The winners of the 35th annual Central Canadian Bluegrass Award were announced in Huntsville, ON this past weekend.
Voting for nominees and winners is limited to members of the Northern Bluegrass Committee, who sponsor the awards, or one of six regional bluegrass clubs in Central Canada.
Congratulations to this year’s winners.
Bluegrass DJ: David Blakney (Windsor)
Banjo Player: Luke Puckrin (Hard Ryde)
Fiddle Player: Randy Morrison (Flatt River)
Bass Player: Matt Naveau (Canucky Bluegrass Boys)
Guitar Player: Steve Piticco (Pine Road)
Mandolin Player: Will Meadows (Hard Ryde)
Dobro Player: Ken Robichaud (Winterline)
Female Vocalist: Joyce Gagnon (Winterline)
Male Vocalist: Jim McNulty (Traditionally Wound)
Composer: Melissa Sherman (Hard Ryde/Independent)
Promising Group: Rescue Junction
Instrumental Group: Traditionally Wound
Recording: “A Part of Me” – Carol Simpson/ Hard Ryde
Vocal Group: Rhyme N Reason
Gospel Group: Rhyme N Reason
Overall Group: Traditionally Wound
Entertainer: Ken Robichaud (Winterline)
Mentorship Award: Garry Greenland
Honour Roll: Doug VanDen Kieboom – for winning Dobro Player 5 Times
More details on the Northern Bluegrass Committee and its member organizations can be found online.
Right after she found out she was dying, Carol Simpson found a way to live forever.
She decided to record a bluegrass song.
That song, A Part of Me, grew into an album of the same time, recorded with the Canadian band, Hard Ryde, that will be available on the band’s website on May 5, the same day Carol will sing the song for the first time in public at her favorite music club north of the border.
The story about how the song and the project came to be says a lot about Carol’s strength in dealing with the unthinkable. It also demonstrates the generosity of bluegrass musicians and fans when one of their own is in need.
Carol, a longtime bluegrass fan, was, as you might imagine, devastated to find out that she had untreatable cancer. But she worried more about her husband and two sons than herself, and decided to write down everything she wanted them to remember when she was gone.
The opening line was direct and gut wrenching: “Today was the day I found out I was dying.” When she finished four pages later and talked about it with her family, they decided transforming her sentiments into a song would be the perfect legacy. Carol loves to sing but doesn’t write, so she decided to seek advice from Melissa Sherman, an award-winning songwriter. As Melissa remembers, Carol thrust the papers at here and said, “Do something with this.” As Carol remembers it, “I thought I was just going to get some direction.”
By the end of their meeting, the two women who knew each other slightly from the bluegrass circuit, agreed that Melissa would write the song.
Choosing Melissa was easy, Carol told me. “First of all, she’s a girlie, and she understands. She’s a mother.”
Writing the song was not so easy, Melissa said. As what Carol had said in those four pages sunk in, Melissa started coming up with a plan. “I’m a ballad writer,” she said, “so I wanted to go slow.” Then, with six words, Carol burst her bubble: “I want it to be upbeat.”
Melissa went through a number of false starts before writing what ended up to the keeper version of Carol’s story. They key line in the chorus says it all: “There’s a little part of me inside of you.”
By the time Melissa was finished with the song, the band was on board for the project that soon grew from one song to a CD’s worth. Everybody from musicians to engineers donated their time so all proceeds from sales can be donated to cancer charities.
The day I called to ask Melissa about the project, Carol happened to be in the studio listening to the final mix. She burst into tears at my first question, which was simply what she thought of the song that grew out of her long letter. After that, she was fine.
“You never know what to expect, but you know what, it was exactly what I wanted,” Carol said.
She said she’s not afraid of dying, but she is scared by the prospect of getting on stage to sing A Part of Me. “But I have to put that aside because I want to have fun. When the music starts, I can put the disease aside,” she said.
She does admit to having one concern that she thinks is universal. “You live, you do what you can, and when it’s your time, you hope those you leave behind will be OK,” she said. It seems Carol’s song, helped into being by a caring bluegrass community, will help ensure they will be.
Canada has quite an active bluegrass scene, with musicians and festivals to be found across the majority of the country. Quite a few groups make their home in the province of Ontario, including the celebrated band Hard Ryde. The band members are frequent winners at the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards, racking up awards in instrumental, songwriting, and album categories. In fact, their newest release, Composed, was recently named 2012 Recording of the Year. This album, out on Hapidawg Productions, is a collection of twelve contemporary bluegrass tunes with a few old-time influences.
Several of the songs were written by Melissa Sherman, an essential part of the group. While Melissa doesn’t play on stage with the group, she takes care of many behind-the-scenes necessities, including managing the band and organizing several bluegrass festivals. Sherman, who also took part in the recent Daughters of Bluegrass collection, has contributed seven songs to this album.
Among those is the swingy Money Can’t Buy, about a man who realizes that flowers, rings, and other nice things weren’t enough to win a fickle woman’s love, and Travel Safe, a peaceful, reflective tune about the passing of a loved one. Warm Day in June, one of the most traditional-sounding tracks on the album, is a nice mid-tempo song full of regret and lost love. Another Sherman cut is Rejoice, an upbeat traditional Gospel number which allows the musicians to cut loose.
One of the album’s standout tracks is the enjoyable opening tune, Echo, which shares the story of a man who keeps hoping he will hear more than an echo when he calls out for the love that left him. The instrumentation on this song is among the best on the album, with the band really seeming to mesh well together. Several of the other songs feel a little rushed or jumbled, with instruments seeming to play on top of one another.
While the majority of the album is straightforward contemporary bluegrass, the one instrumental (the familiar-sounding Shut Up and Drive) has a bit of an old-time feel, particularly in the fiddle parts. Interestingly, in the liner notes (which share the stories behind most of the tunes), it’s mentioned that this song’s composer (Chris Ricker) wrote the song in five minutes on his mandolin. The murder ballad Marina also seems to have old-time influences, with haunting banjo throughout.
Hard Ryde consists of Doug deBoer (guitar), Rich Koop (bass), Will Meadows (mandolin and guitar), Marc Roy (guitar), Luke Puckrin (banjo), and Shawn Kellett (fiddle). They are also joined by several special guests on Composed, including Chris Ricker (fiddle), D’Arcy Campbell (banjo), and Bill Koop (clawhammer banjo).
For more information about Hard Ryde and their music, visit www.hardryde.ca.
This report on the 33rd Annual Central Canada Bluegrass Awards is a contribution from Martin Chapman.
Over the past weekend, the luxurious Deerhurst Resort near Huntsville, Ontario in the heart of Muskoka cottage country, underwent a major transformation. The Province’s most well-known indoor and outdoor sports, business and entertainment complex was turned into a down-home, indoor bluegrass festival.
The Resort was filled with the sound of bluegrass music as 26 Ontario bands and more than 700 fans turned out for three days of vendor exhibitions, workshops, jamming, concerts and the Saturday night Awards presentations.
Headline bands from the United States were Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road and the Bluegrass Brothers.
A total of 17 Awards were handed out including the Best Overall Group which went to Traditionally Wound. The group’s lead singer Jim McNulty also walked away with the Male Vocalist of the Year Award. The Female Vocalist of the Year went to Sherry Philp, banjo player with Concession 23.
Other Award winners:
Disc Jockey of the Year – Dan Bieman (CKNX Wingham, Ontario)
Banjo Player – Dan Campbell (Bluegrass Edition)
Fiddle Player – Randy Morrison (Randy Morrison and Flatt River)
Bass Player – Matt Nadeau (Canucky Boys)
Guitar Player – Marc Roy ( Hard Ryde)
Mandolin Player – Marc Roy (Hard Ryde)
Dobro Player – Doug Van Den Kieboom (Bluegrass Edition)
Composer – Nick McDonald (Traditionally Wound)
Most Promising Group – Randy Morrison and Flatt River.
Instrumental Group – Traditionally Wound
Recording – Rural Change, Traditionally Wound
Vocal Group – Rhyme ‘N’ Reason
Gospel Group – Rhyme ‘N’ Reason
Entertainer- Matt Naveau (Canucky Bluegrass Boys)
The annual Central Canada Bluegrass Awards show is presented by Tony De Boer and the Northern Bluegrass Committee. It began back in 1979 and has become the event of the year for Ontario bluegrass fans.
Hard Ryde first caught my ear in 2007 with their CD Expressed (released in 2006). In 2008 they released Stages.
Like most bluegrass bands they experienced some band member turn over between CDs, but if the changes had any effect on the band’s sound, it was for the better. If anything, the band seems to have further refined their sound with this recording.
With hints of the Rice Brothers, Del McCoury Band, Larry Sparks, and J.D Crowe & The New South, Hard Ryde delivers a distinctive sound that blends modern sensibilities with a satisfying traditional finish. Their instrumental performance is solid and precise, and their vocals distinguish them as a band you should seriously listen to.
As on their previous CD, the original content is what sets this band apart. My favorite tracks include Hold Onto Your Heart, If You Don’t Go, and Past The Point Of Rescue. I do have to say I also enjoyed their rendition of Blue-Eyed Boston Boy.
This highly awarded Canadian band deserves to be heard by American audiences. They have a limited number of US tour dates so take advantage of the chance to hear them.
Here’s a video of Hard Ryde performing If You Don’t Go from their new CD Stages.
I always enjoy hearing a new band, especially if they’re good. I discovered Hard Ryde a while back and I’ve been listening to their CD, Expressed, for several weeks and thought I’d share it with our readers here on Bluegrass Today. The CD isn’t new, it was released in 2006, but it will probably be new to many of you.
Hard Ryde hails from Ontario, Canada. The band consists of five members comprising the classic bluegrass instrument line-up: guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle.
The CD is a combination of traditional bluegrass numbers, originals, and at least one song stolen from another genre. Fifteen songs are included on the disc, giving a listener a good value for their money. The traditional tunes are done well, the performances and arrangements are traditional enough to satisfy even the most fundamental bluegrass listener.
Hard Ryde really shines though when you get to the original tunes on the disc. Nick McDonald, the mandolin player in the band, penned what has become my favorite tune on the CD. Let It Rain, is a traditional sounding song, with an interesting chord progression, great melody and lyrics. It’s one of those medium tempo songs that can really drive.
The band does have sound samples available on their website and MySpace page. If you’re looking for some new music, this is one band from up North that you’ll want to check out.
