Author Archives: Azlyrics

Sammy Passamano III, owner and operator of 615 Hideaway Records and Bluegrass Music TV in Nashville, has announced the imminent launch of a new online subscription service in partnership with Ronnie Reno.

Bluegrass Music TV Prime will combine the deep archive of content from Reno’s Old Time Music program that started in 1993, all the live bluegrass video from The 615 Hideaway and Bluegrass Music TV, plus classic programs from the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour.

BGM-TV Prime is set to launch on January 26 online with the first season of Reno’s Old Time Music, which featured in-studio performances from top bluegrass artists of the day. Passamano says that he will be adding the other seasons as quickly as he can, with additional content appearing at least every week.

“I’ve known Ronnie Reno for years, since I was a kid. When he retired, he told me that if I ever find something that makes sense to keep his old shows available, that I should let him know. We started talking, and he loved this idea.

It was very important to Ronnie to keep the price attractive for bluegrass people, so we are launching at only $4.95 per month as a subscription fee.”

Also to be included in BGM-TV Prime will be new talk shows with Michelle Lee and Ronnie Reno, both former IBMA Broadcasters of the Year. Sammy also said that he is looking at ways to make the service more interactive once they get it going.

Bluegrass Music TV Prime will be available on any internet-capable device, including computers, tablets, phones, and televisions that can call up specific sites online.

Michael Jonathon, host of Woodsongs, is delighted to be part of this new service.

“At a time when America needs the spirit, passion, and music of its front porch more than ever, Ronnie Reno and Sammy Passamano, III have created the TV platform best suited to represent the most powerful art form in history. From Bill Monroe and beyond, BluegrassMusicTV will take viewers on a journey from America’s musical past into its artistic future, all on the grandest stage in history … your own front porch.”

Some initial facts about BGM-TV Prime can be found online, and further information and subscription details will be forthcoming soon.

We are delighted to premiere a new track from Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears, one from their EP, Just Over The Ridge, which is officially released today.

This old time duo from the western slopes of Colorado specialize in the tunes and songs of the Appalachian region, drawing inspiration from the classic banjo/fiddle duets of a bygone era. They bring this tradition to life with a mix of traditional and original songs, mostly featuring just the two of them with Lizzy on fiddle and Natalie on banjo. Both take part in the singing.

To share a bit of their sound, they have chosen to share a tune called Sweet Song In The Tall Grass, which they dedicate to the music and legacy of John Hartford. You can hear a bit of his quirky style if you listen for it.

Plotkin tells us that this on came to her racing along the trails near her home.

“This melody and the majority of these lyrics I wrote while running. The rhythm of my body on the trail and the euphoria of runners’ high were just the recipe for this Hartford-inspired ode to music.”

Here ’tis.

Lizzy and Natalie are offering a free livestream tonight of their album release concert, starting at 9:30 p.m. (EST) on YouTube. They will play through the music from Just Over The Ridge and more. Should you miss it live, it will remain available for viewing online after the fact.

The new EP is available wherever you stream or download music online, and on CD directly from the artists on bandcamp, where you can also purchase downloads.

Radio programmers can get the tracks via AirPlay Direct.

The Walnut Valley Association in Winfield, KS, has announced that registration is now open for the 49th Walnut Valley Festival acoustic instrument championships in September 2021. Last year’s event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 restrictions, but organizers believe that festivals and other large gatherings will be fine for this summer, so all is a go!

Online registration is now enabled for the National Flat Picking Championship, and the many other instrumental competitions to be held September 15-19 at the Winfield Fairgrounds. These include contests for autoharp, mountain dulcimer, finger style guitar, mandolin, old time fiddle, hammered dulcimer, and bluegrass banjo. Because of last year’s postponement, contest officials are increasing the number of registrants for each competition from 40 to 55 people, but those spots generally go fast, so don’t hesitate if you want to compete.

Those who had registered for the 2020 contests may be entitled to roll forward to this year, under the following conditions:

• If you contacted WVF before December 21, 2020 – Your registration number will remain the same as your 2020 registration.
• If you did not contact WVF October 1 through December 21, 2020 – Your name was removed from the registration list on December 22, 2020, and all other registrations will move up in registration order.
• If you contacted WVF after December 21, 2020, and you had registered for the 2020 competitions – Your registration fee will still be applied to your 2021 registration. Your name will be added to the end of the registration list in registration order, along with new registrations.

Festival organizers also issued this statement about safety and 2020 ticket holders.

“WVA continues to closely monitor recommendations of national, state, and local health agencies related to mass gatherings, and officials are hopeful that conditions will allow for a live outdoor festival this fall. For those who purchased tickets for the 49th Walnut Valley Festival, tickets will be valid for entry in 2021.”

Contest Director Karen Deal says that competitors have been chomping at the bit to get back to Walnut Valley.

“Contestants from around the world have been contacting me since October. They are thrilled the competitions are being planned and are especially excited to get back to Winfield.”

Full festival and contest information can be found online.

Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road are releasing a new single today, the second from their latest project, Roots.

Well… let’s be a bit more specific. Roots is the name of the new band project, but it wasn’t exactly recorded with the touring edition of the group. Given the pandemic shutdowns last year, Liam went ahead and tracked the album by himself, playing and singing all the parts all by his lonesome.

Today’s single is titled Down The Hill, one which Purcell wrote with Si Kahn of folk music fame.

“Down the Hill was a co-write with my dear friend and mentor Si Kahn. We had a good co-writing session in Charlotte, NC last year, and this was one of the songs that came out of it. I’ve never been able to just sit down and start writing songs or come up with ideas, I usually rely on inspiration. But Si really broke that barrier and we started by sitting and talking about the place I grew up, and some of the characters we both knew who would make a good song! After we wrote the lyrics, I went in search of a melody and progression for this song. I drew on some of my favorite hard-driving bluegrass songs to really tie this one together – but threw in some unusual chords in the chorus to give it a new flavor!”

The song plays on the theme of the mansion on the hill, inhabited by rich folks, while those living lower down tend to be of more straitened means.

Kahn sees great things ahead for young Mr. Purcell, who has just released his fourth album while still in college. 

“I love writing songs with Liam Purcell, which we’ve been doing since I was 76 and he was 17. It’s not just Liam’s instrumental brilliance, his thoughtfulness and way with words, but his roots.

Roots is in fact the name of this fourth album from Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road. Liam grew up in Deep Gap, North Carolina, home of bluegrass music legends Doc, Rosa Lee, and Merle Watson.  

Liam grew up surrounded by that mist and memory. It’s in his blood, it’s in his bones — and it sure as hell is in his music. Merle, Rosa Lee, and Doc would be more than proud.”

Have a listen…

Down The Hill and the full album, Roots, are available wherever you stream or download music online. The CD can be purchased directly from the Cane Mill Road web site.

Radio programmers can get the single now from AirPlay Direct.

Pinecastle Records has released a music video for Teddi & Bobby Cyrus and their current single, My Wedding Day.

As the title suggests, it’s a love song, but with a twist. Written by Jimmy Sites and Jimmy Yeary, the song’s lyrics use the metaphor of a wedding to describe being accepted into heaven at the end of your life. With a lilting waltz tempo, Bobby and Teddi take turns singing of the glorious day when they will meet their Savior in the great beyond.

The couple is supported instrumentally by Don Rigsby on mandolin, Kenny Smith on guitar, Mark Fain on bass, and Justin Moses on fiddle, banjo, and reso-guitar. Don also co-produced the single and the upcoming full length album.

The video shoot took place at the historic Pickens Chapel in northwestern South Carolina, under the direction of the Bonfire Music Group video team of Ethan Burkhardt and Troy House. Dating back to 1840, the church later served as a mustering point for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

My Wedding Day is widely available now wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can find the track at AirPlay Direct.

It seems that all our favorite bluegrass artists and labels have been working overtime since the start of 2021, as there are a great many new tracks and albums hitting both this week and this month.

One such is Billy Blue Records, who are releasing a second single on Friday from their upcoming project for Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, Hitchhiking To California, which is scheduled for January 29.

This group has gone from strength to strength in recent years, producing one fine recording after another, and enhancing their sound with each personnel change. This latest iteration of the band finds bluegrass veteran Kati Penn in the fiddle chair, adding her soulful vocals to the trio. We understand that she also sings some lead on the new record.

Bibey tells us that this latest track, Blue Collar Blues, snuck up on him with its story of the forgotten working man doing his best to get by for himself and his family.

“Blue Collar Blues is a tune Jerry Salley sent me with a few others, and after a first listen I didn’t hear anything that I thought fit us. One day on a bike ride I thought I should relisten, and I immediately called Jerry and told him I didn’t know how I missed that song, but I think we should do it. Luckily, it was still available.

Ron Stewart and all the band helped with the arrangement in the studio, and Kati’s tenor vocal really made it happen I thought. Thanks to Jerry and our good friend Rick Lang for a great song.”

They give the song an appropriately bluesy, medium tempo rendition with loads of drive. Have a listen.

With Bibey on mandolin and lead vocal, and Penn on fiddle and tenor vocal, Grasstowne is Justin Jenkins on banjo, Zak McLamb on bass, and Tony Watt on guitar.

Pre-orders for Hitchhiking To California on CD can be made from the Grasstowne web store, and digitally from the popular download and streaming sites.

Organic Records has a new single this week for Zoe & Cloyd, the second from their next album, expected later this year.

Zoe & Cloyd is actually taken from the middle names of this talented husband and wife duo, Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller. With her on fiddle and him on guitar, and both taking turns singing lead and harmony vocals, they are supported by Bennet Sullivan on banjo and Kevin Kehrberg on bass.

Performing primarily original material the two have written together, this most recent release, Paper Crowns, is perhaps their most personal song yet. Composed as a greeting for their five year old daughter, Natalya shares sentiments that every parent can readily understand.

“We started writing Paper Crowns on our daughter’s fifth birthday, a cold and rainy day in February. I was feeling nostalgic for her younger years, as five felt like a big turning point in her transition from toddlerhood to school age. Little did we know how much her life (and ours) would change in the coming year, and how the loss of early childhood innocence would be especially poignant as the pandemic set in. But no matter her age and come what may, she’ll always be our little girl.”

Enjoy…

Lovely song.

Paper Crowns is set to release on Friday, January 15 on Organic Records, and will be available then wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can get it now via AirPlay Direct.

For those that follow the international growth of bluegrass to realms well beyond America’s borders, any discovery that finds the music played in otherwise unheard of realms confirms the fact the music does indeed have a very wide reach. 

That’s exemplified by the efforts of a band called Blueland, a four-piece bluegrass outfit that hails from Slovakia. Currently consisting of Miloš Tomka on guitar and vocals, Stanislav Tomka on acoustic bass, Pavol Daňo on mandolin and vocals, and Ralph Schut on banjo and vocals, the group was originally formed in 1995 by the Tomka brothers and two of their colleagues, and has maintained its current incarnation since 2002. 

“The Tomka Brothers both live in Koplotovce near Trnava, credited as being the the home of the Dobro, and our mandolin player lives in a town called Dubnica nad Váhom,” Schut explains. “I come from The Netherlands, but now lives in the Czech Republic, about a three hour drive from Koplotovce. Rehearsals are usually in Slovakia, but the band usually has more gigs in the Czech Republic.”

On their website, the group calls their music a combination of “Solid rhythm, fancy picking, soulful singing and tight harmony vocals and — most of all — a great love for bluegrass music and good people!”

“As long as we feel we can live up to it, we will describe as our sound as ‘energetic’ or ‘high-voltage’,” Schut continues. “We focus on sharing our excitement with audiences through a varied mix of songs with different moods – romantic, bluesy, fast ones, Gospel songs with three- and four-part harmonies, including a-cappella. Also, we sing part of our repertoire in Slovak so that the local audiences can connect with us better.”

Happily, their efforts appear to have paid off, not only at home, but also in other realms as well. Prior to the pandemic, the group played festivals throughout Europe, including those in Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, and, of course, the Czech and Slovak Republics. The more notable gatherings where they’ve performed include La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France, the Bluegrass Family Festival and the Sunny Mountain Grass Festival in Switzerland, the European Bluegrass Festival in Voorthuizen, The Netherlands, Sweden’s Torsby Country Festival, and the Risor Bluegrass Festival in Norway. 

In addition, Blueland had the high honor of accompanying reso-guitar player LeRoy McNees, once a featured musician on the old Andy Griffith Show, during his appearance at the legendary Dobrofest in Trnava, Slovakia in 1998. “Many of the premier Dobro players performed at this festival and Blueland was usually there to admire them and sometimes even to jam with them,” Schut recalls.

Not surprisingly then, the members’ influences span a wide array of venerable bluegrass bands of a varied vintage. They include Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The New Grass Revival, The Lonesome River Band, Blue Highway, Loose Ties, The New Tradition, Special Delivery, Northern Lights, Livewire, and Wildfire.

“We love everything Robert Hale has recorded,” Schut says, citing their affection for the work of Wildfire in particular. 

Blueland has recorded five albums to date —  Bluegrass Celebration (1996), Prvý Krát (or First Time) (1999), Fire (2001), All My Life (2005) and their most recent, More Than Enough (2018). 

“We play more covers, simply because we don’t write enough,” Schut allows. “Sometimes we also add Slovak lyrics to American originals.”

That may be one reason why the band’s music has been so well received at home. Schut describes the band’s following as a small but steady and faithful fanbase in Slovakia, adding, “Our music is usually very well received in the Czech and Slovak Republics, as the audiences understand our Slovak lyrics. Most people speak little or no English. That’s is a big plus when performing in our home countries. The Czechs also appreciate this as the languages are similar and previously, we were one country.”  

Schut goes on to explain how the music took hold in his country. “In the Czech and Slovak Republics, the story is more complicated,” he relates. “For example, during the communist period, only a few people had access to American records. However, bands like the Greenhorns and The Rangers did, and they added their own, often very good Czech lyrics to American country hits. They then had their own hit songs as a result. They’re considered the first generation of Czech country musicians.”

That said, he also has his own practical theory as to why bluegrass has become engrained in  so many nations the world over.

“Maybe it’s because us musicians are fun people to be around with,” he says with a smile. “In many countries, local acoustic folk music is quite similar in structure. Many folk musicians love bluegrass when they first hear it. Then they try to learn to play a few songs and eventually become involved in the small but friendly local bluegrass communities.”

Schut caps those comments with an invitation of his own:

“Of course, the best thing would be to come over here for a holiday, visit a few festivals and jam sessions and experience it first-hand – y’all are very welcome!”

Codel Records, in cooperation with Bell Buckle Media and Records, has released a new single for Daniel Crabtree from his upcoming project, The Way I See It.

Daniel got his start singing in church, and listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio as a young man. Before long he was writing and singing Gospel music, and fell in love with bluegrass when it first came across his radar.

For this latest single, we have one of his songs, He’ll Change Your Life, which was recorded with a bevy of Nashville superpickers. Scott Vestal tracked the sessions at his studio and played banjo, with Cody Kilby on guitar, Harry Clark on mandolin, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Gaven Largent on reso-guitar, and Evan Winsor on bass.

Crabtree says that he has always been attracted by the sound of traditional country, and wants to make sure that it’s always a part of his music.

“From the time I was a young man, I was always steeped in the old ways and loved the songs from the early Bristol recording sessions — where Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family were discovered — and the Grand Ole Opry stars I listened to on Friday and Saturday nights. Those old sounds are embedded deep in my soul. The Gospel songs were always an integral part of the sounds that I loved.

When I wrote this song, I tried to recreate how they used to sound. I primarily focused on the idea of brother duets: The Monroe Brothers, The Delmore Brothers, The Louvin Brothers. In this case, with Donna Ulisse singing the tenor part, it is a brother-sister duet.”

You can find He’ll Change Your Life wherever you stream or download music online. It is available to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.

Jimmy Cox, renowned banjo builder and banjo parts supplier, has died at an assisted living center near his home in Topsham, Maine. He was 87 years of age.

Though he had built and sold banjos for more than 50 years, it is as a manufacturer of parts and components for Gibson-style Mastertone pots that will be his lasting legacy. Every piece needed to build a contemporary banjo pot assembly can be purchased from Cox Banjos, all but the neck and tuners needed to make a professional model instrument.

In fact, Jimmy had been the supplier of many of these parts to other banjo builders, a custom sure to continue under the management of his two grandsons, Jeremy and Adam, who have been operating the business since Jimmy became too ill and frail to work in recent months. Before that time, they had been helping him in the shop, and learning how to keep making the parts.

Perhaps his greatest contribution has been the Cox Banjos rims, built from three plies of northern rock maple. At various times since he started making parts in the 1960s, Jimmy had been the sole supplier of this vital component to the banjo world. He made them for First Quality Banjo Supply in their hey day, for Frank Neat Banjos, and for the Stanleytone banjos that Dr. Ralph Stanley played and marketed while he was performing. Even today, many small banjo makers get rims and resonators from Cox.

Jimmy was born in Williamsburg, KY on September 9, 1933, where he lived until he joined the Air Force at 19. Initially, he served in Texas, but was transferred to Maine in 1952 where he worked on F-89 Scorpion engines. In 1957 he left the service, and remained in Maine where he had met his wife.

Coming from a musical family, the eighth of twelve children, he was surrounded by music from a young age. In his memoir, Five on Five, Cox says that all of his siblings played music, and that he gravitated towards the banjo from an early age. A competent player in his late teens, Jimmy found other pickers in the Air Force, and formed a band with Charlie Gillam when he got out in 1958 called The Blue Mountain Boys. They were a popular act in the northeast, appearing on The Ken McKenzie Show on television in Portland up through the 1970s.

He had told friends that he credits his ability to make parts to having grown up in poverty, living off the land, where his family had to figure out how to repair anything that broke. Cox built his first banjo in the early 1960s, while he was employed by Woolworths. As his business supplying parts and finished instruments picked up, he marked Thanksgiving Day in 1979 as the time that he and his wife, Yvette, decided to dedicate themselves to the banjo business full time.

In the early ’90s he and Raymond Fairchild partnered on the Cox/Fairchild banjo, and built them in a run of 200 – 100 in gold and 100 in nickel. These are highly prized instruments today, as are the Stanleytones.

Over recent years, Jimmy stayed largely close to home, working in his shop along with his grandsons. As his health began to fail, he continued working as best he could, with a live-in nurse to assist after his wife’s passing.

No information has yet been shared about funeral arrangements.

R.I.P., Jimmy Cox

Many thanks to Chris Sorenson of Companion Custom Banjos for his help in assembling information for this piece.

Mountain Home Music has released a new single today from the Chuck Wagon Gang, perhaps the most enduring group in American country and Gospel music. Launched in 1935, the band has remained active since that time with new singers coming onboard continually as founding members retired and passed away. At their peak the Gang was the top selling artist for Columbia Records, and to date they have sold more than 39 million records.

At the beginning, the Chuck Wagon Gang was a family group, a vocal quartet, featuring the Carter family of Texas – no relation to the Carters of Virginia, a la A.P. and Maybelle. Led by father D.P. Cater, who sang tenor, the Gang included his daughters Rose and Anna (soprano and alto), and son Eddie on bass.

These days, the group is led by Shaye Smith, who sings the alto part originated by her grandmother, Anna Carter Gordon Davis. Stan Hill sings tenor, and Melissa Kemper has soprano with Karl Smakula singing bass.

For their new Mountain Home single, the Gang has selected a bluegrass number, memorably recorded by both Larry Sparks and Ralph Stanley/Keith Whitley, I’ve Just Seen The Rock of Ages, written by John Preston while imprisoned in solitary confinement.

Smith says that its message of grief and longing carried a familiar echo for her and Hill.

“In choosing the music for our new record, we ran across this old song used mostly in bluegrass circles. 2020 has dealt the Chuck Wagon Gang multiple blows of death to immediate family members — especially relating to Stan [Hill] and I, as we both lost our Moms this year — so this song really hits home for us. But we know we are not alone, as so many have experienced loss in 2020. We pray that the message of this song will be an encouragement to all those who will hear it. May the lyrics remind us all that the loss of a Christian mother (or family member) has an assurance that as they ‘cross the River of Jordan’ they will be ‘homeward bound.’”

Here’s the track…

I’ve Just Seen The Rock of Ages will be available on Friday (1/15) wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can find it at AirPlay Direct.

I do my best to keep up with the latest goings on in Bluegrass Today, from recent births, deaths, new releases, and scheduled surgeries of the bluegrass stars. Sometimes one particular article will stand out or really engage my full attention. Such was the case with the recent story about word substitution software badly mangling a press release from the Kentucky Arts Council (Word substitution software makes a hash of Kentucky Arts Council press release). The press release announced that Tom T. Hall and Michael Johnathon were to be given special honors by the governor of Kentucky. Word substitution software was used on the press release, however, and apparently no human being bothered to proof-read the copy before sending it out. The equivalent in music would be to run every part of a band’s recording through auto-tuning software and then just release it before actually listening to what it sounded like.

For starters it changed Tom T. Hall’s name to “Tom T. Corridor” and changed the name of Tom T.’s “Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine” to “Outdated Canines, Kids, and Watermelon Wine” (apparently there are no decent synonyms for “watermelon”).

As a whole, the press release ended up closely related in style to the African bank phishing emails we’ve all grown to love (“Dear Trusted Friend . . .”), or to translating Rocky Top into Tajik with Google Translate, then translating back to English (“Once I had a girl on the rock, lift the other half of the cat”)

I guess the purpose of this kind of program is to find different, and perhaps more creative ways to say things by varying your choices of words for you. It has to be said first of all that this is simply a bad idea in almost any imaginable circumstances. Computers, while being very valuable for finding restaurants, finding mates, tabulating tax deductions, and providing an appealing surface for cats to sleep on, can’t be expected to understand the context of all your words.

I was inspired by it, though, if I’ll confess, and I decided it would be a worthwhile venture (substitute: “waste of time”) to rewrite a portion of Bill Monroe’s Wikipedia entry using this system. I don’t have the sophisticated software used for the Kentucky press release, so I just used an old fashioned word substitution program called a “thesaurus.”

Invoice Monroe:

Invoice Monroe was an American mandolinist, cantor, and poet, who created the “blue turf” music breed. Because of this, he is often called the “Old Man of Blue Turf.” The ilk takes its moniker from his association, The Blue Turf Male Children, who named their ensemble for the blue sod of Monroe’s home condition of Kentucky. Monroe’s enacting career traversed 69 years as a minstrel, soloist, songster, and conductor.

Early Professional Career:

In 1929, Monroe budged to Indiana to exert himself at an oil refinery with his siblings Stick and Charlie, and childhood Quaker and guitarist William “Mature Hardwood” Hardin. Together with a confidant Larry Moore, they formed the “Monroe Siblings” to frisk at local balls and domicile soirees. Stick and Moore soon left the cluster, and Invoice and Charlie behaved badly as a duo, eventually winning spots executing breathing on radio stations, first in Indiana and then, sponsored by Texas Rocks, on several walkie-talkie transmissions in Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina, and North Carolina from 1934 to 1936. RCA Victor signed the Monroe Siblings to an archiving covenant in 1936. They gouged an immediate smack single with the gospel strain “What Would You Present in Trade For Your Inner Being?” and ultimately recorded 60 footpaths for Victor’s Bluebird sticker between 1936 and 1938. 

Why do I feel like a just played an exhausting round of Mad-Libs solitaire? By the way, my favorite Tom T. Hall song is, “I Laundered My Visage in the Dawn Condensation.”

Good news today from Silver Dollar City, the popular family-themed entertainment park in Branson, MO.

Plans are in place to go ahead with the 2021 edition of Bluegrass & BBQ, presenting top bluegrass acts every day in the park from May 14-31, including their celebrated competition for young grassers, KSMU Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest on May 18-19. Now in its 19th year, the invitational event was unable to be held in 2020, owing to COVID-19 restrictions, but by following current CDC guidelines, Silver Dollar City believes that they can hold the contest, and mini-bluegrass festival, safely this year.

The park will operate at limited capacity, and masks will be required for visitors and staff alike. All visitors will undergo temperature checks upon entry, and social distancing and additional sanitation measures will be in effect. 

There is major prize money for the winners of the Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest, with $1500 going to first place winners, $1000 for second, $750 for third, $500 for fourth, and $250 for fifth.

The competition is limited to bands with musicians who will be 21 or younger on May 28. Family bands are given an exemption for parents who perform with young children, but the focus of the group needs to be on the youngsters. Ten bands are accepted for the contest, selected based on video applications. Only acoustic instruments are allowed, and each participating band will perform live on stage using a single microphone.

As in years past, scoring will be based on:

• Instrumental ability (in time, in tune, degree of difficulty) 25%
• Vocal ability (in time, in tune, degree of difficulty) 25%
• Professionalism (wardrobe, showmanship, microphone technique) 25%
• Audience response 25%

Full contest rules and an application form can be found online.

It is great to see Silver Dollar City going ahead with bluegrass in the spring.

Here is a year end run down of the most played Gospel songs on bluegrass radio for the year 2020. These numbers are compiled from our weekly bluegrass playlist charts, adding total spins to determine the songs played most frequently over the last twelve months.

We will publish the 2020 Top 30 chart for Gospel music tomorrow.

 
ARTIST
TITLE
LABEL
SONGWRITERS

TOTAL

1

Eddie Sanders
Three Wooden Crosses
Engelhardt Music Group
Kim Williams, Doug Johnson
1597

2

Terry Baucom & The Dukes of Drive
Will The Light Be Shining Bright
Driving Duke
Mike Garris
1461

3

Ronnie Bowman
Hey Lord It’s Me
Ronnie Bowman / Engelhardt Music Group
Ronnie Bowman, Don Cook
1297

4

Merle Monroe
God’s Still In Control
Pinecastle
Tim Raybon
1208

5

King James Boys
Heaven’s Most Wanted List
Morning Glory
Barney Rogers
1176

6

Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys
Beautiful Hills of Home
Stanley Family Records
Billy Wise, Joan Wise
841

7

The Churchmen
I’d Like To Be Your Neighbor
Morning Glory
Carroll Arnn
622

8

Ali Shumate
Jezebel
Hadley Music Group
Ali Shumate, Donna Ulisse, David Haley Lauver, Rick Stanley
608

9

Appalachian Road Show
Gospel Train
Billy Blue
Songwriter credits are not listed in AirPlay Direct
526

10

Becky Buller Band w/Fairfield Four
Tell The Truth (Shame The Devil)
Dark Shadow
Becky Buller, Jon Weisberger
517

11

Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
New Life
Mountain Fever
Becky Buller
474

12

Balsam Range
Angel Too Soon
Mountain Home
William M Maddox, Paul W Thorn
462

13

JB & Jamie Dailey
Will The Angels Play Their Harps For Me
Pinecastle
Kirsch, Wilite Wilhite
436

14

Dale Ann Bradley & Tina Adair
Send Me
Pinecastle
Jefferson Ross, Thomas Jutz
411

15

Band of Ruhks
Good Spirit Here
Rebel
Ronnie Bowman, Chadley Brassfield, Jason Crabb
410

16

Gospel Plowboys
When I Wake  Up To Sleep No More
Morning Glory
Marion W. Easterling
366

17

Sideline w/Ray Dean Reese
I’ll Live Again
Mountain Home
Ila C. Knight
344

18

Billy Droze
Angels Watching Over Me
RBR
Billy Droze, Ronnie Bowman, Barry Bales
340

19

Sister Sadie
Since I Laid My Burden Down
Pinecastle
Public Domain
290

20

Donna Ulisse
I’m Not Afraid
Billy Blue
Donna Ulisse, Rick Stanley
269

21

Aaron Bibelhauser
Jesus Savior Pilot Me
Independent
John Edgar Gould
267

22

Irene Kelley
Walk With Me Today
Mountain Fever
Irene Kelley, Bill Whyte
266

23

Joe Hott
Cry From The Cross
Rural Rhythm
Johnnie Masters
228

24

Blue Highway
That Sounds More Like Heaven To Me
Rounder
Wayne Taylor
226

25

Nu-Blu
Jesus Loves You
Turnberry Records / MC1 Nashville
Michael Todd, Jason Wyatt, Steve Christopher
216

26

Sacred Reunion
In The Resurrection Morning
Billy Blue
Mark Wheeler
160

27

Blue Moon Rising
They Won’t Believe
Mountain Fever
David G. Marshall, Ralph Stanley
149

28

Eddie Sanders
Put Your Hand In The Hand
Englehardt Music Group
Gene MacLellan
145

29

Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass
No Vacancy
Patuxent
Songwriter credits are not listed in AirPlay Direct
140

30

The Family Sowell
God Knows Who He Is
Poor Mountain
Jacob Sowell, Abigail Sowell, Donna Ulisse
135

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced today that last year’s Bluegrass Music Awards show, which aired online October 1, 2020, will be broadcast on Circle TV January 18 at 8:00 p.m.

It was a very different presentation for the IBMA last year, since COVID-19 restrictions prevented them from hosting a live awards show in Raleigh, NC, which had become their common practice. So musical performances and other aspects of the show were recorded over the late summer, both at the Ryman Auditorium and the Station Inn.

It was an odd combination, with award presenters announcing the nominees from a podium on video, followed by an acceptance from winners shot on phones at their homes. But given the level of fear within the population during the summer, it felt strangely comforting seeing our beloved IBMA Awards filled with Zoom calls and other aspects of 2020 life to which we had sadly become accustomed.

But even with that, there were a number of chilling performances, recorded live, and endearing inductions into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame for New Grass Revival, The Johnson Mountain Boys, and J.T. Gray of Station Inn fame. Since segments could be recorded in Nashville in advance, producers were able to include presentations from Garth Brooks and Vince Gill as well.

Given the high quality audio and video production facilities available at The Ryman, the IBMA ended up with a program that was immediately suitable for television broadcast, and which ended on time, two issues that had made previous efforts to televise the show problematic.

IBMA Executive Director, Paul Schiminger, says that the organization couldn’t be happier to finally see the show on TV.

“We are so excited to partner with Circle TV to air this year’s IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. This was our first-ever virtual awards show, and everyone is proud of the exceptional performances and memorable presentations to celebrate many of the very best in bluegrass music today, and over its 75-year history. Thank you to all who have worked tirelessly to make this happen. We hope this show establishes the building blocks for a lasting partnership to help spread bluegrass music around the world in the years ahead.”

The list of artists involved in the show is a long one, with four celebrated hosts, Sierra Hull, Joe Newberry, Tim O’Brien and Rhonda Vincent. Either performing or presenting were, alphabetically: Brooke Aldridge, Balsam Range, Kristin Scott Benson, Dale Ann Bradley, Gena Britt, Alison Brown, Mike Bub, Becky Buller, Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Katy Daley, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Gina Furtado, David Grier, Trey Hensley, Rob Ickes, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Ned Luberecki, Del McCoury Band, Missy Raines, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Sister Sadie, Amanda Smith, Special Consensus, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Taj Mahal, The Travelin’ McCourys, Molly Tuttle, Scott Vestal, and Jake Workman.

Speaking for Circle TV, general manager Drew Reifenberger says that they are eager to participate in this historic broadcast.

“The 31st Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards not only will highlight the accomplishments of beloved bluegrass legends and trailblazers, but also will serve as another way for country music fans to engage with and enjoy an unforgettable night of music from the comfort of their own homes. The Circle Network is honored to partner with the International Bluegrass Music Association to bring this event to our audience for the first time.”

Anyone with access to Circle TV will be able to watch on January 18 at 8:00 p.m. (EST), with a rebroadcast at midnight. It is available on many cable and satellite packages, and on some over-the-air broadcasters as well. ROKU users can also watch Circle TV, and the signal is live-streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Access details can be found online.

Back in December, we had a very popular story about Sara Hershkowitz, a touring opera singer from California who had grown up listening to bluegrass. Part of the reason her story resonated with so many people was that it included her rise to success, being stranded in France when the pandemic shutdowns hits, and how she found true love through her interest in bluegrass.

Her new man is Max Hoetzel, a bluegrass banjo and guitar player, and they have been using the medium of socially-distanced video to produce music while performances are restricted. Utilizing the talents of friends in Nashville and New York, Sara and Max have produced several high quality tracks of popular bluegrass and country songs.

Their latest is just out, a grassy take on Loretta Lynn’s classic Blue Kentucky Girl, with Max on banjo and guitar, Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, Myles Sloniker on bass, and Dominick Leslie on mandolin. Each recorded their contribution remotely, and stitched it all together into this attractive package.

At this point, Sara and Max are simply sharing these videos for free online. You can see them all on her Facebook page.

More new music in the new year, this time from Carolyn Eyerly on Patuxent Music.

Carolyn has been part of the active bluegrass scene in northern Virginia for the past decade, having been a founding member of Sweet Yonder, the Capitol region’s all-female bluegrass band. 2019 saw them receiving WAMMIE award nominations for Best Bluegrass Band and Best Bluegrass Album.

Her new album is called Sunny Side of Life, and includes seven of her original compositions among the 12 tracks. She is accompanied by some of the top pickers in NoVA – Danny Knicely on mandolin, Chris Luquette on guitar, Mike Munford on banjo, Ronnie Simpkins on bass, Ron Stewart on fiddle, and Fred Travers on reso-guitar. Harmony vocals are provided by Eyerly’s Sweet Yonder bandmates Mary DeGuire Romagnoli and Janine Lewis.

Here’s an example of one of Carolyn’s compositions, Red Toad Road, which offers a taste of her sound from the new record.

Sunny Side of Life is available now wherever you stream or download music online. CDs and downloads can be purchased from Patuxent Records, and radio programmers can get the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

Here is a year end run down of the most played grassicana songs on bluegrass radio for the year 2020. These numbers are compiled from our weekly bluegrass playlist charts, adding total spins to determine the songs played most frequently over the last twelve months.

We will publish the 2020 Top 30 chart for Gospel music tomorrow.

 
ARTIST
TITLE
LABEL
SONGWRITERS

TOTAL

1

Jim Lauderdale
When Carolina Comes Home Again
Yep Roc
Jim Lauderdale, John Oates
2233

2

Tim O’Brien Band
Diggin’ My Potatoes
Howdy Skies Records
Minnie Lawlars
1960

3

Valerie Smith w/Irene Kelley & Claire Lynch
From A Distance
Bell Buckle
Julie Gold
1848

4

Crandall Creek
Drivin’ Me Insane
Bell Buckle
Kathy Wigman Lesnock, Jerry Andrews
1694

5

Steeldrivers
Glad I’m Gone
Rounder
Dean Dillon, Tammy Rogers, Chris Stapleton
1686

6

Aubrey Eisenman & The Clydes
Lovesick
Traviana
Aubrey Eisenman
1662

7

Patrick McAvinue
The Perfect Fit
McAvinue Music
Patrick McAvinue
1641

8

Della Mae
Bourbon Hound
Rounder
Celia Woodsmith
1552

9

McKay & Leigh
Rozene
Voxhall Records
Brennen Leigh, Erin Enderlin
1515

10

Roe Family Singers
Don’t Worry About The Rich Man
Bonfire
Kim and Quillan Roe
1478

11

Summer & Bray
Heartbeat
Traviana
Summer Brooke McMahan, Brayden McMahan
1408

12

Steeldrivers
Bad For You
Rounder
James LeBlanc, Leslie Satcher, Tammy Rogers
1406

13

Steeldrivers
The Bartender
Rounder
Kelly Collins, Tammy Rogers, Jerry Salley, Liz Hengber
1323

14

Steeldrivers
I Choose You
Rounder
Thomm Jutz, Tammy Rogers
1288

15

Gina Furtado
Alley Cat
Mountain Home
Regina Clowes
993

16

Songs From The Road Band
Outside Of Omaha
Dumpy Toad
Songwriter credits cannot be found
890

17

Sturgill Simpson
I Don’t Mind
High Top Mountain
Sturgill Simpson
866

18

Infamous Stringdusters
Carry Me Away
Compass
Songwriter credits cannot be found
851

19

Infamous Stringdusters
Rise Sun (Live)
Tape Time Records
Songwriter credits cannot be found
830

20

Billy Strings
Love Like Me
Rounder
Apostol, Weisberger
773

21

Billy Droze w/Tommy Emmanuel
That’d Be You
RBR
Billy Droze, Ronnie Bowman, Will Hiatt
734

22

Billy Strings
Running
Rounder
Apostol, Weisberger
730

23

Infamous Stringdusters
Rise Sun
Tape Time Records
Songwriter credits cannot be found
694

24

Billy Strings
Must Be Seven
Rounder
Apostol, Allen
687

25

Gina Furtado Project
Airplane Ride
Mountain Home
Gina Furtado
657

26

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
California
Rounder
Steve Martin
638

27

Billy Strings
Watch It Fall
Rounder
Apostol, Allen
606

28

Billy Strings
Taking Water
Rounder
William Apostol, Jon Weisberger
560

29

Crandall Creek
The Bean Song
Bell Buckle
Kathy Wigman Lesnock, Jerry Andrews, Dustin Terpenning, Lilli Gadd
544

30

Molly Tuttle
Take The Journey
Compass
Molly Tuttle,  Jewel, Steve Poltz
542

While most bands make no secret of their desire to execute their music with a full flourish, Barbaro, a burgeoning bluegrass band from Minneapolis, take the opposite tack, using finesse, subtlety and intricacy to achieve a decidedly supple sound. Dressed in Roses, the band’s debut full-length offering, goes to great lengths to affirm the delicate designs suggested by the album’s title, resulting in a stirring musical mix that makes good use of banjo, bass, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin in order to achieve those more melodic intents. 

The band — singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Kyle Shelstad, banjo player Isaac Sammis, fiddler and singer Rachel Calvert, and bassist Jason Wells, along with guest mandolin player Julian Davis — derive their influences from a variety of genres, among them, jazz, classical music, chamber music, and, of course, bluegrass and grassicana, to serve up a sound that reflects elements of each. It’s that decidedly thoughtful approach, as suggested by such songs as Aunt Betty and Cold Stack, that ultimately results in their taut yet tender sound.

Barbaro has clearly mastered the ability to combine tone and texture in a way that doesn’t deter from any forward thrust. On the other hand, the complex instrumental sound that largely defines this effort also doesn’t detract from its more delicate designs. Songs such as Kawliga and Montana, OH are two of the more specific examples.

That spacious sound and the shimmering set-up also allow moments of quiet reflection. In fact, many of the songs literally bask in those tender trappings, thanks to Shelstad’s ability to turn his internal introspective into a shared perspective. The tempered yet tender Loathe finds him focusing on the divide between love and distrust that infiltrates most committed relationships, while, in a similar sense, the rousing Cold Stack ponders the need to adjust one’s attitude and intents to achieve a more fulfilling existence. It’s telling as well that the band takes its name from an ill-fated racehorse that won the hearts of its fans, but endured a difficult existence in the process.

To be sure, there are more energetic moments even in the midst of these heady endeavors. The jaunty Pancake and a Bad Idea, the engaging Mississippi Thunder Speedway, and the upbeat Rita Cline ought to rouse those in need of some regal revelry.

All in all, Dressed in Roses provides a bountiful bouquet and a remarkably rich one at that. Make no mistake — it’s just that good.

Old-school banjo player Bill Runkle passed away on Thursday, January 7, 2021, his 82nd birthday, due to COVID-19.   

Born on January 7, 1939, in Laurel (now Brogue), Pennsylvania, William G. Runkle grew up surrounded by music. Both his uncles played fiddle – one played banjo also – and his mother and sisters played piano and organ. He became aware of bluegrass music when aged about seven or eight, and his older sister Nancy got him started on guitar. A natural piano player, she influenced Runkle’s rhythm and timing. 

He credits Bobby Diamond with showing him a lot when he switched from guitar to banjo in 1959. Subsequently, Runkle’s first full-time job was with Dean Burke, who worked under the name Porky and the Travelers. When Burke started square dances in York, Pennsylvania, Runkle, Dick Laird, his brother-in-law Jerry Lince, his father Richard Laird, and Charlie Shaw – incongruously called the Country Four – played with him about three nights a week. 

At about this time Bill began a 25-year stint hosting a regular Saturday bluegrass radio show on WGCB in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. 

Runkle, a very keen classic automobile enthusiast, had a service station in nearby Collinsville.

He then had a six-year stint in a band – initially playing country music – led by Pennsylvania’s popular radio personality Al Shade. When Shade decided “to go bluegrass” with new personnel and a change of billing – the Short Mountain Boys – Runkle recorded three albums in addition to an earlier 45rpm record. 

Others from whom Runkle picked up banjo tips include Del McCoury, Porter Church, J.D. Crowe, Bill Emerson, and Walter Hensley, as well as Earl Scruggs. 

McCoury would encourage him, “Now play it like that every time, what you just played, cause nobody else does that. Play that.”

He toured and recorded with Del McCoury for about eight years, having joined him in 1970, after having originally met about 1957. The band played as much as two or three times a week with dates in Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, up into New England – including Maine and Boston – and in Canada.

While with the Dixie Pals, Runkle helped to record songs such as the classic hard-driving bluegrass hits I’ve Endured, High On A Mountain, and Rain Please Go Away. In all he featured on four early McCoury albums, and wrote I’m Lonely Tonight, a track on the High On A Mountain LP.  

Runkle sang baritone, and lead on the duets when McCoury moved to the high tenor vocal part.

Shortly after leaving McCoury, Runkle was hired by Bob Paisley and played with his band for about a year. 

Danny Paisley remembers …. 

“Bill was a good friend to many of us. He bought me a 1976 Martin guitar when he played with the band. I paid him in payments. 

Bill had his own used car sales. He got me a nice used car from an auction. And told me to pay $500 for the repairs and paperwork. 

I called him one time to fill in on banjo, but Bill was on vacation in Florida, over 800 miles away. I told him the gig didn’t pay that much, and I’d find someone else. He said, ‘I’ll be there.’ And sure enough, he drove all the way to Pennsylvania to play the gig. 

I’ll miss Bill.”

Along with other former members of the Dixie Pals, Runkle formed a new group, Square Deal, with Dee Gunter (guitar and vocals) joining shortly afterwards. With Gunter they played throughout the mid-Atlantic region, and in 1985 recorded the album Country Boy Rock N Roll (DeeBee DB 1985). 

Square Deal – Raisin’ Cane In Texas 

[Dee Gunter (guitar, vocal), Bill Runkle (banjo, vocal), Don Eldreth (mandolin, vocal), Bill Poffinberger (fiddle) and Dewey Renfro (bass)]

Subsequently, during another fleeting association with Gunter, he played with the band Dixie Dukes releasing Back at it Again. 

For several years Runkle limited his involvement in music.  

However, in later years he established his own band, Smith Hollow, performing in the local area and recording a CD, Lonely Tonight. Mainly a showcase for Runkle’s banjo work it features 10 instrumentals including four original tunes; Marching Through Glenville, Kicking The Dog, Carocus (in C-tuning) and Jackrabbit, as well as the aforementioned I’m Lonely Tonight. 

Minnesota band Stoney Lonesome recorded their version of I’m Lonely Tonight in 1992.

In 2017 Runkle was honored by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with a tribute recognizing his contributions to bluegrass music.

There will be a private service.

R.I.P. Bill Runkle

A Discography

Bill Runkle

• Lonely Tonight (Bill Runkle and Smith Hollow) (Patuxent CD-275, 2015)
• Back at it Again and Country Boy Rock & Roll (Bill Runkle & Dee Gunter) (Patuxent CD-305, 2017)

Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals

• High On A Mountain (Rounder 0019, February 1973)
• Del McCoury (Rebel SLP-1542, 1975)
• Del McCoury And The Dixie Pals (Revonah R-916, 1975)
• Our Kind Of Grass (Rebel SLP-1569, 1978)

Various Artists

• The Patuxent Banjo Project (Patuxent CD-250, July 7, 2014)
• Bill Runkle – Marching Through Glenville. 

Songs From The Road Band, the popular progressive bluegrass group from western North Carolina, has announced a change in artist representation for the new year. They have signed with the Prater Day agency, home to a wide array of contemporary bluegrass and acoustic acts.

Prater Day has been in operation since 2011, when Virginia Prater and Curtis Geren launched the company as a boutique agency in in Knoxville, TN. They don’t specialize in any particular genre, but have found great success in the bluegrass realm, representing artists such as Larry Keel, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Old Salt Union, Circus No. 9, Hackensaw Boys, and the Jon Stickley Trio.

Geren says that they have been following their latest signees since bassist Charles Humphrey III left Steep Canyon Rangers to take them on the road.

“We’ve had our eye on Songs From the Road Band for some time. Right now just feels like the right time for us to join forces. We pride ourselves on the personal attention we are able to provide our artists, and this is what makes this work so rewarding.”

The group formed initially as a special project band for Humphrey and guitarist Sam Wharton, recording new music outside of the groups they had been performing with at the time. Eventually, they decided to make it a full time effort, and brought in Mark Schimick on mandolin, and James Schlender on fiddle. Since the departure of founding banjo picker Ryan Cavanaugh, the band went without the five for a time, but have now brought Gabe Epstein in on banjo.

For Humphrey, this feels like a perfect fit for Songs From The Road Band.

“They’re one of the top agencies in the country. It’s a true honor to join the roster of Prater Day alongside some of our musical heroes.”

Those interested in more information about Songs From The Road Band are invited to contact Prater Day online.

We all make mistakes. No one in the business of words can avoid a silly typo, or a careless turn of phrase. Veterans of the print world especially recall when such slips would hang around to haunt them forever. These days, errors can be quickly corrected online, but as the saying goes, it takes a machine to screw things up completely.

And in today’s world, the machine that causes the most of these boo-boos is the computer. Even superb typists can be undone by a spellcheck left unobserved, and we have a hilarious example to share of what happens when a word substitution program gets free rein over composed text.

That this has happened online to one of our bluegrass heroes makes it relevant, and we expect that the subject of this press release finds it as funny as we do. Text editing software can have add-ons that examine your text for the overuse of certain words, and typically suggest others that might be better, but this release for the Kentucky Arts Council shows what happens when such a program is turned loose without supervision.

Before reading below, know that the topic of this missive is Tom T. Hall, not Corridor. See how many word-substitution errors of this sort you can find below. Poor Michael Jonathon has the name of his long-running program, Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, butchered to Woodsongs Outdated Time Radio Hour.

In case you suspect we are making this up, I’ll include screen shots of the release, which is online here.

Tom T. Corridor and Michael Johnathon obtain 2020 Kentucky Governor’s Awards

On the record of recipients for the 2020 Governor’s Awards within the Arts from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, are two figures outstanding in our music world. Nation and bluegrass singer/songwriter Tom T. Corridor, and Michael Johnathon, host of the favored Woodsongs Outdated Time Radio Hour program, will each be offered with this award, in cooperation with The Kentucky Arts Council.

Tom T. Corridor has been a beloved performer, recording artist, and songwriter for the reason that Sixties. Since that point he’s written 12 #1 songs, together with the smash hit Harper Valley P.T.A. for Jeannie C. Riley, and his personal singles for I Love and Outdated Canines, Kids and Watermelon Wine. His songs had been at all times about he common of us, and instructed tales about life exterior the massive cities that had come to dominate American life.

Corridor additionally had the most important hit on Fox On The Run, which he recorded with a full bluegrass association. He and his spouse, the late Dixie Corridor, have written dozens of bluegrass songs and donated the royalties from them to the IBMA. Dwelling a secluded life after shedding his beloved Dixie, Tom T. is among the many most revered songwriters in Nashville.

He receives the Nationwide Award from Governor Beshear, for these Kentucky born who make their mark on a widespread foundation.

In response to the information of his being a recipient, Corridor responded…

“There’s a variety of nice artists in Kentucky, and having The Governor’s Award from the Arts Council is a particular deal with. I’m undecided each state has an arts council; however I’m not shocked as Kentucky is particular, as you understand.”

Additionally receiving a 2020 Award is Michael Johnathon, a folksinger and songwriter, who has grown his Woodsongs present right into a nationally televised program in Lexington, from its early roots as an area radio present. Every week Jonathon welcomes friends from the bluegrass, folks, previous time, and Americana scene to carry out on Woodsongs, the place he additionally interviews them about their music and profession.

Michael was deeply moved by this award.

“Of all of the honors and awards any artist can obtain, it’s the ones from the house neighborhood that imply probably the most. It’s the acceptance and encouragement of associates and neighbors which can be the gasoline for any artist, particularly now. As a result of a lot of what I do is neighborhood and volunteer-run, the award helps validate the center and spirit of so many who make creative efforts turn into actuality.”

A complete of 9 honors had been introduced for 2020:

• • Milner Award – Michael Johnathon, Fayette County
  • Artist Award – Silas Home, Madison County
  • Enterprise Award – Tidball’s, Warren County
  • Group Arts Award – Artists Collaborative Theatre, Pike County
  • Schooling Award – Paducah Symphony Orchestra, McCracken County
  • People Heritage Award – Shelly Zegart, Jefferson County
  • Authorities Award – Metropolis of Somerset, Pulaski County
  • Media Award – Al Día en América, Jefferson County
  • Nationwide Award – Tom T. Corridor, native of Carter County

A private presentation from the Governor will probably be organized as quickly as COVID-19 restrictions permit.

Congratulations to all of the 2020 recipients.

Kentucky Proud!

I recall an incident during the days of fax machines using optical character recognition software to bring a quote from banjo icon Sonny Osborne into the layout of one of the AcuTab books. It was only very near the end of editing that I noticed that the OCR had rendered the name as “Sorry Osborne!” So glad we didn’t print that in thousands of book.

That is totally different from the time our own David Morris erroneously referred to Sonny as “the late Sonny Osborne” in a story about Bobby. That correspondent has since been replaced by a robot.

And now for something completely different… trance music for banjo.

Chris Pandolfi, who wields the five for the Infamous Stringdusters, has blended his prodigious technical mastery of the banjo with his passion for electronic music. Often included under the term EDM, for “electronic dance music,” this style is highly composer-centric, as it is generally built in a computer, using multiple layers of percussion, recorded samples, and digital instruments. One person can create this entire environment of sound, with some sort of live performance often added, vocal but most often instrumental.

Trance music is a subset of this scene that has been popular at music festivals since the 1990s, based on a repeating rhythmic pulse that reaches occasional peaks and then subsides, potentially sending the listener into a… wait for it… trance.

A fan of this type of sound, Pandolfi, spent some months creating audio files, then adding banjo for his latest project under his alter ego, Trad Plus, called Trance Banjo. A debut single is available today, called Astral Plane, and it is not only a hard left turn from bluegrass, it’s even out there for the ‘Dusters.

Chris explained a bit about his process.

“This is a concept record that grew out of some experimentation that was happening as I finished my last TRAD PLUS record, Interference, in 2015. I was searching for texture in the music, and I started creating my own vinyl samples from old classical records.

It was the perfect complement to all the clean, modern sounds of the virtual instruments I was using, and just sounded beautiful under the stuff I was writing on banjo. The writing progressed and the tracks just started growing from there, but it was a massive project, and it took being home during quarantine to really immerse myself in the project to where I could finish it. Some tracks have 20 or more voices, so it was a lot to write, play and piece together. But I wanted this big, unique sound, and I am always trying to re-contextualize the banjo. That’s what Trance Banjo is all about.”

It really is quite interesting, as much of the banjo is traditional, Scruggs forward roll-style picking, set against an extremely different backing. Trad Plus, indeed.

See what you think of the single, Astral Plane.

The single is available now from popular streaming and download sites.

The Trailblazers, an up-and-coming young progressive bluegrass ensemble from North Carolina, has released their second album, Space and Time. The quartet has drawn national attention in the bluegrass community in recent years after winning IBMA’s 2018 Momentum Band of the Year, SPGBMA’s 2018 Band Contest, and MerleFest’s 2017 Band Contest, plus numerous individual awards.

Daniel Thrailkill, lead singer and guitarist, received IBMA’s 2018 Momentum Vocal Award, and Alex Edwards, banjoist, was a 2020 nominee for IBMA’s Momentum Instrumentalist. Jonah Horton, mandolinist, has taken part in MerleFest’s Mandomania in recent years, sitting in with heavy hitters like Sam Bush and Andrew Marlin. Will Thrailkill, the band’s bassist and Daniel’s older brother, grounds the band with his solid and creative playing. 

The CD is an eclectic array of 11 tracks that offer impressive instrumentation with an advanced level of musicianship that many seasoned artists never attain. 

The album features five original compositions, with Daniel Thrailkill writing Space and Time, Flyin’, and Different Kind of Plain and Horton composing Dawson Springs and Déjà Vu.

“Each original has a different feel; it is easy to hear how we were influenced by a broad spectrum of artists throughout the songwriting and recording process,” says Horton.

Space and Time features covers from The Doobie Brothers (There’s A Light), George Benson (Please Don’t Walk Away), Glenn Campbell (True Grit), and bluegrass songwriter, Larry Keel (Pioneers). 

Horton explained, “From those names alone, you can see how we have branched out into rock, jazz, and country, in addition to our bluegrass roots.”

The young mandolinist spoke to the band’s vision for their latest project.

“When compared to our first album (A Place to Call My Own), Space and Time couldn’t be much more different. We have matured musically, both as a band and individually. Our first CD focused on the more traditional side of bluegrass. Space and Time only has one song (Larry McNeely’s Sleepy Eyes) that would fit that description. This project is our attempt to explore a variety of musical genres through the lens of our acoustic instrumentation.”

Daniel agreed, “Space and Time is a great representation of how the Trailblazers’ sound has progressed over the past five years.”

Banjoist Edwards says, “I’m really excited for everyone to listen to the new project and hear how our band has grown. Space and Time is a mix of all our musical tastes. It has a really cool vibe and sound that flows from track to track.”

Recorded in six consecutive days, the band labored through eleven hour days in the studio.

“Preparation is everything. We tried to hammer out all the specifics before entering the studio. Jonah arranged our songs. We all had an equal hand in finding the right cover songs,” explained Daniel.

Horton elaborated, “Our goal was to create something that appealed to a large variety of musical audiences. There is at least one song on this album that everyone would enjoy.”

Horton discussed the two special guests who appear on the project saying, “We are honored to have two originals feature special guests: fiddler extraordinaire Jeremy Garrett from the Grammy Award winning bluegrass band, The Infamous Stringdusters, on the only instrumental on the CD (Dawson Springs) and Scott Vestal, 2020 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year and recipient of The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, play his banjo synthesizer (Déjà Vu).”

When asked about being a special guest on (Déjà Vu’), Vestal mentions, “I added Fender Rhodes piano and B3 organ sounds with a little jamming at the end. What fun!” In addition to being a guest on the project, Vestal recorded, mixed, and mastered the project at his Digital Underground Studio in Greenbriar, TN. 

Guest artist, Garrett, shared, “What a treat it was to play on a track with these young guys. I’m honored they would think of me, and I appreciated the challenging tune. It was a blast. I know these guys are going to go far!”

When asked about his experience in the studio, bassist Will Thrailkill said…

“The production of our second album was more enjoyable than the first. On the first project, we were a bit intimidated. Mr. Scott is a legend, and for some of us, it was the first time in a real studio. Now, being older and more experienced, it was easier to connect with Mr. Scott. We developed good rapport which made the studio experience more relaxed. This promoted an atmosphere of creative freedom and flexibility. I think it shows in the quality of the album.

I’m thankful for the gifts and resources God has given us. His hand orchestrated that music would be in my life. Without His divine influence, I would never have the ability or opportunities I’ve been given. For that, I give Him glory. I’m grateful for the people that God placed in my life: my parents who encouraged me to pursue music; Daniel, who patiently gave me my first bass lesson and stuck with me while I attempted to back him up; friends who tolerated me in local jam sessions while I was learning; and Alex and Jonah, my brothers in music, who influenced the stylistic tendencies I’ve acquired.”

Horton, an Appalachian State senior, played snare drum on four of the album’s tracks, as well as produced the project. “As producer of Space and Time, I made most of the musical decisions regarding arrangements and content. Leading up to the album, I spent time with each of the guys helping construct their individual parts. It gave me a platform to share the musical ideas that I was having with our listeners, and made me more invested in the project.”

Vestal praised the Trailblazers. “Space and Time is crazy good! I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. Very fresh and original. These guys are some of the most talented youngsters I’ve come across in a while.”

“I hope fans can hear our enjoyment, passion for this music, and meaningful concepts spread through the album,” said Daniel.

Horton concluded, “In my opinion, Space and Time is a truly unique album that I think can be enjoyed by music lovers of all ages, backgrounds, and genres.”

Space and Time is available at iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Billy Wise is a Nashville singer and songwriter with some solid bluegrass connections. He has been performing most of his adult life with his band, Mountain Time, specializing in the mountain bluegrass style epitomized by Ralph Stanley and The Stanley Brothers.

He’s even received the ultimate Stanley seal of approval, when Ralph II chose a song Billy wrote with his wife, Joan, Beautiful Hills Of Home, to appear on his recent Gospel album, Lord Help Me Find The Way.

For his latest single, Wise has chosen a most appropriately-titled song, one he wrote called Lonesome. And that’s exactly what this one is. True to the Stanley sound, it is a straightforward bluegrass number telling of lost love from the hills of Tennessee.

Billy has made the track available to radio through AirPlay Direct, but his new album, for which Lonesome serves as the title cut, is only available directly from him. You can contact him through Facebook for ordering instructions.