Mountain Faith has been called upon once again by the Atlanta Falcons to sing the National Anthem before one of their home games. At yesterday’s contest with the San Franscisco 49ers, the band was brought to the center of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to sing. This was the second season in a row they have done so.
The opening ceremonies are rarely included in the television broadcast of the games, but fortunately, vocalist Summer McMahan handed off her phone to someone in their entourage who captured it on video, which she has shared with us.
If it doesn’t make you proud to see a bluegrass group featured in this way, I don’t know what to do with you.
Their recent popularity in central and western North Carolina is such that Mountain Faith was also asked to shoot a television ad for a large auto dealership with multiple locations in the region. Here’s a look at that effort as well.
The fires in Gatlinburg have been extinguished, but the flame of hope still burns brightly. This year’s edition of Christmas in the Smokies, presented by Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, kicked off Wednesday afternoon. Lorraine announced that the festival will be making a substantive donation to the My People Fund, set up by Dolly Parton’s foundation. The donation will be from the weekend’s general admission tickets, so join us at the festival and help the fire victims at the same time. Danny Stewart’s Bluegrass Trail is also donating funds from CD sales and a mandolin raffle. Lorraine’s crew was hard at work welcoming the arriving guests for a big part of the afternoon.
Edgar Loudermilk and his band opened the show at the Smoky Mountain Convention Center. Edgar brings many year’s of bluegrass history when he and his band take the stage. The Larry Stephenson Band took the stage next. Larry always gives an audience full measure, whether it is wonderful bluegrass gospel music, straight ahead bluegrass music, or, in Larry’s words, bluegrass “death and murder” songs. The Grascals have become a festival favorite wherever they appear. They combine many years of experience with the young voice of John Bryan to make really great music.
The evening’s “fun” group was the Smoky Mountain All Stars. The group featured Danny Stewart on mandolin, Tim White on banjo, Jerry Butler on guitar, Matt Wallace on bass, Matt Leadbetter on dobro, and Josh Goforth on fiddle. Tim White is also emceeing the festival. Sideline closed the day’s show. Sideline went from a part time endeavor to a full time touring band in a short period of time. They have become one of the must see bands.
Thursday brings another full line up to the Christmas in the Smokies stage. Dean Osborne, Williamson Branch, Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Ronnie Reno and the Reno Tradition, Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Since making the decision to pursue music full-time in 2011, Callahan, Florida’s Harris family – better known as Trinity River Band – has experienced quite a run of success. With songs like Better than Blue, How Blue, and Rusty Old American Dream receiving frequent airplay on bluegrass radio, and attention on the national charts, the group has quickly earned itself the respect of fans and critics alike. Their latest album, Things We Do For Dreams, was recently released on Orange Blossom Records and just might be their best effort yet.
Riding the powerhouse voice of mandolin player and eldest sister Sarah Harris, the album’s lead single, Come Back Train, became the group’s first number one single earlier this year. Written by Jerry Salley and Cassidy Lynn Alexander, it’s a fiery song that finds the singer begging a train to bring back the man who left her behind. Kudos to younger sister Brianna and brother Joshua for their commanding fiddle and banjo playing on this track. Sarah’s mandolin kicks off another strong track, the much more mellow Me and Jolene, a sweet story about the bond between two sisters from the pens of Kim Fox and Brandon Rickman. The lyrics here are made especially poignant coming from a family band, and the ladies’ harmonies are pure and clear.
Another highlight is the country-tinged cover of Dolly Parton’s Silver and Gold, a Gospel song written by Carl Perkins. You can hear a touch of Dolly’s earnestness in Sarah’s vocals as she sings a powerful message shared by an old man on the street: “Silver and gold might buy you a home, but things of this world, they won’t last you long… And time can’t be bought back with silver and gold.” It’s easily my favorite song on the album. The Promised Land is a similarly sincere number. From the title, I was expecting a straightforward Gospel song, but there’s a twist – the singer (this time, dad Mike) has strayed far from his small-town roots and upbringing in his mother’s church, and is longing to return. Mike gives the song a strong sense of regret; you can hear the yearning in his voice.
Right Where She Left Him will likely tug at the heartstrings of many listeners. It’s a very well-written number from Kim Fox and Craig Market about a man who can’t bear to leave the home he shared with his late wife. With a simple, gentle contemporary arrangement and thoughtful details about the memories made by a sewing machine, it’s a bittersweet love story. The Mirror is another song filled with memories. Using a mirror from her grandparents’ home as a metaphor for moments spent with loved ones, the singer ultimately realizes that “there’s more in that mirror than just me.” Brianna takes the lead on this track, offering heartfelt vocals.
Time’s a Crooked Thing, written by Irene Kelley and Becky Buller, has a bluesy vibe, a sound Trinity River Band has proven they enjoy on their previous albums. Mike sets the tone with his guitar opening, while mom Lisa provides groove with a neat bass line. Slightly on the more traditional side of things – modern traditional, that is – is My Own Worst Enemy, one of three originals from Sarah on this project. With gritty lead vocals and ominous lyrics, it’s certainly one of the darker tracks here. Fans of nineties grass should enjoy the title track, with its “follow your dreams” theme and Highway 40 Blues vibe.
Though Trinity River Band has always offered solid contemporary bluegrass to their fans, Things We Do For Dreams strikes me as their strongest album to date. Many of the group’s radio hits have provided opportunities for vocal and instrumental acrobatics, but they are at their best (in my opinion) on the thoughtful, more melodic numbers like Me and Jolene, Silver and Gold, and Right Where She Left Him. However, the song selection here is strong, and the instrumentation is top-notch. I was pleased to hear the mixture of voices on the album – the group is packed with fine singers, and we get to hear each of them play to their strengths. The band should earn plenty of new fans with this recording.
For more information on Trinity River Band, visit them online at www.trinityriverband.com. Their new album is available from several music retailers.
The fifteenth edition of Al Ras Bluegrass Festival took place this November in Barcelona and Mollet del Vallès (Barcelona, Spain). Al Ras is the oldest bluegrass festival in Spain, and this edition has been probably the most international in the festival history.
The line up was headed by the Italian band Red Wine, actively touring since 1978, and one of the premier European bluegrass bands. Caroline Cotter and Ron Cody, members of The Gather Rounders, performed together with Jesse Brock, mandolin player of the Gibson Brothers, among others. From Bilbao, the Basque Country, the Spanish band La West Bluegrass Band presented in Al Ras their new album. The local bands were represented by the Barcelona Bluegrass Band who were joined by Jesse Brock and Ron Cody on stage.
From West Virginia, and performing under the name of Chestnut Ridge, Jaime Lynn Buckner and Trae Buckner of The Hillbilly Gypsies were supported on stage by the Damned Hillbillies, local band lead by Ricky Araiza and Richard da Silva. Old time music had also its place in Al Ras: Mitch Depew, old time fiddle player from New Jersey, played with his band Ryegrass, formed by Catalan old time musicians. The festival was opened, as usual, by Toni Giménez, who played an instrumental set on banjo and guitar.
All in all, a week of concerts, master classes and activities, a nice row of days of friendship and music that ended with the main concert of the festival, on Saturday 12th, and a final jam with an absolutely crowded stage!
See you next year in Barcelona!
As a final treat, Lluis also shared this video he recorded in Barcelona with Ron Cody as a tribute to the late Bill Keith. It’s a banjo duet treatment of his arrangement of Nola.
And this twin banjo version of Bill’s two most famous tunes, Devil’s Dream and Sailor’s Hornpipe.
More photos from the festival can be found online.
The Graham Talent Group, based in Russell Springs, KY, has announced that Mike Conner has joined the agency.
Mike will assist principal Randy Graham in booking the several groups on their roster, and concentrate on developing new business ventures. He will also head up Graham’s production and packaging unit.
A Roanoke, VA native and resident, Mike is the bass player with The Country Gentlemen Tribute Band, and has worked as a concert and festival promoter in the Virginia region. He was in the news here a few weeks ago when he endured a terrifying health scare. While visiting a friend in Knoxville, he suffered a ventricle fibrillation, meaning that his heart stopped beating, and he fell to the floor. Fortunately, his wife Annette, was able to start CPR almost immediately and kept blood flowing through his body until paramedics arrived. He was kept in a coma for several days and had a defibrillator installed in his heart, but now seems to be as good as new.
For years Mike has owned and managed a successful auto repair facility in Roanoke, but has been working the past year and a half to shift out of that garage to focus on bluegrass and other business opportunities. After his brush with death, he decided to put those plans into overdrive, and is delighted to represent the Graham Talent Group artists in the southeastern US.
The agency offers booking, management, and public relations services for top bluegrass performers like Nothin’ Fancy, David Parmley & Cardinal Tradition, Darrell Webb Band, Feller & Hill, The Crowe Brothers, Grasstowne, Remington Ryde, and The Country Gentlemen Tribute Band. More details on all these acts can be found on the Graham web site.
Mike Conner can be reached by email or phone/text (540-537-4082).
Those who have an interest in classic country music, that of the traditional type of the 1940s and 1950s, will know that Arthur Q Smith is becoming less of a mystery.
Known for his excellent and prolific song-writing and a fondness for alcohol, Arthur Q Smith, who spent most of his life in Knoxville, Tennessee, was an enigmatic character known to only a few. All of what we know about Smith (born James Pritchett, in Griffin, Georgia) will be shared at a CD launch party to be held on Friday, December 9 at the Black Box Theatre, Emporium Building, in Knoxville, starting at 6:00 p.m.
Arthur Q Smith: The Trouble with the Truth (Bear Family Records BCD 17436) showcases some of the songs that Smith wrote as sung by those who recorded them way back when; such as Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (How Will I Explain About You?), Reno and Smiley (I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could), Red Allen and the Osborne Brothers (Wild Mountain Honey), Carl Story and his Rambling Mountaineers (Every Time Somebody Calls Your Name), the Stanley Brothers (Next Sunday Darling Is My Birthday), and a slew from country music stars of the day; I Overlooked an Orchid (While Searching for a Rose), Wedding Bells, Rainbow At Midnight, If Teardrops Were Pennies and A Ribbon and a Rose.
Additionally, there are 15 recordings by Smith himself.
Accompanying the two CDs is a 124-page book written by Knoxville journalist Wayne Bledsoeand historian Bradley Reeves.
At the release party will be music by Jesse McReynolds, Barstool Romeos, Larry Odom, Jack Cate, Nancy Brennan Strange and Steve Horton, and there will a showing of rare films and a book/CD signing session with the authors.
So, if you are in the area why not make an early evening date at the Black Box Theatre, Gay Street, Knoxville.
For all, but particularly those who can’t attend the launch party, is a video courtesy of Bear Family Records
Look for an extended story / review of Arthur Q Smith: The Trouble with the Truth in the new future.
Rounder Records has announced a March 2017 release for Universal Favorite, their first recording for Noam Pikelny.
Noam’s last project, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, brought him a handful of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2014. The album won him rave notices both in and outside of bluegrass for it’s strikingly accurate transcriptions of Baker’s fiddle playing.
Universal Favorite is a solo project in the truest sense of the word. Some of the tracks feature unaccompanied banjo, and on others, Noam plays other instruments. And in a first for the music industry, he also sings. This will be all Noam, all the time.
Here is an example of a solo track, a composition of his called Waveland.
An extensive solo tour is planned for next year starting in February. Full details can be found on his web site.
Ray has returned to pursue a career in our music following a layoff of several years, after having dedicated much of his youth to performing. He is a powerhouse vocalist in the new grass style who regularly draws comparisons to the great John Cowan. In fact his upcoming album, Tennessee Moon, was produced by former New Grass Revival guitarist, Pat Flynn.
Now Ray has his own group, and will be working with Melanie and the Wilson Pickins staff and their booking and publicity services. Other talent with the agency include Edgar Loudermilk, Kim Robins, Kristi Stanley Randall Hibbitts, The Bluegrass Outlaws, Grasstowne, Cumberland Gap Connection, and several others.
Cardwell had been working with his sister, former IBMA Executive Director Nancy Cardwell, who served as his manager and booking representative until she took on full time responsibilities with the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee a few weeks ago. Nancy tells us that she is delighted to see Ray in such capable hands with Wilson Pickins.
Tennessee Moon is set for a mid-January release on Pinecastle Records. It is available now to radio programmers at Airplay Direct.
Yesterday afternoon in Abingdon, VA, the The Crooked Road held a press conference at their Heartwood Center to announce the details of the 2017 Mountains of Music Homecoming. The Crooked Road is a public/private partnership between the state and local communities and businesses to boost tourism in western Virginia, using mountain music as the hook.
This will be their third annual celebration of the traditional music and folk arts of the Appalachian region, occurring in communities across southwestern Virginia over 8 days next summer (June 9-17). The idea is to give fans of mountain music an opportunity to sample all that this region has to offer during a prime vacation time, combined with events centered around cuisine, dance, academics, film, jam sessions and other aspects of Appalachian culture.
By spreading these events over 8 days in various different communities, visitors are encouraged to discover parts of the state they mightn’t otherwise, boosting local economies and businesses, and giving these smaller cities and towns a chance to spruce up and shine for folks from all over the country. Tying these venues to important figures in bluegrass and old time music also presents an occasion to share more about the history of the art form and the people that created it.
John Kilgore, President of the Crooked Road, discussed the survey they conducted during the 2016 Homecoming, where they interviewed over 500 attendees at various venues along the Crooked Road last June. They found that more than a third of the visitors came from outside southwest Virginia, and that nearly half of them had come specially for the Mountains of Music events. Of those, 96% spoke favorably of the event, and would recommend attending to their family and friends.
This, of course, is what tourism officials love to hear! People had traveled in from all over the US, both from neighboring states like North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky, and from far greater distances as well. And by hosting the many concerts, festivals, and other cultural experiences in out-of-the-way locales, people are more likely to explore the towns they visit, finding even more to cherish along the way.
Crooked Road Director Jack Hinshelwood led the conference, introducing dignitaries and sponsors from all across the region who were proud to see their communities featured in a celebration like this, which will be widely marketed and promoted all over the country. He identified the theme of the 2017 Mountains of Music Homecoming as The Year We Sang, celebrating the many fine singers who have emerged from this part of Virginia. Most particularly, they will recognize and celebrate the music of Ralph Stanley who passed away earlier this year.
Ralph’s son, Ralph Stanley II, spoke about a pair of Stanley Legacy Concerts that will be held during the Homecoming. Ricky Skaggs and Larry Sparks, two popular entertainers whose careers started with Ralph will perform, along with Ralph II who is continuing with his father’s band, The Clinch Mountain Boys. These shows will be held June 11 at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and again on the 12th at The Country Cabin in Norton, where there will also be a panel discussion with many former members of the Clinch Mountain Boys. Bluegrass historian Gary Reid will film the discussions for an eventual DVD release.
Deb Wells from Lays Hardware in Coeburn spoke about their Homecoming concert with Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys, one of two shows that are scheduled at their Lays Hardware Center For The Arts. For Jesse, it will be a true homecoming as he and his brother Jim were born and raised there in town. The store will also be leading tours to the McReynolds homeplace, where Jesse will greet visitors. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about these iconic artists.
Ted Olson, from the Appalachian Studies department at ETSU, discussed a concert lauding the Ballad Tradition at Emory & Henry University with Sheila Kay Adams, Archie Fisher, and Elizabeth LaPrelle. Roddy Moore from the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College shared information about their show honoring the American Ballad Tradition featuring Aoife Clancy, John Roberts, and Norman Kennedy on June 9. The Ferrum event will examine how the music of the British Isles has influenced American folk music. Ms. Clancy is the daughter of Bobby Clancy of the famous Irish folksingers, The Clancy Brothers. Ferrum will also host an exhibit of Appalachian artists during Mountains of Music.
Details were also shared about three culinary events billed as Feastivals, at which Appalachian food writer Ronni Lundy will speak. Noted chefs will share the haute cuisine of Virginia’s mountains, paired with traditional music and new creations from artisans of the region. These will be held June 11 in Hillsville, June 13 in Meadows of Dan, and June 17 in St Paul. All will feature locally-sourced, farm-to-table offerings.
Larry Yates, Mayor of Haysi spoke with pride of holding a Doyle Lawson concert on June 9 with the Haysi Kiwanis, and Richard Emmet, program director at the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, announced a western swing show with The Quebe Sisters. Debbie Robinson and Mike Ayers with HostonFest talked about their Galax festival (June 9-10) which remembers the life of young bluegrass musician Houston Caldwell who died tragically in 2010. Their lineup next year will include The Earls of Leicester, Flatt Lonesome, The Church Sisters, Volume Five, Carson Peters, and many others.
Many more events are scheduled for Mountains of Music Homecoming in 2017, with more still to be added. Full details are expected to be posted online by December 20 and you should keep checking back from time to time as more are listed.
As a Virginia native, I can think of many reasons to visit our lovely Commonwealth, but for lovers of Appalachian music and culture, this is perhaps the best we have to offer. Come for a weekend in June and see some of your favorite performers in a variety of settings, or plan a week in our mountains to explore and experience all they have to offer.
Or as Jeff Hess of Virginia Tourism put it, “Dinner is ready, the table is set. Come see what we have in Southwest Virginia.”
Congratulations to The Crooked Road and all the people who work hard to showcase our region in this way.
The concept of bluegrass “success” is a subjective one, especially in a world where the majority of bluegrass professionals hold at least an off-season day job (for what it’s worth, this was once true of professional athletes, too). Last week, I suggested that you can consider yourself a success if you’re making enough money and earning enough perks to stay one step ahead of your own ever-evolving fussiness while on the road.
I’ve prepared a quiz below, which will assist you in determining just how much of a road diva you’ve become:
You’re eating at a mid-priced restaurant while on the road, and your iced tea order arrives. You do the following:
A. Politely ask them to exchange your tea because you had ordered it unsweetened
B. You accept it and say nothing, even though you had ordered coffee
C. Swirl it a few times, take a sip while closing your eyes, identify it as a poor vintage Lipton 2015, then send it back and make them brew up a fresh batch
An event producer has put you and your band up at the local “Econo-thrift Hotel.” In the morning, the breakfast offering consists of Fruit Loops, stale coffee, and yesterday’s doughnuts. You react this way:
A. You opt to walk across the road to the IHOP
B. You eat what you can, remarking that when you first were on the road, these kinds of places never offered breakfast at all
C. You don’t react at all. You’re still sound asleep in the 4-star hotel you decided to pay for because the “Econo-thrift” was unacceptable
Your contract rider calls for the following:
A. Hotel accommodations, water and food backstage, 1 guest pass per band member
B. That page is blank. You’re just hoping to get paid something (this time)
C. A cappuccino maker and a ping pong table in your dressing room, a full meal delivered from the nearest vegan restaurant, gluten-free chips, a case of blood orange flavored San Pellegrino sparkling water (freshly-cut flowers for the dressing room optional but strongly encouraged)
You are being provided ground transportation from your hotel to the venue. The van arrives on time, but it’s not large enough to accommodate all equipment and band members comfortably. You do the following:
A. Squeeze in as best you can, knowing it’s a short ride
B. Volunteer to walk the two miles to the venue if they’ll transport your instrument . . . or you can also carry it yourself, you don’t mind
C. Show up 20 minutes late for the ride, then call for a separate vehicle to come get you, reminding the driver of your contract requirement forbidding any driver from engaging you in conversation or looking at you
When flying, you make sure your travel agent . . .
A. Gets you an aisle seat, in “economy plus,” if it’s financially feasible
B. Your travel agent is you, and you fly on those airlines that charge an extra fee for the seat belt
C. Books you first class, with a separate seat booked for your instrument. No layovers under 50 minutes or over an hour
Answer key:
If you answered mostly “A”:
You’re still pretty easy going, but you have acquired some professional standards. You can get by on a mid-level (i.e. scant) bluegrass income
If you answered mostly “B”:
You may be too easy going, bordering on being a pushover. You may find yourself talking promoters down instead of up. You can get by on almost no music income (and have), and you’ll sleep on a lot of couches, floors, and in back of Bosnian truckstops
If you answered mostly “C”:
You’re definitely a bluegrass diva. I’m hoping for the sake of your finances that you have a 6-figure asking price, and a manager who calls people “babe”
