Justen Haynes Archives - Bluegrass Today

Justen Haynes departs IIIrd Tyme Out

After 12 years on the road with Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, fiddler Justen Haynes is hanging up his bow to focus his efforts on a new business venture he and his wife have started in Virginia. They have opened a dog training, boarding, and breeding business called Haus Luc K9 in Milford, specializing in German Shepherds and Labradors.

Russell announced Justen’s departure in this message to fans…

“Over the holidays, Justen and his family came to the conclusion that it was time for him to stay home more and concentrate on their new business, requiring that he leave his position with IIIrd Tyme Out. As a result, his last show with the band was this past Saturday (1/6/2018) at The Fairview Ruritan Club in Galax, VA. It was a fun night of joking and carrying on with each other, as we always do, and catching up on our personal lives since we had just returned to performing after a six-week holiday vacation for the band.

For me, and I think for all of us, it was a very enjoyable evening of performing and reminiscing about the last 12+ years that Justen has held the fiddle playing position in the band. Although we hate to see him leave the band, we understand and support his decision and wish him and his family all the best in this new venture and chapter in their lives, and we know that we’ll see them from time-to-time in our travels.”

Of course, Russell and IIIrd Tyme Out will be rolling right along, with an announcement about a new fiddle player expected in the next few weeks.

As he leaves his brothers in the group, Haynes offered a farewell greeting to the wider bluegrass community which had embraced him warmly during his time with Russell.

“It has been an amazing ride over the last 12 years. Russell and the band gave me the opportunity of a lifetime and I will be forever grateful. I have gained lifelong friends near and far, and want to thank each one of you for the impact, support and encouragement you gave me while I was on the road.

My kids have expressed their desire for me to come off of the road. Therefore, I will be working from home as I continue to pursue one of my other passions in dog training. We recently opened a dog boarding and training facility (Haus Luc K9) that will allow our family opportunities and adventures in the region. We are excited about this new venture and what it brings for our family, but sad to see the music chapter end.

I may not be playing music, but I would still love to hear from you so don’t be strangers! Thank you again for your support, memories and life changing experiences.”

IIIrd Tyme Out starts up in earnest for 2018 in February, with a steady run of shows throughout the year. You can also catch them later this month at the Shepherdsville Country Music Barn in Kentucky (1/19) and The DeKalb Theatre in Alabama (1/27).

Speaking of last night’s NCAA football championship, where Alabama beat Georgia in overtime, Russell says he’ll need the next few weeks to be ready to see everyone at The DeKalb.

“Even though I live in Georgia, I should be able to have recovered from the loss of the National Championship in time to hug the necks of all you Crimson Tide fans. See y’all at the show!”

Visit the band online to see their full tour schedule.

Dave Adkins has Nothing to Lose

Some bluegrass folks are just meant to sing together. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent. Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley. And a seemingly endless string of brothers, from the Delmores to the Gibsons.

Add to that list Dave Adkins and Edgar Loudermilk. They team up repeatedly on Adkins’ terrific solo project, Nothing to Lose, released today by Mountain Fever Records, and the result is sublime. On song after song, their voices blend like they’ve been singing together for years, instead of just a matter of months.

Nothing to Lose was on my list of eagerly awaited projects for 2014. It was definitely worth the wait. Adkins has always had a big voice – too big, frankly, at times in the past. But now, with help from Loudermilk on harmonies and in the co-producer role, he has that powerful instrument under much better control than he did a year ago on his Rural Rhythm project with Republik Steele. You can hear nuance and finesse and, at times, subtlty on this one.

But it’s not just Adkins’ vocals and harmonic blending with Loudermilk that lift Nothing to Lose. There’s top-notch picking throughout from Jeff Autry on guitar, Wayne Benson on mandolin, Jason Davis on banjo, and Justen Haynes on fiddle, held together by Loudermilk’s just-right bass playing. There’s also some wonderful songwriting. All combine to make Adkins’ Mountain Fever debut memorable.

I’m fond of a number of the 12 songs here, but three of them clearly stand out to me. (This is a very subjective statement, of course. Your mileage may vary).

First is an uptempo burner from Nancy Cardwell and Becky Buller, Tennessee Twister, in which a woman’s fleeting love is likened to a tornado. She blew through the poor singer’s life, did some damage and “now she’s gone, long gone.”

The second is an Adkins and Loudermilk co-write, Pretty Little Liar. It’s a familiar story of the other woman, told with a surprising – and deadly – twist, all set to the best melody on the project, one that has been stuck in my head for weeks.

The third song is the outlier in this collection of songs about bad boys, scheming women, and smooth whiskey. It’s a tender gospel song, I Can’t Even Walk, written by Colbert and Joyce Croft. Adkins is at his best here, backed by Benson’s tender mandolin. Adkins sings “Down on my knees is where I learned to stand, and I can’t even walk without you holding my hand” with such conviction that no one dare doubt him.

There’s lots more to like here, including something of an inside joke for anyone who has ever heard Adkins perform live or keeps tabs on him through Facebook. His oft-repeated catchphrase is “put some grass in it.” For this record, he transformed that phrase into a song with the same title, singing, “I may never be in the Hall of Fame like Lester and Earl, but give us a stage and a hillbilly crowd, we’ll put some grass in your world.”

It seems like Adkins and Loudermilk will be putting grass in the worlds of a lot of folks this year. They both have solo releases on Mountain Fever, they’re touring as a new band, Adkins & Loudermilk, and they’re gathering material for a joint project that they’ll get to work on soon. That’s another one I can’t wait to hear.

Sideline recording in the works

Side projects are becoming more and more common in the bluegrass world. Sometimes it’s a solo project from a member of an established band; other times it’s an all-star effort involving a bevy of popular artists. But sometimes it’s an actual band, who perform irregularly, as its members all tour and record with other groups full time.

Such is the case with the aptly named Sideline, which started s few years back as something fun to do in December, when work for bluegrass bands is in short supply. In such short supply that for years, road warriors IIIrd Tyme Out take the entire month off, a nice perk given how much they travel during the rest of the year.

But not everyone wants to give up picking for a whole month, so each year 3TO banjo player Steve Dilling assembles a group of musicians to do a series of special concerts during the holiday season. Two years ago that solidified into a regular lineup with fellow 3TO-er Justen Haynes on fiddle, Darrel Webb on mandolin, Skip Cherryhomes on guitar and Jason Moore on bass. The guys enjoy playing together so well that they did a few late night showcases during the 2011 World of Bluegrass conference, and are now cutting a debut album set for release this Spring.

Darrell Webb fronts his own band, as does Cherryholmes, and Jason Moore is a regular member of Mountain Heart. With Dilling and Haynes touring with IIIrd Tyme Out, Sideline won’t have a lot of opportunities to play live, but they are hoping to put some shows together for 2012. Especially when their various bands are scheduled at the same event, or during down times of the year, they can be available to perform as a group.

Russell Moore, fearless leader of 3TO is solidly behind their effort, as are the Mountain Heart boys, so don’t read any “dissension in the ranks” into this. Sideline is simply a bunch of pickers who like playing together, looking or an outlet for their music.

Anyone interested in more information can contact Steve Dilling at 919-398-0366.