The Bluegrass Standard - Desktop - Volume 3, Issue 7

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Join Kentucky Educational Television as they examine the history of bluegrass music, from its origins to its eventual worldwide popularity, and hear from dozens of musicians who explain the ways bluegrass music transcends generational, cultural and geographic boundaries.

from the Publisher's desk

e sprouting up ar ts en ev s as gr ue bl d an , re he is Summer t our Festivals section, or everywhere! Be sure to check ou event. visit our website for links to each esent a mix of artists, This month we are pleased to pr at keep the bluegrass music th ts uc od pr d an s m ste sy t or pp su world humming along... u would like to see Is there a group, artist or topic yo covered? Shoot me an email: Keith@thebluegrassstandard.com Thanks for your support!

Keith Barnacastle — Publisher

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The Bluegrass Standard magazine is published monthly. Opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of The Bluegrass Standard or its staff, advertisers or readers with the exception of editorials. Publication of the name or the photograph of any person, business or organization in articles or advertising in The Bluegrass Standard is not to be construed as any indication of support of such person, business or organization. The Bluegrass Standard disclaims any responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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Kyle Cantrell BlueChip Picks Ross Newell Alan Sibley Bluegrass Trail TV Man About a Horse D’Addario Foundation Tunefox Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars:

Anthony Howell Steven Curtis more!

Chapman THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

The 615 Hideaway

Fiddler’s Porch

Share America Lefty’s Martin Guitar Elderly Instruments TM

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MAJiiK interactive media Only Lonesome Festival Guide THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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Tommy Brown

The Blu e gras s St andard St aff Guest photographers: Barbara and Don Duncan Keith Barnacastle • Publisher The Bluegrass Standard is a life-long dream of Keith Barnacastle, who grew up in Meridian, Mississippi. For three years, Keith brought the Suits, Boots and Bluegrass Festival to Meridian. Now, with the Bluegrass Standard, Keith's enthusiasm for the music, and his vision of its future, reaches a nationwide audience every month!

Keith@TheBluegrassStandard.com

Richelle Putnam • Managing Journalist Editor Richelle Putnam is a Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) Teaching Artist/Roster Artist (Literary), a Mississippi Humanities Speaker, and a 2014 MAC Literary Arts Fellowship recipient. Her non-fiction books include Lauderdale County, Mississippi; a Brief History, Legendary Locals of Meridian, Mississippi and Mississippi and the Great Depression. She writes for many publications.

Richelle@TheBluegrassStandard.com

James Babb • Creative Director James is a native Californian, and a long-time resident of Palm Springs. He creates a unique "look" for every issue of The Bluegrass Standard, and enjoys learning about each artist. In addition to his creative work with The Bluegrass Standard, James also provides graphic design and technical support to a variety of clients.

James@TheBluegrassStandard.com

Shelby C. Berry • Journalist Editor Shelby Campbell is a writer and designer whose heart beats for creativity. A native of rural Livingston, AL, she found her passion in journalism and design at The University of West Alabama, where she received a Bachelor's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. Shelby also has her own photography business.

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The Blu e gras s St andard St aff Kara Martinez Bachman • Journalist Kara Martinez Bachman is an author, editor and journalist.

Her music and culture reporting has appeared in dozens of publications and she's interviewed many performers over the years, from local musicians to well-known celebrities.

She's a native of New Orleans and lives just outside the city with her husband, two kids, and two silly mutts.

Stephen Pitalo • Journalist Stephen Pitalo has been an entertainment journalist for more than 30 years, having interviewed everyone from Joey Ramone to Bill Plympton to John Landis. He is the world’s leading authority on the The Golden Age of Music Video (1976-1993), mining inside stories from interviews 70+ music video directors and countless artists of the pre-internet music era. GoldenAgeOfMusicVideo.com

Susan Marquez • Journalist Susan Marquez is a freelance writer based in Madison, Mississippi and a Mississippi Arts Commission Roster Artist. After a 20+ year career in advertising and marketing, she began a professional writing career in 2001. Since that time she has written over 2000 articles which have been published in magazines, newspapers, business journals, trade publications.

Emerald Butler • Journalist

Emerald Butler is a writer, songwriter, fiddler, and entertainer from Sale Creek, TN. She has worked and performed various occasions with artists such as Rhonda Vincent, Bobby Osborn, Becky Buller, Alison Brown, top 40 radio host Bob Kingsley, and country songwriter Roger Alan Wade. With a bachelor’s degree in Music Business and a minor in Marketing, Emerald has used her education, experience, and creative talent to share the love of music with others.

Emerald@TheBluegrassStandard.com THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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Kyle Cantrell

by Emerald Butler It’s the question Kyle Cantrell has been asked a million times over by listeners—and even by himself: “What got you interested in working in radio?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Kyle admits. "I just remember from childhood having an interest in radio," Kyle began. "Radio just fascinated me for some reason. No one in my family did anything even remotely connected with an entertainment medium. It's just been something that's been planted in my heart my entire life."

Most listeners know Kyle Cantrell as the weekday morning host for SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction. However, before he spoke through satellite radio, Kyle was a host on 650 AM WSM, the legendary home of the Grand Ole Opry. Now, Kyle is preparing to be one of the newest members of the Country Radio Hall of Fame. With all the latest, greatest accolades, he feels incredibly blessed and grateful having received so many opportunities.

Looking back to his high school years, Kyle remembers his voice developing. Several teachers would have THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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him speak or recite in class and they would often compliment his voice. "That's not something I can take any credit for. That's just one of those God-given traits," Kyle adds. During high school, Kyle was a member of the National Future Farmers of America Organization (FFA). One of their programs included public speaking and parliamentary procedure. In his freshman year, Kyle entered one of FFA's contests to recite their creed. His teacher thought that he could pull it off, and he did by winning the contest.

Kyle began his college career at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a goal of getting his degree in Broadcasting. Kyle’s freshman year included English, Math, Science, but little about radio.

“At the end of my freshman year I was thinking, wow, I need to really decide. Do I want a real job, or do I want to be in radio? I figured the only way I could decide what was to actually find a job in radio for the summer doing something even if it was just hanging out at the station to see if it was something that I wanted to do.”

Kyle began sending out resumes and made a vocal tape to send to radio stations.

His work and determination paid off when a daytime radio station called WMTS in Murfreesboro, Tennessee hired him and trained him in the art of radio.

“I just felt like it was such a natural fit,” Kyle remembers. “It was fascinating to me, and I fell in love with it.”

At the end of the summer, the station owner said, “if you ever want your job come back; it’ll be waiting for you.” Kyle thought it over and then decided to transfer to

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Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, so he could continue his degree and work in radio full time.

A year or so later, "A friend had told me that WSM was looking for part-time help. I don't know how he found out, but he had made some calls and had some conversations with them, so I figured what do I have to lose? So, I sent them a resume and a tape. This time it was a better tape because it was actually me on the air." Less than a week later, Kyle got a call from Charlie Chase, the assistant program director at WSM. Charlie Chase called Kyle to come in for an interview. Within a couple of weeks past his interview, Kyle Cantrell was hired to work at WSM. He started on April 2nd of 1982.

“Let me count the waves,” Kyle jokes when asked about his experience at WSM. "My childhood dream, once it developed that I was going to be on the radio in my mind, to me working at WSM was end all. To me it was the greatest level of success that I could ever attain in radio, so everything about that job from the very first day I was on the air, sitting in that chair and seeing my name typed on the program log and knowing that I was on a station with that much history and that much renown that I had loved so much was the greatest thrill of my life even if it was just a little Saturday morning show."

Over several months Kyle switched time slots and worked on WSM's various programs including Charlie Chase's slot, and finally, WSM hired Kyle on full time and he worked in the station's network radio operation. Kyle also got to know Charlie Douglas as a friend and mentor while at WSM. Douglas created the first all-night radio show dedicated specifically to truckers. From a part-time employee to the fulltime program director and an announcer on the Grand Ole Opry, Kyle remembers his 21 years at WSM as some of the most thrilling years of his life.

"That 21 years is the anchor for anything I've ever done."

Throughout Kyle's radio career, the radio and music industry gradually changed. AM radio’s popularity was competing with the new FM airwaves, and then satellite and internet entered the business world. By 2002, various jobs at WSM were “managed out”, and Kyle saw his job winding down. Due to these changes and practicality, Kyle searched out new opportunities.

One day Terry Herd (co-founder and CEO of Bluegrass Today) said to Kyle, “You need to think about coming on to Sirius Satellite Radio.”

Herd was already working for the company even though they hadn’t officially launched Sirius yet. He was programming the Bluegrass channel. Kyle began to do work on a freelance basis on the Sirius classic country channel. Then Herd asked Kyle to do a weekend show on the Bluegrass channel. However, Kyle discovered that XM Satellite Radio, the competitor of Sirius, needed someone to run their bluegrass THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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channel, Bluegrass Junction, and he couldn’t pass that up.

As fate would have it, Sirius Satellite Radio merged with XM Satellite Radio and the two became SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Kyle Cantrell stayed on with SiriusXM as the friendly and familiar voice of Bluegrass Junction.

On June 19th, Kyle Cantrell became a member of the Country Radio Hall of Fame. He is humbled to receive the award, but even without the award, he loves what he does.

“For all the administrative things I do, programming and all that... I am probably happiest and most fulfilled when I am in the studio on the air, or something like that,” said Kyle. “Whether it is doing an interview or playing records. I’ve loved bluegrass music all my life.”

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BlueChip Picks: Bluegrass Stars Choose the Little Brown Pick of BlueChip

by Kara Martinez Bachman Matthew Goins, of BlueChip Picks, has a “who’s who” roster of bluegrass greats listed amongst his phone contacts. JD Crowe. Steve Martin. You name the performer, and chances are, Goins is doing business with him or her.

Bottom line: they just love his picks.

His company – BlueChip Picks – produces flat and finger picks used by a list of notables so long, it makes the head spin. Rhonda Vincent. Doyle Lawson. Del McCoury. Ricky Skaggs. Chris Thile. Sierra Hull. Even big names known outside of bluegrass – such as Mumford and Sons, Zac Brown Band, and John Mayer – use BlueChip Picks.

“We make John about 30 at a time,” Goins said, of Mayer’s use of his product.

He added that the reason for all this is because of the original “high grade, selflubricating composite” used to make the picks. He’s kinda tight-lipped about the THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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exact material, as anyone would be if they chanced upon a great idea. He’s proud right now though that just recently, even after all these years of offering these products, he’s finally come into full ownership of his original creation.

“I just got my patent on material,” he explained, of the exciting news. “I applied for the patent in ‘08 and just got awarded it about six weeks ago,” which means: BlueChip Picks are the only company in the world allowed to make picks from this particular material. “It’s the top of the food chain, it’s phenomenal stuff,” Goins said, of the mystery “composite material” that makes his picks so great. “I machine each individual pick.”

It is interesting that the picks are brown instead of blue.

This is an odd little accident that the company sometimes must explain.

“I have a machine shop called BlueChip Machine,” Goins said. He made his first pick in the shop on a lark and didn’t even consider how the name of his shop and the color of the material his picks were made from might cause confusion.

It happened years ago. He played music, but mostly was the type of guy who worked with his hands in the shop instead of by placing them on strings. “I pick a little bit, but I’m a closet picker,” he laughed. “I don’t really pick in front of anybody.”

One day, though, he was fooling around with leftover bits and pieces of a costly material he’d been using for other things. He didn’t want valuable bits of it to go to waste, so tried fabricating some picks.

“The material is so expensive, that you save every little bit that was left over,’ he reminisced. “At the time, they were $300 picks!”

He got so much positive feedback from musician friends that he decided to perfect this special pick and bring it to market. “It took two-and-a-half years to figure out how to get the price point down,” he said, stressing that much thought went into such a seemingly simple object.

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BlueChip Picks not only offers the flat style, but also manufactures finger picks featuring the special material affixed to stainless steel.

“Stainless steel does not tarnish. It’s very durable,” Goins said. “I wanted to marry two materials together that would last a long time.”

It sounded as if one of Goins’ favorite things is when BlueChip Picks does a festival, and he gets feedback from the public. He gave the example of one occasion where a couple walked up to him and the wife said, motioning to her husband: “I asked what he wanted for Christmas, and the only thing he said was... a BlueChip Pick.”

Goins expressed gratitude for all that has happened since he first experimented in his machine shop. He had no idea where things would be headed. “I’m so blessed, and so honored,” he said.

Check out BlueChip picks!

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Ross Newell

by Susan Marquez THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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On a large screened-in porch in an upscale neighborhood, rain gently fell outside...

A crowd gathered: old friends greeted one another while others were meeting for the first time. Guests came bearing artichoke dip, salads, pound cake and lemon bars to supplement the steaming pots of gumbo on the stove prepared by the hostess. It could have been any gathering in any suburb, but this one was different.

At the front door a table with CD’s, t-shirts and albums were on display. Folks coming in deposited twenty-dollar bills into a large basket. A young bearded man in a tweed driving cap with a beer in his hand shyly greeted people who approached the table.

“Hi, I’m Ross,” he said. “Thanks for coming.”

Ross Newell was the reason for the gathering. A singer/songwriter from the Mobile, Alabama area, he was playing a house concert as part of his solo tour. Most recently with the Mulligan Brothers, Ross is on his own for now, playing songs he wrote and telling the stories behind the lyrics. The Mulligan Brothers play Americana, folk rock, alternative country and roots music. Members of the band, Ross Newell, Melody Duncan, Greg Deluca and Ben Leininger, were all in other bands at the time they formed the Mulligan Brothers in 2011. “We named it Mulligan Brothers, because a mulligan is a ‘second chance,’” explained Newell. “It was an opportunity for us all to start anew.” The band took the biggest chance ever in producing their third album, Songs for the Living and Otherwise, on their own.

The Mulligan Brothers are on hiatus for now, “because everyone wanted to live like normal humans for a change,” said Newell. But as a professional musician with a baby on the way, Newell had to keep playing, and that means being on the road. A quick glance at the upcoming concert dates on Newell’s website reveal that playing house parties are a frequent occurrence for the musician. “House concerts become kind of a phenomenon,” he said. “But I think they have been around longer than most might imagine.”

The hosts of the party that evening were Brooks and Carrie Eason. They call their home “Camp Carrie,” and it is ideal for a gathering of the thirty to forty people who normally show up at their house party concerts. “We’ve been doing this for a few years,” said 18

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Brooks Eason, who works as an attorney in Jackson, Mississippi. “We have heard the Mulligan Brothers at Duling Hall in Jackson, as well as on Cayamo (Journey Through Song music festival at sea) cruises and at the 30A Songwriters Festival. Ross’s songs on the Mulligan Brothers albums have more than nine million streams on Spotify, and he will have a solo album this year.”

Music has been an important part of Newell’s life since he started playing guitar around age 11. “I heard a guy playing guitar in a shed in a backyard in my neighborhood. When I saw him playing, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” He began writing songs when he was 13. “It was all very angsty teenager stuff. I was always a noisy kid, and I sang at the top of my lungs. It drove my parents crazy.” He got a more formal music training by playing in the marching and concert bands during high school. “I was a drum major my junior and senior year of high school, and I went to Faulkner State Community College where I majored in music.”

Newell was in a garage band that started when he was in high school, and they played together all through college. “Music was just more fun to do with friends.”

But as the guys in the band got older, they got married, had babies and got real jobs that were more demanding. “I played by myself for a few years before forming the Mulligan Brothers. We all knew each other from the music circuit in the Mobile area, and had all worked on different projects, which means we ended up learning a lot from each other.”

The Mulligan Brothers toured for six or seven years and have played venues across the country. “We toured hot and heavy during our time together,” said Ross, “but if you love a job dearly, as we did, the discomfort endured is worth it.”

Now on his solo tour, Newell says that playing house concerts is a great way to workshop his music. “My main goal, and the parameters in which I write, is to live in honesty. If the songs I write are honest, then I can be passionate about performing them night after night. I write about topics that are universally relatable. Even though people may not have experienced the exact thing I’m singing about, they can relate to it in some way.”

www.rossnewell.com

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“Trail” Far from Dusty: RFD-TV’s Hit Show “The Bluegrass Trail” Returns for a Second Season

by Stephen Pitalo When Alan Sibley decided to approach RFD-TV about a new show focusing on traditional bluegrass, they said yes immediately. Little did he know how much work a television show would be.

“We began the long process of filming for the first season of the ‘Bluegrass Trail’ in February of 2018,” said Sibley, “and continued filming up until June 2018. Filming took place at the RFD-TV studios on Music Row in Nashville, and the first of thirteen episodes originally aired on Sunday night, July 8, 2018. The Bluegrass Trail has served as a platform for authentic traditional bluegrass and old-time music, and I've

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been able to handpick the guests myself.”

The Bluegrass Trail is RFD-TV’s showcase for stellar American musical craftsmanship playing time honored songs, performed by some of the greatest bluegrass artists in the USA, presented for the very first time. This champ of a program honors the musical roots of America, on a Nashville stage. Each 30-minute episode features performances by host Alan Sibley and the Magnolia Ramblers, as well as guest performances from some of the most acclaimed performing artists in bluegrass music today. Season Two, however, won’t be shot in Nashville.

“We're currently working with RFD-TV to schedule the filming of the second season at their facility in Fort Worth, Texas,” Sibley stated. “With bluegrass festival season in full swing, it's proving to be a challenge to get everyone together on the calendar!

We're also planning to add a live audience for the second season. I plan to have some of the guest bands from the first season back again and to add several new bands too.”

Sibley said it breaks his heart that he’s unable to have many of the departed legends of bluegrass on the show, but nonetheless, there is plenty of talent to fill the bill.

“Sadly, most of my musical heroes have long since passed on. I'm really more interested in promoting working musicians that are playing traditional bluegrass the old-time way; bands like the Price Sisters, Carolina Blue, the Kody Norris Show, David Davis and High Fidelity.”

The popularity of the show can be found in the data, according to Sibley, so he hopes to achieve a longevity on the air that the music has already achieved.

“RFD-TV actually gets reports on how many households in America are watching the Bluegrass Trail every week,” Sibley said with glee. “Because of this, I know we've got thousands of fans all over the country regularly watching the show, and I want them to know how much the Magnolia Ramblers and I appreciate them supporting a bunch of ol' boys from Mississippi!! And I hope we get to meet them in person someday!”

Having grown up watching bluegrass on memorable televised showcases, Sibley said he strives to keep the same tone and quality that first drew him to this music on the tube.

“I've watched a lot of the Martha White Grand Ole Opry shows with Flatt & Scruggs, and also Don Reno & Red Smiley on the Kroger Show. The Sullivan Family had a bluegrass gospel television program out of Jackson, Miss. in the 1970's that was also very influential in my thinking. I've also been influenced by many of the live radio shows of Carl Sauceman & The Green Valley Boys.”

Sibley takes pride in the hard work by his staff, and watching the finished product THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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is something that truly brings a smile to his face.

“It takes roughly three or four hours to film each thirtyminute episode,” he said.

“After that, there's several hours of video editing and audio mixing that goes into each episode. RFD-TV has some of the best directors, editors, and cameramen in the business! They sure make us look good!! Or at least better!”

For those wishing to check out Bluegrass Trail TV, RFD-TV is currently rerunning the thirteen episodes of the first season on Fridays at 2:00 PM Eastern time.

RFD-TV is available on satellite television from DISH Network (channel 231) and DirecTV (channel 345) and is also available from several internet and cable television providers.

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by Susan Marquez

Image by Jeff Fasano Photography 24

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When you hear the phrase, “gonna see a man about a horse,” it can have any number of meanings. When you hear Man About a Horse announced in the bluegrass world, it means one of the genre’s most innovative groups is about to take the stage.

“Funny story,” says one of the band’s founders, Matt Thomas, “I was on the road with another band and I heard someone say he was going to see a man about a horse.

I had already been talking to Matt “Roy” Royce about doing a bluegrass band, so I texted him and told him I had a name for the band.”

Royce said his first reaction was that the name had a dirty connotation, but then he quickly realized it had a built-in joke. “What did you do last night? I went to see Man About a Horse. Get it?” Thomas says back when liquor was illegal, moonshine was hidden under hay in barns. “Folks would head to the barn and say they were going to see a man about a horse. You gotta love that story. One of the biggest things when starting a band is getting the name right. I think we nailed it.”

Of course, the band’s music should be as good as its name, and in the case of Man About a Horse, the music delivers.

Thomas says his first introduction to bluegrass was at the music festivals his parents took him to as a child.

“That sort of set the hook for my future. I started playing bass in junior high.” He played for a wide variety of musical genres from rock and country to funk and hiphop. In his late 20s, he seriously considered bluegrass.

“I went to see a friend’s band, and someone pulled out a mandolin and started to play. I said that’s it! I want to learn to play the mandolin.

The problem was, I was not good at playing the mandolin, so I switched to the upright bass.”

Image by Man About A Horse

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Royce’s introduction to music was a little different. “I grew up listening to jam bands like Phish. At 16, I started playing around with my mom’s acoustic Yamaha guitar. I think I am probably in the first generation of kids to learn to play on the internet. I really admired Bela Fleck, who was the first banjo player I had heard. He was part of that jam band scene I liked. I came to bluegrass in a roundabout way, and I was influenced by other genres of music.”

Thomas says as much as the group loves Bill Monroe and the “classic Mount Rushmore bluegrass guys,” he feels they’ll never be that good. “I grew up listening to classic rock and funk. So what we do is influenced by that. We started listening to the Punch Brothers, and we did a Radiohead cover on our last album, which is a big rock n’ roll song, but we made it work with bluegrass instrumentation. What I love about bluegrass is that there is an honest quality to it.”

Royce agrees, saying it’s that authentic aspect that he believes draws young people to bluegrass. “There has been a resurgence of bluegrass music in our area, and I think it’s because young people are tired of electronic music. People like real music made with real hands, now more than ever. You can’t fake bluegrass!”

The band hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is not, according to Thomas, a real hotbed of bluegrass music. Or is it? “We are not writing songs about going back to our cabin homes or pretend that we are farmers. We write from our own life experiences, and along the way, we have discovered that there is a history of bluegrass in Pennsylvania that we didn’t know existed. We have been fortunate to run into some old-timers who were part of the early bluegrass scene here, and it’s been cool to meet and connect with them and to have that transfer of knowledge.”

The band is heading to the UK for the months of June and July to tour. “We are also playing Dell Fest, Gray Fox, Fresh Grass and other festivals this year. Next year our travel schedule will be busier, because we’ll be promoting our new album.”

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The band has recently signed a deal with Dark Shadow Recording and will record their new LP this fall. “We have a strong producer in Stephen Mougin,” says Thomas.

The new album will have original songs written by all the band members. “The original songs we currently play are written by either our banjo player, Dan Whitener or Roy,” says Thomas.

“Stephen Mougin has given us all assignments to write. We’re all writing. Our newest member, Eric Lee (fiddle) is a great songwriter. And I’m excited to see what Matthew Hiller (mandolin) is writing. He is the quiet genius in the group.”

 For more on Stephen Mougin, read last month's article “The Cyclical Life“

Also, be sure to check out Volume 2, Issue 7 of The Bluegrass Standard, to find out more about Dark Shadow Recording Studio 

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Music Matters to the D’Addario Foundation

by Kara Martinez Bachman Music makes the world go ‘round. Really. It does. It fills our lives, creates memories, tells our stories, and expresses our hidden emotions. It’s important.

In order to keep the music playing and the stories unfurling, the nonprofit D’Addario Foundation aims to fund music education programs across the country. With a solid history of providing grants to charitable music education programs, it’s doing its part to keep kids and adults alike active in telling the stories of our lives through sound.

The Foundation closely associated with D’Addario & Company – well-known makers of guitar strings and other instrument accessories – puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to getting music in places where it might not otherwise reach.

D’Addario Foundation Administrator Danielle Hall explains why the work of 28

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the nonprofit is so important. She said there’s a severe lack of music education programs in schools, and that music “engages students in a way that traditional subjects sometimes do not.”

“Our focus is using music education as an effective tool to increase student engagement in school, to provide a safe haven and positive community, and to nurture compassion and inclusion through mentoring,” she explained. “Our partner programs are designed to use music as a tool to enhance cognitive function and literacy development and reduce truancy and remediation for at-risk kids.”

The Foundation’s work resonates with Danielle personally because she grew up reaping the benefits of music education, and knows its value via firsthand experience. She said such programs are usually the first to be cut from schools.

“It’s so important to support the dedicated work of these hundreds of community, non-profit programs that exist around the country that fill that gap, providing music instruction frequently, and for as many years as possible to children who would not otherwise have that opportunity,” she said.

Just one example of the Foundation’s work is a special offering in New York City, the Harmony Program, which launched a free El Sistema string instruction program for children in Copiague, Long Island.

“Since then,” Hall explained, “the lesson program has evolved farther than we ever imagined.”

It’s designed to help students develop a solid foundation of music-making in their early years.

“Many of the students that participate today have been with the program since it started 5 years ago. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to watch them grow literally – most are now taller than me – and figuratively, as musicians and young adults.”

Hall said the Foundation hopes to continue issuing grants, but it’s also expanded by offering new initiatives.

“Perhaps the most significant in the past year has been our new College Scholarship Fund,” she explained. It’s funded by a donation from the Rita & Herbert Z. Gold Charitable Trust, and Hall said it “allowed us to establish this fund for students in need in programs we support, to continue to nurture their educational development and break cycles of poverty.”

She said just last month, the initial scholarship recipients were announced, and of the 10 winners, seven will be the first generation in their families to attend college.

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education as a way to foster better citizens of the world.”

For those seeking help from the Foundation, Hall said the first step is to read the granting guidelines and FAQs found at Daddariofoundation.org.

“We read hundreds of inquiries for support each year, and one of the trends I notice is when applicants explain the benefits of music education in their proposals,” she said. “We know that... that’s why our mission is to support it! My advice would be to speak more on what exactly their program is doing to bring those benefits to their students.”

Hall did caution that although the Foundation has a large scope, it can’t fulfill every request. There are simply too many. Applicants should be very specific about needs.

“While there are so many programs out there that have a ton of merit and we wish we could support them all, our funding is unfortunately not limitless, and we have to be specific about the types of programs we choose to support.”

“We partner with many music industry retailers and wonderful, generous organizations like Hungry for Music, so while we may not be able to fund a specific need – for example, instruments or equipment – we always try and connect applicants with one of our partners who might be able to fulfill it.”

In closing, Hall complimented D’Addario & Company.

“The company has consistently provided a percentage of the net profits, and we can very proudly say that 100-percent of every dollar donated to our organization goes directly to support our mission, as D’Addario & Company, Inc. also underwrites all of our operating expenses.”

Hall said this shows the D’Addario family is enabling “consistent support to innovative non-profits that are providing high quality music instruction programming all over the country.”

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Crazy Like A Fox Tunefox App Is Helping Budding Bluegrass Musicians Learn in an All New Way

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What would you say if I told you there was a web and app-based learning tool designed to help people learn bluegrass songs as well as licks for guitar, mandolin, bass and banjo, but in a way you’ve never experienced?

How would you like to get the gist of a basic arrangement of a tune, and then have the option to shuffle the measures of the song to create a new solo based on the original you just learned?

Tunefox delivers on this premise and looks to be a revolution in guitar method instruction, working within the vocabulary of music to help anyone who seeks a different type of musical education experience. Each song in Tunefox has beginner, intermediate, and advanced settings -- or Backup, Scruggs, and Melodic for banjo -with each arrangement having switchable licks.

Bennett Sullivan, CEO/Co-Founder of Tunefox parent company Listen & Learn, Inc., along with iOS programmer and Tunefox business partner Jiri Markalous had worked previously on a few teaching apps like Pocket Lick Banjo & Guitar as well as Listen & Learn: Banjo. While the apps felt like side projects, the two longed to create a business together to try and help even more people learn bluegrass music.

“To do this, we recruited Jiri’s friend Jakub (Kuba) Prokopec to help us create the web version of our idea for Tunefox,” Sullivan explained. “We received a small amount of funding and got to work on the app and web program. I was in charge of content creation, business structure, and marketing, Jiri was the designer and iOS programmer, and Kuba handled the web programming. We all ran the business together and collaborated on ideas and we continue to work this way.

Sullivan is quick to point out the difference between Tunefox and other online teaching tools, such as Yousician.

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Bennett Sullivan

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“From the start, we’ve wanted to figure out how to help people with something different than video lessons, “Sullivan said. “Tunefox is different from other online tools in that it teaches both creativity and how to practice rather than just how to play a single version of a tune. Tunefox contains a library of songs, licks, and lessons with multiple versions of songs which all include interactive tablature that you can modify with built in licks (this is really fun and lets you explore multiple variations on a single song). In addition to the Lick Switcher, there are practice tools such as the backing tracks, Hide Notes, Speed Up, and Memory-Train, which enhance your practice in different ways. These tools are unique to Tunefox and provide a completely different approach to practicing bluegrass that supports using your ears to learn.

Sullivan’s dedication to music education comes through in the app, as well as the supporting programs, such as a camp that Tunefox just held in North Carolina.

“It was one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Sullivan said. “To watch the community come together and share their passion for bluegrass was incredible and it confirmed why I perform, write, and teach music. I think sharing and playing music is one of the most important things we can do because it gets us out of our heads and into our creative spirit, which is where joy and love live. It’s from that place where we can come together and change others and the world. It may sound cheesy, but I know people whose lives have been drastically altered from an artist playing a song they connect to. It’s powerful stuff.”

Before Tunefox, Sullivan worked on Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Broadway production of Bright Star and toured with artists like Maria Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, and cellist Ben Sollee. Although Tunefox is currently a part-time endeavor, he sees Tunefox as his full-time gig before the end of the year.

“The biggest door Tunefox has opened for me is the realization that this company could help an unlimited amount of people, potentially reaching more than just the bluegrass market,” Sullivan indicated. “Also, I’ve been able to support bluegrass musicians by hiring them for the camp and for content creation, which means a lot to me as a performer. That aspect of Tunefox will continue to grow as well.”

Become a Tunefox learner today!

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Anthony Howell

by Shelby C. Berry

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Small-town Boy with Big Talent Small towns in America can be the most surprising. Their nurturing environment and down-home feel often breed the most unforgettable musicians, like Taylor Swift, Kurt Cobain, and Ricky Skaggs, who all emerged from small towns with big dreams.

An old saying says, “All you need to change the world is three chords and an attitude.” In truth, it doesn’t matter where you’re from when you set your sights set on a dream like that.

Reigning from the small community of Zama in central Mississippi, Anthony Howell embraces that vision with everything he has and is proving to be unstoppable at the age of 19. A banjo player with a strong right hand and creative style, Anthony’s distinct take on every chord produces just the right amount of melody.

He picked up the mandolin at 11 years old but soon began playing the guitar, banjo, and bass. By the age of 13, Anthony was a quadruple-threat playing with Tyler Carroll and Pineridge, the band with whom he played for three years and shared his most memorable on-stage moments.

“We were playing the 50th Anniversary of the Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, and Marty Raybon came on stage and asked if he could play with us. That was really cool, and I’ll never forget that,” said Anthony.

Influenced by music marvels like Jens Kruger, Larry Wallace, Tony Rice, and Chet Atkins, Anthony mimics an artist 20 years his senior while, along the way, taking what he can from other bluegrass artists.

“I find myself to be different because I try to play both quickly and melodic with a strong right hand,” said Anthony. “I also make sure I feel everything that I write, because if you don’t feel it, your audience won’t feel it either. I have many influences, but I bring those together for my own sound. It’s not really something I think about, it’s something I feel.”

This drive and dedication led Anthony to become the newest member of Williamson Branch, a family bluegrass band consisting of Kevin and Debbie Williamson and their three daughters. Since May 2018, Anthony has played banjo, mandolin, and 3-finger guitar for the family band who welcomed him with open arms.

“I first heard Anthony play in a jam session in 2014. I knew then that he was going to be a special player. He’s spent the last year traveling the country with Williamson Branch, where I’ve gotten to see him develop into a consummate musician,” said Kevin Williamson.

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Anthony is honored to have gotten to join a band with such an exceptionally different sound in the music industry, especially one with so much experience as an artist like Kevin.

“Playing with them is like having a second family,” said Anthony.

“I was ready for something different in my music, and Williamson Branch was just that.”

While performing with Williamson Branch, Anthony has also recently released a solo album entitled Memories that includes original compositions.

“The album is a way to showcase my original music and establish myself as a composer. The only thing I enjoy more than playing music is writing music. There is just something beautiful about it,” said Anthony.

It has been five years since John Colburn pulled Anthony onstage at a show in Louisiana and introduced him as Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars’ newest member. After meeting countless other young musicians and playing incredible shows and festivals, Anthony is thankful for TBS for the opportunities that led him to where he is in his career today.

“Being a part of TBS led me to play a benefit concert, and that was a huge part of me joining Williamson Branch. I ended up playing with four bands that night. I apparently caught Kevin’s eye with my confidence each time I played. Whether I realized it at the time or not, TBS has been a big part of my success so far, and I’m so thankful for John Colburn and what he is doing for young musicians.”

Twice Anthony has been voted Mississippi’s Magnolia Bluegrass Association Banjo of the Year he has received countless other awards. In addition to his endless success, major musical brands have endorsed Anthony, like Deering Banjos, Gresham Guitars, and Banjolit, a business in the Czech Republic specializing in comfortable, wooden arm rests for banjos.

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Thinking there is more to accomplish in his musical career, Anthony’s sights are on winning the coveted Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Banjo, a prestigious award presented to the most creative banjo players.

“I set my goals high. They say reach for the stars, and that’s exactly where I’m going.”

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Steven Curtis Chapman

by Richelle Putnam When Steven Curtis Chapman was seven or eight years old, his family had a transformation, an evolution of sorts. They started going to church.

“That’s when God became the centerpiece of our family and our relationship with God and our Christian faith,” said Steven.

Music reflected that as well, and the Chapman family started singing together.

But it wasn’t that the Chapmans hadn’t been singing together. Steven’s dad, Herb Chapman, played folk and bluegrass music on the weekends with his group, The Village Singers.

“I remember my dad and Scotty [Henson] playing Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Cripple Creek and all those great old standards and Dueling banjos. They would play that back and forth. My dad is a great singer and I saw him so happy when he was playing music. I think all of that drew me to music,” said Steven.

“I get my middle name, Curtis, from a gentleman named Jack Curtis Martin,” Herb’s friend and their band’s dobro player who went on to play and tour with Flatt & Scruggs for several years.

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I was very young. I was enamored with the mystique of songwriting as a little boy because my dad would make up songs and I just thought that was so cool.”

Herb eventually quit playing with the group, becoming more and more involved with the church. “He became the music and choir director and he didn’t want to travel with the group so he could be home on weekends with his family and go to church together.”

Music then focused on family and their singing together as family, but more gospel, doing a lot of Bill Gaither songs and hymns. “My dad and I both played guitar and my brother (Herb, Jr./Herbie) learned to play bass. And that was my life growing up.”

Though Steven’s future in music directed him toward the Contemporary Christian genre, those early folk and bluegrass elements were tightly woven into his musical being. In junior high and high school, he had dabbled in songwriting and he said, “that is really what gave me my entrance into making music my profession.” Early on, Glen Campbell, one of Steven’s heroes and favorite singers, recorded Steven’s song “I Will Be Here.” Still, there was a part of Steven wanting to tell his own story and sing his songs for whoever would listen.

Evolution is inevitable and Steven designed his SCC Solo tour to be the musical version of his story, the evolution from, “where it began with my dad playing music with his friends, the folk and bluegrass music I grew up with, my career and how I got started singing on the Grand Ole Opry,” said Steven. We make our plans, but God directs our steps. Steven was a pre-med major when he first went to college because he thought he needed to get a real job. “I didn’t know if music would be able to provide for a family.” But the doors to the music world kept opening. When Steven was a teenager fresh out of high school, he worked the summer at Opryland USA, a former amusement park in Nashville. “In the Country Music USA show we would dress up like the artists of the past.” One of his favorites was Flatt & Scruggs. “I was Earl Scruggs and Marty Rowe, who went on to become the lead singer of Diamond Rio, played Lester Flatt.”

Steven explained how his steps were directed more to the music he wrote, and his faith. “I never knew where that would lead me, and it ended up leading me to the stage of Carnegie Hall with a big orchestra and a choir behind me. And that led me back to the Grand Ole Opry. Now I get to go as an established artist with GRAMMY awards and all that and sing the very first song I sang when I was on the Opry at 19, ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ by George Jones.”

About Steven’s music, reviewers and critics might be somewhat puzzled. “They say, ‘We don’t know what this guy is. He’s country, he’s bluegrass, he’s got folk music thrown in there. He’s got a banjo snuck in there and a dobro.’ I’ve always loved that music. When I got the opportunity to make this album, it was kind of full circle back to what I’ve always loved so much and that’s just the sound of bluegrass music.

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That’s always been deep, deep inside of me.”

The album he refers to is Deeper Roots: Where the Bluegrass Grows, which became available on all music platforms March 22 and is the sequel to Chapman's 2013 Billboard No. 1 Bluegrass Album Deep Roots, exclusively released with Cracker Barrel.

“A lot has changed in my life and I never could have imagined that a kid growing up in Paducah, Kentucky would ever get the opportunity to do what I have done. I believe God directed my steps and I tried to go where I felt He was leading me, and it led me right back to where I began.”

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” one of the songs on the CD, is a song Steven sang in church, “and that has been the story for me. A lot changed, there was a lot of heartache, a lot of success. Through it all He has been faithful to me and my family and I’m grateful for that.”

Also, on the CD is “Til the Blue,” one Steven wrote from the depths of tragedy, loss, and grief. “I was watching news coverage after a hurricane devastated Houston, Texas and the areas around it …seeing the devastation and interviews with people …the tears in their eyes. They had lost everything. Many lost families, loved ones, and it really connected with something deep in my soul because my family walked through a devastating tragedy about 11 years ago when we lost our youngest daughter in a tragic accident about a week after her fifth birthday. I remembered the feeling that we felt for many months and …you hear the sound of laughter and think I don’t know that we’ll ever laugh again or feel light again because it’s feels so heavy.”

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Steven remembered those who walked with and sat with and wept with them, saying “that until you can laugh again or smile again, we’ll sit with you and serve you and love and walk with you and believe that the sun is going to come back out. You’re never going to get over this, you’re going to have this loss and ache, but your sky will break, and the sun will come out again. That experience was so real for us and I wanted to say that to these people. I was inspired, so I wrote the chorus.”

“I wanted to offer that hope to people.”

’Til the blue returns to your sky

The closing song on the ’Til the laughter returns to your eyes album, “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” Steven wanted his I’ll be here to cry with you dad to sing because “we had grown up singing that song, And right here to give you a song “…and I’m thinking I really want to do this while I still To help you go on can with my dad, while he’s still healthy enough to sing Until you are strong with me. I wanted to feature him the way I grew up ’Til the blue returns and this song is so special for us. We sang it at my ’Til the blue returns to your sky grandmother’s funeral. She raised my dad on her own and she was such a godly woman. She’s the reason why our family is what we are. Just singing that together at her funeral was so emotional. When my dad got into the studio and I told him I wanted him to sing this song, he kept crying and breaking down. But he wanted to do it, so we kept going and finally got through it.”

The song is also a reminder of the evolution of the Chapman family, when Steven’s dad made his decision about wealth and fame and a career in music. “He laid that down to follow what he believed was God’s plan in his life. That meant I got to have him as my dad instead of the world having him as a musician. It’s just a special way to end this album.”

Bill Gaither is a huge part of Steven’s story. “Those first songs we sang together in church were Bill Gaither songs: “He Touched Me,” “Because He Lives,” “There’s Something About That Name.” “When Bill called and said would you come and sit down with me and let’s talk about your story, it’s been such an amazing great adventure since we first met. I couldn’t say no to that. Bill is such a big part of my story and my life.

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“It was again such a wonderful fullcircle kind of experience for me to come back and celebrate with Bill and with my wife Mary Beth. I met Mary Beth in Indiana when I was working with Bill Gaither at Anderson College.

It felt like the perfect way to come back and celebrate the story.”

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Steven Curtis Chapman is the most awarded artist in Christian music history with 58 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, five GRAMMYs®, an American Music Award, 48 No. 1 singles, selling more than eleven million albums and with ten RIAA-certified gold or platinum albums to his credit.

The Gaither Music Group project, A Great Adventure LIVE Solo Performances of Timeless Hits, was recorded at Gaither Studios in Indiana and hosted by Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Bill Gaither.

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The 615 Hideaway: Creating a Modern Space for Music before We Knew We Needed It

by Shelby C. Berry Nashville, Tennessee – city of music, lights, and the never-ending sound of new artists making their mark on the world from almost every corner. “Music City,” primarily known for its country and bluegrass, loves and supports all music and breeds artists of every genre trying to get their music beyond the city’s 526-squaremile radius.

Sammy Passamano III is one of those people. Born into the third generation of a music industry family, music is in his blood.

Bluegrass enthusiasts will likely have heard of Sammy as he started the radio promotions portion of Rural Rhythm Records, his family’s radio station. For more than a decade Sammy has worked with artists like Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band and Bobby Osborne.

Throughout his career, without realizing it, Sammy has been before his time – being one of the first people to introduce Airplay Direct, a digital delivery system for artists, to the bluegrass community.

“I ended up being the first person to bring a world premiere to XM radio as well,” said Sammy.

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In 2014, Sammy developed a brainchild of his own: The 615 Hideaway. Started as an A&R for Rural Rhythm Records, The 615 Hideaway is a streaming channel of video content highlighting Nashville’s abundant talent. They produce two to three shows weekly for online music streaming of pop, country, rock, folk, and bluegrass, focusing on new music and live performances.

At the time, live streaming music barely existed, if at all. Sammy saw the need to help artists connect with fans by providing live performances that allowed realtime live chats between artists and fans. Since then, live streaming has become a necessary vehicle for all performers.

“The 615 Hideaway transitioned from radio to video when video started getting big in the bluegrass community,” said Sammy. “The industry was changing, and The 615 Hideaway was built off creating quality content. I was honing my craft on video, and then I got lucky with Alex Preston.”

In Season 13 of American Idol, this indie folk singer caught Sammy’s eye – or ear, you might say.

Although Alex’s American Idol journey ended with a third-place spot, his musical journey began when he was only five years old. From there, he developed a desire for learning new instruments. And it doesn’t hurt to have a Grammy-nominated country artist cousin, Jo Dee Messina, either.

While Alex’s time on Idol allowed him the opportunity to work and interact with artists like Jason Mraz, Andy Grammar and Gavin DeGraw, he was looking for a new outlet to get his music out into the world. Live streaming became that outlet.

“Sammy and I started talking about the idea of live streams,” said Alex. “I had just started doing streams on Thursdays from my house, and he thought we could do it bigger. And it kind of just grew from that.”

People weren’t really doing live music shows yet with Facebook just adding its live feature for the first time. So, in 2017, after the release of Alex’s debut album, Sammy aired his first episode of The 615 Hideaway with Alex Preston. On the show Alex engaged with fans by chatting with them and answering questions.

“At first, it was just talking to fans and doing some music covers, but then we started bringing other people on,” said Alex. “We would have other musicians come in, and we would each do a few songs. Then we would sing some together. So, the show really evolved, and I was really able to connect with the audience.”

One of Alex’s most requested songs, his personal favorite from The 615 Hideaway, is Fairy Tales, an original which was also his audition song for Idol. Even after two albums and six years, this hit song remains popular among fans.

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In only two years, The 615 Hideaway’s viewership reached between 50,000 and 60,000 on several episodes. With the show’s success, Sammy is excited about the newest addition to his streaming platform – Bluegrass Fridays, which features the best of bluegrass and encourages artists to release new music with the streaming platform.

“Bluegrass was always on my radar and something that I wanted to do, but I wanted to start with country music and build from there. You have to shoot bluegrass a certain way to give it a quality look and great sound.

We have already had Joe Mullins on the show and look forward to having Special Consensus towards the end of the year,” said Sammy.

Sammy’s goal is for The 615 Hideaway and Bluegrass Fridays to be the places where people go to watch live shows. “The big goal I have for the Hideaway would be for it to become an entertainment company where everything is rolled into one,” making it the perfect place for artists and fans and Music City, the perfect place to call home.

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From bluegrass bus to County Line, Tommy Brown is still on the road

by Kara Martinez Bachman Tommy Brown has been picking banjo since he was a little kid. He's won both the Kentucky State and Tennessee State banjo championships. He’s performed onstage for most of his life. What’s more, he inspired a son, Jereme, who today follows in his father’s footsteps and picks banjo for one of the most up-and-coming bands on today’s bluegrass circuit, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys.

Although today he’s more behind-the-scenes in bluegrass than he is onstage, Brown is still active both as a musician and as bus driver for Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. It might seem odd to some, but to this lover of music festivals and being on the road, it all goes with the territory.

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musician, he’d always been behind the wheel. And years ago, that happened almost every single weekend.

“I know how it is to drive 16 hours to do a show, and then drive again the next day,” he explained, of how his role as bus driver has made his son’s life easier, as well as those of his “Po’” bandmates.

His own outfit – County Line Grass – has primarily been a family affair since starting out in 1991.

“My daughter Rachel plays the bass.

It used to be me and my wife, and Jereme, and Rachel, and another guy,” he said. “We were a family band.

People love family bands.”

Back when he was a younger musician, he took every gig that came his way. Every. Single. One. “Nowadays, as I have gotten older, I pick and choose,” he said. “I haven’t retired, but I am fortunate enough to be able to pick and choose.”

He’ll get daily calls requesting performances from people wanting him to travel to Michigan, or to Missouri. Sometimes he’ll take a gig, but more often than not, he’s content driving for his son’s rising band and occasionally getting up onstage with them to do a song or two.

“I still like playing just as much as I ever did,” Brown stressed. “I still have a banjo sponsorship from Hatfield Banjos of Glasgow, Kentucky.” He both plays and sells Hatfield instruments.

Throughout all this, Brown does find time for a few select gigs. For instance, he’ll appear at the Mountains of Music Homecoming in southwest Virginia on June 13. In September, he said he’s doing a Stanley Brothers tribute show.

“Ralph Stanley II is in this band with me,” he said.

On September 7, fans can catch him and County Line Grass at the Barron County Historical Society Bluegrass Fest in Cameron, Wisconsin.

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He and the band also have some recordings under their belts, with the last, “Leaving This Town” (released in 2014), presented courtesy of Randm Records.

In addition to Brown – with his lead and baritone vocals, banjo, mandolin and guitar – the other members of County Line Road include: Jereme Brown (vocals, lead guitar and banjo); Josh Rinkel (vocals, rhythm guitar and banjo); Wayne Fyffe (vocals and fiddle); and Rachel Brown (acoustic bass).

Brown said since he always maintained a day job, with a flexible boss who allowed him to take off on some Fridays to travel to gigs, he’s never played music purely for the money. He said he’s done it only for the love of music and for the opportunity to touch the lives of others.

“The best thing I love is going to a festival and singing a song like ‘A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave’...I had people come up to me this past weekend, a man and a woman, who had tears in their eyes,” he explained. They’d heard him perform the moving number about death and tending to gravesites, and they heard the performance just after they’d lost someone special.

“It must have made their experience easier by hearing that song,” Brown said, clearly moved himself by the tears of his audience.

“When they come up and tell you that,” Brown said, “I think about stuff like that right there when I’m driving the (Po’ Ramblin’ Boys) bus.”

And suddenly, every bit of it seems to have a purpose, and becomes stirringly worthwhile.

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 Fiddler’s Porch 

The Share America Foundation

by Emerald Butler I was in the early stages of my college career when I first became aware of the Share America Foundation. For me it was another opportunity to get out and play music; particularly at this little old depot in Ringgold, Georgia. The opportunity also provided further support for my studies. Inside the old brick depot was a small stage made of squeaky wood, and the back-stage walls were covered in signatures from artists who had graced the building before. However, as I’ve learned even more recently, the Share America Foundation is more than just a show and a stage. It is an organization striving to maintain and encourage the tradition of Appalachian music in the talent, skills, and lives of young students.

The Share America Foundation was founded by actor, writer, and musician Randall Franks. Randall is best known for his role as Officer Randy Goode in the 1988-1993 television series “In the Heat of the Night”. Share America was a dream of Randall’s Mother, Pearl, to see the idea come into fruition.

The foundation is a 501C3 nonprofit organization that focuses on encouraging youth in the traditional music and arts of Appalachia. “Our focus is primarily in sharing those things with the next generation as well as preserving the various aspects of history, stories, and making sure those are maintained in various forms,” Randall shared.

Phillip Cross, Randall Franks, Isaac Moore

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A new album is the latest tool that the Share America Foundation is using to do just that.

“One of the things that I’d seen with a lot of young folks that we were working with was that many of them had started doing recordings,” Randall began. “There were some who had recorded albums of various forms and trying to figure out how to put them out. Initially, the project was simply going to be the bringing together of Caleb Lewis these projects that several of these artists had done and get those out to radio.” Fortunately, I was one of those artists.

However, in the midst of this project, Randall discovered an even better learning experience for other young musicians.

“I came to the realization during this process that there were a lot of young people out there who had never had the opportunity to go into a studio or to sit down with another group of musicians and feel the creativity that occurs between musicians as a new song comes to life. That was really the catapult that pushed me into convincing our board that this is a project that we need to do. We need to bring some of these young people we are working with into the studio and work them through that process and help them to learn and grow as they feel their way into their own self as a musician or singer.”

On May 3rd I had the great honor of participating in the “Americana Youth of Southern Appalachia” release show and celebration with several other talented young artists who are on the album. Randall Franks and the Share America Foundation released the album to various radio stations and AirPlay Direct the following week. “We debuted at number eight on their worldwide albums chart,” Randall announced.

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The album features the musical talents of Randall Franks, Colton Brown, Emerald Butler (that’s me), Warren Carnes, Phillip Cross, Landon Fitzpatrick, Nicholas Hickman, Trevor Holder, Kings Springs Road, Caleb Lewis, Isaac Moore, Mountain Cove Bluegrass Band, Matthew Nave, Wally O'Donald, Drew Sherrill, SingAkadamie, Ryan Stinson, Landon Wall, and Tyler West with special guests: Jeff Hullender, Sheri Thrower and Tim Witt.

FESTIVAL GUIDE

Landon Fitzpatrick

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 Fiddler’s Porch 

Lefty’s Martin Guitar One-of-a-Kind Pre-WWII Left-Handed Martin Guitar For Sale At Elderly Instruments LANSING, MICH. — Musical instrument dealer Elderly Instruments has for sale the only known pre-war left-handed Martin D-28. Built in 1941, this guitar is stamped “D-28S.L” on the inside, with the S indicating a special order and the L indicating lefthanded. “Pre-war” is a designation often used by instrument collectors to describe instruments built prior to the end of World War II, when practical concerns led to some significant changes in construction for most guitar builders. Pre-war Martin Guitars are highly coveted by modern collectors. Martin’s D-28 model, a large body guitar with a spruce top and rosewood back and sides, has long been the go-to instrument for many country and bluegrass guitarists, and this is the only left-handed D-28 built in the pre-war period.

This guitar was built for “Lefty” Buchar, a singer and guitarist for Happy Johnny and His Gang. In the 1940s and ‘50s, the group toured the mid-Atlantic region and regularly appeared on radio programs in Baltimore, Md.; York, Pa.; and other cities.

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In addition to being left-handed, there are other unique aspects of this guitar. The headstock shape is different than a standard Martin headstock, with a mustache-like top instead of the minimalist squared top found on most Martin guitars of the era.

The guitar also has special spacing for the tuners, to facilitate a specific type of fine tuning mechanism. (Those tuners have been lost and since replaced.) The guitar has some wear on the top and back, as well as some repairs, but overall it is in very good condition for an instrument of its age.

This guitar is now up for sale at Elderly Instruments.

Potential buyers can learn more by visiting elderly.com, calling their customer service department at (517) 372-7880, or coming to the Lansing showroom during normal business hours.

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Elderly Instruments

by Susan Marquez When Stan Werbin received his first banjo at age 14, he probably never dreamed he would one day own a successful business selling and refurbishing classic instruments for musicians across the country and around the world.

Werbin met friend Sharon McInturff in 1971 when they were both in school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They had been collecting used instruments and when exhibiting at a flea market one weekend, a book dealer told him about a space where he and McInturff could open a store to sell their instruments. “We liked that it was in Lansing, because there were already nine music stores in Ann Arbor. Lansing didn’t have many music stores, and none were doing what we were doing with folk instruments.”

The duo rented a 10 x 12 space in the basement of a retail building in East Lansing and opened their shop, Elderly Instruments, in July 5, 1972 with 15 or 20 instruments they had acquired. “We planned originally to carry only vintage instruments,” says Werbin. “What we really wanted to do was to create a store where people would feel comfortable. We wanted them to touch and play the instruments, which was not the norm in most music stores back then.”

In 1975 they produced a 100+ page catalog and expanded into space in the same building. They added a few accessories, including strings, and a few new instruments. By 1983 the business had grown so much McInturff and Werbin purchased an old Lodge hall so they would have 58

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more space. In 1986, McInturff left the business and Werbin has run it ever since.

One of the reasons Werbin has done so well is that he understands musicians. “I was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Queens,” he says. “I got bitten by the folk music bug early on. I first had a banjo, then got a guitar in 1969.” Werbin played music throughout college, although he majored in biology and chemistry. He loved to look for instruments in pawn shops and junk stores. “I didn’t know about brands or anything, but I was convinced that older instruments were better.” Ann Arbor had a good music scene, and Werbin had success in buying and selling instruments. “I had no idea what they were worth. It was all done via word-of-mouth. I ran little ads in a local penny saver publication. After we opened our business, people would write to us about instruments they had for sale, or for things they wanted to buy.”

Over the years, the business has grown. In 1988 the inventory was automated, and in the early 1990s they launched their first website. Werbin married and his wife, Sandy and daughter, Lillian got involved with the business. Today the company has over 60 employees. “Lillian (age 29) has been working here for five years, and she is making great strides in moving us into the 21st century,” laughs Werbin.

Elderly Instruments sells new, used, and vintage instruments and accessories, along with “wacky” things such as concert posters and other ephemera. They also repair and refurbish instruments.

Many of the brands the stores sells now are by customer demand. “We had folks ask for Gibson, Martin and Guild, and we started selling OME banjos and mandolins.

Some people wanted starter instruments and we sold New Harmony before they went out of business. I had the opportunity to buy 70 banjos at one time at an auction in Chicago, which worked out well for us.”

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Werbin now runs one of the largest banjo camps in the country. The Midwest Banjo Camp is held each June on the campus of Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan. Ken Bauman, the renowned claw hammer banjo player, is one of the 25 to 30-person faculty who teach 250 students. The fourday camp features classes in bluegrass, old times, classic, minstrel and four-string Dixieland jazz as well as concerts by both the faculty and the students.

“I suppose we’ve done more things right than wrong,” says Werbin. “I have a closet filled with old bluegrass magazines. I’ve been going to IBMA since 1988. I’ve only missed a couple of years, but we always sent folks to exhibit.” Werbin recalls the time 25 years ago at IBMA when he brought four rare Lloyd Loar mandolins to exhibit in his booth. “Bill Monroe played one. They are very unusual, and very valuable. I believe today they are worth about $40,000.” A couple of kids came up to the booth and asked if they could play the Lloyd Loars. Werbin was a little nervous, but he gave them each one of the rare mandolins to play. “We were all blown away.

Those boys were only about 12 years old, but they were amazing. As it turns out, it was Chris Thile and Michael Cleveland. We listened to them play for over an hour.

They were so great!”

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TM

interactive media

by Susan Marquez What began as iDitty, a music platform that allows artists to provide fans with not only music, but pictures, video, media links, and other “really cool stuff,” MAJiiK has expanded to allow artists to get more, do more and make more. It’s also created an endgame music experience for fans to enjoy with their favorite artists.

Geoffrey Pace serves as the company’s CEO. With a business and technical background, the Nashville native designed the platform with musicians in mind.

“Once we got rolling, we realized the toolset we were building could work in so many other markets as well.” Now sports teams, attractions, advocacy groups, and even politicians and fundraisers are using the MAJiiK platform to share more content which allows them to better engage with people. “We called it MAJiiK because people often say what the platform does is magic,” explains Pace. “We spelled it with two i’s because of the interactive nature of the platform. We are connecting people together on the platform.”

Music artists and the music writers, who are often underserved, are now being compensated in a way that has been lost in the music industry. “Music has been devalued with the rise of iTunes, Spotify and the like,” says Pace. “The MAJiiK platform allows artists to re-engage with fans in a different way. Fans can have access to backstories on tours and concerts, and even see backstage videos. It adds value to the music and creates a relationship with the artists that fans have been lacking. It also allows artists to sell videos and merchandise, as well as any kind of dynamic content.”

MAJiiK’s souvenir cards have become a major selling item. “CD’s aren’t selling well anymore,” says Pace. “Most new cars won’t even have CD players in the next couple of years. But there needs to be a physical representation of digital music, so we’ve created the souvenir cards that have a proprietary laminate that artists can autograph with a Sharpie and it won’t wipe off.” Pace says the card is an onramp to all the MAJiiK app does. Redeeming a card via the code provides instant access 62

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to all the content direct from any computer or mobile device. “Fans can access information about their favorite bands, as well as music, videos, and more, plus it serves as a physical keepsake from the concert.” The cards can also be used as tickets, VIP passes, credentials or as a merchandise item with bundled sales.

The MAJiiK social media aspect to the platform allows artists to send messages to fans and to communicate with them in real time. “For example,” explains Pace, “an artist can share part of a song in progress and ask the fans what they think. It provides immediate access with real-time fan communication, improved engagement and enhanced fan experiences. Artists can get granular with the information they share and get comments back from fans, allowing fans to stay connected to artist like never before. It creates a bit of a VIP experience for the fans.”

Another benefit to artists is that by capturing a fan base in this way, sponsors want to come in and engage with the fan base. It’s a way for artists to monetize their fan base in a way that users want to receive it and act on it. “Studies have shown that people are seven times more likely to act by phone – within four seconds – when they see something they’re interested in than they do when they see it on a computer,” explains Pace.

Pace’s business partner, Dan Huff, serves as COO of the company. “Dan has been a musician for a long time, as well as a studio engineer in Nashville, so he has great connections and he understands the music industry.” Except for a couple of years living in California and Florida, Pace says he has always been a Nashville resident. “We are at ground zero for the music business, and we are seeing more and more bluegrass artists use the platform.” Among those are Daniel and Carolyn Routh of Nu-Blu. In addition to promoting their own band, Daniel Routh promotes the show the couple hosts, Bluegrass TV, using the MAJiiK platform.

With today’s newest technology, MAJiiK creates connections between people. From a music standpoint, MAJiiK is a way for artists to establish their own private network with an integrated social hub for fans.

Visit the website at www.majiik.com. You also can direct sales inquiries to Keith Roberts at (615) 945-6895.

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The “Caveman Bluegrass” of

Only Lonesome

by Kara Martinez Bachman Mandolin and guitar player John Seebach will tell you straight-up that his favorite music isn’t all that gentle. It’s rough. It’s caveman rough. That’s how he and his bandmates in Only Lonesome describe their brand of roots music that harkens back to a bygone era.

“We kinda like the more raw sounds of what was coming out of D.C. during the 50s and 60s,” Seebach explained. “There’s a roughness to some of that old bluegrass music that’s unpolished sounding.”

He said although he and his bandmates pay “softly” in the other bands they perform with, when it comes to Only Lonesome, it’s all about jagged-edges and a driving sonic heft. They don’t come in as if a gentle breeze; they’re more reminiscent of a storm.

“I think the vocal delivery, and the way we deliver the harmony, it’s about the power of it more than the smoothness of it,” Seebach explained. “Our fiddler is very loud and plays very hard. In this band, I play really, really hard.”

He said when he plays in other bands, he has a “light touch.” He reserves the strength and drive for the band he calls “a labor of love.”

“We gather around the microphone,” he said, of another way this quintet echoes the old school way of doing things.

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class bands” who were rooted in the D.C. area: Johnson Mountain Boys and The Seldom Scene. He contrasts them by saying The Seldom Scene had a sound that was “urbane, rock and pop, and very smooth,” while Johnson Mountain Boys offered up the “rough stuff.”

Just guess which one Seebach and the other band members identify with more.

Speaking of his fellow musicians, in addition to Seebach on mandolin, the rest of Only Lonesome includes Neel Brown on guitar; Stefan Custodi on bass; Sam Guthridge with his banjo; and Tom Lyons jamming on fiddle.

Seebach has played guitar for 30 years, and mandolin for 20.

He started to play the mandolin because of its portability. He was living in Japan at the time, and “playing a lot of guitar.” Some friends of his picked mandolin and would carry their favorite instruments around easily in luggage and backpacks. One day, he saw one in a store “for just 80 bucks” and went for it.

“I like that it’s portable,” he said. “I like the way it sounds and the way it feels in my hands.”

Seebach said he and the guys were all friends and had played in different bands together before starting Only Lonesome about a decade ago.

He explained because they all “have kids and jobs,” they prefer to stay closer to D.C., and perform primarily at bars, special events, and a few festivals. They’ve also played for the U.S. Senate. Seebach said they’re only able to “stay home” with their music because they live in a very receptive area.

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“D.C. is a great town to do this in,” he said. “There’s a lot of interest. It’s a good town to be a working musician in.”

Because they mostly stay local, you probably won’t chance upon them at random.

Check the band’s schedule when visiting D.C. A best bet for seeing them live this summer and beyond would be at Mr. Henry’s bar, located on Pennsylvania Ave. SE in D.C., where they gig regularly and have scattered performance dates booked through December.

Over the years, Only Lonesome has received accolades, including being nominated four times for the “Best Bluegrass Group” award from the Washington Area Music Association. They’ve been written about by The Washington Post, where the band described its style as bluegrass “with some hair on it.”

Only Lonesome has no huge new goals for the future; they just want to keep doing what they’re doing, and having a great time hammering away caveman-style.

“We just play it because we love it,” Seebach added simply.

“Just don’t come to an Only Lonesome show expecting a blast of Appalachian sunbeams... we’re doing the lonesome stuff... music with some hair on it.” —The Washington Post

Discover more about these “five cavemen and one microphone”:

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Summer Bluegrass Events Mt. St. Helens Washington August 9-11

Grand Targhee Alta, WY August 9-11

Summergrass San Diego, CA August 16-18

RockyGrass Lyons, CO July 26-28

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SW Pickers Red River, NM August 22-25

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CC Bluegrass Central City, IA August 22-24

Brown County Georgetown, OH August 22-24

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Grey Fox Oak Hill, NY July 18-21

Raleigh, NC Sep 24-28 Back 40 Curryville, MO Aug 29 - Sep 1

Raccoon Creek Dallas, GA July 12-13

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July Festivals & Events Dates

Event

Location

Jul 4-6

Red, White, and Bluegrass Festival

Morganton, N. Carolina

Jul 4-6

Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival

Conway, Missouri

Jul 5-6

Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree

Smithville, Tennessee

Jul 11-13

Shriners Bluegrass Festival

Olive Hill, Kentucky

Jul 11-14

Basin Bluegrass Festival

Brandon, Vermont

Jul 11-14

Busy Bird Bluegrass Festival

Berkshire, New York

Jul 11-14

High Mountain Hay Fever

Westcliffe, Colorado

Jul 12-13

Raccoon Creek Bluegrass Festival

Dallas, Georgia

Jul 12-13

Uncle Dave Macon Days

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Jul 17-20

Wayside Bluegrass Festival

Stuart, Virginia

Jul 18-21

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival

Oak Hill, New York

Jul 18-21

Northwest String Summit

North Plains, Oregon

Jul 19-21

Darrington Bluegrass Festival

Darrington, Washington

Jul 24-27

The MACC Bluegrass Festival

Marengo, Ohio

For the complete list with links to full info, check out our Events tab at TheBluegrassStandard.com!

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August Bluegrass Festivals Dates

Event

Location

Aug 2-3

7 Mile Bluegrass Festival

Greenfield, Ohio

Aug 5-10

Old Fiddler's Convention

Galax, Virginia

Aug 9-11

Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival

Medical Lake, Wash.

Aug 9-11

Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival

Alta, Wyoming

Aug 15-17

North Carolina State Bluegrass Festival

Marion, N. Carolina

Aug 15-18

Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots

Manchester, Vermont

Aug 15-18

Winding Creek Bluegrass Festival

Russiaville, Indiana

Aug 16-18

Summergrass San Diego

San Diego, California

Aug 22-24

Brown County Bluegrass Festival

Georgetown, Ohio

Aug 22-24

Central City Bluegrass Festival

Central City, Iowa

Aug 22-25

Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festival

Litchfield, Maine

Aug 22-25

Pickin' in the Pasture

Lodi, New York

Aug 22-25

Rainier Bluegrass Festival

Rainier, Washington

Aug 22-25

SW Pickers Bluegrass & OldTime Festival

Red River, N Mexico

Aug 28 - Sep 1

SamJam Bluegrass Festival

Piketon, Ohio

Aug 29 - Sep 1

Back 40 Labor Day Bluegrass Festival

Curryville, Missouri

Aug 29 - Sep 1

43rd Labor Day Bluegrass Festival

Grapeland, Texas

Aug 30 - Sep 1

Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival

Woodstown, N Jersey

Aug 30 - Sep 1

Four Corners Folk Festival

Pagosa Springs, Colo.

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Volume 1, Issue 2: Our second issue of the magazine came out in August of 2017, and is our “most shared” copy to date! Great articles on Doyle Lawson, Highway 80 Songwriters Fest, The Sowell Family Pickers, Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express, and many more. Music Barn CD reviews, stories, and a visit to Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace. We even take you to Maui for some Hawaiian Bluegrass!

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States, ed it Un e th s de si be h, nt Last mo untries co p to ’s rd da an St s as gr The Blue lia and ra st Au , UK e th , da na Ca included a great d pe lo ve de ve ha We d. an New Zeal even a few following in Europe, and ng Kong!

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