Or you may find sidemen touring together while their primary musical employers are taking some time off for the holidays. There are two such mini-tours for the end of 2009 that should be of interest to bluegrass and acoustic music fans.

First up, The Nedski-Mojo Show, which began this past weekend, and continues through next week. It features banjo picker Ned Luberecki, who performs with both Chris Jones and Larry Cordle, and guitarist Stephen Mougin, who works with Sam Bush. Both are superb musicians and singers, and Ned could easily hold forth for half the show as a stand up comedian.

They have a string of concerts and workshops along the east coast leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and you can be sure to catch a highly entertaining and musically challenging program if they stop near you. A full list of dates can be found on Facebook.

Then in December, mandolinists Adam Steffey and Kym Warner will tour together briefly in Virginia and Maryland, billed as Mandolin Sessions.

Steffey may be the most prominent bluegrass mando man in the biz these days. He has been named Mandolin Player of the Year six times by the IBMA, and his current CD and DVD releases are hits with the public. Most folks first came to know his music when he was a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, and he has toured since with Mountain Heart and now, Dan Tyminski.

Warner is a founding member of The Greencards, a fascinating, genre-bending outfit of acoustic musicians who formed in the US, though none were native born. Kym hails from Australia, but lives now in Nashville.

You can find information about the Mandolin Sessions dates at Mandolin Cafe.

Stephen plays guitar and sings with Sam Bush. He knows his way around bluegrass harmony, and he’s come up with a learning tool that is top notch.

His recording studio, Dark Shadow Recording, has produced two CDs designed to help you learn to sing harmony naturally.

Bluegrass Tenor Singing (featuring Russell Moore)
Bluegrass Baritone Singing (featuring Ronnie Bowman)

What Stephen has done is to take five traditional bluegrass songs, and produce a great quality recording of each one. The songs are:

• Little Cabin Home On The Hill
• Mr. Engineer
• Blue Ridge Cabin Home
• My Little Georgia Rose
• How Mountain Girls Can Love

I spent some time with the tenor CD and it’s great. The recordings are well done and these are quality arrangements worth learning. The band consists of Adam Steffey (mandolin), Megan Lynch (fiddle), Ned Luberecki (banjo), Daniel Hardin (bass), and Stephen Mougin (guitar). The vocals, the focus of the project, are sung by Stephen (lead vocal), Russell Moore (tenor), and Ronnie Bowman (baritone).

The first track for each song presents you with the full mix of the tune so you can get a feel for what the finished product should sound like. We all like to sing along with recordings, so go ahead do so, but be sure to spend some time just listening as well. Listen to the blend of the three vocals.

The second track for each tune consists of just the choruses of the song, cut together back to back, with only the band and the lead vocal. This track is important. It will help you learn the melody, as well as the phrasing and dynamics. I worked with Little Cabin Home On The Hill, and noticed that the final chorus is a bit different than the others. It’s got a minor little frill that sets it apart. This is common in bluegrass, and I’m glad they included it in the arrangement.

Once you’re comfortable with the melody, phrasing, and dynamics of the song, you can move on to the third track. This track is identical to the second, back to back choruses, with the tenor (or baritone, depending on which CD you’re working with) vocal, and no others. This allows you to hear the part you’re trying to learn. Still in the context of the band, you’ll hear where the harmony part lies within the chords. You can repeat this track until you’re confident that you know the part, then move on.

The fourth, and final, track for each tune is the same as the first, but with the harmony part removed. On the tenor CD, you’ll hear the full mix of the song, solos and verses included. On the choruses however, you’ll hear only the lead and baritone vocals. It’s up to you to provide the tenor part. This provides you with a sort of “jam along” track, where you can try out your new skills.

This is a great way to learn these parts, and I think you’ll learn more than just the five songs included on the disc. You’ll learn to hear where the parts are, and should be able to take your new skills and figure out the harmony to other songs as well.

The Bluegrass Harmony Training Series CDs are sold individually for $15 + S/H or you can purchase both the tenor and baritone CDs as a package for $25 + S/H.

Here’s a video introduction to the series.

Here is the first installment, with Sam and the boys laying out a live version of the title track, along with some interview segments with Bush. Scott Vestal is on banjo, Stephen Mougin on guitar, Byron House on bass and Chris Brown on drums.

Sugar Hill also sent some photos from Sam’s album release party in Nashville on October 20. It was a star-studded affair, held at the Sound Emporium, which not only marked the street debut of Circles Around Me, but Sam and Lynn Bush’ 25th wedding anniversary as well.

Donica Christensen at Sugar Hill tells us that it was a fun-filled evening…

“The event was ‘invitation only’ and the guests included press and industry contacts, fellow musicians, and close personal friends of Sam and Lynn.  Sam’s record was played throughout the evening, and since it was also an anniversary party – we had a mic set up for toasts.  There were some great ones, including Garth Fundis, Dan Hays, Jerry Douglas, Rob McCoury, Guthrie Trapp, Jeff Hanna, and more.”

UPDATE 12:55 p.m. – Sam Bush has offered Bluegrass Blog readers a free download from his web site. Just go to sambush.com, and enter ‘bluegrassblog’ on the home page for a free download of Midnight on the Stormy Deep from Circles Around Me.

Stephen and Jana are both musicians, with Stephen currently working as guitarist with Sam Bush, and as a free lance producer and session player.

Jana was the bass player and lead singer for Fragment, a very popular group from the Slovak Republic.

We visited with them during IBMA in late September, where Jana was clearly ready for the baby to come. Stephen sent along a few photos, along with a brief status report…

“We’re up to our eyeballs in baby stuff here at the hospital! Things are well, baby is rockin’, momma is rockin’!”

Congratulations to Stephen and Jana from The Bluegrass Blog!

For Monday’s “Teaching Bluegrass: An Alternative Revenue Stream” moderators Ned Luberecki and Megan Lynch were joined by panelists Terry Baucom, Stephen Mougin, and myself. Many players rely on teaching to get them through the slim winter months when the gigs are few and far between. We covered many different avenues of instruction including private lessons, group lessons, workshops, camps, DVDs and books, and internet lessons. The last is a recent development and not many people are offering this option yet. Strangely (to us anyway) Mike Compton has been on the leading edge of this technology and has been doing internet lessons for quite a while. Anyone interested in pursuing that avenue, either as a teacher or as a student, should consult his FAQ page.

Tuesday’s “Writing for the Internet: Blogging and Building an Audience” was hosted by our own John Lawless. Panelists included Ashby Frank, sometime contributor to this publication who blogs on his own website; Ted Lehmann of Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books and Brainstorms blog, and Craig Shelburne who contributes to and edits the blog over at CMT.com. Despite what it looks like in the picture, the discussion was lively and extended. The crux of the discussion was that blogging should be entertaining to the audience, who you hope will come back to your site on a regular basis. Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites are good tools to use to drive people to your site where, hopefully, they’ll buy your CD, or look at your schedule and come out to a show. It’s all about staying connected to people and letting them get to know you through your writing.

They talked a little bit about the technical side of blogging—using programs  such as WordPress, or Blogger—but mostly about the power of changing content to get people to visit your site every day or every week. The Bluegrass Blog is the best at this. I don’t know about you but even when I’m not writing for the Blog I read it every day and it is my main source of bluegrass news.

While many still think of “flatpicking” the guitar as taking solos on fiddle tunes, the flatpickers on this recording are here to show you that the guitar also has something to say on traditional bluegrass vocal tunes.

The majority of the tracks were recorded in Nashville, and the band remains the same on each song with the exception of the guitar player/lead singer, and the occasional harmony vocalist.

The back up band includes Shad Cobb on fiddle, Charlie Chadwick on bass, Chris Joslin on Dobro and banjo, and Dave Harvey on mandolin. Tim May and Brad Davis provide harmony vocals on most tunes, although others also sing harmony on select tunes.

The line up of guitar players is impressive, as is the song list of traditional tunes.

1. My Home’s Across The Blue Ridge Mountains – Steven Mougin
2. East Virginia Blues – John Chapman
3. Six White Horses – Jeff White
4. When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall – Jim Hurst
5. Long Journey Home – Josh Williams
6. I’ll Stay Around – Tim Stafford
7. Banks Of The Ohio – Brad Davis
8. Why Don’t You Tell Me So – Richard Bennett
9. In The Pines – Chris Jones
10. Teardrops In My Eyes - Jim Nunally
11. Gone Home – Tim May
12. Air Mail Special On The Fly – Kenny Smith

The consistency of the band from track to track lends a unity to the disc, which, when paired with the diversity of vocal and guitar styles represented, results in a very pleasant and interesting 40 minutes of music.

Choosing a favorite track would be nearly impossible. Each player brings a unique approach that distinguishes each track from the others. There is something to be appreciated and enjoyed from each recording.

Fans of both flatpicking guitar and traditional bluegrass should equally enjoy this CD. If you happen to be a fan of both, Flatpicking Bluegrass is custom made for you!

Verch has been known for some time for her fiery fiddle playing – winning her multiple championships – and her energetic live performances, which showcase her precision step-dancing as a regular feature. Over the years, the focus has been shifting to her lovely soprano voice, and this new CD puts her singing front and center.

Steal The Blue is another success for Stephen Mougin, who co-produced with Jon Weisberger. Mougin’s name is showing up quite frequently these days in CD credits, and without fail, these projects have offered thoughtful songs, impeccable tone, and production that eschews “cleverness” in favor of letting the songs shine.

Verch and Mougin understand just how crucial it is start with great songs, and here, the songs are terrific. Other than two fine instrumental tracks – one traditional, the other original – this CD is comprised of top notch songs by some of today’s finest writers. Tim Stafford, Steve Gulley, Larry Cordle, Sarah Siskind, Ron Block, Mark Simos and Jon Weisberger are among the writers whose songs are featured.

We asked April to share her thoughts about two of the tracks, which are presented here as audio samples.

You Hurt Me All Over Again – Listen now:    

“This is one of two Tim Stafford co-writes on Steal The Blue (he wrote this one with Steve Gulley). I’m a huge fan of Tim as a musician and a composer, and I feel really fortunate to have had an opportunity to record two songs of his on this CD that hadn’t previously been cut. This is one of those classic heart-break/moving on songs that most of us can relate to in one way or another…

The harmony vocalists on this track are Melonie Cannon & Stephen Mougin, you can’t go wrong there!”

He’s Holding Onto Me – Listen now:    

“I’d like to say this one was a blast to record…but that wouldn’t be completely honest of me. As much fun as it was, part of me was so nervous I could barely play! Steal The Blue was recorded with my touring band, with the exception of this Ron Block song, which features co-producers Stephen Mougin and Jon Weisberger on guitar and bass respectively, Travis Book and Patty Mitchell on harmony vocals, Scott Vestal on banjo, and Sam Bush on mandolin!

I’ve loved this song since I first heard it on Ron’s recording and it was a thrill to try a version of my own with this all-star cast. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!”

Members of her road band include Cody Walters on bass, Clay Ross on guitar and Marc Bru on Percussion.

You can hear more audio from Steal The Blue on CD Baby and on April’s MySpace page.

I couldn’t have told you exactly what my expectations were. I just knew I was expecting to hear some innovative music played with consummate skill and artistry on banjo and fiddle. When I finally got the CD in the mail, it did not disappoint.

I should probably dispel a couple preconceived notions you might have about what to expect from a banjo/fiddle recording.

First, most of the tracks are vocal. This is NOT a recording of banjo-fiddle instrumental duets in a purely old-time style. That historic style makes its influence felt throughout the CD, but you’ll not mistake this for an old time record. In fact, you’ll not mistake this for a bluegrass record either. This CD is something more than can be easily defined by convenient labels.

Second, I never once missed the presence of a full band. Not once in the 11 tracks did I think “This would have been better with a full band.” I never even thought about a band, I just enjoyed the music. That’s the way this CD presents itself to the listener. There is nothing missing. This music is exactly as “full” instrumentally, and vocally, as it should be. Nothing is underdone or overdone, they got is just right. I would advise the listener not even to think of this as banjo/fiddle or duet CD, as that might mislead your expectations.

The only guests on the entire recording are the addition of vocals and handclaps by Mike Anglin and Eleanor Cross on one track. Other than that the CD is just Bill and Megan…well almost. The third member of the duet is Stephen Mougin, who served as co-producer and recording/mixing engineer. Stephen is an impressive musician in his own right, having toured extensively with Sam Bush. I had a chance to speak with Stephen about the recording, and he shared some great comments.

I “co-produced” the record with Bill and Megan, which meant that I offered lots of performance/arrangement ideas.

Working with Bill and Megan on this new album was a musical treat. They were on a mission both to take fiddle and banjo in entirely new directions and explore what could be done with just two people on two instruments! The tracks range from sparce (1 banjo and 1 vocal) to dense (3 banjos, 17 fiddles, 12 vocals, etc.), but the album really feels like a unified collection of songs. It was a blast to have a project where we could throw out the rules and try anything! We employed several non-traditional techniques such as pickless banjo, double-delayed fiddle chops, group handclaps, and fiddle choirs, and that allowed us to highlight the SONGS rather than the players. One of my favorite tunes is “The Distance Between Two Points” a stunning example of Banjo tone from a true banjo guru! I was continuously impressed by the musicianship of Bill and Megan… I kept pushing them and they kept raising the bar both vocally and instrumentally! I hope folks have as much fun listening to the album as we had making it!!

If this CD was an experiment, it was successful. With only two musicians and two primary instruments (Bill plays guitar on one track and dobro on another), the varied range of sound textures is quite surprising, and enjoyable. The song selection is varied as well. I especially enjoyed Megan’s renditions of two songs brought in from other genres. The first is the tune Check Yes Juliet from the pop band We The Kings. The song is fun and catchy, pulling you into the rhythm. Bill’s banjo treatment is so masterful that the comparison wasn’t even made in my mind with the original pop version. The second in Mark Knopfler’s tune Song for Sonny Liston. Bill evokes a very bluesy feel on this track and Megan’s rhythmic treatment on the fiddle is infectious.

Another track I found myself playing receptively is a lovely arrangement of Bill’s composition Sleeping Lady One of the few strictly instrumental performances on the CD, this track again defies being tagged with a label. Bill’s banjo is tasteful with beautiful tone and Megan’s fiddles are layered into a nice string arrangement.

The vocals are impressive throughout. Megan proves herself to be much more than an accomplished fiddler. Her voice is pleasant and appropriate for each tune. Bill’s vocals are smooth and relaxed. The blend is just right between the two and nothing ever feels out of place.

A hat tip to Stephen for a delightful mix which conveys all the nuances of the acoustic instruments and vocals, preserving the dynamics and tone, while sounding full at the same time. His use of the stereo spectrum is exactly what a recording like this needed.

UPDATE: Stephen wrote in to share two additional pieces of information.

The album was mixed by myself and Ryan Reynosa (former front of house engineer for the Sam Bush Band).

Not a correction but an omission, the record was recorded at Dark Shadow Recording (my shameless self-promotion!!).

This CD should not be relegated to only to those who enjoy banjo and fiddle. I commend this recording to anyone who enjoys good acoustic music.

Let’s Do Something is available for purchase directly from Bill’s website. Samples are available on the duo’s MySpace page.

The adult camp is scheduled for April 30-May 9 and, in addition to Megan, will feature legendary fiddler Bobby Hicks as guest instructor. Stephen Mougin will offer a vocal workshop over this same weekend, included in the camp tuition.

The youth camp will run June 29-July 3 with Daniel Carwile assisting with the teaching chores.

Rates are available for on or off-site registration, and there is a special rate for parents to stay on-site during the youth camp.

You can find further details at FiddleStar.com.

The band is based in Nashville, and fronted by the husband/wife duo of Sim Daley and Missy Radeke-Daley. Missy handles the fiddle and the bulk of the lead vocals, with Sim on banjo. Missy has been playing bluegrass since she was a child with her family’s band, Misty Ridge.

Oddly enough, many folks in bluegrass and acoustic music know Sim from the mandolin world, as his Daley Mandolins are highly prized, and played by such noted artists as Dan Tyminski and Adam Steffey. He was born and grew up in England, developed a taste for the banjo and bluegrass music while still a youngster, and won the UK’s Edale Bluegrass Festival Banjo Contest in 1994.

They are joined by a trio of hot young pickers: Tony Watt on guitar, Jenni Lyn Gardner on mandolin and Daniel Hardin on bass. All three play brilliantly on the CD, with special emphasis on Watt’s rhythm and lead guitar, and Gardner’s vocals and mandolin work.

Now I’m Lonely was produced by Stephen Mougin, guitarist with Sam Bush, and the band credits him for the polished sound they achieved in the studio. Stephen also engineered and was deeply involved in helping select and arrange the songs for this project. The bulk of the songs are originals written by band members, and they show a dexterity in treating a variety of styles with authority – and passion.

Audio samples are available on the Cages Bend site, and on CD Baby.

Stephen tells us the concerts, in which he performed with Slovakian pickers, were a blast. He shared some thoughts about the various bands he came in contact with while there.

The band ¬öSidlo played traditionaly oriented songs. They have a GREAT lead singer (apolgies for not remembering or knowing how to spell the names….) and a GREAT tenor vocalist. The young fiddle player is an extremely talented young man and he truly understands the bluegrass genre.

He also told us about a new, up and coming band, Grass Country Drive. They have only played three gigs at this point, but Stephen says they are sure to rise to the forefront of the European acoustic music scene.

They have a powerful vocal trio consisting of a Husband/Wife team on guitar and mandolin (respectively) and the Bass player and a very interesting choice of repertoire. They played classics like “Yellow River”, a modern pop song, and a 60’s rock and roll tune… all done VERY tastefully in a bluegrass/ new acoustic fashion.

For the last performance Stephen himself gave, he enlisted the help of some of the area’s top pickers.

Richard Cifersky – Banjo, Milan Benkovic – Resophonic, Roman Sykora – Acoustic Bass, Michal Barok – Mandolin. We had a particularly magical night. They understand how to groove, and they KNOW the music. No show-off licks or pyrotechnics, they just picked solid and MASHED! It was truly a blast to play with them and I’m sorry that US audiences don’t get the opportunity to see these guys more often!

It seems the members of Druha Trava, with whom American audiences should be familiar, were in the audience that last evening. Stephen prevailed upon Emil to join them on stage for the grand finale, and the crowd loved it.

Hopefully some of these pickers Stephen mentioned can find their way over to the states for a tour at some point. I’m fascinated by the idea that there are bands all over the world participating in the continuing legacy of Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and all the other founding fathers.

He played last weekend with the band Fragment. Fragment has toured several times in the US and features Steven’s wife Jana on bass and vocals, along with Petr Brandejs on banjo, Ondra Kozak on fiddle, guitar and vocals, and Henrich Novak on dobro and vocals.

I chopped along on mandolin and added some solos when I thought I knew the tune!! The band sounds great as usual… my only question… where do they keep finding those HOSS guitar players???? There’s got to be something in the water over here! Or is it the beer????

This weekend Stephen will be playing a concert with Henrich on Sunday. The show will focus on Henrich’s resophonic guitar playing with Stephen accompanying him. Material will range from bluegrass to americana, in Slovakia folks! Stephen also suggested that members of the band Grass Country Drive may join them towards the end of the show for a few traditional bluegrass numbers.

His visit will culminate with what he termed an “out and out bluegrass celebration” on November 3, 2007. The concert that evening will feature Sidlo, Grass Country Drive, and Stephen Mougin. Stephen will play guitar and be joined that evening by some native Slovakian pickers, some of whom will be familiar to IBMA 2007 attendies. Milan Benkovic (resophonic guitar) and Michael Barok (mandolin) from the band Meantime will be part of Stephen’s ensemble that evening. Rounding out the sound will be Richard Cifersky on banjo, and Roman Sykora on bass.

Here’s what Stephen has to say about picking with these guys.

I rarely get to front my own band and I’m really having a great time with all of these fine pickers! They truly understand OUR music and try their best to honor it with every note!

Be sure to check out Sam Bush’s tour schedule to find a time when you can hear Stephen back here in the states.