The Dixie Bee-Liners have come a long way to this point, where they are anticipating their debut, full-length CD release, Ripe, on Pinecastle Records.
Band principals Brandi Hart, a Lexington, KY native, joined Buddy Woodward in his native New York city where the group got its start.
Brandi worked in marketing and design while Buddy did stage work until they decided that a move to Virginia was the best course to pursue a career in and around bluegrass music.
Woodward had worked previously in a production of a play based on the life and career of The Stanley Brothers at Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA and Hart had a job offer from The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, also based in Abingdon.
They made the move to Virginia in the summer of ’06, and a year later, were signed to Pinecastle to record a new CD. The result, produced by Bil VornDick and featuring original material written by Woodward and Hart, is due in April of 2008.
Brandi took advantage of her own graphics background and design experience and handled art-direction for the project herself.
“Because of the title track, Ripe, we went for a vintage fruit-crate theme, and we even wrote ‘Grown & packed in Washington Co., VA’ on the CD cover. We are so proud to be living and working along in this beautiful and unbelievably musical part of Virginia.
The illustrations and package design were done by Raymond Smith. He’s famous for his vintage-style Hoboken postcards, but he’s also a wonderful painter. An Englishman named Paul Bevoir also consulted on the package design.”
Also paying homage to their new home in Virginia is the lead off track from Ripe, Down The Crooked Road, which has just been released to bluegrass radio. You can hear the song on The Dixie Bee-Liners’ MySpace page.
“I really hope that this new song brings greater attention to The Crooked Road. Southwestern Virginia has a great wealth of musical history & heritage to offer bluegrass fans. I know once people visit this region and see America’s mountain music traditions alive and well, they’ll want to keep coming back for more”
UPDATE 1:10 p.m.: I neglected to mention that Down The Crooked Road is being offered to radio via two distribution channels. It is featured on the current edition of Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass (Volume 90), and for stations that do not subscribe to Prime Cuts, it is available from RadioSubmit.com.
Stations will have to register and verify their status, but there is no charge for the RadioSubmit service.
