Tonight’s edition of Music City Roots on WSM has plenty to attract the attention of bluegrass fans. The show, which airs live each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. (CST) from The Loveless Barn, just outside of Nashville, will feature sets from The Grascals and The Josh Williams Band.

If you live within WSM’s very wide broadcast footprint, you can hear the show on 650-AM. If not, it will also be streamed live online from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The format brings four bands to the stage, emceed by Jim Lauderdale and Eddie Stubbs, with artist interviews conducted live by Craig Havighurst.

The Grascals have been enjoying their richly-deserved time in the spotlight this past few years. With a trio of critically-acclaimed albums and multiple IBMA awards, these guys (and gal) have been burning up the highway, keeping a very busy tour schedule.

Less well known (for now) is The Josh Williams Band. Regular readers of The Bluegrass Blog have seen our occasional mentions of Williams, a very talented, young artist who, at the age of 29, has already had the eye of the IBMA on him for 16 years. At age 13, he was singled out to be included in a group of Youth All Stars at the IBMA show, along with Chris Thile, Michael Cleveland, Cody Kilby and Brady Stogdill. Here he is in that illustrious company – on banjo – which foretold much of what we have seen from these fine pickers since that day.

Josh had memorable stints with Special Consensus and Rhonda Vincent in his late teens and early twenties, and has now struck out on his own. His third solo project will be released by Pinecastle in February, and The Josh Williams Band will soon begin recording their debut CD.

They had a very strong showing at IBMA 2009, and we spoke with Jim Roe of Roe Entertainment, who books Josh, about the impact of their high profile during World Of Bluegrass.

“Their main stage showcase went really, really well. They played a number of late night showcases in 2008, and I heard from several people that the band sounded much more mature this year, and that Josh looked really confident fronting his band.” (more…)

Pinecastle has announced February 2010 as the release date for the next Josh Williams album, Down Home, but Josh says that he will have copies for sale from his web site by Thanksgiving.

This will be the third solo CD for this young artist, who at 29 has already logged lengthy stints with Special Consensus and Rhonda Vincent. His debut album, Now That You’re Gone, was released in 2001, featuring contributions from a who’s who of bluegrass superpickers, as did his 2004 follow-up, Lonesome Highway.

On Down Home, Josh pays tribute to the artists who inspired him, and the acts who gave him a start in the business. He reunites most of the personnel from Special C during his tenure (Greg Cahill and Tim Dishman), and has his guitar idol Tony Rice with him for a version of Blue Railroad Train. Tracking for this project started while Josh was still a member of The Rage, and Rhonda joins on a couple of songs along with fellow then-Ragers Kenny Ingram and Mickey Harris.

Also helping out are Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, Stewart Duncan, Jason Carter, Carl Jackson, Randy Kohrs, Tina Adair, and Aaron McDaris.

We heard Josh perform a couple of tracks from the CD during his IBMA showcase. His version of Jimmy Martin’s The Last Song was brilliant, and I am eager to hear the recorded version when the album hits. There is an inescapable joy in Williams’ music, and it is infectious, whether live or on disc.

Greg Cahill rivals Doyle Lawson in the bluegrass talent development department. Over the nearly 35 years he has managed Special Consensus, he has seen a number of young artists develop into fine musicians, and he is a big Josh Williams backer.

“I cannot speak highly enough about the musical accomplishments of Josh Williams, my good friend and consummate musician. He came to The Special Consensus right out of high school (actually while in his last few months of school) and immediately played mandolin and sang like a seasoned professional. Over the years since that time, he has grown to become a major voice in the world of bluegrass music and an award-winning guitar player as well. He is a great writer, singer and instrumentalist and it is a true joy to see him begin to receive the recognition his extraordinary talent deserves. Go Josh!!!”

Rhonda Vincent also spoke highly of Williams…

“Josh is a very talented guy. So glad to hear his CD is finally coming out.”

Pre-order details for Down Home can be found on the official Josh Williams web site.

Again, the frustration of not being able to catch all the showcase performers…

Downloading the Gold Heart photos last night, I missed Darin and Brooke Aldridge and Spring Creek, both of whom I had hoped to see. Darin and Brooke just announced last week that their next CD will be released on the Mountain Home label, probably early in 2010. There are more details and a YouTube clip of one of the new songs on the Mountain Home web site.

I had run into Taylor Sims of Spring Creek earlier in the day, when he stopped to speak with Alan Munde, who had been his teacher when Taylor and the other members of the band were enrolled in the bluegrass program at South Plain College in Texas. The pride was obvious on Alan’s face, meeting up with a former student at IBMA who was moving up in the bluegrass business.

I did make it back to the showcase stage in time to see The Josh Williams Band. Wow!

Josh has always been a confident performer, not to mention a fine singer and guitar player. He shone as a member of Special Consensus and Rhonda Vincent’s band, and has three solo projects under his name. All this before he has reached the age of 30. He debuted his own band at IBMA last year, and the difference over the past year is starkly dramatic.

His band consists of musicians from Williams’ home state of Kentucky, who are also long time friends close to his age. Jason McKendree was on banjo, Randy Barnes on bass and Scott Napier on mandolin.

I can’t think of the last time I heard a four piece band this strong – rhythmically solid and sonically powerful – since maybe the early editions of Lonesome River Band in the 1990s. Their sound is crisp, precise and in-your-face. With Josh’s easy charm and million dollar smile, it makes for a very engaging performance. The guys obviously have fun on stage, and Josh is perfectly comfortable with the attention on him.

He seemed sincerely appreciative for the chance to appear on an official showcase, and thanked the crowd repeatedly for the opportunity. The Josh Williams Band, whose debut CD won’t be released until next year on Pinecastle, was nominated as Emerging Artist of the Year for Thursday’s IBMA Awards, something that again elicited a grateful mention from the stage.

The only song from the show that I recall Josh specifically mentioning as being on the new album was his brilliant version of The Last Song, a classic from the Jimmy Martin repertoire. This song requires a skilled and confident vocalist, and Josh absolutely owned it. Another standout was the Mark Mathewson song Mordecai, from Josh’s 2004 CD, Lonesome Highway.

A big part of achieving success at IBMA is being ready to take full advantage of your shot at such a big stage. Josh showed last night that he and his young band are ready, willing and able.

The Peaceful Bend Americana Music Fest took place last weekend, outside St. Louis, MO. Due to other commitments, I wasn’t able to attend the entire weekend, but I was on hand for the opening ceremonies on Thursday evening.

The festival is centered around flatpick guitar playing and instruction. It is held on the grounds of the Peaceful Bend Vineyard. The venue is small and intimate allowing for a great deal of interaction between performers/instructors, and the students/fans.

Thursday night I taped the 3rd in a series of performance DVDs for the festival’s promotors, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and SimpleFolk Productions. The recording went well and I’m about to be knee deep in editing for a while.

Like the others in the series, the concert featured the guitar work of three outstanding players. This year it is Scott Nygaard, Jack Lawrence, and Robert Bowlin. Once I get the editing done I’m sure we’ll post a short clip or two to give you a taste.

Opening for the trio were the 2008 IBMA and 2009 SPGMA Guitar Player of the Year Josh Williams, and 2008 Walnut Valley International Competition and 2009 Merlefest Flatpicking Champion Tyler Grant.It was a fun night and I’m sure the rest of the weekend was great as well. Here’s a few thought from Tyler Grant.

Josh and I did four numbers on Thursday night to open for the trio’s DVD shoot. The acoustics were very nice in the wine cellar, and it was a comfortable venue to play and to sit back and listen. A little glass of wine made it even more comfortable, and every now and then one of Clyde and Katie’s dogs would wander in making the whole atmosphere feel even more down-home and country. The trio of Bowlin, Lawrence and Nygaard with Wil Maring on upright bass was outstanding. Each guitarist brought his own style to the forefront, while all three met in the middle for some truly beautiful music. It would take an entire post just to go into the details of the show, so I will just advise readers to buy the DVD and hear for themselves. Gorgeous guitar music and some stellar vocal contributions from Jack, Wil and Robert.

You can read all his thoughts on the weekend in the Flatpick-L Archives, here and here.

If you’re interested in photos of the event, be sure to check out this page on the Flatpicking Guitar Ning Network.