This past weekend saw the 3rd annual gathering of resonator guitarists in Nashville known as ResoSummit. The event is co-produced by Rob Ickes and Betty Wheeler for ResoRevolution.

Instruction was provided by a team of resophonicians including Ickes, Curtis Burch, Cindy Cashdollar, Dave Giegerich, Jimmy Heffernan, Orville Johnson, Randy Kohrs, Megan Lovell, Sally Van Meter, Lou Wamp, and Michael Witcher. Noted builders Paul Beard and Tim Scheerhorn were also on hand.

Rob explained what went down…

“ResoSummit 2009 brought together more than 100 resonator guitar enthusiasts in Nashville last week — participants, faculty, and luthiers — for three days full of workshops and four nights of performances and after-hours jams. It was definitely ‘Total Dobro Overload’ by design, with the goal of sending participants home with enough materials, ideas and especially inspiration to make the next year a highly creative and productive time in their musical lives. We had participants this year from all over the United States as well as Germany, Israel, Ireland, and the U.K., and at every level from beginner to very advanced. Every year, this event sells out quickly, because as one past participant said, it truly is ‘like fantasy baseball for reso-players.’

This was our third year, and we’ve tentatively scheduled the fourth ResoSummit for the last weekend in October in 2010.”

ResoSummit photographer Lee Hiers sent along a number of photos to showcase the spirit of the weekend

UPDATE 10/28, 11:45 a.m. – download issues now resolved. Please try again if you had a problem.

Just in time for Halloween!

Randy Kohrs is offering readers of The Bluegrass Blog a free download of a scary ghost story from his upcoming CD. The song is The Ghost Of Jack McLine, written by Andrew Crawford with assistance from Kohrs.

It comes from Quicksand, Randy’s next CD on Rural Rhythm Records, due for release on January 12, 2010. It had originally been slated for release in mid-October, but has since been pushed back.

Randy explains why this track is being offered now, both here on The Bluegrass Blog, and to radio via Airplay Direct…

“Since we didn’t get to put the record out when we originally said we would, I wanted to at least do something around that date.  This song just seemed perfect for the Halloween season, so we rushed to get it out. I know we’ve only got a few days left before the 31st, but I’m hoping people will still be able to enjoy and appreciate it for the holiday.”

The Ghost Of Jack McLine features Tim Crouch on fiddle, Aaron Ramsey on mandolin and bass, Mike Sumner on banjo, Andrew Crawford on guitar, Chris Wood on percussion, and Kohrs on resonator guitar and vocals.

The Ghost Of Jack McLine:  Listen Now   

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Yesterday we had news about Terry Baucom departing Dale Ann Bradley’s band, and today we have word about Mike Sumner stepping in to fill the void.

Mike is a two-time winner of the prestigious National Banjo Championship in Winfield, KS. His solo CD, Winds Of Winfield, was released in 2007 and it shows Mike’s facility with a wide range of modern banjo styles.

He has been working with Randy Kohrs, and hopes to coordinate continuing to play with Randy and his new gig with Dale Ann.

“It’s an honor to be Dale Ann’s new banjo player. Her music speaks for itself.I’m glad to be a part of her band and to follow in Terry’s footsteps. I look forward to our musical collaboration in hopes that it will yield great bluegrass music!”

Dale Ann’s schedule can be found on her web site.

Devil Of The Trail, the first single from Randy Kohrs’ upcoming CD, Quicksand, is on its way to bluegrass radio.

The song tells a pioneer tale, the story of a young woman risking everything to start a new life in the Pacific northwest. Written by Kohrs, Ashley Brown and Dennis Goodwin, it chronicles her journey along the treacherous Oregon Trail.

Here’s a taste of the track. If you like it, I’m sure Randy would appreciate a request to your favorite bluegrass radio show.

Kohrs says that he has stuck to his acoustic roots on this new project, but has experimented a bit stylistically. He was quick to add that his bluegrass followers will have plenty to chew on when the new CD hits.

Quicksand is due for release this fall on Rural Rhythm, though a solid date has not been released.

UPDATE 8/24: We have just learned that the release date for Quicksand is October 20, 2009.