Dale Ann Bradley will be collaborating next year with her old friend and former employee, Michael Cleveland, when she goes on the road with his band, Flamekeeper, for select shows next year. These dates will bill as Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper with special guest Dale Ann Bradley, with Jim Roe of Roe Entertainment handling the booking and arrangements.

These dates will feature Michael and Flamekeeper doing a one hour set, after which Dale Ann will join them for 30-45 minutes of her material with Michael and his band providing accompaniment.

Cleveland explained how this pairing came together.

“Tony Williams, promoter of the Kentucky Lake Bluegrass Festival, had booked Dale Ann Bradley and our band on the same show this year and he had an idea to have Dale Ann and Flamekeeper do a jam set at the end of the festival on that Saturday night. Tom Adams, Jesse Brock and myself had worked in Dale Ann’s band years ago, so we were pretty familiar with her older material.

We had so much fun playing that show together and we talked about it for days after. So the idea of teaming up with a package show like this seemed exciting and fun for all of us. I always enjoy getting to play music with her and I know what an incredible singer she is. Dale Ann can take any song, whether it be an original, or a standard and make it her own and I’m really looking forward to doing some shows together.”

Only a limited number of dates will be available for this show, as both acts maintain active schedules on their own. It seems likely that audiences, especially for indoor concert settings, will appreciate being able to see the 3-time IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year (Flamekeeper), 7-time Fiddle Player (Cleveland), reigning Bass player (Marshall Wilborn) and mandolin player (Jesse Brock), and the 3-time Female Vocalist (Bradley) in one, all-star show.

Dale Ann is eager to see these shows come to be.

“When I went out on my own, Michael Cleveland as well as Jesse Brock and Tom Adams were the musical glue that held it all together. Watching Michael play the fiddle with his signature drive and sensitivity…man, he’s something else. I am thrilled to be sharing a stage with him and all of the guys in Flamekeeper.”

Sounds like a fun show.

If you’ve not heard the band since Tom Adams joined up, here’s your chance.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The guys stopped by the WAMU studios in Washington DC on their way to perform at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival this past Thursday. Katy says they recorded an hour’s worth of live music and conversation, which will be broadcast this morning a 9:00 a.m.

“We talked about IBMA nominations and Jesse Baker’s solo project Yessir! on Patuxent. Everybody had a chance to shine so there were songs from Marshall Wilborn and Tom Adams, too.  Of course, Michael and Jesse Brock stunned the studio audience with their (instrumental performance of the year) nominated Jerusalem Ridge.”

Listen in at 9:00 to hear their visit on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country. It can be heard worldwide on www.bluegrasscountry.org and in the Washington area on HD Radio WAMU-88.5 Channel Two, and on 105FiveFM.

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper will be featured in a special Saturday afternoon edition of Blue Plate Special on WDVX. This is a live performance program which typically airs Monday-Friday at noon from either the WDVX studio or the Square Room in Knoxville. This show, however, is a live remote from The Olde Mill Square in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Van Eaton & Friends will also appear, starting at noon. You can catch WDVX over the air at 102.9 FM in and around Knoxville, and online at wdvx.com.

WBRF in Galax, VA will have an interview with Lou Reid & Carolina during the 8:00 p.m. hour of their Blue Ridge Backroads show. Host Judith Burnette will have Lou and the band on hand to discuss their new CD, My Own Set Of Rules.

The station broadcasts at 98.1 in Galax and online at blueridgecountry98.com.

The Grand Ole Opry also has a number of bluegrass acts on the bill for Saturday night. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will be on the show, along with The Infamous Stringdusters and Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys.

Look for The Dirt band to highlight material from their upcoming CD, Speed Of Life.

The Saturday Opry runs from 8:00-10:00 p.m., broadcast on WSM AM 650 from Nashville, and online at wsmonline.com.

All times indicated are EDT.

Tom and Michael have a long musical association going back to Adams’ time as a crackerjack, award-winning banjo player. The two of them worked together with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage in 2000, and with Dale Ann Bradley in 2002. They also released a live duet album of banjo/fiddle duets (Live at the Ragged Edge) in 2004.

That project was recorded in 2002, just before Tom began to experience the frustrating symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that left him unable to reliably perform on the banjo to his high standards of excellence. Tom had started his musical life as a guitarist, and starting in 2008, returned to working in bluegrass, but now on guitar where the dystonia had no effect on his right hand movement. He had been playing of late with Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie.

Adams has a great respect for Cleveland and is delighted to be joining Flamekeeper…

“Mike is absolutely one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met — what an incredible musician! I thoroughly enjoyed playing with Mike in the past, and I’m very excited about working with him again. He’s got a terrific band and I am glad to become a part of it.”

This move also reunites Tom with Marshall Wilborn, with whom he worked in The Johnson Mountain Boys and the Lynn Morris Band. The current Flamekeeper lineup features Cleveland on fiddle, Adams on guitar, Wilborn on bass, Jesse Brock on mandolin and Jessie Baker on banjo.

Tom will join the band starting with their August 7 show at Bluegrass In The Park in Henderson, KY.  You can find their complete tour schedule online.

UPDATE 7/24: When we first published this story, we mentioned that Tom would be playing guitar with Flamekeeper, but didn’t note that he will also be the new lead singer as well.

The event is free and open to the public if you are in Nashville, and the rest of us can listen live online.

In addition to Michael on fiddle, Flamekeeper consists of Jesse Brock on mandolin, Darrell Webb on guitar, Marshall Wilborn on bass and  Jessie Baker on banjo.

This latest edition of the glossy bi-monthly magazine has as its main feature a six-page, wide-ranging profile of that prolific bluegrass song writing duo Tom T. and Dixie Hall.

Other bluegrass personalities interviewed by the magazine include current blue-eyed boys Dailey & Vincent; Ernie Thacker, who discusses life after his near-fatal traffic accident; fiddle ace Michael Cleveland; and Ronnie Prevette, who talks about life playing mandolin in Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys.

Audie Blaylock and Mike Andes, of Nothin’ Fancy, talk about their favorites and there are profiles on DJ David Blackney and songwriter Charley Stefl.

Regular features include the BMP Top 30 Hot Singles and Top 10 Albums charts, news and CD reviews.

Details regarding subscription and single issue purchase rates can be found at the magazine’s website.

It features the guys tearing it up on a version of the Bill Monroe classic, Big Mon. The lighting isn’t fabulous, but the music is just fine.

Their publicist, Kimberly Williams, was on hand and got a couple of photos of the band, as well as a bit of backstage video. She tells us that the guys whipped the crowd up with their versions of Goodbye Ole Pal and The Old Brown County Barn.

They also had a chance to snap a picture with Opry announcer and bluegrass legend Eddie Stubbs backstage during their post-Christmas Opry visit.

Current band members include Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Jesse Brock on mandolin, Jessie Baker on banjo, Marshall Wilborn on bass and Darrell Webb on guitar.

Here’s Flamekeeper backstage warming up…

Darrell has spent many years touring with top level bluegrass bands, including stints with Lonesome River Band, J.D. Crowe & The New South and Wildfire before taking Josh Williams’ place with Rhonda in October of 2007.

He will start with Flamekeeper on December 26 for a show on The Grand Ole Opry, joining founding members Michael Cleveland on fiddle and Jesse Brock on mandolin, with Marshall Wilborn on bass, and second-newest member Jessie Baker on banjo. Jessie joined the band at the end of September, an experienced pro himself while still in his teens.

You can check the Flamekeeper tour schedule online to look for a chance to catch their new lineup when they perform near you.

UPDATE 5:45 p.m.  We just got a note from Darrell about his move to Flamekeeper…

“I am really excited about this new gig with Michael. I have picked and jammed with Mike for years and I never dreamed I’d ever get to be in a band with him. He is one the most incredible musicians that I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing music with, a true professional and one of the nicest people I’ve ever been around.

When I heard that he was looking for someone I called him immediately, because I knew he played the same kind of music that I think just suits me to a tee. I knew had to do something real quick because I have a family home to support.

I am so looking forward to a great new beginning as a member of the Flamekeeper band. It consists of some of my favorite musicians and singers that I have ever heard. I am also a big fan of Jessie Brock, Marshall Wilborn, Mike Cleveland, and Jessie Baker.

I know it’s gonna be a blast getting to pick with all the guys in the band.”

An astute observer may have noticed a new face in the crowd as the band took the stage. Jessie Baker joined the band recently on banjo and began touring with the group at the end of September. Originally from Indiana, Baker now lives in Georgetown, KY.

Still in his teens, Jessie has a full resume already. He’s played with Wildfire, The Wildwood Valley Boys, The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show, and his family’s band, The Baker Boys. He has also done fill in dates with many other bluegrass bands.

Patrick gave me a copy of his new CD, Rutlands Reel, just released on Patuxent Music, which features a mix of classic fiddle music and hard driving traditional bluegrass. A number of tracks feature Patrick and Michael Cleveland on twin fiddles (Rutland’s Reel, Down Yonder, Henry Rutland’s Country Classic Waltz) and one with Nate Leath (With Body And Soul), another stellar young fiddler.

Audie Blaylock plays guitar and sings a couple, with Jesse Brock and Michael Cleveland on mandolin, and Barry Reid on bass. Pete Kelly plays banjo throughout, excepting two banjo/fiddle duets with Chris Warner.

The fiddle playing is brilliant, and in a surprise for a 20 year old musician, the arrangements and note choices call to mind the seminal Kenny Baker albums of the 1970s. Fans of that fiddle style will be happy to know that the young ‘uns are keeping it alive.

There are no audio samples online just yet, but look for them soon on Patrick’s site.

Wednesday’s (10/1) lineup include will include performances from Lonesome River Band and Steep Canyon Rangers, plus a discussion about IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass program. Katy Daley told us that today’s broadcast will start with a live duet performance of Jerusalem Ridge by Michael Cleveland and Jesse Brock.

Appearing on (Wednesday 10/1) are:

• Michael Cleveland and Jesse Brock
• Archie Warnock on Leadership Bluegrass
• G-2 Bluegrass Band
• Audie Blaylock
• Lonesome River Band
• Steep Canyon Rangers

You can listen to Bluegrass Country via audio streaming online, and via HD Radio (88.5-2) in the Washington DC market. They will be coming to you online from their suite in the Renaissance Hotel 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00-7:00 p.m. (EDT).

They are scheduled during the 9:00-9:30 p.m. segment (EDT).

Michael will also appear this morning with Katy Daley on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country online at 9:45 a.m. to talk about the new CD.

Catch tonight’s Friday Opry over the air at WSM 650 AM, broadcasting from Nashville, on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville), or via live streaming at wsmonline.com.

Michael tells us that the band has a new web site that went live this morning, with a new web address to boot. You should look for them online now at www.flamekeeperband.com, where you’ll find online ordering and news updates about the band and the new CD.

There are no audio samples up yet from Leavin’ Town, but Mike says they will be up there soon.

He also shared a few thoughts about the new CD, and the band’s comings and goings this year.

“The album has quite a few original tunes on it, along with some great older tunes that you don’t hear played every day. Some tunes that we are really excited about are Kickin’ Back, I’m Riding This Train and Farewell For A Little While. Kickin’ Back is a blistering mandolin instrumental written by Jesse Brock. Folks this one really moves on down the line. I’m Riding This Train is a vocal number written by Todd Rakestraw. Farewell For A Little While is a song written by Chris Stuart. The inspiration for this song came from the words written on the headstone of Carter Stanley’s grave.

We’re also excited about the 2008 tour schedule. We just got back from an incredible eight day tour of the Yukon and Alaska. We are also looking forward to a trip to Ireland for the Appalachian and Bluegrass Festival on September 5 – 7. The following day, September 8th, we’ll be in Runcorn, Cheshire, UK.

We look forward to seeing our west coast friends at the festival in Plymouth, CA on September 19 – 20.

Thanks everyone, for your support. We hope to see you soon at the shows and festivals.”

Recently, I was alerted to the appearance on Kentucky Educational Television’s Jubilee stage of California’s High Country, one of the West Coast’s premier traditional bluegrass bands. Being partial to their music, I thought I would investigate. I found a series of airings with sufficient interest to enthral fans of a variety of bluegrass persuasions for weeks to come.

Starting on Wednesday (6/25) with Lonesome River Band there’s a different band featured for each week through to the end of August, with each showing being available through to the weekend, Friday excepted in all cases.

A quick scan of the schedule reveals appearances on the programm by the aforesaid Butch Waller and High Country (commencing July 2), Foghorn Stringband (July 9), Berline-Crary-Hickman (July 16), Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper with Audie Blaylock (July 23), The Rascals (July 30), Adrienne Young & Little Sadie and Cadillac Sky (August 6), Danny Paisley & Southern Grass (August 13), The Fairwell Drifters and Blue Moon Rising (August 20) and Timberline Drive paired with Jake Quesenberry & The MacRae Brothers (commencing Thursday, August 28).

Each of these bands were recorded at last year’s River of Music Party in Owensboro, Kentucky.

The Jubilee series is a KET production, distributed to public television stations nationwide. The series is directed by Nick Helton and produced by Duncan Hart. Nancy Carpenter is executive producer.

More information about Jubilee is available online.

More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.

Rounder had previously announced that the CD would hit on July 29, and though there are no audio samples up yet online, we do have a track listing to share.

• Sold Down the River
• In My Mind to Ramble
• My Blue Eyed Darling
• I’m Feeling For You (But I Can’t Reach You)
• Northern White Clouds
• Troubles ‘Round My Door
• Leavin’ Town
• Sunday Morning Christian
• Jerusalem Ridge
• I’m Ridin’ This Train
• Come Spring
• When You Were Mine
• Kickin’ Back
• Farewell for a Little While

Flamekeeper is composed of Michael on fiddle and vocals, Jesse Brock on mandolin and vocals, Todd Rakestraw on guitar and vocals, John Batchelor on banjo, and Marshall Wilborn on bass and vocals.

Presumably, they will include material from their upcoming Rounder release, due out in late July.

Blue Plate Special is broadcast on WDVX-FM 102.9 in Knoxville, TN – and via live streaming online. The audio is not archived, so be sure to listen in online at noon (EDT).

Old time string band The Pea Ridge Ramblers will also be featured on today’s show.

The band will join hosts Carol Beaugard and Steve Lutke on Lonesome Pine RFD from 11:00 a.m. until noon (EST). WFDU’s broadcast signal covers the New York City metro area, and is also available live via audio streaming at www.wfdu.fm.

Carol tells us that this live studio performance with Flamekeeper will also be replayed next week during the Open Mic program on BluegrassCountry.org. The show broadcasts on their 24/7 cyber signal on Mondays at 5:00 a.m., Thursdays at 3:00 a.m., Fridays at 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 6:00 a.m. (all times ET).

I had been expecting this announcement since last week, as the new band photo (to the right) was on display at the Roe Entertainment booth in the IBMA exhibit hall during the recently-concluded World Of Bluegrass trade show – even though Marshall was not with the band when I saw them perform.

Marshall has an impressive resume, having been a part of several notable bands over the course of his career. These include The Johnson Mountain Boys and The Lynn Morris Band, as well as a stint with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. His addition to the Flamekeeper roster will provide another successful notch on his belt.