There was a time when Miranda Lambert had stage fright? I find that hard to believe, now that she totally owns the stage every time she performs. Apparently she credits two of her East Texas teachers with helping her conquer that fear. Janice Caldwell and April Coker were chosen by ...
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass Foggy Hogtown Boys Scotch and Sofa posted by John Lawless on 06.30.10 11:37 am Tags : Bluegrass At Large Foggy Hogtown Boys One of my favorite stylistic hybrids is the successful merging of old time and bluegrass music . And by successful , I more than offhanded references to another tradition , or the grassification of an old timey song or . tune It’s not easy to pull off as it requires an in-depth understanding of both genres , and a genuine respect for them . both A group that pulls this off with aplomb is Totonto’s Foggy Hogtown Boys Their sense of humor tends toward the old time side they have a silly band name , and their new album is titled Scotch Sofa a theme that is hilariously consistent throughout the CD . packaging But it is just
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass Darrell Webb Bloodline posted by John Lawless on 06.30.10 11:00 am Tags : Darrell Webb I’ve been watching the musical career of Darrell Webb for many a year . He first popped up on my radar as the mandolinist tenor singer with Lonesome River Band in 1994, hired as the replacement” for Dan Tyminski when he departed to hitch up with Alison Krauss’ rising . star After LRB , he did a stint with JD Crowe The New South , and then several years with Wildfire . That was followed by a run with Rhonda Vincent The Rage , and more recently with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper , and Audie Blaylock and Redline . All this by the time he was 34 years old Unsurprisingly , after so many years working as a sideman , this talented singer and
I started today's blog entry on my way to Milwaukee to sing the national anthem at a Brewers' baseball game. It seems like I have been flying a ton lately. Before I flew out to join the Nothing Like This tour with Kellie Pickler and Rascal Flatts this weekend, I ...
I'm one of those lucky girls who doesn't often worry about my weight or my heart. At least not yet. So far this summer, my diet and exercise routine seems to consist of venue hot dogs and room-temperature tap beers, plus long walks to and from concert parking lots. But ...
It sounds like Carrie Underwood's bachelorette party this past weekend (June 25-27) was a lot like everyone else's bachelorette parties. According to the L.A. Times, she celebrated in Las Vegas with shopping, spa treatments, drinks, a bride-to-be sash and a blue feather boa. That may sound extravagant to some, perhaps ...
Pretty much any A-list country artist can get a sold-out crowd of 26,000 to sing along on the big, big hits. But to get a crowd like that laughing along? That takes something really special. And Tim McGraw had it on Saturday night (June 26) in Chicago when he brought ...
Kellie Pickler is booked at one of the biggest music festivals in the country, Summerfest, tomorrow night (June 29) in Milwaukee, sharing the bill with the likes of Cypress Hill, Guster, Papa Roach and Weird Al Yankovic. A few weeks later, on July 10, she'll perform at the Madison County ...
Songwriters: Bob DiPiero, Karyn Rochelle, and Sunny Sweeney
Despite being a new release, Sunny Sweeney’s “From a Table Away” has already managed to do what none of the songs from her debut album could: chart. Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame, which was self-released before being reissued on Big Machine Records, made an impact with critics, who liked [...]
Fitzmaurice is a talented young band from Maryland fronted by twin sisters Maria and Sarah Fitzmaurice. They have been performing regionally for the past 3 1/2 years, and have just released a debut, self-titled CD. Their sound – and their original songs – are decidedly modern, as you might expect from a group of twenty-something [.....]
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass Dailey Vincent quartet at the ball game posted by John Lawless on 06.29.10 8:45 am Tags : Dailey Vincent When we first learned that Dailey Vincent had been invited to render the National Anthem before a Nashville Sounds baseball game this week , I was immediately hopeful that a recording would be made . Knowing the tremendous vocal ability in this group , and the care and detail they take in arranging material , I was certain they would come up with something . special And so they have . Darrin Vincent’s son shot this footage last night on his flip cam , so it’s not pro quality , but you can see and hear what a great job they did with The Star Spangled Banner That’s Jamie Dailey , Darrin Vincent , Joe Dean and Christian Davis doing the Bill
Still Learning, the next CD from Lonesome River Band, isn’t due until July 13 on Rural Rhythm Records, but you can get a sneak peek on Tuesday evening (6/29). Sammy Shelor will be joining Judith Barnette on WBRF-FM to talk about the new album, and play several of the tracks during the Blue Ridge Backroads [.....]
Shannon Slaughter, guitarist and vocalist with Lou Reid and Carolina, is working on a solo project that will showcase both his muscular vocal style, and his clever and thoughtful songwriting. He has been recording this month at Eastwood Studio in Cana, VA and tells us that he has completed 13 tracks with just one more [.....]
Our good friend Katy Daley from WAMU’s Bluegrass Country is at the 2010 River Of Music Party (ROMP) in Owensboro, KY. ROMP is sponsored by the International Bluegrass Music Museum. She sent along a number of photos she took with her phone, and a brief report of the goings on in O’boro. “The mission of [.....]
Tyler Grant is certainly well-regarded as a flatpicker. After all, he won the National Flatpicking Championship at Winfield in 2008, having won or placed in several others previously (Wayne Henderson, Rockygrass). But Grant doesn’t like to be viewed primarily as a flatpicker. He cherishes the role of rhythm guitarist in a band, and has held [.....]
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass Del and Texas Shorty receive National Heritage Fellowships posted by John Lawless on 06.25.10 9:50 am Tags : Del McCoury fiddle Texas Shorty The National Endowment for the Arts has announced the 2010 recipients of their National Heritage Fellowships and they have once again chosen to honor artists who have made lasting contributions to bluegrass and traditional American string . music Both Del McCoury and Texas Shorty Jim Chancellor are on the 2010 list , and will be honored at the Library of Congress , and at a special concert on September 24 in Bethesda , MD . They will also receive a one-time award of 25,000. For his part , McCoury , is a bit flabbergasted by the . honor All I’ve ever done is play the music I love . I feel very fortunate
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass Randy Kohrs gives back with Cumberland downloads posted by John Lawless on 06.24.10 6:08 pm Tags : Randy Kohrs We dedicated a good bit of space here on The Bluegrass Blog in May when the Cumberland River rose up and put much of Nashville under water . Everyone in Music City did what they could , especially as the national media and the federal government were quite slow on the . draw A lot of artists have looked at ways to help , but Nashvillian Randy Kohrs has put his money where his mouth is in a big way . He and Rural Rhythm Records have arranged for the proceeds from all downloads of his song , Cumberland to be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee The song is from Randy’s latest CD , Quicksand and Rural Rhythm is
John Cowan will be the interview guest on Friday’s (6/25) edition of Lonesome Pine RFD, airing on WFDU-FM from 9:00 a.m to noon (EDT). The Cow Man will call in from the road at 11:00; he is on the Doobie Brothers tour holding down the bass gig while their regular guy, Skylark, recovers from a [.....]
The best cover albums have an air of inevitability about them: you put a great singer with great songs and of course you’re going to get magic. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes you match a great singer with songs he or she genuinely loves and end up with a project that’s very personally [...]
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass Big doin’s at Graves Mountain posted by John Lawless on 06.24.10 11:51 am Tags : Audie Blaylock Brand New Strings Carl Jackson Carrie Hassler IIIrd Tyme Out Lonesome River Band Rural Rhythm Records The Graves Mountain Festival of Music has been a staple event on the bluegrass calendar each year since they held their first event 18 years ago . Held annually on or near the Memorial Day weekend , Graves has had a traditional of featuring band mash-ups and guest performances as part of the Saturday night shows , and the 2010 festival really took the . cake The Saturday shows were recorded live on stage for a very special project , Graves Mountain Jam Recorded Live Rural Rhythm’s 55 Year Celebration due October 26 on Rural Rhythm . Included are
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass The Festy Experience goes live in October posted by John Lawless on 06.23.10 4:15 pm Tags : The Infamous Stringdusters Tony Rice The Infamous Stringdusters have teamed up with The Artist Farm , Cerberus Productions and Devils Backbone Brewing Company to kickoff a new 2-day camping festival near Charlottesville , . VA The Festy Experience will be held over the Columbus Day weekend , October 9-10, on the concert grounds by the Devil’s Backbone brewery , an award-winning microbrewery at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains in Nelson County . The Dusters will serve as the host band , performing both days , along with The Tony Rice Unit , Railroad Earth , Larry Keel , Packway Handle Band and several . others Given the lineup and the overall vibe
: Blog Forum Wiki News at the speed of Bluegrass King Wilkie drops live digital EP posted by John Lawless on 06.23.10 9:08 am Tags : King Wilkie King Wilkie has released a 6 song live album , Wilkie Family Singers Live available as a digital download from the band’s web . site The group has undergone an interesting metamorphosis this past 8 years . They first emerged as a band of rebel , neo-traditionalists in the bluegrass world , taking the IMBA’s Emerging Artist Of The Year award in 2004. Their next album in 2007 took an entirely new direction more Byrds-inflected folk rock than anything Bill Monroe ever . recorded Now their sound is more reflective of the jam band scene , where they combine high energy old time music with jug-bandy originals , using a wide variety of instruments on .
Look for a new release from Tim O’Brien on July 13, an opportune date as this will mark the 13th solo project since his first in 1984. The new album is fully self-produced, and will be on Tim’s Howdy Skies Records. Entitled Chicken & Egg, it would seem to take on the age-old question… and [.....]