He performed several songs from his 2008 release, Chameleon, just as he did on the CD – solo, with just his guitar and mandocello.

Both video and audio from his live set and interview can be found at NPR.org, FolkAlley.com or in the embedded player below.

Larry was born in North Carolina and toured extensively as a member of the bluegrass band Monroe Doctrine in the 1970s, during which time he became well acquainted with a good many other performers who were, or would become bluegrass celebrities. Before coming onboard at Martin, he worked for Gibson where he worked with Bill Monroe on the Gibson Monroe model mandolin.

Though Larry’s current duties at Martin do not specifically involve marketing or artist relations, he has become their go-to guy when it comes to bluegrass, and was directly involved in the creation of the Martin Del McCoury model (D-28DM) in 2002. He tells us that he was both delighted and proud to have been able to offer such an honor to Del, and pleased that Martin saw the honor as well deserved.

“Bluegrass people are among our strongest supporters, but the truth is that they make up no more than 20% of the C.F. Martin customer base. Seeing the company recognize Del with a signature guitar was very gratifying.”

The McCoury model has sold through (limited to 100 guitars), and Larry had contacted us with news about the new Martin 00-18 Tim O’Brien signature guitar which was debuted at the recent NAMM convention in Nashville. He and Tim worked together to design a model that would suit his needs and represent many of the things he loves about Martins. Each one is numbered and signed personally by Tim.

You can find more details about the O’Brien model, which carries a retail price of $5499.00, on Martin’s site. Larry said that about 30 of the 100 guitars that will be made have already been ordered by dealers, so this one should sell through quickly as well.

Larry also agreed to allow us to share the article he wrote about Tim and his signature Martin for Sounding Board, the official Martin owners newsletter, which is posted just below.

A Brother’s Gift – by Larry Barnwell

"I’m not sure whether I was over there to see her or to play the Martin." Tim O’Brien recalled, with a chuckle, one of his earliest exposures to Bluegrass music and to Martin guitars. The father of his 8^th grade girlfriend was into old instruments such as banjos, mandolins and guitars. He had a D18 and that was the first Martin Tim really had an opportunity to play for any period of time. But Tim’s interest in music began several years earlier in his Wheeling, West Virginia boyhood home. Tim’s parents, Frank & Amy, were supportive of whatever their children wanted to pursue whether it be sports, academics or music. They bought the kids season tickets to the Wheeling Symphony and the Summer Concert Series at Oglebay Municipal Park. As a young teen Tim watched great artists such as Van Cliburn, Itzhak Perlman, Ray Charles and Duke Ellington perform. Tim’s sister Mollie got into the music before he did, then in 1966 he began playing the guitar and together they learned the music of the Beatles, Peter, Paul & Mary and other popular music of the time.

Tim looked up to his older brother Frank O’Brien III, whose nickname was Trip. Trip exposed him to scouting and the outdoors and was also a cornerstone in Tim’s musical beginnings. He was into artists outside the pop culture of the time and had recordings of Joan Baez, Odetta, Nancy Wilson, Miles Davis, Sam Cook and others. Trip served in Vietnam and the family would exchange tapes as a form of letter writing. They would record messages and music to send to him. Tim played the guitar and recorded it for his brother to show him his progress and in one of Trip’s messages, he suggested Tim listen to Segovia and Manitas de Plata. In Tim’s words, "He was a great buddy." In 1968 Trip was killed in combat. "My brother died in Vietnam and he left money to each of his siblings. My sister got a piano and I got a D-28. I bought a new D-28 when I was 14. It was like, I can buy this. This is what I want. I went to the music store, they had one and I bought it. I said that’s what I want, I’ll buy it." Throughout the years that D-28 suffered some major injuries and eventually Tim sold it to a good friend. "It was a good guitar and I recorded a lot with it over the years." Trip’s influence and his parting gift started Tim’s lifelong love affair with Martin guitars and music.

Tim played in a variety of bands throughout his teenage years, but seeing Doc Watson on television piqued his interest in flatpicking the guitar and playing Bluegrass music. He was given a fiddle by his aunt when he was 16, but it wasn’t until several years later, after someone loaned him a mandolin, that he started learning the fiddle in earnest. "I started trying to learn Doc Watson’s versions of fiddle tunes on the fiddle and pretty soon I realized that he was copying a fiddler! Then I started listening to fiddlers, but Doc Watson kind of sealed the deal on Bluegrass for me." Tim and Mollie played at clubs and ski areas in a several state area during his last years of high school. Mollie had gone on to college, but the two would meet on weekends to play gigs.

After high school Tim attended college in Maine with his sights set on majoring in English, all the while playing with a local traditional Bluegrass band. The first year of college went well, but in the second year he began to realize that music was taking hold of his future. "I remember we started with Beowulf in sophomore year and I went, I don’t think so. Meanwhile I was just playing the guitar and fiddle, mostly the guitar, all day." Tim soon made his way west to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where he’d worked as a counselor at a summer camp during high school. There he became a ski bum and supported his habit by playing banjo, mandolin, guitar & fiddle at Calico Pizza and the Stage Coach in Wilson. When ski season ended he went back to Wheeling for a brief stint, before heading to Boulder, Colorado at the invitation of a friend.

1974 found Tim working in Boulder at Folk Arts Music, mostly as a teacher. He grew deeply ensconced in the local music scene and it wasn’t long before Tim became an integral part of a popular Colorado swing band called The Ophelia Swing Band. He was known as ‚ÄòHowdy Skies’, a stage name he used during his tenure with the band. That name lives on as the name of Tim’s publishing company, Howdy Skies Music. It was in the next couple of years that Tim met and courted his future wife, Kit Swaggert. Tim & Kit were married in October of 1977 and have raised two sons, Jackson & Joel.

Tim had recorded with The Ophelia Swing Band and in 1977 he recorded and released on the Biscuit City label his first solo record entitled Guess Who’s in Town?. One of the guest artists Tim asked to play on this record was Pete Wernick who was also releasing his first solo album Dr. Banjo Steps Out, for Flying Fish. Tim was a guest on Pete’s album. In January of 1978 Tim & Pete started a band as a vehicle to promote their solo projects. The next twelve years would be a tremendous ride for the group known as Hot Rize. Tim (mandolin & fiddle) and Pete (banjo) were joined by Charles Sawtelle on guitar and Nick Forster on electric bass. The success of this progressive band from Colorado spread throughout the United States and overseas. Their influence was pervasive among young musicians everywhere. Hot Rize appeared frequently at Bluegrass festivals, on NPR’s "Prairie Home Companion" and on television’s Nashville Network. Their zany alter-ego country swing band known as "Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers" gained prominence as an important part of their shows. Hot Rize was known for doing traditional material in their own distinctive style and also for performing original songs many of which were penned or co-written by Tim O’Brien. The band produced six recordings from 1979 through 1990. The group disbanded in 1990 and remained friends, each of them pursuing solo careers. Hot Rize reunited for shows over the next several years. Sadly, Charles Sawtelle was diagnosed with leukemia in 1994 and died in 1999 from complications related to a bone marrow transplant.

Some of Tim’s best loved recordings are with his older sister Mollie. They released three projects on Sugar Hill and toured the US from 1990 through 1996. The two also traveled to Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as to Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Latin America for the US Information Agency.

Ready to move forward with his career as a song writer and performer Tim and his family moved to Nashville in 1996. Over the previous ten to fifteen years he had established himself as a writer of great songs. Between 1986 and 1988, rising country music star Kathy Mattea released three of Tim’s Hot Rize songs. Two of them, "Walk the Way the Wind Blows" and "Untold Stories" both made it into the top-ten on the country music charts. When asked how it makes one feel to hear your own song recorded by someone else, Tim mused, "It’s incredible. Hearing somebody else sing your song ‚Ķ it’s more than just something you did ‚Ķ it’s something that exists, it lives on its own ‚Ķ you hope for it, but you never know ‚Ķ it’s intoxicating." Describing the act of writing he says, "When I’m in the process of writing, I don’t know of anything that’s more exciting. It’s not like it’s mine, it just shows up. You can practice the craft, but when you get inspiration it’s like a download. It’s so exciting I start laughing like Amadeus did in the movie." Tim lists among his influences as a writer a variety of stylists including Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Paxton, The Beatles, Hank Williams and Jimmie Rogers to name just a few. "The main reason I write is so I can have the opportunity to play and sing those songs and of course I enjoy playing and singing other people’s songs too. I really like playing music."

And play he does. Tim has a full schedule of traveling with the Tim O’Brien Band, traveling as a solo artist, collaborating with other artists on stage or in the studio and recording his own projects. In September of 2005 Tim released two great recordings, Cornbread Nation and Fiddler’s Green and in December of that year Fiddler’s Green was nominated for a Grammy. February 8^th, 2006 Fiddler’s Green won the Grammy award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. A great thing about Tim is his humility. "It was my fourth nomination. What was mind blowing when I was there, was that people came up to me and said, ‚ÄòI voted for you’. People I didn’t think even knew anything about me." He was the recipient of the prestigious IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Award in 1993 and in 2006. Tim O’Brien’s recordings are numerous and his latest, Chameleon, was released on March 25^th, 2008. The new CD features intimate solo performances ‚Äì just one voice and one instrument ‚Äì of sixteen new originals. Surely Trip would be proud of his little brother’s accomplishments. Visit Tim’s website at www.timobrien.net.

Charles Sawtelle once told Tim that "a good instrument will find you." A 1937 Martin 00-18 found Tim some years back and in his own words he said, "I play this gem on lots of Tim & Mollie recordings. It’s punchy and sweet sounding." When approached about the prospect of Martin creating a Tim O’Brien model his humility shone through. "It is an honor to be associated with Martin Guitar. It’s solid stock. I just want to say that Martin is not like most companies of today. There is no planned obsolescence with Martin Guitars. They certainly make guitars as well as they’ve ever made them. They’ve kept that integrity. They define the whole thing. There’s none finer than a Martin."

The Martin Guitar Company is proud to pay tribute to a great talent in the world of acoustic music. The Limited Edition 00-18 Tim O’Brien model is based in tradition, but incorporates some features not previously found in the Martin line. Tim had some specific ideas about what he wanted in a signature model. He chose the "00" body and the "18" styling which on his model includes solid mahogany for the sides and back and Adirondack spruce for the top. The top is supported with scalloped ¬º" Adirondack braces & tone bars and a maple bridge plate. The thin bracing and the stiffness of the Adirondack spruce produces a clear bell-like tone with volume suitable for both fingerpicking and flatpicking. The soundhole is adorned with a simple vintage style 18 rosette, however the center ring of black has been replaced by an elegantly thin strip of select abalone pearl. A beveled polished tortoise style pickguard protects the top below the strings. The top and back are bound in black Boltaron and the center back strip of Madagascar rosewood matches the headplate overlay which displays the historic Golden Era style Martin decal. In a show of support for the use of alternative woods, Tim chose solid Spanish Cedar for the full thickness "V" neck, attached to the body with the traditional "dove-tailed" neck joint. The ebony fingerboard features Martin’s pocketed fret slots, G300 fret wire and is dressed out with Diamonds & Squares inlay pattern of select abalone pearl. Its width at the nut is 1¬æ". Nut and saddle are bone. A unique feature of the 00-18 Tim O’Brien is its 25¬?" scale length, which is typically reserved for Dreadnoughts and Orchestra Models. This feature will add to the power and volume of this specially designed instrument. The guitar is detailed with a highly polished nitro-cellulose finish and comes in a Geib-style deluxe case. Tim O’Brien will personally sign the interior label of each guitar. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Tim O’Brien Signature Model will be donated in support of Catholic Charities Refugee and Immigration Services.

The 00-18 Tim O’Brien Signature Edition is limited to no more than 100 instruments. Once ordering is under way, a list of participating Martin Dealers will be posted on the Martin website.

Tim O’Brien

He appeared this past Monday on The Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour (video available online) and will be the guest on today’s (3/29) edition of Blue Plate Special on WDVX-FM in Knoxville, TN.

The new CD has Tim on his own in the studio, accompanying himself on a variety of stringed instruments (banjo, bouzouki, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) on 16 of his new compositions. Audio samples are available on Tim’s web site.

If you would like to catch Tim’s show on WDVX later today, tune in to 89.9 FM in and around Knoxville, or listen live online at WDVX.com at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).

In November the legendary folk/bluegrass singer, songwriter and activist Hazel Dickens was honored as one of the inaugural inductees into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony at The Cultural Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

Belatedly, I submit this tribute and report of the evening’s activities ‚Ķ‚Ķ‚Ķ.

Considered one of the most influential and powerful artists, male or female, in the world of Americana music, Ms. Dickens was presented with her award by her longtime admirer, Alison Krauss.

Born in the coal-mining region of West Virginia (Mercer County), Ms. Dickens moved to the Baltimore area while in her late teens. There she found friendship and musical compatibility with local area musicians like Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard. Dickens, Gerrard and Seeger along with Tracy Schwarz and Lamar Grier recorded an album released an LP under the name of the Strange Creek Singers. Later, Hazel and Alice worked together as a duo. They recorded four ground-breaking albums before they went their separate ways in 1976.

Subsequently, Ms. Dickens has released several solo albums that have presented what has been described as “her uniquely personal amalgam of old-time string band sounds, bluegrass, protest songs, and classic country.”

Her music is renowned for the way in which she has spoken up for the impoverished, like the coalminers of her own and nearby states. Songs such as Working Girl Blues, Black Lung, and Don’t Put Her Down, You Helped Put Her There speak typically of her feelings for the cause of those who have suffered or are suffering hardship in their lives, like many of the Dickens’ family members themselves.

Her music was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Harlan County, U.S.A., which depicted the tensions surrounding a coal miners’ strike in rural Kentucky. Her poignant songs, such as Mama’s Hand, Few Old Memories, West Virginia, My Home and You’ll Get No More Of Me, have been widely recorded by other artists.

In 1993 Ms. Dickens was presented with the International Bluegrass Music Association [IBMA] Award of Merit. Three years later she won the IBMA Song Of The Year award after Lynn Morris recorded a superb version of Mama’s Hand.

In 2001 Hazel Dickens was awarded a Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest official honor bestowed on traditional musicians by the U.S. Government.

Tim O’Brien, one of the musicians who entertained guests during the evening, provides a little general information about the evening and pays his own tribute to Hazel Dickens ‚Ķ‚Ķ.

It was a heart warming event in Charleston last Friday. As a member of the board of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, I felt our hard work of the last two years paid off big time when the inductees and their friends and family gathered together to celebrate the music if my home state. Many of the best and brightest leave the state and make a name for themselves where there’s more opportunity, but without exception the inductees underlined the fact that they could never do what they do without the influence and environment of West Virginia. The tribute CD to Blind Alfred Reed, Always Lift Him Up, was launched Friday as well. On that project, various musicians with West Virginia roots contributed a track each in the name of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. It serves as a reminder of the diversity of talent from West Virginia, and helps those in and out of the state to re-connect in a kind of musical reunion. Most of the musicians involved learned more about Alfred Reed and the CD will promote Reed’s music and the music of the state.

Hazel Dickens is someone that I have often looked to as a prime example of a true artist. She left the state but kept it’s feeling inside her as she went about developing her music. She remains true to her roots while simultaneously creating her own musical and lyrical voice in the process. She speaks for the downtrodden, the underdog, and we’re better for it. I love singing her song, “Won’t You Come And Sing For Me.” Hazel is an invaluable link between the old mountain culture and the more mundane modern world. She makes the best of both elements in order to give something invaluable back to us. What more can you ask for. I keep going back to those early Hazel and Alice records to hear the real thing, and I get more and more into Hazel’s original songs as the years go by.

Alison Krauss doesn’t do many things like she did last Friday. She’s very private and not given to public appearances outside her solo career. Her presentation of Hazel’s award was incredibly heartfelt. She outlined her experiences of Hazel and her music, how the person and the songs inspired and continue to inspire her. Then when Hazel came up to accept her award, she had prepared a beautiful speech on what the state meant to her and how she would never forget what formed her music and her life’s direction.

Little Jimmy Dickens had told me a few months ago that he had heard so much about Hazel, and was really excited to meet her. When Hazel heard about this, she said that of course they’d met years ago, she had a picture to prove it, and that in fact they were related. It made me feel like the Hall of Fame project was worthwhile, seeing Jimmy and Hazel talking together. The same with Bill Withers and Jimmy – Withers related how he listened to Little Jimmy on the radio growing up in Slab Fork.

Charleston-based musician/singer and the editor of Goldenseal, the official West Virginia cultural magazine, John Lilly provides this assessment of Hazel and her music ……

Hazel Dickens’ music comes at you like molten steel: deeply passionate, at times painful, and forever riveting. Like any great artist, Hazel delves into her most private emotions and personal experiences to reveal the universal. This is especially true here in West Virginia, where making a living, maintaining a home and family, and standing up for what you believe often come with a difficult price. It was essential that Hazel be among the first people inducted into the new West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. She speaks for all of us.

Hazel was, as usual, most gracious in her response to the receipt of this latest honor …….

I shall regard and hold this honor in the high esteem which I have always held and protected and carried forth the music and culture into which I was born. These rugged mountains and cold dusty mining towns and lonesome hollers have shaped my life and music for all time. Thank you West Virginia for your rich heritage you gave me in the past and thank you for what you have given me today. I have received many honors and awards in my time but this one will hold the number one place in my heart. It gives me great comfort and pride in knowing that after all these years me and my music now have a home.

In all ten renowned West Virginia musicians were inducted into the Hall Of Fame. In addition to Hazel Dickins, there were classical composer George Crumb; stalwart of the Grand Ole Opry, country singer, Little Jimmy Dickens; songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler; hit singer/songwriter Bill Withers; Jazz saxophonist Leon “Chu” Berry; rock’n'roll pianist Johnnie Johnson; fiddler Clark Kessinger; early country singer Mollie O’Day and old-time singer and songwriter Blind Alfred Reed.

The first episode is set to air on Friday, September 21 and features Jerry Douglas, Eddi Reader with Tim O’Brien, and Julie Fowlis with Donal Lunny.

The series is broadcast with stereo sound in a widescreen format.

For more information, and the broadcast schedule, you can visit the BBC Four website.

When the guests arrived – including film luminaries like Tom Hanks, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy and Carl Reiner – they realized that they were actually to be the guests at Martin’s surprise wedding to Anne Stringfield, his girlfriend of the past three years.

A reunited Hot Rize was on hand to provide the bluegrass music, with original members Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick and Nick Forster joined by David Grier on guitar. They not only entertained after the wedding dinner, but also provided the music for the ceremony itself.

O’Brien sang his song Romance Is A Slow Dance to start the ceremony, and played the traditional Irish air, Sheebeg and Sheemore on fiddle for the processional. Wernick played a jaunty version of Cripple Creek on the banjo as the newlyweds recessed.

After dinner, Martin introduced Hot Rize for a short set, during which he joined them on stage with his banjo, performing his tune The Crow, and a double banjo version of Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Congratulations to the happy couple. A marriage consecrated by bluegrass music is bound to take, yes?

Gay’s tale was taken from the news headlines. He escaped from a South Carolina prison transport in mid-January, and evaded police over a five state manhunt, all in an attempt to visit his dying mother. In the process, he stole a pickup truck, a fully loaded Wal-Mart tractor trailer, and a tour bus belonging to country singer Crystal Gayle.

He was finally arrested on January 26 near the Daytona Speeday in Florida, after attending a race.

This story simply begged to be enclosed in a country song, and it seems that Tim wasted no time in capturing it for posterity. The Ballad of Christopher Daniel Gay is told in a musical style reminiscent of the Woody Guthrie folk ballads of the 1930s and 40s, and concludes with a tip of the hat to the world wide web.

The song can be heard at www.timobrien.net.

Scruggs’ segment starts off with Rob Ickes leading the band through Foggy Mountain Rock, followed by a version of John Hardy. Nick Forster then interviews Earl about how he came to develop his groundbreaking banjo style, which Earl describes in his typically understated and unassuming manner. He also speaks about the early days performing on the road and on TV with Flatt & Scruggs, and how he came to be associated with The Beverly Hillbillies.

After the discussion, the band returns to play The Ballad Of Jed Clampett and Foggy Mountain Breakdown. The music is fine, of course, but for many Scruggs-o-philes, the interview may be the more enjoyable part of the show.

There is a direct link to the audio on Wernick’s site, or it can accessed directly via the Etown archives. Access to the archives is restricted to registered users on the Etown site, so if you feel that you are “getting over” by using Pete’s direct link, you can register and get the audio from this and other Etown programs.

Speaking of Wernick’s web site and Hot Rize…

Pete now has two bits of sample video up at Dr.Banjo.com taken from the recently released Hot Rize concert DVD, shot in 1987. One is the band performing Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning, and a song from their bus mates, Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers doing One Woman Man.

These are Quicktime files of one entire song each, and may take a few minutes to download or open in your browser.

The induction ceremony is to be held Sunday Nov. 26, 2006 at WesBanco Arena.

I was, of course, very flattered. I rarely perform in Wheeling, so I am unaware of having made an impression there.

Wheeling has lots of low key situations to offer to a young artist. Oglebay Institute art classes with Wes Wagner taught me to think outside of the box. St. Michael Grade School and Linsly in high school provided me with opportunities to challenge myself musically, and to perform and write music, folk masses, musical play and the annual Linsly minstrel shows…

…Even so, it was hard to get on-the-job experience in Wheeling, so I wandered west to the college town of Boulder, Colo., and entered my next phase there,

A very comprehensive history and profile of Tim and his musical career can be found here.

It features a concert performance at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Lousiville, KY from July of 1987, with the original members of the band – Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick, Charles Sawtelle and Nick Forster. Interviews with the band are included, and Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers also make an appearance.

The DVD runs just under an hour, and is offered for $20 plus $5 shipping.

As I entered the Infamous Stringdusters were on stage and the bar was already crowded. I saw, among others, Tim O’Brien, reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, and hugged his neck, Nick Forrester, Alison McCoury (Mrs. Ronnie), Rob and Lisa McCoury (the new baby, named Del after his Granddaddy, is a doll and only wakes up once or twice during the night), Megan Lynch and Mike Anglin, Sirius DJs Chris Jones, Ned Luberecki, and Joey Black, Roland White and Diane Boska, Kathy Chiavola, Larry and Dreama Stephenson, David Parmley. The new Emerging Artists of the Year Steep Canyon Rangers, my friends from North Carolina were there and pretty darn excited about their win. Shortly the Del McCoury Band took the stage and played some of their many hits. It was a wash-out for them awards wise, but they didn’t seem bummed out about it. They asked Sam Bush and Tim O’Brien on stage with them and with Del the they sang the classic Monroe trio “On and On”. That’s some good harmony. Ronnie Bowman also got on stage and Del handed over his guitar. He sang “Drifting with the Tide” with Del on tenor. Yeah buddy.

I had to leave just as Missy Raines was taking over the bass from Alan Bartram but she looked resplendent in her red dress. The outfit she wore to play on the show with Claire Lynch was also cool–black pants and a long tailed black coat over a white shirt with ruffled cuffs and front–but the dress was much more glamorous. On the way out I congratulated Grasscal David Talbot and his wife Myrna on the big Entertainer of the Year award. They certainly deserved it. The Grasscals have put in a lot of hard work in a few years.

As far as after parties go, this was the best one I’ve been to. I hope they continue to do it in the future. The awards show is really moving up in the world. All we need now is a red carpet entrance for people to snap photos and it will really feel like the big time!

Award for the outstanding male vocalist based on recorded and in-person performance. The award goes to the individual.

The Male Vocalist Of The Year for 2006 is:

Review past recipients of this award.

This award is for any song, new or old, which was released or showed significant chart action within the eligibility period. Any song which has been nominated for this award in previous years is ineligible. The award goes to the songwriter and artist.

The Song Of The Year for 2006 is:

Review past recipients of this award.

This post is a contribution from Tim Kruzic, banjo player with Blue Daze. Tim is a long time friend of The Bluegrass Blog who has been involved with IBMA on many levels over the past several years. Serving on various committees and participating in the Leadership Bluegrass program Tim is a valuable asset to the bluegrass industry.

One of my favorite things about IBMA is witnessing some of the unique picking sessions that occur because of the gathering of so many great musicians. At Owensboro or Louisville, it was a bit easier to walk the halls and discover some of this magic. In Nashville, one of the coolest events is the series of concerts sponsored by Fred Carpenter at The Violin Shop. Though the venue is a bit of a ride from the main IBMA event and has a separate admission charge, it is well worth the effort. Fred sponsors shows on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. The venue only seats about 50 people and features an all acoustic setup. The concerts are recorded on video and subsequently released on DVD. Twenty five percent of the concert admission is put toward a scholarship fund for up and coming fiddle players to attend music camps; the remainder of the admission goes directly to the musicians.

Last night’s concert featured Tim O’Brien with an all star supporting band of Bryan Sutton on guitar, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, and Dennis Crouch on bass. Tim played a ninety minute set that featured some old Hot Rize favorites (Blue Night), more recent material from his solo career (Senor, Drunkard’s Hiccups [Jack Of Diamonds]), current material (Look Down That Lonesome Road, Cornbread Nation), and some great instrumentals featuring the band (Red Apple Rag, Lee Highway Blues). An added treat was twin fiddles by Tim and Stuart on several tunes. Tim continues to be on top of his game. His mandolin playing sounded quite crisp, and his vocals reaffirmed his mastery of phrasing and unique melodic interpretations. In addition to the great music, Tim’s characteristic understated sense of humor and dry wit provided continuity to the show. A particular highlight was his song using a familiar bluegrass melody with new lyrics from the computer age about love gone bad. I can’t recreate the lyrics here, but it’s really funny.

One of the interesting aspects of the evening was the musical versatility of Stuart Duncan. It’s no surprise given Stuart’s mastery of the fiddle, mandolin, and bass vocal as shown over the years with the Nashville Bluegrass Band. In this show, Stuart sang lead on the choruses for several songs (like Nick Forrester used to do with Tim in Hot Rize), tenor on several other songs, and a solo lead vocal on Train 45. He certainly did a credible job on the vocals. I was most surprised to hear Stuart play clawhammer banjo. I learned after the show that he got interested in clawhammer banjo a couple of years ago. Stuart was also really funny. His vocal accompaniment on some of the fiddle tunes was a riot, and he fired off some pretty good quips in between the songs (especially when a fiddle string broke when he picked up the fiddle after the clawhammer tune).

Bryan Sutton played his usual astounding guitar style. His rhythm was perfect for every song whether a ballad, a swing tune, or a bluegrass flavored song. For any of you reading this that think Bryan’s style is only "machine gun" notes as he did on the fast fiddle tunes with Ricky Skaggs, take another listen. Bryan is such a versatile guitar player that he complements every song in just the right way. And he added some nice baritone vocals on several trios.

Not to be overlooked is Dennis Crouch. The rhythm from this group was really snapping the way it should to suit each song, and Dennis’ bass was a big contributing factor. Dennis took one bass break (I can’t remember the name of the song) which was exceptional for its ability to create the melody.

Although the feel of IBMA in Nashville is different than Louisville, great music happens when great musicians are brought together. The locations may be unfamiliar and the methods of finding it may be different, but it’s there if you look for it. When I look back over my highlights of IBMA 2006, the Tim O’Brien concert will certainly be one of the highlights and fondly remembered.

Pete says that the DVD will include 19 songs, plus interviews, but no solid release date can be given at this time. It will be sold for $20, and it will surely show up on the Dr. Banjo online store as soon as it is released, which is expected to be soon.

Hot Rize was a very popular act on the bluegrass circuit during the 1980s, playing a hyrbid sort of music that was right at home on older Flatt & Scruggs or Bill Monroe material, and on their own more contemporary music as well. The additional of The Trailblazers to the show, which involved the Hot Rize boys quickly changing clothes mid-set and adopting new characters as a slightly dim, but surely serious honky tonk hillbilly band, was a huge hit as well.

They disbanded in 1990 at the height of their success, having recently been named as IBMA’s first Entertainer Of The Year, when Tim O’Brien left to pursue opportunities outside of Hot Rize. Tim has, of course, remained a fixture in our music, while Pete Wernick continued on teaching and performing, and Nick Forster found a home with etown on on National Public Radio. Sadly, Charles Sawtelle passed away in 1999 after battling leukemia for a number of years.

In addition to four Hot Rize CDs that are still available on Sugar Hill, there is also one from Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers, Shades Of The Past.

The show on September 25 will feature Tim O’Brien and Stuart Duncan, with support from Bryan Sutton and Dennis Crouch. There will be two shows that evening, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., with both shows taped for Volume II of their live Violin Shop concerts on DVD.

We posted about the first volume when it was released earlier this summer. That concert DVD features Andy Leftwich, Bruce Molsky, Aubrey Haynie, Jim Van Cleve and Bobby Hicks on fiddles, with contributions from Ronnie Bowman, Ron Stewart, Alan Bibey and several other fine pickers and singers.

Fred says that he really has no set release date for the Duncan/O’Brien concert DVD, but expects it will be in the first half of 2007. Details will surely appear on The Violin Shop site as they are clarified.

This GrassCast is 9 minutes in length and the file download size is 8 MB.

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Rather than simply release a double CD, the tunes were segmented stylistically into two separate themes, with Cornbread Nation being more wide ranging and eclectic, and Fiddler’s Green having a bit more of a traditionalist focus. Tim commented regarding the new twin releases:

“I wanted to do the whole spectrum of folk music from one guy singing and playing guitar or fiddle to a full band with electric guitar…”

These two new projects are not yet available in stores, but can be purchased from Tim directly at any of his upcoming shows, or from his web site.

Bluegrass fans will remember Tim as the former mandolinist and lead vocalist with Hot Rize, one of the most enduring and influential bluegrass acts on the scene in the 1980s. The group disbanded officially in 1990, but continued to perform sporadically in reunions shows until the untimely passing of guitarist Charles Sawtelle in 1999.