When we last heard from 3TO leader and lead singer Russell Moore, he reported that Donnie’s recuperation was running ahead of schedule and that they were hopeful of having him join them on the road again soon.

Russell spoke with Donnie again yesterday (1/12), and sent along this update…

“I just got off the phone with Donnie and, aside from the expected and normal soreness and tenderness associated with having stent surgery, he’s feeling good and glad to be at home!! He said that everything went really well with the surgery and that he should be ready to travel with us when we go to Waterford, Michigan at the OCC Highland Lakes Campus and then on to Clay City, Kentucky’s Meadowgreen Park Music Barn on January 22nd & 23rd, respectively.

At this time, the only restrictions Donnie has, aside from a slight change in his diet, is no lifting of anything heavier than 5-10 lbs. for the next 6-8 weeks, but that’s normal procedure. We’re all excited about Donnie’s progress and want to thank all of you, again, for your thoughts and prayers!!!”

Wonderful news. The Bluegrass Blog joins all the many fans and friends of IIIrd Tyme Out in wishing a speedy recovery to this true road warrior.

Russell told us this past Wednesday (1/6) that Carver was resting at home and would be re-evaluated by his doctors later this month before having additional stents placed in his arteries. Now comes news that his progress warrants an expedited schedule.

“I spoke with Donnie yesterday (January 7th) and his doctors have updated his procedures. Instead of waiting two weeks to add more stents in his arteries, he’ll be returning to the hospital on Monday, January the 11th to have the remaining procedures performed.

As I said in my earlier statement, they’re going to add two more stents in other arteries and perform balloon angioplasty on, yet, another artery. The doctors feel like this is a better option than performing open heart, bypass surgery. After the next round of stents are put in, and as long as everything goes well as expected, Donnie will need 7-10 days of R&R to recover. That being said, it looks like Donnie will be back on the road with us in time for our trip to Waterford, Michigan at the OCC Highland Lakes Campus and then on to Clay City, Kentucky’s Meadowgreen Park Music Barn on January 22nd & 23rd!!

We’re excited about Donnie’s progress and want to thank all of you, again, for your thoughts and prayers!!”

“I talked to Donnie earlier this morning (January 5th) and he’s back home and feeling much better. They put two stints in place while he was in the hospital and have him on medication (blood thinner, etc.).  He has to return to the hospital in two weeks to have two additional stints put in place and, also, have balloon angioplasty performed on another artery. After that, as long as everything goes well with the next procedures, he’ll need 7-10 days of R&R and he should be back on the road with us!  That should be somewhere around the first weekend in February.

We all realize that this event could have been SO much worse than what it has turned out to be……and it’s bad enough as it is……..and we’re thankful that the Lord saw fit to leave Donnie with us for a while longer!!

Donnie, his family, and all of the band and their families, would like to say ‘THANKS’ to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, e-mails, texts and phone calls!!!  It means so much to all of us!!!

Like I told Donnie, ‘You can’t keep a good man down!!!’ and we’ll be back at full speed in no time!!!”

Steve Dilling, 3TO banjo player, tells us that the doctors put in two stents which are working well, and have sent Donnie home to recover before deciding whether to do surgery or not. They are hopeful that two more stents can be put in to avoid bypass surgery altogether.

Donnie is only 48 years old and in generally good health. Just goes to show…  you never know.

Well wishes can be sent via the band.

IIIrd Tyme Out
4075 Mini Trail
Cumming, GA  30041

Here’s hoping we see him back at the board real soon!

We were treated to performances by Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, and had just missed a set from Audie Blaylock & Redline, who had turned in a brilliant show the night before on the main stage. Michael Martin Murphey made a special appearance with Carrie Hassler, where they sang a duet on his biggest hit, Wildfire, which the pair has recently re-recorded for Murphey’s second project with Rural Rhythm, due in February of next year.

During the IIIrd Tyme Out’s set, 1970s country star Lynn Anderson joined them on stage for a rousing version of Rocky Top. She was lively and animated, and clearly enjoying herself.

All this music, however, was leading up to the announcement of Rural Rhythm and Graves Mountain collaborating for the festival in June. Six Rural Rhythm artists will appear on Friday, June 4, and the entire day will be given over to a 55th birthday party or the label. Kyle Cantrell of Sirius-XM will serve as emcee, with performances from The Crowe Brothers, Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain, Audie Blaylock & Redline, Lou Reid and Carolina, Lonesome River Band and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out.

All of the day’s music will be recorded for a commemorative CD to be released later in 2010. Many of these artists will combine for special sets.

• Crowe Brothers with Russell Moore, Sammy Shelor
• Carrie Hassler & Hard and Brandon Rickman
• Audie Blaylock & Redline, Carrie Hassler, Russell Moore, and Lou Reid
• Graves Moutain Jam and Rural Rhythm all-star tribute featuring Grave Mountain Memories:  Carl Jackson, Mark Newton, Russell Newton, Lou Reid, Carrie Hassler, Andy Ball, Sammy Shelor, Mike Anglin, Justin Haynes
• My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains – Brandon Rickman, Crowe Brothers, Audie Blaylock, Mike Hartgrove, Wayne Benson, Steve Dilling, Edgar Loudermilk
• Instrumental Jam featuring many of the Rural Rhythm artists

You can find ticket and schedule information for the Graves Mountain festival on their web site. We’ll post with more details about the live CD as they emerge.

Russell is also the subject of a feature interview, where he discusses the group’s latest eponymous CD, his co-writing, how he spends his free time, and the new band name – which puts his name out front after billing themselves as a band for 18 years, a move suggested by the fact that Moore is the sole founding member remaining.

“I had been strongly advised by several people that this was something I needed to do. Either do it like that or change the name totally. I contemplated about that for a long time because I didn’t want anybody to feel like I was saying I was better than they are. It takes every one of us in this group to do what we do, and I’m the first one that’ll tell you that I can’t get up on stage and do it by myself. I sat down with all the guys in the group and we talked about  it, and I explained my position and asked their opinions. I didn’t tell them I was going to do something. I asked them what their opinions were, and we talked about it. Everybody was fine with it. They know where my heart is. They’re like brothers to me and I’m proud of every one of them. We all still feel the same way about each other. That hasn’t changed. The music hasn’t changed. We still go about it the same way. But now I have all the bills. They all come to me.”

Also included in this Fall issue include profiles on Jerry Butler and John Wade’s group The Blu-J’s and promoter Sheldon Frost, ShopTalk with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield, Dan Tyminski’s Bluegrass Favorites, a Songwriter Profile of Ray Edwards, and The Bluegrass Side of Michael Martin Murphey. This issue also includes a fold out, full color poster of Dailey & Vincent.

Find more details on BMP online.

And by a wide margin!

Scott, and all our finalists, can expect to hear soon from the folks at Hope River Entertainment with details about claiming your prizes.

They will each receive an autographed copy of the band’s new CD, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, and Scott also receives a band T-shirt, cap and tickets for he and Grace to attend a IIIrd Tyme Out concert of their choosing.

Thanks to everyone who sent in photos, and voted in the final poll!

The theme of the contest is drawn from the song Me and Dad, one of the tracks on the band’s new CD, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out. In the song (written by Kim Fox and Ronnie Bowman), we hear the remembrances of a grown child recalling how much the time spent with their dad had meant to them as a child.

We invite our readers to choose the one photo that they feel best epitomizes the vibe of the song.

Please make your choice below.

The poll is now closed.

The five finalists will each receive an autographed copy of the new CD. The winner chosen by our readers will also receive a band T-shirt, cap and 2 tickets to a IIIrd Tyme Out concert of their choosing.

But it’s a shame we didn’t have a video contest as well – at least for the sake of this precious video created by Rick Hayes. Until recently, Rick was the mandolinist with The Gibson Brothers, a position he gave up to focus his efforts on his other pursuits which include mandolin building, audio recording and video production.

Lyn Hayes, Rick’s partner in life and in their business, Hayes Productions, shared the story of the video which celebrates Rick’s dad.

“While reading over the IIIrd Time Out photo contest entry, I was thinking you guys might be interested in a Father-Son music video that we shot and produced a little while ago. It’s of Rick and his dad, Green Hayes (interesting name, remarkable man), doing Jacob’s Ladder (Rock of Ages). Green had originally recorded it when he was about 82.

Then we shot the video a year or so later, and decided to add the song as a bonus track to Rick’s solo CD, Fly By Night. I’m glad we did. We’ve received a lot of wonderful comments on it. Green turned 86 last September and is going strong. Rick and he go to jams all the time and even played a show together last Sunday.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lyn offered a few more details about Green, which makes for an inspirational story as we head into Father’s Day…

“Much of the video footage was taken at their homeplace in McKee, Kentucky when we went down for Decoration Day (Memorial Day) to place flowers at the family grave sites. (You may notice the original family name was spelled Hays. Long story there.) Green and his wife of 62 years, Geneva, are proud to say they have been back home for this tradition every year but one for the past 40 plus years.

Speaking of Memorial Day, I just have to add one brief anecdote that speaks to the character of Green. Like many young men in the 1940s, Green joined the army as soon as he was old enough and fought honorably, leaving only because he spent 36 days straight held down in a frozen foxhole. They wanted to amputate his feet, but he wouldn’t let them so he spent a year and a half in the hospital rehabilitating. They did, however, want to give him a Purple Heart (in addition to the other medals he earned) for a minor scratch he received from some barbed wire fence. He refused. He felt it would be a slap in the face to the men and women he felt truly deserved this honor.

That’s the kind of guy he is.”

Thanks to Rick and Lyn Hayes for sending that video, and a Bluegrass Blog salute to all the men like Green Hayes, and to all our Dads wherever they may be!

The band was a powerhouse in the early part of this decade, working a grueling tour schedule and selling an impressive number of CDs, both on the road and via retailers. They made the decision to form their own record company and produce new projects on their own.

The first release on Chateau Music Group was Singing on Streets of Gold in 2002, followed by The Best Durn Ride’ in ‘04 and Round III at the MAC on both CD and DVD in 2007. When the label was formed, Russell Moore still had a number of partners to assist with the workload, but with both Mike Hartgrove and Ray Deaton having left IIIrd Tyme Out, Russell figured it was time once again to change horses.

“I decided to search for a label to work with when I realized that we (me and my wife, Carol) just didn’t have the hours each day that are needed to do a good job of running a record label. My workload for the band’s day to day operations have increased to the point that there’s just not enough time to run a band and a label both.”

He settled on Rural Rhythm Records, and together they have produced a stellar CD showing that IIIrd Tyme Out is still a powerhouse, and reminding us all that there are few bluegrass singers who can match Russell Moore in skill and dexterity. Moore also has a keen ear for a great song, and this new release features 12 fine examples of the sound that catapulted this band to the top of the bluegrass world when they first hit in 1991.

The current lineup contains a number of faces that will be familiar to longtime fans, and a couple of relative newcomers. Steve Dilling is on banjo, where he has been for 15 years, and Wayne Benson is back on mandolin after a 5 year absence. Edgar Loudermilk joined on bass in 2007 when Ray Deaton left the band, and Justen Haynes has been with them on fiddle this past few years.

The material is drawn from some of today’s top songwriters (Tim Stafford, Craig Market, Ronnie Bowman, Becky Buller) and Moore contributes two of his own compositions, along with a Wayne Benson instrumental. We asked Russell to comment on a couple of the tracks, which we present here along with a few audio samples from the CD.

Carolina’s Arms -  Listen now:   

“This song was written by Jeff Hovis and it was pitched to me by Dee Gaskin, who has the publishing on it. It was originally titled ‘Lucky Carolina’ and had a slightly different chord progression than the version we recorded. I asked Dee and Jeff if I could ‘tweak’ it a bit so that it would fit our style of music a little better and they gave me the go ahead. After a slight change in the title, chord progression and changing the ‘hook’ line to ‘You’re in Carolina’s arms tonight’, we felt like it was ready for the new CD and it’s being received very well at our live shows.”

Little John, I Am -  Listen now:   

“I have written a few songs over the past several years and it usually takes me several years to finish them.  I had been working on this song for 3-4 years before we recorded it.  I started writing this song one night during a bout of insomnia.  It began with a chord progression that was running through my mind and then the subject matter came later.  The thoughts of a sharecropper’s life and how the trade was often times handed down through generations was the inspiration for the lyrics.”

Another song from the CD, Me and Dad, has also been a crowd favorite at the band’s live show, and serves as the focal point for the IIIrd Tyme Out Father’s Day photo contest we are running here on The Bluegrass Blog. The song, by Ronnie Bowman and Kim Fox, tells the story of a young child’s admiration and love for their father, in a powerful and emotional song.

We are asking everyone to send in your favorite photos with your dad, and after the band picks their top five, our readers will choose the winner just in time for Father’s Day.

You can see all the contest details here.

The top five will be chosen and posted here for a final vote by our readers on June 16, with a winner being announced on Father’s Day, June 21.

All five finalists will receive autographed copies of the band’s new CD, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, with a first prize winner also receiving additional IIIrd Tyme out merchandise and two free tickets to the 3TO show of their choice.

The only rule is that the photo features you with your dad – or your son/daughter. A bluegrass theme is a plus, but not at all a requirement. See full contest details here.

Please remember to include your name and your dad’s name with your entry so that we can be sure to identify everyone properly in the final vote.

Go ahead… send yours in!

The second track on the CD is Me and Dad, a lovely song by Kim Fox and Ronnie Bowman, that tells the story of a devoted, hard working father who always finds time for his kids. It’s told in the form of a remembrance, looking back on how much those times spent with dad mean to a young child.

To honor all the great dads out their, IIIrd Tyme Out wants to see your favorite pictures with your father. The band will choose five finalists from all the photos submitted, and our readers here on The Bluegrass Blog will choose the winner.

To enter, just email your photo to the band, along with your dad’s name, your name, plus your address and phone number. Entries must be received by June 14, 2009.

The five finalists will be posted on 6/16, and each will receive an autographed copy of the new 3TO CD. The winner chosen by our readers will also receive a band T-shirt, cap and 2 tickets to a IIIrd Tyme Out concert of their choosing.

We’ll announce the winner on Father’s Day (6/21).

You can dig through your existing photos or take a new one for the contest. Just be sure that the picture is of you with your dad, and that it is a digital file that can be sent by email. Be creative, and good luck!

Entries should be posted to contact@hoperiverentertainment.com.

Kyle Cantrell scored the exclusive, and he will broadcast the first full peek at Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, which is due for release on May 19 from Rural Rhythm. A single, Hard Rock Prison ‘Till I Die, was released in March but Rural Rhythm has kept the rest under wraps until today.

Tune in to Bluegrass Junction at 11:00 a.m. on Sirius-XM to hear Kyle and the members of IIIrd Tyme Out discuss the songs as they are played through in order on the aptly-named Track-By-Track program.

If you miss the show this morning (5/13), you can catch it again on Thursday (5/14) at 9:00 p.m. and Sunday (5/16) at 11:00 a.m. All times eastern.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on XM 14 and Sirius 65.

Their new CD, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, will be released May 19 on Rural Rhythm Records.

Day 14 (4/17/09) has us pulling out of Clarkesville, TN around 7:30 am. This was a day for us to take care of some business in Nashville. The first stop was a visit to Robin Smith’s Heartland Banjo shop to pick up Russell’s 1938 Martin D-28 that Robin had been doing some repairs to. Needless to say that Russell was excited to get his old axe back in his hands. Robin Smith is noted as one of the finest banjo builder’s today, and is as equally talented on repair work on all instruments. I highly recommend his work to anyone!

We left Robin’s shop in Hendersonville, and headed on down to Nashville. We had an 12:00 appointment at the XM/Sirius Radio studio, to do the taping for the world premier of the new self-titled recording called Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, with host Kyle Cantrell of Bluegrass Junction. It is always great to sit in with Kyle. He is a great friend, and a great ambassador for bluegrass music. We played the CD track by track, and discussed the stories behind the songs, as well as other stories about the band. The World Premier airing of this show will be Wednesday May 13, at 11:00 am in the east, 8:00 am in the west, I hope that you all can tune in. This is our first studio recording in almost 5 years!!.

Also in attendance at the studio was our publicist, Kimberly Williams along with her husband and fine banjo player, Blake Williams. It is always good to hang with them, plus you can always get a funny story or two out of Blake!! After the taping, we boarded the bus and drove over to a meeting with Ryan Smith from the Shure company. Shure has been around this industry for many years, and provides some of the best audio products that you can get. After our meeting there, it was time to head toward Georgia for the last gig on the tour.

We stopped off in Mufreesboro, TN to grab some dinner. When we got off the interstate, we were able to view some of the devastation from the tornadoes that had hit this area just one week ago. Bear in mind, that we had been on the west coast, and all that we knew, was what we had seen on TV, or read in the newspaper. Seeing it up close, really showed how tragic this situation was. Our prayer’s and hearts go out to those people in this area of Tennessee. After dinner, it was pretty quiet on the bus, just some DVD watching, and our last games of Blackjack!!

Day 15 (4/18/09) had us arriving back at Russell’s house around 10:00 am. When we backed in the driveway, Russell was met by his wife and two son’s who were so excited to see him home. It was awesome to see that, and a little bittersweet for the rest of us, because we all were waiting on that same scenario. We hung out at Russell’s for  3 hrs, getting showers, eating, etc.

We pulled out to go to the Grand Theater in Cartersville, GA around 1:00 pm. It was about an hour ride over to the theater. As Russell was driving the bus, everyone else drove their own personal vehicle, because as soon as the last note was played, we were all going home!

The Grand Theater is an old theater built right in downtown Cartersville, nearly 100 years ago. It was absolutely gorgeous inside. We loaded in around 3:00, sound check at 4:00, and like all of the other shows, dinner after sound check. Showtime was at 7:00 pm. This show was a sell out, and the audience was ready to hear some music. We hit the stage ready to deliver.

There were lots of friends in attendance, and whenever that happens, it seems to make the shows a little more special, and that is exactly what happened on this night. After the show, we said our goodbye’s to each other and we all headed in different directions. Wayne, and myself, piled up with Justen in his car to ride together. The first stop for us was in Boiling Springs, SC to drop Wayne off at his home. We got there about 1:00 am, got him unloaded, and it was back on the road at 1:20 am for Justen and me.

We made a quick call to Donnie to check on him, as he was driving all night as well. He had just crossed in to the state of Kentucky. Donnie had about 4 more hours to make it to his home in Quincy, KY. He was doing fine, so we headed up I-85 north toward North Carolina. I could not wait!! After a quick stop for some gas we crossed in to NC. We were so pumped about getting home, we didn’t even think about getting sleepy. We finally arrived at my home at 4:50 am. I got unloaded, and insisted that Justen come in and lie down for a couple of hours, and but he would have no part of that. He was going home! I knew exactly how he felt. Everyone made it home safe and sound, and we all were greeted warmly by our families who had missed us just as bad as we had missed them.

As I write this last tour report, I have had some time to reminisce a little of everything that I had gone through over the course of the last 17 days. It was a chance for me to do something that I love, with six of the best friends that anyone could have. We got to travel across this beautiful country of ours, make new fans, visit with old friends that we don’t get to see very often, eat some delicious food, play this music that we love so much, and finally get back home to see our loved one’s that we missed so much.

In my 16 years of being in this band, I don’t ever remember a long road trip being this good. Thanks to everyone who came to the shows and supported us, thanks to Bill and Maria Nadauld, we couldn’t have done this without either of you, thanks to the promoter’s for not only hiring us, but taking care of us while we were at your venue. Thanks to all of our friends who welcomed us into their homes for food, showers, or just plain ole rest. It really means alot when you are 3000 miles from home. In the end, we logged about 7250 miles on this trip, and we enjoyed every mile of it. Thanks to John and Brance at The Bluegrass Blog for allowing us to share some of our moments with you, I hope that you enjoyed them.

I want to personally thank Russell Moore for helping me get these journal reports and photo’s to you, and also correcting my grammar!!

Steve Dilling

Day 11 (4/13/09) finished with us leaving Boise, ID at 11:30 p.m. looking at a 750 overnight trip to Laporte, CO.  I took the first driving shift with plans to take it as far as I could, and then get Russell up to drive the next shift.  Donnie, Wayne, and Justen stayed up to keep me company.  As we drove through the night, we ran into a snowstorm and it seemed that the further we went, the harder it snowed.  I noticed that the snow was starting to lay on the road surface and the visibility was starting to diminish quite a bit.  It was getting rough!!

As we got close to the Utah state line, we started to climb Holbrook Summit.  We came up on a tractor trailer that had jack-knifed and the entire southbound lanes of interstate 84 were blocked.  This occurred around 3:00 am.  We sat in the middle of the interstate for an hour and a half.  All there was to do at that point was watch the snow and eat Russell’s ‚Äòroasted and salted in the shell’ peanuts (Sorry Russell) and wait for the road to open back up.  By this time there was 7 or 8 inches of snow on the ground and at least 2 inches of snow on the road.  Finally, at 4:30 a.m., we started moving again. Russell got up and started driving because I had all that I could take.  I was done for the night.

Day 12 (4/14/09) found me waking up around 9:00 a.m. and Russell was still driving up front by himself, so I kept him company.  By this time we were in Wyoming.  Jack got up a little later and we had breakfast in the town of Rock Springs on I-80.  Jack drove about 4 hours then I took the wheel for about 3 hours and we arrived in Laporte, CO. at 4:00 p.m.  The name of the venue was the Swing Station and is owned by our friend Brad Foulke, who used to have a band called Open Road.  We got loaded in, did our sound check and had dinner.

Before the show, we were delighted to see former Nashville Bluegrass Band bassist Gene Libbea, who had stopped by for a visit.  It had been 9 years since we last saw him.  He seemed to be doing great and staying busy.  It was nice to get to visit with him.

Showtime was at 8:00 p.m.  We hit the stage, did our first set, took a break to visit with our fans and then did our second set.  Swing Station owner, Brad Foulke, got on stage with us and tore the house down with Doin’ My Time.  We finished up, loaded the bus and pulled out around midnight.  We drove for about 2 hours and pulled over for the night.

Day 13 (4/15/09) started out fueling the bus and getting some breakfast.  We were in Limon, CO.  This was a day off for us as far as performing, but we had a lot of ground to cover because we had to be in Nashville, TN at noon the next day.  Jack, Russell and myself took turns driving while the rest of the guys jammed, listened to music and did what they needed to do to help us with the driving chores.  Believe me, it takes all 7 of us to make this ‚Äòmachine’ work!

We stopped a few times for food, fuel and whatever else we might need, but mostly we kept rolling.  I was driving my last shift when I pulled over 35 miles north of Nashville in Clarkesville, TN.  It was 4:30 a.m.  I’m sure this big red bus was ready for a breather.  I know that I was!

Day 14 (4/16/09) has us going down to Nashville.  Look for this update in my next report.

Day 10 (4/12/09) of our trip has us leaving Reno, Nevada headed over to Carson City, Nevada.  Looks like Russell is the ‚Äòbig winner’ in Reno.  I was hopeful, but it just didn’t happen.

We arrived at the Brewery Performing Arts Center around 3:00 p.m.  We were a little early, so we just hung out around the theater checking out the sights.  Carson City is the capital of Nevada and seems to be a nice, quiet little town.  We got loaded in @ 4:00 and immediately got our sound check out of the way.  Mimi, who was the green room hostess, fixed up a delicious dinner that consisted of BBQ ribs, chicken and all the ‚Äòfixins’!  I would have sworn I was back in North Carolina!  It was so good!

We got ready for the show and, after a fine performance by the opening act, Wild Horse Drive, we took the stage around 8:15 p.m.  Again, like most of the shows on this trip, we had many in the audience who had never seen us in person, so it was a chance to make new fans.  Not to mention, they hadn’t heard all of my old jokes.  We did 2 sets with a ‚Äòmeet and greet’ in between.  The people who attended were very appreciative and the promoter, John Procaccino, was a delight to work with and he wants us to come back as soon as we can.

After the show, Justen and I had a chance to visit with John and get the scoop on the pro wrestling ranks as he has done all of the staging and lighting for WCW and WWE.  We loaded the bus and pulled out around midnight with Jack driving. Donnie and Edgar stayed up riding shotgun.  It was a relatively quiet night with everyone else pretty much going to bed early.  Wayne stayed up riding shotgun with Jack.  We arrived in Winnemucca, Nevada around 3:00 a.m. and pulled over for the night.

Day 11 (4/13/09) started with Russell pulling out around 6:00 a.m. with a 5 hour commute up to Boise, Idaho. Justen got up to ride with Russell to keep him company. That is a rare occurrence when Justen gets out of bed that early. I understand that Russell bought his breakfast as a reward.

I woke up around 8:00 a.m. to find us in Oregon in a pretty hard snowstorm.  It was a surprise to see this as I had been wearing shorts the day before.  In this part of the country the weather can change in a matter of hours.  We finally ran out of the snow, crossed over the mountains and came down into Boise.

On this day, we were performing at the special events center on the campus of Boise State University.  We arrived at noon, loaded in and were ready to go.  Russell laid back down to catch up on some needed sleep while the other guys checked out Boise.

Wayne and myself had to conduct a mandolin and banjo workshop, respectively, that was hosted by our promoters, Dennis Stokes, Bryan Haken and Sara Gomez.  These workshops started at 2:00 p.m.  My workshop was co-hosted by my good friend and noted banjo builder, Will Williams.  He and his band were booked to open the show for us later that night.  I had about 10 people to work with and it was a delight to be a part of this.  Everyone there was in the beginning stages and were so eager to learn.  I enjoyed them all.

Wayne’s workshope had seven people, and he had a very eager class as well.  Our workshop’s ended at 4:00 and it was time for me to have some fun.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sports enthusiast and we just happened to be right next door to the Boise State athletic facility.  The Boise State Broncos have one of the most famous football fields in the country.  The turf on the field is blue and orange, which are the school’s colors.  Donnie and I were able to go over and go down on the field.  This is a beautiful stadium and it was a thrill for us to be right on the 50 yard line!  Thanks to Bryan and Dennis for arranging this.

We got back over to the theater for sound check at 5:00 p.m.  Sound check took a little longer than we expected because the in-house system was using wireless microphones, something we don’t work with very much.  After dinner, we took the stage around 8:00 p.m. to a good size audience that, like our other shows, had many who had never seen us perform live.  Still, they knew our music, as was evident during our shows, because they shouted requests for songs we have recorded all evening long and it was our pleasure to answer as many of them as we could.  We did two sets with a ‚Äòmeet and greet’ in between and met many of the nice fans we have in the Boise area.  We are already making plans to return in the future.

We loaded up and got on the road at 11:00 p.m.  We stopped at a Wal-Mart Supercenter to pick up some supplies for the bus and were on to Laporte, Colorado for our next show.  We encountered some issues on the way to Laporte.  I will tell you about that in my next report.

            

Day 8 (4/10/09) found us performing at the Trinity Alps Performing Arts Center in Weaverville, CA.  The drive up to the venue was one of the most beautiful drives you’ll ever see.  We were fortunate enough to see some of the Redwood trees that you hear and read about, along with some springtime, snow-capped mountains.  It was absolutely GORGEOUS!!  The sad part was that many acres of the landscape had been burned in recent fires.  Still, it was a sight to see and it makes you realize that there’s still a lot of undeveloped land in this country!!

We arrived a the venue around 4:00 p.m. and loaded in, got our sound check out of the way, and were treated to a delicious dinner at a local Italian restaurant by the promoter, Jim French.  We got back to the venue just in time to change clothes and hit the stage at 7:00 p.m.  It was another great night for us!  Many who attended the show had never seen us perform live, so it was a chance to make new fans, and that is exactly what we did!!

On the second set, it was our pleasure to bring two young men, Cody and Jesse Winton, on banjo and mandolin, respectively, up on stage to play a song with us.  These two teenagers brought the house down with Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Breakdown!  It was a treat to have them on stage with us!  We finished up around 10:00 p.m. and loaded up and pulled out around 10:30.  We decided to stay in town and not travel that night, so we bedded down and got a good night’s rest.

Day 9 (4/11/09) started with breakfast, then it was a 250 mile trip to our next venue, Willits, CA.

We were excited about this trip because it took us to Eureka and right down through the heart of the Redwood forest!  Some of these trees were 8 to 10 feet in diameter, and we didn’t even get to see the really BIG ones!  I couldn’t even imagine how big those were.  We weren’t allowed to go into that section because of the length of the bus.

We arrived in Willits and went to the promoter’s home (Bruce Burton) around 3:30 p.m. where we encountered some trouble with the bus.  The rear wheel, on the right side, was leaking gear oil.  We will have to watch this for the rest of the trip.  We did our sound check and then went back to Bruce’s house for a reception and then back to the school for our show.  As was the case the night before, this was a chance to play to many people who had never seen us perform.  The sheriff of the town was our emcee and he got the audience charged up with some ad-lib comedy and then we hit the stage.  It was a great night!!  The audience was very enthusiastic and we made many new fans!

After the show, we went back to Bruce and Linda Burton’s home for a fine southwestern dinner!  Many of the people who attended the show were there and it was great to get in a visit with them!  We finally got in bed around 2:00 a.m. and, after a few hours sleep, Russell fired up the bus around 7:00 a.m.  Today is Easter Sunday.

Day 10 (4/12/09) is kind of bittersweet.  As happy as we are about our tour on this Easter, we are missing our families terribly!  We were off today and certainly glad of that after five straight days of performing.  We pulled out and headed toward Nevada.  We made several stops to get fuel and, of course, a Wal-Mart stop, and to check the condition of the leaking rear wheel.  Russell, Jack and myself all took a turn driving.

We arrived in Reno, NV. At 3:00 p.m. at the Circus Circus hotel.  It has been a blast here in Reno!  I’m not sure who has won, lost or broke even.  Maybe I can let you know in my next report.

Day 6 continued on with us performing at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, CA.  I have to admit, while riding over to the venue, I found myself wondering ‚ÄòHow is this show going to go for us?’  We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by beautiful scenery, but not the setting for an indoor bluegrass show.  Then, out of nowhere popped up a little town.  It looked like it was right out of the old western days.  I started looking for horses and troughs!!  Then, there it was‚Ķ..the Maverick Saloon.  This place was so cool.  We loaded in, but, because we were a little late, we were unable to go through a ‚Äòsound check’ because people were already there early to get a good seat.

As time went by, this little ‚Äòwestern town’ filled up with cars parked in the parking lot, on the side of the road and just about anywhere there was a spot available.  We did 2 sets to a packed house that was very energetic and who really seemed to be into our music.  It was so much fun!  After the show, we loaded up and went back to our dear friend Joe and Darlene Quealy’s house for BBQ ribs and tri-tip.  What a feast!!  We spent the night parked in front of Joe’s house.  Thanks for everything Joe and Darlene!!

Day 7 (4-9-09) had us leaving Santa Maria, CA. around 9:00 a.m.  We made another Wal-Mart run for some supplies and then visited the local truckstop for some fuel and breakfast.  After eating, we continued north on hwy. 101 and enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery that the U.S. has to offer!

Our next destination was Don Quixote’s in Felton, CA.  Our concert was tied in with the celebration of KPIG-FM radio’s own ‚ÄòCuzin’ Al’, celebrating 40 years on the air.  Cuzin’ Al has been a dear friend of ours for many years and he’s one of the best DJs you’ve ever heard.  We arrived in Felton the hard way.  I was driving the bus out of Santa Cruz, CA.  As we got out of town, we started up this mountain and, let me tell you, this was not a road intended for a 45 foot bus!

After driving about half way up, I found a wide spot and pulled over to let about 50 cars pass by and I told Russell, "You are the MAN!  YOU TAKE IT!  I’m gonna let YOU wreck YOUR bus!!"  This 6 mile stretch seemed like an eternity.  We made it on over and arrived around 2:30 p.m.  We loaded in at 4:00, got our ‚Äòsound check’, then it was time to eat some of Don Quixote’s Mexican cuisine!!  We had a great dinner and then went to work.  Showtime was 7:30.

The house was packed and ready to hear some music!  We did two sets and had a wonderful time celebrating with Cuzin’ Al.  He is awesome!  We finished up around 10:30 p.m., loaded up and was back on the road around 11:15.  We drove back to Bill and Maria Nadauld’s home in Hayward.  When we arrived, we were treated to a late night dinner.  I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but we have been treated to some great meals on this trip!  This day was also Wayne’s 40th  birthday.  Maria baked him a cake, so we all had to end the night eating cake and celebrating Wayne’s birthday.

Day 8 (4-10-09) has us loading up and getting ready for a 5 hour trip to Weaverville, CA.  I will report on this trip in my next entry.  We have been gone for a week now and, outside of missing our families, it has been a wonderful trip.  We have got to see some beautiful scenery, visit with many of our friends that we don’t get to see very often and, so far, I haven’t lost any money in our ‚Äòhigh-stakes’ blackjack games!!  Talk to you again soon.

Here are a few more photos Russell sent from earlier in the week. 

                 

Day 3 of our trip was pretty non-adventurous.  Russell, Jack and myself took shifts driving while enjoying the beauty of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  As night fell, we made our way into California.  We had a full day of riding, listening to music, watching DVDs and, at last, a much anticipated game of ‚Äòhigh stakes’ blackjack!  One of the bus rules is ‚Äòquarter-hand limit’‚Ķ‚Ķlike I said‚Ķ..real ‚Äòhigh stakes’!!!

Day 4 started in Barstow, CA. and it was time to get the bus cleaned up!  Eight guys immediately jumped on it and started washing, then it was time to polish the chrome wheels.  Man, the bus looked GREAT!!  We jumped back in and headed towards the Bay area.  It was a bout a 400 mile trip and we mostly played cards and enjoyed the scenery.  We arrived at the home of Bill and Maria Nadauld in Hayward, CA. around 4:30 p.m. (pacific time) and spent the rest of the day hanging out with them.  We had an AWESOME dinner and watched the UNC Tarheels win the NCAA basketball championship.

Day 5 found us waking up in Hayward with a trip planned for me, Edgar, Justen and Maria to spend the day in San Francisco.  We walked around the world-famous Embarcadero and Pier 39.  Then we took a cruise out in the bay.  We went under the Golden Gate bridge, sailed around Alcatraz prison and the San Francisco Bay bridge and it was AWESOME to see these places up close!!  We got back to the bus and it was time to go to work.  We loaded up and made our way to Berkeley to play the Freight and Salvage and arrived around 4:30 p.m. for sound check.  This is a venue that just about everyone that you can think of has played.  The wall in the dressing room has been signed by everyone who has performed there in the past.  There is so much history!  It was cool to read all of that.  Showtime was at 8:00 p.m. and we had a good crowd that came to listen and enjoy some music and they were very responsive to us!  It was great to see our buddy, and great mandolin player, Tom Rozum in the audience!  We had a nice visit with him and it was a great night!  We finished the show, got loaded up and back on the road by 11:30 that night.  Russell drove us for about 3 _ hours down hwy. 101 south where we shut down for a good night’s rest.

Day 6 has us traveling to Santa Maria, CA. to our dear friend Joe Quealey’s home to visit and enjoy a nice BBQ!  As I write this, we are currently sitting in front of his home and will be here until about 4:00 p.m.  Then we’ll head on over to Santa Ynez, CA. where we’ll be performing tonight at the Marverick Saloon.  It should be a great time!  I will update you on this in my next post.