After seeing the costumes from Dixie Bee-Liners, Tim Shelton sent along this photo of NewFound Road in their Halloween get-ups.

They played their entire October 31 show in Tompkinsville, KY in full KISS makeup and wigs, and Tim said that they had a blast! Barry Scott & Second Wind was also on the bill, but they didn’t have a chance.

Tim explains how their alter-ego evolved…

“I was always a KISS fan growing up, and one of the guys at our new management company used to work with KISS, and it just seemed like it would be fun.

Me and Joe did our own makeup, and and Joe’s wife Rachel did Josh and Jamey’s.”

I think this may be a first… a bluegrass band, done up as KISS, playing Little Maggie.

On a more serious note, Shelton said that things were really coming together for NewFound Road right now, and all the guys are excited about 2010. They have a new booking agency (The Roots Agency) and the aforementioned management (Entertainment Services), not to mention a new CD and music video.

“Entertainment Services is run by two guys, Larry Mazer and Harvey Leeds, who have many, many years of experience in the music business. We are their first bluegrass clients. Larry used to manage KISS, and Harvey worked at Epic and Sony during the Michael Jackson hey day.

When we signed with The Roots Agency, they started sending our CD around to stir up a buzz, and I got a text from them one night saying that a couple of major players in the entertainment industry were pretty excited about the new album. The text said that they would call me in the morning to talk about it, and I was like ‘No way…  I want to know about this now!’

Tim said that he knew who Larry Mazer was from reading KISS books during his fan days, and after Googling Harvey Leeds, he was sure that these two could really help the band take it to the next level.

“They have gotten us signed with a huge agency in Europe for international dates, and are working with an artist from way outside of bluegrass who will be doing a traditional, rootsy album with hints of grass. We will be getting together with them next year to write some and hope that it will turn into something.”

I suggested that they may have started a trend with the KISS makeup…

“This might become an annual thing – each year would be better and better!”

The first video from NewFound Road’s latest CD, Same Old Place, is out today, with an exclusive first look here on The Bluegrass Blog. The video is for the title track, and was shot and edited by Matt Zervos, who recently directed Dale Anne Bradley’s video for Don’t Turn Your Back.

NFR head honcho Tim Shelton is mighty pleased with the result, and he shared a few words with us about it.

“The song was written by Tim Stafford and the first time I heard it I loved it. I’m a sucker for sad songs and this song just sounds sad. The video was directed by Matt Zervos and myself, and it’s pretty much a storyline/performance video.

Watching it, I think about a prank we pulled on our banjo player, Josh Miller. The last day of the shoot was done at the Zervos family home and they’ve got a long driveway with a big iron gate at the entrance of it. The gate has a big Z in the middle of it. We were all there waiting on Josh, and upon his arrival the gate was closed and Joe Booher told him the only way to open the gate was by walking up and placing his hand on the big Z.  And he did, so there he was standing with an instrument in one hand and his other hand on the Z waiting to get in…of course all he had to do was punch in the code next to the gate to get in, but we were all in the house looking out the window watching him… funny stuff.”

You know that we had a busy IBMA when it’s Sunday morning before I have a chance to post comments on the Wednesday night showcase performances.

Sugar Hill hosted a reception late Wednesday afternoon, and I enjoyed speaking with a number of folks, including music writer, author and Wall Street Journal columnist Barry Mazor. His new book, Meeting Jimmie Rodgers, was published earlier this year, and he has a couple of new projects in the works that will be of interest to bluegrass lovers. Sorry… can’t share details yet.

I also spoke with Barry Bales, who said that the next Alison Krauss & Union Station CD which he had told us earlier would be completed in August, has been pushed back a ways. He told us that once they finished the songs they had chosen to cut, a number of them just didn’t seem strong enough, so they are heading back to the drawing board to find some new material. No predictions yet on when the album might see the light of day.

From the Sugar Hill soiree we headed to one hosted by Rural Rhythm Records. It featured sets by several of their artists, plus a special announcement. More on that later.

I made it down to the ballroom for the main stage show just in time for Joe Diffie’s set. Joe had a string of country hits in the 1990s, both as a songwriter and a singer, but he is returning now to his bluegrass roots for Rounder Records, with a new CD expected early in 2010.

NewFound Road served as Diffie’s band, with Chris Ward on fiddle and Cory Walker on resonator Guitar. Joe stuck with music from his upcoming Rounder album, and his voice was strong and definitely bluegrass. He is a very solid performer and his re-embrace of bluegrass is a welcome one, judging from the reaction on Wednesday night.

We’ll try to get some details about this CD next week.

Despite being completely worn out, I slipped downstairs to catch a couple of the late night sets. The Jeff & Vida Band was one that I had been looking forward to hearing at IBMA, and their showcase on Wednesday did not disappoint. The group is fronted by Jeff Burke and Vida Wakeman, whose original material is the basis for their recordings and live shows.

Theirs is an eclectic sound, combining buegrass, old time and traditional country in a quirky-cool mix. The band includes Jake Schepps on banjo, Justin Hoffenberg on fiddle, Greg Schochet on guitar and Will Downes on bass. Jeff plays mandolin and Vida guitar, with both sharing vocal duties. I enjoyed their music very much.

Before falling over from exhaustion, I also caught part of a set by Toy Hearts, who traveled from England for a US tour, culminating at IBMA this week. The focus here is on the Johnson sisters, Hannah on mandolin and vocals, and Sophia on guitar. They are lovely and talented young ladies, and the group made quite a mark with several appearances over the past few days.

NewFound Road is set to shoot their first-ever music video next week, for the title track of their current Rounder CD, Same Old Place. Matt Zervos, who recently directed Dale Anne Bradley’s video for Don’t Turn Your Back, will shoot and edit.

Bandleader and lead vocalist Tim Shelton tells us that he will be heading down to East Tennessee for the shoot, where Zervos and the rest of the band are living.

“Matt’s got some really cool locations for the shoot. It will be part performance, part story line for the song. Some of the performance will be shot at the legendary Down Home in Johnson City.

We’re pretty anxious and excited to shoot our very first video, for such a great song, Same Old Place.”

Can’t wait to see the final result.

UPDATE 11:20 – Matt Zervos shared a few more details about the video:

“I have been doing promotional and concert stuff for the band, but when I heard their song Same Old Place, I knew a music video had to be done for it. Tim Shelton and I have been talking back and forth for the last month, planning and writing the music video together. It’s been a blast working with the band already, and I can’t wait to get started on the video.

We start filming this weekend. Besides the band, we’re hoping to have the writer of the song, Tim Stafford, come out and play a part in the video.

This is such an emotional, beautiful song… I believe that once images are added to a great song, it can take the music to another level. I hope that this video can do the same for Same Old Place.“