Monthly Archives: August 2021

Grand finale with Marian at Mohelnický FolkFest in Czechia – photo by Matt Scutchfield

This review of the Mohelnický FolkFest in Mohelnice, Czechia is a contribution from Matt Scutchfield, a music vlogger, journalist, graduate of Berklee College of Music, and current associate concert producer at The Wild Rose Moon Performing Arts Center in Plymouth, IN. He is of Eastern European descent, and has a strong connection to Czechia as an ethnomusicologist. 

At a time when everything in the world is still all mixed up due to the ongoing pandemic, one thing was like a beacon of hope and a true source of joy for all that attended: the Mohelnický FolkFest in Mohelnice, Czechia. It has long been known how much bluegrass music is loved in Czechia, and even with a pandemic going on, I was able to make my way to Mohelnice to take in two days of amazing music.

The festival, titled FolkFest, of course, represented more than just bluegrass, including a good amount of Czech folk music, such as the first band of the festival Madalen which included band member Jan Štaigl, organizer of the festival. Jan was an amazing host, great musician, and probably the calmest festival organizer I’ve ever seen! At all times, he could be found casually chatting with festival goers, while two stages of music were going on.

On Friday night, after a few bands of folk music, I heard the familiar sound of hard driving bluegrass rhythm (in B!) doing a sound check, and I immediately made my way to the main stage. What came next was pure, hard-driving, perfect bluegrass by the Barbecue Bluegrass Band. They nailed it – and in two languages! They started out with a Czech version of Colleen Malone and later Whiskey Lullaby, but also sang English versions of bluegrass classics such as Blue Moon of Kentucky and Why Don’t You Tell Me So. The band is lead by Pavel Handlík, who told me that he has been playing and singing bluegrass since he was 16 years old. He explained that he first heard Czech bluegrass bands such as Greenhorns and Poutníci, before discovering modern bands like New Grass Revival and then going to the source, Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. The mandolinist, Eda Krištůfek and reso-guitarist Roman Zajíček are not only great musicians, but they both built the instruments they perform on – and the instruments sound as great as ever! The band is rounded out by bassist Jiří Šubr and banjoist Alexey Chudinov, who moved to Czechia from Russia to join their band.

Saturday reaffirmed that bluegrass is in good hands, with the performance by the band Blue Night, an amazing group of youngsters that were assembled by their mutual music teacher, who thought they would all enjoy playing bluegrass. It seems they did enjoy it, because now they’re regularly playing, and their love of it is truly visible on stage. They told me some of their favorite bands are Blue Highway and Sideline (perfect choices!). All in the audience hope they will continue in their pursuits.

Other highlights on Saturday included the band Bluegrass Comeback, Radim Zenkl, Svaťa Kotas Band, and Druhá Tráva. Bluegrass Comeback is the Czech representation of bluegrass’ first generation of performers, culling their inspiration from Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and The Stanley Bros. They all dressed in suits and hats, and were the only band to utilize a one microphone setup, something I heard people in the audience commenting on, and admiring the choreography it takes to move in and out when taking a solo/playing backup.

Radim Zenkl, a wonderful Czech multi-instrumentalist that has also spent many years stateside put on a wonderful concert with Ondra Kozák. Together, they played a plethora of different instruments, and put on an incredibly high-energy set, including a rousing rendition of Angeline The Baker on fiddle and didgeridoo! Following them was the Svaťa Kotas Band, which is lead by Svaťa Kotas, former banjo player with iconic Czech band Poutníci. They also put on an incredible set of super hard-driving bluegrass. The newest addition to their band is Loes van Schaijk who is from the Netherlands but now based in Prague. She will be releasing her debut album later this month and is an in-demand musician in Prague.

By the end of the night on Saturday, the big park that started out with just a few people on Friday afternoon was now entirely full, filled with dedicated patrons that stood through two days of scattered rain, cold temperatures, and COVID tests, to see the legendary Druhá Tráva. Druhá Tráva, now in their 31st year, sounds better than ever and is still experimenting and innovating, as well as delighting audiences. As the last note of their last song rang out, the amount of love and admiration for them was over the top. They provided an encore of Bob Dylan’s Señor in the Czech language, along with some new experimental electronic effects triggered by Luboš Malina’s banjo. The crowd wanted more and more, but alas, it was time to bring up band Marian, that closed the festival with a set of familiar Czech folk songs that brought back feelings of nostalgia and happiness. As I was leaving the festival about 1:30 a.m., sounds of jams could still be heard off in the distance.

Lastly, a big round of thanks to the organizers of the festival, not only for the great music and great times, but for doing their part in making sure we were all safe. A negative test result or vaccination card was required to enter, and was strictly enforced. No complaints were heard – only a desire to see old friends and hear great music were expressed. Until next time, Mohelnice!

Live stream recordings of all the performances can be viewed on YouTube.

Darin & Brooke Aldridge have always towed a fine line between bluegrass revelry and the beauty of their ballads. For some, that would be a difficult divide, but given this duo’s acute instrumental abilities and superior singing skills, they manage to accommodate both. Their terrific new album, the descriptively titled This Life We’re Livin’, offers another ideal example, bringing with it all the rapturous joy that the title implies. The sentiment is assured, and even though they’re only responsible for writing fewer than half of the twelve songs that encompass this set, their effusive emotion and clear commitment make each their own.

The entreaties are obvious, even at the outset. Blue Baby Now is an ideal album opener, a rallying cry flush with abject enthusiasm. The Gospel-tinged ramble, He’s Gettin’ Me Ready, is enlivened by guest vocals from the Oak Ridge Boys, and their shared harmonies are well suited to not only rally the faithful but also incite some enthusiasm from everyone else as well. That overt optimism extends to the slower songs too — the easily assured No Mistakes, the confident caress of My Life’s Living Me and the soothing and serene devotional duet, Old Fashioned, a song they’ve previously introduced in concert, and one that ideally defines their mutual mantra.

Naturally, there’s an instrumental acumen within these expressive arrangements that put the performances in perspective. Ron Block’s banjo, Bryan Sutton’s guitar, Stuart Duncan’s fiddle, Jacob Metz’s dobro playing, and co-producer Mark Fain playing bass form the core of each track, adding an effective foundation for Brooke’s emotive vocals and Darin’s shared singing. As a result, every song rings with a resilience, one that never fails to uplift and enliven the proceedings. “I can be anything,” the pair insist throughout a heartfelt rendition of the Guy Clark classic, Die Tryin’. In fact, that devotion and determination resonate through practically every offering, affirming the fact that the Aldridges have found a peace and prosperity they’re able to emanate consistently.

With eight previous albums to their credit, Darin and Brooke Aldridge have established themselves as something akin to the Johnny and June of the present day, a couple so in sync they’re clearly inseparable. As a result, This Life We’re Livin’ ought to be inspiring to us all.

Mountain Fever Records has a new single dropping tomorrow for South Carolina’s Backline, a grassed up version of the old Tennessee Ernie Ford hit, Sixteen Tons. Written by Merle Travis in 1947, it has the distinction of being among the most covered songs in the traditional country music canon.

Typically sung by a bass vocalist, a la Ford’s 1955 hit and a later Johnny Cash version, here it is delivered by Backline’s primary lead singer, Katelyn Ingardia. She gives the song a distinct bluesy feel, supported by call-and-answer background harmonies from the guys. Travis Tucker is on reso-guitar, Zachary Carter on banjo, Milom Williams on mandolin, Clint White on fiddle, and Chris Williamson on bass. Ingardia plays guitar.

Tucker says that their arrangement has been in the repertoire for a while.

“Sixteen Tons is the first cover that we have decided to release as a radio single. We’ve been performing Sixteen Tons at our live shows since August of 2019. It has consistently been one of our most requested songs, and the one that we are most frequently asked if we have on an album. We hope that our radio listeners love this song as much as our live listeners, and that you enjoy our rendition of this old American classic made popular by Tennessee Ernie Ford.”

Have a listen.

Sixteen Tons by Backline will be available on August 31 wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can get the track now via AirPlay Direct.

Circus No. 9, a progressive bluegrass band out of East Tennessee is back on the road this summer. We met up with them at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in Goshen, CT where they played two sets on Friday, and then hung around to host a late-night jam. Lead singer and mandolin player Thomas Cassell also ran a mandolin workshop with Jacob Jolliff, a talented duo to say the least. Their latest configuration includes Vince Ilagan on bass, Ben Garnett on vocals and guitar, Cassell, founding member, on vocals and mandolin with guest player Avery Merritt on fiddle. 

Although the band is still young, originating in 2016, they have already established themselves as accomplished and mature musicians, collectively and individually playing alongside a long list of well-respected bluegrass artists including, amongst many, Bryan Sutton, David Grisman, Larry Keel, Billy Strings, Missy Raines, Tony Trischka, Sean Watkins, and Becky Buller 

Each musician brings with him a degree in music, Cassell from East Tennessee State University in bluegrass, Iligan from the University of Tennessee in Bass Performance, Garnett from The University of North Texas in jazz studies, and Merritt from Berklee College of Music where he studied with Dr. David Wallace, Matt Glaser, and Darol Anger.

Along with their virtuoso style of play, each band member shares a love and appreciation of bluegrass history, culture, and music and a desire to write and play their own original tunes. Cassell says, “I have this strange belief that the best way to preserve ‘traditional’ bluegrass is to change it and try to make it new. People will then be able to see and appreciate the music’s roots and where you drew the influence from. It’s fun to play the original versions, but when a song has been recorded by hundreds of bands, we want to have our own version.”

Cassell and Garnett have long been composers and songwriters, but neither takes full credit for any one original. They say that their original tunes are a product of the bands’ full collaboration and exploration. That exploration may begin in bluegrass, but the band’s musical influences including folk, jazz, old-time, classical, and rock allow for what Barnett calls a genre-bending ‘in the cracks’ approach to composition. 

When we sat in on one of their green room rehearsals at Podunk, the bands’ comfortable, focused, and playful run through much of their upcoming set spoke volumes about their cooperative and creative approach to music. Cassell, Ilagan, and Garnett clearly speak the same musical language. Although new to the band, Merritt has recorded and performed with the band in the past, and his inclusion felt seamless. Merritt, like his bandmates, easily flows back and forth between jammy and traditional, never leaving the listener worried about being left out in space. 

Circus No. 9’s first full-length album Modernus, recorded in 2018, includes seven originals plus their own unique take on the traditional tune Joe Hill. The first Circus No. 9 tune that captured our attention when we heard it on Bluegrass Junction was On the Shelf. Although it was Cassell’s distinctly unique voice that first made me ask Dale, “What band is this?” we quickly appreciated their innovative approach to both their songwriting and their ability to smoothly blend the old with the new. 

Circus No. 9 plans to keep moving ahead with festivals, house concerts, and working together on new material. To this end, Cassell has just moved to Nashvill to be closer to his band mates. When not composing new music, working on their next recording, or touring, Circus No. 9 band members will each pursue their own individual projects. If you can’t catch the band on stage this fall you might be able to see Ben Garnett who tours with Missy Raines, or hear Cassell’s first studio release since his 2018 Voyager, a single co-written with Becky Buller entitled Traveling Shoes. Cassell also released a handful of unedited songs in 2020 that he and three friends recorded on old analog gear. He says that the result is an unadulterated glimpse into what happens when four friends get together and make music.

Sideline at the Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival – photo by Frank Baker

Here are Frank Baker’s last set of photographs from the Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. As always, we thank him for sharing them with our readers.

This weekend he will be headed to the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival at the Salem County Fairground in Pilesgrove, NJ. Look for those images the week after.

Today marks the official release of the latest album from The Grascals, Up All Night, on Mountain Home Music. And we are happy to share the title track with our readers.

Chris Davis, Grascals’ guitarist and lead singer on this number, tells us that it strikes him, and the rest of the band, as a fun, good time song.

“Up All Night, Sleep All Day is one of those fun songs that makes you want to dance. Our banjo player Kristin Scott Benson brought it to our attention — we loved it and knew we had to record it. I really enjoyed singing this one.”

Co-writer Jon Weisberger explained a bit about how the song came to be.

“Korby Lenker and I got together to write one day a few years ago and came up with this ever so slightly calypso-flavored song, which I think of as a kinder, gentler version of the story in Buck Owens’ and Harlan Howards Tiger By The Tail. My connection with The Grascals goes back to the band’s earliest days, and I’ve loved Chris Davis’ singing for even longer than the band’s been around, so I’m really thrilled with their take on the song—they’ve ‘grassed it up just right!”

Check it out.

The full album, Up All Night, is available now wherever you stream or download music online. Audio CDs can be ordered directly from the band web site.

Sad news from organizers of the Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival in Quincy, CA. They have been forced to cancel the event for the second year in a row. First because of COVID restrictions in 2020, and now because of the Dixie Fire which has been burning in north central California for 44 days.

Firefighters battling this blaze, which has consumed more than 750,000 acres in the Feather River Canyon, have been using the Plumas Sierra County Fairgrounds where the festival is held as a staging site. With no assurance that they will be finished by the festival dates of September 3-5, the staff have no real choice but to cancel and look forward to next year. In addition, they fear that air quality on site may be sufficiently degraded to make it unsafe for many visitors to endure.

The only silver lining organizers can see is the continued interest from fans, many of whom have phoned in to see if the festival can go on from as far away as Colorado.

Fair Manager John Steffanic says that they are keeping their heads up.

“Even though it appears we will have a two year break from this festival, interest in it remains high. People want to come to Plumas County for Americana music.”

He also mentioned that anyone holding either a 2020 or 2021 festival ticket will be welcomed next year at no additional charge, even if admission fees are raised, which there are no current plans to do.

Those who prefer to receive a refund for either tickets or camping fees are asked to email Stefanic with the request.

Anyone who knows her realizes that Kristin Scott Benson is a musician of the highest caliber, as her multiple IBMA Banjo Player of the Year awards can attest, but also that she is among the most thoughtful and intelligent people in our industry. Her involvement with The Grascals this past 12 years has cemented her place in bluegrass history. Today she shares a reflection on finding meaning in music, and the power of filial love.

Our relationship with music is like any other; it changes over time. Like a marriage, it breathes and evolves. While our closeness with it may vary through the years, it’s a constant that we can depend on, regardless of what’s happening around us. Just like a child, our musicianship grows and matures until we hopefully become a valued, functioning member of our musical community. Like a beloved pet, music is loyal. It requires nothing from us, but it’s there to endlessly give back. The more we invest, the more rewarding the relationship, but it will accept whatever we give and won’t demand anything unless we’re attentive and desire its company.

I’m currently co-authoring a book with Bill Evans called 25 Great Bluegrass Banjo Solos. One reason I was attracted to this project was that it allowed me the opportunity to interview some of my favorite banjo players, many of whom haven’t been interviewed in a while. In light of recent events, I’m particularly thankful I got to spend some time talking to Bill Emerson. I knew a lot about most of these artists already, but this was a chance to satisfy my own curiosity. I could ask them anything I had always wondered about, and there was one inquiry that overshadowed any other: What does the banjo mean to you today?

The banjo has meant a lot of different things to me. Simultaneously, it has been one of my greatest sources of joy and worry. In my younger years, it accounted for an unhealthy amount of my identity, but that led to some wonderful opportunities to grow in my faith. The banjo is responsible for many of my closest friendships, meeting my husband, and my livelihood. There are times that I feel overwhelmed with obligations, even musical. Being a musician is like any other job that way, but there has never been one single time that I’ve picked up the banjo and not wanted to play it. Not ever. I’m still fascinated by it, and I love it more now than I ever have. I am acutely aware of what I don’t know, and the breadth of the unknown increases exponentially with every crumb of new knowledge I manage to absorb with my middle-aged mind.

I was blessed with parents and grandparents who nurtured my love for bluegrass and the banjo. Instruments, lessons, shows, jamming, performing with my grandfather’s band….all of these things helped afford me the privilege of playing professionally. My dad was at the heart of it all. He was never prouder than when he saw me play. And my goodness, how he loves Don Reno. He used to bribe me with trips to Norman Adams festivals by saying: “If you learn Remington Ride (or any other Reno tune) just like Don played it, I’ll take you to Dahlonega (or Lincolnton, or Myrtle Beach, or Jekyll Island).” Of course, I’ve still never gotten any of those tunes “just like Don played it,” but my dad would reward the effort and I’m a better player for it.

My dad had a stroke a month ago and he has a long, long road ahead. While his life doesn’t appear to be in imminent danger, the quality of his life is not good. So, when I visit, I do what I think he’d like best; I play the banjo. Honestly, it hasn’t had the effect I hoped for, but we will celebrate little victories and today, a man who hasn’t strung together a coherent sentence in weeks tried twice to sing, once to Old Rugged Cross and once to Home Sweet Home. That’s not nothing and it’s absolutely what the banjo means to me today.

Robert Phillip ‘Bob’ Everhart, multi-instrumentalist, singer, entertainer, old-time country, bluegrass, and folk artist, passed away during the evening of August 20, 2021, due to heart complications. He was 85 years of age.

Bob Everhart, founder and president of the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA), was born in the Sand Hills of Nebraska on June 16, 1936. He grew up on a small farm near St. Edward where at about the age of five he learned the rudiments of the harmonica from a grandfather. He was also a self-taught although limited pianist.  

Upon graduating from high school in Council Bluffs he went into the Navy and was introduced to rock-n-roll music. Following his four-year stint in the services he studied Business Administration and Psychology at the University of Nebraska. 

During the 1960s he played tenor saxophone in a variety of groups, one of which was a comedy/rock-n-roll combo. In another – the Royal Flairs – he was the harmonica player. However, this adventure was short-lived as Everhart suffered a serious head injury in a shooting incident.  

In 1972 he started work as General Manager and radio announcer on KJNO, Juneau, Alaska, introducing a two-hour country music/talk show, and during the three years that he was there he increased listener numbers significantly. 

This led him back to the Midwest working as a radio announcer and itinerant musician, making appearances on the Ozark Opry, the Silver Dollar City Mountain Folk’s Music Festival, and the Union Mill Opry. 

Having returned in earnest to his first musical love, traditional country and bluegrass music, Everhart was driven to promote a wide variety of traditional music styles and preserve its heritage as much as he could. Indeed, he devoted the remainder of his life to these aims. Hence in 1975, he started the non-profit NTCMA with the express purpose of preserving America’s roots music, country, bluegrass, Gospel, and folk and, to facilitate this, decent venues, staging, sound and audiences were needed. One location that Everhart used was the Corrnhusker Country Music Theatre in Louisville, Nebraska. 

Thus he was able to not only promote the fully professional musicians, but to help the amateur musician become more professional, and help the semi-professional to gain more exposure. 

The first NTCMA festival took place in 1976 at Westfair in Council Bluffs. Six years later it was moved to Avoca, Nebraska. Subsequently it was moved back to Iowa, first to Missouri Valley and then to The Plymouth County Fairgrounds, Le Mars. The events never made much money but provided some magnificent opportunities for a great number of performers.

As a result of an exchange of correspondence with a like-minded group in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Everhart took his music and ideologies to foreign shores. In 1978 he made his first of many tours to Europe with dates throughout the UK and in Germany. Other visits followed in quick succession. 

In all he made well over 20 concert tours of Europe, where he was presented with many various accolades over the years. 

In recent years Everhart, with help from his wife, Sheila, owned and operated the Oak Tree Opry and the Pioneer Music Museum on Main Street in Anita, Iowa. The former serves as the venue for local and national-touring musicians who play old time music, and the latter houses America’s Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame and America’s Old Time Fiddler’s Hall of Fame. 

Everhart’s recording career spans several decades beginning in 1962 while with the Royal Flairs. These tracks included surf songs, some R&B and their version of ‘British Invasion’ sounds. A few singles were released, but most of the material remained unavailable until the 1980s. 

The most widely known are albums that he had released by Folkways Records from 1978 to 1985. On these Everhart, playing 12-string guitar and harmonica, and backed customarily by an ensemble of 5-string banjo, reso-guitar, mandolin, and bass, performs a mix of his original compositions and traditional country songs. 

Everhart’s subsequent releases, most of which feature his wife playing bass, were released by their own Prairie Music Records outlet, with re-releases on Condor Records in Canada and numerous labels in Europe. 

The Everharts have performed their one-of-a-kind show around the world, from China to the North Pole (Bob was on an Arctic-Dewline Replenishment Expedition). 

For seven years he produced, hosted, and performed on the PBS national television show Old Time Country Music, and produced and performed on Bus Stop, a local TV show taped in an old-time cafe. Additionally, he co-produced, with his wife, and performed on a syndicated radio show called The Old Time Music Hour, distributed to eight radio stations in the Midwest. 

The Everharts were recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Award from World Music Events; the Kitty Wells/Johnny Wright Leadership in Country Music Award; the Tennessee Ambassador of Goodwill from the Tennessee Governor, Don Sundquist; and the Entertainer of the Year Award in Cologne, Germany.

In keeping with his preservation convictions, Everhart has a number of rare/obscure stringed instruments, including an 1884 autoharp, a zither, mandolin harp, and pianoette, that he plays sometimes. Others are displayed in the Pioneer Music Museum.

R.I.P. Bob Everhart 

A memorial service will take place on Monday, September 6, 2021, (Labor Day) at 1:00 p.m. at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

A Discography 

Bob Everhart

• Everhart. Volume One (Kajac LP-002-77, released in 1977 and re-issued on Folkways FTS-31060 in 1978)
• Waitin’ For A Train (Folkways FTS-31071, 1979)
• Time After Time (Folkways FTS-31082, 1980 (German issue on Folk Variety FV-12027))
• Country (Westwood Recordings WRS162, 1981 (UK)) 
• Everhart International (Folkways FTS-31090, 1982)
• Everhart Takes The Fifth (Folkways FTS-31059, 1983)
• Everhart Alive At Avoca (Folkways FTS-31081, 1985 (with Bluegrass Playground))

Bob and Sheila Everhart

• 20 American Classics (Condor HCD 4458 (Canada), 1985) 
• Home On The Range (Rosedale CD-377 (Canada) … some tracks from Condor HCD 4458 
• Old Time Prairie – Country Music (ESKA Records SCD 034 (Poland), 1995)

These four CDs may still be available from Prairie Music Records, P.O. Box 492, Anita, Iowa 50020.

Bob Everhart, Blackberry Pickers

• No One Comes Near (Association Country Club Music AX 0001-1 (Czechoslovakia), 1992) 

For most IBMA members, this year’s World of Bluegrass convention will be their first chance to meet Pat Morris, the newly-installed Executive Director of the organization who took over for Paul Schiminger in June of this year. These first few months have been busy ones, with planning for the convention, awards show, and weekend festival, not to mention new protocols for health concerns next month in Raleigh.

We had given him some time to get his feet wet before requesting an interview, and had an opportunity to finally meet with Pat by phone recently, where we found him to be an affable, capable, and experienced administrator who cares deeply about bluegrass music, and the future of the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Though not much of a musician himself – he plays some guitar – Morris has had his eye on bluegrass since he was in college.

“I grew up in Newport News, VA, and worked at Busch Gardens until I graduated Christopher Newport College and went into the Marine Corps. I worked in the barbecue shop in the French-Canadian part of the park, and befriended the guys in the Wahoo Review, which included Jim Lauderdale and Gene Wooten. I went to high school with Steve Smith of Hard Road Trio, and the other Wooten Brothers, Victor’s older siblings. I bought my first guitar, an Ovation Balladeer, from a store in Norfolk because Curtis Burch was playing one with New Grass Revival.

I feel like I’ve kind of come full circle, since after the Marines I went into Association Management. Now I’m back in bluegrass.”

That career in Association Management involved heading up some very large and diverse organizations, including serving as Chief Executive Officer of ACA International, President and CEO of the Association for Corporate Growth, and the Executive Director of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards.

“I’ve had a passion for bluegrass ever since my time at Busch Gardens. Part of me feels like I stumbled into association management, so now bringing these two things together has been fantastic. When I saw that Paul was retiring, I looked into being a part of IBMA.”

The move to Nashville was an uncomplicated one, as his children are grown, though there is still a daughter attending James Madison University back in Virginia.

“It was just me and a fiancé. But really the whole town is sort of a big music family.”

Morris said that he likes the way the organization avoids pinning a clear delineation of the boundaries of bluegrass music.

“IBMA has done a great job saying that it’s not just open to all, but you are all welcome here. I’ve gotten a strong sense that IBMA has been very careful about not defining bluegrass. I saw this debate going on in the early ’70s about whether the Earl Scruggs Review belonged in bluegrass. The best way to go is to focus on the music.

Here is the big question… All across non-profits we see it asked, ‘Why aren’t more people joining who are involved in this industry?’ The best focus seems to me to be finding out how to provide value to the people you hope will be part of the organization. There can be a ton of benefits, outside the networking value. It is getting more challenging as technology gives people more opportunities to find information.”

So we wondered why he thought the IBMA Board of Directors selected him for the job, and what his primary task should be.

“I think being able to level the association executive experience and those best practices, and my experience with many other groups we can learn from about education, hosting events, and advocacy. They said that me having been a CEO at larger non-profits was something they wanted to take advantage of.

It all comes back to the music, and how it sounds. We want to look at ways to make IBMA better, and have better ways for members to take advantage of it.

I don’t want to come in with the answers, but look at the history, how things are being done, and talk to members and the original founding members. I’m mostly listening and learning at this stage, and getting fully immersed in World of Bluegrass. I have never been, but am really looking forward to it this year. I have done large shows like this before, and there are so many people I want to meet and hear.”

So how does he feel a couple months in?

“You don’t get many opportunities to marry two things that you have a strong passion for. I was exposed at an early age to bluegrass, and spent time learning to play guitar, writing songs, and then serving as CEO of associations. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned about running larger organizations to my work at IBMA.

One of the cool things I’ve found in bluegrass is not just a passion for the music, and playing it well, but also the close connection with the fans. That line between performer and fan is so loose, that you don’t feel like a stranger.

Everyone here has a similar passion for the music. It’s a really, really great thing, and I’ve been warmly welcomed into the family.”

Like Pat, we look forward to seeing everyone – at least the top part of their faces – at World of Bluegrass next month.

Best of luck to him and the IBMA!

Billy Lee Cox back with Remington Ryde at Gettysburg, Summer 2021 – photo by Frank Baker

Again, we have more images shot by Frank Baker at last weekend’s Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. Among the many shots are ones that captured fan favorite Billy Lee Cox reuniting with Remington Ryde for a special set.

There is still more to come.

Australian bluegrass singer Kristy Cox, now living in Nashville, is working on her seventh album with noted songwriter and producer Jerry Salley. But this next will be the first on the label he represents, Billy Blue Records.

They have a debut single from that project releasing this week, Person of the Year, a new song from Salley and Bill Whyte, written to honor health care workers, many of whom have been working long hours in stressful situations in some parts of the country.

Cox says that the lyrics hit her personally, since she is close to so many people in that field.

“I am so excited for my first single release on Billy Blue Records. Person of the Year is such a special song that pays tribute to nurses and doctors who work tirelessly to save others. The last 18 months have been especially hard on them.

Jerry and Bill brought tears to my eyes with their lyrics that ring so true. I have multiple family members who work in this field and this song is for them and so many others.”

Have a listen below.

Person of the Year from Kristy Cox will be available wherever you stream or download music online on Friday, August 27. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct. The song will be included in Kristy’s Billy Blue album, Shades of Blue, expected early next year.

The Bluegrass Heritage Foundation presented the inaugural North Carolina State Championships for mandolin, banjo, and guitar on Friday, August 20 and Saturday, August 21 at The Brewer’s Kettle outdoor stage in Kernersville, North Carolina. 

Sponsored by The Brewer’s Kettle, Mabe Steel Inc., Celestial Wellness, Elizabeth & Russell Greeson, and Patriot Pretzel Co., the competition exhibited and celebrated the rich musical traditions of North Carolina; awarding the first-place state Champions $500, a commemorative plaque, and a paid entry to attend the 2021 Walnut Valley Festival to compete for the 2021 National Championship. 

Second place was awarded $250 and a commemorative plaque; third place was awarded $100 and a commemorative plaque; fourth and fifth place were both awarded commemorative plaques. 

Administered in the same vein as the National Championship contests, the judges remained off-site and listened to the performances via speaker. To guarantee impartiality, the players were only referred to by their contestant number and were not allowed to speak on stage. 

Each contestant played four instrumental tunes over the course of two rounds with the judges, using a point-system to rate each performance. A third round consisting of one extra song was added to the three-finger banjo competition to break a tie between two competitors. The three individuals to claim the title of State Champion are Elijah Moore of Kernersville for mandolin, Alex Edwards of Salisbury for banjo, and Kyser George of Westfield for guitar. Vincent Bullins of Lawsonville placed in two categories, coming in second for mandolin and third for guitar. 

Here are the contest results: 

Mandolin

Banjo 

Guitar

The Bluegrass Heritage Foundation is an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the tradition of bluegrass music through educational programs, workshops, public performances, and historic preservation efforts. Run by volunteers and based in Texas, the Foundation has expanded its scope to incorporate North Carolina through Lucas A. White, who serves on the Board of Directors for the foundation, and emceed the Championship.  

Lucas gave us an overview of how this event came to be.

“The Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, which was founded by Alan Tompkins in Dallas, Texas, has had a mission for over a decade now to promote bluegrass music! When I was growing up in Texas, the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation hosted events where I always felt welcomed, and where I could play music. I called Alan at the end of February, and asked if there was a way the Foundation could help the North Carolina bluegrass community. After spending time discussing ideas we thought it would be great to raise some money and host a competition certified by the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. The Champions won $500, entry into the national competition, and certified state title.

This past weekend we hosted the competition and I’m happy to say North Carolina now has three State Champions who will be competing in the national competition! We expect to do this again next year and are thrilled with the support of the bluegrass community, and musicianship go bluegrass players in North Carolina. With this being the first year we expect next year to grow with even more support. None of this could have been made possible without the support of our sponsors, volunteers, and the competitors who worked hard to earn their title! Congratulations to Elijah Moore, Alex Edwards, and Kyser George! They are the next generation ‘making Bluegrass happen!’”

“Making Bluegrass Happen!” is the slogan for the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation. In addition to their educational and outreach programs, the Foundation also operates the Play It Forward! Instrument Lending Program – a no-cost access to musical instruments such as mandolins, fiddles, banjos, and guitars in order to cultivate literacy and performance skills in young people. 

The Brewer’s Kettle, owned and operated by Andy Kennedy, premiered their new outdoor stage for the inaugural North Carolina State Championships. The Brewer’s Kettle is also the home of a weekly Monday-night bluegrass jam, known as the “Brewgrass Jam,” which was originally started by local musicians Bryan Mabe and Mason Via, the latter having since joined the popular string band Old Crow Medicine Show. The weekly Brewgrass Jam is now co-hosted by Clyde Lewis of Hot Wax and Splinters, and starts every Monday at 7:00 pm. 

Photos by Kirsten White – The Witness Photography 

Based in the Czech Republic, Professional Deformation is a relatively new band, but one borne from plenty of professional experience. Each of the musicians involved — Jakub Racek (guitar, vocal), Radek Vaňkát (reso-guitar, vocal), Petr Vošta (banjo, vocal) and Karel Waska (bass, vocal) — have earned continuing kudos due to their own individual musical merits. 

Racek is an award winning guitarist and five time winner of the Guitar Player of The Year distinction given him by the Czech Bluegrass Association. In 1998, he was named Best European Bluegrass Guitarist by SPGMA. Having initially studied jazz at the Prague Conservatory, he went on to teach at a guitar workshop alongside Bryan Sutton and Tim Stafford. “I’ve been performing for 30 years,” he says. “I’ve toured Europe and played in the US four times, including three times at the IBMA, both the showcase and at Fan Fest.”

Vaňkát can claim to have worked with several top Czech artists, and has recorded in both the Czech Republic and the US. He was voted Dobro player of the year twice by the Czech Bluegrass Association. 

Vošta is known for his distinctive style, one that utilizes a decidedly funky groove. Prior to joining Professional Deformation, he played in a variety of bands spanning bluegrass to rock and roll, including his own trio, Cimpr Campr. 

Waska prides himself on being a multi-genre musician whose expertise runs the gamut from folk and Appalachian traditional sounds to classical, rock and roll, bebop, and alternative jazz. He studied bass at Jaroslav Jeћek Conservatory in Prague and at Northern Illinois University, and went on to perform with a numbers of bands that surveyed a variety of sounds and style. 

The origins of Professional Deformation can be traced back to a duo consisting of Racek and Vaňkát. “I had a full band in mind, and the first guy I called was Radek,” Racek recalls. “We jammed a bit and liked the sound, so we decided we would perform as a duo for awhile. We kept going for about four or five years, and then the other two players came along. Now it’s a bluegrass line up as far the instrumentation is concerned. We’ve all played bluegrass with various bands before Professional Deformation, but we’ve also played other styles of music as well, so our sound is influenced by that diversity.”

Even so, Racek insists that their primary influences lie in the bluegrass/grassicana realm. “I was definitely influenced by Tony Rice,” he explains. “I played the banjo before I heard Tony Rice, but that’s when I decided to play the guitar.”

Although the band been active a relatively short time, they still managed to get plenty of gigging in prior to the pandemic.

“We’ve been together for four years, including the crazy year and a half of COVID, and we’ve still managed to play plenty of shows in the Czech Republic and in  Europe,” Racek notes. “Outside Czechia, we’ve performed in Sweden, Slovakia, and France. In 2019, we won the European contest in La Roche, France and as the winner, we were going to play at the Rapid Grass Festival in Colorado. We also had an invitation to perform in Canada, but unfortunately both were cancelled due to COVID.”

They’ve also shared stages with some other exceptional artists. “As a band, we hosted several Czech singers including a Czech’s Got Talent finalist,” he continues. “We featured Casey Driessen in Prague, and he played a show with our band. Next year, Casey will be performing with Professional Deformation here in the Czech Republic at the Banjo Jamboree festival, the oldest bluegrass festival in Europe.” 

Happily then, the band has been well received back home. “People like the energy we put into the performance,” Racek points out. “They enjoy the four-part harmonies and they seem to like the variety of the repertoire. Surprisingly, we have played many shows for audiences who had never heard bluegrass or anything similar before. After the show, some folks came over and said ‘Gosh, we’ve never heard this style of music. We didn’t have any idea that it actually existed, but it’s just great!’”

Professional Deformation has one release so far, a five song EP titled One Way Rider. 

Racek notes that their repertoire is split evenly between covers and originals. “We play both,” he says. “When it comes to covers, I’m usually the one to pick the songs. Genre does not matter much. We may play an old ballad followed by a mainstream number like The Boys of Summer by Don Henley, or something bluesy and funky like Killing Floor by Howlin’ Wolf.”

However when asked why bluegrass seems to have such universal appeal, Racek says he isn’t all that certain. “I don’t know really,” he responds. “There may be more reasons than one, and all those reasons put together add up. Some people like the three or four part harmony singing. Some like the high-pitched vocals. Other people like the fast virtuoso-like picking. There are those that like the fact that the music is unplugged; you just grab your instruments and you can literally play anywhere. Some people like the festival atmosphere, and some like the banjo. Then again, I may be all wrong. Here in the Czech Republic, it got popular during the communist era because this music, as well as country music in general, came from the US. As a result, it was some sort of a forbidden candy that defied the regime.”

Learn more about Professional Deformation online.

Logo design by Joshua Williams and Bree Fleming – photo by Amy Springer

Talk about a bluegrass wedding!

The upcoming nuptials between Megan Darby, Director of the bluegrass music program at Glenville State College in West Virginia, and Luke McKnight, grandson of mandolin legend Jesse McReynolds, promises to be a big old time. And they are asking everyone to join them on September 18 at Uncle Pen’s Cabin, just by the Bill Monroe Museum in Bean Blossom, IN. The couple will be performing at the Uncle Pen festival on the 17th as the closing act, and they will invite the audience to join them the next day at the cabin, where Larry Efaw will officiate the ceremony.

Luke and Megan met bluegrass cute, as we detailed in an earlier interview last summer. McKnight caught young Megan’s eye when she was just nine years old, as she told us back in 2020…

“My parents and I were at the bluegrass festival in Georgetown, Ohio in 1999. We never missed a Jim & Jesse show if they were booked where we were. That day Jesse McReynolds introduced his grandson, Luke McKnight, to the show. He was debuting his recently recorded album SUPERGRASS 2000, and he quickly became my first bluegrass ‘crush’.

I had my eye on Luke at Bean Blossom and other festivals throughout the years. But back then my Daddy would tell me, ‘that boy is too wild for you, Megan,’ but he always complimented his music!”

Both being bluegrass professionals, their paths crossed from time to time, and they considered each other friends, but romance began to bloom when both parties found themselves single following unsuccessful marriages a couple of years ago. Megan had called on Luke to speak to her Glenville students about the life of a musician on the road, and he mentioned to her in conversation that he had a large dollhouse that had belonged to his daughter, that her young daughter might enjoy. He drove it from Tennessee to West Virginia, and the two were soon an item.

Now McKnight has moved to Glenville, WV where he now works at the college, and he and Miss Megan are inseparable.

So if you’ll be at the Bill Monroe Music Park for the Uncle Pen Festival in September, Megan and Luke would like you to join them and witness their vows.

Though this has all happened quickly, Luke tells us that he feels he is a lucky man. “It took 39 years to know what happy really means….. I am blessed beyond words.”

Megan says that it will be a quick and simple ceremony, which will be beautiful no matter who comes over. “All that matters to us is that we have God, our girls, and parents, and any family and friends there.”

But if may be at Bean Blossom, y’all come! The family will provide coffee and homemade cookies for all who take part.

The couple have formed a non-profit organization to help preserve early country and traditional mountain music alive, called Miss Megan and Luke McKnight: Archiving Appalachia. They ask that anyone inclined to remember their wedding with a gift, to please consider a donation.

They can be sent to:

Archiving Appalachia
PO Box 24
Glenville, WV 26351

Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers at the Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival – photo by Frank Baker

Here again, are more of the fine stage photographs taken by Frank Baker at the Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, plus a few of their annual Kids Academy where youngsters get a chance to participate by learning to play some bluegrass.

One more gallery to come.

Many outfits would likely seem somewhat daunted by the prospect of opening for a legend like Rodney Crowell, and yet Alex Leach seemed totally at ease in that role this past Saturday (8/20/21) in lovely Oak Ridge TN. At the second of a series of free outdoor concerts dubbed the Summer Sessions, presented by radio station WDVX, and sponsored by the ORNL Federal Credit Union, the group managed to avert the lingering threat of rain while sharing a set that rivaled that of Crowell, the show’s headliner.

Then again, Leach and his five piece band — wife Miranda (vocals), JT Coleman (bass), Joshua Gooding (mandolin), and Brandon Masur (banjo) — do possess a certain hometown advantage. Leach is something of a boy wonder. He began making regular appearances on WDVX at the tender age of nine after introducing himself to station manager, Tony Lawson. Now, some 22 years later, he continues to host a pair of programs heard regularly on the station — Bluegrass Special and Rize N Shine. Not only is he a listener favorite, but an award-winning DJ as well, having twice been accorded SPBGMA’s Bluegrass DJ of The Year from the time he was 15. 

It practically goes without saying then that now, at age 31, Leach is already a seasoned entertainer. He started  performing music professionally at age 19, and shortly thereafter he was recruited by Ralph Stanley II for what became the newest incarnation of the Clinch Mountain Boys, with whom he shared the stage at the Grand Ole Opry and many others as well. 

That experience has clearly served him well. Leach shares a natural youthful exuberance onstage, leaning into the microphone and eagerly providing a set of songs culled from his recent debut album, I’m The Happiest When I’m Moving, which featured production credits by Jim Lauderdale. The band boasts tight-knit harmonies and exuberant instrumental skills, with special kudos due Gooding for his adept picking and plucking. That was especially evident when he, Masur, and Leach stepped forward to command center stage.

Naturally, the crowd cheered their “homeboy” at every interval, while taking their appreciation several decibels higher when the band tossed in a few choice covers. The list included classics by the Byrds and Fleetwood Mac (their take on Say That You Love Me was especially infectious), as well a tender version of two disparate age-old standards — Fair and Tender Ladies and Jump Jive. A tribute to his late friend and fellow musician Steve Gulley, with whom he shared the radio waves at WDVX, also resonated with emotion and eloquence.

Still, the song that resonated with special significance was Golden Rule, a track taken from the band’s aforementioned album. “The one that made you, made him,” Leach sang, sharing a reminder that in these tumultuous times it’s important to look out for one another. So too, the beautiful ballad, Mandy Mae, struck a gentle tone as well, given its lovelorn sentiment and hope of meeting in the hereafter. 

It was that communal feel that pervaded the band’s performance overall while also reinforcing the fact that Leach is indeed worthy of being considered a hometown hero. Given the performance this past Saturday, that status was reaffirmed and assured.

Leadership Bluegrass is an IBMA-related program which has been going strong since the year 2000. Its stated purpose, according to IBMA’s web site, is “to pull together a cross section of people with exhibited or potential leadership qualities into a network of learning and communication.” It is in some ways modeled after the Nashville-based Leadership Music program, or the more general Leadership Everything program, held annually in Iceland.

The alumni of Leadership Bluegrass are usually so ecstatic after they attend that it becomes clear that either something really fulfilling is going on in those seminars, or the catering is second to none, possibly both.

I’ve always respected the concept of creating and fostering more leaders in our business who develop a broader understanding of all aspects of the bluegrass music industry. In the past few years, though, I’ve felt there remains an unfulfilled need in the bluegrass community: shouldn’t we also have a program to gather people together who have no interest whatsoever in being leaders, and who would just as soon coast along, having a good time, making some money along the way, or not, if they’re not motivated to do so? And before you jump in hastily and say, “you mean fiddle players?” let me just remind you that there are plenty of fiddle players in industry-leading roles. Former IBMA board chairman David Crow is just one who springs to mind, or award-winning instructor and music camp host Megan Lynch Chowning. The desire to shun leadership and education and “just do whatever” cuts across all traditional bluegrass roles, and represents a large and underserved segment of our business, so save your stereotyping for social media.

For this reason, I am drafting a proposal to create the Irresponsibility Bluegrass program, with a goal of getting it up and running as early as 2022 or as late as never. Like Leadership Bluegrass, Irresponsibility Bluegrass will be by invitation only, with candidates chosen who demonstrate a genuine desire to advance their personal cause with as little effort as possible, relying on industry leaders to keep the business going, and occasionally sowing divisiveness if it seems like a fun thing to do.

I spoke to one Leadership Bluegrass alumnus who, in describing the kinds of seminars and activities that take place, said that if IBMA World of Bluegrass seminars are the college classes of the bluegrass music industry, Leadership Bluegrass sessions are the university grad school of bluegrass. Using that analogy, Irresponsibility Bluegrass will be the junior high of our business, complete with cliques, disobedience, raging hormones, possibly even acne and braces.

To contrast this proposed program with Leadership Bluegrass (LB), using the Leadership Bluegrass bullet points from IBMA’s web site, I’ll show you point-by-point how Irresponsibility Bluegrass (IB) will propose to meet its goals, through the following:

LB: A systematic study of the business of bluegrass, its institutions and organizations, their needs, problems, and resources

IB: A semi-systematic study of how to make quick money in the business of bluegrass, while avoiding any of the boring and icky aspects of bluegrass institutions and organizations, capitalizing on the resources, while ignoring the needs and problems

LB: Exposure to a wide variety of current music leaders and notable persons

IB: Exposure to a wide variety of current music leaders and notable persons, who we’ll listen to for a while, realize none of it applies to our situation, then spend some time making fun of their speaking style and whatever they’re wearing

LB: Encouraging independent thinking, fresh perspectives and approaches

IB: Encouraging independent thinking by rejecting all cooperation with others in the industry and anyone else’s fresh perspectives

LB: Acquaintance with relevant issues facing bluegrass, their history, and future possibilities

IB: Isolating which issues have an immediate impact on our income and lifestyle,  becoming better acquainted with those, and then either ignoring all other issues, or learning just enough to express strong but poorly thought-out opinions about them

LB: Involvement of all related facets of the music industry which impact bluegrass

IB: I don’t think we’ll have time for that

LB: High quality interactive sessions for the participants

IB:  Jam sessions, a poker tournament, and a cash bar

Whether it’s an event producer learning how to cut corners and pay people less, an agent waiting around for the phone to ring, a musician hoping to make more money while putting less effort into the music, or a radio programmer just playing the first track of whatever CD he or she just received without actually listening to it, every Irresponsibility Bluegrass participant has a role to play. It is hoped that each one will graduate from the program with a greater awareness of each other’s needs and and an even greater capacity to disregard them.

Some will have a great time, others will leave not speaking to one another, and some of the musicians enrolled may even decide to leave the bands they’re in with no notice, then form new bands with each other, dissolving them after about 6 weeks. In any case, memories will be made.

Look for an application soon. Send it in late.

As we approach the two decade anniversary of the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, bluegrass singer and songwriter Caleb Bailey has released a song of remembrance from his current album, Poplar & Pine.

Titled simply United Flight 93, Caleb constructed the song from witness statements and inflight communications from the fourth plane hijacked by Al Qaeda operatives, intended to crash into the US Capitol. Since this plane took off later than the earlier three, the flight was eventually commandeered by heroic passengers who learned of their fate in desperate phone calls to family members while in the air. Rather than allow the airliner full of fuel to reach its destination, they stormed the cockpit and forced the plane to the ground in Pennsylvania, sacrificing their lives to thwart the hijackers’ plans.

Bailey works as a firefighter, and we all remember the stories of the rescue and fire personnel who were killed during the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York, after having saved uncounted numbers of people working there that day. As such, the date holds a special place in his memory. 

The song expresses his personal response to the assault, which he sings trading verses with Wayne Taylor of Blue Highway.

Have a listen in this graphic video.

United Flight 93 from Caleb Bailey is available now through iTunes and Spotify.

Rhonda Vincent is on the scene at the Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival – photo by Frank Baker

Here we go with a second gallery of images taken by Frank Baker at last weekend’s Summer 2021 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival.

More to come…

Tributes to Hall of Famer Tom T. Hall are pouring in, deservedly, from all corners of the music world after his death late last week, but among songwriters the loss is particularly stinging.

It seems nearly every bluegrass composer I know, from little known to those with trophy shelves sagging with honors, has weighed in on how The Storyteller helped them, made time for them or otherwise left a lasting mark on their lives and their craft.

My friend Cliff Abbott, from Alabama, is one of them. I introduced Cliff to his idol in a hallway during World of Bluegrass back in the Nashville days. Tom T., no doubt, had places to go and people to see, but he graciously took five minutes to talk songwriting. In that short conversation, he spoke volumes about how difficult it is to succeed, but how you can’t quit, without ever saying those words.

“See that guy,” he said, pointing to a 30-something man with a squeegee, washing outside windows at the Convention Center. “He’s probably a better songwriter than any of us.” The unspoken truth between the lines – the hallmark of Hall’s simple yet elegant songs – was that it’s a tough way to make a living. And that you can’t tell great writers by their day jobs.

When he got ready to leave, he shook hands and wished Cliff luck. “But not too much,” he said with a straight face, according to my no-notes recollection of the exchange a decade ago. “I’m still writing.”

At the other end of the spectrum in terms of songwriting success, but just as much in awe of Hall, is Larry Cordle. Once, nearly a decade ago, Cord realized that Tom T. would be at a party he was headed to, so he decided to take his much-worn copy of Hall’s How I Write Songs…Why You Can, Too, and have it signed. But he got cold feet and had to be talked into it by Miss Dixie.

Cord finally worked up the nerve while Hall was chatting with a group of folks. As Cordle tells the story, Hall said, “This may sound self-serving or whatever, but I heard this song a while back called Black Diamond Strings, and the longer I listened to it, I just kept thinking to myself, you know, I believe that SOB has been reading my book.” When the laughter died down, he wrote, “To Larry, the other best KY songwriter, Tom T.” Cordle still cherishes his prize.

There are hundreds of similar recollections floating around this week. If a writer didn’t have personal interactions with Tom T. – apparently there are some! – he or she talked in awe about what was learned just by studying his songs or reading his books about the craft.

“I learned how to turn a phrase through his songs,” said Darin Aldridge, who regularly climbs the bluegrass charts with his wife Brooke. “He said as much as you could want to say in a small amount of words. Nobody was better at it.”

“He had a way of telling a story that made you think it was your story,” Brook Aldridge added.

Simple truths. Universal appeal. “When you love somebody enough, you follow them wherever they go” (That’s How I Got To Memphis).

One of Darin and Brooke’s regrets is that they didn’t get a chance to write with Tom T. But they did have the honor of recording with him. Hall came to the studio and sang the last verse of Our Little World on one of their previous CDs. It’s a wonderful moment, worth tracking down and listening to.

But what Tom T. and his late wife and songwriting partner Dixie did went far beyond helpful advice or adding a guest vocal. They opened their home, Fox Hollow, to songwriters, artists, and others, sharing an impressive home cooked meal or, often, a guest room. At times, the comings and goings made it seem like an airport terminal. Darin and Brooke were introduced to their manager, Brian Smith, on one such occasion. One party was arriving, one was leaving, introductions were made and the rest is history.

The Halls had hundreds and hundreds of cuts over the years. But they didn’t take success for granted. They pitched relentlessly, and in their own style. Some writers pretty much throw songs at artists and hope something sticks. I and others try to target songs for specific artists. Why waste time, and come across as clueless, by pitching a drinking song when a little research would reveal the artist doesn’t do drinking songs?

But the Halls went even further. They narrowed down potential songs for a specific artist, then invited the artist to their estate for a pitching session. (You can do that when you’re songwriting royalty). The business meeting always included a meal.

“You’d sit around and feel like part of their family,” Brooke Aldridge said.

I’m not suggesting the Halls had so much success because of that approach. They were so successful because their songs were so good.

The proof is in the pudding.

Banana pudding.

“One year, it was Brooke’s birthday when we were there, and they made her a big banana pudding,” Darin Aldridge said when asked to share a favorite memory of time spent with Tom T. and Dixie.

“It was like seven layers,” Brooke said, the amazement still evident in her voice years later.

Last night, the first time I heard this particular story, I realized Tom T. Hall was still nudging songwriters to be better. 

He was a master at layering, not just with banana pudding, but with the nuance and meaning in his lyrics.

I have so much more work to do.

Jared Rabin’s connection to music started early in life, at age five specifically. His initial influences were weaned from his granddad, a first chair violinist for the Chicago Symphony. However, his interest quickly accelerated, leading him to become not only an adept multi-instrumentalist, but a musician clearly well versed in a variety of disparate genres. 

In recent years, Rabin’s become a recipient of several awards and accolades, including his placement as a semi-finalist in the 2018 International Songwriting Competition, his steady elevation to the upper tier of the charts, and his accrual of a generous amount of national and international airplay.

Cold Rain and Snow marks Rabin’s first all-acoustic record, and as a follow-up to his well-received 2020 effort, No Direction, it finds him opting for a traditional sound embodying a vintage perspective and a mostly unassuming approach. Rabin plays all the instruments — guitar, fiddle, and mandolin mainly — save the occasional drums. Even so, the music sounds fully fleshed out, as if there’s a well-engaged ensemble. That’s particularly true when it comes to the rugged revelry found in Hey Mister Doctor, My Coyote, Most Any Diamond, and No Sympathy in particular. 

With a nearly even mix between Rabin’s originals and a few old-time tunes, the new album keeps to a well-honed template that makes very few allowances for any contemporary interpretation. Like others of his ilk — Chris Thile, New Grass Revival, and the Punch Brothers in particular — Rabin commands attention and elevates interest through his playing and performances alone. That’s especially true when it comes to occasional instrumentals like Salt Creek and Whiskey for Breakfast, two entries in particular that allow his skills to shine with full flourish.

Musicians of Rabin’s calibre are generally found lending support to others, but given his ability to take the lead and meld articulate arrangements all on his own, Rabin’s clearly capable of claiming his credence. He’s also a skilled songwriter, and on a number like Drone of Days, he shows his talents aren’t limited to simply defining the delivery.

At this point, Rabin seems to have situated himself on the verge of wider recognition. Not surprisingly then, this album brings him closer than ever.

Little Roy & Lizzy Show at 2021 Summer Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival – photo by Frank Baker

Here is the first of several sets of Frank Baker’s images from the summer edition of the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. Much more to come.

Kat Wallace and David Sasso are a folk/bluegrass/Americana duo who write and record original music from their respective homes in Boston, MA and New Haven, CT. They met as members of the bluegrass band, Five ‘n Change, and began their duet relationship playing music for mandolin and fiddle, with David on mando family instruments and Kat on violin.

A debut album, Stuff of Stars, showcased their restrained duet sound, but the two artists have decided to go for a broader sound on their next project, Old Habits, set to hit on October 1.

A debut single from the album, Build Yourself an Ark, was released last week. It contains the sort of introspective and reflective songs so many writers have produced during a year of lockdowns and being taught to be fearful of one another. It begins with the Biblical injunction given to Noah, and transforms into a parable for contemporary life.

They describe the song thusly…

“The lyrics of this simple folk-country waltz provide ‘instructions for a modern-day ark.’ The song reflects on the very real and painful need to stay inside our figurative ‘arks’ over the past year, and what we would choose to safeguard during catastrophe.”

Kat and David produced this video from the recording sessions for the tracks, with Sasson on guitar, mandolin, and lead vocals, and Wallace on fiddle and vocals. They are supported by Mike Robinson on pedal steel, Brittany Karlson on bass and vocals, and Ariel Bernstein on drums.

Build Yourself an Ark is available now on iTunes and Spotify. Pre-orders for the full Old Habits album can be placed on bandcamp.