The road winds through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia, and the Pisgah and Nantahal in North Carolina. Almost every mile avoids population centers of any kind, and with easy access off and on along the way, is a tourist favorite for its spectacular mountain vistas of the Blue Ridge region.

Of course this region has been home to a great deal of bluegrass and old time music, and the seminal artists who defined it. The National Parks Service and the National Council for the Traditional Arts jointly operate a venue near Galax, VA to acknowledge the musical history of the area, The Blue Ridge Music Center.

The Parkway is celebrating 2010 as their 75th Anniversary with a full year’s worth of special events along the way. Things kick off this Saturday with a benefit show near Asheville, NC featuring what will surely be a memorable musical aggregation.

Billed as The Blue Ridge All Stars, this one-time grouping of musicians born and bred in the VA/NC mountain region includes Doyle Lawson on mandolin, Sammy Shelor on banjo, Bryan Sutton on guitar, Jim Van Cleve on fiddle and Tim Surrett on bass.

Jim told us that Bryan Sutton put the group together.

“Bryan Sutton called me back in April or May about this show, and it’s something I’ve been looking forward to ever since then! It’s a big honor to be involved in a BIG SHOW of this nature, and the band Bryan has assembled will be a BLAST to play with!!!”

Singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith is also on the show, which will be held in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at the Asheville Civic Center. Proceeds from the show will go towards the funding for the 75th Anniversary events during 2010.

You can find full concert details on the BRP 75th site.

We are very fortunate this year to have Dean Hoffmeyer shooting for us during World Of Bluegrass. He is a Pulitzer-nominated photographer with The Richmond Times Dispatch, and his work speaks for itself. Dean’s work also graces a number of recent bluegrass CD covers, including the recent Grasstowne and Jason Davis projects.

Dean will be providing photos over the next few days, including Thursday night’s Awards Show. He will posting them as soon as he shoots, so we’ll have galleries going up during the show, while Brance and I are posting the winners in real time here on The Bluegrass Blog.

But lest you think the DVD itself is a joke, here is the real trailer, which offers a glimpse of what is actually covered in this 4 hour presentation, titled Become A More Complete Fiddler.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He takes Banks Of The Ohio and Pretty Polly and demonstrates them down in 3 different keys. Before going over them, Jim breaks down the scale and common positions for each key in turn. He shows where to find the melody, and where adjacent double stops are located, as well as licks and phrases that suit each song. He also goes over the different scales that inform these two songs, one in a diatonic major key, and the other based on a Dorian, “mountain modal” scale.

Attention throughout is given to both playing a melody-based solo and what a fiddle can do to assist the band sound in accompaniment. A booklet with transcriptions is also included.

The DVD will begin shipping next week (9/22) and AcuTab is accepting orders now. More details can be found on the AcuTab site.

Disc 1 contains a good deal of instruction in the areas of technique, practice routines, ear training, transposing tunes to various keys, etc. Examples are given using familiar bluegrass tunes such as 9lb Hammer, Banks of the Ohio, and continues on disc two with Pretty Polly.

Following all that instruction, Jim then teaches several of his most requested tunes, to round out the program.

The video trailer for the project was just finished yesterday and we’ve got an exclusive look at it for our readers here on The Bluegrass Blog. This is just a short showcase of the techniques and tunes you’ll learn on this DVD.

Enjoy…

Click here to view the embedded video.

John adds: Is this April Fools Day and I didn’t notice?

Bass man Jason Moore said that he has a ton of pictures, but that his internet connection has been sporadic, so he will send more when he gets back home on Monday. Bon Voyage, fellas!

His dad had been tardy in getting us a photo, but here is little Graham at long last. What a cutie!

Jim says that he will be out this weekend filling in with NewFound Road, so if you see him at the Allen Family Jubilee in Proctorville, OH, you can congratulate him in person.

He came in at 8 lbs. 13 1/2 oz., stretching out to 19 1/2 inches, and will join mom, dad and big sister Ryann at home soon. We’ll post a photo as soon as Jim has a spare moment to send one along.

Congratulations Van Cleves!

Their entertainment lineup this summer includes some of the top names in pop music, all a part of their Hot Summer Fun Series. Acts scheduled to appear include Beyonc?©, Stone Temple Pilots, Montgomery Gentry… and Mountain Heart!

Needless to say, they are the only bluegrass act in the series, and they managed to get high profile billing in the casino’s show poster. Nine performers grace the poster, and Mountain Heart made the cut over such established acts as Abba, Three Dog Night and Edgar Winter.

Fiddler Jim VanCleve is understandably excited about the promotion…

“Thanks to our manager and his magic-working, we have been able to score PRIME placement in all their advertising… over top of several VERY well-known and established acts. The flier is absolutely awesome.

It’s an incredible opportunity and we’re real stoked about it.”

They will perform at the casino on July 15 in a free concert, so if you crap out at the tables, you can still make the show.

Jim said that they took a ton of photos, and that Josh is putting together a little travelogue for us to publish here on The Bluegrass Blog. Look for that to appear soon, along with their swimwear photos.

Josh and Jim are also playing the Grand Ole Opry tonight with Mountain Heart. They are scheduled in the 9:00-9:30 segment (EDT), which you can catch over the air on 650 AM from Nashville, via online streaming at wsmonline.com, and on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville).

We had commented a number of times about this album as it was progressing from concept to reality, and have been anticipating its release since last summer. The sound is fuller to my ear than their last, and the song choices show a depth and variety well-suited to the band’s style.

Jim Van Cleve served as co-producer along with the band, and says that they took more time tracking, and tried some new approaches to the material this time out.

Here are a couple of quick samples from the CD, along with some thoughts from bandleader, guitarist and lead vocalist Tim Shelton.

Try To Be -  Listen now:   

Jim VanCleve sent me this song when we started gathering material and arranging songs for the record, it was written by Sonya Isaacs. I love a good intense, bluesy sounding bluegrass song and this one turned into that.  It’s going over very well at the shows, and it opens the CD as the first track.

Same Old Place -  Listen now:   

Tim Stafford wrote this song and I love it.  It’s got such a sad feeling to it, which I love, and it’s definitely the biggest sounding song that NewFound Road has ever cut.  We posted this on the band’s MySpace page and within a week the song had over 1000 plays and continues to average that, so evidently, folks are loving the song as well.

Audio samples for all 12 tracks can be found on the band’s web site, where you can also place a pre-order for the CD, shipped to arrive next week when it is officially released.

Tim Shelton sent along this photo of the group at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

A new CD from NewFound Road, Same Old Place, is set for an April 28 release on Rounder Records.

The Mountain Heart fiddler and his lovely wife Desneige have just learned that they will be the parents of a baby boy, due to arrive on July 27.

This will be their second child, who will assume the baby spot vacated by two year old sister, Ryann.

Congratulations to all the VanCleves from The Bluegrass Blog!

The band enlisted a new producer, Jim Van Cleve, and spent more time in the studio than they had on previous projects. Jim told us that he encouraged the guys to try some new approaches, and both he and the band are extremely pleased with the finished product.

I had an opportunity to hear some of the mixes last summer, and the sound struck me as “bigger,” with a more forceful, in-your-face attitude. Van Cleve said that he was trying to get a more commercial, radio-friendly mix and he certainly filled the tracks to the brim.

We asked NFR band leader and vocalist Tim Shelton how he saw Same Old Place differing from their earlier releases.

“Jim thinks big. The album is so well produced, and the tones that Jim and engineer Dave Hall  got were really the best we could ask for.  We put more time and effort and money into this album too, and are very proud of the end result.”

Tim also credits the quality of the songs they recorded as a big factor in the overall sound of the new album.

“We’re always looking for new songs and open to hearing new songs but I approached some of my favorite writers, Tim Stafford, Ronnie Bowman, Sonya Isaacs and had a song from Tim O’Brien sent to us…  that’s where we started. I felt if we had strong original songs to build the album on, then our chances of having a great record were much better. And all of the writers that I mentioned and approached are great!

The title cut, Same Old Place is one of my favorites, and River of Pain is a very cool song written by Ronnie Bowman. The opening track, Try To Be – written by Sonya Isaacs – is very fun to perform live, and the Tim O’Brien song, Full Circle is a favorite of mine too.”

It’s hard for a band that has been on the scene for a number of years to hit with a “new sound,” but Same Old Place really is a new chapter for NewFound Road.

“I’m very excited to get this recording out to radio and in the hands of our fans, and bluegrass fans in general. We’re extremely proud of the work the band has done and our co-producer, Jim VanCleve and Dave Hall, our engineer, really made this experience great. Everyone involved put a lot of time and energy into this record, and I think it shows, and hopefully will pleasantly surprise a lot of people.”

Jones left the band in August of 2007 to deal with some personal and familial issues, and with Clay Hess having left the group to work with Sierra Hull, he is happy for the chance to return.

“I’m so excited to be back with all my brothers! I’m looking forward to seeing the greatest fans in any music again!”

I spoke with Mountain Heart fiddler Jim Van Cleve this morning, and he is likewise stoked to have Jones back onboard.

“It’s no secret that Clay Jones was a large part of the musical personality that MH had developed over the years. He brings a unique spark and intensity to the table that is all his own. That, along with his stage presence, is such a powerful combo. So, of course, we’re all super excited to get to pick with him again.

He and I go back a long time… I’ve known Jones since I was 15!

We just had our first round of rehearsals where we ran through about two and a half hours of music several times. We played all of our material and most all the songs we’ve been performing with Tony Rice. Jones knocked them all out of the park!

He grew up playing with Tony, so I guess that it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he knew that rhythmic feel and most of that material better than anybody! So, with a bit of a return to what MH has become known for, we are all chomping at the bit now to get out and do what we do this year!!”

Jim also mentioned that Clay’s first show back with the band will be at The Ark, in Ann Arbor, MI this coming weekend. This where they cut their current CD release, Road That Never Ends, The Live Album, which features Jones on guitar. From there, the band heads to Clay City, KY.

Sounds like this was meant to be…

You can find the band’s full tour schedule on their web site, and look for a chance to catch Clay with Mountain Heart – and Tony Rice – near you in ‘09.

They will do a 15 minute set during the show, which airs at noon (EST), broadcasting at 102.9 FM in Knoxville, TN – and via live streaming online.

The guys will be in Knoxville ahead of a concert with Blue Highway at The Bijou Theatre on Saturday night.

Producer Jim VanCleve tells us that the next NewFound Road CD is very nearly done, and that both he and the band are extremely pleased with the final result. Rounder has not scheduled a release, but an early ‘09 street date is expected.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m. – We just heard from Rounder that 2/10/09 is the street date for the new CD, entitled Same Old Place.

They also did a main stage show during Fan Fest, and fiddler Jim Van Cleve sent along a report with some photos.

“Fan Fest was just incredible!

We had done a short set earlier in the week, and it had gone very well, but it was in a conference room suite, and they just couldn’t fit any more than a few hundred people in there. It was really packed that night.

At Fan Fest, on the other hand, they could fit a LOT of people in there for the show, and though I couldn’t see them from the stage because of the lights, I could still HEAR them! It was a GREAT audience, and the show got an insane response! Tony was really playing like the legend he is, too…wow.

There were even people crowding up in the aisles up front, taking pictures and such. It was a lot of fun, and I’ve already seen a lot of pictures from friends, fans, and even family, from the show that night. Tony is smiling in almost all of them!

That means a lot to us, to see that he’s enjoying playing with Mountain Heart…since we certainly are enjoying playing with him!”

The Fan Fest show was scheduled as the closing act on Friday’s (10/3) bill, and Mountain Heart also had a slot on The Grand Ole Opry that same night. Jim describes how an impulsive, last minute notion brought Tony to the Opry stage as well.

“Over the last few years, Mountain Heart has had the honor and privilege to sort of reach the ‘regulars’ status at the Grand Ole Opry. We’re very grateful to them for this, as they will often call when they see openings in our itinerary. Of course, it’s always a huge honor to play there and represent bluegrass music on such an important stage, so we really do cherish the opportunities when they come about. I must admit, this one was even more special than usual, though!

This particular time, we had been asked about a week or two in advance if we could play there, as they’d seen on our itinerary that we were going to be in town. So, we checked our schedule at IBMA Fan Fest (where we were already scheduled to play with Tony) and saw that it was probably possible to be in both places that night.

Barry, just on a whim, mentioned to the folks at the Opry that we were playing later that night with Tony, and asked if they would be interested in having us come together to perform, just as we were doing later that night. They were very receptive to the idea and we called Tony and Keith Case to get everybody’s thoughts.

All the stars must have lined up just right, because we got yeses all around”

I wondered whether the audience at The Opry recognized what a special treat they were witnessing when Tony came out with Mountain Heart…

“I wouldn’t think that each person in the audience was completely aware of what was going on and who Tony was, but Eddie Stubbs did a really nice job of prefacing the whole thing before we started. A lot of times, at the Opry you have a touristy-type of crowd, and sometimes you get the impression that the only music they’re aware of is either classic Country artists that have been there in residence for a long time, or the current radio stars. On those nights, you strive to make them never forget you, if at all possible. Either way, It was a really special night for us.

We played two straight-up, hardcore bluegrass songs on the Grand Ole Opry that night with Tony: Blue Ridge Mountain Home and Freeborn Man, and when we finished, we received a standing ovation from the Opry crowd. That’s always a great feeling, but it was really a memorable experience to do it with Tony there with us!

The pictures we got from that night are going to find their way to a frame somewhere in my house, I think.”

There are a few YouTube videos posted which captured the Tony Rice/Mountain Heart set at fan Fest. The footage is a bit shaky (hand held camera), but you clearly see how jazzed both the performers and the concert goers were by the show.

“I got to see some video that was taken of a few of the songs that night, and I got goose bumps all over again. I’ll never forget what I was thinking while on stage: I am up here, at IBMA (and earlier that night, the Grand Ole Opry), playing the songs I grew up listening to, with probably the biggest musical influence of my life, in the flesh! Somebody pinch me.”

Mountain Heart is scheduling shows with Tony for 2009 and beyond, and a number of shows together remain during the rest of ‘08. You can find the dates (and new ones as they are added) on either the Mountain Heart or Tony Rice web sites.

Jim also dangled a tease about a tour with Tony in the works…

“We have some very cool news coming up very soon. We’re really excited about it all and can’t wait to make some of these announcements!

It’s been an awesome summer and an especially huge last month or so for Mountain Heart. We’ve had shows all over the country, have done the Grand Ole Opry twice, and played with Diamond Rio, Confederate Railroad, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Tony Rice, all in the span of about four or five weeks!!”

Photos/video courtesy of Aleah Dillon.

Carpenter has worked with the Tony Rice Unit and with Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band. He is a recording artist in his own right.

In Spring 2005, Carpenter built a 50-seat concert room onto the side of his shop. In the Fall of that year he began promoting a series of concerts featuring, what else, fiddle players, and top names have rosined a bow there too. All concerts have been recorded on video.

It is the product of some of these first recordings that is featured on the first of the Fiddler Masters DVDs.

Appearing on this collection are Andy Leftwich (of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder), old-time fiddle master Bruce Molsky, Jim VanCleve (of Mountain Heart), Bobby Hicks (possibly the top single fiddler to play both the bluegrass and western swing styles) and Aubrey Haynie (a regular with The Time Jumpers, a group made up of touring and studio musicians who enjoy jamming with each other at the Station Inn).

Molsky plays five pieces solo, including Last Of Gallahan and Peg & Awl, both on the fiddle, but switches to guitar for the tune Brothers & Sisters and the song Poor Cowboy. I cannot say how it was on the night that Molsky appeared at The Violin Shop, but the guitar interludes provide an enjoyable variation within the context of the video.

The other four fiddlers appear accompanied by their own pick-up band chosen from Byron House, Cody Kilby, Wyatt Rice, Charlie Cushman, Alan Bibey, Adam Steffey, Kent Blanton, Clay Jones, Ron Stewart, Jason Moore and Steve Gulley. It would be unfair to single out any of the support musicians for praise; all shine very brightly. While the setting is a showcase for fiddlers, each person called upon to take a break shows how superb they are at their craft.

VanCleve steps into spotlight on four occasions, performing his own #6 Barn Dance, the rollicking opener, Ride The Wild Turkey, and a barn-storming version of Big Mon.

Hicks appears just twice, playing two Monroe tunes including the twin fiddle show stopper Roanoke, which is played with Haynie on the other fiddle. What a night that must have been!

Haynie features on four other occasions, playing a couple of PD tunes, Red Wing and Ragtime Annie; and Arthur Smith’s Florida Blues and the western-swing favourite Maiden’s Prayer. A lovely set that tests Haynie’s versatility and he doesn’t disappoint.

Leftwich does four tunes also, two of which he composed himself; All Things New and Faultline. Topping the bill is his showcase piece, Stephane Grapelli’s Minor Swing. Leftwich switches to demonstrate how proficient he is on mandolin by playing that instrument on Over Cincinnati and Faultline. The former is briefly presented with a split screen, used while Cody Kilby plays a guitar solo.

Ronnie Bowman gets in on the act with the only song among the 20 pieces on this DVD, singing Love For An Angel, backed by VanCleve, Steffey, Stewart, Jones, Gulley and Moore.

The setting is intimate and the lighting emphasizes that intimacy with just a single light it would appear to pick out the soloist.

The camera work is professional with eight different camera-men used in all. Carpenter himself serves as Producer and shares with Jeff Wilson the roles of Director and Editor. They all should be very pleased with their work.

This set lasts 75 minutes and investment in this DVD will bring top quality musicianship and entertainment for all of that time. I’m now going to watch Volume II.

The second edition of this radio release was sent to Bluegrass Radio at the end of last week, so you DJs should be receiving it sometime soon. Rural Rhythm was kind enough to give us a sneak peek of the new tracks on the disc.

The disc contains five tracks, three of which are new tracks from upcoming releases.

Them Blues is the first single to be released from the new Lonesome River Band CD, No Turning Back. The CD is scheduled for release early next month. Fans of the LRB signature sound will certainly enjoy this new cut. I’ve embedded a YouTube video of them performing the track live on stage, at the end of this post. The audio doesn’t compare with the studio cut, but you’ll get the idea. Be listening for this one on your favorite bluegrass radio station later this week!

I Call It Gone is from the upcoming second album from Melonie Cannon, And The Wheels Turn. The album was co-produced by Ronnie Bowman and Buddy Cannon and features a very impressive line up of musicians. The CD is scheduled for release in early October.

Cindy Mae is an uptempo bluegrass number in the tradition of brother duets such as the Stanley Brothers. The Crowe Brothers (Josh and Wayne) deliver on this one. This track is from a newly recorded CD, Brothers-N-Harmony, scheduled for release in late September of 2008. The song was written by Cody Shuler of Pine Mountain Railroad. Anyone who likes good traditional brother harmony style bluegrass will want to have this CD I’m sure.

The other two tracsk are The Road From Rosine and Fox Run The Henhouse. Fox Run The Henhouse is from the previously released Tim Hensley CD, Long Monday. The Road From Rosine is an instrumental written by Jim VanCleve and debuted at the 2007 IBMA Award Show.

Radio DJs should be on the lookout for this CD, and fans of good bluegrass should be listening for these tracks.

Here’s the live video of LRB performing Them Blues. Enjoy!

Just completed shooting is a fiddle project with Mountain Heart’s Jim Van Cleve which will go into editing shortly. Jim covered a number of his own compositions (#6 Barn Dance, Nature Of The Beast, Devil’s Courthouse) plus spent considerable time describing how to add rhythmically in a band setting, and how to find solos and backup in different keys.

Due to be shot next week is a banjo DVD featuring Ron Block and a mandolin video with Sierra Hull. Both will focus on these two stellar players and their individual styles. More details about these should be forthcoming soon.

A JD Crowe banjo DVD is also scheduled to be shot later this year.

If you would like to be notified by email when these new titles are released, you can make that request on the AcuTab site.

AcuTab is also pleased to note the reissue of two popular titles that have been unavailable for some time. JD Crowe – AcuTab transcriptions includes banjo tablature for all the songs on two classic albums by JD Crowe & The New South, and Kenny Smith – Tunes and Techniques offers 3 hours with this flatpicking master on two DVDs.

Though the event officially begins on Thursday (6/5) and runs through Sunday (6/8), there is a kickoff concert tonight (6/4) at 10:00 p.m. hosted by Marty Stuart which will feature sets by The SteelDrivers and Old Crow Medicine Show.

On Thursday there will be a stage dedicated largely to bluegrass music. From 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (local time) the Chevy Plaza stage will include performances by Sierra Hull, SteelDrivers, Dan Tyminski and Mountain Heart.

Jim Van Cleve, fiddle man with Mountain Heart, passed along a few of the public and media events where they will be involved this week.

“We are really excited, and feel very fortunate to be involved with something of this magnitude, especially on so many different levels. CMA Music Festival is a giant affair, and Mountain Heart is going to be a very visible presence there!

We’ll be performing on the Chevy Music Stage, set up just outside the Sommet Center on Broadway, on Thursday afternoon at 2:45. We’ll be doing lots of TV and radio interviews, including XM and several country radio stations. We’re also signing autographs in the GAC and Grand Ole Opry booths in the truTV Fan Fair Hall at the convention center. To start it all off on Wednesday, we’re going to be riding in the Chevy Kickoff Parade that travels right down Broadway. We’ve all been practicing our ‘Princess Waves,’ too, so we should be ready to roll. lol.

From Nashville, we’re heading to Enterprise, Alabama, for the first-ever BamaJam Music & Arts Festival on Saturday. The festival runs Thursday through Saturday and has a ridiculously great lineup of artists from country, bluegrass, acoustic and Americana. We’re talking about everyone from Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs, to Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Hank Jr., to Trace Adkins, Little Big Town, Yonder Mountain String Band and Old Crow Medicine Show. It’s going to be a blast!”