His guest this week on The Grand Old Time Machine is none other than Ricky Skaggs himself. The entire hour long show is a conversation with Ricky concerning his latest CD, Songs My Dad Loved.

This interview is unlike any other you’ve heard Wichita do. In fact, it’s unlike any you’ve heard Ricky do! Over the course of an hour you’ll get to hear all 13 of the tracks from the CD, and you’ll hear Ricky talk about the tunes, his childhood, growing up in rural Kentucky and learning to play bluegrass. He really opens up and shares his heart in this interview.

It’s a riveting discussion that gives you a picture into Ricky’s past, and his thinking about the music. I’m sure the story will resonate with many who grew up in similar circumstances.

Here’s a short clip to give you a taste of what the interview is like throughout.

If you want to hear the whole thing, you’ll have to tune in to SiriusXM radio channel 14(XM), channel 65(Sirius). Below are the show times.

Friday the 6th – 9 pm eastern
Saturday night the 7th – 12 midnight
Tuesday the 10th – 3 pm eastern

The Bluegrass Junction coverage starts on Saturday (9/5) at noon, and will include live audio from Blue Highway, IIIrd Tyme Out, Rhonda Vincent, Lonesome River Band and The Grascals.

Listen in over the Labor Day weekend, Saturday-Monday (9/5-7) from 12:00-5:00 p.m. (EDT).

Bluegrass Junction can be heard on Sirius Channel 65 or XM track 14.

Chris is a regular host for their bluegrass music programming, but on Wednesday (8/26) he’ll be in the artist chair, being interviewed by fellow Bluegrass Junction personality Kyle Cantrell. He’ll be on at 11:00 a.m. for the World Premiere of his new CD, Cloud Of Dust.

Immediately following the premiere, the CD will be available for download from Chris’ web site, and pre-release copies are available there for immediate delivery as well. The official release date is set for September 29.

Replays of this show will be aired during the regular Track-By-Track time slot on Bluegrass Junction: Thursday (8/27) at 9:00 p.m. and Sunday (8/30) at 11:00 a.m. All times eastern.

Find out more about Cloud of Dust – and hear a sneak preview audio track – in our earlier post.

Their latest CD, One Lonely Shadow, was released almost exactly one year ago on Lonesome Day Records, but did not receive a lot of publicity when it first came out. The music, much of it written by Garrett and West, is soulfully played and beautifully recorded – surely one of my very favorite records of ‘08.

If you haven’t heard it, be sure to catch them on Track-By-Track this morning (8/19) at 11:00 a.m., or toorrow (8/20) at 9:00 p.m. It will air one last time on Sunday (8/23) at 11:00 a.m. All times EDT.

Bluegrass Junction can be heard on Sirius Channel 65 or XM track 14.

You can find audio samples from One Lonely Shadow in iTunes.

The Gibson Brothers

They will be on to highlight their latest CD, Ring the Bell, on Compass Records. All 12 songs from the project will be played in sequence, along with commentary from host Kyle Cantrell and the brothers. It debuts this morning (7/22) at 11:00 a.m.

The show will be repeated on:

• Thursday, July 23 at 9:00 p.m. EDT
• Sunday, July 26 at 11:00 a.m. EDT

Track-By-Track is broadcast on Sirius-XM’s Bluegrass Junction which can be found on Channel 14 on XM and Channel 65 on Sirius.

The show can be heard on Sirius-XM, and debuts this morning (6/24) at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). Rebroadcasts are scheduled for Thursday (6/25) at 9:00 p.m. and the following Wednesday (7/1) at 11:00 a.m.

Look for the show on Bluegrass Junction, Sirius 65 and XM 14.

We just heard from Ashby Frank, mandolinist with Special Consensus, reminding everyone that the last airing of their Track-By-Track program on Sirius-XM is at 11:00 a.m. this morning ( 6/14). It’s a run through of their latest Pinecastle CD, Signs, with comments from the band, hosted by Kyle Cantrell.

Look for it on Bluegrass Junction – Sirius 65 and XM 14.

Ashby mentioned that he has been suffering terribly with allergies this season. I can relate, having suddenly developed seasonal allergies when I was roughly his age.

Anyone with good folk remedies – or pharmacological recommendations – is urged to contact him right away!

Ulisse and Cantrell discussed and played all thirteen tracks off of her current release Walk This Mountain Down and also talked about Donna’s early career in country music while on Atlantic Records.

The show will be repeated on:

• Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. EDT
• Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. EDT

Track-By-Track is broadcast on Sirius-XM’s Bluegrass Junction which can be found on Channel 14 on XM and Channel 65 on Sirius. Dish Network customers can listen to Bluegrass Junction on channel 6065 and DirecTV subscribers can hear it on channel 812.

Kyle Cantrell scored the exclusive, and he will broadcast the first full peek at Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, which is due for release on May 19 from Rural Rhythm. A single, Hard Rock Prison ‘Till I Die, was released in March but Rural Rhythm has kept the rest under wraps until today.

Tune in to Bluegrass Junction at 11:00 a.m. on Sirius-XM to hear Kyle and the members of IIIrd Tyme Out discuss the songs as they are played through in order on the aptly-named Track-By-Track program.

If you miss the show this morning (5/13), you can catch it again on Thursday (5/14) at 9:00 p.m. and Sunday (5/16) at 11:00 a.m. All times eastern.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on XM 14 and Sirius 65.

Starting this weekend, Ned will bring the banjo along for his Sunday afternoon shift on Bluegrass Junction, where he will offer beginning banjo lessons during the 3:00-4:00 p.m. hour (EDT). Closet banjo pickers are invited to drag out the old five string and take advantage of this free instruction via satellite radio.

"The lessons will start with the absolute beginner in mind and hopefully have the beginning student playing a couple of songs by the end of the month."

Luberecki performs on banjo with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time and is a frequent second banjoist with Tony Trischka’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular Band. He teaches private lessons at the East Nashville School of Music, and is a featured instructor at large banjo camps and workshops all over the world.

Look for Ned’s Sirius XM banjo lessons each Sunday afternoon in May, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. If you have an itch to learn but don’t have a banjo of your own, borrow one from a friend, or pick one up in time to get started.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on XM 14 and Sirius 65.

Host Kyle Cantrell will interview the members of the group about their new CD, Love, Lost and Found, in the midst of a complete play through of all 13 tracks.

As is always the case with Track-By-Track, the show will air a number of times over this coming week, starting with its initial broadcast tomorrow morning (4/22) at 11:00 a.m. Look for it also on Saturday (4/25), again at 11:00 a.m., and on Tuesday (4/28) at both 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. All times eastern.

Tune in Bluegrass Junction on Sirius track 14 and XM channel 65.

Starting this morning (4/15) at 11:00 a.m. (EDT), you can catch them on Track-By-Track with Kyle Cantrell on Bluegrass Junction. Kyle will features each of the album’s 12 tracks in order, and the boys will chime in with their thoughts and recollections about the songs.

This show will be rebroadcast on Sunday (4/19) at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday (4/21) at 9:00 p.m. All times eastern.

Bluegrass Junction is heard on Sirius track 14 and XM channel 65.

Doyle joins host Kyle Cantrell at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) to play each of the album’s 12 tracks and talk about the songs.

Lonely Street won’t be released until May 5 on Rounder, and this is likely to be the first broadcast of any music from the CD.

If you miss the show on Wednesday, it will run again on Sunday (4/5) at 11:00 a.m. and on Tuesday (4/7) at 9:00 p.m.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on Sirius track 14 and XM channel 65.

Then on May 8th and 9th, he’ll be devoting his entire show to unsigned bands/artists. He’s calling it, Wichita Rutherford Presents: The Best Unsigned Bands in Bluegrass.

If you want him to play your tunes, just send him an mp3 via email, or drop a CD in the mail. He’s playing them in the order he receives them, and compiling the best stuff into the special May 8 and 9 show. Your songs must be submitted no later than May 1, 2009 for inclusion.

Visit his website for email and mailing address, and more info.

Paul will join host Kyle Cantrell as they play all 13 tracks from the album – recently nominated for a Dove Award – and have Paul share his stories about how many of the songs and arrangements came to be.

The Williams show will debut this morning (3/11) at 11:00 a.m. (EDT), airing again on Sunday (3/16) at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday (3/18) at 9:00 a.m.

Bluegrass Junction is heard on Sirius track 14 and XM channel 65.

He will join host Kyle Cantrell as they play each track from Audie’s New CD, Audie Blaylock and Redline, and discuss the songs as they go.

The show debuts this morning (3/4) at 11:00 a.m. (EST) with rebroadcasts on Sunday (3/8) at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday (3/10) at 9:00 p.m.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on XM track 14 and Sirius channel 65.

Still seeking to fend off a take over bid from EchoStar, Karmazin entered talks with Liberty Media Corp. This morning the two companies announced they had reached an agreement.

SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. and Liberty Media Corporation today announced that they have entered into agreements pursuant to which Liberty will invest an aggregate of $530 million in the form of loans to SIRIUS XM and its subsidiaries and receive an equity interest in SIRIUS XM.

The money will be loaned in two installments, culminating in Liberty Media Corp gaining a 40% share of Sirius XM, as well as a proportionate number of seats on the Board of Directors.

“We are excited to be investing in SIRIUS XM. We have been impressed with the company, its operations and management team,” said Greg Maffei, president and CEO of Liberty. “SIRIUS XM’s ability to grow subscribers and revenue in a difficult financial and auto market is indicative of how listeners view this as a "must have" service.”

This infusion of capital will allow the company to cover the debts due today and continue operations without any drastic cuts. So all the satellite radio junkies among us can now breathe easy.

Full press release

The company suffers from massive debt, $175 million of which is due tomorrow, an upcoming renewal of Howard Stern’s $500 million contract, and increasing competition from cell phone and internet music providers, even in cars.

The New York Times reported less than a week ago, that the company has had it’s team of lawyers working on a bankruptcy filing for a while now.

With $3.25 billion in total debt, the company is facing a tough situation. Satellite TV company EchoStar, has expressed an interest in the company, but SiriusXM has rebuffed takeover talk from the company. Nonetheless, EchoStar bought up quite a lot of the outstanding debt owed by SiriusXM and may ask the court for control should the company file chapter 11.

The filing, if it comes, should not affect subscribers. If any services are cut, they are likely to be the high dollar ones such as Howard Stern and Martha Stewart.

Members of High Windy – Ty Gilpin (mandolin), Patrick McDougal (banjo), Tim Gardner (fiddle), Mark V. Davis (bass) and Shane Lail (guitar) -  join Bluegrass Junction host Kyle Cantrell to talk about the band’s recently released and much acclaimed CD, A Greater Storm, during tomorrow’s program, January 14 at 11:00 a.m. (EST).

Kyle will spin each track from the CD and get input from the band on the songs, arrangements and stories contained therein.

Highlights on the CD include several original songs by the excellent songwriter Patrick McDougal, including Richest Man To God, Dancin’ Round The Daisies and Stuck Out In The Rain; three songs penned by Shane Lail including Love Of A Lifetime, and one from Ty Gilpin, Iron Horse.

Bluegrass Junction can be found at XM 14 and Sirius 65.

Don’t worry if you are not able to listen at that time… the show will be repeated on Saturday, January 17 at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday, January 20 at 9:00 p.m.

LRB visited the XM Nashville studios recently to talk with host Kyle Cantrell about their current CD, No Turning Back, and of course, play a number of the songs live.

You can catch the show at the following times on both XM 14 and Sirius 65:

• Friday 1/9 – 8:00 a.m.
• Saturday 1/10 – 8:00 a.m.
• Sunday 1/11 – 9:00 p.m.
• Monday 1/12 – 9:00 p.m.

All times eastern US.