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Editor of Bluegrass Today Code t

Fans of the “Reno Style”, pay attention!

Hi folks!

If you are a lover of the 5 string banjo and especially of the “Reno Style” of banjo pickin’, The Misty Valley Boys have a special guest on tonights’ BIG BLUEGRASS SHOW! that is going to blow you away! I’m talking about Rebel Records recording artist, Jeremy Stephens of Danville, Va! This young man is one of the premier practitioners of the “Reno Style” of banjo picking and his agility and speed will simply amaze you! How many banjo pickers do you know today, who can pick in any chord and NEVER USE A CAPO? Will Jeremy can, and probably will on tonights’ show! I sincerely hope that you can tune in and watch!

Of course, along with The Misty Valley Boys and their Piedmont Style of bluegrass, there will also be a big dose of fun and laughter from Uncle Chilly Williams and Miss Misty Valley!

The Misty Valley Boys’ BIG BLUEGRASS SHOW! airs live each Wednesday night at 9pm EST on WGSR-TV39 from Reidsville, NC. Folks outside of the viewing area can watch it, streaming live over the internet, at our website, www.llmvb.com. Shows are also archived at our website, for convenient viewing at any time. Don’t forget to let us know what you think about the show!

Thanks!

IBMA Awards Show video coverage lacking

With the upcoming IBMA Awards night just around the corner, I’m really frustrated over the lack of coverage that is available out there.  No evidence that the major Networks will be carrying it; understandable ignorance by the Country Music Radio and TV Network crowd, (given the rift that seems to continue between New Country and traditional Bluegrass).

Sure, XM Satelite Radio is carrying it, but if you have Sirius, and have a serious (pun intended) budget, you’re not gonna run out and get XM.

And even the IBMA site itself, (outside of the Blog) could have a webcast, but I see no evidence of that yet.

So maybe I’m all wet, and have not heard of some particular avenue for seeing or hearing the show.  I know that a number of radio stations are supposed to be carrying it, but I live in Connecticut, and we are a ways from the “heart” of the Bluegrass stations that will carry it.

So maybe next year, eh?!  Maybe someone will figure out that the IBMA needs more national exposure, and will make it happen for those of us who live and breath Bluegrass in places other than the hills of Kentucky or Tennessee.

Good luck to all the folks who are nominated for awards this year, and selfishly, I wish that Sam Bush, Tony Rice, David Grisman and Alison Kraus could win them all, (nominated or not).

-snagglepuss2209

“With all those curves, there MUST be strings attached” (Mandolins)

Pick it Girl!

This post is a contribution from Casey Henry. Casey is the daughter of banjo player and bluegrass entrepreneur, Murphy Henry, and an accomplished banjo player in her own right, as well as an experienced instructor. Currently Casey and her brother Chris are fronting a band called The Two-Stringers. She first posted this on The B, where we encourage any IBMA attendees to share their impressions of this week’s events in Nashville.

You never know what you’re going to walk away with when you come to IBMA. You can plan and make your agenda, but you can never tell what band is going to blindside you with its brilliance or who you’ll unexpectedly make a connection with. I heard some really good music last night and I heard some awesome music last night, and I’m going to tell you who was playing it so you can go see it, too.

The band that blindsided me, though I’m not sure why she did – I was fully aware of her brilliance before seeing this new band – was the Missy Raines Band. I’d been seeing square pins around the exhibit hall that read "song + groove: MRB" but I didn’t know what they meant.

Now I do. Missy played a showcase in The Murphy Method room and I was only able to catch the last song, but Holy Mother of God she was amazing. I’d heard her play the tune, one she wrote, with Jim Hurst as a duo, but it was a completely different animal in this setting. It’s a five-piece band including Megan McCormick on guitar and Mike Witcher on Dobro, Matt Flinner on mandolin, and a percussionist who normally plays with Alison Brown. They had some kinda groove, some kinda funk, and I heard talk that Missy was contemplating re-naming the group Missy Raines and the New Hip, a name I love on many levels. (For those of you who don’t know Missy had hip replacement surgery last year.) If you have a chance to see Missy play, DO IT!

Another group I was pleasantly surprised by was Anne and Pete Sibley. They’re a wife and husband from Wisconsin who decided to come to IBMA at the last minute. They also showcased in The Murphy Method room. They have one more showcase tonight in the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society room at midnight (alas for them, it’s opposite Chris Thile’s showcase). They play clawhammer banjo and guitar, write songs, and are wonderful singers. They don’t sound like anybody else, and their songs had a marvelous feel. They’re also really nice people.

My band, Casey and Chris and the Two-Stringers played three times and we’re playing tonight at 12:30 in the NIBGA room. We’re excited to have Marshall Wilborn with us playing bass tonight. He and Lynn Morris didn’t expect to be here, but they decided to stay for the whole week. It’s so good to see Lynn out and about. She’s had a long road of recovery after her stroke three years ago, and has been out of the public eye most of the time, but she still thrives on music and I know people want to talk to her and find out how she’s doing.

It is encouraging this year to see the preponderance of young girl pickers ripping it up on their instruments. The Lovell Sisters from Georgia are top-notch pickers in the modern style. A trio of sisters from Leesburg, VA, called Gold Heart (their last name is Gold) followed us at one showcase. They’d only been playing their instruments for a year, but the 10, 14, and 16 year old were surprisingly good, had a great three-part harmony, and wrote some of their own songs. And of course April Verch, the Ottowa Valley fiddler who has former Two-Stringer Amanda Kowalski on the bass, fiddles and dances up a storm and is well worth hearing.

And last, but certainly not least I heard the first few songs of Laurie Lewis’s new CD on the drive back to the house last night. It is hard core, with that clever California twist. Her voice is unique and instantly recognizable and with Craig Smith on the banjo how can you go wrong?

I’ll be back out at the Trade Show today at the Murphy Method booth (#50). Stop by and say Hi!

Tim O’Brien concert at the Violin Shop

This post is a contribution from Tim Kruzic, banjo player with Blue Daze. Tim is a long time friend of Bluegrass Today who has been involved with IBMA on many levels over the past several years. Serving on various committees and participating in the Leadership Bluegrass program Tim is a valuable asset to the bluegrass industry.

One of my favorite things about IBMA is witnessing some of the unique picking sessions that occur because of the gathering of so many great musicians. At Owensboro or Louisville, it was a bit easier to walk the halls and discover some of this magic. In Nashville, one of the coolest events is the series of concerts sponsored by Fred Carpenter at The Violin Shop. Though the venue is a bit of a ride from the main IBMA event and has a separate admission charge, it is well worth the effort. Fred sponsors shows on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. The venue only seats about 50 people and features an all acoustic setup. The concerts are recorded on video and subsequently released on DVD. Twenty five percent of the concert admission is put toward a scholarship fund for up and coming fiddle players to attend music camps; the remainder of the admission goes directly to the musicians.

Last night’s concert featured Tim O’Brien with an all star supporting band of Bryan Sutton on guitar, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, and Dennis Crouch on bass. Tim played a ninety minute set that featured some old Hot Rize favorites (Blue Night), more recent material from his solo career (Senor, Drunkard’s Hiccups [Jack Of Diamonds]), current material (Look Down That Lonesome Road, Cornbread Nation), and some great instrumentals featuring the band (Red Apple Rag, Lee Highway Blues). An added treat was twin fiddles by Tim and Stuart on several tunes. Tim continues to be on top of his game. His mandolin playing sounded quite crisp, and his vocals reaffirmed his mastery of phrasing and unique melodic interpretations. In addition to the great music, Tim’s characteristic understated sense of humor and dry wit provided continuity to the show. A particular highlight was his song using a familiar bluegrass melody with new lyrics from the computer age about love gone bad. I can’t recreate the lyrics here, but it’s really funny.

One of the interesting aspects of the evening was the musical versatility of Stuart Duncan. It’s no surprise given Stuart’s mastery of the fiddle, mandolin, and bass vocal as shown over the years with the Nashville Bluegrass Band. In this show, Stuart sang lead on the choruses for several songs (like Nick Forrester used to do with Tim in Hot Rize), tenor on several other songs, and a solo lead vocal on Train 45. He certainly did a credible job on the vocals. I was most surprised to hear Stuart play clawhammer banjo. I learned after the show that he got interested in clawhammer banjo a couple of years ago. Stuart was also really funny. His vocal accompaniment on some of the fiddle tunes was a riot, and he fired off some pretty good quips in between the songs (especially when a fiddle string broke when he picked up the fiddle after the clawhammer tune).

Bryan Sutton played his usual astounding guitar style. His rhythm was perfect for every song whether a ballad, a swing tune, or a bluegrass flavored song. For any of you reading this that think Bryan’s style is only "machine gun" notes as he did on the fast fiddle tunes with Ricky Skaggs, take another listen. Bryan is such a versatile guitar player that he complements every song in just the right way. And he added some nice baritone vocals on several trios.

Not to be overlooked is Dennis Crouch. The rhythm from this group was really snapping the way it should to suit each song, and Dennis’ bass was a big contributing factor. Dennis took one bass break (I can’t remember the name of the song) which was exceptional for its ability to create the melody.

Although the feel of IBMA in Nashville is different than Louisville, great music happens when great musicians are brought together. The locations may be unfamiliar and the methods of finding it may be different, but it’s there if you look for it. When I look back over my highlights of IBMA 2006, the Tim O’Brien concert will certainly be one of the highlights and fondly remembered.

Thanks For the Blog!

Just a note to thank John and Brance for this fine Bluegrass Blog. Being a struggling banjo picker and sometimes photographer, I send John some images that I had taken at some festivals. I told him to use them as he wished, just give a photo credit. To my supprise today I went to the Blog and was looking at the Barry Abernathy article and I thought, “Man that thumbnail photo looks familiar.” Sure enough, John had used one of my pictures with the photo credit as promised! I feel a part of something special!

Thanks for using it John!

If you have the time here is a link to some more pictures that I have taken of late…..mostly of banjo pickers…..I am a little biased!

http://www.canecreek.net/marks_photo_page.htm

Thanks,

Mark

Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival – Brunswick, ME

The labor day weekend every year is the time that the Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival happens. It is probably the best festival in the eastern part of the USA. Not too far from the Canadian border,it attracts many Canadian Bluegrass Fans and Groups. Top name Groups such as Del McCoury and The Lewis Family are usualy in attendance.

I highly recomend this Festivan to all Bluegrass lovers. Ken

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