Missy Raines‘ fine band, The New Hip, keeps getting younger, and Missy just keeps getting… better!

She has announced that Dominick Leslie, mandolinist l’enfant terrible currently studying at the Berklee College of Music, will be joining her on the road this summer.

They will be heading out next week for a tour of Colorado and California with young Dom in tow.

• June 4th: Swallow Hill, Denver CO -  With the Boston Boys
• June 6-7: Pagosa Springs Folk and Bluegrass Festival – Pagosa Springs, CO
• June 9th: Don Quixote’s Music Hall – Felton CA
• June 11th: Freight and Salvage – Berkeley CA
• June 12th: Sutter Creek Theatre – Sutter Creek CA
• June 13th: The Youth Annex – Sebastopol, CA
• June 14th: The Palms Playhouse -  Winters CA

In addition to Missy on bass and vocals and Dominick guesting on mandolin, The New Hip consists of Mike Witcher on resonator guitar, Ethan Ballinger on guitar and Robert Crawford on drums.

Missy Raines is in DC with her young touring band, the New Hip. They have a show this evening (3/9) in nearby Rockville, MD for the Institute of Musical Traditions, but will stop off this morning at the WAMU studios for some live music and conversation.

She will be on with Lee Michael Demsey’s during his show on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). Look for them to feature songs from the new Compass Records CD, Inside Out, and discuss their remaining tour dates in VA and WV this month.

Bluegrass Country is streamed live online at www.bluegrasscountry.org, and in the DC metro area, is carried on WAMU HD 88-5 Channel Two and on 105-Five FM.

Missy Raines has been a fixture on the bluegrass and acoustic music scene for most of her life. I first met her (and husband, Ben Surratt) in the early 1980s when she was performing as a member of Cloud Valley, a progressive string band that also featured banjo player Bill Evans and mandolinist Steve Smith.

When that group disbanded, Missy spent several years with Eddie and Martha Adcock before spending many more with Claire Lynch, and working simultaneously as a duo with Jim Hurst. During that time, she was chosen as the IBMA Bass Player of the Year 7 times, more than any other bassist since the awards were launched in 1990.

Missy struck out on her own in 2008, and formed her own group, Missy Raines & The New Hip – cleverly named following her hip replacement surgery.

They put out a 5 track EP/CD last Spring, and the band’s first full-length project, Inside Out, was released this week on Compass Records. Missy handles bass and lead vocals, with Michael Witcher on resonator guitar, Dillon Hodges on guitar and Ethan Ballinger on mandolin.

We asked Missy to select two tracks from the new CD for us to preview for our readers, and she shared a few words of her own about them as well.

Angeline – Listen now:    

Angeline, our version of Angeline the Baker, is a lot of fun to play. One of my all time favorite fiddle tunes, this was one of those pieces that just came together easily for us. Michael wrote a new melody for the second part and Dillon, Ethan, and Michael arranged it and it is a staple of our show. It just makes me happy when I play it.

Basket Of Singing Birds – Listen now:    

Basket of Singing Birds was written by my good friend, Ed Snodderly. The first time I heard it, I knew I wanted to sing it, and knew it would become a bit of a cornerstone to our sound. To me, this song is about coming back to what really matters in your life. It’s about being grounded when the world (or even just your corner) is in a tumble all around you. I enjoy singing it, I get a lot out of it each time because it resonates with me so much and I can actually see folks being moved by it when we perform it live.

You can listen to all 10 tracks from Inside Out in the music player on Missy’s web site, and hear audio samples in iTunes.

Compass Records has announced that Inside Out, the new CD from Missy Raines & The New Hip, will be released on February 10.

The group features Raines on bass and vocals, Ethan Ballinger on mandolin, Michael Witcher on resonator guitar/vocals, and Dillon Hodges on guitar/vocals. We’ll have more details about the new album shortly.

They have created a number of preview videos to share some thoughts and music from the new CD.

They will be appearing Friday (1/23) on Blue Plate Special, the noontime live performance show on WDVX, where they are sure to highlight the material from Inside Out.

WDVX broadcasts from Knoxville, TN on 102.9 FM and can also be heard online via live streaming at 12:00 p.m. (EST).

Flatpicker Steve Kaufman will also appear on Friday’s program.