We just heard from Zack Bevill with The Farewell Drifters, who had a number of tidbits to share with our readers.

First off, he mentioned that their next CD is finished, and is being mastered next week. Zack wasn’t sure whether they would be releasing it with a label, or on their own, but does expect to see it hit in February of 2010.

He was also psyched about the band recently being featured on the NPR wordplay program, Says You!, taped August 22 in the Polk Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in downtown Nashville. They performed incidental music used during the show.

“It is a hilarious show, and we had a blast providing the music. We recorded two episodes, one of which has already aired (available for download purchase), and we expect the next one to air this weekend.”

Says You! airs at different times on their many radio affiliates, and you can check when it airs in your market online.

Zack also wanted to introduce their latest member…

“Christian Sedelmyer joined us on fiddle back in July. He replaced our former banjo player, Trevor Brandt. The transition was very smooth, and the fiddle really adds a new energy to our music.

He started playing violin when he was five years old using the Suzuki method, and he has a fantastic ear and understanding of music.  Christian’s background and approach to music is similar to ours, so he fit right in from day one. He is also a very able harmony singer, which is a big part of being a Drifter.  We are so glad to have him in the band.”

You can keep an eye on The Farewell Drifters’ tour schedule on their web site.

The Farewell Drifters are hard at work on their next CD, but with inevitable delays pushing back a release date, the guys have decided to issue a single on a 3-track EP. Keeping with the metaphor of a single from the old 45 RPM record days, the band is saying that the A and B sides feature tracks from the new unfinished album, with a bonus track to boot.

The three tracks are River Song and Please Dream of Me Tonight – both written within the band – and a remake of The Beatles’ Ticket To Ride.

Guitarist Zach Bevill shared a few words about their decision to release this interim project.

“It’s been a year and a half since our first album, and we’ve been dying to put some of our new music out there.  The next album isn’t done yet, so the idea behind this release was to put something new out for fans to listen to, and to let folks know that we’re still busy making music.

We contemplated a 5 or 6 song EP, but then had the idea of putting out a single.  We began thinking about the old 45’s with an A side and a B side, and thought that was a really cool concept that has kind of gone out of style.  It takes a certain kind of song to make an A side and a different kind to make a B side, and that really interested us.  It was fun to look through our songs and see which ones we thought worked as either an A or B side.

As the A side, we’re hoping that a lot of DJ’s will put River Song into their rotation.  If you buy the disc, you won’t be able to flip it over to listen to the B side, but we did intend to make it a B side conceptually, and hope that it comes across that way.  In addition to all that, we also hope that the new release will be a budget friendly option for those who want to buy our music, but are feeling the impact of the down-trodden economy.”

Zach also agreed to allow us to excerpt the two new songs, and passed along a few words to introduce each one. (more…)

Here are some photos from Monday night’s (9/29) IBMA after hours showcase events.

Last night (9/29), Brance and I ventured out to the late night IBMA showcases and watched a number of exciting young performers. We saw Farewell Drifters, Dominic Leslie and Josh Williams, and spoke at some length with Joe Dean, the 19 year old banjo picker with Dailey & Vincent.

We came away with three different looks at how this next generation might take the music, and a renewed respect for the skill and vision of these yong artists, and the determination of the bluegrass business community to nurture and promote their careers.

The first act we caught was The Farewell Drifters and while I was familiar with their debut CD, Sweet Summer Breeze I had never seen them perform in person. Their live show was different in many ways. They had the requisite instrumentation (banjo, mandolin, bass and two guitars) but they neither look nor present themselves like the typical young bluegrass band.

Their look and their original material are drawn as much from the singer/songwriter boom of the late 1960s as from the earlier legacy of the bluegrass founders. The songs are introspective and personal, and the playing is subdued and clearly secondary to the melodies and lyrics. Even their stage banter had a quirky and nervous energy, much in keeping with the band’s slightly oddball demeanor.

Next, we caught part of a showcase from mandolinist Dominick Leslie, a first year student at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. Dominick grew up in Colorado and has been playing bluegrass since he was ten years old. He had taken the second place prize in both the Walnut Valley and Merlefest mandolin competitions before finishing high school.

Dominick performed with a number of young Boston musicians, fellow Berklee student Sam Grisman on bass, Jordan Tice on guitar and Wes Corbett on banjo. All were strong, adventurous soloists and the music they played was challenging both harmonically and technically. In the audience for this showcase were Berklee professor David Hollender, and college president Roger Brown, as well as Andy Falco from The Infamous Stringdusters who has hooting at hollering his encouragement with every hot lick.

The pickers not only had to impress their peers and industry types, but their teacher and headmaster as well! The influence of Chris Thile and his merry band was clear in the band’s music – not a band example at all for such talented young players. Remember their names.

We then wandered down the concourse to see Josh Williams perform with his new band. This time, the music was straightahead contemporary bluegrass from one of the certain rising stars in this business. Josh had memorable stints with Special Consensus and Rhonda Vincent before launching his solo career. He already has three CD projects under his name – not bad for a 28 year old singer and guitarist. (more…)