John Curtis Goad, Author at Bluegrass Today

Send your Wide Open Bluegrass photos to IBMA

How’s your skill behind a lens? If you’re one of those folks whose bluegrass festival packing list always includes a camera, the International Bluegrass Music Association is looking for you. The organization has issued a call to its members for photographs from the 2016 Wide Open Bluegrass Festival, specifically those taken at the Red Hat Amphitheater.

According to Kelly Kessler, IBMA Professional Development and Communications Director, they’re hoping to use photos taken by audience members to promote the festival’s Main Stage event to potential sponsors. In particular, IBMA would like pictures that feature bands, an enthusiastic audience, and the Jumbotron. Photographs that feature all three are especially needed.

For many fans, the concerts at the Red Hat Amphitheater, located just across the street from the Raleigh Convention Center, are the highlight of the yearly IBMA World of Bluegrass. A number of the top bands in bluegrass, along with popular musicians from other genres, have performed on the Main Stage at the Red Hat since World of Bluegrass moved to Raleigh in 2013. Featured artists in 2016 included the Earls of Leicester, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the Soggy Bottom Boys.

IBMA requests that all submitted photos be sent in their original size, whether they were taken on a camera or a phone. Photos will be used in print publications, so larger photos (more than 1 Mb) are preferred. In addition, you will need to provide IBMA with written permission to use your image to promote IBMA and World of Bluegrass.

Please send all photos, and any questions, to Kessler at kelly@ibma.org.

You could own Bill Monroe’s wrench

Last July we reported on an estate sale in Gallatin, Tennessee, where almost one thousand items once owned by either Bill or James Monroe were being sold at auction. It gave Monroe’s fans the chance to take a bit of Bill home with them in the form of cowboy boots, awards, and various items of memorabilia.

Some people have whole businesses buying, collecting, and selling memorabilia, and it’s always amazed me how many trinkets once owned or used by famous people are out there on the market. People will literally buy and sell most anything.

You really never know what you’re going to find on eBay. So, guess what? Someone is now parting out a toolbox they purchased at the Monroe auction last year. For $24.99, you could own Bill Monroe’s personal 9/16 wrench, (with a letter of authenticity of course).

Any mechanic worth their salt probably already has at least two or three multiples of this same standard issue drop forged tool, but it surely wasn’t handled by Big Mon himself.

According to the seller, the wrench was part of a collection of tools that had been purchased as a set inside of a toolbox said to have belonged to Bill.

No, it’s not the million dollar mandolin whose original tuning keys were also up for sale in the same auction, but it is pretty neat. If you’re anything like me and can’t ever seem to find the right dang wrench when you’re looking for it, this 9/16 might just suit your needs.

UPDATE 4:30 p.m. – Too slow! It’s already sold, but you can contact the seller about other items in the toolbox.

Earth & Wood – Tyler Grant

Guitarist Tyler Grant, a National Flatpicking Champion and winner of the RockyGrass and Wayne Henderson guitar contests, among others, has spent much of his career in the jam band realm, playing with Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi of Leftover Salmon and the String Cheese Incident, respectively. He’s also spent time with Abigail Washburn, Casey and Chris Henry, and April Verch. His latest album, Earth & Wood, is touted as a return to acoustic bluegrass for Grant, and is his first all-acoustic album since 2010’s instrumental record Up the Neck.

Grant wrote or co-wrote half of the album’s fourteen songs, proving himself not only a skilled composer but an adept writer, as well. Opening track Last Day on the Job is a smooth, reflective look at leaving a longtime job. It’s no quitting-man’s anthem, but a triumphant celebration of putting in years of hard work. With gentle (yet intricate) instrumentation and clever lines like “I got no badge and I don’t care no more, the only clearance I need is under my 4×4,” it’s a strong track. West Texas Wind, written by Grant with Benny Galloway, has a neat old west, cowboy song feel, telling the story of a rambler traveling through Texas with only his guitar and the wind as companions. Grant’s guitar break after the first chorus is worth a second listen, while dobro from Sally Van Meter and mandolin from Jordan Ramsey flesh out the song’s Texas vibe.

Galloway and Grant also collaborated on One Town One Tune, another rambling song about a musician who’s just trying to get home to the girl he loves while he’s making his way through the country “one town, one tune at a time.” It has a pleasant, rolling melody with an Americana/acoustic country sound. Grant’s Sweet Talking Angel is more classic country, with Van Meter’s dobro of particular note.

As is to be expected from a guitar champion, Grant contributes several instrumentals to the project. The Old Time Country Guitar is, as the title says, influenced by pre-bluegrass country guitar playing, with shades of Maybelle Carter in its mostly peaceful melody. Pick It is a grassy romp, calling on a full band to round out its sound and allowing each musician to interpret the tune in their own manner. It is obviously influenced by traditional bluegrass, but with progressive-leaning banjo and a bit of a jam at the end, it also allows Grant to show off his own musical sensibilities. Tyler Trail is a return to the solo guitar style that has brought Grant much acclaim, played smoothly and with obvious skill and care.

Another highlight here is the easygoing version of Albert Brumley’s I’d Rather Live By the Side of the Road, a Gospel number that highlights the virtues of living simply and living for the Lord. Fans of fluid guitar playing will also enjoy Grant’s renditions of the traditional Shove That Pig’s Foot a Little Further Into the Fire and Byron Berline’s Huckleberry Hornpipe.

On Earth & Wood, Grant definitely demonstrates why he has collected so many guitar contest wins. His picking is strong and confident; he effortlessly interprets traditional favorites and takes on various styles with ease. I particularly enjoyed the old West sound of West Texas Wind. The pickers he has assembled to support him are also talented. In addition to Van Meter and Ramsey, his band includes Adrian Engfer (bass), Patrick Hoeper (fiddle), and Dusty Rider (banjo). Guitar fans and those who enjoy original acoustic music should certainly check this one out.

For more information on Tyler Grant, visit his website at www.tylergrant.com. His new album is available from several online music retailers.

Where I Came From – Nothin’ Fancy

Nothin’ Fancy leans heavily on band originals for Where I Came From, their latest project for Mountain Fever Records. With six songs from mandolin player Mike Andes, and two from guitarist Caleb Cox alongside a few covers from artists like the Country Gentlemen, John Prine, and the McPeak Brothers, the popular Virginia-based group has put together a strong mixture of enjoyable traditional-leaning songs.

Andes penned the title track, which also opens the album. Kicked off with peppy banjo from Mitchell Davis, it finds Andes longing for the hills of his “old Virginia home.” It’s written in the style of classic “going home” songs, with a catchy beat and a snappy fiddle break from Chris Sexton. The main character of Cox’s Bus Fare, a homeless veteran begging for change, also longs for the home of his youth: “A pie in the oven, a country girl’s lovin’, away from the cold city stares…. Hey, won’t it be fine when I have enough for a bus fare.” It has a pleasant melody but tells a pitiful story (with a bit of a twist at the end) that will tug at listeners’ heart strings. Cox has a warm, earnest country-style voice (reminiscent of Josh Williams) that suits this song well.

Friends and Lovers, another cut from Andes, has an energetic groove that matches its story of a man finally realizing he’s in love with a woman he had considered just a friend. You can hear both apprehension and excitement in Andes’s voice as he sings “I know what they say about friends and lovers, they go hand in hand with each other, and I’m so glad I discovered you, my friend.” Another love song is When I’m With You, which has a calm, gentle feel and brings to mind the peace often felt when spending time with a loved one. The song has a clear, contemporary sound, calling upon Sexton’s classical violin background and enhanced by a guest string section from Ohio’s Centerville Alternative Strings. Crisp mandolin from Andes is also enjoyable.

On the more traditional side of things is the excellent original Gospel number Lord Hear My Plea, which features strong harmonies and tasty guitar backing from Cox, and the bouncy, banjo-guided Daddy Made Moonshine, a fun little number about a moonshiner who always stayed in his customers’ good graces and a couple steps ahead of the revenuers. The classic Bringing Mary Home is another strong track, heavily influenced by the Country Gentlemen’s version. Andes channels Charlie Waller’s phrasing and tone for an enjoyable cover of the song.

Cox tackles Damon Black’s eerie Simon Crutchfield’s Grave, probably most recognizable to bluegrass fans from the McPeak Brothers’ recording. It’s a solid cut of the song, and kudos to the band for choosing a song that hasn’t been covered by every band in the last twenty years. Davis’s cheery banjo and Sexton’s mournful fiddle create an interesting atmosphere for the song. One of the album’s best tracks, however, may be the haunting Civil War song Andersonville, written by Dave Alvin. There’s plenty of pain in Andes’ voice as he tells of the horrors experienced by a soldier in the Andersonville prison camp, and it slides toward desperation as he notes that some men were born to preach, others to kill, while he “was only born to die in Andersonville.”

Where I Came From is a very good album from a talented band. The two lead vocalists have very different styles, but both are strong singers and the difference in their sounds lends a little variety to the project. The musicianship here is strong, and the original songs are engaging and well-written. Overall, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable album.

For more information on Nothin’ Fancy, visit their website at www.nothinfancybluegrass.com. Their new album is available from several online music retailers.

The Best of Bluegrass for 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, it’s time to look back over all of the music that has been released over the past year. From big name stars on major labels to regional bands just starting out, from straightforward fifties-style traditional grass to “acousticana,” folk-flavored music, it’s all come through the Bluegrass Today headquarters for listen and review. Out of everything I’ve heard this year, here are my picks for the Best Bluegrass of 2016 (in no particular order).

Original Traditional – Blue Highway
The title says it all – Blue Highway made it a point to write original songs that sound as if they might have been originally performed years ago. While the group is always solid, this was (in my opinion), their best album in recent years, hearkening back to the nineties and songs like Lonesome Pine, In the Gravel Yard, and the like. In addition, fans who were worried about replacing Rob Ickes need not fret; Gaven Largent proves himself a top up-and-coming talent here.
Listen to: Wilkes County Clay, Top of the Ridge, If Lonesome Don’t Kill Me

Croweology – Rickey Wasson
If you know me, you know there are few musicians I respect more than J.D. Crowe. He and his early bands set the tone for so much of today’s bluegrass – Rounder 0044, anyone? Rickey Wasson, Crowe’s longtime lead singer, takes a number of his favorite New South songs and gives them just slight updates here, calling on fellow Crowe fans like Mo Pitney, Adam Steffey, and Ron Stewart (whose ability to play like Crowe is truly amazing) to help him. This is essential listening for any fan of J.D. Crowe or modern traditional bluegrass in general.
Listen to: You Can Have Her, God’s Own Singer, You Can Share My Blanket

Poor Boy’s Pleasure – Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
If you want straight-up, drive-filled, lonesome bluegrass, look no further than Sisk and his excellent band. His latest album – and his first for Mountain Fever Records – checks off all the classic bluegrass themes: country living, drinking, heartbreak, and loving the Lord. The pickers are in top form throughout and Sisk fills the album with plenty of his Stanley-influenced vocals. Lead single Longneck Blues, a duet with Ronnie Bowman, even picked up Recorded Event of the Year at the 2016 IBMA Awards.
Listen to: Cold in Carolina, Jimmy, JD, and Paul, Hang a Wreath

Sacred Memories – Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers
Another stalwart for traditional bluegrass is Ohio’s Joe Mullins, with his entertaining stage shows, high lonesome vocals, and well-chosen songs. Sacred Memories was a fine Gospel album, led by popular single and IBMA Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year All Dressed Up, a touching number that finds a farmer ready to enter heaven. With a few covers of old favorites and a few newer songs, I agree with David Morris that it “could end up as one of the best bluegrass CDs of 2016, Gospel or otherwise.”
Listen to: All Dressed Up, When the Sun of Life Goes Down, Sacred Memories

Modern Day Man – Josh Williams
Did I mention that I love J.D. Crowe? His influence (and that of New South lead singer Keith Whitley) is evident throughout this project, which he produced. The album included several new recordings of Williams’ fan favorites, some country covers, and (I’m sure to the dismay of a few traditionalists) drums throughout. Williams has a voice well-suited to both country and modern traditional bluegrass, and he shows it off well here. I’m already looking forward to another solo album from him.
Listen to: Modern Day Man, Prodigal Son, Mordecai

Bridging the Tradition – Lonesome River Band
Twenty-five years ago, LRB released Carrying the Tradition, an album that has probably influenced more of today’s young pickers than almost any other. This year, they brought some of that classic sound back with Bridging the Tradition, a great album that combined modern traditional and country sounds. New member Jesse Smathers proved that he fits in quite well with the group, offering strong lead vocals on several songs.
Listen to: Thunder and Lightning, Old Swinging Bridge, Rock Bottom

Dave Adkins – Dave Adkins
The man with the big heart and bigger voice released his second solo album this year, much to the delight of fans of his soulful vocals. He relied on some great songwriters this time around, pulling from the likes of Dawn Kenney, David Morris, Ray Edwards, Larry Cordle, and others. Several of the songs have found radio success, including recent truck-driving hit Turn and Burn. He’s another artist that has a bit of a country tinge to his music, and I’m a big fan of the sound.
Listen to: Fool-o-sophy, A Whole Lot More to Tell, It’s Not Over (Till I Get Over You)

Drifter – Volume Five
As good as Volume Five is, you’d expect them to be a bigger name in bluegrass. Somehow, they seem to fly under the radar while continually putting out tracks that tell great stories. I particularly enjoy how they reach deep into the bluegrass catalog, pulling out awesome songs that most listeners had probably forgotten. Lead vocalist and fiddler Glenn Harrell is also, simply put, one of the best male vocalists in bluegrass right now. They’ve had a few big radio hits from this album, and I’m looking forward to the day they rack up a few IBMA awards.
Listen to: Alaskan Gold, Tall Pines, Ranching Man

Right Beside You – Jeff White
It’s awesome to hear a solo bluegrass album from Jeff White, who has spent quite a bit of time in the country world as of late. And what a mix of neat pre-bluegrass songs, classic grass, and more recent numbers! I was probably more excited than I should have been when I heard Run Little Rabbit Run on Sirius/XM radio for the first time earlier this year. Anyone who likes Stringbean is tops in my book.
Listen to: Run Little Rabbit Run, Wise County Jail, Blue Trail of Sorrow

Rattle & Roar – The Earls of Leicester
Does this one even need an explanation? They’re the Entertainers of the Year. They’ve recreated one of the best sounds in the history of bluegrass music. They are some of the best musicians to be found in any genre of music. Over the past several years, the Earls have taken the bluegrass world by storm, and I love it. I don’t believe this album received quite as many accolades as their first, but it’s still great.
Listen to: The Train That Carried My Girl from Town, You Can Feel it in Your Soul, I’m Working on a Road (to Glory Land)

Honorable Mention: Welcome Home – The Gospel Plowboys
Most of the other names on this list are familiar to almost any bluegrass fan, with several songs on the radio and the charts throughout the year. The Gospel Plowboys are a more regionally-performing band, newly added to Mountain Fever’s roster, but their album Welcome Home stopped me in my tracks when I first listened to it this summer. They have some of the best bluegrass vocal harmonies I have ever heard and a solid selection of songs on this album. They’re another band I’m excited about hearing more from.
Listen to: It Is Well With My Soul, Red River, The Dream

Honorable Mention: A Distant Horizon – Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome
After spending several years as one of the best sidemen in the business, Jeff Brown is now making his own mark in the world of bluegrass. He seems to have quite a knack for finding solid material, and this sophomore release is proof. He leads a band of exceptional young musicians through a set of great songs. His unique mountain-tinged vocals come through clearly on this one. With the passing of Ralph Stanley earlier this year, it’s good to know there’s another voice out there projecting the lonesome mountain sound.
Listen to: Appalachia is My Name, When the Water’s Too High, Let Come and Go What May

East Tennessee Sunrise – Stuart Wyrick

It’s somewhat rare for a banjo player to release a solo album that’s not mostly instrumental, or at least packed full of classic banjo-heavy numbers. Stuart Wyrick, current banjo player for Flashback and formerly of Brand New Strings and Dale Ann Bradley’s band, has recently released East Tennessee Sunrise, a well-rounded record that not only allows him to show off his picking prowess but also digs deep into the bluegrass and country catalogs with tracks from Wes Golding, the Louvin Brothers, and Dolly Parton, among others. Wyrick has pulled together an A-list band and a number of talented lead vocalists, making this project a solid contribution to modern traditional grass.

Golding’s Hitchhiking to California starts the album off on an enthusiastic note. The song has a great retro vibe (think Boone Creek, of which Golding was a member), with lead vocals shared by Steve Gulley and Alan Bibey. The vocals are energetic and soulful, but the highlight here is the instrumentation – frenetic banjo from Wyrick, groove-filled mandolin from Bibey, and a solid bass line from Gulley, in particular. The song was previously recorded as part of the Baucom, Bibey, Graham, and Haley project from the late nineties, as was another track here – Jimmy Haley’s lost love tale You’re the One. It, too, has a throwback feel – more nineties than late seventies, though – and Randall Massengill, Wyrick’s former Brand New Strings bandmate, provides a nice high lead vocal. Both songs are definite standouts here.

Lead single Little Moonshine Johnny is a fun traditional romp, written and sung by east Tennessee fiddler Keith Williams. Wyrick’s bouncy banjo and Tim Crouch’s fiddle work well together. The band heads toward classic country with a version of Ernest Tubb’s Walking the Floor. Keith Garrett’s smooth voice is perfect for this song, while Crouch’s western swing fiddles are excellent. Dolly Parton’s When Someone Wants to Leave is also from the country world, but Wyrick has given it a bluegrass makeover. Dale Ann Bradley was a great choice to sing lead here; her plaintive, straightforward style fits the song (which was one of Parton’s more stripped down numbers) nicely. Just listen to her sing “What do you do, what do you say, when you know they want to leave as bad as you want them to stay?” Phil Leadbetter’s dobro gives the song an extra bit of lonesomeness.

A pair of Gospel songs are also enjoyable. Ira and Charlie Louvin’s Born Again is a good mid-tempo number with earnest lead vocals from Gary Kidwell and clear harmonies from Gulley and Wyrick. The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow is quiet and gentle, beginning with contemplative guitar from Kenny Smith, allowing the song’s lyrics to take center stage. Vic Graves gives a powerful performance, reminding listeners that the Lord will always take care of those who place their trust in Him.

Wyrick contributes a handful of original instrumentals, including the peppy, swingy title track and Riding on the Clouds, a pensive tune with a darker, more urgent feel than most of the other tracks here and an intriguing melody. Of course, it couldn’t be a banjo player’s album without a Scruggs tune, but interestingly, Wyrick chose one from Gary instead of Earl. Freda Florentine is from Flatt & Scruggs’ Nashville Airplane album and is a bright, upbeat number with a contemporary sound.

East Tennessee Sunrise is a strong effort from an excellent banjo player that should please both fans of the banjo as well as those who enjoy modern traditional bluegrass in general. For more information on Stuart Wyrick, visit his website at www.stuartwyrick.com. His new album is available from several online music retailers.

Gary Hultman and Ashley Nale to be wed

We’re awfully proud to report that there’s going to be another bluegrass wedding in the future, folks. On Christmas Day, Gary Hultman of the Boxcars asked Ashley Nicole Nale of The Loose Strings Band to be his bride. While an exact date is yet to be set, they’re planning to tie the knot late next year.

Gary had this to share:

“I had been wanting to ask her for a couple of months now and I felt like God had pretty much pieced everything together for us. We both are out of school now, Ashley just graduated from ETSU and accepted a job that she will start in January. I’m so excited for her! She’s going to be an incredible nurse! So the timing felt right! I tried to be as sneaky as possible and made trips to Roy’s Diamond Center in Ashley’s hometown of Galax, and I finally got her ring ordered. I had only had it a few days and I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. So on Christmas Day, Ashley and her family and I were getting ready to go to her grandparents’ house for their family gathering and we decided to make a toast to safe travels, and Christmas time, etc…and I put the ring in Ashley’s glass and brought it to her! I got down on my knee and told her I couldn’t wait any longer and I asked her to marry me! She said yes… and I’m beyond excited about it! Ashley is such a blessing in my life and she is so supportive and encouraging! She is the most kindhearted, thoughtful, and selfless person I know. She is my best friend.”

Congratulations, Gary and Ashley!

Bill and The Belles send Santa on vacation

ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program seems to churn out some of the best in the world of traditional music. As is the case with Bill and the Belles, an old time country-esque group based out of Johnson City, TN.

The band has been quite busy this past year, having locked down several appearances at festivals throughout the east coast, including IBMA’s World of Bluegrass. They’re also becoming known for their music videos. Their most recent work, Santa’s Hula Holiday, debuted on social media yesterday. Written by band leader Kris Truelsen and Matt Morelock, the song proposes Santa needing a bit of a holiday himself. The track features Kris (guitar, vocals), Kalia Yeagle (fiddle, vocals), Grace Van’t Hof (banjo ukulele), Karl Zerfas (bass), and Ed Snodderly (Hawaiian resonator guitar).

It starts after a a bit of Mele Kalikimaka, Hawaiia’s #1 Christmas song.

That red suit may be a bit warm in the islands of Hawaii, but I’m sure he deserves it after delivering all those presents to the good little boys and girls.

Bells Of Home – Circa Blue

Every year, National Media Services, a studio and disc replication company in northern Virginia, chooses one of its clients to record a Christmas album in-house. It’s a pretty sweet deal, with the opportunity for media attention on both sides of the recording booth. For the past several years, NMS has chosen a bluegrass group for this seasonal affair – Trinity River Band and Bud’s Collective, to name a few – and 2016’s band was none other than Circa Blue. The album that resulted is Bells of Home, a ten-track collection mixing new songs from popular bluegrass songwriters with a few holiday classics.

The album opens with Snowflake or Two, a strong contemporary number penned by Cory Wharton. The song begins on a cheerful note, with images of snowy hills and carolers, but listeners quickly find out the singer is longing for the return of a loved one. Bass player Ashley Stewart provides warm lead vocals with just a hint of heartache. Spirit of Christmas, from Paula Breedlove and Brink Brinkman, takes a more positive look at the holiday season, reminding listeners to “let the spirit of Christmas live inside you every day,” even when the decorations have long been put away. Its gentle, rolling melody and uplifting message make it an enjoyable listen.

Songwriter Dawn Kenney has a strong presence on this album, to the point that the album is actually subtitled A Circa Blue Christmas with Dawn Kenney. She co-wrote four songs, including the title track (which was also the lead single). Bells of Home, which was co-written by Kenney and David Morris, is a thoughtful, well-written number that takes listeners to a World War II battlefield. While the soldier narrating the song is cold and lonely “at war somewhere in Belgium,” he is dreaming of the sights and sounds of Christmas at home. Guitarist Steve Harris offers contemplative, melancholy vocals, setting the mood of the song nicely. Kenney and Morris also wrote Christmas in the Keys, a lighthearted mid-tempo piece about trading in a traditional Christmas for a love-nest at the beach. Malia Furtado provides a fun fiddle line, accented nicely by Matt Hickman’s bouncy banjo.

Furtado’s fiddling is also a highlight of the swingy Candy Cane Sweetheart, sung by Kenney with a smooth 1940s flair. It’s a bright, charming love song, with Kenney begging Santa for the one thing she truly wants. Rounding out the four tracks from Kenney is album closer Happy Birthday Jesus, a collaboration with Harris and Furtado. It’s a neat, quick little a capella Gospel number (think Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver), complete with bass vocals and party sounds in the background.

Other standout tracks include In the Bleak Mid-Winter, a traditional English carol set to a lilting melody that takes listeners through the biblical Christmas story. Kenney, backed by soft guitar and fiddle, takes the lead again with restrained yet commanding vocals. Another is We Three Kings, given a pulsing, urgent rhythm guided by Hickman’s banjo. Mandolin player Ryan Mullins shows a knack for vocal phrasing in his lead performance here.

Many bluegrass Christmas albums lean on old favorites and grassed up carols full of instrumental acrobatics. While I’m as big a fan of Christmas Time’s A Comin’ as anyone, it’s really nice to find a Christmas album that relies so heavily on new material – and good material, at that. Circa Blue has a very enjoyable collection with Bells of Home, with plenty of well-written songs, strong lead vocals throughout, and solid musicianship. There’s still time to grab a copy before Christmas – fans of contemporary bluegrass should check it out.

For more information on Circa Blue, visit their website at www.circa-blue.com. The album can be purchased directly from the band, and radio programmers can download from Airplay Direct.

Last minute gift ideas for your favorite pickers

While some of you have probably had all of your Christmas presents bought and wrapped since before Thanksgiving, others are still scouring WalMart, the Internet, and your local music stores for last-minute gifts. If you’re struggling to find something for the bluegrass musician in your life (or if you need to make a suggestion to that clueless loved one who keeps buying you those random compilation CDs from the discount bin), here are some of my favorite ideas.

Peterson StroboClip
Whether you’re looking for a gift that’s sure to please the A-list musician in your life, or perhaps one to fulfill your obligation of being some musician’s “Secret Santa,” you’re sure to find something that fits the bill with Peterson Tuners. I recommend the StroboClip for its incredible tenth-of-a-cent accuracy and portability. It’s a small package that really packs a punch!

The Big Bad Pick Punch
Today musicians use picks made of everything from animal parts to plastic. Buy this little baby for the musician in your life and watch them go crazy making guitar picks from everything from milk jugs to old credit cards – imagine discarding your old driver’s license by cutting it into a pick! As long as they don’t forget and throw it out into the crowd, they’re good. Nobody wants a crazed fan showing up at their place in the middle of the night!

G7th Heritage Series Capo
G7th capos sold out of their brand new Heritage model capos when the series was debuted at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC this past fall. To the uneducated eye these may look like typical yoke-style capos but trust me, they’re not! Their patented feature, Adaptive Radius Technology (A.R.T.), allows the capos to apply tension to the strings more evenly across the fingerboard through the use of a silica gel capsule that is concealed behind the string pad. Suffice it to say, these capos keep instruments in better tune as the player changes keys. If the player in your life needs a new capo, you might want to check these out.

BlueChip Picks
A few years ago Matthew Goins and company burst onto the scene with an absolutely great product. This easily obtainable alternative to shell sent pickers into a frenzy. Some think they’re a little expensive and I’d agree that if you like them but are prone to losing things, you’d best be adding dollars to your monthly gear budget. I’ve heard these picks described as smoother than shell and twice as strong. I’ll not disagree. These babies fit great in a stocking!

Bear Family Box Sets
Although they don’t fit in a stocking extremely well, there truly is nothing better than getting a Bear Family Box Set. Where else would you find the original Flatt and Scruggs cut of I’ll Take the Blame, or have the chance to discover one of the songs Jimmy Martin got the most comments about his guitar playing on? Hint: It secretly wasn’t him playing all those great guitar runs. If the musician in your life is a fan of bluegrass music, there is surely a box set for them. Do they like the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, or the funky stuff that Flatt and Scruggs did toward the later part of their career? Yep, they’ve got that too.

The Banjotam
Stumped over what to get the banjo player in your life who already has that epic prewar banjo and all the accessories? How about getting them something they never knew they wanted? THE BANJO TAM! Think about it… what is more epic than a banjo, but with jingles? Seriously, it exists in multiple forms: open back 5 string, resonator 5 string, ukulele, and even the ELECTRIC 5 string. All come complete with jingles (and lots of them). Who knows, maybe you just want your kid to aggravate the next door neighbor. Take my advice: if the banjo player in your life is a pretty good sport about things, they need one of these. Actually having played one myself, I can say that yes, they’re actually pretty cool!

Shawn Lane’s I-Tone
What about the picker who already has everything they want including the fancy pick? Buy them another one! Shawn Lane’s new pick, called the I-Tone, is literally made of space age material. It’s a fantastic fancy pick (defined for the purpose of this article as picks comprised of man-made material that cost more than $1) or shell alternative. Generally speaking, it’s the same concept as the BlueChip; the bevels are spot on and fit and finish is perfect. Plus, you can almost guarantee the picker in your life doesn’t already have one of these. The product debuted just a few short months ago.

Power Pins
For years, acoustic guitar players have strung their instruments using bridge pins made of bone, ebony, ivory, or plastic to hold the strings in the bridges of their axes. Now, thanks to the folks at Bigrock Innovations, there’s really no need to remove the pins to re-string. That’s right, next time you lose your peg puller you can just buy a set of these and not have to worry about it again. Granted, most peg pullers are cheaper than a set of these pins, but they’re still pretty cool. They offer a little different sound than what most players are used to, and certainly do add sustain. These would make a great gift for the musician who hates the string changing process and doesn’t mind being a little different.

D’Addario NS Micro Clip-on Tuner
This thing is awesome! Features of the tiny tuner obviously include the ability to clip it virtually anywhere on an instrument, calibration settings for alternate tunings, a REVERSIBLE SCREEN DISPLAY, and even a visual metronome. If only it fried chicken. The biggest selling points are the reversible screen, compact size, and low cost. You can pick up a couple of these for right around $20.00.