One of the things that IBMA promotes heavily is education—the music, and about the music business. To that end they have a wide variety of seminars throughout the week on topics ranging from the technical side of the music (”New Developments in Live Sound Technology”), to personal well-being (”Weight Management and Diabetes Prevention on the Bluegrass Road”); from internet marketing and social networking to how to negotiate a contract. This year they have the largest variety of truly useful topics that they’ve had yet. I’ve been to several and each has been wonderfully informative.

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.

Flatpicking Bluegrass is the latest CD from FGM Records, the label branch of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. The CD features 12 flatpicking masters on 12 traditional bluegrass numbers. These are all vocal tunes, no instrumentals here. According to Dan Miller, publisher of FGM, the goal of the recording was to highlight the role that can be played by lead guitar in a strictly vocal, bluegrass setting.

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!

Steal The Blue, the seventh recording from Canadian fiddler/vocalist April Verch, was released independently on January 20.

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.

 Sometimes you hear about a CD and excitement starts to build as you anticipate hearing this new music from musicians you enjoy. When you finally get a chance to hear the CD, you’ve built up an expectation that no recording can live up to. With Let’s Do Something, I had heard rumors of the project, and started to get excited to hear what Bill and Megan had come up with. I began to tell myself not to build any expectations. I couldn’t help myself though. With two such world class musicians anything was possible.

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.