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Monthly Archives: October 2022

Apple & Setser – Apple & Setser

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Azlyrics

Apple & Setser — a duo consisting of Brad Apple and Pam Setser — have officially been a pair since 2017, although they’ve played music together on and off for 30 years. Each started out in a family band, but of the two, Setser has been the more prolific, having tallied up a steady stream of albums all on her own, more than a dozen both on her own and in various configurations. That said, the pair have tallied quite a number of accomplishments, including a nomination for Best Acoustic Act for the 2022 Arkansas Country Music Awards and top chart showings on the Roots Music weekly reports, various Folk Alliance International monthly tallies and, of course, the Bluegrass Today weekly charts.

On their new self-titled effort, Apple handles the bulk of the instrumental duties, acoustic guitar, fingerstyle guitar, mandolin, acoustic, fretless electric bass, and vocals, and Setser responsible for lead and harmony vocals. David Johnson and Tim Crouch add fiddle, and Sam Cobb mandolin.

The results are consistently impressive, made even more so by songs that focus on reflection and reminiscing. Grandma Danced with the Arkansas Traveler is rather fanciful in the regard, while When the Wagon Was New is seeped in both novelty and nostalgia. Indeed, Apple & Setser’s sound is defined by a sweet and serendipitous approach, as reflected in the lithe and lively opening track, Hand Me Down My Walking Cane, as reflected in its blissful harmonies, the optimistic attitude of A Friend You Never Met, which shares lessons worth learning (“A handshake was a promise you never forget/A stranger was a friend you just never met”), the glad and giddy I’ll Love Nobody But You, and, ultimately, the quiet caress of Too Far Gone. A pair of upbeat instrumentals — Hayes Hoedown and When You and I Were Young Maggie — add to the overall enticement. Likewise, a cover of the age-old standard originally written by Buddy Holly, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore, is equally enticing.

Given all it offers, Apple & Setser not only begs return listens, but also anticipation of what else the two might have to offer as far as their future franchise. A wonderful album, it certainly bodes well for whatever form that might take. 

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Kentucky Tennessee – new single from Bobby & Teddi Cyrus

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Azlyrics

We learned about Wyoming, Montana from Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers 40 years ago. Now Bobby & Teddi Cyrus bring us to another mystical cross border spot with their new single from Pinecastle Records, Kentucky Tennessee.

Written together by the husband-and-wife bluegrass duo, the song tells the story of their musical heritage. Both grew up in Kentucky, Bobby in the hardscrabble hills of eastern Kentucky, and Teddi further west. They trace their artistic roots throughout the region, and at the same time acknowledge the importance of the state just south of them in the music they write and sing.

Kentucky Tennessee is the first look at the couple’s second project with Pinecastle, expected at some point in 2023.

It’s a smokin’ track, powered by an all star band of Nashville super pickers. Scott Vestal is on banjo, with Cody Kilby on guitar, Seth Taylor on mandolin, Eamon McLaughlin on fiddle, Josh Matheney on reso-guitar, and Dave Roe on bass. Bobby and Teddi take turns on the verses, harmonizing together on the choruses.

Check it out…

Kentucky Tennessee is available now as a single from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track via AirPlay Direct.

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I Thank You Lord, free Thanksgiving download from Rick Lang

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Azlyrics

Well, I saw kids today trick-or-treating, so even though it isn’t yet officially Halloween, it seems safe to talk a bit about Thanksgiving.

In particular, songwriter Rick Lang’s very gracious Thanksgiving gift to everyone who enjoys bluegrass music. It’s a new song, I Thank You Lord, offered as a free download from his web site to anyone who would like to have it.

Rick says that the lyrics relate the simple gratitude he feels as he looks back in retirement at the life he’s been privileged to lead.

“Thanksgiving is perhaps my very favorite holiday of the year. It’s all about home, family, and friends, being grateful for what we have and counting our blessings. I’ve always dreamed about writing and releasing a single to celebrate what Thanksgiving stands for. Well, my dream has now become a reality. I got together with my buddy Evan Dickerson (who hosts the Evan Dickerson Bluegrass Talk Show) and wrote I Thank You Lord to release in time for Thanksgiving this year. The song track was produced by my very talented friend Jared Easter, (founder of BuyDemoTracks.com) and features his cousin Morgan Easter on lead vocals. Morgan is gifted with one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard, and was a perfect fit for the song.

Have a listen here to the track, and if you would like to enjoy it at home or on your preferred listening device, just visit Rick’s web site for a complimentary download.

Thanks Rick, for your generosity, and for all the great music over the years.

Lang records for the Dark Shadow Recording label.

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Banjo Hall of Famer Alan Munde looks back on the early days

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Azlyrics

This look at the early days of banjo legend Alan Munde’s career was occasioned by his induction this year into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.

Native Oklahoman Alan Munde, while attending Oklahoma University in the 1960s, crossed paths with the original tall fiddler, Byron Berline, an event that changed his life. This, and other aspects of his early banjo life were recently shared with me by Alan.

“I was 14 when my older brother went to the US Navy. When he came home, he brought a guitar (arch backed Key), and a record on how to play. Folk Singers Guitar Guide, it was a 78 rpm,” Munde stated. That’s when the bug of playing and entertaining bit, and the rest has just fallen into place. 

Munde spent a lot of time at the local music store in Norman, OK, Mike Richey’s Guitar Center. According to Alan, “Music stores and record stores were the only contact to the outside music world. I saved up my money from my paper route, and bought myself a Pete Seeger Vega Ranger. I think it cost $100-$150, which was a lot of money. And I began lessons soon after. Dad would drive me out to the Luther Jones area, to Gary Price’s. I took two lessons from him, but that was enough for my interest in bluegrass, and got me started.” Munde started teaching lessons himself at Richey’s music store when he was around 18 years old. This was during the folk music boom. Listening to Lawrence Welk and Chet Atkins is part of how his interest peaked even further.   

While at Oklahoma University, Munde joined the Old Club Athletic Club and played music. This was in 1965-1966. A year later Lou Berline introduced Munde to Sam Bush in Independence Missouri. “I backed up Lou Berline, Byron’s dad, and learned the Texas backup style of playing. We went to fiddle contests throughout Oklahoma and Texas. It was a thrill to play with Byron, as he had already done things to contribute to the music world.”

Munde was majoring in secondary education/social science, and graduated in 1969 with his bachelors degree. Later in the fall of 1969, Harlow Wilcox took Munde to Nashville for a DJ Convention to promote his then current single, Groovy Grubworm. They stayed at the Noel Hotel, and were blessed to jam on that trip with Vassar Clements. That evening Al Olsteen of Jim & Jesse introduced Alan to Jimmy Martin, the hub of a wheel beginning to turn. One week later Munde auditioned at the Noel Hotel and became Jimmy’s banjo player. He played with Sunny Mountain Boys from 1969-1971.  

Munde was introduced to The Stone Mountain Boys by Byron Berline. Eddie Shelton, their banjo player, is who Alan credits for his knowledge of the banjo. “One time we had a gig in Texas, and I rode the bus to Texas. After the gig, I missed the bus, and Eddie drove as fast as possible and waved the bus down so I could get home,” Alan, while laughing, said.  

In 1969, only 4 years after graduating, Munde joined and played a vital part in creating a new group Poor Richard’s Almanac. “Wayne Stewart had this idea for a group with this kid he knew in Kentucky named Sam Bush, who was probably 15. So I moved to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and we formed Poor Richard’s Almanac. Not long after, I got my draft notice, but before I left, Sam, Wayne, and I made this tape, later released by Ridge Runner Records, called Poor Richard’s Almanac. That was a lot of the instrumental things we were doing. I then went back to Oklahoma, was rejected by the Army, and worked in Norman that summer.” 

In 1972, Berline, then a member of The Flying Burrito Brothers, was preparing to tour in Europe, when the unexpected happened. Chris Hillman left the band and Byron called Munde, and Alan joined them in Europe to play the electric guitar. “The guitar was provided by the band, and I turned the volume down, because I didn’t know any of the songs,” laughed Alan.

Soon after, Berline and Roger Bush formed The Country Gazette with Alan on banjo. It was in 1972 that their first record, A Traitor in Our Midst, was released by United Artists. From an earlier conversation with Berline, I had already known about this controversial album cover, but through further conversation with Munde, I recalled that earlier discussion with Byron. “Norman Scieff, of United Artists, was in charge of costumes and album design. He took us to the costume department, and we literally tried on outfits as we came upon them. Scieff would say, ‘try this on.’ We hadn’t decided on a cover idea, but then we located some Bandito costumes. In the neck of mine, Charlton Hesston was written. It was a sexist cover for sure.  Many people thought we were smoking pot on the cover, but it was cigarillos.”

Munde has played a vital role in the 5 string banjo world, and has stacked up some awards as well. In 2021, he was the co-recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize, along with Don Vappie. “Don was mailed my award letter, and I got his,” Alan said with a smile. In 2022, Alan Munde was inducted into the American Banjo Music Hall of Fame.

Alan is loaded with personality, and I learned a lot from him as he taught a workshop at The American Banjo Museum over the weekend he was inducted. Turned out in his New Balance tennis shoes, a blue sweatshirt, and shorts with a ball cap perched atop his head, Munde sat center stage, and with no ego expressed the following: “If all else fails, play the melody. You must know roll logic. That’s part of the melody.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Munde was asked, “What is a lick?” He answered with a giggle, “Who knows?” “Why is the marker on the 1st fret?” “Because we are banjo players.”

For inspiration today Munde listens to Chet Atkins, different types of music from the 1950s, and watches anything he can find with guitar.

What a walk down memory lane! It seems that Byron Berline was always in the corner of Munde’s memories, and as it happened, most of the major events in his music career were in the month of October. Coincidentally, so is the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival that Byron started.  

Alan Munde teaches at a banjo workshop in Oklahoma City, October 2022 – photo © Pamm Tucker

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Evergreen video from the Stillhouse Junkies

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Azlyrics

Dark Shadow Recording has released a music video for their current single with Stillhouse Junkies, the bluegrass/folk power trio from Colorado that has been winning raves wherever they perform for their clever songs and energetic stage show.

It’s for the song Evergreen, from the band’s recently-released album, Small Towns, which was shot during their album release concert at Nashville’s Station Inn earlier this year. The audience that night was in on the shoot, which combines live footage with the recorded audio.

The song tells the story of someone who has left their home town to seek a career out in the wider world, and the concomitant desire to eventually go back someday.

Guitarist Fred Kosak sings lead, supported by bandmates Cody Tinnin on bass and Alissa Wolf on fiddle.

Evergreen, and the full Small Towns album, are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Audio CDs can be ordered directly from the band.

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Grey Wind from new Shawn Lane and Richard Bennett project

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Azlyrics

Bonfire Music Group has a new album from the duo of Shawn Lane and Richard Bennet, two well-established bluegrass singers and songwriters whose 2019 album demonstrated how well the two work together as well. A debut single, Grey Wind, is released this week offering a first glimpse at their latest effort.

Both men have blazed a career path on their own prior to any decision to collaborate. Lane is the founding mandolinist with Blue Highway and has spent nearly three decades touring and recording with them. He is also one of the group’s chief songwriters. Bennett earned his stripes as a guitarist and vocalist, including several years as a member of J.D. Crowe & The New South. Richard has a number of solo recordings to his name and was recently part of the band Flashback.

Grey Wind is a song that Shawn wrote, which he says came from a grey feeling that he couldn’t shake.

“I was going through a rough patch and was talking to my brother about it. He told me ‘you know, it can only rain so long’ – this song just fell out of the sky on me one day.”

Shawn takes the lead vocal on this one and Richard the tenor harmony, as they trade off on mandolin and guitar.

Have a listen…

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

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Banjo Legends site celebrates Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe on film

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Azlyrics

Daniel Duffin is a photographer, writer, and banjo enthusiast who had taken advantage of the opportunity to capture his favorite pickers, Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe, on film in the comfort of their own homes. Now that these legends have left us, Daniel has created a very nice web site called Banjo Legends where his photos are displayed.

These images date back quite some time, to 1973-74 for Scruggs and 1983 for Crowe. Duffin shot dozens of photos of these impressive banjo icons, both taken when they were in their prime. There are also shots of Earl backstage at the Opry, and on stage.

Now we’ve all seen great pictures of these two throughout their careers. What makes these so special as to have their own web site?

Well, Daniel is a terrific photographer, and he used a Hasselblad 500c large format film camera with both 50 and 80mm lenses for the shots taken in Earl and J.D.’s home. After processing and developing the film, it was carefully stored away until recently when the negatives were digitized for online display.

The Banjo Legends site is a gift from Duffin to the bluegrass community. All of these classic images are offered for high resolution viewing at no cost, though saving and copying have been disabled.

Daniel is also working on editing a lengthy audio interview he did with Earl when he visited with him at home. Currently he is working through about three hours of tapes, and will add these audio files to the site once he is finished. He mentioned to us how fortunate it is that almost 50 years after the fact, the cassette tapes were still in good shape.

Any fan of Earl Scruggs or J.D. Crowe, and anyone who appreciates fine photography, is encouraged to visit the Banjo Legends site and enjoy the images.

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Sunny Days (Are Comin’ Once Again) from Michael Cleveland

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Azlyrics

Compass Records is dropping the first look at the next Michael Cleveland album this week, a hopeful grasser called Sunny Days (Are Comin’ Once Again).

The much-awarded fiddler, chosen a dozen times by his peers in the IBMA as Fiddle Player of the Year, has brought together some top Nashville musicians to assist on this new track, sung by guitarist and producer Jeff White, with harmony from Dan Tyminski, who also plays mandolin. Rounding out the studio band are Justin Moses on banjo, Jerry Douglas on reso-guitar, and Barry Bales on bass.

Michael says that he first found this song when he was in need of some cheering up himself.

“I first heard Sunny Days (Are Comin’ Once Again) in 2020 when we were in the middle of the COVID pandemic and everything was shut down. The band wasn’t playing, and if it hadn’t been for all the great sessions I got to play on from home during that time, I probably would’ve gone out of my mind. I was asked to play on this original song written by Greg Poulos and I instantly liked it — it was such a positive tune about better, sunny days ahead. I’m so thankful Greg agreed to let me have it, and Jeff White and Dan Tyminski absolutely nailed the vocals!”

Have a listen…

Sunny Days (Are Comin’ Once Again) is set for wide release tomorrow, October 28, on Compass Records. Look for it at popular download and streaming services at that time. It will also be available then at AirPlay Direct.

More information is expected soon on the next Michael Cleveland album, which will be released at some point next year.

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California Report: Kenny Feinstein of Water Tower Band

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Azlyrics

“Bluegrass and folk alchemy with psychedelic and punk influences” is how the Los Angeles-based Water Tower Band is described on their web site. Led by co-founder Kenny Feinstein, the band has endless energy emitting old-time sounds in a modern musical world. I encourage you to read Kenny and the band’s lengthy history.

Hey Kenny. Start by telling us what instruments you play.

Guitar, fiddle, bass, mandolin, banjo, and harmonica. I’m mainly a guitar player, and I spend a lot of time on my custom Preston Thompson guitar. It has an extra-large sound hole in honor of Clarence White and Tony Rice. We have a deep love of traditional bluegrass and the contributions that Clarence and Tony have made, so I wanted to make sure my guitar honored that. One of our founding members, who plays with us when we go to Oregon, helps build guitars over at the Thompson workshop in Sisters, Oregon. 

What’s your favorite Tony Rice or Clarence White guitar solos?

Church Street Blues is my favorite Tony Rice and Billy In The Lowground is my favorite Clarence White solo. 

Kenny does Tony, Clarence, and Doc on his Preston Thompson guitar

You’ve said playing the Ryman would be a dream. What would be your dream lineup for that?

My dream lineup would be playing with Old Crow Medicine Show, Molly Tuttle, and Tim Armstrong. Old Crow has helped us a lot throughout our career, and Molly Tuttle is a rad human being. We are SO excited for her that she just won female vocalist of the year from IBMA. 

You talk about the connection between punk and old-time. Have you ever played a gig where both genres were present?

Yeah, we had the honor of touring with a punk band called Against Me! back in 2012 when their lead singer, Laura Jane Grace, came out as trans, and it was on the cover of Rolling Stone. So that was especially punk rock. A bluegrass band opening for a loud punk rock band with a female singer. We had a blast on that tour. The highlight gig was playing the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. We’ve also played a lot of garage shows and house shows with punk bands, and we love the energy there. We got to open for Frank Turner a few times, and while he does play an acoustic guitar, his energy and band are punk rock.

Is there a connection between old-time and punk beyond a hard-edged groove? 

Yes. The idea of self-reliance is inherent throughout both of these genres—the DIY ethic. To create a scene from the friends around us, to schedule our own square dances and house shows, to train-hop, and to learn how to play and sing through the aural tradition. Also the speed of the music. Generally, old-time and bluegrass are played fast, just like punk rock. 

Is the world ready for fiddle mosh pits?

Oh yes. The first time we saw it was in Cardiff, Wales. We had crowd surfers hitting the lights on the ceiling. We were actually at a show in Grass Valley a few weeks ago, playing with Two Runner and Outlaws in the Golden State, and we were moshing to the music. It was a blast. A lot of people didn’t know what to do, but we just brought them into the circle. Now that we have Billy Strings paving the way with his metal influence, punk is ready to dive right into the fiddle pit. 

Talk about your release, Loveless: Hurts to Love, and the wall of sound with acoustic instruments.

I love that you understand the wall of sound concept here. This album was an obsession of mine. It’s a cover of Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. The album came out in 1991 and changed the course of what pop music could be. In fact, Brian Eno called a track on it (Soon) the “vaguest music to ever have been a hit,” and that it “set a new standard for pop.” I felt the same way when I heard the album. I couldn’t stop listening to it. I had the album playing on a 24-hour-a-day loop for a couple of years. I had a separate iPod setup with this album playing so that if I had to listen to something else, I could still have Loveless on in the background. I wanted to recreate the album acoustically, so I approached Jeff Kazor of the Crooked Jades because I knew that he would understand my vision. He spent years painstakingly taking the textures apart and putting them back together. Then we went to Bruce Kaphan to help us record and put the whole thing together. What results is an acoustic wall of sound that helped me to finally stop listening to the album. It really felt like exorcising some musical demon. 

Can you share some unknown history about Secret Love Buzz?

Wow, you’ve really done your homework! Great question. “Secret love buzz” is a lyric from our song, Bobcat, and it was to be the name of our first album as Water Tower. (We’ve put out records as Water Tower Bucket Boys and Water Tower Stringband.) One of our fans even got “Secret Love Buzz” tattooed on her chest! The album is sitting in the closet right now on two-and-a-half-inch tape. I don’t think it will ever see the light of day, but I really hope to get it out somehow. The unknown history is that it represented the dissolution of the band back in 2012. It chronicled our story through addiction and trauma, but it’s stayed in the shadows until now. The beautiful thing about Secret Love Buzz is that it helped give birth to the modern incarnation of Water Tower and our debut album, Fly Around. Some of the songs on Fly Around are the same songs but with totally different treatments. We came to Don Bolles from the seminal LA punk band the Germs to help us put this thing together. He did a great job at understanding where the songs needed to go. 

Talk about Producing the Internet.

We were livestreaming a lot during the pandemic, and Tommy Drinkard figured out a way to include even more people. Producing The Internet started as a way to connect with more people over music. The idea is we would start with a song or a beat, and Tommy would invite the online crowd to help write lyrics and give ideas. It grew into a cool thing that we ended up getting a lot of songs out of. 

Tell us about NFT digital music, where you think it’s going, and how it benefits musicians.

Yes! We have a few NFTs for sale out there. One of them is a song we wrote on the Producing The Internet show. We collaborated with fans on the livestream to create a song together. They helped write the lyrics as we were coming up with the music. NFTs are just another way to build the brand and spread the music, just another lane to be traveling in. We’re all about reaching new audiences, and NFTs are a way to do that. I’m not sure where it’s all going, but I have some musician friends who make a lot of money selling NFTs. 

What’s 182 Water?

That is my rapper alter-ego. When I get onstage with Water Tower, I step into a character known as 182 Water.

Water Tower Band song AM/PM and more…

Do you think traditional music has a significant place on TikTok?

Yes, I think any music or art has a place on the platform because every kind of person is consuming content on it. People are collaborating and creating music on the platform constantly. New traditional artists are being discovered here! Many people who would never have heard traditional music are getting to interact with it. Artists from all genres are blowing up on this platform. 

If you could transport back to any music time, when would it be?

It would be the 1700s because this was before the recording industry. It would be fun to learn music only from the people who played it. Old-timey music started being shared this way, and I would love to go back and learn from the forefathers. It would be fun to go to an old-school square dance too.

There are a lot of bands with a modern take on old-time music. Talk about how one can modernize a legacy genre yet be faithful to it.

It just happened naturally for us as a result of our deep dive into old-time and bluegrass music. We just wanted to recreate it as faithfully as possible, and we ended up coming up with our own way to do it. I think the key is to go to the roots, study them and replicate them until something new starts to evolve. 

Who are some of your favorite bands and recordings in this modern old-time category?

Foghorn Stringband is one of our favorites. We listen to them all the time. We actually started as a Foghorn cover band, lol… We also love Crying Uncle and Cross-Eyed Possum. 

Tell us about your Netflix show placements.

We got into a couple of Netflix shows. The first one, Say I Do, is a show about dream weddings. We got to be the band during one wedding in Indiana, and it sure was a blast. We love playing weddings, and TV weddings are even more fun because we can watch them again later. But the Netflix show that I got to be a bigger part of is called Country Ever After, which features my friend Coffey Anderson and his wife Criscilla. I was playing fiddle in his band for a few years, and that’s when this show was filmed. It followed us to some shows and stayed up in Coffey’s house for a while. One of the more memorable episodes for me was filming in the Whiskey A Go Go. There are some funny moments during the show that I still get to hear our fans laugh about when they mention them to me. 

Where is your “Tower” in LA?

The idea is that every tower is part of us. So there are many towers that we appreciate around LA. Luckily, we never have to get a billboard to advertise the band because we already have them everywhere. The tower where we started playing music at is actually in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Tell us about the LA old-time scene and the session that you host in Silver Lake.

There are many musicians out here who play old-time and bluegrass music. Because the city is so spread out, there are factions of it on every corner. My goal is to bring many of us together right in the heart of the city. The Hillbilly Hype House is a monthly event at the Silverlake Lounge (kind of in the middle of the city) that has an old-time bluegrass jam from noon to 4:00 p.m., right in front of the entrance. Then if you walk inside the venue, we have local and traveling acts who play in front of an Ear Trumpet microphone. At 4:00 we invite all the jammers to come onstage and jam with some of the artists who were featured that day. It’s a really fun music party where everyone gets involved. We’ve had people taking their first solos EVER onstage there and playing instruments for fun for the first time EVER. 

Water Town at the Hillbilly Hype House – Semi Charmed Life

How is LA different from Portland?

The Portland scene is more connected because the city is smaller. Less traffic to travel through to get to the square dance. But LA has multiple square dances across the city. Portland was also more connected because of the Bubbaville website, which was started by the late great Bill Martin. He was a pillar of the Portland community who made sure that everyone knew about every event. He also was an amazing square dance caller. 

What else is in the works?

We’re gearing up to release our second album as Water Tower. It’s all recorded live from Palomino Studios in LA. This is very different from our debut, Fly Around, because we spent seven years making that album in the studio. This one was all recorded in one day after 30 days on the road. The album will be our first self-titled. It’s a traditional bluegrass album with some modern sentiments. We decided to use two banjos all over it. Fly Around didn’t have any banjo, so now we’re making up for that with TWO banjo heavy-weights. We just found out that we’ll be playing on the main stage at the California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Festival in Grass Valley next summer. W’’re SO excited about it—we love that festival. 

Is there anything else?

Thank you for all the thoughtful questions! Be sure and check out the bluegrass magazine I help run, All Grass Music.

Fromage Video from Fly Around

Copy editing by Jeanie Poling

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Larry Rice’s mandolin on display at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Azlyrics

The unique and highly prized mandolin once used the late Larry Rice is now on display in the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY, for all to see and reflect upon.

Carly Smith, curator of the Hall of Fame, said, “We are truly honored to have Larry Rice’s mandolin on display. It’s a beautiful instrument with an intricate inlay along the fretboard. We hope that bluegrass fans will make the journey to see all of the exhibits at the museum, including this mandolin which will be one of the first artifacts to greet visitors as they begin their tour.”

Born on April, 24, 1949 in Danville, VA, Larry Prentis Rice, the oldest of the four Rice Brothers, was born into a musical family. Best known for his stint with the Kentucky Mountain Boys and JD Crowe & The New South, plus his own group, the Larry Rice Band, he also performed with numerous other bands including various configurations with his famous siblings in The Tony Rice Unit, The Rice Brothers, and Rice, Rice, Hillman, & Pedersen. Larry wrote, played, recorded, and produced memorable music throughout his lifetime. He died on May 13, 2006, at age 57, from complications with mesothelioma due to his work in industrial power generating facilities.

Rice’s mandolin has a history of its own. Larry’s dad, Herb Rice, purchased two 1959 Gibson F-5 mandolins (sunburst finish) in 1961 from McCabe’s Music Store in Santa Monica, CA, giving one to his oldest son. Larry decided to have famed California luthier, R.L. Givens, design and create a vine of life inlay on his mandolin’s fingerboard. That intriguing inlay reveals one the highest levels of luthier artistry. Its body underwent several refinishings. The mandolinist also added a Dr. Larry “P” (P for Prentis) Rice label sticker on its peghead. It was his primary instrument throughout his entire career.

Larry’s uncle Frank Poindexter, dobroist with Deeper Shade of Blue, shared, “I am so happy that this iconic mandolin that Larry so loved has found its proper resting place and is being displayed for all the world to see. We are all blessed with the many decades of recordings left behind within Larry’s great legacy. What great memories of the love and times shared together. Thanks to our friend, Lee Kotick, and the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame for giving this the attention it so deserves!”

Kotick of the Sharpflatpickers and a Mountain Fever Records recording artist, along with Mike Boulware, musician and music curator, worked together to facilitate the mandolin’s final resting place. He first met Larry in the late 1980 at a jam. 

“Thereafter we became friends and played many gigs together. When we played at Tillman’s Pickers Paradise Park in south Georgia, Larry appeared frail and ill. I shared Larry’s medical records with a neighbor who was an oncologist. He saw Larry the following Monday and confirmed the diagnosis of mesothelioma. With many musicians and friends, we produced the Larry Rice benefit concert (Legends and Locals For Larry) in Tallahassee, and raised funds to assist with his medical procedures and bills. Larry was a very brave man through his bout with cancer. I recall Larry telling me, ‘I’m not afraid to die. I just want my family to be alright.’ Those are words that are forever etched in my memory, like his metronomic mandolin chop.”

Ronnie Hatley, proprietor of Ron’s Pickin’ Parlor in North Carolina and a banjoist, explained his association with Larry starting in 2005. “I got the privilege of getting to be the banjo player in the Larry Rice Band. Their regular banjo player lived in an area that got hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, and had to stay home to deal with that. My favorite part of the whole time that I played shows with Larry, was not playing, but in the back seat of Larry’s big long Lincoln listening to Larry and Frank talk about the ‘good old days’ when he played with J.D. Crowe and others. Wish I had had a tape recorder. It was all so fascinating.”

Visit the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in Owensboro to see this legendary instrument and so much more.

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Track Premiere: Garden from The Foreign Landers

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Azlyrics

The Foreign Landers, a husband-and-wife duo featuring David and Tabitha Benedict, is set to release their first full-length album, Traveler’s Rest, in November. We are delighted to premiere a single today.

The clever name for their group is taken from the fact that the Benedicts are truly an international couple. Tabitha is Irish, and performs with a pair of UK bands, Midnight Skyracer, and with her brothers in Cup O’Joe, and David is a native South Carolinian who also performs with Cup O’Joe, and is well-remembered for his previous work with Mile Twelve and as an online instructor and personality. So the two of them split their time between the US, Northern Ireland, and England, meaning one of them is in a foreign land most of the time.

Both of them are virtuosic instrumentalists, David on mandolin and guitar, and Tabitha on banjo and guitar, and while both sing in The Foreign Landers, it is Tabitha’s voice that attracts the most attention. Starting with Cup O’Joe as a teenager, and an Agnew, her distinctive vocal delivery turned heads all over the world for its unique tone and soft yet strong impact. She also excels as a songwriter, and she and David have written the bulk of the material on Travelers Rest.

Like most of the original songs on the project, today’s single, Garden, is autobiographical in nature, written about their recent adventure of moving into their first home together, and all that entails.

“Since this last summer was our first in our new home here in Travelers Rest, we had high hopes of planting a garden. But sadly we were still traveling too much to water our plants, so instead we decided to write this song as a bit of catharsis. It’s a song about laying down roots wherever you are no matter what the circumstances may be, and it will be featured on our upcoming album named after our new hometown, Travelers Rest. On Garden we had the privilege of working with the great Brittany Haas who really brought this song to life with her beautiful fiddling. Thanks for listening!”

It is a gorgeous track. Have a listen…

Garden from The Foreign Landers is available now as a single from popular download and streaming services online. Pre-orders for the full Travelers Rest album are also enabled online, for both download and on CD, at the Benedicts’ Bandcamp site. Delivery is anticipated for November 12. Album pre-orders include streaming of two of the project’s 12 tracks.

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Del McCoury Band photos at Bristol Rhythm & Roots

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Azlyrics

Del McCoury at the 2022 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion – photo © Bryce Lafoon (Lightshifter Studios)

Here’s a gallery we meant to publish last month, The Del McCoury Band performing at the 2022 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, held September 8-10 in Bristol, TN/VA.

They are a contribution from Bryce Lafoon of Lightshifter Studios.

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Bluegrass Ridge TV expands to all major US markets

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Azlyrics

Bluegrass Ridge is an internationally syndicated weekly half-hour television program featuring bluegrass music videos. It has always had one goal, to share the bluegrass genre with the largest audience possible. 

The program is now taking it one step further by adding the music-driven show into rotation on 85 new local affiliate TV stations throughout the United States. These include top markets like New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Tampa, and all the way to Honolulu, while also airing on affiliates in bluegrass stronghold cities like Nashville, Lexington, Norfolk, and beyond. In addition to the new broadcast areas, the show will continue to air nationwide on satellite/cable networks: Heartland, The Family Channel, RightNow TV, YTA TV, Stryk TV, Fox 8 (Greensboro, NC) and streaming on Country Roads TV.

Bluegrass Ridge features music videos from bluegrass music’s biggest artists like Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and IIIrd Tyme Out. Each episode features a special artist interview or a behind-the-scene look at the making of their music video. Daniel and Carolyn Routh of the band, Nu-Blu, serve as the show’s hosts.

“Carolyn and I took over full-time hosting three years ago,” explained Daniel in a phone interview. 

Initially, the show launched with varying bluegrass performers as guest hosts, including Nu-Blu.

“When we were contacted about being full-time hosts, we were’’t expecting that to happen! We are very honored to host the show. It’s an awesome opportunity to put bluegrass out on a much larger scale.

People initially thought it was going to be all about Nu-Blu. They didn’t realize this about putting other artists’ material out there. Every week we showcase mainstream and new artists that folks may not know. 

The show has been on air for over 15 years. It is syndicated across seven networks and 120 million homes in the US, five countries, and over three million viewers on streaming each month! That’s a huge opportunity to get bluegrass to the masses. Our reach makes it the largest TV show for bluegrass in the world, across all platforms.

Even though it has its roots in countries all over the world, this music serves as a ‘melting pot’ for many cultures. It’s a true history of the United States, and continues to tell the tales of those that live and love this music.

 The show grew due to COVID. Networks were streaming it multiple times a week. We are excited to now be moving into local affiliates across all major markets (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX). It is phenomenal.”

The show is produced out of the Routh’s studio in Siler City, NC. 

“We were shooting at the Station Inn, then COVID hit and stopped our ability to shoot there, or anywhere. We typically record four episodes at a time. We want to keep it current, so we added the needed gear to our studio so we could keep the artists music out there as they released it.”

Daniel is grateful to Jeff Moseley of CJM Productions in Goodlettsville, TN.

“He’s taught me how to produce television. He worked with us step-by-step to make what he calls ‘good TV.’ It would not have been possible without Jeff being a good teacher, mentor and business man.”

“Bluegrass Ridge delivers to the viewers the music they love,” stressed Moseley. “Now through our alliance with Alex Paen, Telcoproductions/Syndication has escalated our TV viewership to include over 85 broadcast TV markets. This along with our cable, satellite, and streaming partners gives bluegrass music fans worldwide the opportunity to see their favorite artists. We are very excited about this growth and thank our viewers for their loyalty over the years.”

Daniel added, “We are doing more and more on location videos at various venues. We want to get everyone’s music (in bluegrass) out and connect with live shows, doing interviews about festivals and venues is a great way to do this. We encourage festivals to reach out to us and ask about how they can be part of the show.”

Visit the Bluegrass Ridge web site to see where/when it is broadcasted in your area.

“We encourage folks to reach out to their local affiliate. They can receive it with just the flip of a switch.”

The Rouths also encourage artists, established and rising, to submit videos to the show by contacting them through the web site.

“To be able to put out a music that we love, with international roots, yet still true to the history of the American story, we are are truly blessed,” concluded Daniel. 

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Silver Bird – Nick Chandler & Delivered

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Azlyrics

Mandolinist Nick Chandler and his western North Carolina based group, Delivered, have made a name for themselves as one of today’s premier traditional bluegrass artists. Their latest release, Silver Bird, on Pinecastle Records, is a continuation of the straight ahead traditional sound that fans have come to know and love.

Like the Lonesome River Band’s newest album, Heyday, this project captures Nick Chandler & Delivered during a transitional period. The opening track, Darling Please Come On Home, features the current lineup of Chandler on mandolin and vocals, Gary Triviette on bass and vocals, Bobby Powell on guitar and vocals, and Jamie Sparks on banjo. Like other configurations of Delivered, this particular grouping has tight vocal harmonies and solid instrumental abilities.

The majority of the material on Silver Bird consists of Chandler and Triviette along with guitarist Hudson Bosworth and banjoist Zach McCracken. There is a slight difference between this configuration and the current one, but it’s very minimal. Missing You Blues is a strong original from Chandler that features this configuration and also includes some great fiddling from David Johnson.

Slowly Getting You Out Of The Way written by the late Randall Hylton, has been recorded by several artists over the years. This new rendition by Chandler is clearly influenced by the Bluegrass Cardinals’ 1984 recording of the song. Nonetheless it’s very well done and one of the best performances on the entire project. This track also features Delivered’s former banjoist Will Eller.

The album’s title track was written by Doyle Lawson, and originally recorded on his 1977 instrumental album Tennessee Dream. Nick’s performance of this tune is wonderful, and is especially complimented by Alan Bibey, who plays twin mandolin alongside Chandler on this cut. It’s a nice tip of the hat to one of the most influential musicians in the bluegrass genre.

I Don’t Want To Be Me Anymore, written by David Stewart, is another strong cut which spotlights the group’s smooth vocal harmonies as well as excellent dobro playing from Tim Surrett.

Lonely Road, written by bassist Gary Trivette, is the album’s sole gospel song. Like most of the other material on Silver Bird, it’s a strong original piece. The closing track, For So Many Years by JC Davis, reinforces the group’s hard driving traditional identity.

Silver Bird is a terrific recording. I have to admit I wasn’t too familiar with the music of Nick Chandler & Delivered before I heard this project, but I found myself captivated very quickly. This is an exciting group with strong traditional roots and extremely well-crafted material.

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Track Premiere – Made In France from Andy Leftwich

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Azlyrics

Andy Leftwich, truly among the most gifted and skillful musicians on the bluegrass scene today, has another single release this week from Mountain Home Music.

Taken from his upcoming American Fiddler album, this one, Made In France, finds Leftwich exploring a gypsy jazz style with help from some of Nashville’s top pickers. Andy handles mandolin, with Cody Kilby and Fionan Debarra on guitar, Matt Menefee on banjo, Jeff Taylor on accordion, and Byron House on bass.

Andy said that he enjoyed this modern French tune taking him out of his comfort zone.

“I’ve always been a fan of gypsy-swing music. This Bereli Lagrene tune is both a challenge and a blast to play! I was first introduced to the song by my friends Rob Ickes and Dave Pomeroy from our trio, Three Ring Circle. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since!”

Have a listen…

Made In France by Andy Leftwich will be widely available on October 28 from popular download and streaming services, and in the Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio format at Apple Music. Find the immersive audio link in the Crossroads Music Immersed In Bluegrass playlist on Apple Music come Friday.

Radio programmers can get the track via AirPlay Direct.

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From The Side of the Road… Mr. Bluegrass Manners pops in

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Azlyrics

Mr. Bluegrass Manners is back! I requested that he take some questions this week, while I’m still on a European tour, possibly writing from a Spanish jail (a nice one, though).

As always, these questions came via my Facebook page and are real questions from mostly real people (we accept questions from bots, too, if they’re about bluegrass jamming etiquette, because even bots want to know how to select the right key for You’ll find Her Name Written There).

We got some very good ones this time around:

Dear Mr. Bluegrass Manners,

Is it alright to use a synonym for bird poo in a band name?

— Excrementally Concerned in Oregon

Dear Ex. Concerned,

This wasn’t a question I was ever expecting to hear but it’s a valid one. The fact is, just like instrumentals, you can name a band anything, but there are definitely factors that determine whether a name carries inherent disadvantages with it. In bluegrass music, our band names range from the almost comically generic (The Bluegrass Band), to the abstract (Damn Tall Buildings). Some names, though, are more problematic than others, and then you have to decide whether that’s worth the risk. A synonym for bird poo—or any kind of poo, really—in a band name is a good example. It might sound cool when the band is sitting around pulling random words out of a hat (perhaps literally), but then you have to be willing to sacrifice some work if the name is offensive to a significant percentage of your potential audience. Is it worth it for the additional notoriety an edgy name might generate? The band has to make that choice and live with it. 

If you’d like to play it safe, and keep that potential traditional bluegrass festival or high-paying wedding gig, I would avoid some, but not necessarily all poo synonyms. These are probably okay, if a little unpoetic:

  • Droppings
  • Pellets 
  • Guano 
  • Horse apples
  • Buffalo Chips

These are more obscure bird poo euphemisms that might be acceptable:

  • Crow Crepes
  • Chickadee Cherries
  • Junco Jazz
  • Robin Roux

These are asking for trouble, but as I say, it’s all about whether you’re willing to accept the consequences:

  • Chickensh**
  • Bullsh**
  • Avian crap

These are also inadvisable, not because anyone would consider them profane, but just because they’re a little clinical-sounding for a band name:

  • Excrement
  • Fecal Matter
  • Stool

— MBM

Dear Mr. Bluegrass Manners,

Baseball hats on stage? Yea or Nay?

— Lid-curious in Vermont

Dear Lid-curious,

Some, especially those from the “old school” (where enrollment is down, they’re telling me) believe that you should attempt to look better than your audience, partially out of respect for that audience. In other words, you want to give them the impression that you cared enough to dress for the show they paid to see, and that you aren’t just a handful of people in the crowd who happened to just get up on stage. Fortunately, as dressing to attend an event has become increasingly casual to downright sloppy, it’s pretty easy to look more formal than your audience. Sometimes just wearing something more dressy than pajamas will get the job done.

My own viewpoint is that however you dress on stage, it should be deliberate, and different from how you dress to gas up the car. Whether that means suits or knee-length burlap overalls, you should look like you chose to dress that way and didn’t just walk up on stage wearing whatever was closest to your bed that morning. 

As for baseball hats, bear in mind that a lot of your audience members will be wearing them, too, so that doesn’t help in trying to differentiate yourself. I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with it, but just ask yourself if there’s a reason for doing it besides the fact that you’re wearing one anyway. Is it a cool and distinctive hat? Does it match your pajamas? Does it fit with the overall dressing style of the band? There’s no way around the fact that, unlike a high homburg hat, the ball cap is going to de-formalize your look. You’ll have to decide whether that’s what you and your band want. 

Can 3,000 new country male vocalists be wrong? Yeah, perhaps they can.

— MBM

Dear Mr. Bluegrass Manners,

If I attend a jam at the house of a QAnon devotee, are there any keys I should avoid singing Charlie Moore songs in? I don’t want to offend anyone.

Conspiratorially Respectful in the Pacific Northwest

Dear Conspiratorially,

I’ll admit this isn’t within my field of expertise, and I promise I’m not simply trying to avoid a potentially controversial subject. For that reason, I’ve thrown this back to Chris Jones, the guy who lets me pop in here from time to time to answer a few questions. Chris fancies himself a bluegrass conspiracy theory expert now, ever since he exposed then-Prince Charles’ involvement in a secret committee which meets at a Cracker Barrel to manipulate the IBMA Awards. Thanks for your understanding.

Chris:

I’m happy to jump in here. For those who aren’t aware of this particular conspiracy theory, let me summarize: it is believed by some that Charlie Moore will come back to life and headline the Pickin’ Under a Large Awning festival on July 21st, 2023. He will abolish the use of triple fiddles and also assume the role of mayor of Spartanburg, SC, maintaining that post forever. What will make this miraculous reappearance confusing to some is that Charlie will come back in the form of Bill Napier, but the devotees to this theory are fully prepared for that.

To answer your question more specifically, you absolutely should not perform the song Wheeling in the key of G when attending this jam session. That’s considered a code among the secret opponents of Charlie’s return, who are believed to be rampant in the bluegrass community. They are headquartered in an underground bunker in Raleigh, NC and are conspiring to stop Charlie’s comeback. Also the Rebel Soldier must be performed with the standard key changes, G to A, to C. Failure to do that will also be considered a sign that you’re with “them.”

Have fun, but be careful.

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Introducing Ogden Heart, new family band from Virginia

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Azlyrics

Long time readers will recall us writing about Charlottesville, VA bluegrass singer and songwriter Kathryn Caine, who has released a number of recordings over the past decade.

Just recently we heard from Kathryn about her new group, Ogden Heart, made up of herself and her two young adult children, Izzy on vocals, and Evans on bass. Caine plays guitar and harmonizes with them in a style that lands somewhere between bluegrass and Americana, with some old time influence in the mix.

Their debut, self-titled album has been completed, and Kathryn has shared some of the music to help introduce Ogden Heart to bluegrass lovers. This first is the music video for their version of the Tom Paxton classic, Last Thing on My Mind. The family is supported by John Lee on banjo, Rusty Seidel on guitar, Andy Thacker on mandolin, and James McLaughlin on drums.

Check it out…

The Ogden Heart album is available for pre-order now on Bandcamp, with includes immediate downloads of the first two tracks.

Nicely done.

Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

To learn more about Ogden Heart, visit them online.

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ETSU to commemorate Rich-R-Tone historical marker

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Azlyrics

The state of Tennessee has chosen November 4 for the dedication of a new historical marker in Johnson City commemorating the Rich-R-Tone Records company, which operated there for many years.

Rich-R-Tone was the first record label to locate in east Tennessee, and the first formed specifically to record bluegrass music. Launched in 1946 by James Hobart Stanton, they released the first recordings by The Stanley Brothers, plus records from Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, The Sauceman Brothers, The Bailey Brothers, Jim Eanes, and many others.

For the dedication, which is open to the public November 4 at 11:00 a.m., Johnson City Mayor Joe Wise will offer remarks, as will East Tennessee State University scholars Drs. Ron Roach and Ted Olson of the school’s Appalachian Studies department. The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band will perform, along with Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys.

The text on the marker reads…

“James Hobart (Hobe) Stanton founded Rich-R-Tone Records in Johnson City. An independent label, it was the first label dedicated to recording bluegrass music. Located at 113 West Main Street from 1946-1952, over half of the 220 songs on the Rich-R-Tone label were recorded here. Rich-R-Tone featured recordings by notable bluegrass acts including Carter and Ralph Stanley, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, and the Sauceman Brothers.”

Ron Roach, chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies at ETSU, says of the placement of this historical marker…

“Johnson City is a significant place in the history of bluegrass and country music. In addition to Rich-R-Tone Records, the city hosted some of the most important early country music recording sessions, and now is the home of the world-renowned ETSU Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program, which has produced some of today’s biggest stars in this kind of music. So Johnson City continues to be the place where bluegrass grows.”

All dedication events will be held at the Pavilion at Founders Park on Commerce Street in Johnson City.

The Down Home will host a free tribute concert in honor of the dedication at 7:30 p.m. on the 4th featuring The Brother Boys and the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band.

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Video Premiere: Time to Get a Straight Job from The Matchsellers

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Azlyrics

The Matchsellers are Kansas City grassers with an interesting backstory. For the past decade they have offered original bluegrass music to midwestern audiences, but the two principals, fiddler Julie Bates and guitarist Andrew Morris, first met while both were on Fulbright Scholarships in Leipzig, Germany. Morris and Bates were serving as cultural ambassadors overseas, and despite both being acoustic musicians from the same part of the central US, had never met. The two have been together ever since.

With a new album, The Wishful Thinker’s Hall of Fame, due to hit October 28, we are pleased to debut a live performance video today for one of the tracks, Time to Get a Straight Job. It finds Julie and Andrew with their touring group, Brian McCarty on mandolin and Brandon Day on bass.

Now anyone who has even entertained the possibility of being a full time musician has probably come to grips with the theme of this song. When you are in your late teens and early twenties, it may not take a whole lot to keep body and soul together, and the thrill of being dedicated wholly to your art is impossible to discount. But eating regularly and paying bills on time has its own allure.

Andrew offered a somewhat cryptic answer when asked to describe the song’s intent.

“I think a time comes in a lot of bluegrass musician’s careers when they consider leaving the music to find more stable work. A home and financial security are very appealing after years of roughing it out on the road. At least that’s what it was like for me… This is a song about getting a straight job and then dying, and dying again, and being reincarnated as a frog. Not much more to it than that.”

Brandon, who also works as a jazz bassist in Kansas City, was more circumspect. “I had the exact opposite feeling, to get to where I am in music.”

Without regard to frogs of any kind, here is the video. See what you think.

The full album was recorded mostly live in only two days, and The Matchsellers have scheduled a pair of secret record release shows for October 29 and 30 in Kansas City. It’s not a complete secret, as the location will be revealed when you purchase tickets online for $20, which includes a digital copy of The Wishful Thinkers Hall of Fame album.

For more information about The Matchsellers, visit the band online.

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Becky Buller shares her thoughts on why music really matters

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Azlyrics

Becky Buller – photo by Shelly Swanger

Becky Buller is an exceptional singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Hailing from St. James, Minnesota, she’s contributed songs to albums by a host of notable names, among them Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Infamous Stringdusters, and The Travelin’ McCourys, among the many. She’s also the recipient of no less than ten IBMA awards, including wins for the 2020 Song Of The Year (for Chicago Barn Dance, co-written with Missy Raines and Alison Brown), the 2020 Collaborative Recording for The Barber’s Fiddle, her 2016 Fiddler and Female Vocalist Awards, and the 2018 Best Gospel Recorded Performance for the song, Speakin’ To That Mountain.

With three albums to her credit, including Distance And Time, a nominee for the 2021 IBMA Album Of The Year, she also devotes her time to teaching fiddle, singing, and songwriting at workshops and camps around the world, a practice she’s pursued for the past 20 years. In addition, she currently serves on the board of the IBMA Foundation.

We caught up with Buller at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival which was held over this past Labor Day weekend, and took the opportunity to hear insights not only about her career, but the continuing popularity of bluegrass itself.

Bluegrass Today: This is the first Earl Scruggs Music Festival. How did you come to be involved?

Becky Buller: They contacted our booking agent, and offered us a slot on the festival. It’s just such a huge honor to be part of this inaugural event, one that’s honoring Earl Scruggs and his music and his legacy, his life.

Nevertheless, you have quite a storied career yourself with all the honors that you’ve won. When you’ve attained that level of success, is it almost like, “Well, okay, now I’ve got to follow it up. Now, I’ve got to reach those heights again.” Is it intimidating at all?

Absolutely. Yes. It’s very intimidating. I feel like I’m just kind of now getting to the point where I’m enjoying what I want to be able to enjoy. But I’m also still trying to keep up, and so I want to continue to do good. I want to continue putting out music that people enjoy. I’m really grateful for the places we’ve been able to play and the people we’ve been able to play with. Jerry Douglas got on stage with us today, and he joined me on the song, Woodstock. We performed that today for the first time ever together… live and in person. And that was just such a thrill. Never in my wildest dreams, would I have imagined that I would get to do that. I think about being a kid growing up in Minnesota, learning how to play bluegrass music, and I just wonder what the older me would tell that kid. Maybe something like, “You have no idea where you’re gonna end up.”

Did you ever have any idea that your love of this genre would lead you to become a successful musician? And play with such wonderful people?

No, no, I just sort of did it all along. I’ve played music. I’ve written music. I’ve just done it because it’s just who I am and what I do. And songwriting is artistry, but it’s also therapy and my way of dealing with what’s going on around me… trying to dig into it, trying to understand the world and to interpret it. I just I can’t imagine doing anything else.

You did some interesting covers today. Woodstock has been covered a number of times, but your version was definitely unique. You just sort of remade and it was definitely distinctive. And your version of James Taylor’s Millworker was exceptional.

Yeah. It’s weird, because James actually wrote that from a woman’s perspective. So he’s taking on that character as this widowed mother, who has to work in the mills to make ends meet. it was part of a musical called Worker that Studs Terkel wrote. Bluegrass is really so flexible, that it allows you to take on these classic standards and redo them, refine them, remake them in the bluegrass genre. And it seems that’s another way that bluegrass is connecting with a different audience than it did originally. 

Bluegrass has this history that goes back decades, and yet it’s still at the crest of its popularity. It’s become this populist movement, as evidenced by these festivals and the bands that are able to break the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary. So what are your thoughts as to how bluegrass has maintained its stature, while also expanding its appeal into more modern realms. If you were to ask people about bluegrass 30 or 40 years ago, they might have thought about a bunch of pickers up in the mountains sitting on the front porch. It’s so much broader than that. Why has it been able to sustain that popularity?

At its core, it’s music by real people about real people. That’s evergreen, and it’s something that resonates with everybody from everywhere. And it’s very accessible in that in its basic form, it’s often just two chords, three chords. There are a lot of simple songs that are easy for people to access, write, and jam on. If you’re a beginning player, you can just get in there and, and pick those easy songs and then grow from there. And that’s the thing about bluegrass music that I think is very interesting, and much different from other genres. Oftentimes, the fans are also musicians as well, And so they have a different sort of investment in the music than with other genres. 

There’s also a great deal of variety as well. 

I love a festival like, like Earl Scruggs fest, where you have such a variety of music and yet there’s a thread running through where it all comes back to Earl Scruggs. You have a group like ours that’s more on the contemporary side of bluegrass music. Last night you had Alison Brown and she takes it into the realm of jazz, and you had the the Earls of Leicester and Béla Fleck and Bluegrass Heart. So I love that all these different branches of the bluegrass family tree have been represented at this events. You have other bluegrass events that are staying strictly straight ahead traditional bluegrass, but a lot of those are starting to atrophy. And that’s unfortunate, because I grew up going to festivals like that, and I have a very special place in my heart for those kinds of festivals. But for some reason, the young people aren’t stepping up in the leadership roles to help those festivals continue. And I think that’s a sad thing. But then other festivals are growing. So it’s kind of always ebbing and flowing. I love that bluegrass music has a following just about anywhere you go in the world.

So what’s ahead for you?

We have a Christmas album about to drop on December 2. 

How do you toe the line between staying true to tradition, but also adding contemporary appeal, and more importantly, adding your own voice and making yourself distinctive?

I’m very selfish. I play when I like to play and hope that the audience likes to hear it. And the covers that we do are generally songs that I’ve grown up singing, or I’ve learned along the way. A lot of what we do are songs that I’ve written, which are influenced by every branch of the bluegrass family tree. I love the Stanley Brothers and Jim and Jesse. That’s what I grew up on. And then of course I love Alison Krauss and Lonesome River Band. I love, love, love that. When I heard that stuff, it really hooked me and made me a lifer in bluegrass music. And then I went on to Allison Brown and New Grass Revival. I didn’t hear New Grass Revival and Sam Bush until I got to college. It changed my life. So we’re the sum of our influences.

I think all of that is reflected in the music that I make with the band, whether it’s a song that I’ve written or a cover that I’ve chosen. Plus, we’re all over social media. If you go to my website, Beckybuller.com, you can see all out social media stuff and our YouTube videos. We try to keep everything really light and fun, whether you see us on stage or you are interacting with us online. We want you to walk away just refreshed and rejuvenated. We just want to give you an escape from reality for a little while. And hopefully once we’ve done that, you’re able to go out and be light in life and share hope and healing with your friends and your family community in the world.

Wow. Are you thinking of running for office? With thoughts like those, you ought to consider it.

Thanks, but I think I’ll just stick to the fiddle.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Becky Buller, Bluegrass Today | Leave a comment |

Too Late For Tonight – Drive Time

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Azlyrics

Central North Carolina-based bluegrass band Drive Time has released a new project, Too Late For Tonight. Drive Time is comprised of Tyler Jackson on banjo, Austyn Howell on guitar, Austin Koerner on mandolin, Katie Koerner on fiddle, and Bailey Coe on guitar. The album includes Grayson Tuttle on bass, who has since left the group to better focus on his personal and professional life.

The album features 12 numbers, two of which are originals written by band members. Please Understand penned by Katie and Rum Running Queen by Tyler.

Jackson, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2020 at the age of 24, demonstrates that he’s back in the groove with fast fingers and tasteful licks.

Just Get Up and Go is a heartbreak tune featuring Coe on lead vocals and hard-driving instrumentation by the band, shared the Drive Time banjoist.

“This is by far one of my favorite tracks on the whole album. This is a song Mountain Heart recorded a few years ago written by Josh Shilling and Jon Weisberger. Jason Moore told us back in 2021 we should do this song and I’m so proud to have it on this record!”

The second cut on the album features a familiar song sung by Katie.

She elaborated, “Snowbird was written by Gene MacLellan, and has been recorded by artists such as Anne Murray, Elvis, Loretta Lynn, and many others. It’s a well-written song about heartbreak, disguised with a happy melody. I really like our take on it. It’s one of my favorites to sing, and getting to do it with such great musicians makes it even more fun.”

Coe, who formally toured with Sideline, said of the new album, “I’ve always loved recording. It was great to get those creative juices flowing. It’s a good, solid project, playing good music with good friends.”

Coe used his graphic creativity to also design the album’s neon-lights cover.

The project also includes the first gospel recording by the group, Tedious and Tasteless, an a cappella quartet number which adds vocal parts one-at-a-time throughout the verses.

Two personal favorites are the hard-hitting tunes, In the Heat of the Night and Two Dozen Roses, led by Coe that demonstrate his vocals have returned strong and powerful.

“After leaving Sideline due to some vocal cord and throat issues, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sing full time again,” Coe had previously stated.

This song and record is proof that both Jackson and Coe have fully overcome their physical afflictions and offer powerful performances.

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Bourbon and Beer – new single from Kim Robins

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Azlyrics

Pinecastle Records has released a new single from Kim Robins taken from her current album with the label, Leave the Porch Light On.

It’s the song Boubon and Beer, which Robins says came from real life, or as Bill Monroe would say, “it’s a true song.”

“Bourbon and Beer is a true story about a man who loved a woman with all his heart, but was unable to express that love due to his addiction to liquor. I wrote the chorus years ago but wanted some help finishing the song. I was introduced to David Morris and Dawn Kenney through a mutual friend and they were able help me bring the story to life.”

Kim is supported on the track by Clay Hess on guitar and bass, Josh Woods on banjo, Duane Estep on mandolin, and Tim Crouch on fiddle.

As you might guess from Robins’ description of the story, the song has a bleak and foreboding vibe as it shares the story of a woman coming to grips with the fact that she’ll always be #2 to her man’s drinking.

Have a listen….

Bourbon and Beer and the full Leave The Porch Light On project are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Audio CDs are available directly from the artist.

Radio programmers will find the tracks at AirPlay Direct.

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Danny Paisley declared cancer free!

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Azlyrics

Danny Paisley at the 2022 Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival – photo by Frank Baker

Wonderful news from the Bluegrass Troubadour, Danny Paisley.

In a year that saw the traditional bluegrass hero sidelined by throat cancer, his treatment has been declared a success following a recent checkup.

According to Paisley’s son, Ryan, who plays mandolin and sings alongside his dad in The Southern Grass, they got the best news possible.

“After a PET scan and an examination by Dad’s physicians, they determined that he is cancer free! During the throat exam, at Dad’s request, they examined his vocal cords and found that they were untouched and unharmed by the treatment and in fabulous shape. Overall, they said that he is healing remarkably well and his blood work looks great! We are all so grateful and relieved.”

That’s a sentiment shared by all who have enjoyed Danny’s voice these many years, and all who have befriended him along his way during a lengthy bluegrass career.

So far, neither cardiac issues nor cancer have been able to stop Danny Paisley. He has emerged from both with his health, humor, and voice intact.

Long live the king!

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Jack Tottle, Kenny Chesney receive honorary doctorates from ETSU

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Azlyrics

Jack Tottle accepts his honorary doctorate from Kenny Chesney and Brian Nolan – photo by Larry Smith, ETSU

This past weekend, the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City celebrated its 40th anniversary by awarding honorary doctorates to a pair of major figures, Jack Tottle and Kenny Chesney.

Tottle founded the program in 1982, and has seen it grow from a germ of an idea tucked away in a scarecly-visited corner of the campus, to an internationally-recognized center for the development of young artists in bluegrass, old time, country, and roots music. These days it’s uncommon to find talented young pickers who haven’t either spent time at ETSU, or are intending to do so.

When Jack retired, he handed over the reins to Raymond W. McLain, who has since moved on, with Dan Boner taking over as Director.

At the ceremony, Boner said of the program’s founder…

“Jack’s impact on the music industry goes back even before his time at ETSU. He had already influenced a musical generation with his recordings for Rounder Records and a best-selling mandolin instruction book. He then arrived on campus 40 years ago, making a welcoming place for musicians who were interested in serious and exclusive study of bluegrass, old-time, and country music.”

Also receiving an honorary doctorate on October 22 was country music star Kenny Chesney, who got his start in the early days of BOTCMS in Johnson City. He, of course, went on to a string of country hits and record-setting tours, but loyal to his roots, has consistently thanked ETSU for preparing him for his role in the business.

After receiving his honorary degree, Chesney was called upon to present one to Tottle, saying…

“When I was just beginning to really get serious, Jack Tottle was 10 years into this incredible program that focused on the region’s musical roots. He welcomed me, taught me a lot about songs, being in bands, and what this music is made of. He took a bunch of us kids – several went on to play with Alison Krauss & Union Station – to Russia as part of a cultural exchange, teaching us how music builds a bridge places you can’t imagine.

So, it was my honor to honor Jack this way. He showed an East Tennessee kid the power of what music can do; and for me, it sure did.”

Tottle made a rare trip away from his secluded island home in Hawaii to accept his doctorate.

Since its founding, the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies has gone from a concentration in the Appalachian Studies program, to a minor, to now offering a fully accredited four year degree from the university.

ETSU President Dr. Brian Nolan was pleased to see both men on stage for the presentation.

“It’s wonderful knowing Kenny and Jack wanted to be here for each other. Their friendship and the bond that ETSU creates remains strong after all these years.”

Many congratulations to Jack, and to Kenny, and all involved in building this program to its current position. Best of luck for the next 40 years and beyond!

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: ETSU, Jack Tottle | Leave a comment |

Lines in the Levee – Town Mountain

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Azlyrics

Widely — and wisely — considered one of the current mainstays of the so-called newgrass movement, Town Mountain take a decided step back in time with their new release on New West Records, Lines in the Levee. That’s not to say they’re regressing — not by any means — but they are doubling down on some bygone influences. Echoes of Levon Helm at the helm of the Band abound, so much in fact that on songs such as Lines in the Levee, Comeback Kid, Seasons Don’t Change, and Distant Line, one could swear they’re listening to outtakes from such classic Band fare as Stage Fright or Cahoots. Again, that’s not a knock, much less a critique, but simply a statement of the obvious, and in fact, a comparison that serves them quite well.

Nevertheless, the album doesn’t hang its intents solely on the similarity alone. The rowdy Firebrand Road simply sounds like upbeat exercise in rabble rousing, good ‘ol boy indulgence, just as American Family takes on an upbeat enthusiasm notably absent from many of the other entries. Several tracks — Rene, Daydream Quarantine and Lean Into the Blue in particular — convey a rustic, rootsy delivery, a sound that takes its cue from the down home delivery of their North Carolina origins. “Workin’ on big decisions,” they insist on the song titled, appropriately, Big Decisions. “Cuttin’ out on this so-called livin’/You can say my choices ain’t worth a damn/That’s a damn I’m just through givin’…”

In that regard, it’s that blue collar ethic that colors many of these same selections. The understated eloquence of Unsung Heroes and Seasons Don’t Change convey their subdued sentiments with an honesty and humility that reflects an otherwise unassuming attitude. The band — Phil Barker on vocals, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, fiddler Bobby Britt, vocalist and acoustic guitarist Robert Greer, singer, guitarist and banjo player Jesse Langlais, bassist Zach Smith, and drummer Miles Miller — are a cohesive unit, given that the musicians blend their instruments in sync to fill out the arrangements, rather than always insisting on taking center stage. That’s one reason why Lines in the Levee sounds both seamless and evocative all at the same time.

Happily then, there are no fault lines evident as far as that particular proposition is concerned.

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Someone Like You video from Danny Burns

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Azlyrics

Back in the spring of this year, Irish singer and songwriter Danny Burns released his grassed up version of Someone Like You on Bonfire Records, which had been a smash hit for Adele in 2011. Danny’s cut was well received in the bluegrass world, going to #1 on our Bluegrass Today Grassicana chart a few months ago.

Now he has a music video for the song, released in tandem with his full-length album, Promised Land, this past Friday.

The video finds Danny in the studio tracking Someone Like You, and while music videos typically are upbeat and cheerful, this one sticks with the more somber tone of the song’s lyrics. Folks who follow pop music may recall Adele’s video a decade ago and its bleak and gloomy look, perfect for this song about someone recently out of a long term relationship.

Scott Vestal is on banjo here, with Billy Contreas on fiddle, Ethan Burkhardt on upright bass, Josh Methany on dobro, and Matt Menefee on mandolin. Burns played guitar and Tim O’Brien sings harmony.

Check out the video.

Both Someone Like You and the Promised Land album are available now from popular download and streaming services online.

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Playing It Forward – The Big SHEBang in Georgia

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Azlyrics

A special concert is scheduled at the end of October in Dallas, GA to benefit the Marietta Police Athletic League, hosted by Musical Charities as part of their Playing It Forward series.

Billed as The Big SHEBang, it will feature performances by four top female bluegrass artists: Pam Gadd, Irene Kelley, Donna Ulisse, and Becky Buller. All have made their mark in music as both singers and songwriters, and have been chart toppers over the course of their careers.

The four SHEBangers will participate in a songwriters round robin setting, where each artist will sing and talk about some of their favorite and most popular songs. Of course they will all join in and contribute on each other’s music. Donna and Irene are primarily guitarists, but Becky and Pam both play banjo as well, and Buller also plays fiddle. The harmonizing should be spectacular.

Proceeds from the show will ultimately benefit children in Marietta who participate in youth sports at the PAL facility. There they are offered access to basketball, yoga, boxing, and other sports, including summer camps. PAL also provides workshops and other educational opportunities, run by the Marietta Police Department.

The Big SHEBang will be held at the Raccoon Music Park in Dallas, GA on Sunday afternoon, October 30, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online at only $35.

This is a rare and unique opportunity to not only hear some fine music from some of the top practitioners in bluegrass, but also get some insight from these experienced and critically-acclaimed songwriters about their craft.

It’s a wonderful idea that we hope will be tremendously successful.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Georgia | Leave a comment |

Photos from the 2022 Moorefields Bluegrass Festival

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Azlyrics

Stan Brown with The Bluegrass Experience at the 2022 Moorefields Bluegrass Festival – photo © Jim Herrington

These photos from the 2022 Moorefields Bluegrass Festival in Hillsborough, NC are a contribution from Jim Herrington with Drone Data and Film® Photography.

The festival was held on October 15 at Moorefields, the 18th century summer home of Alfred Moore, who was a prominent citizen of Hillsborough. He was a Captain in the First North Carolina Regiment during the Revolutionary War, and was one of the founders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a jurist, Moore served as an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall.

The 70 acre estate is being managed and preserved as an historical site, and is a popular spot for weddings and other public events in the community.

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Cindy Baucom celebrates 1,000th edition of Knee Deep In Bluegrass

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Azlyrics

Last month, Cindy Baucom celebrated the thousandth show of Knee Deep in Bluegrass, her syndicated radio show that is aired by over one hundred radio stations, and enjoyed by thousands of loyal bluegrassers weekly. “As I reached this milestone with the syndicated show, I felt great gratitude toward all the network affiliate radio stations who have partnered with me to share the show with their listeners every week. I would not have a national show without  the outlets to present it. I am also very thankful for the listeners who tune-in to the show.”

Knee Deep in Bluegrass went into syndication July 4, 2003, and ever since Cindy’s been playing the best in bluegrass. This momentous occasion was no exception. 

Just like it has for the past nineteen years, Knee Deep in Bluegrass by Cindy’s husband, Terry Baucom, opened the show and segued right into her introduction where she laid out the playlist for the first hour of show number one thousand. Here in the Country, the title cut from Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drives’ latest album, kicked the show off perfectly. It was followed by Make Me a Pallet on the Floor by the Kruger Brothers, and a congratulations by Uwe Kruger to end the first segment.

Segment two included Dailey and Vincent, an interview with Jeremy Stephens where Cindy and Jeremy discussed his single, Could I Knock on Your Door, and she closed the set out with a Doyle Lawson and Alan Bibey instrumental and a show promo from Alan.

The third segment featured two songs written by the great Paul Williams and an interview Cindy caught with him at CroweFest. Paul talked about the many classic bluegrass songs that he had the opportunity to write as a teenager like My Brown Eyed Darlin’. The Lonesome River Band finished segment three out with Down the Line. Hour one concluded with Russsell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out’s Pretty Little Girl from Galax, Cindy’s favorite Tim Stafford song, Midwestern Town, recorded by Ronnie Bowman, and between the two, Cindy featured an interview with David Davis. They discussed David’s latest album, which is a tribute to Charlie Poole. “He’s the ‘Grandfather of Bluegrass Music,’ in my opinion,” David told Cindy. The two share a fascination over the major influence Charlie Poole had on the music, and his monumental success as such a young artist in just a short, five year period.

Hour two launched in with a show promo from Jens Kruger and a second song from the Kruger Brothers, Don’t Think Twice. Cindy followed this up with another song from the Dukes of Drive’s latest album on which she sings lead, The Table. Then it was onto the final interview of show one thousand with none other than David Parmley. The first topic of conversation was David’s current single, All Dressed Up, and his return to the music business. After Cindy played the new single, she brought up the Bluegrass Cardinals reunion shows. “We’re having a blast doing that,” David shared. “Darrell Adkins is kinda the reason that we’re doing it; he wanted us to do a show at the MACC.” David went on to say how much fun it had been getting back together with Randy Graham, Larry Stephenson, and Mike Hartgrove; he also mentioned that they had about half a dozen reunion shows lined up for next year as well. To close out this set, Cindy played Mountain Laurel by the Bluegrass Cardinals.

Set seven featured Alan Bibey and Grasstowne, the No Joke Jimmy’s, and Edgar Loudermilk. Dan Tyminski began segment eight with a show promo and Church Street Blues from his EP tribute to Tony Rice. Rhonda Vincent followed with Bluegrass Island, and Bob Miner closed out with Ginseng Sullivan.

Knee Deep in Bluegrass show number one thousand ended with a third song from Terry Baucom and the Dukes of Drive, Thumbin’ Down. And that concludes the thousandth show of Knee Deep in Bluegrass; fantastic songs from bluegrass’s best and fabulous interviews, all with one of the best and most respected broadcasters in all of the bluegrass world, Cindy Baucom. 

Nineteen years ago when Knee Deep in Bluegrass went into syndication, Cindy set out to present bluegrass music in the most proficient way possible. Her passion has always been sharing the music she loves with as many folks as possible; she also seeks to present the music in a professional light by showcasing the very best that bluegrass has to offer in songs, instrumentals, and interviews.

Even before KDIB, Cindy applied this same passion and determination to her radio and announcing career, presenting bluegrass on the highest level, and these qualities eventually caught the attention of Ed Lowe and the John Boy and Billy network. They had the idea to syndicate a bluegrass show of their own, which Ed Lowe asked Cindy to host. “He had heard me on-the-air, and saw me performing on stage, and approached me about a national radio show that focused on bluegrass music and its artists. Since that had been my passion, I immediately jumped at the opportunity,” Cindy explained. This set into motion a roughly five month process where Cindy worked with a producer to develop the initial format for Knee Deep in Bluegrass.

She had complete control over the creative aspects of the show, such as song selection and interview guests, from the very beginning. “When the show first went into national syndication, I had a long range plan for longevity, but one truly never knows if all factors will work together to keep it going,” she commented.

Knee Deep in Bluegrass show number one aired on July 4, 2003 with 28 network affiliates; now Cindy has over a hundred, is heard weekly from coast to coast and internationally, and has celebrated her one thousandth show!

As the queen of bluegrass broadcasting herself says, “I love my work. And as industry changes occur in both bluegrass and broadcasting, I am excited to work toward the next thousand Knee Deep In Bluegrass radio shows!”

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Johnny Be Goode video from banjo man Todd Taylor

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Azlyrics

Ever since he was a young teen, Todd Taylor has been making waves with his banjo, appearing on many different television outlets and on the Grand Ole Opry. The five string first captured his attention when he was only six years old, and soon he family relented to his pleading and got him one of his very own. Before long he was turning heads everywhere he played, and creating a sensation on TV and in live appearances.

All the signs pointed to stardom for this talented, telegenic performer, until Todd became increasingly ill and it was discovered that he had a mitochondrial muscle disease similar to muscular dystrophy. Several doctors suggested that he would become severely handicapped, or even lose his life, but with therapy and determination, Todd has prevailed over his ailment and continues to play his banjo. Understandably, he is a frequent contributor to events hosted by the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and performed several times on the Jerry Lewis Telethon while it was being aired.

Taylor found a unique niche for his musical expression by focusing on bringing the banjo into rock music. Of course he loves bluegrass and grew up playing it, but rock ‘n’ roll banjo brought him attention in an entirely separate market. During the 1980s his arrangement of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird got noticed by pop and rock radio. He played it using a 3 finger roll technique, and ample use of harmonics, which impressed banjo lovers and rock fans at the same time.

His illness makes it difficult for Todd to tour these days, but he continues to record and reach new heights in the entertainment world. Back in 2007 he set the Guinness World Record for Fastest Banjo by playing Dueling Banjos at 210 beats per minute. He has also played shows with the Oak Ridge Boys, including the Opry.

But we haven’t seen many new releases until this week and Todd Taylor’s rock ‘n’ roll banjo version of the Chuck Berry classic, Johnny Be Goode. Anyone who came of age in the 1950s or ’60s knows just how ubiquitous this song was at the time, when it was first released in 1958, and ever since as one of the most covered rock ‘n’ roll songs ever.

In Todd’s new video for his cut, he not only plays the fire out of the five in his rockin’ style, he sings it with some slightly altered lyrics as well.

Check it out.

Johnny Be Goode from Todd Taylor is available now from popular download and streaming services online.

Rock and roll!!

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