The Bluegrass Standard - Volume 2, Issue 2

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INSIDE: Jeff Brown  Balsam Range  Po’ Ramblin’ Boys  D.A. Callaway  Goodfellers  and more! ...

Volume 2 ~ Issue 2

HI GHLIGH T S !

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The Bluegrass Standard 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.

Advertising rates are subject to change without notice. The Bluegrass Standard reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any advertising for any reason. It is our policy to publish any letters to the editor that are signed and verifiable by phone number. We reserve the right of anonymity upon request. Letters must be grammatically correct, clarity and original and free of libel. The Bluegrass Standard reserves the right to decline publishing or reprinting any letter.

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Please forward any letters to: editor@thebluegrassstandard. com The views expressed are not necessarily those of The Bluegrass Standard. Copyright Š2018. All Rights reserved. No portion of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the expressed consent of the publisher.

Th e Blu e gr as s S t a nd ard S t a f f This month's Contributing Writers: Ted Drake, Anna Hite, Daniel Wile Keith Barnacastle • Publisher The Bluegrass Standard represents a life-long dream for Keith Barnacastle, who grew up in Meridian, Mississippi.

For three years, Keith brought the Suits, Boots and Bluegrass Festival to Meridian, allowing him to share his appreciation for the music of his youth with fans from across the country. Now, with the Bluegrass Standard, Keith's enthusiasm for the music and his vision of its future reaches a nationwide audience, every month!

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.

Shelby Campbell • 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 is the web designer and creative specialist for The Angie Denney Agency in Pensacola, Florida. She also has her own photography business, Shelby Campbell Photography.

Kara Martinez Bachman • Journalist Kara Martinez Bachman is an author, editor and entertainment 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. You can check out his blog 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.

James Babb • Creative Director James Babb is a native Californian, and a long-time resident of Palm Springs. He has been involved in creative work of many types, ranging from electronic design in the 1980's, to graphic and online design today.

In addition to his work for The Bluegrass Standard, James designs and produces large-format graphics for trade shows and special events. James also provides custom framing of paintings by artists from his local community.

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The Seldom Scene

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SPBGMA Nashville

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Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars:

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Goodfellers

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Cup O' Joe

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Balsam Range

Left Lane

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Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

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D.A. Callaway

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Band of Kelleys

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Music Barn

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Dawg Tour

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Jeff Brown

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That Dalton Gang

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No Time Flatt

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Bluegrass Tech:

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McLain Family

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Back Porch: Making a Living

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Festival Guide

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Suits, Boots & Bluegrass

Much Ado About Banjos

fan photos THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

THE SPOTLIGHT Fades to Black.

Introducing CONCERT BLACK • Easy assembly & transport • Conveniently folds flat • Helps prevent fatigue • Available in multiple heights

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Carolyn Routh’s story into bluegrass music resembles the stories of many bluegrass legends. As a tot, she sang in church and found her love for the stage while singing to her second-grade classroom. But her drive toward “Grass” music evolved through roller skating.

“My family owned a small restaurant in Silver City that my grandparents opened in 1946,” said Carolyn. “I’m an only child and my dad was an only child, so the family centered around this family business.” Carolyn spent most of her time there. “In the back, there was this concrete floor with a big prep table in the middle and I had a pair of roller skates. I would skate around and around that table.”

Carolyn’s mom had a collection of 45 records from her childhood, with artists like Skeeter Davis and songs like the “Peppermint Twist.” Carolyn placed her little cassette player in front of the record player and recorded songs to skate to. Her music veered from the 50s and 60s, into Country, Broadway, and Rock.

“I discovered something new, stayed on that for a while, and then went on to discover something else,” said Carolyn. “I had gone through my high school years with a little touch of Broadway. I had gone through my rock n roll years and I was the rocker chick.”

However, it was Christian music that brought together she and her soulmate, Daniel.

Well… actually it was Walmart.

“The first place we met was at Walmart,” where Daniel was working. “He said he was looking for a guitar player to fill in for a show,” said Carolyn. “I said I was looking for a bass player.” He asked Carolyn what kind of music, and she said Contemporary Christian. He admitted, that he didn’t play bass, but added, “I’ll learn.”

“He learned to play bass and we migrated from Contemporary Christian to Christian rock,” said Carolyn.

The band went to Classic Rock, but there weren’t enough venues and the smoky bar scene and playing 10 to 2 for pennies was not the life for Carolyn and Daniel.

Before venturing into the Christian genres, Daniel played banjo in a bluegrass band, so Carolyn said, “Why don’t we start playing bluegrass.” It took her over a month to THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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But Carolyn continued her trend of jumping from genre to genre. “I’ll go back to something from my past or pick up a different influence to create the mood,” said Carolyn. “It’s all about mood to me, it’s all about heart, what I’m feeling at the time, what I’m listening to at the time, what I’m singing at the time. My mind follows my heart…always. I’m very emotionally driven. Daniel can attest to that.”

Their newest release, Vagabond, is packed with originals like “640 Battlefield Drive” and “Still Small Voice.” Covers include Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”

“It’s one of those classic songs you don’t need a reason why you love it, it just resonates,” said Carolyn. The band was playing a casino in California and someone shouted, “How about playing some Dylan.” Daniel started playing Knocking on Heaven’s Door and people came to stage. “They started singing with us.” After the show, people came to the CD table and asked for the one with “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”

But what makes Vagabond different is another cover, “Gypsies on Parade,” a song first recorded by Sawyer Brown. “When I heard it, I fell in love with it and I wanted to record the song. We had been on tour 200 days. Sawyer Brown, when they wrote the song, were in the same boat, they had been living the song and that’s where the song came from, their life on the road.”

While in elementary school, Carolyn often doodled flowers and things when she was supposed to be listening to the teacher, “I was doodling band names and logos and all kinds of musical things.” Nu-Blu was one of those names she thought up for a bluegrass band. “I had no idea that I would be using it myself. I put it away in the back of my mind and never told anyone about it.”

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“Gypsies on Parade” was the first song Carolyn ever cried over on while recording it because “it strikes that chord with me; it’s the life I’m living.”

Many songwriters experience being a vagabond.

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Her music may always be about the song, but her life is about faith. At the bottom of it all, or, as Routh says, “at the top of it all,” Christ is there, “regardless of how I may stray, regardless of how stupid I might get at the end of that journey, at the end of the road He’s waiting for me.” He brought Routh through two strokes and, “When I look at where I was and where I am now, I’m thankful for everything I took for granted, like being able to sit down and pick up a pen and not think about it.

“When you can’t do it anymore, you think about it every second. When you must concentrate on every button, every move, when you have to think about picking your foot up and sitting it down in front of you on the ground and putting weight on it.

When every word in your mouth you have to think about when you form it, you start to be thankful for those little things.” It doesn’t have to be anything monumental or life changing, “but it is life changing, every small, moment in your day can be life changing.”

THE REST OF NU-BLU: TJ Honaker on vocals, banjo and guitar Clint White on fiddle and mandolin

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Scene and Heard at 47 Years of Age Veteran Band The Seldom Scene Will Record A New Album For Rounder Records This Year

by Stephen Pitalo

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Mandolin and guitar player Lou Reid remembers distinctly when he joined the legendary band The Seldom Scene, since he has been both the “new guy” and is now the longest tenured member.

“It feels really different being the oldest band member,” Reid admitted.

“It is also different because I was the guitar player and lead singer with the original guys when I first joined the band in 1986, except for John Starling.”

The Seldom Scene, formed in 1971 in Bethesda Maryland, has been playing longer than nearly any bluegrass band on the scene today. Embracing a more progressive sound and gaining many an expert player through the decades, the band incorporates country, rock and even pop music stylings into their recordings and shows.

Lou Reid’s exposure to early bluegrass and Americana influenced his music journey.

“My dad played banjo, guitar, fiddle, autoharp and harmonica,” Reid said. “He would take me to see Flatt and Scruggs when I was about 10 or 11. I thought that was fascinating, to see the group live and working the stage. Then, about that same time, I met a guy named Jeff Hooker and we played a little bit together, but I was still in the learning stage. Then, in high school, I met some friends that became my first bandmates. Myron Nunn, Jimmy Haley, Jeff Hooker and myself became known in the Southeast as the Bluegrass Buddies.

We won numerous awards.”

For 25 years, The Seldom Scene remained popular in bluegrass circles even with the near-constant personnel changes, but then Duffey and Eldridge were suddenly the two remaining original members, at which point they recruited resoguitar player Fred Travers, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, and guitarist and singer Dudley Connell to join the band. This reconstituted group recorded an album in 1996 and continued live appearances.

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Tragically, the band was dealt what seemed a crushing blow late that same year, when band leader and founder John Duffey suffered a fatal heart attack. Nonetheless, the band was simply too popular to disappear for good. Banjoist Ben Eldridge, the sole remaining original member and a significant force in banjo music in his own right, assumed leadership of the band. At this point, Reid rejoined the band on mandolin. Eldridge retired from the band in 2016.

The Seldom Scene’s current lineup features Connell on guitar, Reid on mandolin and finger-style guitar, Simpkins on bass, Travers on reso-guitar, and Ron Stewart on banjo and fiddle. Having just signed a deal with Rounder Records, this veteran band can look forward to success in the ever-expanding digital world of bluegrass. A new project is set to be recorded, starting early in 2018, to be the first with new member Stewart. As of now, The Seldom Scene has recorded 22 albums during its history.

Reid also enjoys Seldom Scene because it transcends the genre, in his opinion.

“I like the Seldom Scene because we are not just a bluegrass band. Instrument-wise, yes, but we don’t approach music in just a bluegrass direction. We like blues, rock, folk, country and gospel music that we pull some of our material from. I also approach the music with a similar attitude as the Scene with my own group, Lou Reid & Carolina. But I feel that I do more bluegrass-y songs with my own band.”

When asked which Seldom Scene tune is his favorite to play live, Lou Reid has an immediate and definitive response.

“With no hesitation, I would say ‘Wait A Minute’!” said Reid.

Fans can buy recent CDs, t-shirts, hats, and more online at www.seldomscene.com

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The Sowell Family

LuLu Roman

Chosen Road

Carolina Blue Kevin Pace & The Early Edition

Backline

My Brother's Keeper

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The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America As we go to press with this issue of The Bluegrass Standard, we are on the road to Nashville for the SPBGMA Convention…

If you are lucky enough to attend, don't forget to stop by and say “Howdy!” and let us know what you think of the magazine.

If we don't see you there, look for our exclusive coverage of the Convention, Awards Ceremony and the music scene around town in next month's issue.

Keith Barnacastle — Publisher

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44TH Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards & 35TH National Convention Sheraton Music City Hotel Nashville, TN

Program

Showcase of Bands Thursday, February 1, 2018 Plantation Ballroom

4:00 PM 4:40 PM 5:20 PM 6:00 PM 6:40 PM 7:20 PM 8:00 PM 8:40 PM 9:20 PM

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Deer Creek Boys The Kevin Prater Band Newtown Feller & Hill And The Bluegrass Buckaroos Deeper Shade Of Blue The Kody Norris Show Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers Jeanette & Johnny Williams

Friday, February 2, 2018

Showcase of Bands Friday, February 2, 2018

4:00 PM 4:40 PM 5:20 PM 6:00 PM 6:40 PM 7:20 PM 8:00 PM 8:40 PM 9:20 PM

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Trade Exhibits in Plantation Lobby (Show Ticket NOT Required Friday 9 AM-4 PM) 9 AM (Must have show ticket Friday after 4 PM & Saturday and Sunday) 12:30 PM 1:00 PM TRADE EXHIBITS are in the McGavock’s Ballroom and Tulip Grove off of 1:30 PM 2:00 PM the main lobby.

2:30 PM NO ticket required for these areas.

3:00 PM Exhibit times Thursday 3-8 PM, 3:30 PM Friday & Saturday 10 AM-8 PM, Sunday 10 AM Opening.

5:30 PM

Multiple showcases on hotel property Thursday, Friday, Saturday after 10 pm!

Claybank Remington Ryde Flashback Donna Ulisse & The Poor Mountain Boys The Farm Hands Ronnie Reno & The Reno Tradition Russell Moore & III Tyme Out Chris Jones And The Night Drivers The Country Gentleman Tribute Band

Plantation Ballroom

International Band Championship 1st Round Eliminations The Special Consensus The Farm Hands Cedar Hill Crowe Brothers Steve Gulley And New Pinnacle Danny Paisley & Southern Grass International Band Championship 2nd Round Eliminations Dinner Break

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Growing up in bluegrass music seems to be the norm for many young musicians in today’s music industry. The same could be said of a young band from the foothills of Blue Ridge Mountain in South Carolina.

by Shelby Campbell

More commonly known as Left Lane, this young band grew up learning this traditional style of music from older members of their local bluegrass community - all the while making it their own. It’s not only something they do, but it’s who they are.

This band made up of former Sweet Potato Pie Kids have grown together in their musical abilities and passion for bluegrass music. Members are Mary Johnson (fiddle), Peyton Ellenburg (guitar), Ivy Bryan (mandolin), Logan Redding (banjo), and Josiah Roper (bass).

Starting out young in an after-school program in Pickens Country, South Carolina, these YAM - Young Appalachian Musicians - members became fast friends. The program took a special interest in mentoring youth in bluegrass music.

“We are appreciative of the YAM program,” Mary said. “We have that program and everyone in it to thank for the opportunities we have today.”

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Upon outgrowing the YAM program, the members of Left Lane were ready for more, to grow and explore more bluegrass music - together. Thus, Left Lane was born.

“When we were growing up and learning our instruments, the bluegrass community in our area welcomed us and encouraged us constantly. Our love for the music wouldn't be what it is today without the people that helped us along the way. A big part of why we decided to become a band was to give something back to them, so we decided to give them exactly what they gave us: music,” Mary said.

Mary has been playing the fiddle for seven years, but bluegrass has always been a part of her life, attending festivals with her fiddle and banjo playing father from the time she was three years old. She began playing in the YAM program in the third grade with her last few years as a part of the Sweet Potato Pie Kids, an audition based YAM outreach band.

Peyton grew up with a love for bluegrass due to his grandfather, a bluegrass musician and songwriter. He decided to learn how to play the guitar at age nine and joined the YAM program along with Mary. He was also selected as a member of Sweet Potato Pie Kids while taking a shot at singing.

Ivy was exposed to rock n’ roll music from a young age, influenced by her electric guitar playing father. Bluegrass was new to her when she began playing in 2010 in the YAM program. She fell in love instantly, developed her signature style that landed her a spot in Sweet Potato Pie Kids.

Logan is an accomplished banjo player at only sixteen years old. He first learned how to play the guitar before picking up the five-string banjo in 2011 at his first YAM camp.

He eventually spent two years as a Sweet Potato Pie Kids member gaining performance experience at venues across four states.

Josiah is the newest addition to Left Lane, joining in 2016. He plays a large variety of music and instruments while focusing on playing bass for Left Lane. He also teaches for the YAM program after school.

In 2016, Left Lane placed first in Junior Bluegrass Bands at Fiddler’s Grove Music Festival in Union Grove, North Carolina. They also had the honor of playing in Dollywood in May of 2017 for their annual bluegrass week.

Since the band got its start in 2015, they have performed at over 75 events and festivals throughout the southeast including IBMA in Raleigh, North Carolina, SPBGMA in Nashville, Tennessee, and the infamous Pumpkin Festival in Pumpkintown, South Carolina.

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“We feel very fortunate to have had so many wonderful opportunities to share our music with so many people,” Mary said.

When they aren't traveling across the U.S. playing their hearts out, Left Lane is busy as members of Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars. According to Mary, the band felt led to join TBS to become closer to a growing community of musicians and to learn from them.

“We are so happy that John Colburn allowed for us to be a part of TBS, which has been a great way to observe other musicians outside of our community and get to know them,” Mary said.

Joining TBS has inspired the members of Left Lane to always play with confidence, even when they are performing in front of other musicians.

2018 is sure to be full of great things from Left Lane including a second trip to Dollywood for Barbecue and Bluegrass Week… and the beginning stages of creating their debut album!

For more info on Left Lane and to stay up-to-date on their shows, visit www.leftlanebluegrass.com

Preserving Bluegrass One Youngster At A Time!

John Colburn & Maggie

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Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars continues to support the awareness of its many talented young members, and the preservation of yesterday’s bluegrass music for tomorrow.

Click the banner below to visit the TBS website:

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Goodfellers

by Richelle Putnam Teddy Barneycastle of Goodfellers will tell you their music goes deep into the mountains of North Carolina and branches, and “if the music feels right and feels good, we are willing to go in that direction, regardless of what style music it is.” Never limiting themselves to a certain style, the band still must be honest with the music and the music must be honest with them. The truth is, Goodfellers can produce a string of traditional bluegrass songs, “but at the end of the day we want to do something that everybody can connect to,” said Teddy.

“We find the obscure songs that might have made it to the top twenty. Many people think they’re ours,” said band member and mandolin player Ralph McGee. For that song to resonate, it’s the story and how it meshes with the melody. “There is no song that we won’t at least try,” he said.

“We’ve come across songs or stumbled onto them, and hated them when they came out,” said Teddy. “But the twist we put on it, we realize it’s actually pretty good. We weave cover songs into our originals because that’s what you have to do these days.”

Ralph and Teddy met years ago at a BBQ restaurant, according to Ralph. “I had recorded a demo with Wyatt Rice and somehow it got around the bluegrass circuit. Teddy heard it and a week later we were putting a band together.”

For the past 20 years, Goodfellers has been a popular, sought-after band for corporate gigs and weddings…lots of weddings.

“Before we started going back out and playing festivals, we were predominantly a wedding band for several years and everything was a request,” said Ralph. “Every weekend we were doing weddings and that’s where some of the songs come from,” like the Bee Gees and the oldie “Build Me Up Buttercup.”

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“GOODFELLER” QUOTES TO REMEMBER: Teddy – “It’s not who you know. It’s who you know that likes you.”

Ralph – “They may forget the songs we played, but they’ll never forget how they felt when they left with a smile.”

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There were hundreds of songs like that. And Teddy, the lead singer, Ralph boasted, can sing them all. “We were playing 20 to 30 weddings a year. I couldn’t even begin to the name all of the songs that have been requested.”

Today, Goodfellers is made up of Ralph McGee on mandolin, Tim Hill on bass, lead singer Teddy Barneycastle on guitar and Hersie McMillan on banjo. Ralph, Teddy and Tim have been the main core of the group from the beginning. McMillan, an original member of South Bound, which became Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, is a bluegrass legend who brought a different dimension to the band, said Ralph.

When it comes to arranging original material, “lots of times, we begin with a batch of words or the melody will come,” Ralph explained. “We play off each other and eventually, it will be a song. Sometimes the story comes first and sometimes the hook comes first.”

Currently, Goodfellers is releasing singles, like “No Time to Kill,” which can be found on iTunes. “They’ll be popping out about every week or so,” said Ralph. The band will have some CDs pressed, but since CD’s are more of a novelty now, they’ll be mostly for promotion. “Most everything will be digital and online.”

THE ULTIMATE GOAL: To play until someone has to whittle them out of the stage.

“We want to keep recording and keep playing and keep pushing the envelope and that’s the goal, until we can’t play no more,” said Ralph.

When it comes to performing, the band provides something for everyone…even comedy. “We make the audience and everybody else a part of it. It’s never the same thing twice. Our main goal is not to let anyone have any more fun that we do on or off stage,” said Ralph.

“Making people laugh is as much fun to us as playing the music.”

“We take music serious, but not to the point that we’re not having fun,” said Teddy. “If you make them laugh, they’ll never forget you.”

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Cup O' Joe

by Susan Marquez

Cup O’ Joe first debuted at the IBMA in 2014 on the youth stage and in 2015 took part in IBMA’s 'International Showcases.' In 2017 they performed as an Official Ramble Band, being the first band from Ireland to do so.

People migrating to America in the 1600s from Ireland, Scotland and England brought basic music styles generally considered to be the roots of bluegrass music. The Bluegrass Heritage Foundation explains that as Jamestown settlers moved into North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, they wrote songs about the day-to-day life in the new hills. That said, it’s no surprise that one of the hottest up-andcoming bluegrass bands—Cup O’ Joe-- hails from Northern Ireland.

Siblings (and avid coffee drinkers) Benjamin (23), Reuben (22) and Tabitha (19) Agnew live on a small farm in a small farm house on the countryside in County Armagh, where, according to Tabitha, they often get distracted by visiting tractors, cattle escaping from neighboring fields and donkeys straying into their yard!

“Our parents are both musical, and continue to both play a little bit from time to time,” Tabitha explains. “They brought us up to attend festivals and gigs from a very young age,” like the International Piping festival and the Northern Irish Bluegrass Festival at the Ulster American Folk Park Bluegrass Festival. “Their enjoyment of music is strong, whether it be supporting festivals and gigs or our dad collecting (almost fully functioning) instruments.”

Hearing Cup O’Joe, one would be hard-pressed to believe they had no formal training.

“We started out by just picking up a few different instruments, like mandolins, guitars and bohdrans (an Irish Drum) that we had lying around the house,” says Benjamin.

“We didn't really start to devote much time to our respective instruments until Reuben and Tabitha were both about 12 years old and I picked up the bass a little bit after that.”

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Since there were no local or regional music teachers, they studied books, YouTube videos, and played tunes they liked over and over.

“Our earliest moments of performing could probably be traced back to the early days, when we would play in our little family band around local church halls when we lived on the North Coast of Northern Ireland (close to the Giants Causeway),” says Tabitha. “We would often all sing together and play with our parents providing the backup.”

Playing on their own “doesn't come naturally to any of us,” Tabitha adds, “as we always have each other to bounce off of. But it is something that we are all trying to get better at.”

While the siblings like to think they have an equal footing, Benjamin says, “to be honest, I would say the ‘leader’ status would belong to Reuben or Tabitha.”

Why bluegrass? Tabitha laughs. It’s a question they still ask themselves. “As I'm sure your readers might think, there isn't a huge scene for bluegrass or progressive acoustic music in Northern Ireland, Ireland or the UK.” Their dad first introduced them to bluegrass and oldtime music through the albums of Alison Krauss & Union Station to Riley Baugus & Dirk Powell. “We were taken to the Ulster American Folk Park Bluegrass festival every year from the age that I was two. I think we grew up thinking that bluegrass was 'normal' and what other kids our age listened to.” Festival favorites were The Lonesome River Band, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Kenny and Amanda Smith and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

Amid the Irish-American scenic setting of the Festival, these acts “helped us absorb the music,” while seeing young musicians at the Ulster American Folk Park Bluegrass Festival encouraged Tabitha to think that she could play bluegrass music professionally someday.

She believes one reason Northern Ireland takes an interest in bluegrass is because its roots trace back to the old Scots-Irish who moved to mountain regions in the Southern United States (specifically Appalachia) with old tunes and traditions. “It’s pretty cool to have visited a small area of these regions and to see the similarities culturally and musically.”

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With the release of their EP “Bluebirds” in 2016, “we started to reveal a taste of our original material, described to be 'gentle bluegrass' with elements of folk and more progressive acoustic music coming out,” says Reuben.

They had gotten hooked on the music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappeli, which reflects a small dose of Gypsy Jazz.

Their original, 'Bluebirds,' is “a little bit 'wacky' to some, but it's fun to play. With that song, each of us contributed to different parts of it, to where we pieced all of the suggestions together to create it.”

This EP features four originals (Bluebirds, Homesick, Blackwaterfoot and Tell Me Darling), one traditional (Pretty Fair Maid), and one early swing song (Black Coffee). Tabitha says they are pulled to old swing and early jazz, with favorites like ‘Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree’ and ‘Mr. Sandman.’ People respond to these old songs “when played with an alternative twist.”

Reuben and Tabitha bring most of the potential musical material to the band. “Usually one of us will come to the other with an idea, whether it be a melody or some lyrics, and we will work together trying to create an original product,” says Tabitha.

Being siblings removes any pretense of politeness and allows honesty and opinions. Writing can be quite testy, “but over the past year we have come to realize our different roles and responsibilities in the writing process to make it work.”

Cup O' Joe's “Tell Me Darling” video (website and YouTube) was shot by good friend John Breese (of the UK-based bluegrass-inspired quintet 'Cardboard Fox’) on the hexagonal rocks at The Giants Causeway, a main Northern Ireland tourist attraction.

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$59.99 Free US Shipping The StroboClip™ Clip-On Strobe Tuner features a high definition, true-strobe display and over 50 Sweetened™ Tunings for supreme accuracy.

Amazing things come in small packages!

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Majestic Mountains with a Beautiful Song

Balsam Range

by Shelby Campbell

The range of mountains surrounding Haywood County, North Carolina where the smokies meets the Blue Ridge is truly majestic, so much so, an outstanding group of acoustic musicians, who found themselves back home in western North Carolina after various professional musical journeys, decided to join forces and name their band after the range.

“It just felt right,” said Darren Nicolson, mandolin player for the band, Balsam Range.

Since bursting onto the bluegrass scene over a decade ago, the unique musical backgrounds of each band member blended beautifully to create the distinct sound that made the mark in the bluegrass and acoustic world.

Earning chart-topping tunes and multiple awards, including the coveted IBMA Vocal Group of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, Balsam Range has become one of the genre’s most award-winning bluegrass acts, winning 10 IBMA awards for six criticallyacclaimed albums.

Their recently released album, Mountain Voodoo, captures the traditional, yet contemporary, sound with fiery instrumental parts alternating with deep ballads, overlaid with the vocal harmonies for which the band is known. Debuting at number 34

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four, Mountain Voodoo remained on the Billboard chart for an incredible 19 weeks.

“We have always tried to make good albums, pick great songs, and work on our live shows to make them even better,” said Darren. “I think our appeal is the unique sound of our band. We are influenced by all genres: country, rock, jazz, swing, old-time and, of course, bluegrass. We try to weave all those things together to make Balsam Range a unique, American music experience.”

Among its many musical assets, Balsam Range has a full house of top-notch bluegrass singers who take turns singing lead, and combining harmonies that are surprising, yet fully rooted in tradition.

Buddy Melton on fiddle began his musical journey in college, learning to play his instrument. He played with Jubal Foster before joining Balsam Range and is best known for his unique tenor vocal.

Mandolin player Darren Nicholson has performed many times on the Grand Ole Opry with Alecia Nugent and has toured with many artists including The Crowe Brothers.

Darren has won multiple IBMA awards and was nominated for a Grammy.

Marc Pruett on banjo is a Grammy award winner who played with Ricky Skaggs on many of his albums. He toured with James Monroe, Jimmy Martin, and The Whites, and led the Marc Pruett Band for ten years.

Guitarist Caleb Smith performed as a member of the gospel group Harvest prior to joining Balsam Range. During that time, he was awarded Male Vocalist of the Year at the PowerGrass Music Awards.

Caleb is also a talented luthier, building Smith Custom Guitars.

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highly regarded in gospel music circles, earning a place in the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He has performed and recorded with Kingsmen Quartet, Tony Rice, Ralph Stanley and Vince Gill - earning him multiple awards for Gospel Musician of the Year.

Balsam Range’s latest record, It’s Christmas Time, was released in October with Mountain Home. As an EP with six tracks, it mixes timeless holiday favorites with a pair of songs from Appalachian roots, and features the guest talents of Nashville Recording Orchestra.

“We wanted the orchestra to become a true part of us for this outing - and not just be a backdrop. We had to take a bit of a different approach to make it work, but I think the result was well worth the effort,” said Tim Surrett.

The group’s first Christmas project, the result has been nothing short of unexpected and magical.

“The band has had requests for over a decade for Christmas music, so we finally did it,” said Darren. “We thought the timing was right, and we wanted to do it right - make it our own, something a little different.”

Although the Christmas season is over, the members of Balsam Range continue to pursue their goals as a band in 2018.

“We want to entertain people, impact people’s lives in a positive way by sharing great songs and enjoying making the music that we love,” said Darren.

As the new year begins, Balsam Range is working on new recordings of blending bluegrass and classical orchestra while enjoying their biggest travel year since its inception.

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The hand-made microphones from our craft workshop are unlike anything else you've seen or heard.

We combine state-of-the-art sound quality with playfully eclectic design– the perfect recipe for the creative performer.

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Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

by Kara Martinez Bachman

C.J. Lewandowski, of Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, fell in love with the mandolin when he saw an old picture of Bill Monroe holding one.

It had made an impression. To a teenage boy, that photo was perhaps like a single stone, skipped perfectly into a still river. It didn’t just plop down dull, but it danced and made shimmery ripples that traveled far and wide and reached clean through to the opposite riverbank. He said it was Monroe holding “that famous July 9, 1923 Loar signed mandolin.” It had been a mere image on paper, with an impact that still ripples today through Lewandowski’s life.

He was 15 years old when he saw it. He’d been learning the fiddle, but as he readily admits, “it wasn’t working how I wanted.” He started plucking the thing instead. Eventually, he sold the fiddle and picked up a mandolin.

In that photo of Monroe, he said he’d seen respect. Strength. Power.

“I felt like that came with the mandolin,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s what I felt at the time.”

Since then, he’s honed his art and shares it through the Missouri-based Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. He plays with fellow “boys” Jereme Brown (vocals, banjo); Josh “Jug” Rinkel (vocals, guitar); and Jasper Lorentzen (bass).

Lewandowski met Brown and Rinkel at the Jerusalem Ridge Festival in Rosine, Ky., when both were members of Tommy Brown & County Line Grass.

Lewandowski had previously gone to school for a bit with Lorentzen, but he was only brought onboard as one of the “boys” after pourin’ some whiskey.

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“He was actually pouring shots of moonshine at the distillery that offered me the opportunity to start a house band,” Lewandowski explained. “It was only meant to be a house band situation.

We never intended for it to become a band like it is today.”

By all measures, the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys have left the “house band” concept in the dust. They’re touring widely, including in the U.S. and abroad, and have a number of international dates scheduled for next year. They’ve brought back from extinction an old-time classic radio program -- the “Farm and Fun Time Show,” a weekly show on WBCM-Radio in the twin-cities of Bristol, Tn. and Bristol, Va. -- which hearkens back to the 1940s and 1950s. They were an “Official Showcase Band” at the 2017 IBMA convention and were also nominated for IBMA “Momentum Band of the Year.”

What’s more, a new record is in the works, a full gospel project titled “God’s Love is so Divine,” due for release in early spring.

The first Po’ Ramblin’ Boys CD -- the 12-track “Back to the Mountains” -- was released in 2016 on Randm Records. These grown-up and talented “boys” weren’t sure how it would be received or how the band’s sound would find its spot in the bluegrass marketplace, but so far, it’s done well.

Lewandowski describes the band’s sound as “original material that sounds vintage. Vintage material that is fresh again.”

He describes his own playing technique as “an aggressive traditional style” that’s “slightly different than most.” “I learned from several first-generation Missouri players,” he explained.

“Jim Orchard, Don Brown, Frank Ray, and of course, Monroe.”

The players who inspire him have a style based on Monroe. Lewandowski likes to call it “Ozark-style mandolin.” He likes the style so much, he’s soon releasing an instrumental album featuring his own compositions, plus songs by Jim Orchard titled “Ozark Mandolin.”

“There’s a passion I have for mandolin now that I’ve never had before,” he added. “I love the beauty of the look and sound of a finely handcrafted ‘F’ style mandolin.”

He also has a passion for what the music represents. For how it completes him. “I’ve lost a lot of things in childhood, like many others,” he explained. “My mother, grandmother, and grandpa, in particular. There was a void inside me that I couldn’t fill until I found bluegrass.”

He said bluegrass will always be with him. “I eat, sleep, and breathe it,” he said. “I’ll never leave it, for it hasn’t left me.”

The ripples left behind by one little photo are clearly still fanning out after all these years, and ramblin' on wherever they will.

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D.A. Callaway

by Susan Marquez

D.A. Callaway loves bluegrass music, and bluegrass musicians love D.A. Callaway. As the festival coordinator for Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, Callaway oversees all the music festivals and events at the 1880’s-style theme park. The biggest of those is the Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass and BBQ Festival held throughout the month of May. “We’ll feature 24 days of Bluegrass music, food, crafts and more,” says Callaway, whose excitement for the event can hardly be contained.

The event is scheduled from May 3 through May 28. “We be closed May 7 and 14, just so our folks can catch their breath a bit.” With six stages running each day, there will be plenty of music for folks to enjoy. “We have some of Bluegrass music’s greatest artists— over 60 bands in all--including Ricky Skaggs, The Grascals, Rhonda Vincent and many others,” states Callaway. “That’s a lot of tech crew—people running lights, sound, and even ushering. We probably have the best stage techs in the world right here.”

Callaway’s been at the park since 1976, “since they’ve had a roller coaster,” and says the festival has been going in some form or fashion since 1975. “We changed the name in 2005 and it’s been the same ever since.” With superstars and rising stars, the festival attracts thousands of fans from all over the world. “People know this is a quality festival and they come to see some of the biggest stars in Bluegrass, as well as the up-andcoming acts.”

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the venue before. “I especially love the family bands. I think our guests are amazed at what young people today can do. The music is building exponentially with each new generation of musicians. They seem to have even more dexterity and more proficiency than their predecessors.” Callaway muses that Bluegrass music seems to require more musicianship than any other genre of music. “You have to really be talented to play Bluegrass music.”

The Youth in Music Band Contest will be held on May 26. “We typically have about twenty contestants from ten to twelve different states,” says Callaway. “Every band plays six minutes in the morning and reconvenes with different judges in the afternoon, when they’ll play six more minutes. It’s a single-mic competition, meaning that the bands must be choreographed around one microphone for maximum movement.

“We started doing this several years ago with the intention of finding who was in the pipeline for talent development,” Callaway explains. “But we found out it’s so much bigger than that. Relationships and contacts are made, and lifelong friendships are formed. These young people will know each other for the rest of their lives. We’ve seen marriages of kids who have met during the contest, and we’ve even had a few babies born from those marriages! They are like family here.”

The barbeque part of the festival is a main focal point, as well. “We have some awardwinning chefs at Silver Dollar City – some of the best chefs in the world,” says Callaway.

“Everything they cook here is from scratch, including home-cooked pies and homemade ice cream. We have a four-story-tall kitchen and three bakeries. We have huge walk-in smokers that go 24-hours a day.” Barbeque is offered up daily during the festival in the new BBQ Pitmaster Courtyard. Visiting master smokers, winners of some of the nation’s top barbeque contests, will give demonstrations each weekend during the event.

Silver Dollar City also features 40 rides and attractions and 100 resident craftsmen on sight demonstrating America’s heritage crafts.

The park sits atop one of Missouri’s deepest caves. It was named the 2017 Traveler’s Choice by Trip Advisor and one of America’s Top Ten Parks by Fodor’s Travel.

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Going All In

by Daniel Wile

You see it in their performances. You hear it in their voices. It exudes from everything they undertake. Passion... and it’s fueling the rapid rise of the Band of Kelleys.

The four-piece band of siblings originally from Augusta, Georgia, owes much of its success to the dedication of guitarist and band-leader, Timothy Kelley. Having studied classical violin at the university level, he began teaching each of his siblings how to play the fiddle.

“It was kind of a requirement that we started playing the fiddle at four,” his 14-year-old sister, Victoria jokes. She progressed on the fiddle until she was eight, when she saw a YouTube video Sierra Hull playing mandolin. “I thought that was so cool,” says Victoria. “From then on, I guess I fell in love with the mandolin.”

While Victoria drew instrumental inspiration from the well of bluegrass, she had to look elsewhere to find her true singing voice. One day at home, the family was listening to music when Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” cycled through the playlist. Their father, Tim, prodded Victoria to imitate Houston’s powerful delivery. “Victoria,” Tim said, “you need to reach down and get you some soul.”

Apparently, Victoria reached down and found it. “In a matter of seconds,” Tim begins, “this voice popped out of Victoria. Timothy and I looked at one another, and we had chill bumps on our arms. It happened that quick.” She has continued to nurture her newfound voice. “She has had a real passion about developing it and getting lessons, and it’s gotten even better and better,” says Tim. Seventeen-year-old Bethany now carries the mantle as band fiddler, boasting awards from fiddle competitions across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Rounding out the band is Daniel on the upright bass. Like his sisters, he began learning to play the fiddle, but like Victoria, was inspired by another instrumentalist. “When I was about seven

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years old, I saw Jason Moore (formerly of Mountain Heart) playing the bass. He really inspired me.” Daniel learned to play on a small electric bass. Now, he plays both acoustic and electric upright bass. Don’t be fooled by his size; this eleven-year-old deftly handles an instrument that is currently taller than he is.

Forming a band with this family came naturally. “Each sibling came along and realized how much fun we were having,” says Timothy. With so many musicians under one roof, the Kelleys found that playing for other people was always something they did.

But it’s about more than entertaining. The audiences also appreciate the family culture.

There’s an automatic chemistry that goes with playing music, explained Timothy.” We all think and feel the same way, having grown up in the same household. When we’re on stage and off stage, we connect with each other to put on a tight and energetic performance.”

He states that one characteristic of being a Kelley is just really putting everything you have into it, whether it’s on stage or off stage. “That’s one of the things that audiences can connect with.

When we put on a live performance, we really engage with the audience on a personal level,” he continues. “When they leave, they have that memory of that experience. We try to engage them, and make them feel a part of us and part of the show as much as possible.”

But transition from local family band to touring professional bluegrass band took dedication and persistence. Fortunately, the Kelley family has both. They spent years developing their latent talent, but realized they lacked performance opportunities.

“One day, we loaded up all the instruments and all the kids in the van. We went to four restaurants. Three of them booked us,” says Tim. “One restaurant, Sconyers Bar-B-Que in Augusta, booked us for a year and a half.” They played year-round, even in February when temps dropped to 20 degrees outside.

Eventually, the lack of a BMI license forced the restaurant to end the shows. “We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s over with,’” Tim remembers. The band was forced to decide whether to give it up or keep pushing forward with an uncertain future. “We found out that our mission was to just go out and do it. Just play to the best of your ability and give it everything you’ve got. We started seeing fruit from that. When Sconyers shut down, it never slowed down. What we thought was the end was the beginning.”

With miles and shows under their belts, they are in the process of recording an album with the help of producer and fiddler Jim Van Cleve.

“If you love what you’re doing, and you’re having a great time,” Timothy observes, “it’s just automatic that the audience is going to have a great time, too. They’re going to remember you, and they’re going to want you back.”

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Music Barn Brograss Brograss is the brotherly duo of Tashi Litch 16 yrs. old and Kaj Litch 13 yrs. old and are the bluegrass music of the next generation.

They play with style and accomplish what some wouldn’t even try. Their youthful energy can be heard in every song and in their voices.

Special Guests Rachael Bishop, Gordon Koenig, Jim Litch and Martin Lund played with the brothers on their current CD. With the love of the bluegrass sound, Kaj and Tashi put their lively spin on some familiar tunes as well as some originals.

Their Mandolin, Guitar, Fiddle and their voices blend with ease and make their sound be as if you are right there with them listening.

The CD was recorded at the Bredouw Barn so hitch up that horse to the wagon or ride on over and take a seat. You won’t be disappointed in both of these young men’s style and love for bluegrass music.

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Music Barn Dave Adkins Blood Feud

If you've ever met Dave Adkins, you might find yourself surprised to find the largerthan-life persona on stage is exactly like that off stage, as well.

He's a powerhouse of talent and his vocals, songwriting, and excitable stage presence simply astound audiences, drawing them in almost instantaneously within the first few moments of a live performance experience. New fans of his music soon learn that behind Adkins' immeasurable talent is a heart of gold, sincere in his approach to his music and with his fans.

The legendary feud between the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s has been a popular topic of American folklore for well over a century, even spawning a television mini-series in 2012. But not until two of bluegrass music's most beloved writers and singers teamed up, has this true story of two gun-wielding families been more enjoyable.

That’s when Larry Cordel and Dave Adkins decided to write “Blood Feud”.

"Writing 'Blood Feud' with Larry Cordle was a dream come true," says Adkins. "To have him sing this song with me on my new record is a check off of my bucket list. Thankful, blessed, and grateful are just a few of the words to describe how I feel about having Larry's help in bringing life to this song."

"The time we spent researching, reading, and discussing the story was so worth it to me, and I hope it is to everybody that hears it."

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Music Barn Jerry Salley Front Porch Philosophy When one thinks of the front porch, it’s thinking of being at grandpa’s house and sitting in the rocking chair and watching the day go by. “Front Porch Philosophy” is far from sitting on the front porch and letting the day slip by. This Cd by the exceptional singer and songwriter, Jerry Salley brings us on a journey of bluegrass and life.

The song “The Night Flatt and Scruggs Played Carnegie Hall” takes us back to 1962 with Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys performing at Carnegie Hall. You just can’t help but take yourself back to that moment and visualizing them on the stage in the big apple and in your mind, being right there in the front row.

The title song “Front Porch Philosophy” gives that toe tapping feeling while daddy gives you all the front porch philosophy, a hand shake, and tells you that the greatest blessing is a woman’s love. Politics, common sense and a little bit about the bible were thrown in for good measure. It seems that the common thread throughout the CD, with its real philosophies of the songs, have a connection for all of us. In our life we have our own philosophies that resemble, Pullin a Heavy load, A Spin on an Old Heartache, funny things that people say on planes, and being able playing guitar like Carl Jackson.

Jerry thanks the Lord for the gift of music and the love he unconditionally receives. This CD certainly will touch many people’s life as they listen and will relate to all the philosophy and gifts of life that he passes on thru the songs.

He and his co-writers have done an exceptional job in giving us memories that we all look back on in our own life, whether it be experiences from their grandpa or just from our own remembrance of our own heritage.

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Representing: Mike Bentley &

Cumberland Gap Connection Jeff Brown &

Still Lonesome Kristi Stanley

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Music Barn MohaviSoul

Hometown Blues San Diego based Mohavi Soul has released their 3rd album called “Hometown Blues” On Mannequin Vanity Records. Randy Hanson and Mark Miller are established bluegrass writers and have combined their efforts to come up with one of the best contemporary bluegrass albums.

Band Members include Mark Miller (guitar, vocals,) Randy Hanson (Mandolin, Vocals), Orion Boucher (Bass, Vocals), Jason Weiss (banjo, Vocals) and features by John Mailander(Fiddle), and Will Jaffe (Dobro).

The band is able to blend all types of bluegrass, that include traditional, newgrass and original material. It is bluegrass from the soul and harkens back to the origins of bluegrass music blended explicitly with a contemporary sound.

Their Outstanding playing on all tracks tell they love what they do.” On My Way” best exemplifies each player solo instrumentation and ability to blend their unique sound.

The song “Until I Go” energizes those listening to want to get up and dance till the morning light. It is a great blend of roots and newgrass. If You get a chance to see them in concert do so. You will not be disappointed. They make you feel right at home.

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Music Barn Phillip Steinmetz and his Sunny Tennesseans The great nephew of Ramona and Grandpa Jones is where Phillip found his roots and continues to carry on their heritage and the heritage of the “old timey Songs” which influenced his life immensely.

The CD Title “When You Hear the First Whippoorwill’s Song” carries that influence of the old timey songs throughout as all the songs on this CD do. Night train to Memphis, Rosewood Casket, The Arm of God and Fourteenth of June are songs made famous decades ago and still ring true today. They make you remember the past and all the good times, but also the future. They are timeless hits.

Phillip’s wife Misty plays in the band and comes from Rosined KY, the birthplace of Bill Monroe. She plays the upright Bass and sings harmonies.

Robert Montgomery (plays guitar, and harmony vocals) also knows the banjo and taught himself by listening to Grandpa Jones and Bashful Brother Oswald on the Grand Ole Opry.

Phillip plays a claw hammer style banjo taught to him by Grandpa jones and to this day you can hear that influence on each of his songs on the CD. Pull up a seat on the front porch of Philip’s home in Waverly, TN and hear some of the finest Claw hammer banjo and old-timey music.

If You can’t join him on the porch get a copy of this CD and put in your play list and let the memories surround you.

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Music Barn Sowell Family Pickers Shadowlands The title track to this Cd was written by Joshua Sowell and from his brother Jacob Sowell. The family is a multi-talented group of pickers and singers.

Mom, Cindy and Dad, Guynn certainly live their life for Christ and teach their kids the same. It is wonderful to see this close-knit family bond live their life on the road for Jesus. Shadowlands lets you feel the battles we meet every day as we see how everyday there is always one battle after the next, but “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.

In Shadowlands all of the Sowell Family play and sing. It is absolutely wonderful to hear this Family band let the music of the instruments and the sound their voices flow thru them as they sing and play. Don’t Miss their stage show as well. One can tell that they enjoy and love what they do.

Cindy, Guynn, Jacob, Joshua, Naomi, Abigail, John-Mark, and Justus, thank you for bringing one of the most energetic and fun albums to all of us to enjoy.

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CGP Dawg Tour 2017

by Ted Drake

The CGP Dawg Tour 2017 had 12 tour dates in November, with the night of November 16, 2017 opening at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach. That night, right after music legends Trey Hensley and Rob Ickes performed, Tommy Emmanuel and David Grisman, the Dawg man himself, took the stage.

Immediately, Tommy connected to the audience, telling them about one of the guitars he was playing—a 1935 -00028 Martin, a “wonderful work of art” owned by David Grisman while David shared that his mandolin was “in tune when he bought it.” Their tunes portrayed the masterful experience each brought to the stage, David making the mandolin talk with melodies and rhythmic chords, enhanced by Tommy’s guitar licks, smooth as silk with talent and poise.

Born in 1945 in Hackensack, New Jersey. David Grisman had five plus decades playing in diversified combos that included Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, and Del McCoury. Through psychedelic, folk, bluegrass, and gypsy ranges, his music grew wider and deeper, and he became an acoustic pioneer, developing his own style of music. He was nicknamed DAWG by Jerry Garcia, for his Dawg music, and started his own record label—Acoustic Disc—to spread acoustic and instrumental music.

William Thomas “Tommy” Emmanuel, born in 1955 in Australia, remains one of the country’s most respected musicians, although he had no formal training and doesn’t read or write music. He got his first guitar at age 4 and the family sold their home and traveled and played music for years until the Department of Education said the children needed to be in school more. Chet Atkins, an early inspiration, and Tommy later played together on the Country Christmas show in 1997.

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In 1999, Chet handpicked Tommy, who was known for his fingerpicking, as one of five guitar players to be a CGP (Certified Guitar Player).

On into their Dawg Tour performance, Grisman gave the stage to Tommy and he played a few solos with energy that emanates and intensifies the experience, his head bobbing, his fingers, hands, arms, and feet threading together a symphony of music. He is a bright light and people are awestruck.

The climactic moment breaks loose when Trey Hensley, Rob Ickes, Tommy Emmanuel and David Grisman share the stage, demonstrating how individual instrumental mastership and performance techniques blend, as if they’ve done this together hundreds of times.

And it doesn’t matter that it’s not bluegrass. It doesn’t matter that it’s dawg grass. What matters is that the audience loves it. What matters is that the audience wants more of Tommy Emmanuel, David Grisman, and their CGP Dawg music.

As one guy at the concert summed it up:

“I don’t care if it’s bluegrass, because I like it.”

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Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome

by Shelby Campbell

In the 1970s, Jeff Brown learned to play the guitar alongside his brother, Tony, who was learning the banjo. Since then, Jeff hasn’t let up, first playing in a band with his brother and later working and touring with the legendary Larry Sparks. After traveling and recording four albums with Larry, a Lonesome Rambler, Jeff learned “a priceless education listening to him sing and being a tenor.” Larry always said, “The fellers are good and lonesome. Or are they still lonesome?” So, when it was time to start his own band, Jeff had the perfect name—Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome.

Jeff has performed on many stages, such as the world-famous Ryman Auditorium for the Grand Ole Opry. He played bass alongside Johnny and June Carter Cash and toured with a couple of other bands before creating Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome. He used his experience and musical style of working with top-notch musicians to mold around his old mountain style, creating a sound with his band that no other band can repeat.

Austin Brown, who plays acoustic bass for Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome, has been playing guitar and bass since he was three years old. The nineteen-year-old musician contributes Ralph Stanley, Tony Rice, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out and Larry Sparks as his musical influences.

Nick Goad on mandolin from Stuart, Virginia is a twenty-year-old college student who began playing guitar when he was nine. He has earned numerous trophies at a young age including Best All Around Performer and 1st Place in Mandolin at Galax Old Time Fiddler’s Convention.

Mitch Walker on banjo reigns from Raleigh, North Carolina and is a graduate of East Tennessee State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both music 58

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and economics. Playing the banjo from age 13, Mitch grew up in a musical family with both his grandfather and uncle playing bluegrass music. After taking lessons from IIIrd Tyme Out’s former bassist, Steve Dilling, Mitch discovered how much he truly wanted to play bluegrass music. He spent some time touring with a couple of other bands before finding his home with Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome.

The band’s newest album, A Distant Horizon, was released in Fall 2016 on Union House Records with producer Wayne Taylor. This album proved that the band certainly takes its name to heart and confirms its traditional bluegrass music roots. Many of the songs contemplate loss with a dark, angry banjo and a worldweary voice to carry the songs.

“This album was a great experience from top to bottom with material from some of the greatest writers in the industry,” Jeff said. “Working beside Wayne Taylor and his producing skills made everything go very smoothly.

I hope fans feel like they received a solid record from the songs to the performance and, hopefully, see the theme we tried to achieve of traditional music with a bluesy edge that’ll make you want to hear it again.”

On the brink of their album’s success, Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome did something they have always wanted to do—offer their fans the opportunity of a lifetime, a Caribbean Classic Country & Bluegrass Cruise to the Bahamas at the end of January.

Getting to be involved in bluegrass events like this makes Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome thankful for their experiences with fans throughout their career.

“I feel we are most successful at what we do when we make people smile - when they hear that certain note or vocal move that makes you say, ‘oh yeah!’ Those moments really are my favorite,” said Jeff.

Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome’s new gospel project will be released in the Spring.

A video for their newest single is also in the works.

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Rebekah Long

by Richelle Putnam

Rebekah Long grew up in the world of bluegrass alongside her twin sister, Lizzy, in Lincolnton, Georgia, where “Little Roy” Lewis, who lived just down the street, ventured over to their house for Thanksgiving bluegrass jams.

“That’s how we initially got started into bluegrass and understanding what the bluegrass world was in the industry,” said Rebekah.

Rebekah and Lizzy were around 16 when they were placed into Foster care. Lizzy went to live with Little Roy Lewis and his family. Rebekah moved in with her high-school drama/ English teacher and his wife, who was school librarian.

What fans may not know about Rebekah – “I do a lot of carpentry work on the side. Those skills come naturally to me. Structure, mechanical things, cars and wood make sense to me. I just recently got into carpentry professionally in subcontracting myself out with a good friend who’s also a banjo player.”

“They were English majors and teachers, so the teaching aspect was really forefront in my mind. All my other skills were around farming and, of course, no one was pushing the trade skills,” which Rebekah had learned on her family’s 300-acre farm of beef cattle. “Daddy had a logging business and a septic tank business.” Rebekah’s foster parents pushed college and getting a degree, so Rebekah would have something to fall back on. “I pursued a degree in music, thinking I was going to be a high school music director.” Although she does hold a Bachelors in Music Education, with a focus in percussion, Rebekah discovered middle-school drama was not her thing.

She also received a degree from Glendale State College, which offered the first degree program in Bluegrass. That became her focus.

Playing upright bass, Rebekah toured with Little Roy and Lizzy from 2001 until the end of 2009, when she went with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike. She stayed for about a year, but then, “decided to come off the road. I went to work for the engineering/graphic designer/recording engineer for Tom T. and Dixie Hall. I went from there to working Music Row as a house engineer and I ended up being the house engineer for The Tracking Room,” said Rebekah. “And that’s it in the short.” …except that that’s just the beginning of her story.

Being a solo artist always nagged at Rebekah, but she wasn’t sure if she could do it because, “I always let Lizzy have the spotlight, so to speak. So, I just stayed as a side-woman,” said Rebekah.

“I got to the point that I was writing with Dixie Hall and I started performing solo things under the Daughter of Bluegrass project.”

Rebekah met Donna Ulisse, her producer through the Daughters of Bluegrass project and “through our friendship, I got talked into giving it a shot. And here I am.”

Rebekah probably comes to the solo table a little more prepared and well-rounded than many

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other solo artists because she’s been on the other side of the glass, “as we call it in recording. It’s a verbiage and I can explain what I need because I know the language.

I know the number system.” Being able to communicate with people is a big part of the industry and in getting what you want, she explained. “I still struggle with getting my thoughts out and how I want things to sound, but it’s easier when you know the language.”

had a real hand in mentoring Rebekah just as Dixie Hall had. “I will write a lot of my stuff on my own and then I will take it to Donna and she will put the sugarcoating on it.”

Rebekah co-writes with Donna Ulisse, who won 2016 IBMA Songwriter of the Year and was the 2017 IBMA Song of the Year recipient for the song “I Am A Drifter,” recorded by Volume Five. Donna

Rebekah’s newest CD, Runaway, was released in September 2017. “I’ve written most of the songs on it. and co-wrote a good many with Donna Ulisse,” she said, adding that a video will be released of “Fishing on the Cumberland,” she cowrote with Jerry Salle.

Bluegrass remains a small community and feels more competitive than other genres, said Rebekah. “I think that’s because the festival circuit has become so small and the major festivals are a cross between Americana and Bluegrass. You almost have to have your foot in both doors.” Still, bluegrass feels like home. It’s what she’s known since she was a kid. “I’ve always been under the wing of some high-profile act in Bluegrass, not necessarily because I planned on putting myself there, it just kind of happened.”

Seeing young people play circles around people these days can be scary, “but impressive at the same time,” said Rebekah. “It’s good to see that bluegrass is going to be okay.”

Venues Rebekah still wants to play: Gray Fox, Merlefest, Telluride, Bristol Rhythm & Roots.

A Secret Revealed: I hide in my room. I love playing video games. Fallout, anything post-apocalyptic.

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That Dalton Gang

by Kara Martinez Bachman Ah...the closeness of sisterhood. Cheyenne and Maddie Dalton -- ages 17 and 13, respectively -- know about the joys of sisterly harmony about as well as anyone could. As the “main attraction” of That Dalton Gang, the sisters play twin fiddles and mandolins, and harmony is their specialty.

It’s not that things are always perfect, explained older sister, Cheyenne. They are, after all, siblings; there’s bound to be an issue or two here or there, as there is with all teenage sisters.

to rustling up some quality fiddle tunes.

This homeschooled duo always works together as true professionals, however, when it comes

When making music with their fellow bandmates, the harmonic flow and cooperation comes easily.

“When we’re all together, we’re so focused on the music,” Cheyenne said. “We’re focused on: how can we make things better?”

Each sister started fiddling at the ripe young age of four, but bluegrass wasn’t what initially introduced them to their instruments.

“We started playing classical violin at age four,” Cheyenne said. “But classical music isn't quite as fun [as bluegrass]. Nobody smiles like they’re having a great time.”

It’s those smiles that drew Cheyenne and her sister to the genre. Clearly, even at age 17, she thinks traditional music is the bees knees. When asked about the pros and cons of playing bluegrass as a teenager, her response showed she’s not easily swayed by what other young people may or may not think. She simply follows her own passions.

“I guess the bad thing is most people [teenagers] think bluegrass is uncool,” she admitted. “I don’t feel that way.”

She said she’s had the band since she was around age 12, in some form or another. She calls the rest of the band -- the other youthful backing musicians -- “best friends.”

There’s upright bass player Wyatt Harman, who also performs with his band Mashtag and was named 2017 SPBGMA bass player of the year. Jimmy Meyer provides the guitar.

Alex Clayton picks the banjo.

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When not making music, Cheyenne and Maddie are “farm girls” and tend the family farm’s cows and other animals. While Maddie calls herself the “Ellie May Clampett” of the farm, the older Cheyenne has interests that go beyond: she’s a competition shooter, and has “won many state Rimfire titles as well as two Rimfire World Championship titles in the Limited Lady category (2014 and 2016).”

She’s even got her own website as a competitive gun enthusiast, where visitors will see the cute -- and no doubt, accurate -- tagline: “Shooter, Musician, Good Kid.” Cheyenne said she’s been interviewed by members of the media before because of her shooting wins, and is happy she’s now begun doing interviews for That Dalton Gang’s music as well.

The band has performed at what Cheyenne calls “a ton of festivals,” including shows at Silver Dollar City, near Branson, Mo.; SPGMA Midwest; SPGMA Nashville; the Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival; and more.

“There’s some really great people involved in bluegrass,” she said, of why she enjoys it so much.

Even at age 17, she’s already decided it would be ideal to find a way to do this for a living. “I would really love to be as popular as possible, playing music full time,” she said.

To that end, new music is on the horizon from That Dalton Gang.

“We’re getting ready to go in and record a CD,” she said.

“Hopefully it will come out this summer or fall.”

Although right now That Dalton Gang usually performs covers, she said writing original material is hopefully in the group’s future. "We really wanna start working on that,” she said, with youthful enthusiasm.

As far as inspiration goes, it sounds like it doesn’t take much to get Cheyenne and the others excited to make music.

“Our fans really inspire us,” Cheyenne said, with a gentle sense of humility. “They’re so loyal, and so kind to us.”

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The making of a band is part luck, part coincidence, and part fate.

At least that’s the case with No Time Flatt.

by Susan Marquez

Kevin Wright grew up singing songs with his mother before taking up the guitar at age 19. And play he did, winning several guitar competitions over the years. During his twelve-year stint with Stone County Connection, the group won many local and regional contests, including the Tennessee Valley/Alabama State Bluegrass Championship and the Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association’s (SPBGMA) International Band Competition. Wright met fiddle player Becky Weaver at a fiddle contest. “She was 15 or 16 and her father was a banjo and guitar player. He made the fiddle she plays today, which is really special to her, since he has passed away.” Steve Moore, No Time Flatt’s banjo player, played with Wright in a group called Highway 45, about 15 years ago. Patrick Cupples, the group’s bass player, came to the group from Dyersburg, Tennessee. Rounding out the band is Kevin Keen, who grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio and playing along on the guitar.

Together just over two years, No Time Flatt is rapidly making a name for themselves on the Bluegrass scene. Chosen as the “Bluegrass Band of the Year” at the Tennessee Music Awards in October 2017, they bring high energy to their performances, with songs centered around tight harmony vocals. “We pride ourselves on our great song selections,” said Wright, who is somewhat of the group’s lead singer, although he says he only sings lead on about half their songs. “The other half are sung by a combination of the three other vocalists in the group (Moore, Weaver and Cupples). That gives us so many different sounds to offer, yet it all comes from the same group.”

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For the first year the band was together, they didn’t have a name. “We jokingly called ourselves the no-name band,” laughs Wright, who says the band kept a legal pad with potential names written on it. “We finally came to a consensus with No Time Flatt.” The name is an homage to Bluegrass great Lester Flatt. “The cowboy hat cocked on the corner of the ‘N’ on our band logo is a photograph of Lester Flatt’s actual hat.” The band’s legion of fans are lovingly known as “The Flattheads.”

Their first record, a self-titled LP featuring 13 songs, is a combination of “all the stuff we like,” says Wright. “We weren’t sure we had a real high level of music, we just did it more for fun.”

One of Wright’s favorite songs on the album is a remake of Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight.”

“It was not the easiest song to do in the bluegrass genre, and we worked on it for weeks. We wanted to preserve their idea, but make it our own.” Another favorite is “Dollarhide,” composed by Patrick Cupples. “It’s a song about Loretta Lynn’s cousin, Lee Dollarhide, who had a reputation as a moonshiner and chicken thief,” explains Wright. “He was killed stealing someone else’s moonshine. It’s a sad story, but it makes for a great song!”

The album took off much faster than anyone anticipated, and the bookings followed. “For a group with each person having a career outside of music, we stayed busy last year, playing over 50 gigs,” says White. “That may not sound like much to other artists, but we had to work hard to make that happen around our lives.”

Each of the band members hails from Tennessee, and all still live there except for Kevin Keen who resides with his wife and daughters in Corinth, Mississippi. By day, Patrick Cupples makes prosthetic limbs in Dyersburg, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and son. Becky Weaver lives in Montezuma, Tennessee with her husband and young sons. Steve Moore runs a woodworking shop in Jackson, Tennessee where he lives with his wife and three sons. Wright is a banker by day.

“We try to physically get together at least once a week to practice,” says Wright.

“We were apart for a few weeks over the holidays and now we’re ready to get back together to go over some new songs.” The group plans to put out another album, this time with more originality. “I’d say about half the songs are going to be our own.

I think we have enough songs now for a CD, but there’s a lot of rehearsing to do before we can record.” Wright says he’s hoping the new album will be released this year, perhaps sometime between August and December.

The new year has No Time Flatt already booked at several festivals and events, including the Dollywood Bluegrass and Barbeque Festival in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in June. “We are looking forward to staying busy in 2018” Wright says.

“We want to take this as far as we can.”

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Much Ado About Banjos, Featuring Aaron McDaris of The Rage

by Anna Hite

From the Antebellum Era to arena concerts, the banjo has made quite a journey through American history. But the banjo’s beginnings go further back in time, on another continent entirely: Africa. Early predecessors of the modern banjo were gourds with strings attached to the body and neck, to be strummed, bowed, plucked, and beaten.

These ancestor instruments found their way to America in the 1600s when Africans were transported there as slaves. The banjo grew and developed, and by the 1800s found its way into minstrel shows, ironically used to make fun of the very people who had invented it.

Popularity of minstrel shows boosted interest in the instrument, and soon they were seen in the parlors of the wealthy as a favored instrument.

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The first shop-made and sold banjos were created

by William Boucher of Baltimore, a drum vendor.

Each new manufacturer taking up the mantle of producing the instrument, added new details and improvements. The Dobson Brothers, in conjunction with the Buckbee Company of New York, are credited with adding frets and a resonator. S.S. Stewart of Philadelphia increased the number and variety of banjos on the market; he produced banjos quickly and inexpensively, and

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personalized models for children and women.

Leading up to and during World War I, the banjo had its place in the early stages of jazz, but its popularity was quickly overtaken by the guitar during the Great Depression. Interest in the banjo was stagnant until its revival in the 60s with folk music from the Appalachia and the South.

Bluegrass musicians such as Earl Scruggs and Bob Dylan reinvented the public’s opinion on the instrument. Today, a few mainstream artists such as Mumford and Sons and Taylor Swift have incorporated the banjo into their music, but the banjo is still largely regarded as a defining characteristic of the bluegrass niche.

Over its many years, the banjo evolved into several different styles. There are parlour banjos, long neck banjos, four-string banjos, tenor banjos, plectrum banjos, and 4-string, 5-string, 6-string, and even 12-string banjos. Parlour banjos are lighter and shorter than the average banjo, making it great for children.

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Banjo picker Aaron McDaris began his musical journey as a child, watching his father play guitar and singing in church.

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The long-neck banjo, plectrum banjos were traditionally played with a flat pick originally called a plectrum. There were several variations of tenor banjos. This wide selection shows the range and versatility of the banjo, which complements almost any style of music or playing.

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Later in life, McDaris became influenced by banjo player Earl Scruggs, patriarch of the three-finger picking style that bears his name.

McDaris stresses that when playing the banjo, it is imperative to have the fundamentals down, to study the certain, unique sound of bluegrass music. Today, he plays a beautiful original 1934 Gibson RB-3 5-string flathead and performs in the band The Rage.

For more banjo history: BluegrassBanjo.org

Aaron McDaris banjo: AmericanMadeBanjo.com

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"Nothin' brings it home like a banjo!"

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by Kara Martinez Bachman The McLain Family Band marks 50 years with new CD, book, documentary Similar to the boxing ring, most endeavors offer people who can best be described as “heavyweights.” In bluegrass, the McLain family “weighs in” as part of this special class of performers.

As entertainers — and often, educators of the next batch of young musicians — they've got folk roots that dig down deeply and widely enough, and with enough weight, that the individual members just might leave a lasting impression on bluegrass.

This marks the 50th year that the group — which has had changing lineups over the decades — has been making music. From playing world-class venues across the U.S. and in 62 foreign countries to hosting for 11 years the nationally-broadcast Kentucky Educational TV program, “The McLain Family Band Festival,” the ensemble has proven itself and more.

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performed from the Grand Ole Opry stage for more than ten years, and today serves as director of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University; his sister, upright bassist and songwriter Ruth McLain, who also teaches at Morehead; Alice White, noted by the band for her solo vocals and signature harmonies; Alice’s husband and multi-instrumentalist Al White, who performed with Vince Gill in The Bluegrass Alliance and teaches at Berea College; and Daxon Lewis, who is hailed by fellow bandmates for bringing a “remarkable touch and tone” with his banjo.

They’re also occasionally joined by musicians Nancy Ann Wartman and Michael and Jennifer McLain, who make guest appearances. Ruth McLain — who was in the first lineup originally formed by her mother and father — is grateful to have spent almost a lifetime with music.

“We get to have amazing experiences in our career,” she said. “One thing we found is that no matter what the venue, whether it’s Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, with the Houston Pops, in Royal Albert Hall, or the school down the road, the current concert is the most important one.”

“We sincerely appreciate every single time we get to play music together and share the experience with others,” she added. Since she and her brother Raymond — as well as fellow bandmate Al White — teach at the university level, this inspires them all.

“Getting to work with students who also have a passion for bluegrass and traditional music, and the history and business of the music, is exciting,” she said. “There are so many wonderful young musicians who have heart and spirit for the music.” As examples she mentioned The Price Sisters, who graduated from Morehead, and The McLain Family Band’s own Daxson Lewis.

McLain is also a board member of the IBMA Foundation, about which she said she’s “supportive of working together toward the healthy future of bluegrass music.”

Most musicians have a story behind why they chose their instruments. According to McLain, however, her selection of upright bass was more an issue of chance. “I started playing bass simply because that was what was needed in the band,” she said. “It’s a marvelous thing to feel needed.”

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Jones. “I was fortunate to get to be part of her band, Ramona Jones Family & Friends, the last 27 years of her life,” McLain said. “This bass had belonged to Sunshine Sue, who gave Ramona her first professional job at age 16 on the radio in Richmond, Virginia.” She said the instrument is now respectfully named “Ramona.”

The band has always been proud to hail from Kentucky, particularly while touring overseas. “It is always a pleasure to represent a pleasant aspect of the United States rarely seen on the news or TV shows,” she said. “Folks, especially in other countries, are often quite interested that the United States has families from the mountains playing traditional music.”

As for marking the group’s 50th anniversary, they’ve just released a CD — “Celebrate Life” — offering a mix of earlier original material, traditional tunes, and new original songs.

Fans might also get excited about a newly released book, "The McLain Family Band - 50 Years of Music, a Pictorial History.” It includes photos and stories dating from the band’s beginnings in eastern Kentucky to its present work. “This interesting book has a place in libraries and archives,” McLain said, “as well as in the motor home on the way to a festival and on coffee tables at home.”

Grants are currently in the works to fund digitization of the band’s earlier albums, which may be available later this year. As if that’s not enough, a video documentary by Russ Farmer — who has also produced films on The Osborne Brother, Jean Ritchie, and JD Crowe — is in the works.

The band will celebrate best, however, with its schedule of festivals and other concerts, including a July tour in Europe and fall performance with Symphony of the Mountains in the Kingsport/Johnson City/Bristol tri-city area of Tennessee.

“This year is filled with music,” McLain said … as if we didn’t already know.

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Back Porch: Making a Living as a Musician contributed by NoDepression.com, the Journal of Roots Music When musicians aren't on stage, they're often on the phone or computer, trying to line up future gigs.

This article offers insight into the business side of thriving as a professional bluegrass artist: It’s January third and many bluegrass musicians have been, more or less, on hiatus. Some notable festivals occur during the cold months, but, in a genre whose most popular manifestation has, historically at least, been outdoors at festivals and pickins, pickings have been slim. Working musicians, who often live from paycheck to paycheck, have had to subsist, rationalize their rest and home time, or cut back. The life of a working musician has never been easy or the income steady, but the holidays, instead of representing a time of great celebration, often lead to reflection on the long-term effects of the choices they’ve made.

The life of a working musician has never been 9-to-5, nor even 4-to-midnight. A musician simply can’t make a living solely by performing. Sing for your supper is more like it. Few working musicians of high quality live a balanced, or even healthy, life. Rather, those who live on and for the road face an unconventional schedule of working late into the night, sleeping during the early part of the day, and eating bad food on the road. They live out of hotels and motels on often uncomfortable beds in rooms where their bandmates may snore too loudly to allow a really good night’s sleep. They spend hours driving the interstate from venue to venue. Their work week runs from Thursday to Sunday with long drives between gigs. Things amp up even more during the busy festival season, which, despite having been expanded into arts centers and theaters, runs primarily from May through October. Musicians may travel hundreds of miles between gigs, over a thousand miles on a weekend. They do this week after week, if they’re lucky and have done their homework, for months on end.

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Back Porch: Making a Living as a Musician Homework? Few bluegrass bands are so successful that they can afford the support team every musician needs. Booking agents, publicity people, managers, and personal sound engineers each come with a price, reducing the income for musicians themselves. The daily business life of many band leaders includes calling promoters all over the country trying to piece together a schedule and then fill it out. These days, many festivals do their booking as much as a year in advance, meaning that leaders are on the phone seeking near-term gigs even as they work to cobble together a calendar for next year. Meanwhile, side musicians during the off season often are being recruited, moving to other bands for reasons that may be economic or personal, while their former employers scramble to find replacements.

What about side musicians? The backbone of any bluegrass band is the four or five musicians who work to make the music stand out. Unlike country music, for instance, where a star system has dominated since the beginning, bluegrass is an ensemble form in which every song requires ensemble and solo performances. Many bands are composed of musicians who are nationally known for their instrumental ability. Bluegrass fans follow the moves of side musicians avidly as they move from band to band, seeking more work, better working conditions, greater opportunity.

For instance, Kenny Ingram has been widely recognized since joining Lester Flatt with Nashville Grass back in the 1960s. He’s played with Jimmy Martin and Rhonda Vincent, and has been a mainstay with the Larry Stephenson band since 2009. He’s well recognized as one of the leading practitioners of Scruggs-style banjo, his hulking presence and solid baritone in trio and quartet singing an added plus.

Since most side musicians are paid a day rate for performing with bands, and rarely have health or retirement benefits, they must tour incessantly as well as supplement their income with work as session musicians, working in recording studios, or teaching. Fortunately, since the advent of the computer, lessons have become a huge contributor to musicians’ incomes. Wayne Benson, long-time mandolin player with IIIrd Tyme Out, for instance, often teaches on Skype during the week, from early morning until late into the night, his lessons following time zones. He has students not 76

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Back Porch: Making a Living as a Musician only in the US but in Japan and all over Europe.

However, many musicians must supplement their incomes by working “straight” jobs, either when they’re not performing, or by fitting their performances in between their job obligations. Johnny Staats, for instance, is a well-known mandolin player who, with his band, The Delivery Boys, has never left his full-time day job as a driver for UPS, despite having appeared on the Today show, been written about in People magazine, and appeared on the Grand Ole Opry. Here Staats performs at a TED talk in 2015 called “A Mandolin Master’s Tribute to Keeping Your Day Job.” The great J.D. Crowe, whose band J.D. Crowe & the New South revolutionized bluegrass music and who re-introduced bluegrass fans to the traditional bluegrass of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs through a recording band that was known as The Bluegrass Album Band, provided a training ground to a whole generation of top musicians while continuing to work throughout most of his active musical life as a mailman for the US Postal Service, until he earned an honorable government retirement. Below, J.D. Crowe and the New South, with Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, and Bobby Sloan, perform the classic “Old Home Place” in 1975.

So playing music professionally is, for most musicians, a hard and not particularly remunerative career. Fueled by passion, often generated by obsessions the young are most susceptible to, and carried into a career of striving, musicians are constantly seeking to develop while maintaining a reasonable lifestyle. Few achieve the wealth represented in the media by the top of a very broad pedestal on which their careers are based.

But most soldier along as happy warriors in a world that loves what they do, yet can’t provide most with what they need.

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February Festivals & Events Dates

Event

Location

Fridays

Friday Bluegrass Night Blue Cypress Bluegrass

Fellsmere, FL

February 1-4

SPBGMA Music Awards & Convention

Nashville, TN

February 5-9

Danny Stewart's Bluegrass Cruise Week 2

Port Canaveral, FL

February 9-11

Big Sky Big Grass

Big Sky, MT

February 11

American Legion Bluegrass: Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

Hughesville, MD

February 15-17

Palatka Bluegrass Festival

Palatka, FL

February 16-17

Kansas Bluegrass Association's Winter Bluegrass Festival

Wichita, KS

February 16-18

Bluegrass First Class

Asheville, NC

February 16-18

Mid-Winter Bluegrass Festival

Denver, CO

February 16-18

Joe Val Bluegrass Music Festival

Framingham, MA

February 20-25

Florida Bluegrass Classic

Brooksville, FL

February 22-25

Wintergrass

Bellevue, WA

February 23-24

Des Moines Area Bluegrass Festival

Johnston, IA

February 23-25

Winter WonderGrass

Steamboat Springs, CO

Feb 25 - Mar 1

Danny Stewart's California Bluegrass Cruise

Long Beach, CA

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

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March Festivals & Events Dates

Event

Location

Fridays

Friday Bluegrass - Blue Cypress

Fellsmere, FL

March 1-3

Cabin Fever Pickin' Party

Chesapeake, VA

March 1-4

Shorty's Strickly Bluegrass Festival

East Peoria, IL

March 2-4

Everglades Bluegrass Festival

N. Miami Beach, FL

March 2-4

Winter Bluegrass Weekend

Plymouth, MN

March 2-4

Bluegrass on the Beach

Lake Havasu City, AZ

March 8-10

Mountain View Bluegrass Festival

Mountain View, AR

March 8-11

Bluegrass Gospel Sing & Jam

Bronson, FL

March 9-10

DC Bluegrass Festival

Tysons Corner, VA

March 10-11

Arizona Bluegrass Music Festival

Apache Junction, AZ

March 11

American Legion: Lou Reid & Carolina

Hughesville, MD

March 15-18

Withlacoochee River Bluegrass Festival

Dunnellon, FL

March 21-25

Sertoma Spring Bluegrass Festival

Brooksville, FL

March 23-24

Bristol Bluegrass Spring Fest

Bristol, VA

March 23-24

Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival

Wilmington, OH

March 23-25

Temecula Valley Bluegrass Festival

Temecula, CA

March 23-25

Wilmington Bluegrass Festival

Claymont, DE

March 25

American Legion Bluegrass: Donna Ulisse & Poor Mountain Boys

Hughesville, MD

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Suits, Boots & Bluegrass

fan photos

THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

CONTENTS

MUSIC BARN

BACK PORCH

Next Month… from the Publisher's desk

Thank you everyone, for making the January Issue the most reads of all! We registered some 55,000 readers of our Women in Bluegrass. We want to thank every one of You, and all the Women in Bluegrass.

A special Thank You to Becky Buller for all the "shout outs", and for being a great friend. It’s not only the fans but all the musicians as well who support Bluegrass Music and stay so humble in doing so.

Making everyone feel at home at every concert, autograph session, picture taken and showing us, we are all the same in so many ways.

Sideline Coming in May: Stars Behind the Stars July Special Focus: Recording Studios and as always, so much more!

Keith Barnacastle — Publisher

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THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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