The Station Inn in Nashville was the site for The Special C album release concert for the new Signs recording on the Pinecastle Records label on Friday, April 24. We enjoyed seeing friends, fans and family members and had a wonderful time playing songs from the new release and bringing up to the stage many of the great musicians in attendance (including Special C bass player alum Tim Dishman and his wife Tina Adair Dishman, Brandon Godwin, Nora Jane Struthers, Robin Roller).

There was plenty of delicious cake for all, supplied by our great friend Megan Lynch. and the best homemade cheesecake in the land made by Ashby’s Mom. A truly enjoyable and memorable evening for us and we greatly appreciate the support of so many friends and fans.

The Special C visited with XM Radio host Kyle Cantrell in the XM Nashville studio earlier that afternoon for a Track by Track review of the new Signs recording. Be sure to listen to the Bluegrass Junction show on June 10 to hear our very enjoyable visit with Kyle and to hear every track on the new recording.

The band also visited later in the afternoon with Nashville Public Radio Bluegrass Breakdown host Dave Higgs for an interview and live performance of several songs from the new Signs recording. We told stories about the songs and about ourselves, which of course included a good deal of laughter and (mostly) friendly banter.

Here are a few more photos sent along by Special C mandolinist Ashby Frank. 

              

BBN has graciously allowed us to reproduce it here, believing it conatins valuable insight and information for other US bands considering a tour of the UK.

I have just returned home from a wonderful tour of Ireland, Scotland, England and back to Ireland with The Special Consensus. The band has completed this bi-annual tour since the early 1990s and we have developed many great friendships with promoters, friends and fans alike.

This tour was quite lengthy – we arrived in Dublin on January 13 and played shows every night from January 14 through February 3, and returned to the USA on February 4. Although we were pretty tired by the 21st day of concurrent performances, we truly had a wonderful time and greatly appreciate the support of everyone who came out to hear the band.

For travelling bluegrass bands, touring and performing to audiences in different countries is a most interesting and very enjoyable experience. Every town in every country has its own history and personal identity, which makes for a wonderful learning experience. Different cultural perspectives and habits, from types of meals served, food preparation, drinks indigenous to the region, political and religious opinions, etc., make each town and city a "brave new world" to explore before even arriving at the concert venue.

One of the first factors to consider when contemplating scheduling a tour of foreign lands is airfare. It is always very helpful to determine the best destination city that might be a "hub" of sorts to begin a tour, and it is also very cost effective to book round trip airfare whenever possible. I always check several airfare options to have at least a general idea of the major travel expense before scheduling any dates so I have an idea of how much money will be necessary to pay travel expenses and then pay the band. This information is invaluable in determining what fee to request per show and then how many bookings it will take to earn the desired amount necessary to make the tour feasible.

It seems that most "full time" professional touring bands in the US are used to long drives between engagements. It is not unusual for a band to play at a festival in Kentucky one day and, perhaps after an all-night drive, appear at a festival in Minnesota the next day. The Special C drives to about 70% of the shows and flies to the other 30%. Our impression of the scene in the UK and Ireland is that a three hour drive is considered quite long, whereas this is more the norm for US bands. It also seems to us that bands in mainland Europe fall somewhere between these drive time parameters; they may be comfortable with even a five or six hour drive but would also certainly balk at a 10 or 12 hour all-night drive. I would certainly suggest that bands planning a tour of different countries plot the drives when scheduling the shows to be sure they will be able to comfortably get to each show (and "comfortably" is relative to the usual band tour experience).

Since The Special C began touring in Ireland and the UK in the 1990s, we prefer to drive ourselves throughout the tour but bands that are coming over for the first time might consider hiring someone to drive them around (especially if not familiar with "driving on the wrong side"). Car rental and insurance can be expensive and should be arranged before arrival in country, as larger vehicles are sometimes less available. Travel by air or ferry between countries should also be investigated before travel days. While Ryan Air and Easy Jet offer great values, we have no longer been able to take advantage of these flights since the downsized weight restrictions were enacted (our suitcases are packed with clothing for several weeks and are therefore usually too heavy for these flights without paying exorbitant excess weight fees). We usually ferry between Ireland and England/Scotland, most often with the vehicle we have rented from the agent who books the band in this region. We also limit our luggage to one large suitcase, one carry-on bag and an instrument per band member.

Accommodation in the various countries of Europe are similar but not identical to accommodation in the US. Hotel and motel rooms are actually quite similar but B&B lodging is a bit less common in the States. And a light, non-cooked breakfast ("continental breakfast") is often the norm for many of the more affordable US motel chains.

Sound quality for concert performances seems to vary a great deal in all countries (including the USA). Equipment and knowledgeable engineers are obviously key factors, but another is the perspective of the promoter. I believe a band will sound much better if allowed to use the usual stage setup. We occasionally encounter promoters who not only have not requested a stage plot from the band in advance (so they have no idea how many microphones, stands, cables, etc. will be necessary) but also insist on the band using their preferred setup (e.g., one mic for the entire band rather than individual mics). It is the responsibility of both the band and the promoter to communicate about the sound requirements in advance of the concert. We always carry instrument mics over with us for "emergency" use. Setting the sound check time before arrival in town is also helpful so the band will know if they should have dinner before or after sound check.

CD sales are a major part of our income and usually pay a major percentage of our travel expenses. Since we are usually playing for a much lower guaranteed fee than our usual fee in the US, it is much appreciated when the promoters do not request any portion of the CD sale income (and this agreement should be either part of the contract or a contract rider).

The joy of finally making the music for very receptive and enthusiastic audiences is, of course, the primary reason for completing the tour. I always enjoy the audiences in Ireland, England and Scotland because, for the most part, they have come to hear the music and they are quite knowledgeable about the genre (and many are musicians themselves). The main difficulty we encounter is not getting enough sleep because we somehow usually end up in a session or at least a visit with the local musicians and concert attendees after the show, and consequently we stay up far too late when we have to rise fairly early to drive to the next town the following day (while the locals enjoy sleeping in!).

I have made countless friends around the world through the connection of music, and I truly believe I will leave this world a wealthy person, as my credo is that the true wealth of the world is the experiences we encounter on the "path with heart" in life and the friends we make. I look forward to (hopefully) many more years of playing the music I love, of meeting new friends and of spreading the joy of bluegrass music to all who will listen!

All the best,
Greg Cahill

Founder and banjo player Greg Cahill will be interviewed online today on WorldWideBluegrass.com, where he’ll talk about the songs and surely spin a few tracks with Tim Cahall, who is sitting in for Gracie Muldoon today (3/20) at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).

We were in touch with Greg a few days ago ourselves, and he shared a few words about three of the songs from Signs, which we present here, along with audio samples.

Footprints – Listen now:   

Having the song Footprints on this recording is what we might call a “‘triple whammy:’ it is a beautiful gospel song, it was written by some of Nashville’s finest songwriters (Ronnie Bowman, Don Cook and Curly Putman) and it features the fantastic harmony singing of Sonya Isaacs (the first ever ‘guest’ female vocalist on a Special C recording). Ashby asked Ronnie if he had any songs he might consider letting us include on the recording and Ronnie graciously gave us this top-notch selection. We feel privileged to have the song on our recording.

Leaving This Old Town – Listen now:   

Justin, Ryan Roberts and Special C alum Ron Spears co-authored Leaving This Old Town and we all liked the song and the story it tells. We felt that it has a good traditional song feel to it with lyrics about dealing with the decision to leave ‘this old (home)town’ that many listeners may encounter at some point in their lives.

I’ll Go To My Grave Lovin You – Listen now:   

We always include a quartet selection on Special C recordings, usually a gospel song. But this time we decided to try something a bit different and Ashby brought the Statler Brothers I’ll Go To My Grave Lovin You (written by Don Reid) to the table. Justin was a bit skeptical at first (he has a new nickname as the result of singing the bass part ‘bums’) but he now agrees with the rest of us that this was fun to sing and record and we already receive requests for the song at our live performances.

Look for Signs next week wherever you find bluegrass CDs or downloads for sale.

Katy tells us that Greg will be calling in from home in the Chicago area before they head down to Florida for the Everglades festival this coming weekend.

“We’ll talk about their recent UK tour, European bluegrass and their Traditional American Music program,  demonstrating bluegrass in schools.    Plus, listeners can hear the title cut, Signs, a Statler Brothers song, I’ll Go To My Grave Loving You, and Gone to Carolina, from their new Pinecastle CD, which will be released in March.”

You can listen to Bluegrass Country’s 24/7 bluegrass audio stream online at www.bluegrasscountry.org.

Greg Cahill, with the band on tour in Ireland, took a few moments away from preparing for RTE Radio’s Mooney Show last week to speak about the songs on the album. ‚Ķ.

“The songs on Signs include many original selections; Justin wrote three of the songs and Ashby wrote three, including the title song Signs. I wrote the one instrumental (with some help from Ashby), which means that six of the twelve songs were written by band members.

We always include a swing song and a quartet song on every Special C recording and this one is no exception. Ashby brought in the old Statler Brothers classic I’ll Go To My Grave Lovin’ You and we thought that would be a great quartet to include since many of the country music fans might recognize it.

We were very fortunate to have two songs given to us by Ronnie Bowman, a phenomenal Nashville songwriter and musician, who co-authored the swing song (Simply) Talkin’ About It Just Don’t Get It Done and a beautiful gospel song Footprints. That song featured the very first ever guest female vocalist on a Special C recording; Sonya Issacs singing the high baritone part.

Too Late Now is a great song by the Wrights – a somewhat “funky groove” type of selection – and What A Beautiful Day (for the Lord To Come Again) is a traditional gospel song Justin brought to us.

And finally a great traditional song by Jake Landers’ Mountain Girl.

We enjoyed recording this album and hope our friends and fans enjoy the music!”

Signs consists of a dozen songs in all. After just one play of the CD, I am very impressed; it contains some of the best love songs collected on one album in a long time. Ashby Franks’ title song cleverly alludes to the interpretations of messages from the opposite gender. A timeless issue. Franks also penned My Heart Breaks Again. While Justin Carbone’s collaboration with Becky Buller, Gone To Carolina and his Lonesome Lesson Learned also demonstrate that Special Consensus has two excellent songwriters in its midst.

Here’s a sample of Gone To Carolina…

Listen now:

David Thomas, the third lead vocalist, does a fine job on the afore-mentioned Talkin’ About It Just Don’t Get It Done and Mountain Girl.

The CD, which is due for general release on 24 March, is a cert for lots of airplay and perhaps some tangible recognition by those that decide to whom the industry’s awards go.

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 ‚Äì 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.

I had to walk across the stage playing the banjo, climb a spiral staircase while continuing to play and remain on a catwalk on stage to play small musical snippets throughout the show. The result was that the audience responded very positively, which pleased the producers immensely. I was shocked when people were waiting outside the stage door to get my autograph – I began walking away, thinking they had me confused with someone who had appeared on a different show somewhere else in the huge NBC building, but they were definitely waiting to get the autograph of the banjo player. Money was definitely not the main reason I had agreed to appear on the show (keeping my NBC connects was the primary reason), but I was paid well and I also did see that the people about to appear on the show were being coached backstage – and they were actually very willing and pleased to be part of the show, which made me realize that the show really is all in fun.

I was called back to make a second appearance on the Springer show and the producers basically told me that they had received such positive feedback about the banjo playing that I would be a ’somewhat occasional regular’ on the show. I did make the return appearance (which apparently aired recently), rationalizing that at least thousands of people who may never have paid attention to hearing a banjo may now go out to hear a bluegrass band or attend a bluegrass festival after hearing and seeing a banjo played on the television.

I sincerely hope the folks in the worldwide bluegrass music community will understand why I agreed to appear on the Jerry Springer Show.”

Greg did have something else to report, something that he wants everyone to know about. Special Consensus is finishing up their next recording project now, with an anticipated release on Pinecastle in the first part of 2009. He told us that the CD will be primarily new material – some written by band members Ashby Frank and Justin Carbone, a new song from Ronnie Bowman, and an instrumental written by Greg and Ashby.

We’ll all be on the lookout for that.

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.

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.

RT?â 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A few years ago, at the suggestion of broadcasters airing the show and in the opinions shared by many who listen to or were present at the show, the balance of music to awards presentation during the show was questioned.

In short, the awards show had approximately been comprised of:

60 minutes of awards
30 minutes of musical performances
30 minutes commercials

In review, the board’s decision was that more music needed to be part of the show created for broadcast.

After exploring a number of options that would allow more musical performances in the show, the board gave additional latitude to allow producers discretion to edit up to six awards (not necessarily instrumentalists) if necessary to shorten the length of the broadcast show. While the show the audience has seen in the theater has basically remained the same, the version sent to broadcast affiliates has since then edited out several awards each year, though not always or exclusively instrumentalist awards.

The first presentations to be edited were those where awards recipients were not there to accept. Then others were edited depending on what was needed to fit the 2 hours time window for radio. In some instances, musical performances have been edited to make sure awards presentations remained.

Our producers this last year attempted to create a presentation that would allow the instrumental awards (as well as all others) to both be presented live and remain in the broadcast. They reduced the time needed by presenting the instrumentalists awards all at once. The time saved would also allow them to include a special musical performance by all the prior year instrumentalist award recipients…thus providing an additional special focus on these talents.

In summary, the desire has been simply to balance the allotted time within the show better between awards and music. Whether that desire is appropriate is open for debate and the board welcomes the input.

There are other options which the board will entertain at the forthcoming meetings:

1. present a certain number of awards and music in ceremonies on the same stage just prior to the broadcast.
2. mandate that all awards be presented in the “broadcast” and only allow music to be edited if needed.
3. lengthen the “broadcast” show and/or overall production
4. other:____

With regard to television possibilities, among IBMA’s longstanding goals is the desire to find suitable broadcast, production and sponsorship partners to create a televised show to help broaden the audience and resulting exposure it generates.

As expressed in numerous ways over the years by the membership, gaining new and additional broadcast exposure is key to fostering new opportunities for our music. If successful and done in a way that portrays the talents and artistic merits of our music well, an awards show can help open doors with production companies, broadcast outlets, sponsors and others including new event producers, media outlets and retailers. Every conversation with possible partners for the awards show in the past decade has also explored other options as well for our music and with an eye on the broader opportunities.

A committee and staff are working toward achieving those goals and is in continuing discussions with several possible partners about options.

However, there are no television proposals as yet on the table for board consideration, whose approval will be necessary. The options in current discussion may not materialize in 2007, but if they do, the board will work diligently to find the appropriate balance that assures our music and the awards are presented with integrity while achieving a first class production.

In the hypothetical situation of producing a live TV show that may not allow editing capabilities, we can anticipate that we may be faced with questions about what we will and won’t allow to be changed within the existing format. The board has turned away from several options in the past that either didn’t allow us the control over the show content we desired or weren’t the quality of production we believed would reflect well on our music.

Since circumstances may change because of any number of variables, it is not possible to forecast all future decisions of the board. However, with new guidelines and oversight procedures proposed for the show, the board will be even more diligent in its attention to these types of issues.

The board welcomes and appreciates member input on these issues and will be made aware of all that we have received.

If there are additional questions, please contact our staff at IBMA who can help direct you to the proper resources for answers and if you have comments for the board’s consideration, I would encourage you to visit the website link offered above which offers an easy mechanism to share your thoughts on this subject.

Thank you…
Greg Cahill
IBMA Board Chairperson/President

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.

After that I wondered the halls for a while talking to friends and listening to jams. I hung out with Bull Harman and his crowd for a while, spoke to my good friend Buddy Merriam for a few minutes, and heard an old friend from my school days, Andrew Collins, jamming in the halls. From there I headed over to the PineCastle showcase room to catch Greg Cahill and Special Consensus. I then slipped downstairs to hear Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper.

Bull Harman	Buddy Merriam	Andrew Collins	Special Consensus

Justin Carbone	Greg Cahill	Flamekeeper

More to photos to come in a few minutes.

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
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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

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.

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.

The tour schedule was somewhat grueling, but we were used to that as a touring bluegrass band. We played in large and small theaters, community centers, churches and even schools. By the end of the tour (after performances in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington, California and Arizona) we were back in Texas for one of our final performances in a huge Baptist church. We were tired by then, but we had grown to appreciate the music of Harry Chapin that we were performing in the show, even though we were anxious to get back to the bluegrass music circuit. It was not just “all about the money” for us.

That performance went particularly well – everything felt “right” that evening, and the primary actor felt we all had managed to do our best in spite of our fatigue and eagerness to get to our respective homes in a few days. As we walked around outside to the front of the church after the show, we noticed an ambulance and a crowd of people – many were teary-eyed and sobbing as they walked to their cars in the lot. Before we could ask any of the bystanders what had happened, a man and woman came up to us and said:

“We brought our elderly mother to see the show tonight – she truly enjoyed your performance. As we were leaving the church, she stumbled and before we could grab her arm she fell down the (concrete) stairs. As you can see, she is being rushed to the hospital (unconscious), but we are quite certain she will not live through this. We wanted you to know that although we are so saddened by all of this, our one source of comfort is that she so enjoyed your performance and she was beaming with smiles as we walked out of the church. That is how we will always remember her – thank you for making such wonderful music and for the wonderful show. You made our mother very happy.”

That experience made us realize just how powerful the connection of music is in our lives – it was a bit overwhelming, to say the least. It made such an impact on us that we continued to complete sporadic tours with this show for another three years, always striving to offer the best possible performance.

I think of that evening often and am thankful that we have so many opportunities to bring bluegrass music across the country and to other parts of the world (even when we are worn from traveling and being away from home). It makes me appreciate just how fortunate we in the “world of bluegrass music” are to have all the friends we make in this huge extended family and how powerful our connection through this great music truly is.

Wishing a very peaceful and happy holiday season to all,

Greg Cahill

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.