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The position requires several years of radio and programming experience, and they are looking for someone who is familiar with online audio formats, graphic design software and basic web editing skills.
This is a full time position with a salary in the $45,000-$50,000 range.
Full details, and an online application process, can be found on the American University web site.
Having just finished exams in her fourth semester at the New England Conservatory of Music, she started touring in support of her new record, Follow Me Down, which hit on Sugar Hill yesterday (5/17). On top of all the CD-release publicity, Sugar Hill had her all over NPR on Monday, where she was interviewed on All Things Considered and World Cafe.
Fortunately for us, we had a chance to speak with Sarah a couple weeks back before the craziness set in, and she shared some thoughts about the music on the new album, and what she has planned for her summer vacation.
Follow Me Down finds this talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist juggling those roles across the various tracks. The bulk of the material was written or co-written by Sarah. Two are instrumentals of hers, and two are covers from artists that she especially admires (Bob Dylan and Radiohead).
“For me, its important to include a couple of covers, if only to display how much music I listen to. Of course I want to feature my own songs, but in representing myself as an artist, I want to perform other music that catches my ear.
They reflect what I love and have been influenced by, and it’s a challenge to pick ones that blend with my own music.”
The one track that first captivated me on the CD is one that she wrote with Cameron Scoggins, an adaptation from Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee. The poem has a very musical quality to it, particularly the line “We loved with a love that was more than love,” which Sarah and Cameron incorporated into their original work, titled Annabelle Lee.
“The whole thing happened in about half an hour. Those words draw on such an old timey feel, so clawhammer banjo was perfect. This song, and all my original songs on the record, all start out with just me. It’s cool to have them work solo – just raw words and music. And it’s cool to see them go through different phases getting to a finished track.”
Annabelle Lee: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/annabelle_lee.mp3]
Sarah said that starting solo was the theme for the way she worked in the studio with producer Gary Paczosa as well.
“I would start by recording my instrumental and vocal part. We went from there to deciding how to build it up.
Gary and I had so many ideas for each song, and when the musicians came in they had ideas too. It really made me think about each song in depth.”
And such musicians she has on this record! Béla Fleck, Casey Driessen, Viktor Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mark Schatz are among the guest pickers, with Darrell Scott, Shawn Colvin, Dan Tyminski, Sarah Siskind and Vince Gill providing harmony vocals.
“I feel so blessed that they all have been so generous with their time to contribute their genius to this record.”
The Radiohead cover she chose is The Tourist, which was recorded with Punch Brothers.
“I went to New York for a day last September and we just had the most awesome time. All the guys were just so pumped. I’ve been a Radiohead fan for a long time, and backstage at a festival one time I heard Chris Thile playing that song, and we jammed on it a bit, and talked about maybe recording it together.
The arrangement happened pretty naturally, and we went with the form that Radiohead did on their record.
We recorded live in the studio, with minimal overdubs.”
The Tourist: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/tourist.mp3]
Peace, an instrumental that closes the CD showcases Jarosz on the mandolin. Tracking with her were Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Edgar Meyer on bass and Seamus Egan on wooden flute.
“This is a good representation of how a piece of music has evolved from before I went to school and now, being almost halfway done. I started writing it when I was just 12 years old, and played it for one of my instructors at NEC. He listened and told me ‘You have an A and C part, but you need a B.’
I always heard bass and strings on this, but when I went to three parts I heard the Irish flute.”
Peace: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/peace.mp3]
With Follow Me Down on the street, Sarah has an exhaustive tour schedule set up for the summer. In addition to crisscrossing the US, she has shows in Canada, Denmark and the UK.
“It will honestly be my first time touring this extensively. I’m looking forward to it. And with my trio [Nathaniel Smith and Alex Hargreaves]… That also makes it very exciting. There’s about a week while Nat will be teaching at the Mark O’Conn0r camp, but otherwise trio all the way.”
With only two days of sales figures in, the CD is already in the top 25 at both Amazon and iTunes. Not bad for a college sophomore, no?
He is credited with being the first banjo player to be recorded playing in the melodic style.
Thompson worked as a studio musician in Nashville where he was in great demand for more than 20 years. His considerable musical legacy includes recordings with Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Perry Como, Merle Haggard, Trini Lopez, the Monkees, Olivia Newton-John, Melanie, Jimmy Buffett, Dr Hook, Neil Young and many others.
Thompson, an excellent guitar player, a former member of Jim & Jesse’s Virginia Boys band and cast member of the Hee-Haw TV show, played on the soundtracks of films such as Coal Miners’ Daughter, Five Easy Pieces, Smokey & the Bandit I and II and Urban Cowboy.
In addition, he played banjo on jingles for a wide range of major companies.
He was stricken with multiple sclerosis in 1985 and was forced to retire from music in 1987.
** Come Hither to Go Yonder: Playing Bluegrass with Bill Monroe, 208 pages, ISBN-10: 9780252072437, ISBN-13: 978-0252072437
Bill Monroe is so foundational to bluegrass music that the entire genre took its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys. In Come Hither to Go Yonder, Bob Black recounts his years spent as a member of that seminal band. While other work on Bill Monroe has been written from a historical point of view, Come Hither to Go Yonder is told from the perspective of a musician who was actually there. Filled with observations made from the unique vantage point of a man who has traveled and performed extensively with the master, this book is Bob Black’s personal memoir about the profound influence that Monroe exerted on the musicians who have carried on the bluegrass tradition in the wake of his 1996 death. This volume also includes a complete listing of Bob Black’s appearances with Monroe, his most memorable experiences while they worked together, brief descriptions of the more important musicians and bands mentioned, and suggestions for further reading and listening. Offering a rare perspective on the creative forces that drove one of America’s greatest composers and musical innovators, Come Hither to Go Yonder will deeply reward any fans of Bill Monroe, of bluegrass, or of American vernacular music. Bob Black played banjo as one of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. He recorded with Monroe on the Weary Traveler album, and later played with Buck White and the Down Home Folks. He appears on a number of fiddle albums by Kenny Baker and has performed with Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, Marty Stuart, Frank Wakefield, John Hartford, the Whites and other artists.
He currently lives near Iowa City, where he performs in Perfect Strangers, the Banjoy Band, and other groups. He has published articles in Bluegrass Unlimited and in 2002 received the Iowa Arts Council’s Traditional Arts Award. This is a volume in the series Music in American Life.
(Product description)
House of Bryant is run by Dane and Del Bryant, sons of the late Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who made music history as the writers of Rocky Top. It was a big hit for The Osborne Brothers in 1967, and has reached legendary status as a fight song for the University of Tennessee. Though the Bryants have more than 2000 songs under copyright, Rocky Top remains their biggest hit, one that has been covered by artists as diverse as Lynn Anderson, who made it a hit again in 1970, and jam band heroes Phish.
Rouse had a run at the song himself, producing several dance remixes on Rocky Top ’96 for Decca under his GrooveGrass brand in 1996. It featured the iconic bluegrass version with a funk beat that went on to become a dance club favorite, selling over 100,000 copies. The album also featured the original Osborne recording, which Rouse says was meant to help introduce bluegrass to a younger audience with no knowledge of its existence.
He parlayed that into a full-length, self-produced recording in 1997 and another for Reprise in ’98, GrooveGrass 101. The first record simultaneously fascinated the music industry by combining Nashville grassers with Bootsy Collins, the Father of Funk, and annoyed bluegrass purists for tearing at the fabric of Bill Monroe’s legacy.
Rouse tells us that it was his sincere passion for the song and the music that convinced the Bryants to work with IdeaBang. Oh… and the string of product development successes for television and movies Rouse has under his belt. He says that this agreement has been in the works for nearly three years, and he can’t wait to get started.
Look for a launch of The Official Rocky Top brand in late July.
Rouse also has a new set of Rocky Top GrooveGrass remixes set for release September 2. He says that they are somewhat similar to the 1996 project, but reflecting 2012 musical sensibilities, and adding some sports-related themes. Charlie Daniels is on board giving voice to 2 of the tracks.
Should be fun. Scott Rouse is one of those guys you never, ever bet against.
Josh had been performing and recording with Amber Collins & No Speed Limit, and just recently traveling with the Virginia Crooked Road tour. He tells us that there are a few more dates he will do with Amber, but is full time now with Cord.
He is stepping in to replace longtime Cordle guitar man Booie Beach, who left to take care of some family responsibilities in Florida.
Josh joins Jody King on banjo, Chris Harris on mandolin, Kim Gardner on reso-guitar, and James Doncsecz on bass in Lonesome Standard Time.
You can find Larry’s tour schedule posted on his web site.
The Real Bluegrass Book includes more than 300 songs across 432 pages, presented in the familiar Real Book format. Both instrumentals and vocal numbers are listed among the contents, each displayed in a large, easy-to-read handwritten font.
This is Leonard’s most recent entry in their expansive Real Book series, which offers similar titles for rock, jazz, dixieland, jazz, Broadway, Christmas music and other stylistic niches.
The Real Bluegrass Book book carries a $29.99 price. You can see a complete song list on the Hal Leonard site.
* John Monroe was the third born child of J. B. and Malissa Monroe.
He is known to have worked in the coal mine on his father’s farm.
*** These recordings made at Gasthof Lindenhof, Neusudende, Germany, were done during a 25-day tour of Europe.
The first set lasted for one hour and 15 minutes and consisted of ….
Introduction, Roustabout, Bluegrass Breakdown, Mule Skinner Blues, Footprints In The Snow, Kentucky Mandolin, I’m Working On A Building, The Road Of Life, Grey Eagle, Festival Waltz, Uncle Pen, The Truck Drivin’ Man, In The Pines and Shuckin’ The Corn.
The second set was 15 minutes longer ….
Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Doin’ My Time, Flint Hill Special, Little Joe, You Won’t Be Satisfied That Way, McKinley’s March, I Saw The Light, Orange Blossom Special, Orange Blossom Special, Orange Blossom Special, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, My Little Georgia Rose, Down Yonder, Wabash Cannonball, You’ll Find Her Name Written There, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / I Saw The Light, John Henry, Molly And Tenbrooks and Fraulein.
After the shows Bill Monroe and Ralph Lewis jammed with the Emsland Hillbillies. This brief interlude was recorded also. All of these recordings were included in the Bear Family box-set Far Across The Blue Water – Bill Monroe In Germany (BCD-16624 EK).
The Blue Grass Boys for this tour were Kenny Baker [fiddle], Bob Black [banjo], Ralph Lewis [guitar] and Randy Davis [bass].
Footnote: During the second set Bill Clifton joined Monroe to sing four songs and play an instrumental version of Wildwood Flower.
Buddy Woodward of Dixie Bee-Liners shares his memory of meeting Bill Monroe for the first time and experiencing a typical Monroe ‘gesture’….
“The one time I met Big Mon was at Lincoln Center in New York City, he was playing a summer concert there in, I think, 1994. A friend’s band had played there a month or two before, so I knew where the backstage area was, and thought I might sort of sneak around the side and see if I could catch a glimpse of the man. I walked past his bus, and continued on up the ramp toward the wings, but didn’t see him. As I turned to head back I practically walked right into him. He looked me right in the eye, and I sort of stammered, ‘Uh…Mr. Bill…’ He stuck out his hand and said, ‘Hi, I’m Bill Monroe.’ I took his hand to shake it, and he yanked me right off balance…a typical Monrovian test of strength and character, as I later found out. I failed. After which he kept on walking, tall and straight like a marble statue and disappeared backstage.
Even at the age of 83, the man came close to pulling my arm right out of its socket, and I could easily imagine him lifting his entire band, all of them sitting on a wooden railroad tie balanced on his shoulders, as he used to do back in the 1940s.
On cold days — and every September 9th — that shoulder still aches.”
The song is SoHo, written by fellow-Austinian Drew Smith. They shot the video (produced and directed by Mike Abb) at a friend’s house in mid-April. In addition to the members of the band, you’ll see actress Stephanie Hunt, sister of long-time Austin music figure Phoebe Hunt, who is beginning to make a career for herself in television.
Take it away boys…
Milk Drive is Noah Jeffries on guitar, Dennis Ludiker on mandolin, Brian Beken on fiddle/vocals, and Matt Medford on bass.
Kohrs is blessed with an agile and expressive voice, an admirable facility with the resonator guitar, and a knack for putting together a catchy tune with a memorable lyric. He is also an award-winning producer and studio engineer, whose Slack Key recording studio in Nashville is renowned both for its unique decor and its sonic purity.
As with any man of many talents, Randy finds his successes in turns, sometimes in one place and sometimes another. Right now, he is enjoying the fact that Can You Give Me a Drink, a song he co-wrote with LaTresa Smith and included on his Old Photograph CD in 2007, has been recorded by the legendary Gospel group Blind Boys of Alabama.
After more than 70 years as an institution, the Blind Boys continue to serve as ambassadors of southern black Gospel and spiritual music traditions since they were created by the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Since that time they have captured almost every honor available to musical artists, and have performed and recorded around the world and in collaboration with a who’s who of popular music icons.
A chance encounter with country star Jamey Johnson when the Blind Boys were inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame last year led to the group deciding to make their newest album, Take The High Road, in Nashville, recording with some of the top names in country music like Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., The Oak Ridge Boys and Vince Gill.
So how did a song from a Randy Kohrs project get to these renowned Gospel luminaries? Randy’s publicist, musical collaborator and (since last month) wife, Ashley Brown Kohrs explains.
“Kevin ‘Swine’ Grant, a popular session bass player and producer, co-produced Take The High Road. He called Randy one night, really excited, at about 11:00 p.m. and explained a little about the project. They were still looking for songs, though they’d already started tracking, and Swine woke up early that morning with Can You Give Me a Drink stuck in his head. He dug around and found the Old Photograph CD, listened to the song again, and pitched it to the Blind Boys, who loved it. The next morning, Swine called Randy, told him to bring his guitar, and they tracked it. Randy also ended up playing on another song, too.
I remember how this song came about… Randy and LaTresa were scheduled to write one day. Lacking in ideas, Randy decided to look for inspiration. He picked up the Bible, randomly opened it and put his finger down on the page, landing on the story about the woman at the well, and the song was born.”
Ashley also told us that Randy was able to play on the CD release show on May 4 at Nashville’s Belcourt Theater, performing both with Jim Lauderdale (who also appeared on the record) and the Blind Boys as well.
Congratulations Randy for this latest milestone!
Pete contacted us over the weekend about his new group, Tumbling Bones, and their just-released EP, Risk Not Your Soul. They are following in the footsteps of acts like Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford & Sons and others who have combined the raw and raucous energy of old time string band music with elements of swing, jug band, ragtime and the modern jammy sensibilities that the young people all seem to admire.
Winne explains what the new venture is all about…
“I used to be in an old-time/Americana group called The Powder Kegs. We were touring regularly for a couple years and things were taking off – we won The People In Their Twenties Contest on A Prairie Home Companion in 2007 – and then we had creative differences, some people wanted to become more of a contemporary rock band, and things sorta fell apart. Tumbling Bones is a new group featuring some of the members of The Powder Kegs, and we’re getting back to our Americana and bluegrass roots. On Saturday we released an EP, and we’ve got most of a June tour booked.”
Here’s their version of the old chestnut, East Virginia Blues.
East Virginia Blues: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/east_va.mp3]
You can hear the entire project on their BandCamp site, where you can also purchase tracks for download.
