Monthly Archives: July 2020

Turnberry Records has announced the signing of Lori King & Junction 63 to a two-record deal with the label, run by Keith Barnacastle and Jeff Brown.

The Iowegian bluegrass band is to start work soon on their first project with Turnberry.

Junction 63 has been popular in their part of the US since forming in 2014 , showing up regularly among the winners of the SPBGMA Midwest awards. Lori is on bass, with her husband, Joe, on guitar, and Kevin Amburgey on mandolin, Mark Hargrove on banjo, and Kyle Murphy on fiddle.

King says that she is jubilant to work with the label.

“This is a big deal for a little girl from Iowa! I’m just very excited that both Keith and Jeff believe in us as a band, and as artists.”

She also shared that the band is eager to get to work on the next album.

“We’re looking at a December release, and maybe release a single sooner than that.”

Here’s a look at Junction 63 from last fall at the BMAI Thanksgiving festival.

Turnberry Records is a division of The Bluegrass Standard Magazine, based in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Mountain Home Music has released a music video for their debut single from the Alex Leach Band, Take The Long Way Home.

Alex and the band have gone with a flower power look for this video shoot, a new wrinkle to their established vintage vibe. We see them all loaded in to their orange VW bus for a ride through some country roads, and a nice rendition of the song which Alex wrote with his wife, and singing partner, Miranda.

Have a look…

Also seen are JT Coleman on bass, Joshua Gooding on mandolin, and Brandon Masur on banjo. Absent is guest fiddler, John Rigsby, who played on the recording.

The single is available now wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can get the track at AirPlay Direct.

We haven’t heard a lot from Alecia Nugent since she moved back home to Louisiana after several years in Nashville in the early aughts. There she recorded several successful bluegrass albums for Rounder Records, in cooperation with producer and co-writer Carl Jackson, and toured across the US in support.

But ultimately, the call of motherhood and her young daughters brought her back to where she had grown up, and Hickory Grove, LA was where she wanted to raise her girls.

Now, however, Alecia has time and energy for music once again with a country album, The Old Side Of Town, produced by Keith Stegall, set for release soon. Even on a country release, she couldn’t leave the grass behind, as she explains about this first track, officially released tomorrow.

“The bluegrass single is actually a bonus track on the new album. I decided to release this song in two versions, bluegrass and country, in hopes that it would reach listeners of both genres, and because it is a tribute to my dad, it seemed only right to have a bluegrass version of HIS song. I lost my dad in 2013 and he was my biggest mentor, and my musical inspiration. I came back to record again after all these years to pay tribute to him, and I hope the whole world will get to know him through this song. Because you see, they don’t make ‘em like my daddy anymore.”

They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy Anymore will be available tomorrow (7/31) on Spotify, and to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.

Barbara Jo Kammer has created a socially-distanced music video for her original song, Big Blue Sky in the Morning, which has gotten a great deal of attention online.

Kammer has a large and loyal following in Colorado where she lives, with her band, The Hippie Buckaroos. Her work, and that of the band, is music therapy, especially as it applies to addiction recovery. Barbara Jo herself suffered from addiction problems for over 40 years before seeking treatment, and considers it her life’s mission to bring healing to others through song.

The video finds her singing unaccompanied against a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, with harmony from Mollie O’Brien, and body percussion from KC Groves and Damon Smith.

Big Blue Sky in the Morning is the title track of Kammer’s current album, which is available from her website on CD or by download.

Lonesome Pine Records has released a music video for Cameron Owens, a talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who studied mandolin in the ETSU bluegrass department.

Cameron has been playing bluegrass in western North Carolina for some time, including time as a member of the Sons of Bluegrass. He also performs with an obscure family band, but says he doesn’t want to tarnish this new release by association with that outfit.

The video is for Owens’ take on a John Hartford classic, Old Time River Man. Cameron takes the melody up an octave, and places the focus more on mandolin and fiddle, rather than the banjo as in John’s original. It’s a very enjoyable version of the song, giving new life to this easy going number from more than 30 years ago.

Cameron sings and plays guitar, mandolin, and bass, with Meade Richter on fiddle, and Lucas Moomaw with percussion.

Sky Franks provided the clever animation, capturing Owens rowing on the lake, and answering the age-old question, where does an old time river man go, after he’s passed away?

Old Time River Man by Cameron Owens is offered as a free download for anyone who joins his Patreon page, for as little as $1/month. Patreon patrons also have access to his other audio and video releases.

Or you can make a $1 donation to Lonesome Pine Records using PayPal, or Venmo @LonesomePineRecords.

Let this serve as a friendly reminder that the deadline for submitting IBMA Business Conference session proposals is this Friday, July 31st at 5:00 p.m. central. This is a great opportunity to help come up with new and interesting topics for the conference. Seminars about web site building and how not to kill yourself with your self-destructive road lifestyle are perennial and important topics, but it’s always good to diversify the subject matter and “think outside the bus.” Plus, 2020 presents an array of new challenges for the bluegrass industry, so this is also a good time to address those. 

If you’re thinking of suggesting some yourself, I would caution you that a number of ideas have already been rejected for various reasons. A list of these rejected proposals has been leaked to me and I present it below, along with the primary reason for the rejection. This provides an opportunity to look these over, avoid some of the pitfalls, and then get your much better ideas in by Friday.

Too unrealistic or impractical:

One-on-One Sales – Increasing CD sales by meeting every potential customer face-to-face and guilting them into buying your album

It’s All in Your Perspective — Getting rich through streaming by redefining “rich.”

“No it’s a dachsund!” – Attracting a younger audience to bluegrass festivals by making and distributing hundreds of balloon animals

Healthy and Fresh Road Food – Solving the problem of the unhealthy road diet by traveling with your own rolling greenhouse

Fresh Meat to Generic Pharmaceuticals – Expanding the offerings at bluegrass merchandise tables during a time of slow CD sales

Too Boring:

I Heart the Status Quo! — How to keep everything exactly the same in the bluegrass industry

Forming Subcommittees (for IBMA board members or members of other industry organizations) — How to delay substantive action on virtually anything by farming out issues to new committees

Mindfulness in Performance — How to start every show with 10 minutes of meditation on stage and still hold your audience, or not care if you don’t

Banner Year — How to select materials and sew a merchandise table banner that’s really nice

Social Media Tips — using random pictures of inanimate objects to beat the Facebook algorithms

Too Personal:

“We REALLY need a mandolin player” — Filling out a family band quickly through adoption or fertility drugs

“Then I made little rocks out of big rocks . . .” — Incorporating testimonials about your prison time into regular stage banter

“I don’t want to be friends but please don’t leave the band” — how couples within the band can split up and still keep playing together

The converse: “Let’s stay together but let’s not play in a band together” — Keeping a relationship alive by breaking up a band

Too depressing, COVID-19 edition:

Social Media Tips For What’s Left of 2020: how to block, unfollow, or unfriend virtually everybody

“You can have the whole couch” — Holding a viable house concert with fewer than 15 attendees

Sell Eggs or Turn to Organized Crime — Great Depression era tips to supplementing music income during the pandemic

And finally, in the same category, I’m surprised this one was rejected as it has a simple beauty:

Help!!!

North Carolina bluegrass lovebirds, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, have announced a new weekly YouTube series, dubbed The Carolina Sessions.

Each Wednesday they will release a new episode, which finds them in discussion with their bluegrass artist friends around the Carolinas. At this time, the videos are shot with the Aldridges at their home in western North Carolina, and their guests captured at a separate remote location, but their plans for this series involve eventually recording these discussions together as soon as the situation allows.

Given the wealth of talent that North and South Carolina have given to the bluegrass world, these Carolina Sessions could run weekly for quite some time. Recorded so far include interviews with banjo legend Terry Baucom, Jason Burleson of Blue Highway, Steve Dilling of Sideline, and Gena Britt of Sister Sadie. Hmmm… starting to see a banjo there here. But no… the latest episode features reigning IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, Alan Bibey.

Darin says that it’s pride in the contributions of his home state that led to them creating this series.

“Most of us can agree that music has been a part of our lives since we were born. Music brought us comfort as children, carried us through our teenage years, and is largely important in our lives now as adults. For us, there’s never been a period of time that music hasn’t shaped our lives in some way. Here in North Carolina alone, it seems there’s music to be heard around every corner. There’s always a story to be told.”

Brooke agrees, indicating how crucial they feel it is to honor those who handed this music off to them.

“Tradition is deeply important to us. Our musical forefathers were innovators and so many of the artists we are highlighting have experienced firsthand the birth of some of the greatest traditions.”

The Carolina Sessions are available at no charge on YouTube. Here’s the Terry Baucom interview for you to enjoy, where Darin and Brooke put Bauc in an unusually loquacious mood.

Like other younger contemporary ensembles, The Wildmans tend to freely explore their music with a flexibility and finesse that pays little heed to preset boundaries or any textbook trappings. Although they certainly bear the proper credentials — an Appalachian birthright, repeated appearances on any number of fine festival stages, and the individual expertise that allows them to hold their own in the company of hallowed headliners — their music is conveyed with an unassuming style that owes its only obligation to honesty and exuberance.

A family band consisting of siblings Aila and Eli Wildman on fiddle and mandolin respectively, their childhood friend, banjo player Victor Furtado, and upright bassist Sean Newman, they’ve accumulated enough individual honors to crowd a mantel without leaving any space to spare. Indeed, it’s well worth considering their credentials — Eli Wildman’s two first place wins in the mandolin competition at the Galax Old Fiddler’s convention and three first place wins at the Mount Airy Fiddler’s gathering, Aila Wildman’s top prize at the Old Time Fiddle festival and nod for Best All Around Performer at the aforementioned Galax Old Fiddlers convention, Furtado’s 2019 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo, and his own first place showings at Galax in 2015, 2016, and 2019.

That’s a lot of talent to find in any single ensemble.  

As our own Bluegrass Today editor John Lawless noted in the liner notes that accompany the band’s eponymous debut, the Wildmans are apt to surprise the unsuspecting.

For one thing, they take the unusual step of eschewing guitar from their arrangements, the one exception being Dori Freeman’s one-off contribution to her own sprightly Rid My Mind. However the bigger revelation here is how they take any number of well-worn standards, be it Bob Dylan’s You’re Going to Make Me Lonesome When You Go, striking instrumentals such as Richmond and Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom, or the traditional tune, Sitting On Top of the World, and reinvent them with such fervor and passion. Dylan’s lonesome lament rings with an exuberance hardly hinted at in the original. The fiddle frenzy exhibited in their rapid fire workouts is truly dazzling, while their take on that oft covered blues classic takes on an entirely new, yet still mournful meaning.

Likewise, when they venture into songs of lesser known origin, an unlikely medley of Furtado’s own Monster Ride and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’Rock of Ages being one ideal example, the effect is nothing less than mesmerizing.

Ultimately, the Wildmans can claim an exceptional initial entry, one that not only sets a high standard for themselves, but for any other contemporary combo intent on making their mark in grassicana as well. Needless to say, we should all look forward to more.

We are delighted to share this new track from Daniel Crabtree, which will appear on his upcoming album, The Way I See It, his fourth as an independent artist.

Crabtree saw some success with his prior project, The Storyteller In Me, and was very pleased to see Larry Sparks record one of his songs, Take Me Back To West Virginia, one his 2019 Rebel album, New Moon Over My Shoulder. So he is very excited to see what the bluegrass world thinks of his latest track, Sally Sunday.

This new single is what Bill Monroe used to call a true song, which Daniel says he wrote following a discussion with a friend of his.

“The idea for the song Sally Sunday came when a friend and I were talking one day, and he told me he wished someone would write a song about his grandmother because he thought she was such a unique individual and her life story was so unique. So I told him to tell me about her, and as he told me some key points about her life and personality, I wrote down some notes and put this song together. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.”

They recorded this number at Scott Vestal’s Digital Underground Studio, with Donna Ulisse producing. Vestal is on banjo, with Cody Kilby on guitar, Evan Winsor on bass, Harry Clark on mandolin, Gaven Largent on reso-guitar, and Patrick McAvinue on fiddle. Harmony vocals are provided by Donna Ulisse, Rick Stanley, and Aaron McCune.

It’s a lovely song, well sung, set off nicely by Scott’s low-tuned banjo and the four part harmony.

Sally Sunday is available now to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct, and for download purchase online.

The bluegrass music world is in shock today at the news that lifelong banjo player Kenny Ingram died yesterday evening after suffering a massive stroke. He was 67 years of age.

Kenny had spent his youth performing with two of the legends of bluegrass. He was the banjo player with Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass following the breakup of Flatt & Scruggs, and similarly replaced J.D. Crowe with Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys. It’s hard to imagine a better opportunity to master the basics of bluegrass banjo.

Continuing as a professional player, Ingram worked a ten year stint with the Larry Stephenson Band, and one with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. You could also find him as a guest performer on numerous recordings, including projects from Benny Martin, Marty Stuart, Josh Williams, and Tony Trischka.

Throughout all this time, Kenny – or Big K, as he was sometime known – was known for his preservation of the Earl Scruggs style, and the power and passion in his playing. He was also a very effective teacher, appearing often as a featured instructor at banjo camps around the world.

It’s hard to overstate how admired Ingram was within the banjo community, where there is universal agreement placing him among the all-time greats of traditional, Scruggs/Crowe-style pickers. That legacy is further reflected by the American Made Banjo Co making a signature Kenny Ingram model instrument.

Here’s a look at how well he did as a young man playing Flint Hill Special with Lester in 1977. That’s a even younger Marty Stuart between he and Flatt.

And a more recent example on Road Rage, included on Rhonda Vincent & The Rage’s 2005 live DVD, Ragin’ Live.

And one more, doing the J.D. Crowe classic, Bear Tracks, with Larry Stephenson at SPBGMA 2011.

Family and friends are devastated by his death, as are all who had the chance to meet him on the road, remembering the kind-hearted, soft-hearted man whose gentleness was in such sharp contrast with his stature.

Given the sudden and unexpected nature of his passing, Kenny’s family has not yet announced any information about funeral arrangements.

R.I.P., Kenny Ingram.

Here it is…  Brandon Lee Adams live in concert, supported by Meade Richter and Cameron Owens. Brought to you by beyerdynamic.

Live at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 25 – available for replay at any time after that.

The name Ronnie Bowman needs little introduction in bluegrass circles. From his work with the Lost and Found, to his role as part of a quintessential version of the Lonesome River Band, to more recent solo work and recordings with the Band of Ruhks, Bowman has certainly left his mark on bluegrass music – and that’s not even mentioning his stellar songwriting that has earned hits for both country and bluegrass artists. His latest album, a self-titled record from Englehardt Music Group, features plenty of the smooth, modern traditional grass that Bowman is known for, including his takes on a number of classic bluegrass songs and a handful of new cuts.

The album’s first single should be familiar to any bluegrass fan worth their salt. A faithful version of the Jimmy Martin classic, Hit Parade of Love, features fine picking from a who’s who of musicians, including tasty banjo from Scott Vestal and some great G-runs from Wyatt Rice on guitar. It’s got plenty of energy (though maybe not quite as much as Martin – but then again, who could?) and is sure to satisfy traditional fans. Also on the strongly traditional side of things are an excellent, tight cut of Love of the Mountains, on which Bowman’s vocals really shine, and a fine Truck Driver’s Queen, with nice harmonies on the chorus. Sure, these songs are often jam standards, but it’s always great to hear them sung with Bowman’s vocal prowess and performed by the caliber of musicians backing him. 

It’s hard to match the Country Gentlemen’s Matterhorn, but Bowman gives it his all here, creating a pensive, desperate vibe with near-perfect instrumentation. He’s joined by Chris Stapleton for a rough-edged Gonna Be Raining When I Die. It’s a great update of the Osborne Brothers classic, filled with drive and a bluesy undertone. If this one’s not on the radio yet, it should be. Alabam, on the other hand, has been on the radio and made quite a splash, with its guest vocalists Bobby Bare and Del McCoury. It’s a fun romp through the old Cowboy Copas song that was surely a joy to record, with McCoury’s verse in particular adding a little extra zing. 

The newer songs on the album, mostly Bowman co-writes, are more of what listeners might expect from a Bowman album – softer and country-tinged. I’d Rather Be A Memory, the album’s current single, is a well-written look into a failing relationship from Bowman, Buddy Cannon, and Larry Bastian. Gentle fiddle and mandolin accompany clever lines such as “If I could turn this pencil over and erase the hurt you said, you’d find me coming running back to you, but I’d rather be a memory than a fool.” A bit of reconfiguring the sound, and this one could easily be a country hit, as well. You Cut the Ties, co-written by Bowman, Dean Dillon, and Ted Walker, tugs at the heartstrings with its depiction of a father-son relationship that slowly falls apart over the years. It’ll make you grab the phone to call your parents, if you’re lucky enough to still have them in your life. Hey Lord It’s Me, penned by Bowman and Don Cook, is also touching and poignant, with the singer pausing for a moment to thank God for His blessings.

Bowman is surely one of bluegrass music’s most talented artists and songwriters, and he’s shown up in full force on this album. It’s great to hear him cutting some fine traditional favorites, and the originals are enjoyable and well-written. It might have been nice to have a bit more balance to the album, or even to have released separate albums or EPs – one with the rip-roaring classics, and one with the more acoustic country sounds of his originals. All in all, though, it’s a really strong record and it’s great to have new music from Bowman.

For more information on Ronnie Bowman, visit his website. His new album is available from several online retailers.

Fast-rising bluegrass artist Sarah Chapman is back with a third single from her debut album, Winnebago. Previous tracks have made a showing on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay chart, and there is no reason to expect that this one won’t as well.

With Angry Weather, Sarah offers another taste of her style of contemporary grass, with a hefty dose of acoustic country, on this poignant story of an abusive relationship. Written by Lacy Green and Marcum Stewart, the video aptly portrays the mix of emotions carried in the song, where love, alcohol, and, family swirl around each other in a confusing blur.

Angry Weather can be purchased for download directly from Sarah’s web site. Radio programmers can find it at AirPlay Direct.

We have a lot of great new music to share today, starting with the premiere of a track from Fiddler’s Pastime, the debut solo project from Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, dynamic young fiddler with Mile Twelve.

This Virginia native hooked up with her current bandmates while studying in Boston, and has since moved to Nashville to pursue studio work and other musical opportunities in between band commitments. Her abilities on the fiddle are obvious from recordings and performances with Mile Twelve, but with the pending release of Fiddler’s Pastime, we get to see Bronwyn as a composer, arranger, and band/session leader.

She is assisted on the album by some of the sharpest young artists in bluegrass, like Sierra Hull, Laura Orshaw, Wes Corbett, Chris Eldridge, Jake Stargel, Sarah Jarosz, and others. The title cut needs to be heard to be believed, a twin-fiddle arrangement of the Bill Monroe fiddle classic, played with perfect precision by Keith-Hynes and Orshaw.

Here’s the track Open Water, the albums first single, which Bronwyn put together during the 2019 World of Bluegrass convention.

“This was the first tune I wrote for the album, and I think it captures something I love in bluegrass music which is that combination of haunting melody and rocket-like propulsion. I remember having my fiddle out in a quiet corner of the hotel at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s yearly event in Raleigh, NC last September, and the first part of the tune came to me then. I thought of Sierra for this track because I wanted a fiddle/mandolin unison sound for a lot of the melody and her incredible tone and groove seemed like the perfect fit.” 

Open Water is available now wherever you stream or download music online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

Fiddler’s Pastime is timed to hit on September 4, and pre-orders are enabled online. This is a good’n, folks.

Pete Wernick, aka Dr. Banjo, and his Wernick Method Jam class program are sponsoring a video competition to encourage a return to jamming for those concerned about viral exposure.

Their Safe Jam Contest is offering prizes of Dr. Banjo merchandise for the best video of people jamming on bluegrass in a safe and socially-distanced manner.

All you need to do to enter is create a video of your jam, and then post it to either YouTube or Facebook. Once you complete the online entry form, your jam will be entered to win the following prizes.

• First Prize: 3 Jam videos + 3 JAM Songbooks + 3 Let’s Pick t-shirts
• Second Prize: 2 Jam videos + 2 JAM Songbooks + 2 Let’s Pick t-shirts
• Third Prize: 1 Jam video + 1 JAM Songbook + 1 Let’s Pick t-shirt

Pete says that entries will be judged on a combination of viral safety, performance quality, and how well the video looks.

• Safety (50 points): Distanced outside or distanced inside with masks
• Music quality (25 points): “If it sounds good it must be good.”
• Video quality (15 points): Clear and steady video, good sound quality, can hear the singers and soloists 
• Entertainment value (10 points): Humor/attire/attitude?

So invite some friends over, practice your favorite song, and get that video uploaded.

Full details can be found online.

Who are those masked men?

Billy Blue Records in Nashville has announced the signing of Seth Mulder & Midnight Run to the label. They met with Billy Blue execs Jerry Salley and Ed Leonard recently to approve the contract, and posed for a masked signing photo.

This young group from the fertile bluegrass ground of east Tennessee plays an aggressive sort of traditional bluegrass, hard driving and high energy, with clever original material from mandolinist and band leader Mulder, and guitarist Ben Watlington.

The band is completed by Colton Powers on banjo, Max Etling on bass, and Cody Bauer on fiddle. Midnight Run is another professional touring band that was formed to do shows at the Ole Smokey Moonshine Distilleries in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. When visiting is allowed, they provide live bluegrass entertainment at their various locations, for 8-10 hours each day.

Salley says that he loved these guys from the first time he saw them at a showcase during World of Bluegrass 2019.

“This is a group that really cares about the music, and about one another. They are infinitely entertaining when they perform. The vocals and musicianship are top notch, of course, but it’s that visible camaraderie that absolutely makes fans fall in love with Midnight Run.”

Mulder tells us that he and the boys are powerfully stoked to be working with Billy Blue.

“All of us are really excited to be part of the Billy Blue Team. Ed and Jerry have done a fantastic job with their artist roster and have produced some great music. We’re thankful to be signed with a label along side some of the biggest names in bluegrass. It’s a true honor to be a part of their team, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds!”

Here are a couple videos of material likely to be included on their debut with the label, starting with Seth’s One More Night.

And here’s Ben’s Don’t Let The Door Hit You On Your Way Out.

Expect to hear more from Seth Mulder & Midnight Run in the coming weeks.