I’ve heard some pretty odd things in my time, but I hope this is merely over the top Hyperbole.
The Detroit News ran an article yesterday about careless and distracted drivers, and the danger they present on the road. They give several real world examples and then give several that just can’t be true, like this one.
Typically, a driver crooning love songs into his cell phone while strumming a banjo also will be weaving, speeding or slogging along too slowly. Assuming his driving is adequate, he might get cited anyway for not keeping one hand on the steering wheel.
With a careless-driving citation, the banjo player “might actually win if he tried to fight it,” McKelvey says. It depends on how a judge interprets the definition, “a careless or negligent manner likely to endanger any person or property.”
Of course he’s being “careless” and “negligent” by strumming a banjo rather than learning a 3-finger roll!
NOTE: Terry Baucom is not in the habit of driving while playing the banjo, but he is in the habit of playing the banjo with drive!
From time to time the banjo makes an appearance in a movie. Opening this Friday, June 20, 2008, The Love Guru, starring Mike Myers, is the latest movie to contain a scene with some bluegrass music and a banjo present.
The song of choice is Foggy Mountain Breakdown. From what I understand, Myers would have used the original Flatt & Scruggs recording, except the demands of surround sound production ruled out that option. They needed a new recording, but one that sounded like the original.
Myers is a fan of the indie powerpop group The Apples in Stereo. Robert Schneider, a member of the group, has a brother-in-law, Craig Morris, who is involved in the Kentucky music scene. When Craig heard of the need for a new recording of Foggy Mountain Breakdown, he suggested The McKendrees, a native Kentucky, bluegrass family band. Schneider stepped in to engineer the recording at Morris’ studio in western Kentucky.
The players on the recording are Josh Coffey (of Bawn in the Mash) on fiddle, Justin McKendree – mandolin, Jason McKendree – banjo, Ricky McKendree – guitar, Ron Barnett – upright bass. Jason told me this inside story about the kick off.
I had to go back in after the initial recording because they wanted a “sneaky 3 note banjo intro” which was very interesting. Craig and I went in one day and recorded about 30 different 3-note intros being as sneaky as we could, so I guess they used one of them. We’re intersted to see how it all turned out.
I guess we’ll have to wait and watch the movie to see just how “sneaky” Jason was able to be. The song is featured during a bar fight scene in the movie, with Schneider making an appearance on screen, as the banjo player. The McKendrees are not visually present in the movie though. From the preview I’m guessing there are no close ups of the banjo/band. It looks like the band is far in the background during the scene, and the music is surely overlaid with dialog, so we’ll have to be intentional about hearing Jason’s contribution.
Still, getting to perform for a movie soundtrack is something of a thrill I’m sure. Jason seems to feel that way.
I’m not sure how close we got it to the original (probably not very…hah), but we recorded the song and they got it back to Mike and the music people for the movie and they loved it, so it all worked out really well and we were thrilled to be a part of it.
Rural Rhythm Records is committed to tradition and progress simultaneously. In an effort to promote all the good bluegrass recordings they are putting out these days, the label has just started their own Bluegrass Radio service. They are calling it Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks.
If you’re a radio DJ, you may have already received a copy of Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks. This CD is a special promotional radio disc including seven new singles from current and upcoming Rural Rhythm releases. The tracks are from these artists: Mountain Heart, Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain, Mashville Brigade, Dwight McCall, Randy Kohrs, Rickey Wasson, and Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad.
I’m told another disc is underway and scheduled for a mid-July shipment.
If you didn’t receive a copy for your show, visit the Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks web page to see what it’s all about. DJs who did not receive a copy should contact them and request to be added to their radio list.
Fans, keep an ear tuned to your favorite bluegrass radio show and check out the new tracks. We’ve already told you about some of these records, and we’ll be bringing you news of the others as soon as we have it!
Mandolin master Chris Thile has had a long love affair with America’s favorite pastime. Thile’s great-great-grandfather is Baseball Hall of Famer, Sam Thompson. Thile himself, at one time, hoped to be a ball player. His first solo CD, Leading Off, featured a baseball diamond as part of the graphic content on the cover. His second CD, Stealing Second, also bears out the baseball connection.
Just last week John mentioned to me that he happened to see Chris on Baseball Tonight. Chris was performing solo at the time, but he’s taking the band out to the ball game tomorrow night.
An avowed Cubs fan, Thile is surely aware that 1908 was the last year his beloved Cubs won the World Series. 1908 was also the year the baseball seventh inning stretch anthem, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, was written. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the song, Baseball Tonight is holding a “battle of the bands” event. Nine different musical guests were asked to record a version of the song to air during different episodes of the show. Once all nine have been aired, fans will be able to watch them online and vote for their favorite.
I’m not sure what the winning performance wins, but if you’re a baseball fan and you’re reading this (I’m assuming you’re a bluegrass fan), then make sure you vote for Chris’ band, Punch Brothers. Their performance will be aired tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18, after the Cubs at Tampa Bay game. Let’s hope the Cubs win that game, and Chris wins the contest!
Voting will begin on June 29th. It will be narrowed to three performances on July 6th, and the winner will be announced on July 13th.
Now it’s your turn to be the judge. Visit the contest website on WSMonline.com, listen to the entries, and cast your vote. Nine of the ten entries are basically bluegrass in nature. Judging by the banjo that chicken is holding, I suspect they anticipate a bluegrass theme to win. Help make that happen by going over and voting for you favorite.
The voting remains open throughout this week. The winner will be announced by WSM disk jockey Bill Cody on Monday, June 23, 2008.
Last Friday, June 13, the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame held a ceremony inducting its charter members. The ceremony took place at the Walker Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College, the home of Merlefest.
The Hall of Fame is located on the second floor of the Wilkes Heritage Museum, housed in a turn of the century (1902) historical courthouse. The exhibit actually opened on May 29, featuring instruments, biographies, and historical recordings. Intending to include both famous musicians, as well as those who have worked behind the scenes to make the music possible, from a geographic area ranging from northern Georgia into northern Virginia, the Hall of Fame inducted the following persons.
Doc Watson
Dolly Parton
Wayne Henderson
David Johnson (a studio musician and performer from Wilkes County)
Earl Scruggs
Deceased inductees:
The Carter Family
Ralph Epperson (the founder of radio station WPAQ in Mount Airy)
Tommy Jarrell (an influential banjo player and fiddler from Surry County)
Folklorist Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Institution
Sam Love Queen Sr. (known as the Square Dance King of Western North Carolina)
You can see photos and short bios of each inductee at this link.
Art Menius, a longtime fixture at MerleFest and now director of Appalshop, a nonprofit group in Whitesburg, Ky., that documents and celebrates the culture of Appalachia, will be an honorary inductee. He did much of the preliminary work for the hall of fame.
Art is an active member of the online bluegrass community and we congratulate him on this well deserved honor.
The Tennessean is reporting this morning on the terms of a settlement between MTSU and the estate of Bob McLean. As we reported in October of 2007, McLean defrauded investors of millions and then generously spread the money around. Some of that money went to MTSU and this settlement ends that dispute.
What is still uncertain though, is what is to become of Bill Monroe’s mandolin and Mother Maybelle’s guitar. Both instruments are currently in the possession of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum acquired the instruments using funds donated for that purpose by McLean.
Since his estate has been forced into an involuntary bankruptcy by the investors’ lawsuit, the instruments could be auctioned to put the money back into the estate for purposes of repayment of those debts.
The bankruptcy trustee has filed a lawsuit against the Country Music Hall of Fame to retrieve the music industry donations, but that dispute remains unsettled, according to court filings.
It would sure be nice to see those instruments stay with the museum. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens…
I’ve had many conversations in the past with bands, songwriters, and even label reps about the practice of selling promo copies of CDs. Several of them have expressed frustration concerning the practice.
When a new CD comes out several hundred are usually slated for promotional use and sent to DJs, reviewers, etc. These discs are usually marked by having a hole punch taken to the barcode, and/or a label stating the uses for which the disc is authorized.
Before long, the promo copies start turning up in bins at used CD stores.
It costs money to produce a CD from start to finish. Each individual disc has a cost associated with it. The cost of the promotional discs is a factor, and it must be decided at the outset how heavily you wish to promote the project and the total number of discs you wish to make available for said purpose. There is a cost involved.
When a promo disc ends up being resold, it costs in two ways.
The first is the fact that the artist, label, and songwriter are seeing no revenue from the promo disc, so if someone purchases one instead of a regular CD, these parties all lose that income.
The second cost is in the loss of whatever promotional purpose that CD had been designated for. To be sure, it could have been a review copy and the reviewer could have done their job and then decided to clean out their office by taking all these discs to the used record store. In that case, the promotion was accomplished. But if it was a radio copy that ended up being resold, then the band has lost the promotional aspects of having that CD played on air.
The practice of selling these discs has always been looked upon as somewhat shady by the artists, songwriters, and labels. It was recently approved by a federal judge though, who ruled that such resale activities “are protected under the first sale doctrine.”
By sending the Promo CDs to music industry insiders, UMG transferred title to those insiders and the Promo CDs are subject to the first sale doctrine.
The first sale doctrine allows the purchaser of a copyrighted work to transfer (sell or give away) the copy of the work they purchased without obtaining permission from the copyright holder. If the work was not purchased though, but rather was sent out for promotion, the labels have always felt they retained rights of control on that copy. Promotional CDs we have received here at Bluegrass Today have come affixed with stickers to that effect. The labels attach this sticker and consider that a license for use by the recipient, but not title to the disc, which remains the property of the label. US District Court Judge, S. James Otero says otherwise.
UMG mistakes the music industry insider’s actions ‚Äì keeping the Promo CDs ‚Äì as accepting the license, when those actions are perfectly consistent with treating the merchandise as a gift. In fact, those music industry insiders whose Promo CDs ultimately ended up in Augusto’s possession affirmatively refuted the license agreement by transferring possession to somebody else, an act prohibited by UMG’s license language.
In essence, what the judge said was that giving away a copy for promotional use has the same effect as selling a copy commercially, insofar as the rights of the copyright holder are concerned.
We still urge you to support the bands, songwriters, and labels who create the music you enjoy, by purchasing a regular commercial copy of the product.
Few bluegrass bands have had the opportunities to perform for important persons that have been enjoyed by the Seldom Scene. Being based in Washington D.C. has obviously helped. But that alone wouldn’t be enough to recommend them for the gigs they’ve had. Their skill and competence as musicians, and their winsome stage manner have been deciding factors as well. Of course, being located in the nation’s capital has helped!
Last week the band had one of those rare opportunities. They were scheduled to perform Tuesday evening at the annual White House Lawn Picnic, to a crowd of around 1,000, including many congressmen and their families. The picnic was scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, but because of inclement weather, the Tuesday activities were called early and Wednesday activities were rescheduled to Thursday. The Band did get a full tour of the White House and a photo op with the President and First Lady.
They were invited to return on Thursday and perform with the Oak Ridge Boys, but had to decline. I’m told they are considering a performance at the White House in September. I wonder if the President has any bluegrass on his iPod?
