Nick DiSebastian Archives - Bluegrass Today

Nick DiSebastian transcriptions to MTSU Center For Popular Music

Bluegrass and jazz musician Nick DiSebastian, who has been recognized as one of the top transcribers in our music, has announced that he is donating his catalog to the Center For Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University for archival and preservation.

Many bluegrass fans know Nick from his time as bass player with Three Tall Pines, based in the northeast, or as bass man with Town Mountain. His custom transcription service, Built To Last Music Notes, has unlocked the music of top bluegrass pickers to students and serious aficionados for several years. Nick has also published two books of transcriptions for prominent mandolinists, Jesse Brock and Adam Steffey.

All of these transcriptions are being donated to the Center, which houses more than a million items already, along with ones Nick has done for his own edification. Their expansive collection includes just about everything imaginable that pertains to American vernacular music, encompassing sheet music, audio recordings, scholarly books and music magazines, plus a number of databases on music sales and marketing.

At the Center For Popular Music, under the direction of Greg Reish, the transcriptions will be available to students at MTSU, and to visiting scholars. Nick says that more than 250 individual pieces are included in this donation. He will continue to offer his custom transcription service, and anticipates future donations to the Center over time.

Nick has now moved to Atlanta, where he will start school this fall at Georgia Tech studying International Affairs. Since moving to town, he has been playing with the Vista String Band, and had been a member of Col. Bruce Hampton’s touring group until his recent passing.

DiSebastian’s books and individual transcriptions will still be offered to consumers, but the donation ensures that his work will continue to be available in the foreseeable future.

The Mandolin Style of Jesse Brock

Good news for fans of mandolinist Jesse Brock!

The long-awaited transcription book by Nick DiSebastian, The Mandolin Style of Jesse Brock is now available. Transcriptions were taken from several prominent bluegrass recordings on which Jesse is featured, including his critically-acclaimed solo project, Kickin’ Grass, from 2002, plus selections from Flame Keeper, Fired Up, and Leavin’ Town with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Hard Country with Audie Blaylock and Redline, and a number of live YouTube videos.

Nick provides each solo in both tablature and standard notation, neatly typeset for legibility, along with brief performance notes from both he and Jesse. Chord indications are also included, along with time notation relative to the recordings to make multiple solos easy to locate. A total of 15 tunes are presented.

Jesse shared a few words about seeing this project come to life…

“It had never occurred to me that people would want to learn how I play, note for note. When Nick came to me with this project I was excited! With the age group of mandolinists always broadening, it doesn’t surprise me that people are in search of a wealth of knowledge for different mandolin styles.

Hmm, my style? Well, the melody is very important to me. My big influences are Nate Bray, Dempsey Young, Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Geadreau, David McGlaughlin. I often ask myself ‘If I wasn’t playing, how would I sing it?’ I have fun with it. When the mandolin is in my hand I open up and feel like I can express myself. I take on a whole new personality.

I’ve played with quite a few bands over the years. My current job is with the Gibson Brothers. I started with them in 2013 and really love it! Along with playing, I’ve taught at several camps. I’m excited to be able to contribute my playing, through this book, to the world of mandolinists!”

Nick and Jesse produced this video to introduce the book:

DiSebastian has worked in and around bluegrass on mandolin, guitar, and bass for many years. He is also an in-demand instructor and an experienced transcriptionist. An earlier book of his contains mandolin transcriptions from Adam Steffey’s New Tradition project.

He tells us how this book for Jesse came to be.

“Jesse has been one of my favorite mandolinists since I first started listening to bluegrass as a teenager. We met a few years ago at a festival and have stayed in touch ever since. Most of the transcribing I do involves one time jobs for various customers but I also like to work on bigger projects, like this one. With Jesse winning the IBMA mandolin player of the year award for the second time this year I thought it would be great to take a deep look into his playing and be able to offer it to other mandolinists.

Working with Jesse on this has been an absolute pleasure. We got together for a day of recording which was just a blast! He and I are both psyched about bringing this book to fans and mandolinists everywhere.”

The Mandolin Style of Jesse Brock is offered in either a soft cover format for $30, or a digital (PDF) version for $25. It is available from Nick’s web site and from Jesse at any of his shows with The Gibson Brothers.

Nick DiSebastian says goodbye to Town Mountain

Nick DiSebastian has finished his stint on bass with Town Mountain. He shared his reasons in a statement issued on Sunday afternoon after he returned from the band’s show in Selmer, TN.

“Today is my last day on the road with Town Mountain. This past year traveling, making music, and working with Bobby, Robert, Jesse, and Phil has been a pleasure. While seeing so many towns and people has been a wonderful way to grow and experience the world I made the decision to spend less time on the road a few months ago.

Being a part of the music and personality of Town Mountain has been an unforgettable experience. I was a fan long before joining and will be a fan long after today. Thanks for the great ride my brothers!”

By training and inclination, Nick is more guitarist than bassist, so don’t be surprised if you see him around Asheville with a six string slung across his shoulder.

He tells us that he will be living in the small, central African nation of Burundi this summer, assisting his girlfriend with her research in international nutrition. They expect to be there approximately two years, during which time Nick hopes to establish a musical/cultural exchange with the people of Burundi.

Until then, he’ll be laying low, and getting ready for his African adventure.

“As for now through the next few months I’ll be spending some time gigging here in Asheville, visiting my home in Pennsylvania, going to Montreal to learn French (Burundi is a French speaking country) and visiting some cities in Europe. Though I won’t be as active and present in the bluegrass scene, I’ll be sure to keep in touch and continue to keep a presence via social media.”

Please do! Not many grassers get to go where you’re headed.

Town Mountain in Germany with The Bluegrass Jamboree

This report is a contribution from Nick DiSebastian, bass player with Town Mountain who have just completed a tour in Germany.

On December 15th we departed for a 3 week tour across Germany called The Bluegrass Jamboree. Each year Rainer Zellner attends IBMA to recruit three American bands to come to Germany. This year’s bands include Brennan Leigh & Noel McKay, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbelly’s and Town Mountain. Rainer’s vision is to bring an Americana duo, a progressive string band and a bluegrass band to Germany to share American folk music with German music lovers. Since the Bluegrass Jamboree’s inception six years ago the lineup has included The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Deadly Gentlemen, Della Mea, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms and Audie Blaylock & Redline, just to name a few.

As the tour is winding to an end we are feeling a bit exhausted but the exhilaration of being in a new town every day outweighs any desire to rest. Each day the entire group of 15 people (3 bands, sound man, Rainer, his wife and the driver) hop onto the bus and drive to the next town. Before load in and soundcheck there is always a bit of time to explore the local happenings. One of the most exciting German traditions is the Christmas Market. Streets filled with vendors selling German Christmas ornaments, Glüewein (German mulled wine) and delicious German cuisine are perfect hubs to experience a taste of German culture.

When show time comes around each band plays their set for what is usually a packed house followed by a finale set including all of the bands and Rainer on mandolin. Not only does Rainer do a knockout job booking the tour and taking great care of the musicians but he can really pick! The German audiences are very enthusiastic and love to hang out after the concert. Between our broken German and their exceptional English everyone has fun mingling.

This tour has been a great opportunity for us to expand our international fan base and to share bluegrass music in Germany. Regardless of where we are touring it’s always a pursuit to go beyond just playing the show and spend time experiencing the local community while bringing our music to people. Being immersed in a foreign country for three weeks has been a great way to wrap up the year.

The remainder of 2014 includes our annual hometown holiday show at The Isis Music Hall that is a fundraiser for two local non-profit organizations, MANNA and FATE, helping hunger relief in Asheville. 2015 kicks off with the recording of our next studio album and plenty of touring.

We’d like to give a big thanks to Rainer for inviting us to be a part of this tour and reminding us about the joys of playing music and traveling.

For more information, visit the Bluegrass Jamboree online. You can follow Town Mountain online, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Adam Steffey transcriptions from New Primitive

Nick DiSebastian has just released a transcription book that accompanies Adam Steffey’s New Primitive album. It includes standard notation, tablature, and chords for all 13 tracks on the album.

This album was something of a departure for Steffey, who had made his bones playing blazing bluegrass music. Here the focus was more on old time music, but with a bluegrass sensibility. Most are familiar jam tunes among old timers, with accompaniment from Steffey’s wife Tina on banjo, and Zeb and Samantha Snyder on guitar and fiddle respectively.

Adam Steffey’s New Primitive Transcriptions is available as a printed copy for $20 (+$3 shipping), and individual transcriptions can be purchased digitally for $5 each.

The book is the first book of transcriptions from DiSebastian, who plays bass as a member of Town Mountain. He has recently begun offering a custom transcription service where he will transcribe solos for guitar, bass, dobro, or mandolin, with transpositions offered from one instrument to another if desired. Pricing is determined by the length and difficulty of the piece under consideration.

He says that this service was inspired by the work of John McGann, one of his teachers at the Berklee College of Music, who died unexpectedly in the Summer of 2012.

“My vision is to provide the ultimate private lesson for players as a means of expanding your knowledge through the use of your selected transcription. I believe that learning a wide variety of music is the gateway to creating your own unique personal style. Learning directly from the masters aids everyone’s musicianship.

As a transcriber I’m functioning as a time saver (by keeping you playing rather than deciphering) as well as an educator. My price includes the cost of time, labor and craftsmanship.”

More details about custom transcriptions can be found on Nick’s web site. The Steffey book can be ordered there as well.

Window View from Nick DiSebastian

Nick DiSebastian, bassist with Town Mountain, has released a solo record that features his guitar playing and original compositions. The album is called Window View, and is available now from FGM Records.

In this promotional video, Nick describes the music and the players, and includes a few samples from the CD.

Window View is available on CD from FGM Records and CD Baby, and for download from all popular digital resellers.

We’ll have a review shortly.