John Curtis Goad, Author at Bluegrass Today

Timeless Hits from the Past… Bluegrassed

Throughout the twenty-plus years that Russell Moore has been leading IIIrd Tyme Out, they have continually provided fans with top-notch bluegrass music. They have occasionally branched into tunes from other genres on various albums, but never as much as they do with their latest release. Their newest record, Timeless Hits from the Past… Bluegrassed, finds the band putting their own spin on numerous country classics (as well as a few of their favorite bluegrass songs). As the latest band to partner with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out are sure to have a lot to offer to both old and new fans.

The album starts off with a smooth, mellow version of the John Hartford tune Gentle on My Mind, which most listeners will be familiar with from the 1967 Glen Campbell cut. This is one of the most bluegrass-sounding songs on the album, with a nice contemporary feel. John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads is given a straightforward bluegrass treatment, and could fit in well on many current bluegrass albums. The band also includes updated versions of a couple of their favorite bluegrass standards. Old Home Place and Big Spike Hammer are two of the standout tracks on the album, with Steve Dilling channeling JD Crowe and Moore offering rich, clear vocals.

Some songs are performed much like their country versions: Don Williams’ Tulsa Time has a fun groove, much like the original, and nice guitar work. A more recent tune, Travis Tritt’s Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde, is given somewhat of a classic country feel with the addition of steel guitar, with Moore’s vocals taking on some of the growl which Tritt is known for. Mama Tried is gentler-sounding than Merle Haggard’s original, with some fine mandolin solos featured throughout the song.

Two interesting duets are also included on the album. Sonya Isaacs shares lead vocals with Moore on a stripped-down, smoothly-performed version of the George Jones and Tammy Wynette number one, Golden Ring. In addition, a IIIrd Tyme Out fan favorite from the 1990s, John and Mary, is re-done as a duet with Pam Tillis. While the song is enjoyable, fans of the original might find the duet style somewhat unusual.

Timeless Hits from the Past… Bluegrassed finds Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out offering the stellar instrumental and vocal performances which has won them multiple IBMA awards over the year. They also add in percussion and several electric instruments, which helps intensify the country feel of the album. The band has put together an album which will please those who have followed the group for years, as well as those who may be encountering them for the first time.

The album is available from Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, as well as www.crackerbarrel.com, Amazon, and iTunes.

For more information on Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, visit their website at www.iiirdtymeout.com.

The Mountains My Baby and Me – The Grass Cats

After a three-year hiatus from recording, North Carolina-based band The Grass Cats is back with their eighth album, The Mountains My Baby and Me, out on New Time Records. The Grass Cats, who recently marked fifteen years as a band, have continued playing their modern traditional sound for this record, offering listeners a selection of originals from band members, as well as some unique cover songs from other genres.

The Grass Cats start things off right with the title track, an upbeat tune with tight harmony singing, penned by band members Russell Johnson and Rick LaFleur about a man who is excited to be returning home to two of his favorite things. The next song, Off and Gone, is not quite as happy. Written by Johnson, it features a man whose woman has wandering ways. Turning Point, a thoughtful tune also written by Johnson, speaks of a man who must make a choice between the bottle and the Bible. Meet Me Up in Heaven is an enjoyable, cheerful Gospel song with traditional-sounding harmonies.

The band’s choice of cover tunes is somewhat unusual for a bluegrass band. However, for a group who has previously covered such non-bluegrass songs as I Shot the Sheriff, Copperhead Road, and Take It on the Run, creating their own versions of tunes recorded by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Eric Clapton is not that uncommon. In their version of Clapton’s I Can’t Stand It, Tim Woodall’s electric bass helps create a great pulsing rhythm to convey the thoughts of a man who is completely fed up with the woman in his life. Both Springsteen’s Hungry Heart and Dylan’s classic Blowin’ in the Wind are given a nice contemporary bluegrass treatment.

Over the years, the Grass Cats have racked up an impressive list of achievements, including having four of their albums make it into the Top 10 on the Bluegrass Unlimited charts and several Top 10 Singles. With the solid musicianship from band members Johnson (mandolin), Lafleur (banjo), Woodall (bass), Chris Hill (fiddle), and newest addition Alan Mullen (guitar), as well as Johnson and Lafleur’s songwriting talents, this new album is sure to make its mark on the charts as well.

The Grass Cats will celebrate their fifteenth anniversary, as well as their new album, this Saturday, January 5, with a concert featuring current and former band members at The Arts Center in Carrboro, NC. Tickets and information can be found on The Arts Center’s website.

For more information about The Grass Cats, visit their website at www.grasscats.com.

The Mountains My Baby and Me can be purchased from the band website, as well as most online music retailers.

Bluegrass Weather report for the first weekend of 2013

Here’s our Special Bluegrass Correspondent with a look at this weekend’s festival weather report, along with a heads up about some other important events coming your way in 2013.

Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter – Ray Edwards

Many singer-songwriters spend most of their career without having their songs cut by a hit artist. Some, however, enjoy great success. Perhaps it would be wise of us (myself included) to take note of the work of songwriters like Ray Edwards. A recent Rural Rhythm release, Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter, showcases some of Edwards’s finest material, including cuts by such bands as Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, Monroeville, and Special Consensus.

This album samples tunes cut by a variety of artists. Edwards is credited as cowriter on all of the songs, collaborating with (among others) some of his friends and writing partners from Silver Stirrup Music. The album begins with the driving Hard Rock Mountain Prison (‘Til I Die), a previously recorded song which was released by Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out on their self-titled 2009 album. This tune is often used to kick off IIIrd Tyme Out shows, and serves well as an album opener. Another up-tempo song follows close behind, with the Darrell Webb Band contribution When the Love We Have is Gone. The lyrics of this tune caution a woman who won’t stay at home that soon she might not have anyone to come home to.

The album’s first single, My Name is Jimmy Martin (Do You Remember Me?) features an all-star team of vocalists, including Marty Raybon, Darrell Webb, Lou Reid, and Russell Moore. The song is a nice tribute to the King of Bluegrass, and even includes Edwards playing many of the most recognizable banjo licks from Jimmy Martin tunes. Old Steamboats and Trains, performed here by Grasstowne with Dustin Pyrtle on lead vocals, is a standout song about a man who was born to ramble. Where My Darlin’ Waits for Me, performed by Ray Edwards and HardRock Mountain, has an interesting melody line that runs throughout the song. Josh Goforth contributes triple fiddles, while Don Risgby offers powerful lead vocals.

Edwards has assembled a great cast of vocalists and musicians for this project. Overall, the tunes are fairly traditional sounding, with country influences throughout, such as Nu-Blu’s rendering of the sweet love story Blue Ridge Mountain Snow. If the songs on this album are any indication, there’s no doubt that we’ll be hearing much more from this noted songwriter – both from his pen and as a musician.

Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter can be purchased from a variety of online music retailers, including Amazon and iTunes.

Live at Red, White, and Bluegrass!

One of the latest groups to put forth a live album is Darin & Brooke Aldridge, with the release of their performance at the Red, White, and Bluegrass Festival in Morganton, North Carolina this past July. With Live at Red, White, and Bluegrass!, these “Sweethearts of Bluegrass” have put together a nice collection of some of their most popular songs, along with a few more obscure choices, which their fans are sure to enjoy.

Darin and Brooke have included cuts from their two most recent albums, including such fan favorites as Corn and Sweetest Waste of Time from their self-titled release and Lonely Ends Where Love Begins and That’s Just Me Loving You from the So Much in Between record. Each of these tunes are sweet love songs which show off the couple’s excellent harmonies. A few of the songs, such as Corn, seem to have been speeded up a bit, making them somewhat more energetic-sounding.

Half of the songs on this album have not been previously recorded by Darin and Brooke, and as such are a nice treat for listeners who may have not had the chance to catch their live show. The couple shows their wide range of influence with these song choices. Fans of 90’s country will appreciate the mid-tempo acoustic cover of Shania Twain’s No One Needs to Know. Making Plans offers a departure from the band’s signature love songs and is one of the most traditional sounding songs on the album, along with a version of the classic Foggy Mountain Rock which allows one of the band’s newest additions, dobro player Colin Willis, to show off his skills.

Two songs which will catch listeners’ attention are also covers. Brooke draws from her time spent singing in church on the George Shuffler-penned Gospel song, When He Beckons Me Home, and Darin gives an lively effort on the upbeat Neil Young tune Powderfinger, which shares the story of a young man who meets an unfortunate end from strangers on the river.

Darin (guitar and mandolin) and Brooke (mandolin) are joined on this album by several musicians from the newest generation of bluegrass pickers. Rachel Johnson Boyd (fiddle), Dwayne Anderson (bass), Collin Willis (dobro), and Matt Love (banjo and guitar) are all talented musicians who are beginning to make names for themselves. As regular readers of Bluegrass Today may know, since the time of this album’s recording, Boyd has taken a break from touring. Nevertheless, her contributions to this album and the group were significant.

Live at Red, White, and Bluegrass! is sure to please those who are already fans of Darin and Brooke Aldridge, as well as appeal to those who enjoy the group’s mix of contemporary bluegrass tinged with country.

The album can be purchased from the band’s website, as well as Amazon and iTunes.

They’re Playing My Song – Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers

A lot of people have been taking notice of the superb talent Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers have to offer. In September, they were named the 2012 IBMA Emerging Artists of the Year. They followed this latest achievement with the release of their newest album, They’re Playing My Song, on Rebel Records. With this new collection of music, the band has established itself even further as one of today’s finest traditional bluegrass music groups.

With several new originals and a nice selection of covers pulled from the bluegrass and classic country traditions, They’re Playing My Song is an all-around enjoyable listening experience. The band kicks things off with an original tune from Mullins. A Blue Million Tears is a catchy and well-written song which features nice wordplay with the term “blue million.” Another original, Granddad (the Preacher) was written by guitarist Adam McIntosh and is a moving tribute to a man who loved the Lord with everything he had. Mandolin player Mike Terry also contributes one song to the album, a cheerful love song entitled Our Old Kentucky Home.

The album also includes another love song, the sweet waltz, Lily. The tune shares the story about a couple who overcame a tough first year of marriage to eventually celebrate over fifty years together. A few other songs share the opposite side of love, including the Dave Evans tale of lost love, When the Snow Falls on My Foggy Mountain Home, and She Left Me Standing on the Mountain, which listeners may recall from the Jim and Jesse version.

One of the album’s standout tracks is the Osborne Brothers Medley, in which the band samples from several hit songs – Windy City, Making Plans, Fair and Tender Ladies, and Kentucky. The Ramblers moves seamlessly between tunes, with Mullins channeling both Bobby and Sonny Obsorne with his high lead vocals and banjo playing. Another excellent song is the title track, Listen, They’re Playing My Song, a Waylon Jennings cut from 1967 which is quite a sorrowful number.

Two instrumentals are included on the album. The first, Leon McAuliffe’s Steel Guitar Rag, is a nice uptempo tune with a strong bass line and enjoyable western swing fiddle. The mandolin tune, Cruisin’ Timber, is another fine addition, and allows each member of the band to show off their skills. Overall, the instrumentation on this album is great, with Mullins’s solid banjo work complemented by each of his band members (McIntosh on guitar, Terry on mandolin, Tim Kidd on bass, and Evan McGregor on fiddle).

They’re Playing My Song is already seeing great chart action, with lead single Bottom of the Mountain (a banjo-driven coal mining song) hitting number one on the Bluegrass Today charts, and the album debuting at number 8 on Billboard’s bluegrass chart. With one foot firmly rooted in the past, these emerging artists are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

For more information on Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, visit their website at www.radioramblers.com.

The new album can be purchased from their website, as well as various digital music stores.

Lord in the Morning – The Little Roy and Lizzy Show

One of the most entertaining groups in bluegrass music today is The Little Roy and Lizzy Show. Hailing from Lincolnton, Georgia, this enjoyable duo and their band are well-known in the worlds of both bluegrass and Gospel music for their musical skills and comedic stage show. With their latest release, Lord in the Morning, out on Pisgah Ridge Records, Little Roy Lewis and Lizzy Long have put together an album with a traditional feel which draws deeply from the sounds of both Southern and bluegrass Gospel.

The majority of the album contains Gospel songs, ranging from the uptempo bluegrass of the title track, to the old-timey mountain sound of There’s a Light, which features Lewis on autoharp. I’m Gonna Make It is a fun tune with a Southern Gospel sound. With Lewis on lead vocals and Long adding bluesy slide guitar, this song is told from the point of view of a man who is assured that heaven is waiting for him at the end of his life’s race. The World Needs a Washin’, an upbeat tune which country music fans may recognize from the 1969 Porter Wagoner version, features an interesting combination of rich Southern Gospel-style vocals and clawhammer banjo, both from Long. Another nice track is He Washed My Soul, which expresses thankfulness for Jesus’s sacrifice.

Several songs address the traditional bluegrass theme of heartbreak. One of the album’s standout tracks is Wishful Thinking, in which a woman spends her days and nights hoping her lost love will return to her just once more. Cold, Dark Room has a classic country feel and features a similar story, with the singer spending all her time in a room that’s “cold and dark just like (her) heart.” Showing a slightly different stance on a broken heart is Pity Party, one of the most traditionally bluegrass tunes on the album. Written by Tom T. and Dixie Hall, this song has the singers declaring that they don’t want a pity party, crocodile tears, or sympathy after a breakup.

Lord in the Morning is a collection of twelve tracks which showcases both Lewis and Long on vocals as well as on an assortment of instruments. They have also assembled a talented supporting group of musicians, including Clay Hess (guitar), Ben Isaacs (bass), Wayne Haun (piano), and Glen Duncan (fiddle). With terrific musicianship and a nice selection of songs, Lord in the Morning will be a fine addition to the collection of any fan of Gospel or traditional bluegrass music.

For more information on Little Roy and Lizzy, visit their website at http://littleroyandlizzy.com.

Their new album can be purchased from their website, as well as a variety of online music retailers.

Christmas the Mountain Way

For most bluegrass musicians, summer is festival season. However, a number of today’s top artists took a short break from touring this past June to get in the holiday spirit. For Steve Gulley, Dale Ann Bradley, Mike Scott, and the rest of the artists featured on the new Rural Rhythm collection Christmas the Mountain Way, Christmas came a little early as they gathered at the Bell Theater in Pineville, KY to record this live album.

Christmas the Mountain Way features over twenty different musicians performing fifteen tunes, including classic Christmas carols, several new originals, and traditional hymns reflecting on the reason for the Christmas season. Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley kick things off with the title track. This original composition by Bradley and Gulley is an upbeat bluegrass tune which speaks of a simpler kind of Christmas where friends and family were what mattered, instead of the decorations and presents.

Other originals include two country-influenced songs: Marty Raybon’s There’s A Way in the Manger (co-written with Michael Curtis and Mark Narmore), a tender song about the importance of Jesus’s birth, and Cumberland River’s Christmas in the Mountains which shares scenes of life during a rural Christmas season.

Many of the other songs which are included are performed in a straightforward, yet enjoyable, traditional bluegrass style. Audie Blaylock’s version of Joy to the World is cheerful and upbeat, while Marty Raybon’s rendition of Silent Night is somewhat stripped down, letting his vocals stand out. Mike Scott, who also served as host for the concert, contributes a fun, banjo-heavy version of Jingle Bells. Students from the Cumberland River Academy of Bluegrass and Appalachian Music, which is located in Pineville and has counted several of the artists featured here as instructors, are also featured on one track, singing Go Tell it on the Mountain.

Some of the album’s best tracks are the hymns which are mixed in between the Christmas songs. Dale Ann Bradley offers a nice version of In the Sweet By and By, while Don Gulley’s heartfelt In the Garden features some fine fiddling. A standout track is Audie Blaylock’s traditional version of the bluegrass Gospel standard A Voice of Our Savior.

Despite several songs in which the sound quality seems to be a little off, the album is enjoyable and will appeal to both fans looking for a new collection of traditional Christmas music and those who enjoy bluegrass Gospel. The artists featured are top-notch and a “stage band” consisting of Jason Burleson (banjo/guitar), Clint Hurd (mandolin), Brandon Godman (fiddle), Vic Graves (dobro), and Bryan Turner (bass) are included on most songs, proving their talents well.

Also included with the live CD is a DVD of the concert. This is a nice addition featuring artist interviews and some behind-the-scenes information about the theater where the performance took place. Viewers have the option of selecting individual songs to watch, watching the entire performance straight through, or hearing commentary from the musicians before each tune.

Christmas the Mountain Way can be purchased from a variety of online music retailers, including Amazon and iTunes.

Bluegrass Weather Report: scattered fire and brimstone

Follow our Special Correspondent, John Goad, as he shops for necessary items to survive the Mayan Apocalypse.

Hills of Alabam – Front Porch String Band

Today, Claire Lynch is best known as a stellar lead vocalist, session vocalist, and songwriter. She has been named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year twice, and gathered numerous IBMA and Grammy nominations. While she has led the Claire Lynch Band since 2005, she got her star fronting the Alabama-based Front Porch String Band in the 1970s. Rebel Records has recently released Hills of Alabam, a collection of some of the Front Porch String Band’s best tunes from the 1980s and 90s.

Twelve of the album’s thirteen tracks are drawn from two albums: 1983’s self-titled release, and Lines and Traces from 1991. One additional song is pulled from Mark Newton’s 2000 collaborative effort, Follow Me Back to the Fold. That tune, the popular Lynch composition The Day That Lester Died,is a touching tribute in which Lynch reflects on how Lester Flatt has influenced both her and the world of bluegrass music.

The rest of the album will serve well as either a great introduction to, or fond reminder of Lynch’s early work. Four of the tracks are written or cowritten by Claire, including the sweet love song I Found You and the folk-country title track, a standout song which expresses a road-weary musician’s desire to just be home again. Another Lynch composition is the closing track, Come Unto Me, a very traditional bluegrass Gospel number featuring nice harmonies.

The album also includes the group’s renderings of a couple traditional pieces. Stephen Foster’s Hard Times is cheerful and bluegrassy, while Wabash Cannonball is rendered in a progressive fashion with some interesting banjo work. Another excellent cut is Kennesaw Line, written by Don Oja-Dunnaway and given a stripped-down country treatment here. This song, while not written during the time period it describes, does a great job in relating the story of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain from a soldier’s perspective.

Overall, these tunes have a folk/Americana feel and even though they were recorded under the name of the Front Porch String Band, Lynch is the centerpiece here. Her sweet, airy vocals are featured on each of the songs, with two different versions of the Front Porch String Band (including some very talented musicians) backing her up. Both editions of the band showcased here included Lynch on guitar and her husband (at the time) Larry Lynch on mandolin, Bouzouki, and lead guitar. 1983’s lineup featured Allen Watkins (banjo) and Terry Campbell (bass), while Andy Meginniss played bass and Herb Trotman was on banjo for the 1991 album.

Hills of Alabam can be purchased from various online music retailers, including Amazon and iTunes. The album is also available at Airplay Direct for radio programmers.