Randy Barnes has been announced as the newest member of Fast Track, playing bass.
The epitome of a bluegrass sideman, Barnes spent the past decade plus with Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, a job he left in February. Prior to 2013, he had also worked with Rhonda Vincent, Josh Williams, Marty Raybon, Larry Stephenson, and Lou Reid.
He says that he is pumped about this next chapter in his professional career.
“I’m excited about playing with Fast Track. We all have like-minds in the style of music, and where it’s headed in the future.”
With Fast Track he joins founding members Dale Perry on banjo and Steve Day on fiddle, along with Shayne Bartley on mandolin, and Duane Sparks on guitar. They record for the Engelhardt Music Group.
Engelhardt Music Group has a new single for Fast Track, who are rapidly becoming a favorite for fans of traditional bluegrass all across the country. Experienced sidemen all, the band was formed as Cardinal Tradition to accompany David Parmley prior to his most recent retirement, since rescinded. When David stopped touring that time, the rest of the guys decided to give it a go without him, and have achieved considerable success since that fateful resolution.
Originally, Jesse Brock was on mandolin and Ron Spears on bass, but Jesse left for Authentic Unlimited, replaced by Shayne Bartley, and Ron passed away last year, with Zach Collier taking his spot.
This latest release, Knee Deep in Love, was written by Harold Gore, and is sung by guitarist Duane Sparks, who explains why it works so well for Fast Track.
“A great traditional feeling bluegrass song with the classic story of love and heartache, written by Indiana native Harold Gore, Knee Deep In Love is one of our favorite tunes to play on stage. Really fun to sing and gets the crowd going!”
Rounding out the band are Dale Perry on banjo, who kicks this one off, and Steve Day on fiddle.
Give Knee Deep in Love a listen…
Knee Deep in Love is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers can contact EMG for airplay copies of the track.
IV, the new full-length album from Fast Track, is set for release on May 3.
Engelhardt Music Group is out with a new single from Fast Track, the hard charging bluegrass band that developed after David Parmley shut down his band, Cardinal Tradition.
They’ve chosen a song written by their former bassist, the late Ron Spears, who had contributed a number of songs to the band before his passing earlier this year. It’s a wonderful way to remember their bandmate and friend.
It’s one called River of Regret, sung here by guitarist Duane Sparks, with harmony support from mandolinist Shayne Bartley, and bass man Zach Collier. Fast Track is completed by founders Steve Day on fiddle and Dale Perry on banjo.
The songs tells a story of a love lost by a man who only realizes his mistakes after it’s too late.
Have a listen…
River of Regret is available now from popular download and streaming services online. It is the first single to hit from the band’s next album, expected early in 2024.
Radio programmers are invited to contact EMG to receive airplay copies.
Fast Track spent the Labor Day weekend performing in Canada. They passed through Detroit on Friday evening and stopped at the Kentuckians of Michigan and did a show.
The Kentuckians has a long history of hosting bands. Fiddler Steve Day found a picture on the wall of him when he was with Gary Brewer. He left Gary’s band in 1998 to join Dave Parmley.
Shayne Bartley (mandolin) last performed at the club with his brother Rick. Duane Sparks has played the club with Joe Mullins, and Dale Perry has played there with several bands over the years.
Fast Track honors founding member, the late Ron Spears, for his contributions to both the band and the music.
Family and friends of the late bluegrass entertainer Ron Spears will gather at Nashville’s Station Inn on August 27 to remember his many contributions to our music, and to so many people’s lives.
This promised celebration of Ron’s life will take place from 2:30-5:00 p.m. that Sunday, and will feature music from Fast Track, the final group with whom he performed, plus from Ron’s daughter and grandchildren. Other guest pickers and singers are also expected to take part.
There will be no admission charge to attend, but donations for the benefit of the Spears family are encouraged.
Ron Spears passed away on March 22 of this year after battling cancer and other health issues. He was 69 when he passed. He had been a member of many professional bluegrass acts, and had also performed widely as a comedian and ventriloquist.
His career saw him in memorable stints with James King, Special Consensus, Cardinal Tradition, the Reno and Harrell Band, David Parmley & Continental Divide, and Fast Track. He also led his own group, Ron Spears & Within Tradition, and recorded a pair of albums with them for Copper Creek Records in the early aughts. Ron did a brief stretch with Rhona Vincent as well.
Spears left behind a deep catalog of original songs recorded by bluegrass artists, including multiple cuts by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Dailey & Vincent, Special Consensus, Lou Reid & Terry Baucom, Fast Track, David Parmley, Josh Williams, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, and The Bluegrass Cardinals.
All attending the Celebration of Life on August 27 are encouraged to be ready to share stories and reflections of your time with Ron for his family, who will be in attendance.
Sounds like a lovely farewell to a lifelong friend of bluegrass.
OK traditional bluegrass lovers… this one is for you. The latest single from Fast Track’sHeartache and Trouble album is out, their take on the Boys From Indiana classic, You’ll Never Find Another So True.
Written by Aubrey Holt, the Boys cut the song for their 1975 LP, Bluegrass Music is Out of Sight, for King Records.
Fast Track gives it a perfect old school bluegrass treatment, sung by fiddler Steve Day, with support from bandmates Dale Perry on banjo, Duane Sparks on guitar, Shayne Bartley on mandolin, and the late Ron Spears on bass.
Have a listen…
You’ll Never Find Another So True is available now from Engelhardt Music Group, as is the full Heartache and Trouble project, from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.
It’s a mark of a great album when you can listen to it straight through without wanting to skip any songs. But what about when you find yourself keeping it in the CD player for hours on end, pressing rewind over and over to hear your favorites, to listen once more to a note-perfect musical break, or to just better appreciate a cleverly written line? Because that’s what I did after receiving a copy of Fast Track’s latest album, Heartache and Trouble, filling a four-hour drive with well-written originals, fine traditional instrumentation, and fresh cuts of a few classic favorite songs. The album – the band’s third effort in as many years from Engelhardt Music Group – has quickly been added to my list of favorites for 2022.
Kicking things off is the title track, which was written by Gerald Evans, Jr. Released as an early single back in April, it features guitarist Duane Sparks on lead vocals singing from the perspective of a man who’s had it rough his whole life. It’s a fine example of a bluegrass hard luck story, ending in a quickly regretted murder. Tuned-down banjo from Dale Perry helps add to the mean, angry feel. Sparks also takes the lead on another track from Evans, Plain Old Country Boy, filling the lyrics with plenty of swagger. The song features the singer bragging about his independent ways, including some of my favorite lines from the album: “That girl wanted me to settle down with a house and a picket fence. I kissed her cheek and got in the car, and I ain’t seen her since.”
Spears, the group’s bass player and ace songwriter, has contributed several original numbers here, including Jenny Lynn, a love song that will tug at even the coldest heartstrings. Guided by cheery fiddle from Steve Day, it tells of a man whose sweetheart passed on while he was gone to war, but whose love for her never died. Spears also penned one of my favorite tracks here, The Sweetest Place on Earth. “Old home place” songs are rampant in bluegrass music, often basically carbon copies of each other, but this one is a step – or two – above. Spears sings lead with a tear in his voice, the harmonies on the chorus are beautiful, and Day’s fiddle perfectly underscores the melancholy lyrics. Rounding out Spears’s songwriting contributions is an enjoyable mid-tempo waltz that closes out the album, You No Longer Believe In Me. It’s a heartbreak number, made even more lonesome by the revelation that the singer’s wife has left after 35 years together.
I was excited to see that the band included one of my favorites from their live shows, Steve Day’s rendition of Mary Jane Won’t You Be Mine. Day is an excellent fiddler, but also a fine singer, and he gives it his all here. Fans who aren’t familiar with the song may think he’s just rewritten the Stanleys’ Say Won’t You Be Mine, but this is actually Bill Monroe’s version of that song. Speaking of the Stanley Brothers, Day also offers a strong cut of their Sweetest Love here. Both songs feature nice mandolin breaks from Shayne Bartley, a new addition to the band as of 2022.
Fast Track is packed with talent. With multiple strong lead vocalists, musicianship from some of the genre’s best, and Ron Spears’s songwriting talent, they’re not just some upstart band. Heartache and Trouble is on the brief side (just ten songs), but it’s a strong, tight collection without a boring moment. Fans of new traditional music should certainly pick up a copy.
For more information on Fast Track, visit them online. Their new album is available from several online music retailers.
Engelhardt Music Group has a new single for Fast Track, taken from the sophomore album for this fast rising bluegrass band of five veteran pickers.
Fast Track is Dale Perry on banjo, Steve Day on fiddle, Ron Spears on bass, Shayne Bartley on mandolin, and Duane Sparks on guitar. All of the members in this quintet share in the vocals, giving them a variety of sounds to offer. The band had its genesis in David Parmley’s return to touring a few years ago as Cardinal Tradition. Dale, Ron, and Steve were working with David at the time, and decided to stick together when Parmley stopped touring.
This latest single, Heartache and Trouble, finds Sparks singing lead on a classic working man’s song from Gerald Evans of Traditional Grass fame. The guys give it a bluesy treatment, driven by Perry’s low tuned banjo and super smooth harmony vocals.
Have a listen…
Heartache and Trouble from Fast Track is available now from popular download a nd streaming services online. Radio programmers can get the track at AirPlay Direct.
The year end bluegrass trading season is upon us, when pickers shuffle from band to band as others leave the road in advance of the new year, or take up positions with other groups.
This morning EMG recording artists Fast Track have announced the addition of Shayne Bartley on mandolin. He steps into the spot previously occupied by Jesse Brock, who was named yesterday as a member of Authentic Unlimited.
Shayne is the definition of a bluegrass veteran. The native Kentuckian has worked in the field for more than 30 years, starting with his older brother Rick’s group. Since them, Bartley been a part of The Lost and Found, Don Rigsby and Midnight Call, American Drive, Southern Blend, The Charlie Sizemore Band, Dave Evans, Unlimited Tradition, Rarely Herd, David Peterson and 1946, and The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show, plus fill-in work with several others.
He joins fellow Fast Trackers Dale Perry on banjo, Steve Day on fiddle, Ron Spears on bass, and Duane Sparks on guitar. All five contribute to the band vocals.
For Shayne, this is a fine opportunity to get back into touring again.
“I’m honored and excited to be asked to join Fast Track. I am looking forward to making great bluegrass music with Dale, Steve, Ron, and Duane. It will be so much fun to see all of the fans and friends again!”
And the guys, speaking jointly, say that they are pleased to have him in the band.
“Shayne is a great fit for Fast Track in so many ways. He is such a fantastic musician and singer, but beyond that, just a great guy, and will be fun to travel with! His musical style will melt right into the sound that we have all created for this band. We couldn’t be happier to have him on stage and in the studio with us going into 2022 and beyond.”
Fast Track gets back to it in mid-January with visits to The Down Home in Johnson City, TN on January 13, Lorraine’s Coffee House in Cary, NC on the 14th, and the BBQ & Bluegrass Fundraiser in McConnellsburg, PA on the 15th.
