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Issue #36
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December 2011
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Music Culture of the Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, South West,Virginia Highlands, and beyond
Dale Ann Bradley IN THIS ISSUE: v Fiddle Time v Music Trail v Artist Life v CVille Stop
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December 2011
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December 2011
Table Of Contents
4 6 New Soul
Well gang, Fall is falling, you can feel
it in the air. The festivals are wrapping it up for another season. I trust you got your fill this year - if not, there’s plenty on the horizon for 2012. We’ll be taking a short break from the print edition for a month or so, but be sure to check out our on-line version at www.AmericanaRhythmWeekly.com. We’ll have all the latest news on fall and early winter releases, and the prelim on spring festivals. One exciting point of interest You’ll be able to catch our new radio show, The Edge Of Grass, on Tuesdays (10-12 AM) starting this fall on the World Wide Bluegrass. AND; did you know you can tune in our Americana House Party broadcast on your Smart Phone? Download the Live365 App, and type “Americana” in the search bar - we’re usually the first entry! We’ll see you out there! Check out our new music Profiles web site!
8 Dale Ann Bradley 10 Reflections 11 12 The Southern 13 14 15 Market Place
Questions, comments, suggestions: greg@americanarhythm.com Listen to our streaming radio station, 24/7/365. Click the radio button from our web site, www.AmericanaRhythm.com
www.AmericanaMusicProfiles.com
Americana Rhythm is published six times a year. All correspondence CONTRIBUTORS should be sent to PO Box 45, Bridgewater VA, 22812 or email to Ed Tutwiler greg@americanarhythm.com. Copies of Americana Rhythm are made Kaye D. Hill available free at various pick up locations within the publication’s reWayne Erbsen gion. Subscriptions are available inside the United States for $15 US Ryan Babarsky currency made payable by check or money order sent to Subscriptions UNC Ashville Students at PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812. Foreign subscription requests Andrew McKnight should be sent to greg@americanarhythm.com. Copyright 2008. All Doak Turner rights reserved. Reproduction of copy, artwork or photographs is strictly Becky Allen prohibited without permission of the publisher. All advertising material Scott Perry subject to approval. DISTRIBUTION PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Mark Barreres Greg E. Tutwiler David LaFleur EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Nate Sparks Ed Tutwiler Ed Tutwiler Jacenta Tutwiler Doug Williams Lisa Tutwiler Stuart Thomas MARKETING & PROMOTION Floyd Country Store Mark Barreres (GrassRootsNetworking.com) Letters, Comments, Suggestions ADVERTISING greg@americanarhythm.com Greg Tutwiler www.americanarhythm.com Business office 540-433-0360
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December 2011
By Edward Tutwiler
One Fiddle at a Time
T oday’s
mega-marts and superstores have about strangled the life from the small, independently operated shops of yesterday. The folks that work these big places have been trained to be polite but they usually have no passion or knowledge depth for the product that they sell; and they are sure not going to repair it for you if it breaks. It is for reasons such as these that when one encounters a survivor that does business the old fashioned way with knowledge, passion, and love; and if that business is associated with Americana roots music as well, there is cause for rejoicing. Recently, we here at AR went searching for such a place and we found it in the Barr’s Fiddle Shop located in Galax, VA. Barr’s Fiddle Shop is owned and operated by the father and son team of Tom and Steve Barr and sets along Main Street in Galax, VA, or as Steve would have it, along the “Crooked Road”. Barr ’s Fiddle Shop will have its 30th anniversary next year and has been at the same location there on Main Street for the last 20 years. I caught up with Steve Barr recently and got him to talk about the shop a bit for us. He begin by telling me that his dad, Tom Barr, started the shop in a little shed behind his house up on Cold Creek Road just outside of Galax. In this little shop, he would build and repair instruments. Steve says, “When I was a kid, I remember people coming from all around to get Daddy to repair their guitars and fiddles. There really was not anyone doing that sort of thing back then.” Tom Barr studied fiddle making under Mr. Albert Hash who lived on White Top Mountain and banjo making under a famous banjo maker named Kile Creek who lived in the neighborhood. Steve added, “Folks then started coming around asking Dad to show them how to build instruments and getting him to repair broken ones.”
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A Family Affair
Steve told me how the business started, “Dad worked in granite as a monument maker and started the fiddle shop as a side job. My mom trained as a physical therapist while dad was doing the monument work. When she finished her schooling and became employed as a physical therapist, she was able to help him get the music business up and running.
This was a time when the economy was beginning to really click so that helped everything to grow.” Steve went on, “After a while, there were so many people coming by the house that Dad decided to rent a little cinderblock building just up the road.” Tom rented that building for about a year and an half and then a building became available in West Galax. (An interesting side note is that there was a barbershop near by operated by Beverly Davis—his dad was Doctor Davis who was one of the folks that helped start the Galax old-time fiddler’s convention. The other barber was Charles Hawks. Both of these men were excellent musicians.)
Word Gets Out
Steve says that it was not long before people started coming from near and far to get his Dad to do repairs. Steve added, “I remember as a kid my Dad’s first cash register was a cigar box and we’d make change out of that old cigar box. It is unbelievable the people that came in that shop. A few that I remember include: Larry Ritcherson, a famous banjo player,
Charlie Waller of Country Gentleman fame and James Baliey, another famous banjo player. James King once worked in the fiddle shop, and he still comes by to hang out when he is in town. Any of the famous musicians that came through Galax came by the shop to get Dad to work on their fiddles.” “You know”, says Steve, “This area where the “Crooked Road” comes through is full of music and there are a lot of people that have come out of here that are incredible musicians. We’ve had a lot of them come through the store over the years.” Steve continued, “At this point, Dad started building more instruments and the next thing he knew he was running out of room. About that time, a building became available on Main Street in Galax. Dad had saved enough money to buy that building and another small building next door that he later turned into one big building. It was at this point with its main street location that the fiddle shop started getting really big. Lots of people knew about the shop because they had come to get repairs but this new location caused an increase in traffic as folks would just happen upon it. We’ve been in Galax for almost 20 years now right here on Main Street.” Tom ran the shop with Steve adding part time and after-hours assistance until health problems befell him several years ago. With Tom needing to take time to slow down and recover, Steve left his job as a quality control specialist at a furniture factory and came into the shop full time. His take is, “When you are family, you do what must be done.”
Time For A Change
Tom’s health eventually got better but as he neared 70 years of age he decided to take time off to travel and spend some time in Florida in the winter. Steve says that Tom will search out instruments on his trips that he can repair; and takes things to Florida with him that he can work on while he’s there. Plus, he will build some dulcimers and old-time banjos.
Steve took over the shop, added a candy store, and changed the store to accommodate more modern instruments. But he hastened to add, “We still do all the repairs and instrument builds that we have always done. We want to keep it in an old style where folks can come in and do jam sessions and pick and play music. We still have a picking bench in the shop and keep the shop a place where people feel comfortable to just come in and start playing. During the last year, we have been remodeling the whole store. We are in the process of putting in a museum to showcase the old musicians that have come through the store over the years. We’re placing pictures on the walls and hanging up records from the old days.” Recently, music historians have determined that the famous 1920’s musical group The Hillbillies was formed in the old building that was incorporated as part of the Barr’s Fiddle Shop location.
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Steve has obtained some of their old pictures and records and other history and has made these items a central part of the display. By the way, this group was one of the first string-music bands to bring national attention to Americana roots string music. They were one of the first entertainers of this type to make recordings of their performance. They also made a 15 minute movie of them performing in that formative time, and Steve said that he is in the process of obtaining a copy of that movie to show in the museum.
not going to be carrying many fancy Martin and Gibson items because there are not many of our customers that can afford them. That’s why we are going to try to build a custom instrument that will be comparable to something like those models. That is what
Memories Live On
Steve went on to say, “The latest project, after we finished the candy store and museum, is to develop a custom shop in the basement. It will be finished by next spring, and we will be building custom instruments there. The hope is to make a place where people can come through to look or to learn some building techniques.” Steve’s hope with this custom shop is to produce handmade instruments more on a demand level and have them available in the shop for sale. His take on this is, “With the economy being what it is these days there are not many stores making it. We are
people are wanting now. They want the one-on-one uniqueness of a custom built instrument.” I wondered if Steve had always been part of the shop and he related this story to me. “I’ve always worked in the shop every since I was a kid until I went off to collage. I played music my whole life. I won a local, then state, and finally an international teen talent contest sponsored by The Church of God. My banjo playing earned
me a scholarship to attend college where I studied business to prepare myself to take over and run the fiddle shop and expand the store into a full-scale music store instead of just a repair shop. When I returned from college, I wanted to do some hands-on work with wood so I took a job at a local furniture factory as a traveling quality control specialist. This work taught me about wood qualities such as colors and so forth. I knew that I wanted to work with the wood and build musical instruments just like my Dad. While Dad had to learn about wood by himself, the factory experience helped teach me about wood types.” When Tom’s health got bad, Steve knew that it was time for him to step in. Steve has always played music as well as help run a music store; however, so did his dad and mom, Becky. Tom and Becky were members of the old-time band named White Top Mountain for many years. As White Top Mountain Band toured nationally as well as overseas, they took Steve along and brought him out on stage to play with them. While Tom and Becky were old-time musicians, Steve has moved into bluegrass and continues to play.
Alright, AR readers, you see there are still folks around that do business the old fashioned way. Now, I can’t speak for you, but I’m sure glad it is still a fact. If you get down Galax way for the fiddler’s convention or if you take that long planned drive along the “Crooked Road”, be sure to stop in and visit Barr’s Fiddle Shop at 105, South Main Street, in Galax, VA. If you can’t get down there, visit them on-line at www.barrsfiddleshop.com. Here is how Steve summed up his view of the Barr’s Fiddle Shop. “We are not fancy—there is enough fancy out there already. We’re just old fashioned. We try to do it just like they did it in the old days. When people come in, we tell them to help themselves. We are not one of those high style retail places. We want folks to come in, choose an instrument, sit down and pick a tune. We want folks to walk around, and look at the pictures. If they buy something, that is great but if not, we still tell them to come back to see us again sometime ”
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December 2011
Holly Renee Allen: Red Dirt Soul
By Ryan Babarsky
Growing up, Holly Renee Allen made up songs and sang them to the horses in her family’s barn. Now, as an adult, she sings her songs to (human!) audiences from a stage in and around Central Virginia. A Charlottesville native, Allen has three primary roles that she fills: Single mother, singer/ songwriter, and hair stylist. If that seems like a lot, it is, but, she manages to do them all to the best of her ability and with grace (I should know; she does my hair!). Recently, Allen finished a new record called Red Dirt Soul, an Americana/Country album full of her original material. Allen was blessed with a musical family: “My dad is a fiddle player. He plays bluegrass. Even now he plays fiddle for money… My sister Brenda plays piano and my sister Becky plays guitar. I learned a little piano and a little mandolin, but the guitar is what stuck for me.” She started composing original songs at a very early age: “I was going through some stuff the other day and found some songs I had written when I was like 12. I had forgotten all about that!”
Started With Hair
After leaving high school early, Allen waited tables for a hotminute (which she hated), and then decided to go to Cosmetology school. When she finished school, she went to Nashville with her cousin, where she hovered on the edge of the music scene: “That’s where I started writing a little more seriously, but I was never on the inside of the Nashville scene. I was blessed to meet a lot of amazing people. I sang around Nashville a little bit, but not much; I mostly did hair.”
works as a stylist at Anne Marie and Co. Salon on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA. She and Kearns reconnected recently to make Red Dirt Soul.
Red Dirt Soul
Though she has recently played at some notable venues in Virginia like The Southern in Charlottesville and Mockingbird in Staunton, Allen’s musical career of-late has revolved around making her record. Of making Red Dirt Soul, Allen said, “I’m a single mom working a job and it took me pretty much two years to get a project completed. It’s been a great labor of love on behalf of a lot of people. In a lot of ways, I don’t even feel like it’s my project. So m a n y people came up and were so generous with their time and their gifts.”
She then moved back to Virginia, where she sang with a trio called Traveling Light. That trio got to do some recording in Asheville, NC, which is where Allen met her now-ex husband. They moved to the Atlanta, GA area, where Allen began gigging regularly. It was there that she met Martin Kearns, who owns Down In Deep Studios, as well as a host of Atlanta-area musicians.
Allen had to go down to Down In Deep Studios in Atlanta for a week at-a-time a few times a year for almost two years to get the project to its completed state. She had a lot of people from the Atlanta-area play on the album with her (Sixteen musicians played/sang on various tracks!), and she feels they made all the difference on the album: “I think it’s a really good record. I think all I did was show up and sing and bring some songs.” Oliver Wood from the Wood Brothers guest-played on the album, as did Shawn Mullins. The core band was made up of Allen (guitar), Gerry Hansen (bass), Robert Henson (drums), Colin Agnew (percussion), and Valerie Peyton (vocals).
When Allen got divorced, she moved back to Virginia, where she currently resides with her sixyear-old son. Allen currently
There are 13 tracks on the disc, 12 of which are Allen’s original tunes. She also did a cover of “Old Flames,” which was written by
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Pebe Sebert and Hugh Moffatt and made famous by Dolly Parton. The album ranges from raucous country rockers to soulful ballads and features Allen’s distinct voice (think Patty Griffin). Now that the album is finished, Allen is working on getting a new website made, and is hoping to start booking more actively.
Writing Her Life
Allen writes songs about real things and people in her life: “Most of my stuff happens to be about real life and people that have touched parts of my life.”
To Allen, sad songs are easier to write than happy songs, and, she thinks her best tunes are the ones “that just come.” She calls this “when the angels whisper in your ears.” She is influenced the music she listens to, which includes Top 40 Country radio, as well as singer/songwriters like Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Grace Potter, and Bonnie Raitt.
Where To Now
Now that Red Dirt Soul is finished, Allen plans on spending more time playing out in the Central VA area. The album will officially be released on November 12, which Allen will celebrate by having a CD release party at The Southern in Charlottesville. She is also singing around town with a trio called The Harmaniacs with Kathryn Caine and her sister Becky Allen. Ultimately, Allen would like to make her living on music: “I would like to be a musician full-time. I would like to be out playing, but I’d also like to have a publishing deal where I could write with other writers and basically make my living writing.” She would also like to start playing the bigger venues around town like The Jefferson or The Paramount.
Her songs seem to benefit from the fact that she has a life outside of songwriting: The songs are sincere and grounded, and everyday people can absolutely identify with the themes: Nostalgia, Love, Hard Work, Loss, and Fun. Allen’s songwriting process; coming up with an idea and then fleshing it out with her guitar: “I generally write by getting a line and sitting down with my guitar and seeing where it goes.” She has a good support system at Anne Marie and Co. as well: “Part of the reason that I love my job doing hair is that I feel really supported by the people I work with. When I’m not busy, I bring my guitar, I go downstairs and I write. The acoustics are great. Nobody bothers me, you know, I don’t have ‘mama, mama, mama!’”
For now, Allen is simply trying to budget her time wisely so that she can be a mother, work, and play music: “I work three days a week at Anne Marie and Co. I left my weekends open so that I can play. I am constantly developing a support system for my kid so that I can play. He’s six, and he’s getting big enough that he can come and do some things with me. Sometimes he’s interested and sometimes he’s not. I’m hoping that I can get him playing something so that he’ll want to play with me.” You can check out Allen on Facebook and Youtube, and she has a Reverbnation page as well. She is currently in the process of building a new website. Once it is released on November 12, Red Dirt Soul will be available at her shows, as well as online. Also look for her live shows around Central VA!
Along the Shenandoah Music Trail
December 2011
By Don DePoy
The Shenandoah Music Trail (SMT), a kin to the popular “Crooked Road” in the southern part of Virginia, is an initiative to bring together Shenandoah Valley musicians and their audiences. The SMT started in 2007 with the creation of the Shenandoah Valley Mountain Music Makers Association, Inc. SVMMMA is a Virginia
based all-volunteer, membership based non-profit 501(c)(3) public trust corporation chartered in 2009 with a mission to: preserve, promote and maintain the integrity and roots of this great acoustic music tradition and its various configurations including: bluegrass, old-time string band, American fiddle/banjo traditions, Appalachian folk songs, shapenote, gospel, and acoustic old-time country.
The Mission
Our desire in this new feature is t o s h o w c a s e V i r g i n i a ’s Shenandoah Valley as a wellspring of folk music dating back to the days of the early settlers in the early 1700s. The Shenandoah Music Trail is a series of driving loops designed to show-case Valley music and promote the Valley’s rich history and natural beauty. The Trail covers 14 counties and is divided into 3-sections. The upper, central, and lower valley regions feature easy driving multiple-loop excursions from Winchester to Roanoke that highlight current musical venues and trail stops featuring mountain music, along with historical places and musicians that have had significant impact on American music.
One of Central Valley’s favorite jams is the “Spike Jam Session” in Timberville, Virginia. The late “Spike” Stroop and his wife Vallie May were the founders of the Spike Jam Sessions. As you may remember, “Spike” and Vallie May toured with Don Reno and Red Smiley for years as the Valley Sweethearts. “Spike” is also the co-author of a banjo instrumental favorite “Follow the Leader”. These weekly jams are held at The Plains Community Center in Timberville e ve r y Fr iday evening from 7pm to 10pm, and are a stellar example of the heart and soul of Shenandoah Valley music heritage. The Spike Jams are a family-oriented music jam that perpetuates an oral music tradition that keeps the music fresh and alive for others to enjoy for generations to come. The jams are free and open to the public and all levels of musicians (Donations are welcome). Snacks and drinks are available. And there is no dress code, so just come as you are!
What is a music jam?
It’s the creation of instant performing art. Typically musicians young and old come together, take turns around the circle and play a variety of songs. These songs include instrumental pieces with individual solo breaks and bluegrass, traditional country or gospel songs often sung in 3-part harmony. Like its Jazz cousin, the practice of creating music by ear without written notation has been going on in the valleys, mountains, garages and front porches for many generations. All along the music trail you will find the best musicians playing music as a way of life. Glad you could join us! If you would like to know more about SVMMMA,the Shenandoah Music Trail, live music venues or want to become a SVMMMA member please visit us on line www.shenandoahmusictrail.com or call 540-209-3540
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December 2011
Somewhere South Of Crazy H
ow does the daughter of a Primitive Baptist preacher from the hills of East Kentucky find herself one day the three-time winner of the IBMA Female Vocalist of the year award? It’s the kind of story that makes one appreciate the charmed life so many of us have lived, and yet recognize the tenacity and endurance it takes to achieve your dreams when you know most of your world is against those coming true.
The religion she grew up with, Primitive Baptist was very strict. There were no musical instruments allowed for the performance of their musical worship, which made it quite hard for a young gal so interested in music. “It was very hard to get recorded music of any kind in those days,” she recalls. “We sang out of an old book called a gobal in church. It was all acapella. ”
It Pays Off
Finally, when she got to high school she joined the band and struck up a relationship with the director and his wife. “They had a little show they did at Pine Mountain State Park – he was the recreational director there for the summers – and they invited me to play with them. That opened up a venue for me that my parents were kind of okay with because they knew them. We had a little
By Greg Tutwiler
to do that now though. There was a time when it was booming; people were making money, but then mining went out. And a lot of people lost a lot of stuff, and then they lost their health too. A lot of them have died too young that I knew that worked in the mines,” she lamented. Dale Ann played a lot with a regional band, and actually had some success. they got into the fi-
Dale Ann Bradley was born in 1964 not far from the hometown of famed country singer Loretta Lynn. In fact, Dale Ann acknowledges that they had very similar upbringings. Loretta grew up a few counties away, in Johnson County from Dale Ann’s home in Cumberland Gap area on the Kentucky side. Coal mining was definitely a huge part of our growing up,” she recalled. “Until I was a senior in High School, things hadn’t changed in the mountain, probably since my great grandmother was living there. You were still on party lines with your phone service. And a lot of people didn’t have vehicles; neighbors would often drive folks to the nearest town. When I went up to Johnson County to Bucher Holler there, it reminded me a lot of the area I grew up in.”
In A Paper Shack
“I grew up in a tar paper shack; I really did; with no running water or outside bathroom facilities. We had one socket, and that’s what you hooked everything up to. The house wasn’t always in the best of shape either. The house in the movie Coal Miners Daughter was real close to the one I grew up in. We had the newspapers for wall paper for a while. The roads were pretty bad too – places were hard to get to. And of course people didn’t take to change very well either. It’s easy to get stuck in your same way of life.” Dale Ann remembered that her dad got a job working in the coal mines, and that improved their way of life somewhat. He was making a little better money, so they bought a mobile home – but still didn’t have running water until she was a senior in high school. “But, we survived,” she said.
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If there was a nearby neighbor that had a guitar or banjo, Dale Ann would hang out with them and try to get back to the house before anyone knew anything about it. “I had to be a little rebellious,” she recalled. “There was a boy that was close to my age that I grew up with that wasn’t in the same denomination of church that I went to. He was into a lot of James Taylor and finger style pickin’ guitar, and he had some James Taylor and Jim Croche song books. He taught me a lot on the guitar. And when I got older I could check out stuff from the library and listen to that. I would round up pop bottles and cash them in. And if I got to go to town I could pick up some music.”
trio for about a year, and then put together a little band. And by that time I was 18, so they (parents) kind of had to go along with it. But once they got into it, my dad has been my biggest supporter.” When Dale Ann graduated, she was offered a music scholarship for vocals and trumpet to Cumberland College in Williamsburg, KY., but decided not to take it. “I ended up staying home and working odd jobs and playing music in small groups around,” she said. “It was getting a little better as far as modern stuff moving in to the area; we got a Kroger grocery store, and cable TV. Life progressed some, but it was still a mountainess Appalachian rural area where coal was the way to make a living. It’s hard
nals of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Bluegrass festival – and then into the Marberral Country Music Round Up; cut a couple 45 rpm records; and built up a name for themselves. “I learned a whole lot through that experience,” she said. But then she took a sabbatical. She got married and moved to Jacksonville, FL. “I had culture shock pretty bad. My ex-husband was in the Navy. He was shipping out for about eight months, and I was expecting with my son, so I came home to Kentucky. For about two or three years I didn’t play. But music is in me. I just couldn’t not play. So when my son was about 14 months old I went to Renfro Valley, in 1989, and started getting back into it that way.” Renfro is a
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barn dance show, very much like the Grand Ole’ Opry. Their radio show is running second only to the WSM broadcast in Nashville, TN. A lot of musical heritage came through there; like Red Foley, Oscar and Lonzo, and the original Coon Creek Girls.
Second Chance
Dale Ann’s original contract ran for five years with them as a featured vocalist. “I made good money that first couple of years too. I was working all the time. And I sang harmony with other people too, was part of a quartet, a trio, and many other things going on there in Renfro Valley. Bluegrass was my roots, and at the
time this was totally a traditional country music show, so I really wasn’t performing any of my own music. When I got an opportunity to play with the new Coon Creek girls, I got an opportunity to delve back into my bluegrass roots.”
I asked Dale Ann for her thoughts on where she had come from to the present state of her career; “Oh, It’s been a long journey,” she said. “A lot of trial and error too. It’s been a lot of just standing my ground too. And knowing this is want I was supposed to do, plus I had a child to support. After the sabbatical I just knew that music is what I wanted to do. So I became pretty animate about that.”
New Old Music
Her new CD, Somewhere South Of Crazy, has just released, and is right up there with the caliber of music that won her those awards in the past. My favorite though is here cover of the Seals & Croft classic, “Summer Breeze.” “I listened as a kid to whatever I could get my hands on,” she said. “And those folk songs that we grew up with, I loved them. But bluegrass music and the banjo was my first love. I just knew those songs could be adapted though. You know, they’re the same melody, same lyrics as bluegrass – Summer Breeze is Celtic. The words are very Southern. I don’t ever pick out one just for the sake of having a cover tune, but I really enjoy that because there are so many songs that I love that I grew up with that I know can lend themselves to the bluegrass style in a beautiful way.”
Dale Ann officially left the Renfro Valley show in about 1999 as a full time part of the program, but up until about three years ago was still a part of a few things going on there. “My touring schedule just wouldn’t allow me to be there anymore,” she said. “The road, being with a touring band is actually what took me away from there In 1997 the new Coon Creek girls broke up and I formed my own group; still carrying the name Coon Creek; but in 2002 we dropped the Cook Creek and went with the just the Dale Ann Bradley Band.”
Dale Ann did write some for this new CD, but says that writing is not her main stay. “I don’t write a lot like other musicians do. A song has to find me. And every once in a while a song will bore a hole in me and just stick, and I know I have to write it. I co-write some too like I did on this album, but a song really has to be impressed upon me and really find its way through for me to write it. Of course Pam Tillis and I co-wrote the title cut of this CD, “Somewhere South Of Crazy.”
And that is where Dale Ann came into her own as a performer. So much so, the industry recognized here three years in a row, 2007, 2008, and 2009 as the IBMA female vocalist of the year. “I was always just thrilled to be in the nomination,” she said, “but when I won those three consecutive years in a row that was just wonderful. I cherish that and appreciated that so much.”
“We’ve probably had the busiest touring season of my career this year. And we’re looking forward to the promotion of this new CD as we continue on with our current schedule. We’ll be going to Ireland, Japan and Canada with this tour, so it’s very exciting. I love what I do, and I love getting to share this music genre’ around the world. I can’t think of anything elseI’drather bedoing ”
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December 2011
Festival Reflections
By Edward Tutwiler
Did you ever enjoy something so
much that you wanted it to never end? That is the way an Americana string music festival affects me. I just spent three days at the Bristol Rhythm Roots Revival (BRRR). Mercy, what a good time we had. This is not going to be a wish you were there at Bristol so much as it is a story that can apply to just about any festival you and I could attend.
Nevertheless, I wish that you had been sitting next to me in the Paramount theatre as my man, Darrell Scott, made tears run down my cheeks. Maybe you’d lean back in your seat and groove to three ladies from New York City who call themselves Red Molly as they croon sweet mountain sounds. Maybe we’d flat-foot together in the dance tent as the Roan Mountain Hill-Toppers sawed out dance tunes from 100 years ago, and kept time to the tunes with a wash tub bass. Or, you might have sat down and foot-tapped time as the White Top Mountain band put the old-time back into country just like they have since 1948. Would you have screamed and stomped with me and 5000 others as Marty Stuart left it all on a State Street stage for two hours? Would you have helped me clap and cheer until blues singer Chris King came back on that stage for one more song?
Grandma Called It
As I’ve said before, my mother called it all “string music” many years ago when she sat with me by the radio
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and listened to the Grand Ole Opry broadcast over clear channel radio station WSM. I wish she could have sat next to you and me as we heard those sounds of old made new again by, singing fiddles, ringing mandolins and laughing banjos from high energy bands like The Black Lilies or The Steel Drivers. I once heard a story about someone asking a fellow festival attendee if
he was picker or singer. The man replied, “I will tell you this. I can’t play, and I can’t sing; however, my Lord gave me ears with which I can hear and a heart with which I can feel, and that is all I need to appreciate this music.”
Looking Back
I’m an old man now, and folks do not pay much attention to what I say; nevertheless, I want you to consider this thought: Music festivals such as the BRRR that I attended over three days recently are the only place that you can hear the stuff that I told you about in this story. If you like Americana string music no matter what style it might present itself, attend a music festival. You can find one close to home all up and down our blue, smoky hills. Alas, all earthly music festivals come to an end but I leave you with this hope of mine: I sure hope my heavenly father allows string music in heaven; and if he does, I sure hope he counts me worthy to have a good place to sit and listen
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December 2011
By Wayne Erbsen
The Headless Ballad When twenty-one-year-old Carter Stanley stood before the WCYB radio microphone in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1947, just before he and brother Ralph began singing “Jealous Lover,” he introduced it like this: “Now friends and neighbors, right here’s another duet number me and Ralph would like to sing for you all today. It’s one you’d have to hunt way back through the old songbooks to find. We hope you’ll like it today; it’s called the ‘Jealous Lover.’” Carter was right. Versions of this song did appear in numerous old
moldy songbooks under such titles as “Lonely Valley,” “Flo-Ella,” “The Last Night in November,” “Down
Beyond the Hillside,” “Blue-Eyed Ella,” and “Pearl Bryan.” The ballad was apparently based on the murder of Pearl Bryan on Friday night, January 31, 1896, near Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Her headless body was
found in the woods, but she was identified by her feet, as Pearl Bryan was said to be web-footed. Two young dental students by the names of Scott Jackson and Alonzo M. Walling were soon arrested and found guilty. They were hanged for their crime on March 20, 1897.
Come love let’s take a ramble Out in the woods so gay And there we’ll sit together And name our wedding day.
Down in a low green valley, Where the violets bloom and fade There sleeps sweet blue-eyed Ellen In a cold and silent grave.
Retrace your steps no never You have no wings to fly And in this lonesome mountain Sweet Ellen you must die.
She died not broken hearted Nor by disease she fell But in one moment parted From the one she loved so well.
Farewell my loving parents I’ll never see you anymore But long you’ll wait my coming At the little cottage door.
One night when the moon was shining And the stars shone brightly too Down by her lonely cottage Her jealous lover drew.
Down on her knees before him She pleaded for her life And in her snow white bosom He plunged his fatal knife.
Wayne Erbsen’s is Director of the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College in Swannonoa, North Carolina and president of Native Ground Music, which produces recordings and books on old time music. Wayne is an active teacher of banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar. Contact Native Ground Books & Music, 109 Bell Road, Asheville NC 28805 (800) 752-2656. http://www.nativeground.com/ Free catalog available.
Retrace your steps no never Nor over the hills to roam But bid farewell forever To parents, friends and home.
The way grows dark and dreary And I do not wish to stay Of wandering I’m so weary So let’s retrace our way.
Story taken from the book ...
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December 2011
Southern Philosophy
By Greg Tutwiler
One of my favorite things about
Southern Philosophy
being a publisher of a music magazine is all the great music, musicians, and venues I get to experience. In the early days of AR we discovered a listening room in Charlottesville on the downtown mall called Gravity Lounge. It was a basement area filled with unique books and a stage area. It was such a unique space, and I was sad to see it close. Fast forward a couple years to a guy named Andy Gems; a guy seeing a need for a small concert style venue in the Charlottesville area, and seeing an opportunity to make it happen. The old Gravity space was vacant and waiting on Andy to breathe new life and a new vision into it. Andy grew up in a musical household – dad played piano, sister sang, and the family had a fascinating record collection. He started playing drums in the 4th
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grade, and then the guitar and bass not long after that. He fed his growing passion for music with a small paper route, taking in shows and buying more records. (Remember records?) That interest
eventually led him to pursue recording and live sound production. All of this, of course, set the stage for Andy to walk into a place where his musical background could be put into action.
“I saw an opportunity and took it,” Andy told me about his new café and music hall, now called The Southern (located at 103 South 1st St., on the Downtown mall, Charlottesville, VA). I felt strongly that there was a need for a small venue in Charlottesville, and I felt like I could provide that need.” This is not your typical bar though. Andy has a pretty clear vision in mind. “The approach is to provide a comfortable family friendly environment for people of all walks of life to enjoy live music of all genres and styles, while featuring local, regional, and national artists. We promote the vast majority of our shows to include all ages. I've been going to shows most of my life and I know I was always upset when I couldn't see a show because I was underage,” Andy said.
December 2011
Andy appreciates that sound quality is crucial too. On one particular evening I attended, I noted that the sound was so crisp that you almost couldn’t tell it was there. The artist that evening, Peyton Tochterman (pictured), sounded quite naturally amplified. Andy tells me that’s no acci-
dent. “We let the system speak for itself. It was professionally designed and installed by Reid Henion of Stage Sound out of Roanoke, VA, and he did a great job. It's the right amount of rig for the gig with a nice Midas analog mixer at FOH and a solid mic locker for a room of our size.”
About The Music
Understanding that Charlottesville is quite diverse in it’s musical tastes, Andy relies in his knowledge of genre’s as well as personal interests when booking the entertainment. “I generally only book artists that I would like to see myself - and it's good thing that I love all kinds of music, from bluegrass to hard rock to singer/ songwriters to indie rock,” He told me. “I don't generally book cover bands and I don't generally do dance parties. I look for high quality artists and always strive to bring in great bands - regardless of genre/style. Bringing in great bands is always what's most important to me. I want to demonstrate a strong sense of integrity and be able to say that every show that happened on the stage - regardless of the financial success/ attendance, was a great show.”
Of course what would a café be without some great food and desirable libations. Andy says the same philosophy is applied to the selections he offers. “I want to like it, though of course, there's more wiggle room there. We of course serve beverages that I don't necessarily drink, but I'm not going to avoid stocking a popular beer or avoid serving a pa rti cul ar dish because it's not something that I o r dinar ily eat or drink. It's tricky to avoid letting your own pa rti cul ar tastes dictate to other people. Case in point - I love avocados so we always keep a lot of fresh ones on hand and incorporate them into our food as much as possible.” When I asked Andy what the long term goal was, he heartedly said, “to keep the doors open!” But on a more serious note he exclaimed, “This is a tough business to be in, and we opened right smack dab in the middle of a very rough economy. However, I believe in my model of providing a comfortable family friendly environment for people of all walks of life to enjoy great live music, and I believe it can work. Ultimately my long term goal is to establish the room as a great place for anyone and everyone to see great live music. I'd like to earn a sense of trust among live music lovers that if a show is happening here, it's going to be a good one and they should come check it out whether they know the band or not.” To see an updated schedule, visit www.thesoutherncville.com. Find out how your band and/or CD can be the next Americana Music Profile! www.AmericanaMusicProfiles.com
East Coast Piedmont Blues Written by UNC Asheville students enrolled in the Liberal Studies Introductory Colloquia, “The Art of the Blues” (Fall 2005) and “Jazz and Blues in American Culture” (Fall 2003) Supervised by Project Advisor: Bryan Sinclair.
“Blind Reverend” Gary Davis By Arielle Carlson, former UNC Asheville students
studio for another 19 years. It "Blind Reverend” Gary Davis was in these years that he broke graced over five decades with his musical contributions. away from the bluesy side of his Despite the fact that Davis was music, and concentrated on born partially sightless and performing purely gospel songs. grew comImage compliments of Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop. pletely blind by the time he was an adult, he self-taught himself the guitar. He began playing at the age of six and was one of the best blues guitarists of his era by the time he was 20. His music influenced other blues singers such as Blind Willie Johnson and Blind Boy In 1937 he became an ordained Fuller, and went on to inspire minister and refused to pursue famous modern folk/rock/blues his blues career after that. He musicians such as Bob Dylan, moved to New York City in the Taj Mahal, and the Grateful early '40's and recorded seven Dead. songs in 1956 that redefined him in the 'folk revival moveDavis played on the streets and ment'. He sang songs such as side corners of Harlem for "Samson and Delilah" and twenty years, and during that "Twelve gates to the City" at the time was drawn to the sounds Newport Folk Festival. Davis of gospel, jazz, marches, and was greatly received by the live ragtime music. His personal audience and even went on to style budded from a fusion of record a live album under the those various beats, which he Vanguard Record Label. In mostly combined and perfected 1967 and 1970 there were in Durham, NC. He first began documentaries already praising recording in the 1930's, backed his contributions to the blues, only by a local businessman folk, and spiritual music scene. with faith in his talents. EssenHis unique style and dedication tially his first recordings were to music impressed a whole songs mixed between gospel range of fans, and has inspired and blues tunes. The payment musicians to further strive for for this session was never greatness and originality in finalized, and Davis avoided the multiple genres of music
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“Influenced by ragtime, country string bands, traveling medicine shows, and popular song of the early 20th century, East Coast Piedmont Blues blended both black and white, rural and urban song elements in the diverse urban centers of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic region. In contrast, the Delta blues style of rural Mississippi is believed to have less of a white influence, as it was produced in a region with a higher concentration of African Americans. Although it drew from diverse elements of the region, East Coast Piedmont Blues is decidedly an African American art form. The Piedmont blues style may even reflect an earlier musical tradition than the blues that emerged from the Mississippi Delta.” http://toto.lib.unca.edu/sounds/piedmontblues/
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December 2011
Music From The National Scene
Music From Your Neighbors As mo re a nd more peopl e di sco ver AR Ma ga zi ne, mo re a nd more groups and labels are getting in touch with us - Here are some of our favorite picks! Some tell me this is their favorite page - cool! I know the artists like to hear that. We give you a web link as often as possible so you can listen and decide for yourself. Try iTunes too. If you discover something you like - tell them AR Magazine sent you! CD Submission: Americana Rhythm Magazine, PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA 22812.
Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration www.rounderrecords.com This year marks the 100th anniversary of Bill Monroe’s birth - whom of course is considered the father of blueg ra ss mus ic . Ro un de r records celebrated with a classic collection of Monroe
Flat River Band High Roller www.flatriverband.com Americana/Country rock fellas from Nashville; the Flat River Band’s new CD, High Roller, sounds like a cross between CSN and Alabama - a nice combo. It’s got that smooth 70s FM flavor; a nice highway rockin’ CD
www.sugarhill.com Only her second album since 1978, Connie Smith’s one of the legendary female vocalists and wife of the ever popular Marty Stuart. If you’re a fan of classic tunes, this will be a must add to your CD collection
With Body And Soul www.rebelrecordscom Considered one of the most influencial figures in the history of American music, Rebel Records honors Bill Monroe with a great collection of cover songs from their catalog of artists. Another must add to your collection
Blue Highway Sounds Of Home www.bluehighway.com It’s been ten years since Blue Highway has recorded an album of all originals. And this new set is full of great tunes, true to the Blue Highway tradition. The band containes some of the most accomplished musicians in the industry. This project is tops
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Stacy Grubb Hurricane www.stacygrubb.com One of the newest members of the Wheeling Jamboree, newcomer Stacy Grubb is out of the gate with a smokin’ hot new bluegrass album. She’s got a riveting country/grass style and strong vocal presence. Watch this young gal go places
The Wronglers Heirloom Music www.jimmiegilmore.com Jimmie Dale Gilmore and his band the Wronglers offer up a unique blend of string, old time, grass and other influences to stitch together a curious sound; catchy and interesting. It’s worth that listen
Buddy Thomas Exit 222 www.mrbuddythomas.com Staunton VA native and local music icon Buddy Thomas has been a mainstay in the local music scene for years; influencing many young guita r ho pefuls. His la te st project, Exit 222, will be a must add for his fans
Peyton Tochterman A New World www.peytontocherman.com Charlottesville, VA is home to up and coming balladeer Peyton Tochterman. Heralded by Ellis Paul and one to watch, Tochterman’s gritty vocals and stylish lyrics seem akin to a Kris Kristofferson performance. We like it
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A Bluegrass Tribute to Bill Monroe
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covers.Goodstuff.
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Fired Up www.flamekeeperband.com Four time IBMA instrumental band of the year, along with Mike’s ninth IBMA fiddle award; is there any question how good this CD is? Some of the best hard driving grass out there today. Fired Up is right on
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Bearfoot American Story www.bearfootband.com After a #1 Billboard debut with their last CD, Bearfoot has added three new members and tweaked their sound a little, but it’s just as good if not better. A cross between bluegrass and American folk, these kids are for real
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Connie Smith
Long Line Of Heartaches
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You can send new Americana CD releases for consideration to PO Box 45, Brodgewater, VA, 22812
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The Zinc Kings Trade Mark www.thezinckings.com This Piedmont string band ensemble was started as a side project at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. after realizing that the North Carolina Piedmont music was being neglected. They’re filling the void quite nicely
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Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice
The Heart Of A Song
www.juniorsiskandramblerschoice.com
Strong traditional vocalist Junior Sisk is back with his third project on Rebel records - and it’s every bit as good as his last award winning performance. The Heart Of A Song is hard driving traditional grass at it’s best
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A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume Two www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com What better way to close out the SPINS with a holiday set from one of Bluegrass’ leading figures. Ricky Scaggs, often credited with the rebirth of bluegrass music teams up with family members to celebrate the holiday right
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December 2011
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