Author: James Gabehart

Jim has been playing the banjo, and other string instruments for nearly 40 years. Since joining the musicians union and becoming a performing musician at the age of 15, he won five West Virginia State Banjo Championships, as well as dozens of other competitions, and has taught hundreds of students. Jim was elected as Prosecuting Attorney for Lincoln County, WV in November 2012, and is an active touring performer with his wife and musical partner, Valerie. Learn more about their music at www.JimandValerieGabehart.com.

Letters from Camp: Day 5

Jim Gabehart is journaling his time at the Pete Wernick Dr. Banjo Advanced Banjo Camp this week.

We had another half-day session yesterday, starting at 9:15 a.m. and going to 1:30 p.m., leaving a nice opportunity to go sightseeing. Although there are many interesting places to see and things to do, I couldn’t imagine coming to to Boulder and not making the hour drive to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park — so we did.

The only comparable prior experience which comes to mind was a trip to Hawaii — in both cases, upon first encounter it was difficult to keep our eyes on the road and drive because of the breathtaking natural beauty. We didn’t encounter any elk or bighorn sheep. We did see some deer, but on any given day there are a dozen whitetail deer within 100 feet of our front porch in West Virginia.

We stopped off at the Stanley Hotel, a historic landmark, for dinner on our way back from the park (Jimmy and I had the “hunters meatloaf” made of elk, boar, and bison — it was delicious). Because of its history, luxury, and location near the entrance to the park, it has hosted many famous celebrities and served as the inspiration for Stephen King’s book (and the Jack Nicholson movie) The Shining, during a visit by King to the hotel. For the younger crowd, it was also a primary shooting location for the Jim Carrey movie, Dumb and Dumber.

During our camp session earlier in the day, Pete gave everyone an opportunity to submit a few topics that hadn’t been covered that would be of interest and he proceeded to go through a lot of these subjects. One of the things that he mentioned which caught me off guard was that because of the effect fret wear can have on tuning, he has his frets dressed, and replaced if needed, once a year on average.

I had always thought of fret wear as an issue relating to creating a “buzz” by causing the string to sink into a groove and touching the next fret due to being lower, and had not considered that the flattening of the fret caused by wear causes the scale to actually change. I immediately checked my frets and could see they are in need of work.

We are going to be putting on a show tomorrow, with each camper being responsible for contributing two songs each. The show, which will be open to the public, serves several purposes — an opportunity to try out things we’ve been working on; a chance to perform in front of Pete and get his feedback; the money raised from admission fees helps fund a scholarship for a future attendee; and last but not least, we all like to perform — FUN!

Lest anyone question how enjoyable a nine-banjo extravaganza might be, several of the attendees play multiple instruments and sing and I brought along my own singer-accompanist (Valerie). Also, the show will be put together with thought toward varying tempo, key, and style to avoid banjo burnout. I’m looking forward to hearing the variety of style and hearing everyone in performance mode.

I’m sending some photos with my letter home. Hope you enjoy them. Until tomorrow . . .

Letters from Camp: Day 4

Jim Gabehart is journaling his time at the Pete Wernick Dr. Banjo Advanced Banjo Camp this week.

After a couple of eight-hour days in class, not including jamming and individual practice outside class, we were given the morning off to work on our own. We’ve been encouraged to pick out a song or solo that we want to learn or improve using the loop method (discussed in yesterday’s Letter From Camp) to iron out trouble spots.

We also have been encouraged to express creativity and develop individual style by composing original instrumentals. In response to his request that we perform any original compositions, I played Old Dog’s New Trick, a song I recorded on an all-instrumental project titled If Banjos Grew On Trees . . . I’d Pick A Few (a little corny, I know, but the banjo tree on the cover is pretty cool). Pete’s comments were very complimentary and especially meaningful coming from someone of his stature in the banjo community.

Of course, no one goes through the evaluation process unscathed, because we all have room to grow and part of what we’re here for is evaluation, critique, and suggestions for improvement. Critique has a nicer ring than criticism, but constructive criticism offered in the right spirit is something we could all use and few of us want.

Generally when we ask for someone’s opinion or evaluation what we really want is agreement with our own opinions and validation that we’re right, and I’m no different than anyone else in this regard, as Valerie would readily affirm. She’ll tell you I think I know everything, and even though I know I don’t, I forget that I don’t sometimes until someone — Valerie — reminds me.

I might mention that one of the many things I wanted to accomplish this week was to spend a little time nailing down solos on a couple of mandolin tunes our mandolin player, Brandon Shuping, has been wanting to incorporate in our repertroire, New Camptown Races and El Cumbanchero. Longtime fans of bluegrass and students of the music may remember Brandon’s father, Garland Shuping, who was a member of Jim & Jesse’s Virginia Boys, as well as the Bluegrass Alliance, before his untimely death.

Sometime this week, hopefully this afternoon, I’m going to make some time for a little sightseeing, probably a trip up into the Rocky Mountain National Park. Here are a few photos Valerie took when she and Jimmy visited the Chautauqua Park near Boulder. Hopefully, we’ll have more tomorrow.

Letters from Camp: Day 3

Jim Gabehart is journaling his time at the Pete Wernick Dr. Banjo Advanced Banjo Camp this week.

In my teens and early twenties I regularly entered banjo contests, primarily as a money-making proposition, and did quite well, winning or placing in the money the majority of the time. As a self-supporting student through college and law school (and married at nineteen), I remember buying a washer and dryer with one of my bigger prizes.

Notwithstanding my success, I didn’t like the extreme anxiety, the occasional hard feelings and tension among some competitors, and investing money to travel to a contest and come home empty handed. Although I handled the tension reasonably well, I’ve always been more comfortable in front of an audience of 5,000 than a handful of people when three of them are judges with a pad and pen listening for my mistakes

As soon as I made it through law school and no longer had the same financial incentive, I ceased traveling to compete. However, a few years ago I entered a banjo contest in my hometown (Charleston, West Virginia) for “old time’s sake” and was struck by the stark contrast when the top five place winners were called on stage and there was an age gap of more than twenty years between me and the next oldest competitor.

I mention that because I knew that the other scholarship recipient, Jordan Alleman, from Portland, Oregon, is eighteen and I feared being the “old man” in a group of kids. I was surprised (and relieved) to find on meeting my fellow campers that in fact most of my classmates are closer to my age (some younger, some older). Several, like me, have reached the point in life where they have the time and means to devote to learning to play at a higher level and want to do so.

Much of the substantive material that has been covered thus far is familiar for me, but Pete’s insight and thought process, as well as his philosophy on learning has been much food for thought. He is a big advocate of using a metronome or a rhythm machine and much of what we’ve played as a group has been accompanied by a rhythm machine. He would start us at a slower tempo, gradually building speed, occasionally pulling the volume down and then back up after a while to see if we were still holding speed. I believe the fastest tempo we played was in the 150 beats per minute range.

I found it interesting that Pete credits John Hartford for getting him to practice with a metronome, quoting John as saying something like “if you’re going to practice, why not play in time.” I suppose because his music and personna seemed free-flowing and non-conformist, John Hartford didn’t strike me as the kind of musician who would utilize a device to force him to follow a beat. Among my career highlights, I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with John once when he came to Charleston for a concert.

Another primary part of his teaching is based on the “loop method,” which is designed to maximum efficiency in practice and eliminate trouble spots in particular pieces. Rather than playing an entire song or solo over and over trying to perfect it, the loop method is to identify trouble spots and isolate them in the smallest possible section and create a repeatable loop which can be connected end-to-beginning. By taking this small section and repeating it like a roll, gradually building confidence and speed, the trouble spot can be ironed out and re-inserted into the song or solo with a smaller investment of time.

Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to chat with Pete about Hot Rize, what he’s doing now, and some advice for folks like Valerie and I who are trying to attract some attention and elevate our careers in bluegrass, all of which I’ll share with you.

Have a great day!

Letters From Camp: Day 2

Jim Gabehart is journaling his time at the Pete Wernick Dr. Banjo Advanced Banjo Camp this week.

I’ll admit I was hoping I’d get a chance to say this honestly, but I awoke this morning and logged on to check the weather and thought it was perfect that the temperature was Ten Degrees in Boulder (sorry if you don’t get the reference).

When I entered the meeting space reserved for the week yesterday morning, I was immediately struck by all of the videos, books, recordings, posters and other materials lining the room for our reading, viewing, and listening pleasure. Accumulated by Pete Wernick during his long career as a student, performer, and teacher, this library of music and memorablia is a vast source of treasure waiting to be discovered.

The group is limited in size, with eight students, but that means more personal time with Pete (we’re on a first-name basis now), one of the primary reasons I wanted to come to this camp. One of the first aids I used when I was learning to play in the mid-1970’s was a Music Minus One album with an accompanying book of tablature which featured Pete on banjo (which is still available 35 years later and is a great learning tool), and I believe I own all of the recordings Hot Rize released, so it’s fair to say that I’m a fan and student of Pete’s work.

We started at 9:15 a.m. and with the exception of one 15 minute mid-morning break and our 70 minute lunch, we went straight through until quitting after 6:00 p.m. In addition to being a great banjo player, Pete is intelligent, witty, and at no loss for words in describing, explaining, and illustrating the points and material he is trying to teach.

I was a little surprised by the number of times he spoke the word “Earl” (no less than 50, no exaggerating). I was surprised, not because I don’t agree that Earl Scruggs defined the basis that virtually everyone that plays bluegrass banjo builds upon, but because Pete developed his own style which did not reflect a huge emphasis on Scruggs and I guess I expected him to toot his own horn more.

While clearly stating his love for Earl’s style, and repeatedly using it in examples, he also stated that there seems to be a large trend toward imitation of the Scruggs-Crowe approach to the point that has created a homogenization of sorts where there seems to be less individuality and creativity. Personally, while I’ve always put Earl and J. D. at the top of my list, having learned in the 70’s I also loved and studied Eddie Adcock, Alan Munde, Sonny Osborne, Butch Robins, Allen Shelton, Ben Eldridge, Bill Emerson, James Bailey, Kenny Ingram (this generation benefitted from his re-emergence with Rhonda Vincent), and early Béla Fleck (I don’t attempt current Béla Fleck).

I was a little behind the rest in arriving, so I sat on the back row, giving the rest of the students the full force (not intentionally) of my Stelling Masterpiece. When we took our first break, quite of few of the students came back to look at what was generating all that volume. It’s a blonde (and my wife knows it’s the only blonde that gets special attention from me), gold-plated, engraved beauty that my mother (who died two years ago) bought me as graduation gift. It’s been my primary instrument for 26 years, and I don’t expect to ever let it go.

After a full day, we exited the meeting facility to find a late afternoon/early evening snow (just an inch or so) had fallen while we were inside. It made things a little slick yesterday evening, but we managed to get around while finding something good in the neighborhood (they have Applebees everywhere it seems). It didn’t appear there had been much if any treatment of the roads, but they probably get so much snow here they only send out the snow shovels and salt when there’s a serious snow.

For everyone that didn’t get enough during the day, including yours truly, we came back to the Boulder Inn and jammed until around 10:30 p.m. (it still felt like 12:30 to my body). It may not be quite the equivalent of IBMA (I’ve Been Mostly Awake), but it’s definitely IBMPB (I’ve Been Mostly Playing Banjo).

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I’ve been accompanied on this trip by my lovely wife and personal photographer, Valerie, along with a special guest, our son, Jimmy (Jr.). Let me take this opportunity to brag on my son, because he’s everything I wanted to be growing up but wasn’t — taller, athletic, good looking, and equally intelligent (I can’t say MORE intelligent since we both think we know everything), and I’m proud, make that thankful, to say he’s financially self-sufficient — Hooray!!

While I’m playing banjo, they’re scaling the Rocky Mountains, so we’ll be posting some photos in the days to come. Stayed tuned.

Letters From Camp: Day 1

Hello mudder, hello fadder, here I am at, Camp Granada (RB3, Top Tension, take your pick). The last week-long camps I attended were spent on a cot in a tent, where I learned to be Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent (my Scoutmaster would be disappointed I had to look that up on the internet). Thankfully, rather than a cot and tent, this week will be spent at the luxurious Best Western Boulder Inn, a three-star accomodation (Dr. Banjo knows that due to my Boy Scout pledge to be thrifty, three stars is all I can afford).

After rising at 5:00 a.m. to drive 5 hours to Cleveland to catch a flight to Denver, connecting in Dallas, (here’s that thrifty trait again, drive 5 hours to save $15.), I had my first encounter with current airport safety measures. I used to fly regularly when I was in private practice with a large law firm. However, since leaving The Firm (yes, you can leave The Firm), the Lincoln County Prosecutor’s office confines its prosecutions to our jurisdiction and hasn’t seen the need to help me grow my frequent flyer account balances.

I know everyone has an opinion, and many unfavorable, about the security measures, and it is a hassle to remove your belt, shoes, etc., but it’s a hassle I’m willing to undergo if it helps lessen the risk that something like 9/11 could happen again. Likewise, I suppose the body scan is uncomfortable for many, the thought that their body is being exposed to a degree, but with a physique like mine, what’s to be embarrassed about? (I would throw in a Seinfeld reference, but it would probably show poor judgment — “It’s real and it’s spectacular”).

The flights were unremarkable, although by dumb luck I learned something I had forgotten — I ended up in the row where the emergency exit is located, which gives you an extra 18 inches of leg room — a fair tradeoff for being the first to be sucked out the hatch if the door seal is compromised. I’m also pleased to report that although peanuts are no longer free, soft drinks still are.

The best thing about the trip is that I wrote two songs, both of which I think are going to be keepers. I didn’t really plan to write (what happened to Always Be Prepared), so I ended up scribbling on the margins of a USA Today, which I plan to keep to put up for sale on Ebay, or donation to the Hall of Fame.

I had no trouble drifting off to sleep at 10:00 p.m. Mountain time, which my body was telling me translates to Midnight in the Mountain State of West Virginia. Likewise, my body said it’s time to get up, even though it was 4:00 a.m. local time, so I expect to be filing my daily reports each morning on the preceding day’s activities.

Today I meet Dr. Banjo, Pete Wernick, and I’ve already got another song idea — The Day I Met The Banjo Man.

Tune in tomorrow, same banjo time, same banjo channel.

Letters from Camp

With the hope of proving the old saying wrong, and showing that an old dog can learn a new trick, I am about to leave the Mountain State of West Virginia to travel to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, to attend Pete Wernick’s advanced Banjo Camp. Subsidized by a scholarship provided by Stelling Banjo, and having been selected by Dr. Banjo for this honor, I am both excited and apprehensive about the journey I am about to undertake.

I try to project confidence in my ability and think that my willingness to accept instruction reflects security, rather than insecurity or arrogance. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m a little anxious about getting exposed as the out-of-date, over-the-hill has-been (or worse, never-was) by a bunch of young turks. In actuality, I don’t know anything about the other participants other than the fact that the other scholarship recipient is 18 (I believe I still remember what that was like).

At 50, I know I can’t play quite as fast as I once could, and I have to warm up before a show (which I never needed to do in my 20’s, and 30’s). I also know that I’ll never be what I could have been if I had devoted myself to music, as I did in my teens before deciding against making it my career. However, I’m equally certain that I can be better than I am, and I am determined to learn, grow, and improve as a musician.

As I expressed to Pete Wernick in my scholarship application, I learned the majority of what I know from books, listening to albums, and attending shows, but with the exception of one afternoon workshop with Bill Keith about 30 years ago, I have not had the opportunity to be “up close and personal” with someone of his stature and I am excited to have this opportunity.

With the hope that my experience may be of interest, and perhaps even informative, I plan to write “letters home” from camp throughout this coming week.

Stay tuned.

YouTube License offer applications due January 16

IBMA members, such as myself, recently received an email alert concerning the opportunity to participate in a fund established by a settlement of litigation between the National Music Publishers Association (“NMPA”) and YouTube/Google. The NMPA filed suit for copyright infringement based upon YouTube playing (and profiting from) musical performances without obtaining permission from, and paying royalties to, music publishers.

One of the terms of the settlement has established a fund of up to $4,000,000 (that’s MILLION, said with my best Dr. Evil accent), which is available to all publishers of musical works being played on Youtube, whether the publisher is a member of NMPA, or affiliated with the Harry Fox Agency or not. By applying for a share of this fund, a publisher releases any claim against YouTube for past infringement and grants them a license to display the publisher’s protected works for a period of three years.

In exchange, the participating publishers will receive a pro-rated share of the fund, based upon the number of participating publishers and the market share they represent. The amount an applicant will receive will be calculated using data, required to be provided by the applicant on a separate attachment, which details past licensing income received by the publisher. The “up to” qualifier preceding the $4,000,000 figure reflects that the actual amount will be based on the number of publishers that choose to opt in, the market share they represent, and the revenue that YouTube has received from advertising displayed on screen while protected works were being played.

IMPORTANT: All applications to opt in and receive part of this fund are required to be RECEIVED by January 16, 2012, which at this point would be best filed electronically. More information regarding how to file the application, what information is required, the terms of the settlement, and related matters can be obtained at www.youtubelicenseoffer.com.

It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Day!

Recently released by Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa, It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Day! is a generous helping of original music spanning the spectrum of bluegrass styles from traditional to contemporary.

Upon listening to Wayne’s vocal style, it is apparent that he is not a typical bluegrass singer (don’t ask for a definition of what a typical bluegrass singer is), which is no doubt part of his success — a unique and identifiable voice and style. His website biographical notes mention his start playing rock and roll in the late 60’s, being influenced by Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, before being converted to bluegrass upon seeing Lester Flatt and Mac Wiseman at a concert in the early 70’s. He later received formal training, earning a bachelor’s degree from The Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific.

Wayne Taylor came to the attention of most bluegrass fans through his eighteen year tenure with the United States Navy Band, but since leaving Country Current and retiring from the Navy, Taylor has created his individual identity with original material and his personal style, both of which are front and center on his newest recording. Thirteen of the fourteen songs were written or co-written by Taylor, which is remarkable in itself, with a diversity of topic, tempo, and tonality.

One of the highlights in this collection is a duet by Wayne and guest Melissa Keech-Armstrong, Two Kindred Hearts. Keech-Armstrong, who has a beautiful voice, sings the tenor part an octave higher, allowing both voices space to stand apart and at the same time compliment each other in harmony. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Day is a bouncy, happy song with a little old-time feel created by the rhythmic fiddle bowing by Emory Lester and loose-string banjo Mark Delaney (tuned to an open F).

Another song that spoke to me was Terra’s Wedding Song, written from the perspective of a father giving his daughter’s hand in marriage. If I had heard this song six months ago, could sing better than I can, and could have sung without breaking down (none of which is the case), I would have sung this to my daughter at her August wedding. There are few things more emotional for a soft-hearted dad than letting go of his little girl.

In recent years, it seems there are more and more projects released which feature a good singer backed by an all-star group of hired guns, which has certainly created a nice group of recordings, but ones which are not representative of what an audience might see at a live appearance of such artists. Along with Wayne Taylor, Appaloosa (Emory Lester on mandolin and fiddle, Mark Delaney on banjo, and Kene Hyatt on bass) has created a sound they can reproduce at their live performances, and I look to hearing them in person sometime soon.

Charlie Louvin immortalized in film

Charlie Louvin —Still Rattlin’ The Devil’s Cage is the title of a new documentary film released in December 2011. A part of the legendary Louvin Brothers duet with his brother Ira, Charlie lost his battle with cancer last year, but not before the interviews and stage footage of his last performance were captured during the shooting for this film.

The Louvin Brothers began as pure Gospel performers, releasing several albums for Capitol Records before becoming members of the Grand Old Opry and incorporating secular songs into their performances. Known for their harmony, and guitar and mandolin accompaniment, the duet split over Ira’s lifestyle, primarily his heavy drinking.

Both recorded as solo artists, although Ira died young in an automobile accident in 1965. Charlie continued to record and perform, including regular appearances on the Grand Old Opry, until his death. Hearkening back to a time when country and bluegrass music were immediate family members instead of distant relatives, the Louvins’ music has provided a great source of material for modern bluegrass artists.

The documentary, which took nearly a year to complete, features interviews and performance footage of Charlie, as well as appearances by artists influenced by Charlie and the Louvin Brothers, including George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, and Alison Krauss, among others. A limited number of copies of the documentary are available for purchase on DVD, with all proceeds going directly to Mrs. Louvin.

More information about the film is available at www.louvinfilm.com, where it can be ordered as well as at http://charlielouvin.net.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSH7SD5QG0

Country Side of Bluegrass from Janie Fricke

Recent news of a release by Janie Fricke, titled Country Side of Bluegrass, intrigued me, as one of those who remember her star status as one of the premier female vocalists in country music in the early 1980’s. Getting started doing vocals for national advertising jingle (Red Lobster, United Airlines, Coca-Cola), and providing background vocals for numerous country stars (Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Johnny Duncan, Ronnie Milsap, Mel Tillis), Janie Fricke later climbed to the top of country music as a solo artist, winning back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards in 1982 and 1983.

Her new CD is actually a re-release of a 2004 recording originally issued under the title The Bluegrass Sessions. It received limited promotion and marketing support, and is being re-released with a new title and packaging, and a new marketing campaign. Also different this time is touring support for the project. She is out regularly with The Roys, who open the show with their music, and then serve as Fricke’s backup band.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and under either title this is an interesting bluegrass adaptation of some of Fricke’s greatest country hits (Please Help Me I’m Falling, Do Me With Love, She’s Single Again, You Don’t Know Love, It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy). Produced, recorded and mixed by Bil VornDick, the instrumental and vocal backup is outstanding, as you would expect with the following roster: Mark Fain (bass); David Talbot (banjo); Randy Kohrs (dobro); Bob Mater (drums); Luke Bulla, Glen Duncan, Andy Leftwich, and Jimmy Mattingly (all contributing both mandolin and fiddle); Johnny Hiland (guitar); and Margie Cates, Chip Davis, and Judy Rodman (background vocals).

Asked in an interview for Bluegrass Today what lead to her interest in bluegrass, Janie said it started many years ago through her friendship with Jim Lauderdale, who would regularly pass bluegrass CDs on to her. While doing bluegrass versions of her country hits was a natural bridge to the bluegrass world, she hopes to do a future bluegrass project comprised of new, and original material.

With a voice like Janie Fricke’s, which sounds just like I remember it from the albums my wife bought and wore out thirty years ago, she could sing the phonebook and sound good. However, her voice is unlike the “mountain twang” found in other recent country female vocalists on bluegrass projects, such as Patty Loveless and Dolly Parton.

If you’re a fan of Fricke’s country music, or you want to hear a great and unique voice singing with bluegrass accompaniment, check this project out. The Country Side of Bluegrass is set to release on January 24, 2012.