Monthly Archives: July 2022

Russ Carson and Ricky Skaggs at The Peace Center in Greenville, SC (7/8/22) – photo by Bryce Lafoon

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder played the Peace Center in Greenville. SC on July 8, and Bryce Lafoon with Lightshifter Studios was on hand to capture images for us.

He says that it was an overcast and occasionally rainy day, but the center was full, both outdoors under umbrellas and in the covered areas as well.

Deering Banjos has introduced a special, limited edition version of their popular Goodtime Two banjo with a gold rubbed bronze finish on the metal parts. It will be available in either open back or resonator models with a right or left handed orientation.

The Goodtime series of banjos are designed to offer a less expensive American made instrument for both new players, and serious, price-conscious banjoists looking for a second (or third!) axe. By simplifying construction while still employing high quality materials, Deering has led the market in the under $1,000 banjo price point for many years.

With so many fans of these lightweight, low cost 5 strings – many ten of thousands are sold each year worldwide – the idea of creating occasional short run models with unique characteristics has kept the line fresh.

The Bronze Goodtime offers the same basic construction as the standard, but with a bronze powder finish that gives the banjo a distinctive look, as well as an extremely low maintenance and completely hypoallergenic metal parts. Great news for those with an aversion to nickel.

The maple fingerboard is inlaid with an exotic hardwood, and the peghead features a limited edition logo burned into the wood.

Deering created this video to give folks a chance to see and hear it in action.

To get a Goodtime Bronze edition banjo, contact your local Deering dealer to place an order, which will only be accepted through this summer.

The Deering Two Bronze resonator edition sells for $879. The open back Americana Bronze Goodtime is $729.

Headin’ Home Bluegrass, the Lindblom family of Savannah, GA, ha a new music video for one of the songs on their upcoming second album, Down Where The Grass Is Blue.

The Lindbloms and their four adult children make up the band, who discovered bluegrass when they visited western North Carolina some years ago. Mom and dad, Jon and Marina, are trained classical musicians who studied at the Eastman School of Music, and moved to Savannah to play with the symphony there. Jon is on bass and Marina on fiddle, assisted by oldest son Luke on reso-guitar, daughters Libby on guitar and Lucy on mandolin, along with younger brother Timothy on banjo.

And that’s not the end of the Lindblom clan! Five even younger brothers, aged 7-16, also perform together as The Brothers Five.

This week’s music video is for Singing With the Saints, written by Buddy Davis, and sung by Libby with help from the rest of her family. It’s a truly upbeat version of this familiar number which will be included on the new album along with a number of new songs written within the band.

Check it out…

Down Where The Grass Is Blue will release on August 5. Pre-orders are enabled online for the CD, which will also be available from popular download and streaming services upon release.

Visit Headin’ Home online to find out when this dynamic group may be in your area.

The Price Sisters at the 2022 High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival – photo by Vicki Quarles

Thanks to Kevin Slick, President of The Colorado Bluegrass Music Society, for this report.

High Mountain Hay Fever, the festival known as “Small Scale, Big Time,” took place over the weekend of July 7-10 in beautiful Westcliffe, CO. Photographer Vicki Quarles took these pictures during the festival, showing the fun on stage as well as the beautiful surroundings.

Congratulations to Jereme Brown, banjo player and tenor vocalist with The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and his wife, Kayla, on the birth of their first child!

William Thomas Brown was born yesterday morning (July 13) at 10:32 a.m. He made his appearance at 7.8 lbs, stretching out to 19” long.

Both mom and son and doing well, and Kayla and Jereme report being completely star struck and hopelessly in love with their bundle of joy.

We also need to share a pat on the back with Jereme’s dad, the legendary Tommy Brown, on becoming a grandpa!

Tommy will join the band next week in Canada in Jereme’s place while he stays home helping out with the baby  

Many congratulations to Kayla and Jereme, and a hearty Bluegrass Today welcome to little William!

Dark Shadow Recording has a second single from Stillhouse Junkies, who took the 2021 IBMA World of Bluegrass by storm with their bluegrass power trio sound.

The song is one called Moonrise Over Ridgway, written and sung by bassist Cody Tinnin. Stephen Mougin, engineer and producer for the band’s upcoming album, Small Towns, explained that this one just made it in under the wire.

“Moonrise Over Ridgway was one of the late-entry songs submitted by the band for this album. We had spent a great deal of time rehearsing and tweaking arrangements on the other songs when Cody mentioned that he had another tune to offer. When I heard it, I was floored. Cool story, cool melody, and a total Stillhouse Junkies vibe.”

Along with Cody, the Junkies are Alissa Wolf on fiddle and vocals, and Fred Kosak on mandolin, guitar, and vocals.

Moonrise Over Ridgway is a tribute to the Uncompahgre Wilderness near Ridgway, CO, not far from where the band members reside. Its imagery encompasses all sorts of odd companions, including cowboys and aliens, along with a mysterious disappearance.

Check it out…

Moonrise Over Ridgway is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Norman Blake is without question one of the most influential musicians in the acoustic stratosphere. His distinctive guitar style has been studied by many aspiring players. His original songs have captured the ears of countless listeners due in large part to their symbolism, and imagery of days gone by. Guitarist Bob Minner, known for his longtime work with Tim McGraw as well as his original bluegrass songs, has released From Sulphur Springs To Rising Fawn (The Songs of Norman Blake), a project that not only pays tribute to Blake, but captures the spirit of his music in a creative and refreshing manner.

Minner took a minimalist approach with this recording, which considering the subject matter is an appropriate choice. From Sulphur Springs to Rising Fawn features scores of talent all throughout. The opening track, Last Train From Poor Valley pairs Minner with Tim Stafford who delivers a fine performance. Ginseng Sullivan, sung here by Ron Block, is perfectly suited for him. His vocal delivery on this piece is stellar. These two pieces exemplify Minner’s masterful job of pairing each artist with songs that suit their individual strengths.

Widow’s Creek is a fine instrumental duet between Bob and Kenny Smith. Church Street Blues features Vince Gill whose rendition of this classic carries a strong emotional quality. On & On & On features Minner accompanying Jeremy Stephens and Corrina Rose Logston on clawhammer banjo. This is one of the tracks where everything from the instrumentation to the song’s arrangement works perfectly.

Ronnie Bowman is featured on Green Light On The Southern, another great example of taking a beloved song and breathing new life into it. Lonesome Jenny featuring Dale Ann Bradley is a mellow track that features a string section arranged and performed by Chris Carmichael.

Hangin’ Dog is a piece by Blake’s wife Nancy, performed here by Minner and Mike Compton. Other tracks worthy of mention are Slow Train Through Georgia, featuring Shawn Camp, and Randall Collins, with Trey Hensley. The latter piece deviates quite a bit from Norman’s original 1972 recording, but the arrangement is very tasteful.

Three of the tracks feature just Bob Minner. Macon Rag has Minner playing both guitar parts while Year Of The Locust (Farewell To Old Rufus) displays Bob’s abilities on guitar and mandolin. The closing track on From Sulphur Springs To Rising Fawn is Fiddler’s Dram/Whiskey Before Breakfast. Though it is a standard tune, Minner’s rendition is patterned closely after Blake’s version, which has been played by many guitarists.

From Sulphur Springs To Rising Fawn is a fitting tribute to an important figure in traditional music. While Bob Minner could’ve easily played all fifteen of these songs as close as he could to Norman Blake, he chose to present his own take while also maintaining the unique characteristics that each piece has. It’s a really wonderful effort.

As you may have noticed we live in a world of evolving language. The prevalence of texting has certainly been a big influence, as we seek more and more concise ways to express ourselves (when an appropriate emoji isn’t available for the purpose). The business community is also partly responsible, because nothing says that you’re a moving, shaking captain of industry like butchering your native language around a conference table or during a zoom meeting.

It’s the business world who brought us “networking,” and more recently, “permissioning,” (as a substitute for “granting permission” or even “asking permission,” as well as “costing” (for checking the cost of something). We now also have an “ask,” in lieu of a “request.”

Church-goers have for years used “fellowship” as a verb, which may have been influenced by the language-busting boardroom crowd, or they may just be confused by the fact that “worship” also ends with “ship,” and is both a noun and a verb, so why shouldn’t “fellowship” work the same way?

You might notice a pattern here, aside from the fact that these words cause an involuntary cringe response: they all involve changing a noun to a verb or vice versa. They also usually save a word or two, or in the case of “ask” as a noun, one syllable. Over the period of a year, this may save up to ten minutes of your life, freeing you to spend more time scrolling through Facebook or just singing Barbara Allen once.

Do we do this in bluegrass? Yes we do, and I’ll give some examples, but we can definitely do more because we could all use a little more time to get the mandolin more in tune before hitting the stage or adding an extra verse to White Dove about Mother and Daddy coming back to life.

We already turn “fiddle” into a verb (“Fiddle one for us, Chubby!”). “Jam” is already a noun and a verb: we “jam” as opposed to “have a jam.” And we jam at a “jam,” instead of a “jam session,” again freeing up that all-important second it takes to say “session.”

Here are some other ways we can save some words by turning nouns into verbs (or “verbing,” to be more efficient):

Taking a cue from “fiddle,” we can use that with other instruments. We can add bass to a song by “bassing” it. “Can you banjo that?” can be used instead of “Can you play a banjo break there, if it feels like an appropriate place in the song to do it?” Congratulations! You just saved 16 words. Or, maybe I should have said, “Congrats! Much shorter.”

Instead of “singing on” something, or “adding vocals,” we can just “vocal” it, saving at least one word. We already say, “I’ll tenor that” for adding a tenor part, or “Let’s duet that.”

Here’s a useful time-saving phrase when requesting that a band member add a harmony part to a section of a song: “I have an ask: can you harmony that?”

The business world also brought us “actionable.” Can we have “quartetable” songs, if we add a bass part (or “bass” it)? If we convert a song from 4/4 to 3/4 time, is it “waltzable”?

Recently I heard someone referring to someone’s reason for doing something as their “why” for doing it. Could your instrumental technique be your “how?” “Presenting the How of Scruggs-style Banjo” makes a nice instructional course name (and by “nice” I mean “irritating” but “nice” saves three syllables).

As you know from the Christmas season, “gift” has been verbed, so we no longer give people things, we “gift” them things. “Gifting my friend a guitar,” and “giving my friend a guitar” saves no time at all, and it’s also very expensive. However, in that spirit, for bandleaders who still write checks to their bandmembers, rather than “pay” them, you might just “paycheck” them. That actually takes longer, so now you might have to shorten your White Dove arrangement rather than add your parent-resurrecting verse. In other words, you may need to “unverse” it.

By the way, all of this time and word-saving by verbing and nouning is negated by the habit of beginning every answer to a question with “so.”

Bell Buckle Records has a new single for bluegrass Gospel singer and songwriter Daniel Crabtree, the title track from his current album, Closer Than I’ve Ever Been. Two of his previous compositions have been recorded by Larry Sparks, both making it to the top of the Bluegrass Today Gospel Weekly airplay chart.

This is his fifth album of original bluegrass Gospel, produced once again by Daniel with Donna Ulisse.

The single tells of being close to the end of a sprint, and he explains where he found the inspiration.

“Several passages in the Bible refer to living life as running a race, with the runner winning the prize at the end. We know that the prize is eternal life, and I’m nearer now to heaven than I’ve ever been.” 

Crabtree is supported on this track by Nashville superstars Cody Kilby on guitar, Scott Vestal on banjo, Harry Clark on fiddle, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Gaven Largent on reso-guitar, and Evan Winsor on bass. Ulisse, Rick Stanley, and Aaron McCune add the four part harmony.

Have a listen…

Closer Than I’ve Ever Been, both the single and the album, are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

Pinecastle Records has announced the signing of veteran bluegrass Gospel group The King James Boys from South Carolina.

The band started out in 1994 with guitarist Randy Spencer and a few friends singing in their home church, but as the years went along, with many others encouraging them to perform elsewhere as well, they began to sing out in public. There have been personnel changes along the way, but Randy has managed to keep a top flight bluegrass band on the road ever since, with a total of 12 albums recorded during their career.

Spencer says that he is delighted with their new label partner, and the first single from their upcoming album, one called The Devil’s Not Afraid of a Dust Covered Bible.

“We’re so proud to be back home with Pinecastle Music and looking forward to a great future making fantastic music with their team. We loved this new single the first time we heard it and hope y’all enjoy the arrangement and love the message as well.”

The single was written by James Metcalf, and the title perfectly describes the song’s message. Spencer is on guitar and lead vocal with bandmates Cole Spencer on bass, Curt Lewis on banjo, Will Hart on mandolin, and Josh Greene on fiddle. Harmonies comes from Cole, Hart, and Greene.

Check it out…

The Devil’s Not Afraid of a Dust Covered Bible is available now from popular download and streaming services online. It will also be included on the next King James Boys album, Walk On Faith.

Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

We may very well be living in a golden age of flatpicks. Even though the most preferred material, shell from the Hawksbill tortoise, is becoming rarer all the time with international trade in their shells prohibited by law, a wealth of new resin and composite materials have become available in the past two decades.

The latest entry is ToneSlabs, a project of David Welch and Frank Solivan, set to debut on the market September 1 in three sizes. Their flagship pick is called the Tri, a large triangle, and they also offer a standard teardrop shape, and one called a Tweener, which is a smaller triangle.

Frank says that the material they use is top secret, telling us with a grin that, “its all about the 11 secret herbs and spices.” Whatever the recipe may be, the result is a translucent material which can have most any color added.

During the development process he and David researched a variety of possible materials, concerned only about the tonal result once they were formed into picks, and then carefully shaped and beveled. What they will say about their final choice is that it matches and exceeds the hardness, rigidity, and density of natural shell. Combined with the hand beveling of the pic edges, which both David and Frank have mastered over many year of work, they have no problem claiming that ToneSlabs have hit the motherlode.

Solivan says that they combine the best of machine and hand work to get exactly the result they are after.

“For shape and dimension consistency, David has been using a CNC machine to cut out all of our blanks. The final edge/beveling is done by hand. That’s what sets us apart from other plectrum makers. The high gloss polished bevels matched with our rigid material is key to revealing one’s tone. The pick just glides across the strings like glass. We’ve refined what people have come to see as standard shapes, and we’ve made visually subtle, but tonally significant adjustments to tear drop, and triangle plectrums. It’s been years in the making. Both of us have been experimenting and honing our craftsmanship for years.”

A variety of colors are offered, with four thicknesses available in each of the three shapes. The ToneSlabs pick sells for $45, and custom options can be had for an extra $5 charge.

Pre-orders are enabled now online, with delivery expected in September. A number of endorsing artists are expected to be announced by that time as well.

Especially exciting for me is news that they are currently developing a ToneSlabs thumbpick as well. Well done!

You can learn more about ToneSlabs online.

Most folks in bluegrass know Ashby Frank as an extremely gifted singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, but not everyone realizes that he is also a very talented comedian. Frank was one half of the outrageously funny Darrell Brothers, along with Brandon Bostic, delivering a short-lived podcast of bluegrass humor that rivaled the work of Lester ‘Roadhog’ Moran & the Cadillac Cowboys.

He displays his talents in both areas on his latest Mountain Home Music single, Jump On It, which John Anderson had recorded in 1997. It’s a clever novelty song about a family enjoying their new trampoline.

Ashby says it’s his first high production number, which is a sort of acoustic country blues, which becomes more intense as the song goes along.

“I have been a fan of this Pat and Pamela Terry composition since I heard it when I was a teenager. We started adding into our shows with The Likely Culprits a few years ago, and it always went over well with our audiences — but it got an especially raucous response from the crowd when we were out on tour opening for Jamey Johnson a few years ago.

So when I started this project, I knew that I wanted to record it, and I had some ideas in my head about how to make the music fit the vibe of the lyrics. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that it would turn out like it did, but with the help of my co-producer, Brandon Bostic; so many amazing musicians; and the backing voices of some of my friends who also happen to be legends in their own fields, I think we got a cut that is very special. I am so proud of this track!”

Along with Ashby on this new single, we have his Mountain Heart bandmates Seth Taylor on guitar, Travis Anderson on bass, and Josh Shilling on keys, with Scott Vestal on banjo and Deanie Richardson on fiddle. He is further supported by a wicked Gospel choir of sorts featuring John Cowan, Bekka Bramlett, and Dale Perry, all with Hall of Fame credentials.

Traditionalists, don’t be scared off – this is a wonderful recording. Vestal’s low-tuned banjo trading licks with Frank’s mandolin is worth the price of admission, and the whole song is a riot.

Check it out…

Jump On It is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Recording King, a leading importer of Asian-made bluegrass instruments, has announced a complete upgrade of their most popular model, the RK-R20 Songster banjo.

Selling for just under $600, this model has been a top choice for people starting out on the five string, and is widely available at dealers all over the world. Still, the company has upgraded and improved almost all of the components, and switched its manufacture to the facility that builds their upper end, professional-grade instruments.

The RK-R20 is made with a mahogany neck and resonator, buffed to a high gloss, a multi-ply wood rim with a rolled hoop tone ring, nickel-plated hardware, ivory-colored binding on the neck and resonator, and a Hearts & Flowers inlay pattern in the fingerboard.

Recording King put together this video demonstrating the versatility of the RK-R20 with a skilled picker playing Earl Scruggs’ classic arrangement of Home Sweet Home, plus the intro to Van Halen’s hit song, Jump.

You can find out more about this banjo on the Recording King web site.

Mile Twelve at the 2022 Bluegrass on the Grass Festival at Dickinson University – photo by Frank Baker

Frank Baker caught the past weekend’s Bluegrass on the Grass Festival, held on the grounds of Dickinson University in Carlisle, PA.

It is a lovely event, on the beautiful Dickinson campus, and offered free to the public. You’ll find people of all ages sitting under the trees, dancing in the sun, or walking about the premises.

Thanks again to Frank for the images!

Ralph Stanley II has signed with RBR Entertainment, and completed work on a new project for the label with creative director Billy Droze.

We have long felt that II’s finest recording to date has been his single album with Lonesome Day Records in 2008, This One is II, produced by Randall Deaton. Judging by the debut single from this latest effort, we may be able to expect something similar in short order.

Ralph say that he couldn’t be happier with his new record company.

“I am really excited about working with the team at RBR Entertainment. They have taken me in and made me feel at home. Billy really brought out the best in me. He was patient and encouraged me through the whole recording process.”

For the first single, they have chosen a new song called Back To Virginia, written by Billy Droze, Jim Parker, and Eddie Wilson. It calls upon the historic family into which Ralph II was born and raised, and was composed with his father, Dr. Ralph Stanley, and his uncle Carter Stanley in mind.

“When I hear this song, I think a lot about my dad and I think the listener will think about their loved ones who have passed on as well. Personally, I believe this is the best song I’ve ever recorded, both in song quality and my performance.”

II is supported here by Jason Roller on guitars, Greg Martin on bass, Tim Crouch on fiddle and mandolin, Scott Vestal on banjo, and Josh Swift on reso-guitar and background vocals. Billy Droze produced the track.

Have a listen…

Can’t wait to hear more from this project.

For now, Back To Virginia is available from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Authentic Unlimited, surely the hottest new commodity in bluegrass music in recent years, has a new single out today from their self-titled debut album with Billy Blue Records.

The song is one called Hannah, written and sung by guitarist John Meador, who is a big part of the reason this group has excited so many people. Another is the fact that most of the rest of the band were part of Doyle Lawson’s final edition of Quicksilver before he retired at the end of 2021. The group is completed by Jesse Brock on mandolin.

Meador says that this one is what Bill Monroe used to call “true songs.”

“Hannah was inspired by a true love story of an elderly couple that I remember knowing as a small child. I am very pleased with the final product. I think that the instrumentation executed by this band configuration fit the story of the song perfectly. I am honored that the guys wanted to not only record, but to release my song as a single!”

It’s a lovely song and John’s clear tenor voice demonstrates why he is such a rising star in our music. Jerry Cole is on bass, Eli Johnson banjo, and Stephen Burwell on fiddle.

Check it out…

Hannah and the full Authentic Unlimited album are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

Popular bluegrass Gospel group The Churchmen have welcome an old friend back into the fold. Their very first fiddler, Christian Gillikin, has returned to the band after taking his leave some years ago.

A Virginia Beach native, Christian has been playing the fiddle since he was a toddler, staying with it right into college. His start was with classical training but bluegrass was what always had his attention. At eight years old he won a Virginia state fiddle championship, and recalls bluegrass jams as the highlights of his childhood.

Gillikin first joined up with The Churchmen in the mid 1990s, recording on their album The Drifter, and staying with the band for roughly ten years before departing to pursue a career in law enforcement. Unable to commit to a full time group, Christian kept his hand in with regional groups, and with a band representing his police department. Now retired, he has moved to Beaufort, NC and is back on the road with The Churchmen.

There he joins co-founder Keith Clark on bass, longtime member Carol Arnn on banjo, Jay Adams on guitar, and Greg Jones on mandolin.

A fifth project for Morning Glory Records, a division of Mountain Fever Music Group, has recently been completed. Look for news on that soon.

Like so many of us, in and out of bluegrass, the members of Unspoken Tradition had big plans for 2020, touring in support of, and planning their follow-up to, 2019’s superb Myths We Tell Our Young.

But COVID interrupted those plans, casting a long, dark cloud over the landscape. The quintet – to borrow a line from Carolina and Tennessee, the song that kicks off the band’s new project, Imaginary Lines – “walked in the shadow of hard times, waiting for the sun to shine.”

Now, at long last, the hard times are fading and the sun is shining again. If this CD from Mountain Home Music Co. is any indication, the band’s deferred dreams were worth the wait.

From the kickoff guitar riff of the opening song, Imaginary Lines is fresh and folky. The direction is a not-so-subtle reminder that bluegrass is a broad canvas that is best when not confined within narrow lines, real or imaginary.

“The intent was for us to push our own boundaries and not be constrained by what a bluegrass band is supposed to sound like,” said mandolinist Ty Gilpin. “All that really matters are songs that people can universally relate to.” Mission accomplished.

The best songs here, in one guy’s subjective view, have a deeply rooted sense of place. There are places where we are, and places where we long to be, and they aren’t always the same. This was especially true in the last two-plus years, which I’m certain is why these songs resonate so much for me now.

On the macro side – “places” writ large – are Carolina and Tennessee, written by Aaron Bibelhauser and Pat Younger, and California, a song from Thomm Jutz and Miriam Speyer that’s already topped the charts. The micro side is well represented by Lookout Mountain (Charles Humphrey III and Phil Barker), Gilpin’s Soldiers of Dust and Back on the Crooked Road from Tim Stafford and producer Jon Weisberger.

The lead vocals from bassist Sav Sankaran and guitarist Audie McGinnis are inviting and soothing, reminding me a lot of Firefall, the 1970s band that helped define the soft rock era. And they are, interchangeably, the perfect complement for the compelling picking. Tim Gardner on fiddle and Zane McGinnis on banjo add the drive on top of the solid rhythm base laid down by Sankaran, Gilpin and Audie McGinnis.

It all adds up to music that’s perfect for hanging out on the porch on a sultry summer day, or gathering with friends around the firepit in the evening. You know, the kinds of things we used to take for granted. It’s good to be able to do those things again, and it’s great to have Imaginary Lines as part of the soundtrack for getting back to normal.

Kristen Leigh Bearfield is a bluegrass and Gospel singer/songwriter from Tennessee, who has been performing this past five years or so with the all-female acoustic Gospel outfit, High Road.

A graduate of ETSU, this talented young lady had been through a lot on her trip to working full time in the music business, including a serious automobile accident that threatened to leave her paralyzed. But she pulled through to the amazement of her doctors and now works as a communications consultant with the IBMA when not on tour with the band.

Today she has a single of her own to share, one she wrote called Flying Away, a positive acoustic country take on life’s fleeting fashions.

It’s a wise reflection for such a youthful artist, and Kristen says that spending time in the hospital helped her realize the importance of every precious minute.

“Time is ever changing like the wind. Life can change in a moment and stop us in our tracks. I wrote this song in regards to how time never stands still for any of us, but if y’all are like me… it sure would be nice if that clock could slow down a little bit sometimes. That clock is on borrowed time though, and it just keeps ‘flying away.’ I’m so thankful for the chance to share this song, and I pray that it brings some joy into your world and reminds us all to slow down a little and appreciate the beauty in every moment.”

Bearfield plays mandolin and sings lead, and is supported here by Skip Cherryholmes on guitar, Scott Vestal on banjo, Jim VanCleve on fiddle, Chris Latham on bass, and Kevin Smith on percussion. Devin McGlammery sings harmony.

Have a listen…

Flying Away from Kristen Leigh Bearfield is available now from popular download and streaming services online. It is being distributed by Billy Blue Records.

Radio programmers can get the track via AirPlay Direct.

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway at the 49th Telluride Bluegrass Festival – photo by Anthony Verkuilen

Anthony Verkuilen was at the 49th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival for us this year, and has contributed this substantial gallery of photographs from his days in Colorado.

Like many bluegrass festivals, the audience is often as big a part of the show as the artists at Telluride, and Anthony did a great job capturing them both. Not to mention the beautiful Rocky Mountain which rise up in the midst of the grounds.

Thanks Anthony!

The Lost and Found have a new single releasing tomorrow on Mountain Fever Records. But wait, you may say… hasn’t that band been defunct for nearly a decade? Well… it’s a long story.

To get the skinny, we chatted with Allen Mills last week, founding member, bass player, and the voice of the band since they formed in 1973. From the mid-’70s, Lost and Found have been hometown heroes in and around Ferrum and Roanoke, VA, and a popular bluegrass touring and recording act all over the US and Canada. Their many albums are an important part of bluegrass history, with hits like Love of the Mountains, Leftover Biscuits, Struttin’ To Ferrum, Down on Sawmill Road, and Harvest Time solidly ensconced within the canon of our music.

They even survived the retirement of founding banjo picker Gene Parker and the passing of original mandolinist Dempsey Young, bringing in several new members to fill the gaps, but once Allen developed back problems that made touring difficult, there wasn’t much to be done.

When we caught up with him last week, our first question was how was he doing these days at 85 years of age..

“Well… I can’t run like I used to. Got a bad case of can’t do what I want, and don’t want what I can.”

Allen’s trademark sense of humor is clearly unburdened by age.

So how did new music from Lost and Found come to see the light of day?

“I figured back in 2013, while I was still mobile, we should see about getting something recorded, me and Sammy Shelor. I had traded him some time for work on his bus, so he said he would engineer the sessions up at Mark’s (Mountain Fever Studio).

We got in the studio and laid down six songs and an instrumental. After we tracked, I had to have a number of back surgeries so we sort of left it alone. My first was in 2002, and about 8 years later the problem recurred from collapsing in the bone. That led to additional surgeries in 2015 and ’16.”

It was recorded with the then current edition of the band – Scott Napier on mandolin, Ronald Smith on banjo, and Dan Wells on guitar.

“This was designed as a budget project, so I got my nephew Jason Moore in to play bass. He said he had always wanted to record with Lost and Found, and I’m glad he was able to do that before he died.

Not long ago, Mark Hodges at Mountain Fever asked me about what I was going to do with it, and he encouraged me to put it out. So Aaron Ramsey started going through the files and mixed it.”

This first single, Mountain Folks, drops on Friday, July 8. We asked Mills how he came upon the song.

“JC Poff up in Christiansburg sent me several songs, and Mountain Folks was one of them. I really like the chorus, but his verses kind of made fun of people up in the hills. So I rewrote the verses and used his chorus.”

Unsurprisingly, it sounds like vintage Lost and Found. Have a listen…

A seven song EP, which Allen suggests may be titled Lost and Found – Final Chapter, is expected from Mountain Fever later this year.

He shared a few words about some of the other tracks that will be included.

“I always loved Jim Eanes’ Old Standby, and I asked Ronald if he could mimic what Allen Shelton done on it. He did a fine job

Put It Off Until Tomorrow from Dolly Parton is another. We were just ganging around getting in tune backstage one day, and Scottie started singing it. We recorded it for Rebel but they didn’t use it on that last record we did for them. So that will end up on this new project. Dempsey’s on there as well playing mandolin, so that had to be before 2006.

We also cut Same Old Town that Skeets McDonald had out in 1961. I remember Paycheck sang harmony on that one.”

“It’s not too embarrassing… at least I hope not!,” Allen said with a laugh.

Unfortunately, there won’t be any live shows in support of the album.

“I have gotten to the point where I have to sit down on stage in order to sing, and these days I don’t feel like I could drive or carry my bass. Just don’t have the stamina to do it. My love of the music and the road and the people around it is still strong, but I can’t stand very long without getting a little wobbly. I just didn’t feel like I was pulling my weight.

The further you go the slower you get, but I’m thankful my memory has stayed with me pretty good. I went to California with Sideline a few years ago, took them on my bus. So many wonderful memories of my time in bluegrass. Running up and down steps to get on the bus, I just can’t do that anymore. I sold my bus to Barry Berrier. He’s using it for his family vacations.”

Mills couldn’t help but reminisce a bit talking about Lost and Found.

“I remember back in the ’60s, me and Gene had been playing around some when Dempsey came along. Back then he put every lick he knew into the first line of his solo, but as he matured, he learned that less is more and he became a terrific mandolin player.

I’m so grateful to all the people that booked us for 43 years, kept us burning up fuel, getting down the road. And all the folks that came up and talked to us at shows. So many memories.

I don’t regret a thing.”

We are all delighted that Allen had the foresight to record one last time before his health started to decline. He truly is among the coolest cats in bluegrass!