We’ll be playing catch-up this next few days with photos, stories and video from this whirlwind week at IBMA.

There is more to tell about events on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, plus we have a video interview with Sam Bush, a video report from the big Rural Rhythm showcase on Wednesday, and our Red Carpet interviews from last night.

For starters, here’s a photo gallery from the Exhibit Hall on Thursday afternoon. With Fan Fest beginning this morning (10/2), the hall is likely to be more active today, but through the week, there was an obvious shortage of both exhibitors and visitors. We spoke to a number of vendors, and will share some of their comments and concerns in our follow-up coverage next week.

Colby Laney is a student in the bluegrass music program at ETSU in Johnson City, TN. He plays in the young bluegrass band Next Best Thing. Tim Stafford was kind enough to loan Colby a CA guitar for his use in the band. Unfortunately, someone has stolen the instrument.

Colby is seeking any information that may lead to the recovery of the instrument. Here’s his description of the guitar.

It was a black CA Bluegrass Standard, white inlay around the sound hole, Waverly tuners, Fishman aura pickup, and a small chip on the head near the letters CA. It was inside a black dreadnaught TKL type case made by CA with CA on the case. There is no serial number that we can find yet, but the makers have been informed.

If anyone sees this instrument or has information concerning it, please contact Colby immediately.

Here’s a clip of Colby playing the guitar with Next Best Thing.

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!

Or is that Tim and Steve? Steve Gulley and Tim Stafford, two of the most widely-recorded songwriters in bluegrass today, are collaborating on a new CD for Pinecastle Records. It will feature 14 songs that the pair have written together, with the two of them tag-teaming the lead vocals.

Recording started last week at Gulley’s Curve Studio in Cumberland Gap, TN where they cut 10 bluegrass tracks. Ron Stewart was on banjo and fiddle, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Justin Moses on fiddle and resonator guitar, with Stafford on guitar and Gulley on bass.

All of the songs will be previously unreleased with the exception of Hurt Me All Over Again, which was included on April Verch’s current release, Steal The Blue.

Gulley offered a glimpse into what they are trying to capture…

“It’s a true singer/songwriter collaboration between two really close friends and writing buddies and I think that will show on the finished project. This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. Tim and I have written so many tunes together… I’m not sure how many but I’d say between 50 – 60 songs.

We’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch of them recorded by other artists and we’re really proud of that, but it feels good to let folks hear some different tunes and fresh music. It’s like letting go of some of your children.

I’m really excited about the way things turned out on the full band bluegrass stuff we just cut. The remaining 4 tunes will be more ‘middle of the road’ or Americana acoustic music. A couple will feature piano and some light percussion. One will just be my vocal and Tim’s guitar and one song will be Tim and I and our guitars. So, as you can see, the project will run the full spectrum of the kind of songs Tim and I write.

I really think it will show a little bit of all of our musical tastes and influences while still having a majority of the project be straight ahead bluegrass. That’s our first love anyway.”

Stafford and Gulley are jointly producing and hope to be finished with the recording soon, though the finished CD isn’t likely to be released until early in 2010.

Most bluegrass fans know Tim from his many years with Blue Highway, and Steve from Mountain Heart and now Grasstowne. I’ve enjoyed their work with these groups for years of course, but I have always been especially fond of their two solo projects, Stafford’s Endless Line and Gulley’s Sounds Like Home.

If this new album compares favorably with either of those – as I’m sure it will – it will be a sure fire winner.