Author Archives: Azlyrics

Pinecastle Records has released a new music video for traditional bluegrass hero, Danny Paisley, a lovely three quarter time ballad from his current album, Bluegrass Troubadour. Coming on the heels of Paisley being named co-recipient of the IBMA’s Male Vocalist of The year award with Del McCoury last month, this track showcases exactly why he was so chosen.

The video is for Date With An Angel, written by Brink Brinkman, which follows the classic ‘story in three verses style,’ with the life of a simple man unfolding in roughly three minutes. Starting with him apprehensively approaching his first date as a young man, the story goes on to cover his wedding day, and then his final moments on earth, nicely illustrated in video by Danny and his son Ryan, who performs with his dad as a member of The Southern Grass – just as Danny had done with his father, Bob.

Danny says that Date With An Angel grabbed him right away.

“Brink Brinkman wrote about a beautiful love story that withstands the tests of time – that journey from youth to old age. It’s the kind of song I love to sing! I knew the moment I heard it that I wanted to record it.”

Have a look/listen…

Date With An Angel by Danny Paisley is available now from popular download and streaming sites online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

The full Bluegrass Troubadour project is likewise available online.

The Memorial Service for Phil Leadbetter will take place on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, with visitation at New Beverly Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and the service will follow.  

Face coverings are optional. 

NB. This is a change to the original location. 

A private graveside service will take place in Cades Cove, within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, at a later date. 

Award-winning resonator guitar player Phil Leadbetter passed away on October 14, 2021.

Kerry Hay, longtime owner and proprietor of Hay Holler Records, died at home on October 13. He was 89 years of age.

He was born in Dickenson County, VA and attended Haysi High School, after which he enlisted in the Air Force where he served from 1949 to 1953. Returning from military service, Kerry received his degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and started a career with Poly-Scientific and Electro-Tec in Blacksburg, VA, now part of Moog Components Group.

Kerry was able to retire early from engineering work, and launched a pair of new careers, obtaining an auctioneers license and opening Hay Holler Auction Sales. At roughly the same time, he and his wife, Sula, launched Hay Holler Records in 1989. Hay recorded music for a number of bluegrass artists, including Herschel Sizemore, 5 for the Gospel, Big Country Bluegrass, The Bluegrass Brothers, Cedar Hill, The Gillis Brothers, The Goins Brothers, Sand Mountain, and Wayne Henderson.

His love was for an authentic bluegrass sound, which he described as, “real bluegrass, hard-core traditional mountain-style bluegrass that sounds as lonesome as a whippoorwill.”

Another artist that Kerry recorded was The Gibson Brothers, whose first album was with Hay Holler Records. Eric Gibson remembers him quite fondly.

“Kerry Hay was easily one of the finest gentlemen I have met in the music industry. He was an early believer in us, signing us to a record deal in 1995. He was Old School, a firm handshake/look you in the eye kind of guy — and that suited us just fine. If he told you he was going to get something done, he got it done. He knew we were raw, but he could see potential in us, helping to guide us in our early years as we broke out of the northeast and played in other regions of the country. In fact, I remember him joining us in California on our first trip to Grass Valley.<

The memory that stands out the most for me is when our second album we were recording for Hay Holler went up in smoke when Tim Austin’s Doobie Shea Studio burned down in a fire after it was hit by lightning while some of us were still in the building. Among many things lost in the fire was Leigh’s first Martin. Kerry took us into Ferrum  (or was it Franklin?) where we found another Martin. Leigh didn’t have the funds, so Kerry paid for it until Leigh was able to pay him back. That is the kind of man Kerry Hay was. Our hearts go out to Sula and Kerry’s entire family. We are grateful for the time we got to spend with him. We are better off for it.”

Leigh picked it up from there…

“Yes, Kerry floated me the money to buy that guitar. This was before Venmo and the like and I didn’t have that kind of cash on me. I was gonna send the seller, Clay Moore, money and have him ship the guitar once I got home. Kerry wouldn’t hear of it and paid for it on the spot so I would have a guitar that night. Quite a man. He believed in me enough to basically give me a few thousand dollars without hesitation. It meant a lot.

He was a man that above all believed in family and made you feel like a part of his. They don’t make people like Kerry Hay anymore and I was privileged to call him a friend.”

Hay Holler Records was active until 2008, when Kerry and Sula decided to retire again, spending their time at their country home, also called Hay Holler, where they had a long habit of entertaining friends with good food, grand company, and all night picking.

The Hay family invites everyone to join them to celebrate Kerry’s life on Sunday, October 17, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Hay Holler in Blacksburg. Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and remember Kerry with music. In lieu of flowers, they request donations in Kerry’s name to Good Samaritan Hospice who had provided excellent care in recent weeks.

R.I.P., Kerry Hay.

We all remember Andy Leftwich for his lengthy stint on fiddle with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder in the early 2000s. Or perhaps from his rich catalog of session work. Wherever we have heard him play, we surely didn’t forget it, such is his skill and dexterity with fiddle and bow.

This week Mountain Home Music has a new single from Leftwich, another of his inventive instrumental pieces, which features Andy on both fiddle and mandolin. This one is named for the Colorado mountain top, Pikes Peak, just a few miles outside of Colorado Springs. And sure enough, he says the name was inspired by encountering the renowned Rocky Mountain vista while on tour.

“Pikes Peak Breakdown is a song I wrote with one thing in mind…hold nothing back! I wanted a fast paced, barn burner bluegrass song with exciting solos, backed with some of the best pickers of our day. Bryan Sutton, Scott Vestal, and Mark Schatz help me out with this one, and I’m so thrilled to have a song that shows off their musicianship and gives them a chance to throw down. I named the song after the beautiful Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, CO, after playing there several years ago with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.”

Have a listen.

Consider that barn burned down.

Pikes Peak Breakdown is available now from popular download and streaming sites online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Caleb Daugherty has announced a new member of his touring band. Calib Smith has joined the group after Zach Collier departed for a gig with Volume Five.

This past few years Caleb has made a name for himself in bluegrass circles for his soulful singing and knack for choosing material that suits his rich baritone voice. A similarity to the classic sound of Keith Whitley has been remarked upon, unsurprising given Caleb’s strong affinity its for Keith’s music.

Daugherty says that the move finds him with mixed emotions, glad for his friend Zach to try his hand somewhere new, but yet sorry to see him go.

“Zach was a founding member of the Caleb Daugherty Band, and what a time it has been! I am thankful for all the good times we’ve had. I’m also excited for his new opportunities, and I wish him the best in his new endeavors!”

Smith joins the group having played bass in both classical and bluegrass settings. He is also an experienced banjo and guitar player, having worked with Zach Top & Modern Tradition and New Balance.

For Daugherty, Smith brings new passion and material to the job. 

“I’m very excited to have Calib join the band! He is a multi-instrumentalist and will be a great asset to the band. He has played a few shows with us already, and I am pumped to have his energy and stage presence with the band.

Just to add to it, he’s a great song writer and already sent me 4 or 5 songs he’s written.

Welcome to the band Calib!”

Smith joins Caleb on guitar, Zion Napier on mandolin, Kyle Clerking on banjo, and Kyle Ramey on fiddle.

Keep an eye on the official Caleb Daugherty web site for a chance to catch them in person when they play near you.

Nick Chandler, bluegrass singer and mandolinist from western North Carolina, and fearless leader of Pinecastle recording artists Nick Chandler & Delivered, is in the hospital this week being treated for blood clots in his lungs.

Chandler recently went through a bout with the dreaded COVID-19, but as he was vaccinated, he came through that well. But lingering as a result are these clots which are giving him serious breathing difficulties. In fact, it was only as he was nearly recovered from the viral infection that the breathing issues appeared, and the clots were diagnosed in the hospital.

Trudy, Nick’s wife, has offered this update on his condition. She is unable to visit him in the hospital due to COVID restrictions, but she says he is doing well.

“He’s in really good spirits and he is able to text me all day which is a blessing. I am cheering him on in everything that he is having done. He is requiring a lot of oxygen, but he is an absolute rock star. Thank goodness he is so strong. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

We don’t like a lot of attention when it comes to personal issues, but we decided together that being a part of this bluegrass family is a special privilege, and we wanted to share what was going on with all of our friends and fans.”

At this time, Nick is still in the ICU but Trudy expects that he will be stepped down once his need for oxygen abates.

She asks that friends not try to contact him while he’s in the ICU. Trudy stays in regular touch with him all day, but he needs plenty of rest at this stage, and interruptions while he is sleeping could affect his recovery.

“I’m there with him in spirit. If he sleeps, I sleep. If he’s awake, I’m awake. It’s the closest I can be to him without being there.”

Trudy will share any comments posted to Nick’s Facebook page to him when he is awake, and any made here as well.

The Nick Chandler & Delivered show scheduled for this weekend in Easley, SC has been cancelled.

Get well soon, Nick!

Béla Fleck has released a live music video for another of the tracks for his current project, My Bluegrass Heart, a double album primarily consisting if his new compositions in a more bluegrass vein. The two-disc set finds him in collaboration with a set of true bluegrass superstars, with support from Sierra Hull, Bryan Sutton, Michael Cleveland, Molly Tuttle, Noam Pikelny, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Billy Strings, and more.

Today’s new video is a duet between Béla and Chris Thile on one called Psalm 136. The piece is an instrumental, but named for the ancient piece of Biblical Hebrew poetry whose refrain runs, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Though written as verse, these hymns and prayers are also meant to be sung, as they still are in contemporary Jewish and Christian rituals. Béla’s lovely arrangement captures some of the call and response flavor of its namesake.

He explained a bit about the original recording for My Bluegrass Heart.

 “Late one night after recording all day together with Billy Strings, I asked Chris if he’d consider doing one more song together, a duo. At the far end of the song, I promised a fantastic Meursault would be opened. He agreed and we proceeded to learn, arrange and record Psalm 136.

Before the dawn’s early light grazed the front window panes, we had this track down and we were enjoying the bottle, which lived up to its rep. I was first exposed to this melody on an album called Jewish Uganda, and I fell for the sound of the kids singing this simple melody. Eventually I learned the theme, and it naturally led to some new composing of ideas that went with it. Chris of course took it to the moon, as he is wont to do.”

Béla and Chris recorded this off stage during the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in June of this year.

Enjoy…

Fleck has also announced this week a show early next year at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 9. It will feature almost all of the players from the album in the single show, including Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Edgar Meyer, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, Chris Thile, and Molly Tuttle.

For Béla, this is an exciting, homecoming sort of show, especially for a native New Yorker who, like most musical artists, always dreamed of playing Carnegie Hall.

“Calling something the ‘concert of a lifetime’ sure sounds like hype, and in many cases it would be. But not this time! At least for my world and my music, this is an unprecedented opportunity to bring some of the brightest instrumental lights in bluegrass—or any other music for that matter—to the incredible Carnegie Hall stage.”

Ticket information for all of the My Bluegrass Heart tour dates can be found online.

A highly rare, triple autographed edition of Still Inside – The Tony Rice Story, is being auctioned this month to raise funds to help Tony and Pam’s granddaughter, Parker Mozingo.

The book is signed by Tony, and by the authors, Tim Stafford and Caroline Wright. Rice signed very few copies of the book when it was released in 2010, and there have been only a handful signed by all three. It is composed in a unique form of biography, told through interviews with Tony, and with some of his closest friends in the bluegrass world.

Parker has just recently lost her husband at only 43 years of age, leaving her with four young children to raise, one of them a special needs son with Downs Syndrome. The youngest is less than a year old.

All of their grandchildren were dear to Tony and Pam, and the great grandchildren as well.

The Still Inside auction is being hosted at 32 Auctions online, and ends November 13 at 11:00 p.m. Hawaiian time (10 hours behind US eastern time). Caroline will donate the proceeds directly to Parker.

Further details can be found online.

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys join Dreamcatcher in remembering Frosty at Jenny Brook – photo by String River Studios

The is past weekend’s Jenny Brook Bluegrass Mini-Fest included an emotional remembrance of Aaron “Frosty” Foster, who passed away suddenly this February. Frosty was a friend to everyone he met, and was playing guitar and singing with The Amanda Cook Band when we lost him at 28 years of age. Jenny Brook was his home festival, where he attended as a teen, and where he returned every year to assist with the Kid’s Academy.

Sunday’s lineup featured a special set, with all the bands there for the show joining in to honor Frosty. The Foster family was on hand, and festival promoter Candi Sawyer tells us that there plenty of tears, but laughter too, as was appropriate given Frosty’s fun-loving personality.

Etta Crawford, Frosty’s grandmother, spoke to Sawyer after the event, and she said, “It was his festival, that’s what he always called it!”

And Candi herself always saw him as part of the festival.

“He truly was the biggest Jenny Brook ambassador. All of his friends keep telling me that everywhere they went, he bragged about Jenny Brook. He was a huge part of all of our lives and will never be forgotten.”

Participating were The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, The Amanda Cook Band, The Michelle Canning Band, and a reunion of Dreamcatcher, a group Frosty played with in support of his original music, consisting of his friends from ETSU. Many were wearing the T-shirts made and sold in February to raise money to help the Foster family pay for Aaron’s funeral, and the shockingly high cost of transporting his body back home from Tennessee.

Michelle tells us that it was truly bittersweet, given their close relationship, but that it left her feeling better about her missing friend.

“I met Aaron at Jenny Brook when I was 12 and he was 13, and we became instant friends. Words cannot express the close bond that we had. The highlight of our year was always getting to spend every waking moment together at Jenny Brook. I knew going into Mini Fest that being there without him was going to be tough. As expected, a lot of tears were shed, but there was also a joy in the air that could only come from Aaron. Sunday at Jenny Brook Mini Fest was a perfect tribute, and I know that Aaron would have loved every minute of it.”

Candi also shared a number of photos from Sunday’s memoriam. Only someone truly special would be so well remembered.

There’s a lesson in the genesis of Prairie Wildfire, a group of young ladies from Buffalo, Wyoming who discovered bluegrass music and have embarked on a performing career over the past six years. And that is the importance of inviting people, especially youngsters, to give bluegrass a look, and the special value of having a central place where musicians can meet and play together.

The story goes like this… Back in the summer of 2015 Morgan Blaney and Sage Palser met up at the Bighorn Bluegrass Camp for Kids in Buffalo while they were in elementary school. Morgan plays bass and Sage mandolin, and both sing as well. Noticing the girls’ skill and interest, their string teacher, Lynn Young, invited them to come out to Buffalo landmark, The Occidental Hotel, run by bluegrass singer and songwriter David Stewart and his wife, Jackie, for their Thursday Night Bluegrass Jam.

Ever since they have been regulars on Thursdays, and started playing with David and Lynn in his Wyoming Wind Band. Sage has also become a prolific songwriter, writing a number of songs that Prairie Wildfire have recorded. They are now joined by Tessa Taylor on banjo and guitar, which completes their band.

The Occidental Hotel has been a part of Buffalo history since 1880 when it first opened during the hey day of the wild west. At that time, it was one of the finest establishments of its kind out west, and provided accommodations to a long list of historical figures, from Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid to Calamity Jane, Teddy Roosevelt, and Buffalo Bill Cody. The Ox, as it is known in town, fell on hard times during the Great Depression, and as downtown hotels fell out of fashion in the 1980s, it dropped into grave disrepair and was in danger of beings torn down, or becoming so badly damaged by neglect that its storied past would be forgotten.

But it was salvaged starting in the late ’90s when a remarkable restoration was begun by Dawn Dawson who purchased the historic building. David Stewart became involved in 2006, launching the popular bluegrass jam, and two years later he and his wife purchased the property and the business which they now manage. The hotel has been completely restored, bringing in modern conveniences while maintaining as much of the 19th century charm as possible, with multiple bars and restaurants as well as guest and meeting rooms.

The point of this long story is that by having a central meeting place for grassers in Buffalo, Sage, Morgan, and Tessa had a place to come to hear, learn, and practice playing bluegrass music. Hats off to David for that. 

Prairie Wildfire has now signed with West Virginia’s Copper Mountain Records, and have released a debut single, West Virginia Train. The song was written by Morgan and Sage, and showcases the band’s part harmony in a story that ties their Wyoming home with the home state of their new label partners. Sage has the lead with Morgan singing above her, and Tessa below. They even pull off the challenging three part harmony yodel on the ending!

Have a listen…

These days Tessa is finishing up her final year of high school, Morgan is studying bluegrass and jazz bass at the University of Northern Colorado Greeley, and Sage is in her first semester in the bluegrass program at East Tennessee State University. They get together in the summer, and whenever they all get home, to play as Prairie Wildfire.

West Virginia Train is available now from popular download and streaming sites online. Radio programmers can contact Copper Mountain Records for a copy of the track.

We’re constantly trying to find new and more effective ways to market bluegrass music to a wider audience, or just a less narrow audience, if you want to look at it that way. I’ve recently returned from the IBMA World of Bluegrass, where ideas about the future of the business are exchanged in seminars like the one I attended at what felt like 5:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning: “Forward-thinking Bluegrass Marketing—Coercing unsuspecting people into liking our music.”

One of the panelists suggested that we advocate for more bluegrass-related national and  international day, week, and month designations. You know the kind I mean: people on social media are forever posting pictures commemorating National Sibling Day, Worldwide Crawdad Week, and Out-of-focus Photo Awareness Month. We can certainly find ways to use this promotional vehicle to advance our musical cause.

Looking just at October 13th we have the following commemorative observances (and I promise I didn’t make these up, though somebody obviously did):

• National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work/School Day
• National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day (I wonder who came up with that one)
• National Yorkshire Pudding Day 
• National No Bra Day

And the list goes on, and this doesn’t even cover the various weeks and months. As you can see from the above, observing all of these in a single day would be exhausting, and in some cases awkward.

We do have a month designated as Worldwide Bluegrass Music Month, in case you haven’t heard of it. It used to be in May but may have moved to September, or possibly March. Clearly I’m staying right on top of this. If it’s in October, it has to compete with Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month (Starbucks sought a court injunction against that one), Church Safety and Security Month, and the always jolly Anti-depressant Death Awareness Month.

It’s time we look beyond our one month—whichever month it is—and designate a series of days, weeks, and months to causes related to our music. Here is a list of suggestions. Surely these are every bit as valid as National Deep Fried Clams Day (coming up on November 1st):

• National Instrument Strap-adjustment Day
• International Flat Baritone Part Day
• Dysfunctional Family Band Week
• National Fiddle-Tunes-Named-After-Rodents Month
• Worldwide Kiss the Dobro Player Day (this one was suggested by the International Dobro Players Guild—IDPG. They simultaneously advocated for National Kiss the Resonator Guitar Player Day, but we’re on to them now)
• James Monroe Awareness Month
• Unplanned-for and Hideously Expensive Diesel Engine Repair Month
• National Arrogant Bandleader Day
• Murder Ballad Victim Awareness Week
• Worldwide Buy a CD From a Hungry Bluegrass Artist Even Though You No Longer Have a Functioning CD Player Day (this should probably be an entire month, but the name should be shortened to the acronym “WWBACDFAHBAETYNLHAFCDP”)
• National Overly-Aggressive Song-pitching Week
• International Audio Engineer Relations Month
• Sketchy Artist Manager Day
• Red Smiley Advocacy Week
• National Fire the Bass Player Day
• Unconventional Tunings Day
• No Capo Day
• International Under 30-minute Sound Check Week
• Tremolo Appreciation Day (TAD)
• National Let Our Instrument On the #%##** Plane Already! Day
• Bill Monroe Imitation Day

Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart at FreshGrass 2021 – photo © Dave Hollender

Our friend Dave Hollender was at the 2021 FreshGrass festival in North Adams, MA last month, and captured some great photos of Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart show. Performing with Béla on the show were Sierra Hull on mandolin, Bryan Sutton on guitar, Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Justin Moses on reso-guitar, and March Schatz on bass. Dave also caught Noam Pikelny sitting in with the band, with Justin Moses switching to the five for some triple banjo action.

Dave is a professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, who plays both bass and banjo.

You can see more of his photography online. We thank him for sharing these images.

Pinecastle recording artists Nick Chandler & Delivered have welcomed a new banjo player into the group. His name is Zack McCracken, a native of Bristol, TN.

Zach is a graduate of the bluegrass music program at East Tennessee State University, and has worked previously with both Chosen Road and Nu-Blu. He grew up in a family who loved bluegrass, and as a teenager, he played regularly at the Smyth County Jam in Chilhowie, VA.

Chandler says that McCracken is working out well with the band, and was with them earlier this month at the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass convention and festival.

“We tried Zach out on a few of our bigger festivals and he rose to the task with ease. He is a great banjo player and fun to be around. He fits in so well with us musically and personally, it was an easy decision. We are so proud to have him on our team.”

Zach joins Chandler on mandolin and lead vocals, Hudson Bosworth on guitar, and Gray Trivette on bass.

Their latest single, Randall Hylton’s Slowly Getting You Out Of The Way, was released last month on Pinecastle, a slowed-down version sung in three-part harmony almost completely throughout.

Keep an eye on the Nick Chandler & Delivered web site to find out when they will be performing near you.

Bonfire Music has dropped a second single from their upcoming project with Andrew Crawford, The Lonesome Season, set for a November 19 release.

Andrew is a relative newcomer to bluegrass music, at least in the profession al sense, though he has worked as a guitarist and guitar teacher most of his adult life. But he has grown up bluegrass adjacent, with a strong grounding in the sound and the soul of the style.

The new album will highlight his original compositions, with Crawford singing and playing guitar, assisted by a number of noted grassers. On this latest single, Always Another Mountain, he is supported by Aaron Ramsey, Shawn Lane, and Josh Harris.

Andrew says that the song came to him while living the life of a touring musician, and thinking that what matters most to us all is always what’s waiting at home

“I was inspired to write Always Another Mountain a few years ago after some time on the road with a friend. I’m thankful and honored to have such talented musicians on this song with me, and incredibly proud of how the track turned out.”

Here ’tis…

Always Another Mountain is available now from popular download and streaming sites online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Phil Leadbetter has given almost his entire life to the furtherance of bluegrass music. Working as a sideman on reso-guitar for J.D. Crowe, Dale Ann Bradley, and The Whites, and as a partner or leader of groups like Grasstowne and Wildfire, Phil has been highly visible on the circuit since he was a teenager. One the industry side, he has been involved in booking representation, festival management, and instrument sales. And all along, he has been widely recognized as having the among the biggest hearts in our music, always there at the ready when someone in our business needs a hand, or just a good laugh.

Life has dealt Phil a rough hand, especially unkind given his kind and generous nature. He is a five time cancer survivor, who has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and two of stem cell replacement therapy. Through it all he maintained a positive attitude, as though he knew for certain he would be back each time.

Now, while in stage 4 kidney failure, Phil is hospitalized for COVID-19. For several days it looked like this might be the one hurdle he couldn’t jump, but after several tense nights, it appears that we may have our dear Uncle Phil around a while longer.

Debbie Gulley, wife of the recently deceased Steve Gulley, has organized a GoFundMe campaign to help Phil and his family with the massive costs associated with his ongoing treatment. She is doing so in response to both her longstanding friendship with Phil and his wife, and in recognition of Steve’s deep relationship with Phil, but also in honor of all the support she received from the Leadbetters while Steve was dying from cancer last summer.

Once again, we know that the bluegrass community will be proud to offer whatever assistance they can for a beloved member of our community, Phil Leadbetter. Donations can be securely made online at the GoFundMe site which Debbie created. They are listing $25,000 as their fundraising goal.

Prayers are most decidedly welcome as well.

Mountain Home Music has released a music video for their current single for North Carolina’s Unspoken Tradition, Irons in the Fire.

It’s a song by popular Kentucky songwriter, Aaron Bibelhauser, written with Steve Guenthner, which guitarist and lead singer Audie McGinnis says is a perfect fit for the group’s blue collar vibe.

“This song spoke to me on first listen; there was no ‘break in’ period to allow it to grow on me. Early on in the band’s life, we started using the slogan ‘working class bluegrass’ as an attempt to brand ourselves and connect with our audience. I still think we hold true to that slogan today. With that in mind, it just feels like this song was written for us.”

Audie is supported by bandmates Ty Gilpin on mandolin, Tim Gardner on fiddle, Sav Sankaran on bass, and Zane McGinnis on banjo.

They give the song a nice bluegrass treatment, which Bibelhauser says allows its positive message to shine through.

“In the bluegrass world, many of us juggle much more than just a career as a professional musician. Some of us have full time day jobs, side gigs as a session musician, radio host, songwriter, etc. — and there’s always behind-the-scenes music business work to be done as well. That sentiment is strikingly obvious within the top shelf delivery of Irons In The Fire from Unspoken Tradition. Ironically, my co-writer and uncle, Steve Guenthner, retired from his own career in the business world shortly before I asked him to lend a hand with this song. He certainly provided some contrasting wisdom to bring the song full circle in recognizing that, no matter how much work there is left to do, or how challenging the road ahead appears, freedom lies in the path forward… the journey, not the destination.”

To drive the point home even further, the video was shot in an actual blacksmith’s shop, with multiple actual irons in the fire.

Have a look/listen…

Irons in the Fire from Unspoken Tradition is available now from popular download and streaming sites online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPly Direct.

It will also be included on their next project with Mountain Home Music Company.

The Band of Kelleys had been making quite a splash on the bluegrass scene this past few years. A family group from Augusta, Georgia which once contained four siblings is now down to three, they have a powerful vocal sound in young Victoria Kelley who plays mandolin with the group. They were Bluegrass Ramble artists in 2018, and wowed audiences in Raleigh that year, but we haven’t heard new music from them in quite some time.

And now we know why.

During the forced break in 2020 when all performing artists were shut out of working, the three Kelley siblings – Victoria, her older sister, Bethany, on fiddle, and younger brother, Daniel, on bass – hatched a plan to emerge from COVID with a new look, a new sound, and a new name.

So we are happy to introduce you to… The Paper Dolls, and their latest single, Pray For Rain. It’s one that Bethany and Victoria wrote with Josh Shilling, that finds the Kelleys in an acoustic vibe that draws heavily from their bluegrass grounding, but with an edge that also incorporates their interest in country and pop music, and the many styles these talented young ladies are currently studying at the Berklee College of Music.

When we caught up with Victoria earlier today, we were curious how they chose the new name.

“It seemed to be a name that really worked well for us, since the songs are like our stories on paper – bringing the art of music to life. Beth and I loved paper dolls as kids, and it felt like a fitting name for what we are doing.

When all our gigs were cancelled last year, it was a perfect time for us to stop and think about what we wanted to do with our music, and where we wanted to go. We realized that we wanted to open our minds to new genres as well, so a new name just made sense. We want the focus to be on the music, and make a distinction from the previous band name

I will say that Daniel is being a great sport about being a paper doll!”

New music from The Paper Dolls comes from songs that have been written over this past couple of years, and recorded in Nashville with Jim VanCleve as producer. Victoria said that they have six songs finished now, and plan to release one every 8-10 weeks over the coming months, with music videos to accompany each of them.

They have chosen to work independently, without a label or a booking agency, keeping their careers a fully Kelley run operation. Daniel has become skilled as a videographer, with an eye towards keeping as much as possible within the band. Bethany is studying audio engineering at Berklee, while Victoria is majoring in songwriting, and it shows in the quality of their work.

The Kelleys have even formed their own support company, Vivid Solutions, offering video, graphic design, and software solutions for both The Paper Dolls and other artists in the music industry.

Let’s have a look at Pray For Rain, the music video for the single, which is available for download now from popular locations online, or directly from the band web site. Seth Taylor joins them on guitar, and Cory Walker on banjo.

The Paper Dolls are using the Patreon platform to help maintain a community of fans and followers, where the Kelleys will offer more music and information than what is released for download. Patreon followers will have access to private livestreams, Q&A sessions, a private Facebook group, early downloads of new music, and even lessons. Like most Patreon pages, fans can choose among three tiers of support, from $3 to $30 per month, with differing levels of access with each tier.

Victoria said that the offerings should appeal to anyone who enjoys their music.

“People get early sneak peaks and behind the scenes content on Patreon, lessons on instruments, songwriting information, plus tips on video and audio production. We share what we have learned at Berklee – Beth is doing audio engineering and I’m in songwriting.”

A great many artists began using Patreon during the shutdown year, finding it allowed them to stay in touch with fans, who were happy to offer some financial support while gigs were non-existent. With live music back this year, it seems that people still enjoy the close contact with their favorite artists, and the regularity of communication.

You can sign up for The Paper Dolls Patreon page online. Followers also get advance notice and discounts on ticket sales, plus discounts on band mech sold online.

You can learn more about the band on their official web site.

A big Bluegrass Today welcome to The Paper Dolls!

In 1883, nine women with a shared interest in “promot[ing] the study and appreciation of music in all its branches” came together to form the St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids, MI. Today, St. Cecilia’s annual Folk, Jazz, and Chamber Music Series is a cornerstone of the city’s music scene, and was deeply missed during the 19 month COVID-induced hiatus.

Thankfully, on Wednesday October 6, with strict COVID testing requirements in place, Executive and Artistic Director Cathy Holbrook was able to joyfully welcome fans to their seats, and bluegrass legend Sam Bush to the stage, and for just a while, everything was right.

Canadian fiddler, Gordie MacKeeman (also known by the stage name, Crazylegs due to his style of dancing) has released the first volume of Folk For Little Folk. Though the recording is primarily intended for a children’s audience, MacKeeman has approached this concept in a way that will engage grown up listeners as well.

From the minute the opening track, All Around the Kitchen, began, I was immediately struck by MacKeeman’s abilities on the fiddle. His playing on this particular tune is reminiscent of many great old time fiddlers. As I was listening to this project, I thought all of the material on Folk For Little Folk Volume 1 would be performed in that same fiery style MacKeeman utilized on All Around the Kitchen and Big Rock Candy Mountain. I quickly realized that there was so much more to this project from a stylistic standpoint. Get Out There and Dance for instance is performed as a western swing number while the children’s standard, Old MacDonald is performed as an up-tempo bluegrass instrumental. The most impressive thing about this musical variety is how adept Gordie MacKeeman is at approaching these various styles on his instrument.

Folk For Little Folk Volume 1 has a very nice mix on terms of the overall song selection. While songs such as Snaccident, Dancing in the Bathtub, and Hokey Pokey are clearly geared for children, other tunes such as Chicken Reel, Mama Don’t Allow, and Listen to the Mockingbird, could be equally enjoyed by children and parents alike.

I had not heard of Gordie “Crazylegs” MacKeeman prior to hearing Folk for Little Folk Volume 1 and wasn’t exactly sure what to expect going in, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. As I stated earlier, McKeeman is a wonderful stylist on the fiddle and it shows in spades here. One of Gordie’s ultimate goals with Folk For Little Folk Volume 1 was to make a recording that could have equal appeal not just for children, but those of all ages. I believe that Gordie MacKeeman has succeeded in that aim.

Boston-based contemporary bluegrass band Mile Twelve has announced some big changes going forward.

Founding member, fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hines, and mandolinist David Benedict, have announced their departure from the group. Bronwyn was named 2021 Fiddler of the Year by the IBMA membership last week, and both artists have been active in projects separate from Mile Twelve in the past two years. Both also have recent solo albums, and other performing and recording opportunities on the horizon.

In a statement to Mile Twelve fans today, Bronwyn shared her intention to leave.

“Hey everybody, I’m writing to let you all know that after an incredible seven years of making music with Mile Twelve, I’ll be parting ways with the band. We’ve shared so many amazing experiences together, it’s an extremely special thing to start a band from the ground up, and I’m so grateful to have been able to go on this journey with BB, Evan, Nate, and David.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us through the years, come out to our shows and listened to our music – it’s such an honor to have been involved in this band, and I will cherish my Mile Twelve memories forever. I’m looking forward to exploring new musical ventures in the coming years, and I am so excited to see where the band goes next. I’ll be cheering them on!”

David did the same, saying…

“After five amazing years on the road with Mile Twelve, it’s come time for me to take my final bow. Like so many others out there, the pandemic brought some huge changes for me and my wife, Tabitha, and through it all we’ve found ourselves wanting to prioritize family time, to plant some roots at our new home here in South Carolina, and to play more music together. So it’s with a very full heart that I’ll be parting ways with Mile Twelve to make space in our lives to pursue all of these things.

I just want you all to know how grateful I am to all of you who have supported the band, come out to all of our shows, listened to our albums, and so much more. To all the friends and mentors I’ve met along the way, you all have enriched my life so much!

And most of all I’m so grateful to Bronwyn, Evan, BB, and Nate for asking me to join this band those five years ago. Back then I couldn’t have imagined half of the amazing memories and experiences that we all share today. Even more so, you all pushed me musically and inspired me to try to be the best version of myself – I’d be hard pressed to find four closer friends. Love you guys!

And I know there’s so much more music for Mile Twelve to make! I’m excited to see where the band heads next, and you can bet that I’ll be in the audience with the rest of you all, listening to these amazing musicians the first opportunity I get!”

Remaining Mile Twelve members, guitarist/vocalist Evan Murphy, bassist Nate Sabat, and banjo player BB Bowness, have responded with a statement of their own, wishing their departing bandmates well, and introducing new players to step into their shoes.

“To our friends, fans and family, we’d like to announce that Bronwyn and David are moving on from Mile Twelve. These are two of the most impressive musicians in bluegrass, and we will miss them dearly. We have driven countless miles together, across this country and others, late into the night and on into the sunrise. We have laughed ourselves to tears. We’ve grown up, and created something bigger than ourselves. We’ve had days of travel so chaotic we had to lean on each other to make it through, and shows so perfect we found ourselves suspended in a shared musical flow. We know David and Bronwyn will thrive in all of their adventures to come, and we’ll treasure our years together.

Change breeds growth, and with that we are thrilled to welcome Ella Jordan and Korey Brodsky into our family. They are inspiring players, ready to bring their huge talents to this band and create something new. We can’t thank our community of fans enough for supporting us through everything. We love all of you and look forward to sharing music with you soon.”

Jordan is a fiddler from Texas, and Brodsky a Connecticut mandolinist both recently graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Expect to hear much more of them with Mile Twelve in the coming year.

Since the earliest days of bluegrass music, National brand picks have been used by banjo and reso-guitar artists. Endorsements from Earl Scruggs in his 1968 book, Earl Scruggs and the 5 String Banjo, made National finger and thumb picks de rigueur among bluegrass pickers, and the custom has continued for a large percentage of players.

The right to manufacture under the National brand has changed hands several times since they received patents in 1930 for the metal fingerpicks, with pick aficionados insisting that the materials used and the quality of finishing have varied tremendously over the years, so much so that some pickers are willing to pay several hundred dollars for National picks made prior to WWII. There are currently several small companies offering finger picks that claim to be made like the old Nationals, often hand made in small batches.

This week the D’Addario company has announced the acquisition of the National brand for both thumb and finger picks. As the largest manufacturer of music accessories worldwide, the company known widely for its high quality strings has plans to resurrect National picks to their former glory. The D’Addario National finger picks are available now in either stainless steel or brass, and beginning in 2022, also in nickel. Though their announcement doesn’t say so explicitly, it is hoped that the nickel picks will be made with the nickel/silver alloy so prized by collectors of vintage Nats.

The National celluloid thumbpicks will remain available in large and medium sizes in black, white, and shell colors.

See the D’Addario web site for more information about the D’Addario National picks, available in 4 packs, 6 packs, and 12 packs.