Did you think that bluegrass music would somehow escape curling-mania?
Chris Jones, Sirius-XM radio host and fearless leader of Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, contacted us with the news that his latest CD, Cloud of Dust, is now available on iTunes. He also shared that while he is busy preparing for the band’s busiest festival season ever, they have all been glued to the Winter Olympics on television, especially the curling.
They feel a personal connection to the US curling teams because they performed last year at the Olympic curling trials in Colorado, where they saw both the US teams qualify. Chris opened the event singing the Star Spangled Banner. Chris and his wife Sally (who was a featured performer at the trials as well) are also known to participate in the sport themselves.
There is a nice “Curling For Dummies” overview on Chris’ web site for those a bit foggy on the rules, and he explained how he became a proponent of the stone and the broom.
“Sally is from northern Alberta, where curling is very popular, and it runs in the family. Her sister Marcy is a past Canadian champion in the sport and two of her brothers are competitive curlers who have both played against the current Canadian Olympic team at different times.
I took up the sport about 5 years ago. All I can say is it’s way harder than it looks. Learning to play in Alberta for me is a little like taking up the banjo in your 40s and trying to keep up on Dear Old Dixie with a bunch of people who have been playing their whole lives!”
You can find the Chris Jones & The Night Drivers’ tour schedule online. The band features Ned Luberecki on banjo, Jon Weisberger on bass, and Jones on guitar and lead vocals.
When you catch them live, be sure to get Chris to tell you how he injured himself on the ice. Hint: it wasn’t a curling-related accident.
