The awards for artists who, on recorded and/or in-person performance during the specified time period, have shown an extraordinary mastery of their instruments. The awards go to the artists.

The Banjo Player Of The Year for 2006 is:

Review past recipients of this award.

Episode #28 of The GrassCast features an interview with Jim Mills. This interview was recorded last fall at IBMA. Jim is a member of Ricky Skaggs’ band Kentucky Thunder. John and Jim discuss banjos old and new, and recording projects Jim is involved with.

This GrassCast is 11 minutes in length and the file download size is 12 MB.

Below is our usual 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: ep28_jim_mills.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

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.