We had another bluegrass baby bounce into the world last week.
Nathan Livers, mandolinist with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, and his wife Steffani, welcomed their first son on November 17. Aden William Livers was born last Thursday at 10:20 p.m.
He came in at 8 lbs, 9.6 oz, stretching out to 22 inches long.
Aden is the second child for Nathan and Steffani. His big sister, Wren, turned two last month.
Nathan tells us that Aden is a healthy baby boy, and that mom is doing fine as well.
Congratulations to the Livers, and big a Bluegrass Today welcome to little Aden!
Wren Elise Livers, the first child of Nathan Livers, mandolinist with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper and his wife Steffani, was born in the wee hours of this morning.
She came in at 5 lbs 9 ozs, and 20 ” long, born at 1:31 a.m. Everyone is doing well.
Welcome to little Wren, and congratulations to Nathan and Steffani.
Back in March of 2013, Nathan Livers, mandolinist with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, made a pledge to get his long locks cut as soon as the band’s Facebook page reached 5,000 likes. He further promised to donate his hair to Locks of Love, and to let his blind band leader make the first cut!
And so it has come to pass. The Facebook page is now up to more than 5200 likes, and Nathan has submitted to his shearing. He and his wife, Steffani, traveled to Middletown, KY over the weekend for a visit to Warren’s On Route 60 barbershop. There they were met by Michael and his dad, and fellow Flamekeeper Josh Richards.
The whole thing was captured on video for posterity.
As a part of the band’s Locks For Likes campaign, one Facebook friend was promised a prize package drawn at random. Two free tickets to a Flamekeeper show goes to Terry Williams of Lantana, TX, who will also be invited to a meet and greet and to jam with the guys.
The tales of road antics from bluegrass musicians are many, from J.D. Crowe putting toy cars in Phil Leadbetter’s dobro to Keith Whitley impersonating the late Lester Flatt over CB radio to Earl Scruggs’ tour bus. Similar situations often arise onstage, as the musicians interact with audience members between tunes. At a recent show in Lucketts, VA, Nathan Livers, mandolin player for Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, stumbled his way into one of these interesting situations.
Livers, whose shoulder-length hair has frequently been the subject of stage jokes, made the offhand comment that he would get a haircut when the band reached 10,000 likes on Facebook. However, his fate was quickly sealed as the rest of the band (and their fans) took to the idea. Good-naturedly, Livers has decided to hold up his end of the deal and has agreed to not only get his hair trimmed, but will also let Michael Cleveland make the first cut. He has even chosen to donate his hair to Locks of Love, an organization which provides hairpieces to children who have lost their hair due to medical reasons.
Interestingly, Livers’ new haircut may come just in time for his upcoming wedding, which will take place June 9th at the Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival. During a recent phone conversation I had with Livers, his fiancée Steffani Shreve, and Cleveland, Shreve joked that the fate of her wedding pictures was now in the hands of bluegrass fans.
With shows at such places as Warren’s on Route 60, a barbershop and music venue in Middletown, KY where Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper played this past weekend, Livers might want to keep a close watch on his fellow band members. They passed along this photograph to give fans a look at things to come.
