We have commented twice in recent weeks about the forthcoming McCoury Music release Moneyland. Now I can report that Del McCoury flies to New England this week to appear on the popular A Prairie Home Companion radio program to further promote the hard-hitting, multi-artist Moneyland CD.

Heard by more than four million listeners each week on some 580 public radio stations and abroad on America One and the Armed Forces Networks, the appearance by The Del McCoury Band will be broadcast live from Tanglewood – the Koussevitzky Music Shed in Lenox, Massachusetts, at 5:45 pm (EST) on Saturday, June 28.

McCoury will bring more than new music to the stage of A Prairie Home Companion, he will bring a new attitude destined to shake up the right, left and center. He doesn’t claim to have the answers to America’s problems, just hopes that “Somebody a lot smarter than us will hear a song that moves them and decide to take action.” The producers of the project add in the liner notes. “Not only do we believe it un-American for Washington to be blind to the problems of small towns and rural areas, we believe it to be immoral.”

Noted music journalist Craig Havighurst has written, “I think when this album hits for real, it’s going to shock lefties and righties alike with its candor and its understated moral outrage.” The Austin Chronicle adds, “The album is equal parts empathetic consolation and political outrage at a government that has left the common folks behind.”

Moneyland is to be released on July 8 and features songs by The Del McCoury Band, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hornsby, Chris Knight, Patty Loveless, Marty Stuart, Dan Tyminski and Mac Wiseman and includes special guest appearances by Rodney Crowell, The Fairfield Four, Tim O’Brien, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

For more information, please visit www.mccourymusic.com.

Editor’s note: It will be interesting to see if Del explains on PHC just what sort of governmental inaction has contributed to the plight of small town and rural America. PHC host Garrison Keillor is a well-known advocate of an interventionist federal government, so a discussion between he and Del could be enlightening, both as to how they see that such problems came to be, and how they might be addressed.

Chris Thile will be a guest on A Prairie Home Companion this weekend, sans the rest of his Punch Brothers merry band.

The show will broadcast live from Las Cruces, NM on May 31 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (EDT) over a great many stations in the US, and on XM Satellite Radio track 133. Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon. Check local listings for air times in your area.

You can also listen live online, accessed using Windows Media Player from the PHC web site. Past shows are also archived online, with audio files usually available by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

Rhonda Vincent will be a featured guest on this weekend’s edition of A Prairie Home Companion, carried on over 500 public radio stations in the US. Ms. Vincent and her talented band, The Rage, will join host Garrison Keillor and his cast of radio raconteurs, plus celebrated tenor, Raúl Melo.

The show will be broadcast from the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park, Vienna, VA on Saturday (5/24). Actual broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday evening, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon.

You can find the show on 580 public radio affiliate stations, on the Armed Forces Network, and on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Channel 134. The live broadcast is also available online via live streaming audio (Real Player format) from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (EDT).

Sam Bush will a featured guest on this weekend’s edition of A Prairie Home Companion, broadcast on public radio stations all over the US.

The show will broadcast live from St. Paul, MN on February 9 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (EST) over a great many stations in the US, and on XM Satellite Radio track 133. Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon. Check local listings for air times in your area.

You can also listen live online, accessed using Windows Media Player from the Prairie Home Companion web site. Past shows are archived on the PHC site, with audio files usually available by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

Doyle Lawson is packing up his merry band and heading for New York City to perform live on A Prairie Home Companion this Saturday evening (12/15). They have two Christmas tunes ready - an instrumental medley and a different take on Jingle Bells - but aren’t sure what host Garrison Keillor has in mind for their selections.

I had a chance to chat with Doyle’s wife, Suzanne, earlier this week who is going along for the NYC trip.

“I’m going to see the lights, tree, and decorations and I wouldn’t miss PHC if at all possible. There’s nothing like live radio.”

Suzanne said that she would try her best to get a couple of the guys to go with her and join the crowd that lines up for the cameras outside the Today Show studios on Saturday morning, so check NBC between 7:00-9:00 a.m. (EST) to see if you can catch a glimpse of them.

“When I asked [new banjo picker] Joey [Cox] is he was willing to get up early and go to the Today Show with me this Saturday morning, he asked me what the Today Show was!

Joey is really a hot picker and all the girls enjoy looking at him too! In fact, Doyle has a nice looking bunch of young guys. with him now. He has also found that 3 of the guys play piano: Carl, Alan and Josh. Josh also plays drums and they all play that new Nintendo Wii game. In fact, Josh threw his back out swinging at Tiger Woods golf on the bus and had to go to the doctor!”

A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts live over a great many public radio stations in the US, and on XM Satellite Radio track 133, at 6:00 p.m. (EST). Many other stations carry the show later on Saturdays, or on Sundays. Check local listings for air times in your area.

Suzanne also shared a bit of Quicksilver recording news. She tells us that Doyle is about half finished on his next CD, an all Gospel project. This will be the first release with the latest version of the band: Darren Beachley on guitar, Joey Cox on banjo, Alan Johnson on fiddle, Josh Swift on dobro and Carl White on bass - with Doyle on mandolin, of course.

She also mentioned that Doyle and Darren are thinking of recording a new Christmas project in 2008. Sounds like a busy year for Doyle and his crew.

Here’s another CD that I’ve found the time to listen to. Ricky Skaggs recently released a CD with his wife Sharron and her family, The Whites. The CD is called Salt of the Earth, taking its name from the fourth track on the disc. The CD is released on the Skaggs Family label and distributed by Fontana. The CD was released in September of this year.

Salt of the Earth marks the first time that Ricky and The Whites have collaborated on an entire CD.

The Whites consist of sisters Sharron and Cheryl, along with their father Buck. Joining the Whites and Ricky on the CD are Mark Fain, Cody Kilby, and Andy Leftwich from Ricky’s band. Ricky’s daughter Molly, and a cast of Nashville session players accompany on various instruments.

The disc contains 13 tracks, most of them overtly gospel in nature. The first track is the only one that might not be considered an outright gospel song though it does speak of heaven and God’s love in the last verse.

Several old hymns, including Farther Along, Near The Cross, Blessed Assurance, and The Solid Rock, found their way onto this recording and they are perhaps some of my favorite tracks. These songs seem to be missing from many churches today, and it’s nice to have them here done in a straitforward manner, but with a bluegrass sensibility. Andy Leftwich’s tasteful fiddle really sweeten these old songs.

Lead vocals are shared more or less evenly between the four family members, with Ricky singing one or two more than each of the others. Tight family harmonies are heard throughout. The arrangements are all very appropriate and tastefull, even sparce at times, allowing the listener to connect with the lyrics and not get lost in fancy picking.

For fans of Skaggs, The Whites, and gospel music, this CD will be a welcome addition to the collection.

In a related note, we’ve learned that Skaggs and The Whites will be performing tomorrow, November 10, 2007 on A Prairie Home Companion. Their performance will center around songs from this CD with members of Kentucky Thunder providing accompaniment. Broadcast times vary depending on station so you’ll need to consult the station list for a broadcast in your area.

Alternately, you can tune in live netcast from 5-7PM CST.

This Saturday, January 27, 2007, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will join host Garrison Keillor on NPR’s Prairie Home Companion.

The show will be broadcast live from the Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA. The show is already sold out, but you should be able to listen to your local NPR station or tune in online from 5-7 PM CT.

Way back before Christmas we told you about the New Year’s Eve celebration happening at the Ryman Auditorium. I just wanted to remind everyone that it is being broadcast on Public Television and is available online as well.

In addition to the performances previously mentioned by Doyle Lawson and Rhonda Vincent, the evening will also include Emmylou Harris, Suzy Bogguss, Old Crow Medicine Show, Robin and Linda Williams, John Randall, Cowboy Jack Clement, Stuart Duncan, and Buddy Emmons.

The show starts at 10 PM in most time zones and will be available online at 9:30 PM CST. On our local PBS station here in the Roanoke area it will be airing both at 10 PM and again at 3 AM for those that miss it the first time around due to celebrating for themselves.

We’d like to wish everyone a fun and safe New Year’s Eve and a great New Year in 2007!

If you are looking for something to do this New Year’s Eve, here’s an option you might consider. Garrison Keillor, from A Prairie Home Companion, will be hosting a live New Year’s Eve broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The Ryman seating is already sold out, but the broadcast is part of the PBS Great Performances series and will be carried on Public Television channels nationwide (check your local listing).

The program will also be available online starting at 9:30 PM CST from the A Prairie Home Companion website.

Keillor will host the telecast featuring regulars from his show such as “sound effects guy” Fred Newman, Rich Dworsky, Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band, and others. In addition to the A Prairie Home Companion series regulars, this special event will also spotlight some of bluegrass music’s shining stars. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage are both set to perform as part of the evening’s festivities. My understanding is that each of them will perform an entire set as part of the evenings festivities. Put it on your calendar now.

Sam Bush will be a guest on the November 25th edition of A Prairie Home Companion on National Public Radio. The show will be broadcast live from Cincinnati, OH, and will also include performances by noted guitarist/luthier Wayne Henderson and steel guitarist Buddy Emmons.

The show is carried on 580 public radio affiliate stations, on the Armed Forces Network, and on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Channel 134. Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon.

The show will also be webcast live (5:00 - 7:00 p.m. CST), and can be accessed using Windows Media Player on the Prairie Home Companion web site. Past shows are archived on the PHC web site, with audio files usually available by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

This weekend, Garrison Keillor will welcome Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder as his guests on the popular A Prairie Home Companion radio program, broadcast live from The Historic State Theater in Minneapolis on April 1. The show is in its 30th year of production, and can be heard on nearly 600 public radio stations all over the US, and on Armed Forces Radio.

Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon.

Shows are archived on the PHC web site, and can be accessed online. The audio is usually available on the web by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be featured on the February 11 edition of the popular radio program, A Prairie Home Companion. This show will be carried live on the many NPR affiliate stations all over the US, broadcast from the University of Minnesota in Morris, MN.

Terry Baucom, banjo player with Quicksilver, shared with us how much he enjoys working the Prairie Home Companion show.

“I really enjoy doing the Prairie Home Companion show with Garrison Keillor. He and his staff are always very professional…and his house band is phenomenal. It’s so much fun to stand off-stage and just watch them. The variety of musical styles they do is just unreal. And Garrison is so highly intelligent, it’s like he came from another planet! I had always thought, from just listening to his show, that he was reading off a script…but he ad libs everything! He has told us what a big fan of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver he is…and we are certainly fans of his.”

Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon.

Shows are archived on the PHC web site, and can be accessed online. The audio is usually available on the web by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers will be a featured musical guest on the popular Prairie Home Companion radio show tonight (10/8).

If you’re not sure who may broadcast the show in your area, you can search their station list, or you can log on and listen to the show online via live streaming audio (Real Player format). The show’s stream is netcast from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (central).