Until this morning I had never heard of a CokeTag. From what I understand after doing some research, a CokeTag is a widget that runs on your Facebook page, presenting people with a list of links you recommend. The company is working to make the widget compatible with other social networking sites like MySpace, in the near future.

The CokeTag is a product of the Coca-Cola company and really serves as a branding tool for them, since it puts their name in front of the people viewing it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any use for a bluegrass band though. Once you’ve created a CokeTag, other people can embed it on their own Facebook page. This allows fans to post a band’s CokeTag on their personal page. And your links spread around the social network that way.

The product is in public beta at this point, but one of the early adopters was the bluegrass band, James Reams & The Barnstormers. Reams put the CokeTag on his facebook page and then discovered that his was being used as an example on the CokeTags homepage.

…it seems that I’m a poster boy for this new product. Coca Cola is using my band (yes, bluegrass, not rock, not hip hop, not jazz but BLUEGRASS) in its worldwide promotional material to show how a band can use this new product, called a CokeTag, on the Internet social networking site Facebook (and, eventually, elsewhere) to allow an easy way to keep friends and fans up to date on what’s going on with the band and what’s important to us.

The neat thing about this is that if I update the information on my CokeTag, it will be updated anywhere that the CokeTag has been posted — initially, just on other Facebook profile pages but eventually on other sites on the Internet as well. So you can link to shows, CDs, videos, etc and then if you change it the next day or the next month, it will be updated everywhere that the CokeTag is posted.

You can see how it looks on a a Facebook band page by visit Reams’ Facebook page. You don’t have to be a member to view the page.

And you don’t have to be a band to find a use for this nifty little widget. You can create one for your hobby and put links to all your favorite bluegrass bands, or whatever you want. There are no guarantees that Coca Cola will notice you though. If they do, your mom is sure to be proud.

So, there I am, featured on Coca Cola’s CokeTag website. My mom is proud because she thinks I’ve finally amounted to something in the music business. Don’t tell her otherwise, ok?

We’ll vouch for ya James, just have her call us if there’s ever any question about your somethingness!

Jon Glik’s fiddle playing can be heard on some of my favorite records. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge Del McCoury fan. Don’t Stop The Music may be my all time favorite McCoury album, and Glik’s fiddle plays an important roll in the band’s sound on that recording.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We see two great bluegrass offerings available via streaming online audio for Friday, May 4.

First up at noon (EDT) is a live performance by James Reams & The Barnstormers on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special. The show airs in Knoxville, TN at 89.9 FM, and listeners worldwide can catch the show via live streaming from the WDVX web site.

Then at 1:30 p.m., Blue Highway guitarist Tim Stafford will join Gracie Muldoon on WorldWideBluegrass.com for an interview. Tim is also an adept songwriter and studio producer, so he and Gracie will have plenty to discuss - including a new Blue Highway CD currently being recorded.

You can access WWB’s 24/7 bluegrass feed online

James Reams, Walter Hensley & The Barons of Bluegrass are offering free downloads of three songs from their latest release, Wild Card, via Download.com.

These are the full tracks from the CD in an unrestricted MP3 format, ready for burning to a CD, or uploading to an iPod or MP3 player.

The songs available from Download.com are We’re The Kind Of People That Make The Jukebox Play, Working On A Building and Where No Heart Goes Hungry. You can listen online to each track before downloading.

Of course, they hope that you will enjoy theses free tracks so well that you will head right over to CDBaby or iTunes to purchase the complete Wild Card project.

Wild Card is the new album by James Reams, Walter Hensley & The Barons Of Bluegrass. The band includes longtime bluegrass sidemen Jon Glik, Mark Farrell and Carl Hayano, and includes some traditional material, a few originals, and couple of tunes drawn from unexpected places. It was recorded in one weekend with all members of the band present so as to preserve the raw excitement of playing together.

Wild Card is available from County Sales (540-745-2001 or sales@countysales.com) and at CDBaby (includes audio samples). You can also order from Mountain Redbird Music (info@jamesreams.com or 718-965-8490).

The new CD Troubled Times from James Reams & The Barnstormers is now available for legal download from the following digital distribution centers.

Here’s where it’s already available:

• Apple iTunes
• Napster
• MSN Music

The songs will also be available soon on:

• Sony Connect
• Rhapsody
• MusicMatch

You can still buy the CD in the traditional fashion and even get some extras that are unavailable via the internet download services. This is from a press release that was emailed to us.

Of course, it’s still a great bargain to order the whole package (for $15 you get the Troubled Times CD plus a double-feature DVD including two films — Rollin’ On plus preview of Pioneers of Bluegrass Music) from CD Baby or County Sales, or directly from Mountain Redbird Music.