely some music as well.

Greg has plenty to talk about these days, with a new CD from Special C, The Trail Of Aching Hearts, and a new member of the band Ashby Frank, having recently joined them on mandolin.

To listen to the 24/7 WWB audio stream online, just visit their streaming page, and choose a connection speed and file type.

The Trail Of Aching Hearts is the newest recording by Chicago based bluegrass band, Special Consensus. Led by banjo player Greg Cahill, current IBMA President, Special Consensus has been producing great bluegrass music 12 albums, and this lucky number 13 is no exception.

Due to be released May 15, 2007, The Trail Of Aching Hearts is sure to earn the band some well deserved accolades. Even with his busy schedule, Greg took the time to answer a few questions about this new recording via email.

Brance: Where was the CD recorded? And what was the process like?

We are very pleased with this recording, although it was a bit stressful to complete because we toured so much in 2006 that we had to pop into and out of the studio many times to get it done (we usually just sit in Nashville for a week and do the entire recording all at once). But our good friend and master producer/engineer/studio owner Brent Truitt kept us on track (pun intended) and we had some great guest musicians (Tim Crouch, Rob Ickes, Phil Ledbetter and former Special C members Tim Dishman and Tres Nugent) helping us out as well.

Brance: Tell us about the songs on this recording. Special C has a reputation for finding great songs from other genres, primarily swing tunes, or old country songs. What have you got on this CD for us?

The format is similar to all Special C recordings: original songs (two by Ron, including a gospel quartet, and several from friends); a swing tune (Blue Skies by Irving Berlin); an Irish song (Josie’s Reel, co-written by Nashville songwriter Keith Sewell and our friend in Ireland Niall Toner); and old country song (The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot Tonight, from the Marty Robbins repertoire) and a good but obscure song recorded by Flatt & Scruggs (Branded Wherever I Go).

Brance: One last question, where did the title cut come from?

The title song, Down the Trail of Aching Hearts, is one that Ron heard on his car radio some 15 years ago but could never track down. When we played in Ft. Collins, CO this past summer, we visited Conway Gandy, an avid collector of old country music and radio personality for KRFC, and he found the song in his collection, as performed by Hank Snow. We sped it up a bit and made it more grassy sounding and then decided it would be a great title song because of the fine harmonies the boys laid down.

If you have ever been a fan of Special Consensus in the past, you’re sure to love this CD. If you’ve not heard Special C before, then you’ve got quite a treat waiting for you when you hear this CD. Samples can be found online at the band’s Myspace page.

Earlier this week, we published an open letter to the bluegrass community from Rhonda Vincent, in which she voiced a number of concerns she has with the direction she sees IBMA heading with their annual Awards Show. In particular, she was disappointed in what she felt was an intent to modify the show’s bluegrass character in order to accommodate the possibility of television broadcast, most notably the dimunition in importance given to the presentation of individual instrumentalist awards in the program.

Greg Cahill, leader of the popular band Special Consensus, and IBMA Board Chairperson/President in his spare time, responded on Wednesday on behalf of the IBMA Board. His letter was initially published on Wednesday (3/7) via the official IBMA members email discussion group, and republished here for the sake of those who have an interest in this matter.

It is a lengthy response, but worth you time if this issue concerns you.

Thanks for the recent messages and in response to concerns expressed by Rhonda Vincent and others regarding the IBMA Awards Show. The following is provided for background information and clarification on several issues.

As has been noted in previous messages to the membership, the board formed a task force in recent months to study and make recommendations regarding guidelines for the awards show and new oversight procedures.

The recommendations unanimously agreed upon by members of that task force (we are proud that Rhonda served on this task force) will be considered by the IBMA board at its April meetings. These recommendations are fully posted at the IBMA website along with a link for members to offer input and comments:

http://www.ibma.org/about.ibma/guidelines.asp

If adopted by the board, these guidelines and procedures will be expected to be followed for future awards shows – televised, radio broadcast or otherwise – and speak to the type of performances, hosts, presenters, and others to be involved in the show.

To further clarify, the board has neither mandated nor requested that the six instrumental awards be eliminated or edited from the awards show broadcast. IBMA’s leadership, like the membership, has great admiration for the instrumental skills embodied within our music. (more…)

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.

This week we start a roughly month long focus on issues relating to bluegrass education, and bringing bluegrass music to young people in the schools. We start with Greg Cahill, who in addition to his work as banjo picker with Special Consensus, has been credited with helping launch IBMA’s official Bluegrass In The Schools program. Greg discusses what he has been up to with the band, his recent Huber Banjos endorsement, and how he got started making bluegrass presentations to school children.

This GrassCast is 13 minutes in length and the file download size is 13 MB.

Below is an mp3 file for you to listen here or download. The GrassCast is also available in the iTunes music store as an enhanced podcast containing photos and hyperlinks relative to the subject matter being discussed in the interview.

Listen now:
Direct Download: ep35_greg_cahill.mp3
Subscribe with:
Free Download: The GrassCast iPodder software

To subscribe with your own podcatching software, copy and past this url into the appropriate entry box in your software: http://www.thegrasscast.com/rss

The popular and acclaimed NashCamp has announced their Music Camps for 2006, with three, week-long events during the summer, and a weekend banjo retreat in the fall.

First up is two weeks of bluegrass instruction, aptly named Bluegrass Weeks. Each of the two, one-week sessions feature well-known bluegrass performers as instructors, with a mix of small group instruction and band labs as the focus. Elective workshops are also offered in less technical, but equally crucial elements of learning and performing in the bluegrass genre.

The faculty for Bluegrass Weeks includes Ron Stewart, Missy Raines, Roland White, Fletcher Bright, David Harvey, Jim Hurst, Tim Scheerhorn and Greg Cahill.

Next comes Songwriting Week (July 30-August 4), with such heralded instructors as Carl Jackson, Tim Stafford and Claire Lynch among a faculty of ten successful country and bluegrass songwriters. Students will rotate through the various instructors for instruction and critique on the various aspects of the craft. Guest speakers will include reps from music publishing companies and songwriter rights organizations.

Lastly, they offer the Fall Banjo Retreat (October 20-22), an intensive 3 day weekend event with instructors Sonny Osborne, Ron Block, Alan Munde and Bill Evans.

All NashCamp workshops are open to players at any skill level. More details (costs, complete faculty lists, registration info, lodging and directions) can be found on the NashCamp site.

This post is a contribution from Greg Cahill, founder of, and banjo picker with Special Consensus. Greg has also been an active member of the IBMA, and a very effective bluegrass ambassador, bringing the music to non-bluegrass audiences all over the world.

In the 1980s, The Special Consensus was approached by a booking and management firm based in Florida to consider joining the cast of a touring theatrical production of a show called Cotton Patch Gospel. This show was a two-act musical (words and music by Harry Chapin) that had run on- and off- Broadway in New York City, and had already completed one rather lengthy tour of the USA. The premise of the show (based on a book by Clarence Jordan) was to present the biblical stories and parables in the scripture if Jesus Christ was born today in the State of Georgia. The script was cleverly written for a cast of five “? one primary actor who assumed numerous roles and was the story teller and four bluegrass musicians who sang the songs and remained on-stage throughout the show to react to the tales of the narrator. We were basically the apostles and disciples who were “good old boys” from the South.

We were a bit reluctant at first to accept this offer since none of us had ever been in a professional stage production and the tour was 12 weeks long (not including two weeks of intense rehearsal). This would keep us from performing our own music for several months, and we would have to spend a great deal of time learning the words and music as well as to familiarize ourselves with the script and all of our moves on stage (called “blocking” in the world of theater). The producers of the show were eager to have a professional bluegrass band assume the musical roles rather than actors since the band members would be familiar with performing together and would most likely learn the music together rather quickly. They were quite successful with this plan for the first tour “? the bluegrass band Cloud Valley (with Missy Raines and Bill Evans) had completed that tour and had received excellent reviews.

We eventually accepted the offer - how great to have a steady income for the first quarter of the year with all travel expenses paid and the opportunity to play in cities in many states we had never visited (basically covering the circumference of the United States). We worked hard to learn all the music in a relatively short period of time, spent two weeks in a warehouse in Texas with the director and musical director learning the actual show and began the tour with a performance in a small Baptist church in Texas. (more…)

Following up on the critical success of their Team Flathead CD, Huber Banjos is set to release a second volume of recordings featuring popular bluegrass pickers on new Huber Banjos. Where Team Flathead focused on the banjos themselves, with each Huber model being featured on at least one track, Cuppa ‘Jo is more centered on a group of seven pro pickers who use a Huber to practice their craft.

This time out, Huber is featuring Jason Burleson (Blue Highway), Greg Cahill (Special Consensus), Cia Cherryholmes (Cherryholmes), Joey Cox (BlueRidge), Jason Davis (Kenny & Amanda Smith), Steve Dilling (IIIrd Tyme Out) and Jim Mills (Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder). Each player picks two tunes of their choosing, using their own personal Huber banjo.

The official release date is set for October 24, to coincide with the start of the IBMA World Of Bluegrass convention in Nashville, TN. Copies will be available on site from Huber Banjos, or pre-release orders can be placed with AcuTab to be shipped that week.

Audio samples are available on the AcuTab site as well.

Your blog authors were heavily involved in this recording, being produced by John Lawless of AcuTab and recorded by Brance Gillihan at Clear Blue Productions.