Produced by Jim VanCleve of Mountain Heart, this new CD is an impressive outing for this young band. We have a review of the CD coming soon, but for now we wanted to let you know of it, and tell you about an exciting promotion we’re running in conjunction with its release.
I’ve embedded a player to the right that will let you preview the entire CD.
To commemorate this release, of the band’s second CD, we’re giving away two prize packages, each containing the following items.
Prize Packages Include:
2 Tickets to a festival where Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain will perform.
The winners will be able to watch Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain perform their favorites songs and have a special meet and greet with Carrie and the band. The concert dates available are:
Quite often we report about new CD releases that have been sent our way. It’s not often that we are presented with a release from our European bluegrass brethren, so we’re excited to tell you about this release.
Richard Cifersky began his music journey with the banjo at the age of 15. He is a former member of the award winning band Fragment, based in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Cifersky was with the band from 2002-2005. Currently, he is a member of the bluegrass band Waterflow. He is also fronting his own band, Richard Cifersky & Rainy Day. The band takes its name from the title track of his new solo CD by the same name.
The band, and the CD reflect Cifersky’s varied influences.
The CD consists of 10 tracks, eight are original compositions belonging to Cifersk??. The banjo is prominent on all tracks with a very pleasing tone and tasteful playing. The band is somewhat unconventional by American stanards, but the result is great listening for those who are free from the law of tradition.
The CD features Moln?°r, J?°no?°, and Cifersk??, along with a host of special guests, including one American player.
Becky Buller – fiddle, vocal
Emil Form?°nek – guitar
Roman S??kora – bass
Michal Barok – mandolin
Peter Szabados – dobro, pedal steel
Sisa Michalidesov?° – whistle, flute
Peter Prelozn??k – piano, strings
Lubo?° Jurkoviƒç – vocals
These musicians represent several of the top Eastern European bluegrass bands, including Druha Trava, Meantime, and Waterflow.
In addition to her contributions on fiddle, Becky Buller also contributed vocals on two tunes, one from her own pen.
Becky’s distinctive vocals shine on John Lowell’s “When Will You Be Home” and her own song “Wrong Place, Wrong Time”.
The title track, Rainy Day, displays Cifersky’s virtuosity on a composition that is a blend of several musical backgrounds all finding their focus in the banjo. The sounds of the band work well alongside the flute, drums and other instruments.
Blue Nashville represents a more strict bluegrass sound on the CD. With only “traditional” instrumentation, the tune well put together and enjoyable.
Both songs are available (complete tracks) as free mp3s on RichardCifersky.com.
Rainy Day was released on July 15, 2008. In the US we typically host a CD release party that involves a performance of many, if not all, of the songs from the CD, along with “jamming” with special guests. Apparently in Slovakia they have other traditions as well. Jana Mougin, bass player and lead singer with Fragment, sent this picture from the release. It may not be apparent at first, but they are christening the CD with Jack Daniels!
In our country, we have a tradition to choose good Godparents for a CD. I was very honored Richard asked me and Henrich Novak (resonator player for Fragment) to christen (sprinkle ) his new “Baby”. Richard finds a big part of his inspiration in Nashville, Tennessee. We decided Jack Daniels would be the best liquid to use for christening his new album.
I’m sure many a release party in the US has seen an abundance of Jack Daniels, but I don’t know of any CDs being christened with it. Anyone care for a new tradition?
The last barrier preventing the long proposed merger between satellite radio providers, Sirius and XM, was removed Friday night when the FCC granted approval. The merger will create one satellite provider with a combined subscriber base of 18 million.
The approval does come with several conditions.
The companies will have to cap their subscription prices for three years, allow a la carte channel subscription alongside packages, offer more education and minority programming, and allow other manufacturers to build and sell transmitters.
What this means for bluegrass listeners is still to be seen. Hopefully it will mean better programing at lower prices. That’s what the companies promised.
You can read the full story about the FCC approval at the Washingtonpost.com.
The New York Times ran a story yesterday about the demise of CD inserts. Using Teddy Thompson (son of English folk-rocker Richard Thompson who wrote the Del McCoury hit 1952 Vincent Black Lightning) as an example, the article relates that Thompson’s newest CD has one line of liner notes which refers readers to the artist’s website for details.
Thompson did indicate that he had jumped the gun a bit by not including the liner notes, and the British version of the CD, due out next month, will include them. Even so, he still thinks this is the eventual direction the industry is taking.
With downloads comprising a larger and larger percentage of overall sales, there will be both less demand for printed liner notes, and less incentive for labels to lay out the cash for that printing. The internet does provide a less expensive channel for distributing this information, but there is a downside.
For all the frivolity to be found in album notes, they can also provide a valuable education. Credits don’t merely inform listeners of the names of musicians, producers, songwriters and recording studio employees toiling behind the scenes; they teach listeners music history and allow them to make connections.
The same can all be communicated via the internet, but will it? And will people take the time to find it and read it? If it’s in their hand after purchasing a CD they’ll likely read them, at least while listening for the first time.
This also presents a problem for radio DJs who rely on the liner notes for information while spinning a CD. They’re busy folks and many won’t have the time to go online searching for info. If a band did effective and thorough radio service with full liner notes, included as much of that information as possible embedded in the MP3 ID tags, along with a PDF file downloaded with the album, then maybe they could forgo the printed version with the retail CD.
I know as a consumer, I would read the notes if they were easily found online while listening the CD for the first time, as it’s being imported into iTunes.
WSVS, AM 800 in Crewe, VA has been a radio home to bluegrass music since the station’s inception in 1947. The station became most closely associated with bluegrass through the involvement of Charles Johnson (Little Jody Rainwater), who joined the station after leaving The Foggy Mountain Boys. Flatt & Scruggs broadcast a daily show from the station from May of 1954 until January of 1955.
We’ve just received word that the station has begun webcasting a live stream. Utilizing Live365, the station is making its bluegrass and classic country broadcasting available to all. The main bluegrass content is featured during Mel Payne’s Bluegrass Depot which airs from 3pm to 6pm, Monday through Friday, ET.
We’ve posted several times previously concerning the latest offering from McCoury Music. The CD Moneyland, is a collection of songs previously released by various artists, along with 4 new songs, and a couple of newly recorded versions of old songs.
The label has just announced a video contest for the album. The contest is open to all, pros and amateurs alike. Contestants are encouraged to create a video short for one of the tracks from the CD. The video can take the form of a music video, a documentary, narrative, or collage of still photos set to the music. Videos are limited in length to the length of the track, plus two minutes. This additional time is allowed for video to adequately tell its story.
A winning film for each song will be selected with a cash prize of $250 dollars being awarded for each. An overall winner will also be selected with a cash prize of $2500 being given to this contestant. The winners will all have press and media coverage, though details of broadcast have yet to be released.
McCoury Music has described the CD as “a hard-hitting look at today’s economic injustice” through song. My guess would be that the vast majority of entries will be from people who agree with the assessment that “economic injustice” exists. Any entries which run contrary to that idea should be interesting though.
The website quotes Del as stating that the CD is not about “party politics” but suggests that it is a timely call to action, “especially in an election year.” Del goes on to say that his hope is that the
music moves you to find a place where you can help–even if it’s just at the voting booth.
The news page on the site features quotes from various media, including this one from incoming IBMA board member Craig Havighurst.
McCoury, one of my musical heroes, is stepping forward boldly with a message that sounds exactly like what Obama (whom I continue to support incidentally) was trying to say…
Josh tells me he’s happy with the band he’s put together, and he’s looking forward to letting people hear them.
I feel I have put together an excellent band of great players and great people, A musical group that is second to none, with Tim Dishman on bass, Clayton Campbell on fiddle, Jason McKendree on banjo and Chase Johner on Mandolin.
The members of the "JWB" and I are looking forward to working with Jim and all the folks at Roe Entertainment, and are especially excited about getting back out to work with all our good friends out on the Bluegrass circuit. We are honored to have become part of such a great roster as we prepare for the 2009 and 2010 touring season.
The band has been getting a good response so far from the fans. The included picture is from a sold out show at the Station Inn on July 12, 2008.
Josh tells me the band is playing a mixture of contemporary and traditional bluegrass. Josh is certainly the man to do it, as he has a firm grasp on where this music came from, and he’s one of the young musicians who will dictate where it goes.
I suggest you get out and see this fine young band at the first opportunity.
Your blog authors have been busy in the studio all week working on a couple of new AcuTab projects that were mentioned earlier. I managed to snap a couple of photos of the action.
I thought I’d share them here for those that are interested.
The sessions have gone well and we’re excited about the results.
Earlier this year at the SPBGMA convention in Nashville, TN, Red Line Resophonics showcased their instruments for the first time. Red Line Resophonics is run by Steve Smith of Cumberland Acoustic, a company that produces bridges for mandolins and banjos, as well as truss rods, pick guards, resonators, and more.
Steve has previously worked for Gibson in their Original Acoustic Instruments division, and brings that experience to the creation of this new line of resophonic guitars.
Red Line Resophonics utilizes a combination of traditional body shapes and contemporary sound-well and bracing designs, along with other techniques. There are two primary models being offered at this time.
The standard model consists of all solid wood parts (your choice of woods), an ebony fingerboard, and a number of custom options. The standard model is priced at $1950 with a handful of the custom options adding a few dollars to the price tag. Some custom options, or choices, do not affect the final price.
The rambler model is designed for those who are not able to spend quite as much. The rambler is constructed of solid birch neck and sides, with laminated birch top and back, and a rosewood fingerboard. The cost of the rambler is only $950.
Both models are constructed entirely in America by the team at Red Line Resophonics . No kits or kit parts are used in either model.
We just received word that Josh Williams has announced his engagement to Jennifer Harper.
The two are scheduled to be married later this month, July 26, 2008, in Burns, TN where the couple plans to live.
Here’s the text of the engagement announcement that Josh sent out.
Kevin & Debbie Harper of Dickson, TN. announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Jennifer Lynsey Harper, to Joshua Seth Williams, son of Tony & Terri Williams of Benton, KY. Jenny Lyn is the granddaughter of Mr. & Mrs. William S. Chapman of West Monroe, LA and Mr. & Mrs. Sam Stutts of Pioneer, LA, and the late James R. Harper of Pioneer, LA. She is a 2001 graduate of Simsboro High School in Simsboro, LA and attended East Tennessee State University. She is currently employed with Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort.
Josh is the grandson of the late E. G. "Lightning" and Mary Neale Williams and the late Philip G. Farnum and Pauline Farnum and Roland E. Culp and Sarah Hyde. He is a 1999 graduate of Marshall Co. High School. He is currently the lead singer and guitar player for The Josh Williams Band.
