Rounder Records has set February 12, 2008 as the release date for Through the Window of a Train, the next CD from Blue Highway.

Blessed with three notable singers and songwriters, Blue Highway is rarely in need of material, and this new project is made up entirely of songs written within the band – their second CD with this distinction.

One of them, Tim Stafford, who I would put forward as perhaps the most thoughtful and insightful songwriter in and around bluegrass, shared a few words about the title track from the new CD.

“Through The Window Of A Train is one that I wrote with Steve Gulley. It was a title I had laying around and we thought it would make a strong song idea. The concept was a fellow‚Äîprompted by the anonymity of modern interstate travel‚Äîremembering his youth and what it was like to travel on that train with his Dad, the wonder of watching the world go by…

It may be an old theme in bluegrass, but it turned out to be upbeat and poignant at the same time, which is usually a good combination. I was certain we had ripped off some other melody at first!

Melody and feel-wise, I had the Country Gentlemen of the 1970s in mind – one of the most influential bands for me.”

You can read some of Tim’s other comments about the new CD in an interview we ran earlier this year.

One truly remarkable thing about Blue Highway is the fact that, entering their 14th year as a professional touring act, they still perform and record with the same membership with which they began. Though banjo player Jason Burleson briefly stepped aside in 1999 only to return shortly thereafter, there has been no turnover in personnel.

In addition to Stafford on guitar and Burleson on banjo, the band is made up of Rob Ickes on resonator guitar, Shawn Lane on mandolin/fiddle and Wayne Taylor on bass.

Tim also mentioned that 2008 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the band, with new dates still being added to their schedule.

The guys in Grasstowne recently had a video bio completed and graciously consented to allow us to present it here for our readers.

The video features interviews with Steve Gulley, Alan Bibey, and Phil Leadbetter, interspersed with performances from a festival in Virginia as well as IBMA in Nashville. The result is a three minute video that should be of interest to fans of the band or the respective pickers. If you’re not a fan, check it out, you might just become one!

The video was produced by photographer and videographer Dean Hoffmeyer.

Subscribers to Bluegrass Unlimited magazine may already have read the feature in the September issue on BluegrassRadio.org’s Clyde Scott. The article sums up the history of Clyde’s involvement in radio, and how he came to launch his 24/7 bluegrass streaming radio service online.

Clyde tells us that he took the station for their first road trip recently, and recorded interviews with Vic Graves of New Road and Steve Gulley of Grasstowne. The full hour of conversation and songs will be aired on BluegrassRadio.org this weekend, on Saturday (9/1) at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday (9/2) at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).

Bluegrass singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Gulley will join Gracie Muldoon on WorldWideBluegrass.com on Friday (4/20) at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) for a wide-ranging interview.

They will surely talk about Steve’s new solo project, Sounds Like Home, recently released on Lonesome Day Records. In addition to Steve’s take on a number of bluegrass classics and some new compositions of his own, the CD also includes his stellar version of George Jones’, The Grand Tour, which was such a hit onstage when Steve was working with Mountain Heart.

Steve will surely also talk about his new band, Grasstowne, who also have a new CD scheduled for a June release on Pinecastle.

Gracie’s interview is cybercast live, and the audio stream can be accessed at no charge in either a Windows Media or Real Audio format. The stream is not archived, so be sure to tune in on Friday at 1:30.

WorldWideBluegrass.com streams bluegrass music 24/7/365.