Bluegrass recording news Archives

Mary Rachel shines on new Kody Norris Show single

For their latest Rebel Records single, The Kody Norris Show features fiddler and mandolinist Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris on a song she co-wrote with her husband, bossman Kody Norris.

Blue Ain’t The Word also marks Mary Rachel’s debut as a lead singer with the band, on a song that she says came to her as she was dropping off to sleep.

“You know those light naps you doze into when you’re traveling? Well this song came to me while trying to fade into my slumber! We were headed to a show and all of a sudden this melody was just there. I had been humming the words, ‘Blue, Blue, Blue, Ain’t the Word,’ for a couple days, but couldn’t find a melody that fit quite right. I woke up, grabbed the first instrument I saw, wrote the chorus… and within a couple days, Kody and I had finished the verses!”

No one will be shocked to learn that it’s a very traditional bluegrass number. I mean, they never do that!

The Show also adds a clever call-and-response harmony to the chorus that gives the song a memorable twist.

Support on the track comes from band members Kody Norris on guitar, Mary Rachel on mandolin and fiddle, Josiah Tyree on banjo, and Charlie Lowman on bass. Josiah and Charlie sing harmony.

It’s a good’n. Have a listen.

Blue Ain’t The Word is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

Ol’ Rooster drops for Dave Adkins

Billy Blue Records has a fun new single for Dave Adkins, Ol’ Rooster, which uses a barnyard metaphor to express how men of a certain age, who may have lost a little spring in their step, can still have the same vim and vigor in spirit as they ever did.

It’s one included on his current album, What I’m For, which Dave says is an anthem for the mature gentleman.

“Ol’ Rooster is a song I have been wanting to record for a few years now. With producer Jerry Salley’s help, I finally got a chance to, and I love the way it turned out!

For all of us fellas getting a little older, it’s a fun message. Ha!

Thanks to songwriters Shawn Camp, Dennis Morgan, and Billy Burnette for writing such a wonderfully clever song. And, to my longtime friend and songplugger, Sherrill Blackman, for pitching me the song.

Please give Ol’ Rooster a listen. I’m hoping it puts a big ol’ smile on your face and everyone who hears it!”

The tracks starts with a bit of chicken scratch, courtesy of Aaron McDaris on banjo, before being joined by Justin Roller on guitar and fiddle, Justin Moses on mandolin and reso-guitar, and Jeff Partin on bass. Jerry Salley adds harmony vocals.

Have a listen and see if it doesn’t make you want to crow just a little bit.

Ol’ Rooster, and the full What I’m For album, are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

I Still Believe in the Blood from Mark Houser & Bluegrass Drive

The genesis of Gospel Train, the latest release from Mark Houser & Bluegrass Drive, is a story in itself, quite separate from the fine music it contains.

Houser, a talented songwriter and singer, was rocked last spring by a diagnosis of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. As we all would, he surrounded himself with his family, made his peace with God, and headed into treatment. With cancer this advanced, the future can look bleak indeed, but Mark felt he had a promise to keep.

Some years ago, when he signed with Rural Rhythm Records, Houser made a pledge that his third album would be a gospel project. But would he be able to hold to his word? So he set quickly to work with his producer, Rick Herring, to get started on Gospel Train. They worked backwards, so to speak, cutting guitar and vocal tracks first, as Mark was unsure of how well his health would stand up, but they finished the record, and Houser is still standing.

They recorded with some top flight Nashville artists: Wanda Vick on fiddle, viola, reso-guitar and banjo; Shaun Richardson on guitar, mandolin, and banjo; Andy Leftwich on mandolin and fiddle, and Mark Fain on bass. Herring added guitar and background vocals, as did Keith Sewell. Rhonda Vincent and Darin & Brooke Aldridge make guest appearances.

Here’s a listen to the opening track, one called I Still Believe in the Blood, which Mark wrote with Jimmy Bilbrey. It recalls singing with his family growing up, and the many old songs that still bring comfort and peace.

Houser says that he and his wife were traveling out west when the notion first popped up.

“It was in Colorado that the idea came to me for this song. I held on to it for a few days, then called my long-time songwriting buddy, Jimmy Bilbrey, to share the idea. He nailed the choruses with the names of all of these old hymns, and changed them with each verse making this one a really fun song.”

Have a listen…

Gospel Train is available from the popular download and streaming services online, and as an autographed audio CD or vinyl LP directly from the artist.

Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

Attend a Blue Highway live album taping in March

Blue Highway will be celebrating their 30th anniversary as a bluegrass band, and recording a live album, over the course of two nights at the end of March.

These very special concerts will be held at the Martin Center for the Arts on the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, sponsored in part by the ETSU Bluegrass, Old Time, and Roots Music Studies program.

Like most university theaters, the site of the Powell Recital Hall where the shows will be held are not large, but well equipped for recording. Therefore, ticket availability is low, so those interested in attending and being part of a live recording should act quickly.

A number of very special guests will also be featured during the shows, which are scheduled for March 27-28. Blue Highway will perform songs from across their three decade career for this retrospective project. They are sure to be night’s to remember!

Tickets are available now online.

Looks Like The End Of The Road from Alison Krauss & Union Station

Alison Krauss & Union Station have announced the March 28 release of Arcadia on Down The Road Records. At the same time, the band has released a debut single, Looks Like The End Of The Road.

Arcadia marks a number of firsts for Alison and the boys. It’s their first album in 14 years, the first to feature new guitarist and vocalist Russell Moore, and their first not on Rounder Records, though the new label is one recently launched by the founders of Rounder, Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin, as well as John Virant. In another numerical convergence, Rounder first signed a young Alison when she was 14 years of age.

The rest of AKUS remains the same. Ron Block is on banjo and guitar, Jerry Douglas on reso-guitar, and Barry Bales on bass along with Alison on fiddle and lead vocals. They sound as good as they ever have, if not better. Krauss is in fine voice, and she has chosen strong material, and arranged and recorded it to sonic perfection.

As evidence, see this first single, which Alison says was another first… the first one she picked for the album.

“Usually, I find something that’s a first song, and then things fall into place. That song was Looks Like The End Of The Road. Jeremy Lister wrote it, and it just felt so alive – and as always, I could hear the guys already playing it.”

It’s dreamy ballad, very much in the AKUS tradition, sure to be a welcome relief to fans of the band who have waited so long for a new recording.

Have a listen…

Looks Like The End Of The Road is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Pre-orders and pre-saves for Arcadia are likewise enabled.

Alison Krauss & Union Station will be touring in support of Arcadia, starting on April 17 with two nights in Louisville, KY, and running through a total of 75 dates finishing up at the end of September. More details and ticket information can be found online.

Jesse Smathers to Mountain Home Music

Jesse Smathers – photo © Laci Mack

Jesse Smathers has been announced as the newest signee with the Mountain Home Music label.

Currently guitarist and vocalist with Lonesome River Band, Jesse grew up in a deeply musical family in North Carolina. His first instrument was the mandolin, and he joined LRB in 2015 playing just that, but switched to guitar when the need arose. He’s toured previously with James King and with Nothin’ Fancy, and has recorded as a solo artist in the past.

Now a powerful singer and multi-instrumentalist, Smathers has demonstrated both his passion and love for traditional mountain music, as well as his ability to relate it in a contemporary environment.

He says that he is delighted to become a Mountain Home artist.

“I am so honored to be joining the Mountain Home family amongst friends, influences and heroes. Since 2015, I have recorded numerous projects with the Lonesome River Band on the Mountain Home label and have considered it ‘home.’ Some of my fondest times making music have been at the studio; so it is such a blessing to continue to record and release my own material on the label and be part of the Mountain Home Family!”

A debut single, his version of the old chestnut, Sleepy Eyed John, is expected in February. Pre-orders and pre-saves are enabled now online.

Face Of Appalachia from The Herculeons

Two Nashville vocal powerhouses have joined together to form The Herculeons, in the persons of John Cowan and Andrea Zonn. They have a new album coming in March on True Lonesome Records which will also feature fellow singing stars Michael McDonald, Darrell Scott, John Hall, and Reese Wynans.

Today they have released a first single, Face of Appalachia, tracked back before the terrible storm that ravaged so many communities in that area at the end of September ’24. So they have decided to use the song, and its music video, to continue raising awareness about the ongoing needs of these mountain people and their families, especially now that media attention has been drawn to the ruination from the California wildfires.

Speaking jointly, John and Andrea say…

“When we recorded this song, we couldn’t have foreseen the fate that would befall our beloved Appalachian region with the destructive force of Hurricane Helene. The heart center of the music and musicians that have nurtured and nourished us has been dealt an unimaginable blow.

Our dear friend and gifted photographer, Madison Thorn, traveled to the region in the aftermath of the hurricane and captured stunning images of the devastation. We asked her to help us make this video to raise awareness and funds as this region embarks on the long and difficult process of rebuilding their homes and their lives.”

Face of Appalachian is a lovely song, written by John Sebastian and Lowell George, and recorded on Sebastian’s 1974 album, Tarzana Kid. This is the same team that composed Dixie Chicken, the title track of Little Feat’s 1973 album, also included on Tarzana Kid.

Andrea sings the lead here, with John’s harmony wailing behind her, on a stark track that lets their voices take the forefront. Beautifully done.

They are using the video to encourage people to contribute time and treasure, as they are able, to the various organizations who are doing such exemplary work to bring relief to the Appalachian region.

The Herculeons, i.e., John and Andrea, especially recommend the following agencies when you consider donations:

We’ll see more information from The Herculeons in the coming weeks, and their upcoming project, expected March 21.

Wyatt Ellis studio visualizer video with Peter Rowan

Wyatt Ellis has been getting a lot of mileage from his current single, Winds of Rowan County. He’s released it as a double-side, 45 RPM vinyl single, backed with Bill Monroe’s Memories of You, also available through the popular download and streaming services.

The combination of these two artists, at the opposite ends of their careers – Rowan is 82 and Ellis is 15 – has captured the attention of people both inside the bluegrass world, and well beyond.

Now Wyatt has released a music video for Winds of Rowan County, filled with behind the scenes clips from the recording studio. Ellis and Christopher Henry play mandolins, with Rowan on guitar and vocals, David Mansfield and Christian Ward on fiddles, Max Wareham on banjo, and Mike Bub on bass.

Check it out…

Court’n Katie drops for Crandall Creek

West Virginia’s Crandall Creek is back with a new single, Court’n Katie, a somber mountain ballad with distinct overtones of foul play.

Greg Blake of Special Consensus, who recently collaborated with Crandall Creek for a duet on Lazy Sunday, offered high praise for this latest release, written by guitarist Jerry Andrews and vocalist Carly Greer.

“The haunting new single, Court’n Katie, by Crandall Creek, is another fine example of the band’s skill in collaborative writing, spearheaded by Jerry Andrews and the ability of their lead singer, Carly Greer, to make you stop whatever you’re doing and listen all the way to the end of the ballad, and leave you wanting more. This new offering from the band is a welcome addition to the category of Appalachian dark ballads depicting the hard life of the mountain folk.”

Performing on the track are Crandall Creekers Andrews on guitar, Greer on vocal, and Dustin Terpenning on banjo, with guests Andy Leftwich on fiddle, mandolin, and lead guitar, and Darin Vincent on bass.

Give it a listen…

Court’n Katie is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

If You Don’t Climb the Mountain video from Wilson Banjo Co

Pinecastle Records has brought out a music video for the new single from Wilson Banjo Co, just as the band releases a five-track EP, Lonely As It Gets, which nicely showcases the latest iteration of the group.

The video is for If You Don’t Climb the Mountain, written by Jeff Hovis and Rick Lang, which was filmed by the folks with Bonfire Recording Studio on a hotel roof during last September’s World of Bluegrass convention in Raleigh, NC.

It’s a bluesy song about the need to put in the work to obtain the results you hope for in life, perfectly encapsulated in the last line of the chorus: “If you don’t climb the mountain, you can’t enjoy the view.”

Founder and band leader, banjo picker Steve Wilson – who really does make banjos – says that the song is a great fit for Andrew Crawford, who has joined the band on guitar along with his wife, Brandi Colt on mandolin.

“If You Don’t Climb the Mountain is a powerful anthem that Rick Lang brought to us, and we were instantly inspired by the lyrics and the dynamic groove. It truly sets the tone for the 10th Anniversary of Wilson Banjo Co. My wife and I gave up everything completely stable in our lives to follow this bluegrass dream ten years ago, and never looked back. We don’t do it for fame and fortune, but for the love of the music and creation, fulfillment in the journey, and we do hope to make enough folks happy that we can pay the bills and continue to climb our mountain.

We are strong believers in being a captain of our own destiny and not just ‘following the leader’ or ‘working for the man,’ for as long as the good Lord permits us.

We knew this was the perfect song to debut Andrew Crawford’s tenacious, gravely tone as a new lead singer with Wilson Banjo Co., and he absolutely crushed it along with the entire band driving the arrangement from start to finish.

We couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out, and hope it inspires you too!”

With Wilson on banjo, Crawford on guitar, and Colt on mandolin, the group is completed by Adam Bachman on reso-guitar and Jamie Carter on bass. Darren Nicholson plays mandolin on the track.

Have a look and listen to If You Don’t Climb the Mountain below.

If You Don’t Climb the Mountain, and the full Lonely As It Gets EP, are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.