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

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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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.

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.

You can see details on the theft, a complete list of what was stolen, and contact information should you come across any of the equipment taken from their van near Columbus, OH in our previous post.

Here are the pictures she sent…

On Saturday night (7/25), after performing on the show, the band headed for the Sleep Inn in nearby Obetz, OH. Dog-tired and only expecting to sleep for a few hours, they chose not to unload the van before heading in for some rest, as was their common practice. Sometime between 3:30 and 5:00 a.m., thieves broke into their travel van and stole almost everything inside.

Ashley Brown, fiddler and media liaison for The Randy Kohrs Band, tells us that the total value of the gear taken has been estimated at over $50,000.

“This hotel is one that the artists are put up in for the festival and the parking lot was full of band vans and trailers, many containing musical gear. Ours was the only one broken into, though a construction company’s work truck parked next to us was also hit. The Obetz police were called and a detective processed the van.  Because it was such a high dollar amount, it’s considered grand theft. Unfortunately, there were no security cameras at the hotel.”

Ashley provided a list of the instruments and equipment stolen from their vehicle:

• Scheerhorn L-Body Resonator guitar #547
• Amistar Randy Kohrs Model tri-cone resonator
• Meredith all blonde, tongue-oiled maple resonator guitar
• Mike Long D-18 style acoustic guitar
• Custom Cedar Creek Case for the Meredith ‚Äì black alligator, inside is purple, has “Custom Built for Randy Kohrs” plate
• Two white Calton Cases with Randy’s name on them, both had red interiors
• Cedar Creek case for the acoustic Mike Long Guitar
• Forrest Craig (Texas-based luthier) Violin with L.R. Baggs pickup
• Strad copy violin, roughly 1880’s, the tag inside not exactly accurate
• A double violin case, the attached strap doesn’t match ‚Äì it’s maroon and gray with gold hardware.
• Upright acoustic King Bass, white with black trim, red tailpiece, rare
• 2 Warwick 2 10″ speaker cabinets
• Silver waterproof helicopter case with cables and a Shure wireless system
• 3 Stage Ninja brand quarter inch cables
• Fishman Dreadnought Aura, Fishman resophonic Aura, Fishman Reverb, Fishman Chorus, Fishman Delay, Boosta Grande Boost pedal, 2 Radial DI’s, Radial Tone Bone Pre-Amp, Hilton Optical volume pedal, 2 Peterson Strobe Stomp Tuners (one had Ashley B. written on the front of it in black marker)
• George Lawrence cables Tool Kit with extra cords and assorted tools
• All guitars have Fishman pick-ups installed

Photos of many of these instruments can be seen on the Randy Kohrs web site, and Ted Lehmann, who was at the MACC shooting photos of the show, also posted a few shots on his site.

Anyone with information about any of this stolen equipment is urged to contact Ashley Brown by email, or to call the Obetz Police Department at 614-491-3211.

A single has just been sent to radio on the new Rural Rhythm Fresh Tracks CD. The title of the single is Devil of the Trail. The song is based on a true story and written by Randy, Dennis Goodwin, and Ashley Brown.

The players on this particular cut are Ron Block on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Randy on resonator guitar, Clay Hess on acoustic guitar, Tim Crouch on fiddle, and Aaron Ramsey on bass.

The tenor singer on the new Randy Kohrs single is Shannon Lawson. Lawson was a co-writer on the song “Who’s Goin’ With Me” from the last album.

Other special guests on the upcoming CD include Ronnie and Garnet Bowman, the McCrary Sisters, and more!

Here’s a sample of the song through the first chorus. Email your local bluegrass radio show and request the single if you want to hear the whole thing.

Devil of the Trail:   

The audio guy may have set his drink down on the mute button for the banjo mic, and you can sure hear the drums. The joys of capturing live acoustic music in a club setting…

The Billy Block Show airs live on Tuesday and Sunday evenings on 103WKDF in Nashville, and via online streaming.

No… not that list (the one with all the Nashville glitterati in their sparkly clothes). They appear on the list of musicians who support all the big stars and make their records sound so good, which the ACM describes as the “Off Camera Nominations.”

Aubrey Haynie is nominated for Top Fiddle Player Of The Year, Bryan Sutton for Top Guitarist Of The Year, and Randy Kohrs and Rob Ickes for Top Specialty Instrument(s) Player Of The Year.

The awards will be presented on April 5 in Las Vegas, broadcast live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Congrats to all of our guys for their nominations, and best of luck in Vegas!

The brainchild of Jimmy Ross, the CD came about after a discussion between Ross, and Tim Scheerhorn at and IBMA tradeshow. Tim suggested they bring Kohrs onboard to engineer and produce. The resulting project includes nearly 50 musicians, a supporting a cast of bluegrass’ best, and 15 all-star resonator guitarists who all play Scheerhorn instruments.

Each track features a different resonator player, with only Kohrs and Tim Scheerhorn himself making more than one appearance. 17 tracks are presented in total, ranging from bluegrass numbers such as Wheel Hoss (performed by Rob Ickes) to Hot Toddy’s Snake Oil (a dual track tune, the first track consisting of some funny banter in the studio).

If you like good acoustic music, especially of the resonator sort, this CD should be on your Christmas wish list. From beginning to end the recording quality and acoustic tones of the instruments met the expectations I’ve come to have of a Randy Kohrs produced project. The purpose of the project is to showcase the Scheerhorn instruments, and it hits that mark with precision.

Some of the tracks have a more distinct “bluegrass” sound to them, namely Rob Ickes’ Wheel Hoss, Andy Hall’s Fishtail, Jack Ferguson’s Carter’s Blues, and Jimmy Ross’ Turnaround. Other tracks take different directions.

One of the standouts to my ear was Primo Duetto for Reso and Viola by Billy Cardine. This classically styled piece had incredible tone and depth with only two instruments in the mix. The textures of the tones were quite emotive and the performance was spectacular. Interestingly, this track was followed by a Kohrs’ version of Robert Johnson’s Dusty My Broom. Kohrs performs on a Scheerhorn Koa Lap Steel on this electric blues number. The contrast between the two tracks is pleasant and reveals the breadth of music genres which converge on this CD.

Another tune that caught my ear was the dark and grooving Drivin’ The Nails by Louis Wamp.

To tell the truth, I enjoyed every track on the disc. The variety of musical styles only serves to highlight the impressiveness of the Scheerhorn family, both instruments and players.

Resonator guitars are the focus of the CD to be sure, but they aren’t the only Scheerhorn creations to be featured on the recording. Already mentioned is the Scheerhorn Lap Steel, but several tracks include acoustic guitars built by Sheerhorn, and one track includes a performance by Scott Vestal on a Scheerhorn Banjo.

Scheerhorn enthusiasts will want this CD for sure, but even if you’re not a Scheerhorn devotee, or even a resonator guitar devotee, if you love great music I would encourage you give this CD a listen. You just might find you’ve become and enthusiast by the end of the last track.

Audio samples and ordering information are available on the Hornography MySpace page.

Hornography serves as a tribute to resophonic guitar luthier, Tim Scheerhorn. Kohrs is joined on the CD by an all star line up of Scheerhorn players.

The CD was recorded at Kohrs’ award winning studio, Slack Key Studio. Each track was produced by the featured musician, each of whom brought their own band to project. Spanning multiple genres, including classical, blues, jazz, and bluegrass, the CD is primarly instrumental (Kohrs contributes the only two vocal cuts) and revolves around instruments build the luthier whose name the project adopts.

Track 1 on the CD is Rob Ickes performing the Monroe classic, Wheel Hoss. Musicians on this cut include: Dave Pomeroy, Ron Block, Andy Leftwich, Adam Steffey, and Aaron McDaris.

Randy tells us the CD will be released before Christmas, and that he will have 200 advance copies available at the upcoming ResoSummit in mid-November.

Players featured on the CD are:

• Randy Kohrs
• Rob Ickes
• Andy Hall
• Justin Moses
• Todd Livingston
• Bruce Bouton
• Billy Cardine
• Scott Vestal ‚Äì playing the only Scheerhorn banjo
• Mike Witcher
• Shannon Hayes ‚Äì playing a rare Scheerhorn acoustic dreadnought guitar
• Lee Hiers
• Jimmy Ross
• Lou Wamp
• Sally Van Meter
• Jack Ferguson
• Tim Scheerhorn himself

Kohrs’ Slack Key Studios is in the media once again this month as EQ Magazine makes it the subject of a monthly atricle Room with a VU.

The studio has gone through some massive renovations this year including the construction of new isolation booths, amp rooms, and more. Featured in the October issue of EQ, the article focuses on the equipment in the studio, and Kohrs philosophy of putting together a top-notch “home studio” environment. Kohrs’ focus on quality resulted in a recent Grammy win for the production of Jim Lauderdale’s CD, The Bluegrass Diaries.

Kohrs gives advice to those wishing to improve their home recording facility. His message is focus on quality.

One stereo signal chain that sounds amazing is much better than having five that sound terrible.

The article is on page 72, in the October issue of EQ Magazine, which is available at newsstands now.

Lauderdale’s approach to songwriting and recording appears to be somewhat unique.

In typical Lauderdale style, he’s writing the lyrics after the instrumentation has been tracked, so he comes in to sing whenever he finishes a song.

It’s worked for him in the past…

It’s being recorded at Randy Kohrs’ Slack Key Studio in Nashville. The recording began back in March, and is nearing completion now. Jim’s goal is to finish the recording by Sept 1, 2008, though I don’t yet have any info as to a release date, or even a title.

I enjoy Lauderdale’s singing, and his songwriting. I thought Diaries was a great recording, and I’m looking forward to hearing this latest CD. We’ll bring you updates as we get them.

This One Is II may come as a surprise to fans who have enjoyed his previous recordings, offering a stylistic departure as sudden as it is stark. I saw “II” only a few weeks ago with the Ralph Stanley show, and while he did perform one song from the new CD, there was no hint from the stage how much of a change he is pursuing.

Hopefully bluegrass fans will give this new project a fair hearing, as the music – if not strictly bluegrass – is very appealing, and well-suited to Stanley’s voice. The sound is a mix of bluegrass and acoustic country, and the instrumentation is all acoustic, without percussion. The most striking differences from his prior releases come in the song choices and the production (by Mike Latterell). Even using the standard bluegrass ensemble (and familiar bluegrass super-pickers), the arrangements are fresh and thoughtful, giving each song the treatment suggested by the melody and lyrics.

For example, the opening track (a cover of Garth Brooks’ Cold Shoulder) uses Tim Crouch’s twin fiddles and Randy Kohrs’ gritty resonator guitar much as a country producer might, and Ralph’s vocals are as reminiscent of Keith Whitley’s early Nashville sound as anything The Stanley Brothers ever cut.

Other strong tracks include a nice version of Lyle Lovett’s, L.A. County (a modern murder ballad), Tom T. Hall’s Train Songs, and Loretta, from Townes Van Zandt. That last – a paean to an idealized girlfriend – makes a very convincing grass tune, and Ralph’s mountain-edged vocals really sell the story.

Randall Deaton of Lonesome Day Records, who will be releasing This One Is II on September 23, tells us that Stanley started this project looking for a change, but wasn’t completely clear where he wanted to go.

“When I first spoke with Ralph on the phone I had never had a conversation with him in my life. The one thing I got from this first conversation was that he wanted to do something else. I didn’t know exactly what it was, and I don’t think he knew what it was either. There was a mix of restlessness, excitement, and fear all rolled into one.

The record evolved after the production began. I think that we all got more and more excited as the process went along because things were turning out better than we had anticipated.”

Stanley describes that evolution thusly…

“It started out as a record that would be half acoustic country and half Stanley sounding. The more we got into it, the more we realized we were making two separate records rather than two halves of one record. We continued in the acoustic country direction.”

Ralph gives a lot of credit for the album’s sound to producer, Mike Latterell.

“Mike started out as the engineer only and became a defacto producer as the album evolved.

I was introduced to Mike by Randall Deaton. Mike had worked on several previous Lonesome Day releases as well as records by Rhonda Vincent, Randy Kohrs, and Jim Lauderdale. He was also an intern for Bill Vorndick when we recorded the Clinch Mountain Country CD.

He also had quite a bit to do with the musical arrangements. Mike was there for every note so he got what he wanted from the musicians.”

In addition to Tim Crouch and Randy Kohors (who also sings harmony vocals), This One Is II has Cody Kilby on guitar, Ron Stewart on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin and Harold Nixon on bass. Steve Gulley, Darren Vincent, Marty Raybon and Dale Ann Bradley also provide vocal backup.

The packaging of the CD is also a departure from previous Ralph Stanley II or Lonesome Day projects. It is a fold-out Digipack, and as Brance highlighted last month, follows the new trend of packaging without liner notes or a insert booklet.

Deaton explains…

“The decision was made in part by the graphics designer Jami Anderson. We wanted the packaging to be bright and vivid but fairly simple. We wanted more visual images in the packaging rather than a lot of words. All the essential information (credits, track listing) is hidden behind the CD. This record is such a departure for Ralph that we knew he would be talking about the songs quite a bit so it didn’t seem nesassary to include a bunch of words in the design.”

This One Is II has shipped to both country and bluegrass radio, so you may be hearing cuts on the air or online soon. Lonesome Day has hopes of seeing the album make waves in a variety of markets.

“We think this is good music that is appealing to a lot of different people. It is very hard to label this CD, played with the traditional bluegrass instruments but sounding a lot like an old country record. We are pushing this album to the country and Americana audience as well as bluegrass.

It has been added to over 50 secondary country stations in the last three weeks. Those are just the ones that our radio promoter is working. We are confident that there are several other stations playing the song but are not on the promoter’s list.”

For his part, Stanley is moving on as a solo artist and as he turns 30, leaving the comfort and security of his dad’s music behind.

“I am putting together a new band as we speak. A very talented musician from Nashville named Todd Livingston is the band leader and he is filling out the remaining members right now.

We have played a couple shows already. I have two more shows to do with the Clinch Mountain Boys and then I am on my own.”

This One Is II should go a long way towards establishing a new musical identity for Ralph Stanley II. Great songs, warmly recorded, with top-notch performances… what more do you need?

Joining him were the members of The Randy Kohrs Band, Ashley Brown on fiddle and vocals, Mike Sumner on banjo, Elio Giordano on bass, Chris Wood on drums, with Jody Hughes filling in on guitar for the Friday show, and Josh Williams for Saturday’s.

Ashley also sent along this report about the impression Randy’s new signature model Amistar resonator guitar made on the Opry stage.

“For our set in the second show last Saturday at the Opry, we started with If All Those Trains Were Still Around (I’d be an ol’ hobo), which went over great. Randy did a very respectful intro to the song, saying we were doing it in the spirit of Mr. Acuff and his love for train songs.

For the second song, we did She Ain’t Comin’ Back. Randy had to switch to his signature Amistar metal body tri-cone guitar, and just as he was about to say something into the mic, the strap came off the pin and it went crashing down to the floor of the Opry stage, right in the middle of the circle – the guitar and the floor now have matching dents!

The audience let out a gasp in unison (it seemed). We just stared to see what Randy would do next. He just picked it up, strummed it once to see if it was still in tune ‚Äì it was ‚Äì and announced over the mic that it was a good thing it’s made out of metal. Randy then proceeded to sing the ever-loving daylights out of that song and the audience loved it!

Technically, he could get the dent out, but he’s not going to. It’s the best souvenir from the Opry he could ever have!”

She tells us that Randy made a strong showing with his voice in their first set as well.

“He started out the night with Shallow Grave, a solo with just him and the resonator, though the band comes in softly at the chorus and at the end. The audience went nuts before the song was even over. I’d be willing to bet he’s the first dobro/vocal soloist on the Opry in a long time – if ever – to get that sort of Opry response!”

Tomorrow, Friday May 30, 2008, the Randy Kohrs Band will make its debut on the Grand Ole Opry.

Randy, and several members of his band, have performed on the Opry stage before as sidemen with other acts, but this will be Randy’s first appearance fronting his own band.

The band will perform at 8 PM Central Time.

Congrats Randy! Show em how it’s done.

Each month, Mix magazine prints articles about recording and post production techniques, gear, studios, interviews with engineers and producers, etc. It seems they end up with extra material that just didn’t make it into the print edition each month. These extras are often published online in the form of Mix Online Extras.

This month being bluegrass month (I wonder if the publishers knew that?), it seems highly appropriate that their online extra is an article covering the topic of Recording Bluegrass Instruments.

The format of the article couldn’t get much better. The author tracked down four of bluegrass music’s top engineer/producers and asked them how they go about recording the various bluegrass instruments. Those interviewed were: Gary Paczosa, Bil VornDick, Randy Kohrs (and by extension, Michael Latterer), and Steve Chandler.

After introducing each of these engineers, they offer a brief introductory section where each is allowed to talk about their general philosophy of recording bluegrass tracks. Page two is where the specifics hit the page. The article tackles each instrument in turn: mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, and dobro. Again, each engineer gives their specific choices for mic, mic placement, pre-amp, compression, etc.

If you have an interest in recording bluegrass, this is an article you should take the time to read.

It will include 16 tracks which feature top resonator guitarists performing on instruments built by Tim Scheerhorn. A June release is anticipated on Randy Kohrs’ Left Of Center label.

Jimmy also provided a full track listing:

• Wheel Hoss – Rob Ickes
• 2 in 24 – Sally Van Meter-Randy Kohrs
• Walkin’ to Rockford – Bruce Bouton
• Is This America – Mike Witcher
• Fishtail – Andy Hall
• Drivin’ The Nails – Lou Wamp
• River Of Tears – Shannon Hayes
• She’s Crazy About Me – Justin Moses
• Hot Toddy’s Snake Oil – Todd Livingston
• Autumn Sunset – Tim Scheerhorn
• Cattle In The Cane – Lee Hiers
• Carters Blues – Jack Ferguson
• Primo Dueto for Reso and Viola – Billy Cardine
• Dust My Broom – Randy Kohrs
• Turnaround – Jimmy Ross
• What A Friend – Tim Scheerhorn

We’ll have more info when the CD is released.

UPDATE: We just heard from Ashley Brown, Randy’s fiddle player, that the band name has been dropped and the group will henceforth be known only as The Randy Kohrs Band.

Joining the band on guitar is Clay Jones. Clay is a long standing member of the bluegrass flatpicking elite. He’s played and recorded with a number of well known groups and artists. Most recently Clay was a member of bluegrass powerhouse group, Mountain Heart. Clay is well known for his driving rhythm and forceful lead playing. The interaction between Jones’ flatpicking and Kohrs dobro should be exciting to hear.

The other new member of the band is Elio Giordano on bass. Elio is a local Nashville player, and brings more than just the low notes to the group. He plays many different styles rather than just the standard bluegrass bass line, and he sings lead as well.

Kohrs is trying the band out without a mandolin player at this time. The group sports a snare drum player, so rhythmically there is no hole. And with the addition of Jones on guitar, they certainly won’t be lacking for lead players.

During their tenure, the band has included such members as Scottie Sparks, Randy Kohrs, Steve Huber, Harold Nixon, John Lewis and Jason Hale in addition to Craft and Bartley. They released two CDs, Lost In Time (self-produced) and She’s Gone on Doobie Shea.

After the band broke up, Craft went on to perform with the short-lived Rock County, and Bartley did time with 1946 and Karl Shiflett – and spent the summer of 2003 on tour with country super stars Brooks and Dunn.

Shayne says that Bobby Hicks will be joining them on selected dates this summer, and that more details about the new band membership will be announced shortly. He also mentioned that they are in discussions with a number of labels now, and hope to have a new recording later this year.

There is no Unlimited Tradition web site at this time, but anyone interested in talking with them can find Shayne on MySpace, or reach him by phone (859-321-9874) or email.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m. Shayne just contacted us to say that they do now have a MySpace page for Unlimited Tradition. It shows that Shayne will be playing banjo, Ray will be on guitar and Nick Chandler on mandolin. You will also find their shows for this summer to date.