There are a couple of new albums set to drop next Tuesday, while much of the bluegrass world (including Bluegrass Today) will be in Nashville for the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass convention. We wanted to mention them today, lest they get lost in the IBMA shuffle next week.
Rebel Records is doing a real throw-back release for Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, a “digital 45” with two new tracks from the band’s next album, expected for early in 2013.
One “side” features a new song, If That Was Love, co-written by Jones and Night Drivers bassist, Jon Weisberger. The other is a jam out tour de force showcasing Ned Luberecki on banjo and Mark Stoffel on mandolin, with Chris doing his best Eddie Stubbs on the lengthy recitation, Wolf Creek Pass.
“It was my idea to remake this C.W. McCall classic, and also use it as a vehicle to showcase the band instrumentally. I think it’s the first time I ever suggested a song and worried that the band would laugh at me. It quickly became one of our most requested songs.
We have a lot of fun with it, although we found out when we sat down to learn the music that it’s more complex than it sounds, and the timing of it can be tricky. Then there were all those words I had to memorize.
We just went into the studio and did it exactly as we do it on stage, and it came surprisingly easy. We brought in Jeremy Garrett for some fiddle backup and Claire Lynch and Sierra Hull sang the choruses, which is sort of our tribute to the original arrangement.”
You can hear both tracks at Airplay Direct, where radio programmers can download them now for broadcast. The digital single has been shipped to bluegrass radio on CD, and fans can purchase the tracks on the 25th at iTunes and other digital resellers.
Also set for a Tuesday release is Ricky Skaggs’ Music To My Ears. We expect to speak with Ricky about the new album on Monday, and plan to have a video interview with him up no later than Tuesday.
