Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend Archives

RBW – RIP

After 7 years of offering 3 day multi-instrument bluegrass seminars, Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend is calling it quits. Jointly hosted since November of 2002 by mandolin legend Herschel Sizemore and our own John Lawless, RBW has fallen prey to the many demands of John’s work with AcuTab, and Herschel’s retirement interests.

The event got its start in 1998 as an an all-banjo event, The AcuTab Banjo Seminar, which John hosted on his own. In 2000, Dan Miller, publisher of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine joined as co-host, and they added mandolin and guitar to the mix. During that period, they welcomed such esteemed artists as Sammy Shelor, Wayne Benson, David Grier and Chris Thile as instructors.

When Dan pulled out after two years, Herschel and John teamed up to continue operating the event, adding fiddle as well as bass, dobro and voice at various times since 2002. They were proud to see legends like Kenny Baker, Bobby Hicks, Roland White, Allen Shelton and Eddie Adcock as members of their faculty, plus younger “impact players” like Ron Stewart, Aubrey Haynie, Rob Ickes, Kenny Smith, Tim Stafford, Adam Steffey and Don Rigsby – just to name a few.

There is a statement from Herschel and John on the RBW web site about the event’s demise.

In all things, there comes a time to say goodbye, and so it is with our Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend. We both find our time stretched thin, and are unwilling to continue with this event absent our full attention and concentration. It has not been an easy decision, but we feel that it would be unfair to hold the weekend with so little time to dedicate to making it beneficial for the registrants.

Ultimately, it has been the students who have attended that have had the biggest impact on RBW, and we thank you all most particularly for supporting this event over the years. Your suggestions and feedback helped us to shape and modify RBW from one year to the next, and it was seeing your exhausted but beaming faces as things came to a close each year that kept us going when the time commitment seemed too severe.

Please don’t blame Bluegrass Today! John says that it is his other commitments and plans that have him in a time bind.

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend faculty concert 11/11

Each year, the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend holds a faculty concert on the Saturday night of their three day instructional event. It is the only part of the weekend which is open to the general public (not registered to attend the 3 day workshop) and is always a highlight, both for the students and the local bluegrass community.

The concert will be held this year on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 at the Holiday Inn Roanoke, the site for all the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend activities.

The format is a loose, relaxed jam-like setting, where the many artists are grouped in a variety of configurations – either solo, duo or in groups – with a good mix of vocal and instrumental music. Both the performers and the audience always enjoy the fun, “no pressure” environment as well as the chance to witness or be a part something as potentially spontaneous as this.

The musicians will sometimes not even choose the song they will perform until a few minutes before they go on stage, a sign both of their high level of skill and professionalism, and the sort of fun they have with this show.

Performing on the RBW faculty concert this year are Eddie Adcock, George Shuffler, Roland White, Craig Smith, Don Rigsby, BlueRidge, Jack Lawrence, Bull Harman, Herschel Sizemore, David McLaughlin, Acoustic Endeavors and many others – plus a number of unannounced surprise guests.

Maps and driving directions can be found on the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend web site.

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend scholarships announced

The recipients of this year’s Charlie Derrington Memorial Scholarship to attend the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend have been announced. Four young musicians (aged 13-24) were selected, each of whom will attend the three day instructional weekend with their full tuition, accommodations and some travel costs paid by the scholarship.

The 2006 recipients are:

Asa Gravely, guitar (Hillsville, VA) – 16 years old
Dillon Jones, banjo (West Monroe, LA) – 15 years old
Corrina Logston, fiddle (Red Bud, IL) – 16 years old
Micah Turrell, mandolin (Owasso, OK) – 15 years old

You can see photos of these young pickers, and hear audio samples from their scholarship applications on the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend web site. The recipients are chosen based on their playing ability, and on an essay which is part of the application process.

The Charlie Derrington Memorial Scholarship is sponsored by Gibson, who donates a new Gibson instrument each year to be offered in a raffle to fund the scholarship. It is named in honor of Charlie Derrington, a long-time Gibson employee who was tragically killed in an auto accident in August, 2006.

This year, a Gibson RB-250 banjo is being offered in the raffle, and the $10 tickets can be purchased online up until November 1, 2006.

Congratulations to these terrific young bluegrass musicians.

Youth scholarship opportunities end tomorrow

We have posted previously about the scholarships offered each year by the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend, sponsored by Gibson, and now renamed to honor the memory of Charlie Derrington. The scholarships will allow four young bluegrass musicians (aged 13-24) to attend the three-day instructional event at no cost – including meals, accomodations and some travel reimburesement.

These are merit-based scholarships, and recipients are chosen based on the abilities demonstrated in a scholarship application. The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 15 (extended from an earlier deadline), and all submissions must carry with a postmark of 9/15 or earlier to be considered.

Interested applicants can find all the scholarship deadlines, and a downloadable application form, on the RBW web site.

Though no further applications will be accepted after this week, sales of the raffle tickets (for a Gibson RB-250 banjo) that fund the scholarships wil continue until early November.

Gibson Scholarship named in Charlie Derrington’s honor

The staff and management of Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend have announced that their annual youth scholarship has been named in honor of Charlie Derrington. Charlie was a valued, long-time employee of Gibson, who sponsors the scholarship, and a friend to Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend co-host Herschel Sizemore.

When Derrington was killed in a tragic accident last month, the idea to give his name to the scholarship seemed like a fine way for Sizemore to honor his friend.

“Charlie was a friend to anyone took the mandolin seriously, and we are very pleased to play a small part in keeping his memory alive. We hope that the young bluegrass players who apply for, and receive the Charlie Derrington Memorial Scholarship each year will take a moment to learn about his important contributions, and we thank Joe Vest at Gibson for consenting to rename the scholarship for Charlie.

The scholarship is open to young bluegrass pickers between the ages of 13 and 24, and will cover their tuition, meals, accomodations and (in some cases) travel expenses for them to spend three days at the annual Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend instructional seminar.

Interested students/parents can find the scholarship details and an application form on the RBW web site. The application deadline is September 15.

The scholarship is funded by a raffle for a new RB-250 banjo, donated by Gibson. Raffle chances can be purchased online, by phone or by mail. Contact information for mail or phone purchases can be found online.

Previous posts on Charlie Derrington:
Gibson established Charlie Derrington Memorial Fund
Charlie Derrington accident in Nashville paper
Charlie Derrington drunk driving victim

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend scholarship deadline extended

We have posted previously about some faculty changes for this year’s Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend, and about the scholarship program for young bluegrass pickers. The instructor shakeups have caused a delay in printing and mailing the RBW brochure, and the deadline for scholarship applications has been extended as a result.

Young pickers aged 13-24 have until September 15 to submit an application, which covers tuition at the 3 day workshop weekend, plus food and accommodations. A travel allowance is also available for scholarship recipients who live some distance from the event, held in Roanoke, VA November 10-12.

The scholarship is funded by an annual raffle for a professional quality instrument donated by Gibson. This year’s drawing is for a new RB-250 banjo. RBW and Gibson urge everyone to consider supporting the scholarship fund by purchasing a raffle ticket. Who knows – you could end up with a brand new banjo!

Full application details can be found on the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend site.

Previous posts on RBW ’06:

Michael Cleveland joins RBW faculty
Charlie Cushman joins Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend faculty
Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend ’06

Michael Cleveland joins RBW faculty

Michael Cleveland has been added to the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend faculty for 2006, taking the place of Kenny Baker, who has found that he will be unable to teach this year.

The RBW staff will make refunds available to any students who had registered especially to study with Kenny, though they expect that serious students of the fiddle will find Michael to be a much more than capable understudy.

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend will be held from November 10-12, 2006 in Roanoke, Va. Four scholarships are available this year for young pickers aged 13-24.

Find more details about the event by visiting their web site.

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend – an instructor’s view

The following is a contribution from Kip Martin, a semi-regular guest contributor to Bluegrass Today.

I first became involved with the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend a few years ago when flatpick guitarist extraordinaire Richard Bennett was on staff. I”d just toured Europe with Richard, Jimmy Gaudreau, and Mike Auldridge and was caught up in a whirlwind of gigs all over the country, recording, meeting people, and learning how to play very challenging, jazz-tinged, bluegrass-oriented music. I looked at RBW as a fun break where I could meet people, spend time jamming, and just relaxing. As a bass player, my only duties were to support the esteemed staff in ensembles in the classes, jam with anyone and everyone needing a bassist, and to provide support for the staff of legendary performers and renowned instructors. I worked for free, figuring it was good for my career, and that it gave me a chance to give back the bluegrass community that had been treating me so well. I expected I would relax and kick back a bit.

I was not prepared for what was to be one of the finest musical experiences of my life and is now my favorite single bluegrass event every year. Relaxing weekend? I think I slept about 4 hours the entire time!

Let me explain what makes the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend so special. And by special, I mean that no matter who I am playing with, I make certain that weekend is left open for my annual trip to Roanoke. Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend offers three important benefits that no other bluegrass instructional event can offer.

First, you will not see a more accomplished staff. In the past, Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend has featured legends as classroom teachers such as J.D. Crowe, Alan Bibey, Herschel Sizemore, Kenny Smith, Randy Kohrs, Bobby Hicks, and Dr. Pete Wernick. Other luminaries have included Ron Stewart, Alan Shelton, Bill Evans, Wyatt Rice, and so many other bluegrass stars that have shaped and influenced the sound of Bluegrass over the years. No other bluegrass “school” features such a highly acclaimed faculty.

Secondly, the coordinators for the event don”t simply hire high end performers, but they look for great bluegrass musicians who work well with students. Bill Evans, for example, is both a well-known and accomplished player, AND a highly successful teacher. Playing bluegrass at a professional level does not guarantee teaching skills. Good teachers are engaging, fun to be with, and know how to communicate what they are doing to students. Teaching is a skill and the coordinators of the event take this into consideration when staffing the event each year.

Finally, the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend is EXCITING! It is a well-planned event featuring much more than classes and instruction. The coordinators have a huge concert on Saturday night featuring unique combinations of players”?where else will you find J.D. Crowe on stage with Jimmy Haley, Randy Kohrs, and Herschel Sizemore (and maybe me on bass!)? Where else will you find John Carlini and Kenny Smith trading solos on stage?

Throughout the day, breakout classes are held with other staff members so that everyone gets a chance to work on what they”ve learned in class. Staff members mentor the students in small groups which allows for one-on-one instruction. After the day”s classes and session, everyone eats and takes a breather. Then the jams begin. Students then get real-world experience trying out ideas and experimenting with concepts learned in the classes, break outs, and through mentoring. It”s not uncommon for a young person from Ohio, a Veterinarian from Maryland, and a housewife from Philadelphia to end up in a jam with Ron Stewart, Jack Lawrence, or Randy Kohrs. Bill Evans kept teaching and mentoring into the wee hours. I find myself staying up until dawn several nights each weekend, picking and hanging out with great players and great people from all over the country.

I can”t stress enough how well the event is coordinated. There is never a lull, and there”s always plenty to do. Vendors such as Gibson, Huber Banjos, and Randy Wood set up shop with an array of fine instruments and accessories. A huge selection of instructional videos are available. Ron Shuffler brings his traveling medicine show of fine basses and witty banter to most weekends. and did I mention the food? Well, I usually fall off my diet every year.

Of course, I am on staff and am biased in my assessment of the weekend, but I only recommend things I believe in. I have a busy schedule and before I go off and put my day job in jeopardy, leave my girlfriend for a long weekend, or cancel a recording or performing date, it had better be for something rewarding and FUN! These days, I have a lot on my plate, but I save room each year for a great desert”my participation in the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend every November.

For more information, see the RBW web site. Dates this year are November 10, 11, and 12th.

Kip Martin

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend is co-hosted by one of the authors of Bluegrass Today. Kip’s comments were unsolicited, and are published at his request as one of our Guest Contributors.

Charlie Cushman joins Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend faculty

It has just been announced that celebrated Nashville banjo picker Charlie Cushman has been added to the faculty for the 2006 Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend. Charlie is a master of the Scruggs banjo style, and one of the most sought after session players in Music City. Students at RBW will also benefit from his vast knowledge of banjo set up and maintenance, skills which both Gibson and Deering banjos have called upon him to offer their respective companies of late.

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend is a three day seminar to be held November 10-12, 2006 in Roanoke, VA, with simultaneous workshops offered for banjo, mandolin, guitar fiddle and voice/harmony. The faculty this year includes such noted bluegrass legends as Kenny baker, George Shuffler, Roland White, Don Rigsby and Eddie Adcock.

RBW offers scholarships to exceptional young musicians, with four full-cost awards being offered this year. The scholarship is funded by an annual raffle for a professional quality instrument donated by Gibson. This year’s drawing is for a new RB-250 banjo.

Full application details can be found on the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend site.

Update 8/12: Charlie had to bow out as an instructor as well, when he was given the opportunity to be a member of the band on Vince Gill’s upcoming fall tour. Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend has announced that Craig Smith will teach on Sunday (11/12) in his place.

Chris Stuart and his young Wards

Chris Stuart has announced that Chris and Austin Ward have joined his band, Backcountry. It is a fairly odd occurrence when a pair of brothers joins a professional band at the same time, even odder when they are both still in their teens. Austin will be playing bass, and Chris fiddle, along with Stuart on guitar, Janet Beazely on banjo, and Mason Tuttle on mandolin and lead guitar.

Both Chris and Austin were chosen to represent the best of young bluegrass musicians when ABC News did a feature for the CMA Music Festival which was televised in the fall of 2005.

Chris was also selected as a recipient of the first Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend Scholarship in 2005 when he was just 13 years old. He traveled to VA from his home in CA for the chance to study for the weekend with some of the top fiddlers in the country, and made quite an impression on both the faculty and the students alike.

You can find a video clip of Chris jamming along with the other scholarship recipients from 2005, Haley Stiltner and Aaron Williams, on Haley’s web site. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the video clip.

Best of luck to Chris Stuart & Backcountry with their youth movement!