January-February 2018
Big Dixie Swingers 2017 MN Americana-Roots Music Contest Band Winner
Inside:
From the Event Director 3 | From the President 5 | Grass Clippings 7 All’s Fair in Love & Bluegrass 9 | Election Results 10 | Race for Place 11 | Country Bands 12 Cover Story: Big Dixie Swingers 14 | Member Challenge 19 | Grass Seeds 20 Run Mountain 22 | Bluegrass Saturday Morning 25 MBOTMA Calendar of Events 27 | Coming Up 28 | Tab 31
January-February 2018 Vol. 44 No. 1 Newsstand: $3 Subscription: $35
www.minnesotabluegrass.org
MBOTMA Hot Line
(to subscribe and for other information) 651-456-8919 info@minnesotabluegrass.org P.O. Box 16408, Mpls, MN 55416 Twitter: @mnbluegrass Facebook: minnesotabluegrass
MBOTMA Board of Directors
President: Laura Cooper - president@minnesotabluegrass.org Vice President: Nic Hentges Treasurer: Robbi Podrug Secretary: Shane Zack Board Members: Term expires 2018: Dale Gruber - dalergruber@me.com Brett Day, Philip Nusbaum Term expires 2019: Alan Jesperson Bill Lindroos - welindroos@gmail.com Rudy Marti - rudolphmarti63@gmail.com Joe Hallman Youth Representative: Theo Hougen-Eitzman - theohelbg@gmail.com For meeting minutes and other Board business, go to: www.minnesotabluegrass.org/board-minutes
MBOTMA Staff
Events Manager: Matt Johnson eventsmanager@minnesotabluegrass.org Office Administrator: Darcy Schatz info@minnesotabluegrass.org
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Minnesota Bluegrass Magazine
Editor: Doug Lohman, editor@minnesotabluegrass.org Contributors: Bob Douglas, Laura Cooper, Eric Chistopher, Wayne Erbsen, Nic Hentges, Matt Johnson, Rich Larson, Philip Nusbaum, Rina Rossi Coming Up: Loretta Simonet, John Brandberg Y’All Come: Bill Lindroos Wordmark: Katryn Conlin Photography: Doug Lohman, Don J. Olson, Pat O’Loughlin Cover image: Jason Smith Back: Joe Flannigan Deadline for submissions: The 1st of the month preceding publication Submit content or request advertising guidelines at: editor@minnesotabluegrass.org. Minnesota Bluegrass is published monthly by The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association™, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation, P.O. Box 16408, Mpls, MN 55416. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for the loss or return of unsolicited photos, recordings, or manuscripts. ©2017 Minnesota Bluegrass. All rights reserved. ISBN 0891-0537. 2
Thank you, MBOTMA members Membership as of January 1, 2018: 1001
Patrons:
Peter & Bridgit Albrecht Tony & Ann Anthonisen Lenny & Colleen Baltus Gary & Karen Bartig Ron & Kathy Blade Barry & Annie Brooks Doug Chasar Paul Christianson Gary & Janet Cobus Laura Cooper Bob & Marilyn Dodd William Fancher Jennifer Faulkner Mark & Kathleen Fisher Darrell & Marilyn Fuhr Tom & Jill Furrer Jon & Sharon Garon Art Geffen Gary & Jae Germond Paul Gille David Glatt Dale & Diane E Gruber Tom & Marlys Gustafson Michael & Paula Hildebrandt Mabel Houle Ann Iijima & Myles Bakke Jim Johnson
Sustaining:
Vicki Andersen Rod & Barb Anderson Daryll & Mary Arntson Vaughn Asselstine Mariltn Bergum & Melvin Rupprecht Kenneth Bloch Susan Christensen-Wichmann Jane Conger Katryn Conlin Brian Cornell Bob & Vicki Dalager Hal Davis Doug Duncan Mary DuShane Matt Edwards Craig Evans Leon Evans Nathan Fjeld Jim Franczyk Warren Gumeson Timothy & Ginger Haaland David Holm Dick & Sue Hopperstad David & Laurette Hougen-Eitzman Mark Johnson
David Johnson Janine Kemmer Jim Lally Russel Lane Loren Laugtug James Lee Douglas Lohman Richard Luckeroth Bob Lundeen Rudy & Jeanne Marti Rodger McBride Bill Merrill Douglas & Georgene Nesheim Milaca RecFest David & Betty Pfeiffer Brian Ronning Tom & Cathy Schaefer Thomas & Barbara Schommer Thomas & Maragaret Schuveiller Penelope Scialla Denise & Tony Stachnik David Tousley & Margaret Brandes Donna Velasco Jane & Dobson West Jim Whitney John Wilcox John Johnson Howie & Maggie Jorgenson Chris Juettner David Lang Bill Lindroos & Rebecca Reifler Rolf & Lisa Lund Mac McKay Mary McSorley Karla Menzel Susan & Joe Meyer Corey Mohan James Natwick Jerry Nelson Dennis & Jan O’Brien Linda & Tony Omann Dominic Orrico Bob Ostlund Gary Peterson Marty & Carol Schirber Wendy Schoen Howell Smith Rory & Marian Thompson Lynn & Carolyn Thorson Ross & Elizabeth Vaughan Rebecca Wagner & Dan Forsythe Tin Wankel David & Bonnie Warner Carole Wilson January-February 2018
From the Event Director
January-February 2018
open to everyone. Our members include people who love to listen to music and people who love to make music. As a member, you’ll be invited to participate in bluegrass and old-time music events and celebrations. You’ll receive discounted prices on admission to events and merchandise, and you’ll receive a subscription to Minnesota Bluegrass magazine. Becoming a member of MBOTMA is easy and affordable. Your membership will not only nurture your own interests, but help to ensure that the bluegrass and old-time music tradition is sustained and grows in Minnesota. Individual $35
Includes Minnesota Bluegrass, events discounts for one person, and a free classified ad.
Family $50
Includes Minnesota Bluegrass, events discounts and a free classified ad.
Band $75
Includes Minnesota Bluegrass, advance booking information for MBOTMA events, a free classified ad, and listings in the MBOTMA member band directory in print and on our website.
Sustaining Level $100
Includes Minnesota Bluegrass, first-class postage, events discounts, and a free classified ad.
Patron Level $150
Includes Minnesota Bluegrass, first-class postage, events discounts, and a free classified ad.
Add $18 for First Class or foreign postage to individual, family or band membership.
Go to minnesotabluegrass.org
and select the Membership tab to join online. Or mail in your personal information and payment to: MBOTMA, P.O. Box 16408, Minneapolis, MN 55416 Call 651-456-8919 for details or if you would like to join by phone. Funding for MBOTMA provided in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and private donors
Inside:
From the Event Director 3 | From the President 5 Grass Clippings 7 | All’s Fair in Love & Bluegrass 9 Election Results 10 | Race for Place 11 Country Bands 12 | Cover Story: Big Dixie Swingers 14 Member Challenge 19 | Grass Seeds 20 | Run Mountain 22 | Bluegrass Saturday Morning 25 MBOTMA Calendar of Events 27 | Coming Up 28 | Tab 31 3
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
I’m very thankful to be a member of this amazing community of people and I’m sure that you are, too. Making music with others is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things in life. I’m so grateful for all of the volunteers at our many MBOTMA events. Thank you> We wouldn’t be able to put on these festivals without you. Thank you to everyone who serves on the planning committees, too. It can sure be fun putting these events on and lots of work as well. If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for anything yet, I hope you’ll step up and give it a try. Volunteering is a great way to meet fellow musicians and music lovers. Your time and your experiences are a valuable part of MBOTMA, and your volunteer work helps to ensure that we can continue on with all of the great things we have going here. This fall has been very busy time for me as the new Events Manager of MBOTMA. I’ve been getting caught up to speed on all of the festival planning details, thanks to the MBOTMA Board and planning committee members. I’m also working with Darcy Schatz, our new Office Administrator, to update some of our current processes. Just to highlight some of these changes, we’re trying out a new online ticket purchasing method as another option to deliver tickets to you. This online ticket service is called Brown Paper Tickets and can be accessed on the MBOTMA website. Brown Paper Tickets has a small credit card processing fee. If you don’t have a computer or online access please do not worry, you can still order tickets by phone. We are also going to be relying more on email communications with you, our members and our member bands, in an effort to go green as well as save money. Related to this, I’m asking each of the member bands to go to the MOBTMA website and make sure we have the correct email address listed for your band. We will no longer be sending out reminder letters for events via mail, and we sure don’t want you to miss out on any opportunities to be a part of these great events! I’m also looking for a little help. The old MBOTMA trailer has seen its final days. Large chucks of rusted metal were falling off of it last summer when we were getting ready to tow it away from El Rancho Manana and we decided it was no longer road worthy. So, we are looking to get another trailer, something enclosed with tandem axels and at least 12 feet long. Maybe you have one that is not being used that you could donate? If not, we would greatly appreciate monetary donations to go towards getting a used trailer to haul all of our gear and merchandise in. Looking forward to 2018, the Fundraiser in February, and the Winter Bluegrass Weekend! The good news is that there will be volunteer opportunities to help out! Hope to see you there, bring a friend. Matt Johnson
Become a Member The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association is
MBOTMA’s
FlAnnel FundrAiser Join us for this great annual event featuring your favorite bluegrass and old time music, cash bar and food. All proceeds benefit the programs of the non-profit Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association!
Saturday, February 10, 2018 2 pm to 10 pm Fred Babcock VFW 6715 Lakeshore Drive, Richfield, MN
2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm
The Middle Spunk Creek Boys The Roe Family Singers Blue Hazard The Eelpout Stringers The Fish Heads Blue Groove Blue Yodel #9 The Mash Tuns
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Intermediate jam hosted by John Whitehead - 2:00 to 3:30 Beginners jam hosted by Bill Cagley - 4:00 to 5:30.
Live Bands Jamming Silent Auction Suggested Donation: $15
For More Info: www.minnesotabluegrass.org - 651-456-8919 4
January-February 2018
From the President ATTENTION: The date and time of the MBOTMA Fundraiser has been changed! by Laura Cooper
January-February 2018
I want to give a shout out to Matt Johnson our Events Manager and Darcy Schatz our Administrator. They are streamlining operations. For instance, you can join MBOTMA, renew or up-
grade your MBOTMA membership, or purchase festival/event tickets on line. I am so enjoying having them on board with their fresh ideas and great energy.
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Mark your calendar: Saturday, February 10, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and then show up for a really good time at the Fred Babcock VFW, 6715 Lake Shore Drive South, Richfield. It’s easy to get to the VFW from 35W, Cedar Avenue, or Highway 62 as it is just a block south of West 66th Street on the corner of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. There is parking in front of and behind the building, in the nature center parking area just past the VFW on Lake Shore Drive, and in a parking ramp across the street. The VFW offers a very reasonably priced full menu and bar. We have a varied, talented, and wonderful lineup. Check out the ad in Minnesota Bluegrass or at minnesotabluegrass. org for the complete schedule. Thanks to the bands that generously donate their time and talent to help MBOTMA put money in its coffers so we can continue to provide opportunities to play and enjoy Bluegrass, Old-Time and other roots music. There will be both a beginner jam and an intermediate/advanced jam facilitated by Bill Cagley and John Whitehead, respectively. There will be also be plenty of room in various nooks and crannies for impromptu jams. In addition, you can find wonderful bargains at the silent auction. We’ve changed the name of the fundraiser, so every time we shift the schedule we don’t have to change the name. It is now the Flannel Fundraiser, not because we’re raising money for flannel, but because it’s the time of year when we need to wear flannel (wool or down) to keep warm. Also, the good company and great music will keep us toasty like cuddly flannel pajamas. We hope you will show up for the Flannel Fundraiser. Please be sure to invite your friends and family and spread the word via social media.
5
Bluegrass Concert for Hunger Relief
Saturday, February 24th Mt. Calvary Church and School’s gym 6541 16th Ave S, Richfield, MN 5pm: Doors open - 6pm: Concert
Supporting:
Minnehaha Food Shelf VEAP Food in the Hood
Admission: $10.00 per Adult $5.00 for ages 13 to 18 12 and under are free.
Admission includes a buffet served from 5-7:00 pm
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Silent Auction - Pie Sale Donations of non-perishable food, cash and gently used shoes will be collected. 100% of profits will be given to the food shelves. To donate an auction item or to volunteer please contact Mary McSorley at bobmarmc@aol.com
6
January-February 2018
Grass Clippings
High 48s greet new member Clint Birtzer
January-February 2018
Jim Whitney Memorial planned for April 21 Jim’s family is in the process of planning a memorial service for Jim on April 21. So, save the date. Time and place will be announced at a later date.
High 48s perform for Bluegrass Concert for Hunger Relief The High 48s will be performing on February 24th to help raise support for local Food Shelves. This event is being sponsored in part by Ft. Snelling Lions Club. The event takes place at the Mt. Calvary Lutheran School at 16th Ave S and 66th St in Richfield, MN, 3 blocks west of Cedar Ave. So. Admission is $10.00 per adult and $5.00 for ages 12 to 18, and free for under 12. This admission covers a free buffet. The event will include a silent auction. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or cash for the food shelves and gently used shoes. The doors open at 5:00 pm. The concert starts at 6:00 pm. The silent auction will continue through the end of the band’s break. Winners will be announced at the end of the concert. Please join in the celebration of giving to our community and our neighbors. For inquiries please contact Mary McSorley at bobmarmc@aol.com.
Armadillo
Sound & Design Minneapolis, MN
Serving the acoustic music community for over 35 years.
Complete audio production services: sound - multi-track recording – live/studio.
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
After nearly seven years and hundreds of gigs with The High 48s, it is with mixed emotions that we announce the departure of our good friend and guitar player Marty Marrone, who’s stepping back from performing to focus on both family and career, including his new role as booking agent for the band. Marty wanted to share the following with his friends and fans: “I wanted to let you know that I’m stepping back from performing with The High 48s. I’ve decided to devote more time to my wife and the kids. Between gigging with the band and trying to balance work and home life, I’ve been stretched too thin. I need to spend some more time being a husband and a dad. This is a bittersweet decision for me as I’ve really enjoyed working with this group. Thank you so much for all your support!” Marty’s final two performances will be this Saturday, December 2nd, at the Aster Cafe in Minneapolis and Sunday, December 17th, at the County Seat Theater in Cloquet, MN (our one and only holiday show of the season). Welcome Clint Birtzer! While Marty’s shoes are big ones to fill, we’ve found just the man for the job: our longtime friend and flatpicking phenom Clint Birtzer. Clint is both a talented guitar player and a powerful vocalist whose style draws on classic country, classic rock, bluegrass, and blues influences that come from his eclectic musical upbringing. We’ve been rehearsing with Clint these last couple months and are excited beyond words about what we’ve been hearing. We can’t wait for you to see and hear him in action with the 48s! Clint’s first official public gig with
the band, also Marty’s last Twin Cities performance, was Saturday, December 2nd at the Aster Cafe in Minneapolis. Anthony, Eric, Mike, Rich, Marty and Clint (The High 48s)
You know Doug’s attention to audio detail, let him help you craft your next recording project!
Equipment: Midas, Behringer, dbx, Shure, AKG, AudioTechnica, Crown amps, RCF speakers, Countryman, Radial, Protools Doug Lohman - 612-306-3490 douglohman@aol.com - armadillosounddesign.com 7
Sunday, December 31,2017 7 pm
New Year’s Eve @ The Sheldon Theatre, 443 West Third Street
Red Wing, MN
800-899-5759
Friday, January 12, 2018
8 pm
Randy’s Pickin’ Parlor, 1304 East Highway 80
Bloomingdale, GA
912-748-1930
Saturday, January 13
3 & 8 pm
The Cumming Playhouse. 100 Main Street
Cumming, GA
770-781-9178
Sunday, January 14
7 pm
Sun City Hilton Head, Magnolia Hall, 118 Sun City Lane
Bluffton, SC
843-705-4027
Tuesday, January 16
7:30 pm
Howard Community Club, 5645 Forsyth Road
Macon, GA
478-335-3895
Wednesday, January 17
7 pm
House Concert, 3603 My Way
Thonotosassa, FL
813-215-0050
January 18 & 19
Time(s) TBA
Yee Haw Music Fest Agri-Civic Center, 4601 Highway 710
Okeechobee, FL
904-886-8378
Saturday, January 20
7:30 pm
Thomasville Municipal Auditorium, 144 East Jackson Street
Thomasville, GA
229-225-1063
Sunday, January 21
3 pm
St. John United Methodist Church, 736 Greene Street
Augusta, GA
706-724-9641
Monday, January 22
7 pm
Allen’s Market, 101 East McIntosh
Milledgeville, GA
478-452-3950
Tuesday, January 23
7:30 pm
Griffin Auditorium, 234 East Taylor Street
Griffin, GA
770-228-3229
Danny Stewart’s Western Carribean Bluegrass Cruise
Tampa, FL
570-721-2760
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
January 25-28 Monday, January 29
7 pm
SouthShore United Church of Christ, 1501 LaJolla Avenue
Sun City Center, FL
813-633-6739
Wednesday, January 31
7 pm
Loxley Civic Center, 4198 Municipal Park Drive
Loxley, AL
251-964-4995
Thursday, February 1
6 pm
WUWF Radio Live, 201 E Zaragoza Street
Pensacola, FL
850-474-2787
Friday, February 9
7:30 pm
A Center for the Arts, 124 West Lincoln Avenue
Fergus Falls, MN
218-998-2787
Saturday, February 10
7 pm
Rosemount Area Arts Council Concert Series The Steeple Center, 14375 South Robert Trail
Rosemount, MN
952-255-8545
February 16 & 17
Time(s) TBA
KBA Winter Bluegrass Festival Wichita Marriott Ballroom, 9100 Corporate Hills Drive
Wichita, KS
Sunday, February 18
7 pm
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, 401 South Third Street
Muskogee, OK
918-687-0800
Tuesday, February 20
7 pm
Covenant Series Concerts Covenant Presbyterian Church, 9315 Candelaria Road NE
Albuquerque, NM
505-299-3621
Friday, February 23
8 pm
Fiddler’s Dream Coffee House, 1702 East Glendale Avenue
Phoenix, AZ
602-997-9795
Danny Stewart’s Baja Mexico Cruise
Long Beach, CA
570-721-2760
February 25 - 28
Go to www.MonroeCrossing.com for the latest information on all of our concerts. Booking: Derek Johnson, 612-720-3746 or derek@monroecrossing.com
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January-February 2018
All’s Fair in Love & Bluegrass By Nic Hentges
Great sound is a combination of the player, the monitor speakers, and the main speakers. Assuming that you’ve been attending MBOTMA festivals, jamming, rehearsing and gigging, your playing is solid. Also assuming you’ve read my previous columns about mics, pickups, feedback, and monitors, it’s time to discuss getting sound to your audience. There are as many options when it comes to buying a speaker as when it comes to buying a car. Thankfully, most modern loudspeakers are pretty good. A speaker should be directional, meaning, it throws sound where you point it and minimizes what resonates off the sides and back. A good speaker system should also have a low noise floor, meaning it creates very little hiss. These qualities will allow a high quality listening experience to be possible. Make sure your speakers are pointed at the intended listener. Putting them on speaker stands to get them above the audience and angling them back
down to earth will help balance out the volume between the front row and back row. Adding a subwoofer to your system can increase the life span of your main speakers, and by properly balancing its volume, result in a very natural, warm blend of instruments. Combining all of your instruments to get to the speakers is your mixer’s job. Again, the options available are vast but they all work more or less the same with varying levels of quality. Avoid distortion by properly adjusting the input gain, shape the tone of your signal using EQ, add a touch of reverb to smooth out harmonies and enrich acoustic instrument tones, and combine the signals by adjusting the fader and pan positions. Giving your audience a great experience requires honing a lot of skills, both musical and technical. I hope this overview of some of the technical tools we use helps you along the way. Yours in love and bluegrass
MBOTMA Needs a Trailer
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Can you help out? Donate one? Donate funds? eventdirector@minnesotabluegrass.org
January-February 2018
9
MBOTMA Election Results Elections for the Board of Directors were held in November. The polls closed on Novemeber 18th at the Harvest Jam at the Mariott in Minneapolis. The announcement of the winners was made shortly thereafter. And the envelope, please... Shane Zak was elected to a two year term as Secretary, Robbi Podrug was elected to a two year term as Treasurer. Rudi Marti, Bill Lindross, Alan Jesperson and Joe Hallman were elected to two year terms as Board Members at Large. Next time you see them, thank them for their willingness to serve you on the Board of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association
Robbi Podrug Treasurer Shane Zack Secretary
Alan Jesperson Board Member at Large
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Rudy Marti Board Member at Large
Joe Hallman Board Member at Large 10
Bill Lindross Board Member at Large January-February 2018
Singleton Street wins MBOTMA’s Race for Place at the Harvest Jam The 12th annual Race For A Place Band Contest took place on Saturday November 18 during the Harvest Jam Acoustic Music Experience at the Marriott Minneapolis West Hotel. Bands had a chance to compete to win a spot on the Saturday Main Stage of the 2017 Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival. The next two runners-up received contracts for the 2018 Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff and Slot to be determined by the MBOTMA Board. Echoing the Harvest Jam theme of helping good bands become better bands, the contest helps educate bands and the general public about what characteristics and talents are needed for prospective bands to perform well and get more and better engagements of any kind. It also provides an alternative method for MBOTMA to select the best acts to appear at its festivals.
Photo by Doug Lohman The winner was Singleton Street, the first runner up was The Tony Rook Band
and second runner up was Noah John and Ringing Iron. Congratulations to all!
“Learning how to express who you are on your chosen instrument is a life-long challenge and ultimately the most satisfying thing you could do for yourself and for those around you. I truly believe this with all my heart. I can think of nothing better than to share my musical knowledge and experience with others who are struggling with their own journeys of self -expression through music.
January-February 2018
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Nothing tickles me more than to see that light bulb go on above my student’s head.”
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Now Trending: Honky-Tonk and Classic Country? By Rina Rossi
About a year and a half ago, a group of friends sitting in a Twin Cities living room started talking about their growing appreciation for classic country music. The discussion progressed until they actually put down the banjos for a moment and started experimenting with amps and reverb pedals and searching out drummers who liked Buck Owens. Meanwhile, another group of friends a few blocks away was working up some Lefty Frizzell and Webb Pierce classics. Since then, it seems like more and more honky-tonk bands, dances, and events started sprouting up around the country. One person paying attention to this emerging trend was Karl Smelker with the Louisiana Rhythms Collective Thursday Night Music Series at the Eagles Club 34. Starting February 22, the fourth Thursday of the month at the Eagles will now be Honky-Tonk Night. When asked what precipitated the new series, Karl said, “I went to the Blackpot Festival and saw a lot of young honky-tonk bands and players in Louisiana. I also liked the fact younger folks were playing and coming out to see the bands. Seemed like a trend so we decided to shake things up on Thursdays and give honky-tonk a try!” Honky-tonk and classic country
Hello Heartache - Photo by Pat O’loughlin seem to be trending for musicians, but what about for audiences? Well, remember those two groups of friends I was telling you about? One became a band called Hello Heartache, which I currently play in, and the other became The Midwesternaires. This past June we collaborated to put on a show at the Hook and Ladder
in Minneapolis to test the waters, and the place was packed! The best part was that audiences ranged from those in their 20’s and 30’s currently, to those who were in their 20’s and 30’s when these songs were originally released. In October, I attended the debut show of Honky Tonk Jump, a new early honky-tonk and “Texas dance hall” band at the Underground in St. Paul, and that was packed too! What’s fueling this honky-tonk revival? I’m not sure I know the answer, so you’ll just have to come see for yourself and one of these upcoming events!
Hello Heartache w/the Ditch Lilies
January 27 / Eagles Club #34 / 8:00 p.m. / $10 door, $15 door + EP
Fourth Thursday Honky-Tonk Night
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Every fourth Thursday starting February 22 / Eagles Club #34 / 8:00-10:30 p.m. / $7
MBOTMA Winter Bluegrass Weekend-
Honky-Tonk Jump - Photo by Don J. Olson 12
honky-tonk dancing in the Deering OldTime Dance Hall: March 2-3 / Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West / 9:30pm Rina Rossi is a MBOTMA member and volunteer. January-February 2018
A Festival of Bluegrass & Old-Time Music and Dance 39th Annual
March 2-4, 2018
- Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West - Plymouth, MN
6pm Show Opening Band: The Fishheads
8:30pm Show Opening Band: Switched at Birth
Saturday Concert Headliner: Headline Concert Tickets Start at
$20
The Grascals General Admission Tickets Start at
Old-Time Dance Band: The Freight Hoppers
$20
2 Stages with 40 Bands | Jamming | Workshops | Old-Time Dance | Exhibitors | Grass Seeds Music Academy General Admission Showcase Of Bands, Exhibit Rooms, Dance Parlour, Gathering Place & Workshops $20 Friday Door - $25 Saturday Door $5 Sunday Door - $10 Teens (Friday, Saturday Door)
Saturday Headline Concert (6:00pm or 8:30pm) $20 Advance (Members) - $23 Advance (Non–Members) $30 Door (Members & Non-Members) - $10 Teens & Kids
•
•
Bluegrass Extremist Package $60 Members $70 Non-Members $35 Teens — Pre–Sale Only. Not available at the door. Includes all 3 Days+ both Saturday Concerts
•
•
Grass Seeds Music Academy $85 per Youth (8–18 years-old, includes a 3–Day Weekend General Admission Pass) ----------------------------------------------------------------Advance tickets are available by phone, paypal, or mail until Tuesday, February 27 at 5:00pm.
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
3–Day Weekend General Admission Pass Showcase Of Bands, Exhibit Rooms, Dance Parlour, Gathering Place & Workshops $32 Advance or $45 Door (Members) - $40 Advance or $45 Door (Non-Members) $10 Advance Teens — Kids 12 & under free!
Bluegrass Lovers Package $48 Members $58 Non-Members $29 Teens - Pre-Sale Only. Not available at the door. Includes all 3 Days+ 1 Saturday Headline Concert ticket
For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.minnesotabluegrass.org. or call 651-456-8919 Location and other Hotel Information: Crowne Plaza (Location of Festival) (763)559-6600 — Others nearby: Residence Inn (763)577-1600-Ramada Inn (763)553-1600 January-February 2018
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Cover Story:
The New Old Music of the Big Dixie Swingers
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
by Rich Larson
We don’t have a whole lot of busking in Minnesota. There is some: regular attendees of sporting events in downtown Minneapolis can point out five or six familiar faces, and denizens of the skyway system know a few of them as well, but it’s hardly a time-honored tradition. Minnesotans are great for throwing a quarter into an instrument case, but if you peek into those music cases you’ll rarely find paper money, much less a $20 tip. Busking in Minnesota is a curiosity, and not much more than that. So imagine my surprise when I learned that a busking band from New Orleans had come to the Minnesota State Fair this past September and had not just entered the band division of Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association’s Americana Roots contest, but they had won it. The Big Dixie Swingers are, essentially, the combination of Aaron Gunn and Elizabeth Vargas. Between the two of them they have lived in Tucson, AZ, Minneapolis, MN, Orlando, FL, Boston, MA, Ashville NC, various towns in Lithuania and Eastern Europe and finally New Orleans, Louisiana, where they now make their home and their music. They were the band that won the American Roots contest by combining with guitarist Jack Klatt and stand-up bassist Michael Carvale to present their own finely honed brand of Western Swing. The music has deep roots with guys like Bob Wills, but is infused with showtune-pop sensibility and the kind of presentation that can only be learned by performing for your supper on the streets of the Crescent City. Gunn is the unassuming fiddler/ singer/ front man for this musical project. And while he has come to truly love the land from whence his wife came, and he absolutely respects the musical community up here, there is one thing he would change if he could. 14
Elizabeth Vargas and Aaron Gunn - The Big Dixie Swingers Photo by Jason Smith He’d like to see us dance more. “Elizabeth and I love to talk about Minnesota and the way people conduct themselves up there,” he said. “It’s different, even from Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, people dance without prodding and with spontaneity, like ‘Whoo, we’re dancing!’ I want to learn the art of how to get Minnesotans to dance. That’s the goal.” “She grew up singing and playing in her family band called Delirious Walrus and played bass with a Balkan folk rock band called SlovCzech in Minneapolis. We actually recorded an album with her Dad two years ago.” Dancing is important to Aaron Gunn. It’s been a key component to the musical education he has received in the august halls of Boston College and smoke filled camps of gypsy jazz fiddlers in Serbia. He’s a guy with a better sense for the way old-time music should be played and presented, because he’s seen it from so many different angles. His worldview is as
wide as they come, thanks to his upbringing in, of all places, the Mickey Mouse Capital of the World, Orlando. The single child of a single parent, he was exposed to old-time music the old fashioned way: his mom started dating a musician. “It’s a weird road that led me to where I am now,” he admits. “I was born in Tucson, but we left there when I was two. I was raised in Orlando. I was a smart kid with anarchic tendencies. I didn’t have a lot of friends but I had some good friends. I joined the band in Middle School and started playing the flute, which I didn’t want to play; I wanted to play saxophone, but I was okay with it. I learned the rudiments of music that way. And then my mom started dating this guy who played old-time music, and I decided I wanted to play that too. He said to me, ‘You should pick up the fiddle.’ So I picked up the fiddle, and from there things kind of like… I don’t want to disparage Orlando, but it never felt like home to me. It’s kind of a January-February 2018
frustrating place to grow up. Even when I started playing old-time, there weren’t a lot of kids doing it, and there wasn’t really a community that I could get into. And I was also still kind of shy. “Then I heard Irish music at an oldtime festival for the first time, and it just blew me away. I had never heard anything like it, so I wanted to learn how to play it really hard.” There weren’t a lot of opportunities readily available for a kid to learn Irish
his mind that he would be a teacher. But once he graduated, his heart just wasn’t in it to go through the process of getting into grad school. A girl with whom he’d been spending time (there’s always a girl or two in these stories, isn’t there?) went to Europe and he followed her there. When that ended poorly, he contacted his roommate, who was now working in Serbia. Soon, armed with only the fiddle he had brought with him from the States, Aaron found himself in the heartland of busking
got a lot of people up and dancing and we made some money. The whip around was bigger than anyone had seen from our little camp. And I had this moment just in a crowd of people dancing while I was playing the fiddle… it was just like an ego death. It was the first time when I didn’t feel trapped in myself. “From then on, I just thought, ‘This is what I’m supposed to do.’” Eventually, Aaron found himself back in the U.S., and headed for New
Somehow the traditions of travelling troubadours and the old fashioned methods of creating community through music have come around again, and The Big Dixie Swingers seem to be at the forefront of that renewal.
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and gypsy jazz. “We were all staying in this camp, just playing around a fire, and it was really amazing. But there came a point where we suddenly didn’t have any money. Our food truck was broken down and the money we had made had been stolen, and the guy who was sort of the band leader just said, ‘Okay we have to get se-
rious about this and really try to make some money.’ I had been playing with an Israeli guitar player, who was absolutely amazing and a German accordion player, and we started playing, and it worked. We
Orleans. Once he was somewhat established he hooked up with a band called The Drunken Catfish Ramblers, where he got his first taste of success, and perhaps began to discover he had some leadership qualities. “(Shortly after I joined the band) we went to the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, much better known to the bluegrass and old-time communities as Clifftop. We decided to enter the Non-Traditional music contest. And we won.” This was no small feat, nor was it something that was expected. The Ramblers’ performance that day at Clifftop is seen as a bit of a sea change in the old-time circles across the country. Clifftop was a festival for string bands and bluegrass. The Ramblers, with their big tuba and the songs they were playing, didn’t quite fit the mold. But Aaron saw things differently. “The band wouldn’t have entered if I hadn’t pressed for it. I was just like, ‘We’re playing old-time music and I think we’re playing it pretty well. It’s the roots of the music that you guys are playing.’” “Really I’ve always advocated for different types of older music. It’s like, Bluegrass is the thing now, but the scope of it is so much larger, and more nuanced. I guess I’ve always kind of had a 15
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Music in Central Florida, so Aaron did some research on the internet and found source recordings which he used to instruct himself in the style and techniques. But then his mother came across a group of musicians who did actually play Irish music in Orlando, and Aaron quickly joined in. He was suddenly a professional musician while still in the eighth grade. “We played at Irish bars and at contra dances. It’s weird for me,” he said. “When you look at your own past you don’t have the same sense that other people do, but I started gigging when I was 14. It felt normal at the time, but now I look back and think ‘Huh, that’s a little weird.’” That was just the tip of his unique musical journey though. After high school, Aaron decided to attend Boston College because they offered a full-blown Irish Music department. “I was listening to all this good music because of my roommate who turned me on to really amazing jazz and a lot of other things. He was just a perfect guy for me to be friends with. We played so hard for the time I was there.” Even in that immersed situation, Aaron still didn’t think he would ever be a full time musician. He was actually an English major and had it in the back of
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chip on my shoulder for this. It’s just as legitimate, and it’s cool that we did win. I think it opened some eyes as far as what old-time is and maybe helped to remove some of the preconceived ideas about it. I think it was kind of a pivotal thing. People still talk about the performance and remember what was going on that day. And now, in New Orleans, more people go to Clifftop and enter the contest and bring Ragtime music or whatever.” Not that they were looking to change the world that day, or anything. The Ramblers enjoyed a wave of success for a while. They traveled through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa, playing a still-fondly-remembered set at MBOTMA, on what Aaron has called the Northwest Territories Tour (Because way back in the day, of course that was The Northwest Territory. “The map was kind of uncanny,” Aaron said. “It fit perfectly.”) At the end of the tour, however, the Ramblers dissolved amid band turmoil. It was such a quick turnaround for Gunn, that he felt the need to get away, and went to visit his mother where she was living in Asheville, North Carolina. And that’s when he met the woman who would help him find new direction. “I met Elizabeth at my mom’s friend’s house. We just clicked immediately. And, you know, we hung out for the few days I was there and sang songs together and talked about what we liked in music and there were just a lot of things in common. “And there was dancing. We both love to dance.” Smitten, the two, through what Aaron describes as a “weird series of events,” found themselves cat sitting for a friend of Elizabeth’s in Lithuania for two months. 16
“It was the first time that we’d been just alone together,” he said. “I lent her my banjo, and she just kind of LEARNED it. Like, really quickly. “And then she learned really quickly how play all these hard jazz songs. And it just kind of kept going.” It didn’t take long before Aaron and Elizabeth had the foundation for a new band. “I’ve always really been into Western Swing, but I wanted to do more with it. It’s a really American music with the accor-
dions coming up from Mexico and down from the Mid-West, and the blues and the jazz stuff. It’s just got everything, and I’m really into that. Ethnically, I think it’s a really good American music. Elizabeth loves old show tunes and some of the poppier stuff and we just sort of merged those ideas into one project. And I’d like to mention some old bands that people might enjoy. The Tune Wranglers, The Hi-Flyers, Leon Selph & His Blue Ridge Playboys, The Light Crust Doughboys and many more! Here’s a pretty good “intro” to Western Swing that people could link to http://www. txstate.edu/ctmh/tmho/classroom/western-swing.html.” Back in New Orleans, the two set about finding the right people to play with.
“I knew some of the people from having played in their projects. I had played with our bass player in another band. We swooped up a genius pedal and lap player who moved here last year, a Russian from New York. And, of course, we have our clarinet and twin fiddler, Aaron Olwell, who grew up playing old-time music and makes Irish flutes with his father. It was also about who was available, and then who would be a good match. We found people that we liked and whose sensibilities we trusted. “It’s about chemistry as much as anything. We can work towards getting a good sound and being a good band. What’s important is the character of the musicians. After living down here for four or five years, I have a pretty good intuition about who’s going to be into what we want to do, and not be super set in their ways or unbending to trying something new.” Economics being what they are, and with other obligations taking people in different directions, it’s safer to call The Big Dixie Swingers a collective rather than a band. There are recordings, an album released in April available on Bandcamp.com (https://bigdixieswingers. bandcamp.com/), and there are YouTube videos, but the touring version of The Big Dixie Swingers is Aaron, Elizabeth and whoever else they invite to join. “Elizabeth and I are so much of the content providers, which is an idea I really kind of hate, but it very much is our vision. I really like the idea of having different people in different areas, like Jack Klatt and Michael Carvale in Minnesota, so the sound is fresh and different. At the same time any of the people who were there from the beginning and put the time in to help this thing come to form January-February 2018
and have rehearsed for a year with us are going to get the first offer to play wherever we are.” Aaron and Elizabeth are currently planning a series of tours and outings for 2018 that will bring them back to Minnesota in June. The contacts and friends they have made through their travels are making this whole thing possible. “This just occurred to me lately. I did a teaching gig in Port Townsend, Washington with the Centrum Foundation, (“Look them up,” he said. “They do amazing work.” www.centrum.org) teaching blues violin. “I’d been trying to put together a tour of the West Coast like we did in Minnesota, and it wasn’t working so I’d kind of given up. But when I got to Port Townsend, I realized there are so many good musicians around there, and I could just take people’s numbers and write down the instrument and their city. Then when it comes to planning I can just look at my phone and call people and say ‘Would you guys be down for a couple weeks of touring around here?’ So, now Elizabeth and I can travel really far and do that for a while and then hit another state and do that.” Somehow the traditions of travelling
Photo by Doug Lohman
troubadours and the old fashioned methods of creating community through music have come around again, and The Big Dixie Swingers seem to be at the forefront of that renewal, just as the Drunken Catfish Ramblers were spreading the gospel of some of America’s oldest musical traditions to those who would listen.
January-February 2018
Rich Larson is the publisher and managing editor of The Next Ten Words. Contact him at richlarson@nextten.
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Elizabeth Vargas and Aaron Gunn at the Minnesota State Fair Americana Roots Music Contests
As the saying goes, “Everything old is new again.” “It’s bringing a change in music, too,” Aaron said. “Like we now have old-time bands with a clarinet. It’s like someone stuck a pin in the music for a while and now the pin is out and it can keep evolving. It makes me think this is what New Orleans must have been like at the birth of jazz. There was so much. There was southern music and clips of island music and Irish music, and classical music. There was just all this stuff coming together. It was a real melting pot on a degree that was probably unheard of in America at the time. The sources were so widely varied. “When you look at the evolution of the Internet, we have our connection to the past extended, and our connection to each other extended. The ties are stronger if you want them to be and if you have that sort of mental desire to strengthen your connections with someone in Washington that you might just see once a year, you can do that. “It’s so cool that this music inspires that kind of community.”
Apr 6-8 2018 Radisson Harborview Hotel, Duluth (505 W Superior St)
Presented by The MINNESOTA BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIME MUSIC ASSOCIATION and the TAMARACK DANCE ASSOCIATION Headline Concerts with:
GEORGIA RAE FAMILY (Fri & Sat) COUSIN DAD (Fri & Sat) PATTY & THE BUTTONS (Fri & Sat) MANY MORE TBA (Fri & Sat)
Plus: Friday Night Live! open mic starts at 6PM Old-Time Barn Dance with Dance Caller Workshops & Theme Jams Lots of All-Day & Late-Night Jam Sessions! You’ll want to be there the entire weekend, so order your tickets in advance, then book a room at THE RADISSON HARBORVIEW HOTEL at 218-727-8981. Tell them you’ve got CABIN FEVER!. BULLYAN RV, FROST RIVER TRADING CO, STEWART TITLE, SAINT LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER, CHRISTIAN EGGERT VIOLINS, SIR BENEDICT’S TAVERN, REPUBLIC BANK, and THE DULUTH READER
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Sponsored by:
Tickets: Advance $32Wknd, $29Memb; Gate $15Fri, $20Sat (teens½, kids free)
651-456-8919 or MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Advance tickets are available online or by phone. This event is presented by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA) and made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, and thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund.
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Member-get-a-Member Challenge! Here’s an opportunity for the MBOTMA membership to help our organization grow and win a bonus for yourself! A Member-get-a-Member Challenge will begin January 1 and end at 6:00pm on the Saturday of the Winter Weekend Festival. Grand prize will be $250 CASH! Here’s how it works: For every membership sold, the seller’s name will be entered in a drawing for the cash prize on the following formula - Individual membership equals one entry, Family mem-
bership equals two entries, Band membership equals three entries, Sustaining membership equals four entries, and Patron membership equals five entries. Memberships must be accompanied by payment in order to qualify for the drawing; bill-me membership applications will be accepted for processing only. The number of entries will be limited only by your salesmanship abilities. So jump on this one, folks, and let’s watch our membership numbers climb. Share your or-
ganization with your family, friends and neighbors. And then invite them all to the Winter Weekend Festival on March 2-4, 2018, to cheer if your name is pulled in the drawing! The first step is to make multiple copies of the membership application below and then start your challenge. If you have questions, you can call Marilyn at 763-234-1040 or e-mail to mwbergum@ gmail.com
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Member-get-a-Member Challenge Membership Application Members receive monthly issues of Minnesota Bluegrass Magazine. Fill out this form and mail with payment to MBOTMA, PO Box 16408, Minneapolis MN 55416
Please send a membership category: ___ Individual ($35) ___ Family ($50) ___ Sustaining ($100) ___ Patron ($150)
___ Band ($75)
Seller’s Name: ___________________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________ E-mail: ________________________________ $250 cash drawing winner will be announced on Saturday evening, March 3, 2018 January-February 2018
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Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: __________________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________ E-mail: ________________________________
Grass Seeds 2018 Guitar, Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, Dobro and Bass By Eric Christopher
Grass Seeds and GS2 are MBOTMA-sponsored youth workshops held in conjunction with the Winter Bluegrass Weekend. This will be our fifteenth year! We meet for one session Friday night, two on Saturday and one Sunday morning. The kids will then have the opportunity to show us all what they have learned with a concert on Sunday at 1:00. Some of the things we work on are jamming etiquette, ensemble playing, how to play back-up and take a lead break on your instrument, plus singing lead and harmony vocals. The kids have a lot of fun, but they work hard too. Grass Seeds is NOT just for beginners or “little kids,” nor are we only looking for those who are advanced players. While the kids will get a chance to show off a little bit onstage, if they’re so inclined, the focus of Grass Seeds is on group playing. So, whether you can play just a few common chords or fiddle a few tunes or are a really “hot picker,” it doesn’t matter. Grass Seeds is about working together to make good music and have a good time. If you’re between the ages of 8 and 18 (or so) and you like playing music with friends, there is a place for you.
We spend most of the weekend in small groups, each one becoming a “band” that will pick a song or two to rehearse, arrange and then perform on the festival’s main stage on Sunday, at the conclusion of the jam camp. We do our best to group kids according to their ability and comfort level, so a band can be as few as three or as many as seven or eight kids, in any combination of instruments. One of the requirements for GS2 is to be at least 14; however, teenagers are not limited to that group. Less experienced older players typically benefit more from Grass Seeds. At Grass Seeds, our main goal is to have fun and learn how to work together as a group. Our hope is that by creating a positive experience and the opportunity to build friendships, we will instill a love of the music, a sense of community and the desire to continue playing. Our faculty is always kid-friendly, local and accessible. We provide a non-competitive, relaxed atmosphere for kids to meet and get to know others their age who enjoy the same music. Typically, by the end of the weekend, many phone
numbers and email addresses have been exchanged and new friendships made. We work on a few common jam tunes, and often kids will bring their own tunes to learn and perform. We encourage everyone to go out and jam in the evenings. So if you see a young person out there with an instrument, please invite them to join in or stop and play a song or two with us. WHAT IS GS2? It has always been a struggle in Grass Seeds to accommodate such a wide variety of ages and ability levels. The past several years, we couldn’t help but notice how many young, advanced players were showing up at the festivals. There has also been an increase in the number of Grass Seeds registrations in the 14- to 18-yearold age group, many who have attended Grass Seeds several times. It was obvious these older kids needed a very different, more age-appropriate experience than we were offering in Grass Seeds. We needed to provide them with their own social experience and move away from teaching only the traditional bluegrass tunes. They clearly want to learn to play what they listen to. We ex-
The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association presents...
The Grass Seeds Music Academy 2018 faculty featuring the members of
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THE HIGH 48s plus Chris Silver and Hannah Kalisch
All musicians age 8 to 18 (or so) are invited to register for the Grass Seeds Music Academy during the Winter Bluegrass Weekend on March 2-4 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West Hotel in Plymouth MN. You will learn jamming etiquette, ensemble playing, how to play back-up and take a break, lead and harmony vocals, as well as instruction on your own instrument. The workshop begins Friday night with registration and a jam to get ready for a full weekend of playing. Participants will also meet for two sessions on Saturday and one on Sunday morning, and will finish with an onstage group performance on Sunday. Registration fee is $85 and includes admission to the festival. For more information contact eric@thehigh48s.com - 651-271-4392 or www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org. To register: http://www.minnesotabluegrass.org/register-for-grass-seeds.html or call MBOTMA at 651-456-8919 or info@minnesotabluegrass.org 20
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January-February 2018
eryone who is interested in GS2 will participate in a jam session first thing Friday night and the instructors will make their decision at that time. All participants must register for Grass Seeds and we cannot guarantee your child will be selected for GS2 at time of registration. There is no additional cost for GS2 and no refunds will be given if your child is not selected. GS2 will have the same schedule as Grass Seeds and students will be required to perform in the concert on Sunday. OUR FACULTY This year, longtime Grass Seeds favorites The High 48s (thehigh48s.com) will return as instructors. In addition to being one of the busiest bluegrass bands in the upper Midwest, the High 48s are also in demand as instructors, both in person and – more recently – online. They’ve also been a huge success as faculty at MBOTMA’s summer jam camp over the years. The High 48s are Clint Birtzer on guitar, Rich Casey on bass, Eric Christopher (ericonfiddle.com) on fiddle, Mike Hedding (mikeheddingmusic.com) on mandolin and Anthony Ihrig (anthonyihrig.com) on banjo. This year, Chris Silver (chrissilver. wix.com) will teach GS2. If there are strings on it, Chris plays it -- and plays it well. Before the Chris Silver Band, he was a member of Stoney Lonesome and is also well known for his songwriting. Chris has firm roots in Bluegrass but has honed his
own sound from many influences, making him perfect for GS2. REGISTRATION Grass Seeds Schedule 7:00 - 9:00 on Friday 10:00 - noon and 1:00 - 4:00 Saturday Sunday 10:00 - 12:30, concert at 1:00 The registration fee for the three-day workshop is $85 per student. Students can only register for one instrument. Be sure to register early, as space is limited. Fiddle tends to fill the quickest. Register online at http://www.minnesotabluegrass.org/register-for-grass-seeds. html or by phone at 651-456-8919 . If you have any further questions, please contact Eric Christopher at eric@thehigh48s.com or 651-271-4392. Grass Seeds is a unique opportunity for the young people in our area; there are very few programs like this one. Our goal is to keep the registration fee as low as possible and the quality of instruction as high as possible. Tuition alone does not cover the cost of the program. Please consider making a donation to help keep this valuable program alive. You may do so by sending a check to MBOTMA at PO Box 16408, Minneapolis, MN 55416. Please specify that your donation is for Grass Seeds. All donations are tax deductible and you will receive a tax receipt by mail.
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perimented with a few different things, but didn’t really hit on anything that worked. That is until 2011, when we started GS2. Now in its sixth year, GS2 has been quite a success! These kids have had a great experience and are really an inspiration to the younger ones. Our goals for GS2 are the same as Grass Seeds, and the structure of the weekend is pretty much the same. We are just raising the bar by including advanced instrumental technique, three and four part vocal harmonies and improvisation. GS2 decides as a group what songs to work on. We encourage them to choose more progressive songs from the contemporary artists they enjoy listening to. Then they get to work creating their own arrangement, not just reproducing it as recorded. They will focus in on what it takes to be a member of a performing group. The discussion topics are also determined by the group so we can best meet the specific needs of the kids that year. The minimum age to participate in GS2 is 14, and space is limited to about 10 students. We recommend at least four to five years of playing, with a good working knowledge of common chords and scales. Basic instrumental technique should be solid and familiarity with ensemble playing is expected. Students must be able to learn quickly by ear. Previous participation in Grass Seeds is not required. Ev-
Run Mountain
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by Wayne Erbsen
Among the more bizarre songs in old-time and early country music is one called “Run Mountain.” The song is curious both for the melody and because some of the lyrics are rather mysterious. The melody is set in the key of G but it starts in the key of A. By the time the chorus comes around, it is in the key of G. Are you confused yet? If so, join the club! As if the melody and the key changes are not strange enough, what really takes the cake are the words to the chorus. More on this later. “Run Mountain seems to have originated with the North Carolina fiddler J.E. Mainer, who recorded it several times starting as early as 1949. J.E. most recently recorded it on April 7, 1963 for Arhoolie Records. Introducing the song, J.E. said, “Well, friends, here comes an old number called “Run Mountain, Shake a Little Hill.” So are to believe it is an old song or a new one? The answer seems to be “both.” The melody is unlike anything else in the old-time repertoire, so it should be called “new.” At least one of the verses (“If I had a needle and thread”) is common in any number of songs. The rest of the verses seem to be J.E. Mainer originals. The main thing that’s so bizarre about the song is the chorus: Sometimes he appears to sing it like this: Run mountain, take a little hill, Run mountain, take a little hill, Run mountain, take a little hill. There you get your fill. However, some of the verses sound like he’s singing “run mountain, chuck a little hill” or “run mountain, shake a little hill.” Any way you look at it, the chorus makes no sense. The line that says “There 22
you get your fill” seems to suggest the song is somehow about moonshine. But what does “take, chuck or shake a little hill” means? No one seems to know. About twenty years ago I had the pleasure of being at an old-time music camp in Tennessee where Wade Mainer, J.E.’s younger brother, was visiting. I managed to sit across the table from Wade at lunch one day, and grabbed the opportunity to ask him exactly what his brother was singing on the chorus of “Run Mountain.” Looking exasperated, Wade confessed that he didn’t know what in the world J.E was singing about. I found
out that when Wade recorded it after his brother did, he sang “run mountain, sugar in the hill.” Without getting clarity on the meaning of the chorus from Wade, the mystery very much remains intact. Putting “Run Mountain” to the side for a moment, J.E. Mainer should be remembered not so much for this crazy song, but for being in the group that basically invented bluegrass music. Whoa Nelly! Did I really mean what I just said? YES! Am I claiming that someone besides Bill Monroe invented bluegrass music? Yes I am. Hear me out. If you don’t believe
me when I’m finished explaining this, I’ll go slither under the rock I crawled out of. J.E. (Joseph Emmett) Mainer (1889-1971) was born in a one-room log cabin near Asheville, North Carolina. Like must rustic cabins in that area, it had no electricity or running water. He remembered taking his Saturday night bath in a galvanized tub. At the age of nine, J.E. began playing the banjo with the help of his older brother-in-law Roscoe Banks. Banks played fiddle left handed, and even as a lad, J.E accompanied him on the banjo. Before long, J.E. took up the fiddle and eventually became known as a skilled but rough and ready hoedown fiddler who seemed to follow in the footsteps of both Gid Tanner and Fiddlin’ John Carson. When J.E. was only 12, he went with his father W.J. (William Joseph) Mainer (18501947) to live in Glendale, South Carolina, where the boy worked in a cotton mill long before child labor laws were even seriously considered. Eventually, J.E. moved to Concord, North Carolina, to work in a larger cotton mill. He remembered earning about $5.50 a week, but his board was $1.75 a week. In 1923 J.E.’s little brother Wade moved to Concord and got a job in the same mill where J.E. worked. Wade remembered that “we would play music in our spare time, for parties, corn shucking, lassy pullings (molasses making) bean stringings and fiddlers conventions.” In 1932 the brothers formed a band with Howard and Lester Lay, who both played guitar. They were soon playing on radio WSOC in Gastonia, North Carolina. In 1934, the banjo player Fisher Hendley encouraged the pair of brothers to audition for J.W. Fincher’s Crazy Barn Dance radio show that was broadcast on WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. WBT beamed a strong signal to much of western North Carolina Sponsoring the show was Crazy Water Crystals, a compound that promised relief for constipation. Fincher was delighted with the sound of the group and named the January-February 2018
Run Mountain Went up on the mountain, give my horn a blow. I thought I heard my true love say, “That’s comin’ from my beau.” Run Mountain, take a little hill, Run Mountain, take little hill, Run Mountain, take a little hill, There you’ll meet your fill. Went up on the mountain, Get me a load of pine Put it on the wagon, I broke down behind. Me in the field hard at work, I set down to play While thinkin’ of my own true love, She’s many miles away. Me six miles from my home, Chicken’s crow ‘for day, Me upstairs with another man’s wife, Better be getting’ away. If I had a needle and thread, As fine as I could sew I’d sew my true love to my back And down the road I’d go. Me in the field hard at work, I set down to play. Me running around with another man’s wife, Better be gettin’ away.
Wayne Erbsen has been chasing songs and their background histories for close to fifty years. He has written over thirty song and instruction books for bluegrass and clawhammer banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and ukulele. He claims he can teach. January-February 2018
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band “The Crazy Mountaineers.” This powerhouse radio show had the financial moxie to ensure that the Mainer brothers could leave the security of working at the mill and become professional musicians. The Crazy Mountaineers consisted of J.E. on fiddle, Wade on banjo, Claude Edward “Zeke” Morris on guitar and Daddy John Love on guitar. In 1935 Boyden Carpenter replaced Love. In addition to the Saturday night Crazy Barn Dance, The Mountaineers also played early morning radio shows on WBT. This widespread radio exposure ensured that they played to capacity crowds who filled up rural Grange Halls and schoolhouses. Admission was normally 15 to 25 cents. The band moved briefly to WWL in New Orleans and then to WPTF in Raleigh, NC. In 1937 Wade and Zeke Morris had a bitter dispute over money with J.W Fincher, and they left and formed the band known as “Buck and Buddy, the Little Smilin’ Rangers.” What is unique about J.E. Mainer’s Mountaineers has little to do with the song “Run Mountain.” Instead, it is important to recognize that it was this band that captured the original sound of bluegrass music with their earliest recordings in 1935. Listen, for example, to “Lights in the Valley,” on Youtube. If you do, you’ll hear what sounds like a traditional bluegrass gospel quartet with 2 finger banjo, fiddle, and two guitars. The 1935 date is important to keep in mind because this was 10 years before Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys made their historic performances on the Grand Ole Opry or their legendary recordings. Wade Mainer once confided to this author that he feels like they were playing bluegrass music but didn’t know it. Zeke Morris once told me that “I seriously believe that without us, I don’t think bluegrass music would exist at all.” I rest my case.
www.elderly.com
Since 1972
Your home for New & Vintage Open Back Banjos and Accessories 888-473-5810
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
(toll-free in USA)
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January-February 2018
Bluegrass Saturday Morning By Phil Nusbaum
“Mike Compton knows more about Bill Monroe style mandolin than the Father of Bluegrass himself.” - John Hartford January-February 2018
Bluegrass Review Supporters Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association www. minnesotabluegrass.org (membership organization supporting bluegrass experiences) John Waddle Violins: www.waddleviolins.com (Dealer of international & domestic, new & old violins, bows, cases) Weekly Playlists, Listen Online 1. PRX.org To locate Gems of Bluegrass and the Bluegrass Review online, type in the search box at www.prx.org and you should get many hits. Bluegrass Saturday Morning is streamed and, also, archived at the new url for KBEM 88.5 www.jazz88.fm. 2. www.bluegrassreview.com Bluegrass Review playlists are located at www. bluegrassreview.com. Just use the “programs” link you’ll find at the top of the page. Then look for the show for whichever week is current. The current week’s show should come to the top, and scroll down to view earlier playlists. Scroll down all the way to access a player enabling you to stream the show. 3. www.jazz88.fm To stream KBEM programming, at www.jazz88.fm, click on “listen live.” Bluegrass Saturday Morning playlists are located at www.jazz88.fm. At the top of the home page on the right-hand side, select “playlists.” Then click on the desired date. To listen to archived shows, at www.jazz88.fm, click on “on-demand” Then click on the date and show.”
The Bluegrass Review in Minnesota Check www.bluegrassreview.com for a complete station list. Station
Day
Time
KLQP-FM, 92.1 Madison
Monday
8 PM
KMSU-FM, 89.7 Mankato; 91.3 Austin
Sunday
10 AM
KBEM-FM, 88.5 Minneapolis
Saturday
11 AM
KSRQ-FM, 90.1 Thief River Falls
Sunday
11 AM
KQAL-FM, 89.5 Winona
Saturday
9 AM
KDDG-FM, 105.5 Albany
Saturday
9 PM
WTIP-FM, 90.7 Grand Marais
Thursday
10 PM
KUMD-FM, 103.3 Duluth
Saturday
4 PM
KRWC-AM, 1360 Buffalo
Sunday
5 PM
KOJB-FM, 90.1 Cass Lake
Sunday
6 PM
KSCR-FM, 93.5 Benson
Sunday
6 AM
25
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Milestones The first major milestone was of course Dec 21, 2017, the shortest day of the year, and the amount of light just improves from there. By the time these words are read, we’ll have just about a month of daily light gains, and we’d be only about a month out from the start of Spring Training. The second milestone is perhaps most meaningful to me. The Bluegrass Review shuts down with the show heard locally at 11AM on January 13, 2018. The show’s run was a few weeks longer than 14.5 years, and in my view, that time span qualifies as a great run. The Bluegrass Review represents a type of music show I always wanted to do, but never had time for. It supplied historical, artistic and cultural contexts to bluegrass music through commentary, artist and scholar interviews and scripted and edited commentaries known as Gems of Bluegrass. A typical Bluegrass Review show takes all day to prepare, so it requires a situation where I could spend the day in my study putting it all together and doing nothing else. The show was inspired by a couple of radio guys I listened to at a much younger time. One was Bill Vernon, a bluegrass DJ I heard in my college years. He communicated his considerable knowledge about bluegrass, in a concise and often funny ways. Earlier than that, my parents had a radio with a plastic grille perched on top of the refrigerator, that was often tuned to our CBS affiliate. Sunday night, Hazen Schumacher’s Jazz Revisited came in over that radio. One time, Hazen played five versions of a Louis Armstrong song, each recorded at a different time in Armstrong’s career. I thought the kind of context Schumacher gave to Jazz was far above what I was used to on most music radio. It really got me going. I’ve taken many nice comments about the Bluegrass Review over the years. When you are announcing radio, you sometimes wonder if there is anybody out there, and if your show is going over. Thanks for all the support over the years. Thanks, too, to our business supporters. I am happy to say that they’ve all been the types of businesses I would go to, and they played large roles in keeping the show afloat. One last thing is to say that KBEM-FM plans to extend the Bluegrass Saturday morning timeslot to noon, so the show is available at 88.5FM, www.jazz88.fm 7-noon on Saturday. And the shows are archived at www.jazz88.fm, too.
Don’t miss these future
MBOTMA Events
Presented by The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association The 39th Annual
A Festival of Bluegrass & Old-Time Music & Dance
March 2-4, 2018 Crowne Plaza Hotel I-494 & Hwy 55 in Minneapolis, MN
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Featuring
MBOTMA’s Winter Bluegrass Weekend is a Festival of Bluegrass & Old-Time Stringband Music & Dance. The Showcase of Bands features more than 50 groups on 2 stages all 3 days. The Saturday Night Headline Concert will feature: All at the beautiful Crowne Plaza in Plymouth, Minnesota (on the NW edge of Mpls). Call 763-5596600 for lodging and ask for the Minnesota Bluegrass Festival rate.
The 26th Annual
June 1-3, 2018 El Rancho Mañana 20 mi W of St. Cloud, MN
A three day outdoor music and camping festival with stage shows by more than twenty regional performers of traditional bluegrass, old-time stringband, and related forms of acoustic music. Plus workshops, “Jam With The Bands,” the Gathering Place, and plenty of jam sessions. El Rancho Mañana is the largest campground in Minnesota and boasts horse back riding, a swimming beach, boating, fishing, showers, and other amenities. Join us for an intimate musical weekend with some of the friendliest folks you will ever meet!
The 39th Annual
Aug 9-12, 2018
El Rancho Mañana 20 mi W of St. Cloud, MN Four big days of top national and regional bluegrass and old-time stringband music on six separate stage venues. Over thirty hours of main stage concerts. Plus instrument showcases, nightly dances, over thirty workshops, kids activities, good food, and plenty of campground jam sessions. Come for the day or camp for the weekend. Come see why the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival has been nominated five times (2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, & 2014) for the EVENT OF THE YEAR Award by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in Nashville.
For More Info: www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org or 651-456-8919 These festivals are presented by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA), a non-profit 501c3 organization, and made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Call and ask to be on our mailing list.
26
January-February 2018
MBOTMA Calendar of Events Concerts and events presented or supported by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association
The following events are presented by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA) or supported in part by MBOTMA, and made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
February 10, 2018 - Sunday MBOTMA’s Flannel Fundraiser Party: 2:00 PM to 10:00
PM, Fred Babcock VFW, 6715 Lakeshore Drive Richfield, MN. A celebration of all things MBOTMA featuring 8 bands and more. Plus silent auction, raffles, and lots of jam sessions. Suggested admission donation of $15 with all proceeds to benefit the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA). Food and beverages available. For more information call 651456-8919 or visit www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org.
March 2-4, 2018 - Friday-Sunday The Winter Bluegrass Weekend: A Festival of Bluegrass
& Old-Time Music & Dance, Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West Hotel in Plymouth, MN (3131 Campus Dr, I-494 & Hwy 55). Some fifty groups will be performing bluegrass, old-time stringband, and related forms of acoustic music on several stages, including the Saturday Night Headline Concert and the Dance Hall. Plus workshops, dances, instrument exhibitors, and jam sessions around the clock. Early Bird Jam starts Thursday, March 1, at 6:30pm. For more information call 1-651-456-8919 or visit www. MinnesotaBluegrass.org. To book lodging contact the Crowne Plaza at 763-559-6600 or the nearby Residence Inn at 763-5771600. Ask for the special Minnesota Bluegrass Festival rate.
April 6-8, 2018 - Friday-Sunday Cabin Fever Festival: Duluth MN: Cabin Fever Festival,
Radisson Harborview Hotel (505 W Superior St). A weekend long cabin fever reliever event including stage shows, old-time dances, draw bands, open stage, workshops, and jam sessions around the clock. Performers TBA. Weekend tickets are $29 in advance ($26 for members). Day of show $15 Friday and $20 Saturday. Teens are half price and kids are free. For more information call 651456-8919 or visit www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org. For lodging contact the Radisson Hotel at 218-727-8981 and ask for the special Cabin Fever Bluegrass Festival rate. Presented by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA).
Get a PDF of Minnesota Bluegrass before everyone else... If you are already a member and want
to receive Minnesota Bluegrass in electronic form instead of by postal mail, it will be emailed to you directly before it is available to the general public. If you only want the digital copy or you have problems opening the file, please contact the Minnesota Bluegrass editor at editor@minnesotabluegrass.org.
Contribute to Minnesota Bluegrass Magazine.
MBOTMA’s Website: www.minnesotabluegrass.org
January-February 2018
ATTENTION BLUEGRASS JAMMERS!
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Info and news about our events. Buy tickets on line Donate History Complete calendar of Festivals Magazine, read past issues Links to Member Bands
Write a Review of a favorite concert or CD. Write an article about your favorite jam. Tell us about how you came to like Bluegrass and Old-Time String Band Music. editor@minnesotabluegrass.org
In the next couple of months, MBOTMA will be updating and converting its jam schedule to a link connected to our website. That way it will be available 24 -7 at your fingertips. If you head up a jam, attend a jam, or know of a jam, please contact Tony Stachnik at tdjejs@msn. com. Thank you and keep on jamming! 27
Coming Up Venue abbreviations
318: The 318 Café, 318 Water Street, Excelsior, 952-401-7902, www.three-eighteen.com 331C: 331 Club, 331 13th Ave NE, Mpls, 612-331-1746, www.331.mn AGr: Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe, 394 S Lake Ave, Duluth, 218-723-0075, www.amazinggraceduluth.com APHC: “A Prairie Home Companion,” Minnesota Public Radio AST: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main St, Mpls, 612-379-3138, www. astercafe.com BSC: Black Sheep Coffee Cafe, 705 Southview Blvd., South St. Paul, 651-554-0155, www.blacksheepcoffee.com BTC: Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield, WI, 888-2448368, www.bigtop.org BoDD: BoDiddley’s Pub and Deli, 129 25th Ave S, St. Cloud, 320-252-9475 CED: Cedar Cultural Center, 415 Cedar Ave S, Mpls, 612-3382674, www.thecedar.org CJ: Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave, St Paul, 651-330-4685, www. thecelticjunction.com CrH: Creek House Concerts, www.creekhouseconcerts.com, 651-633-5353. MUST call and reserve for these events. DAK: Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls, 612-332-1010, www.dakotacooks.com DuG: Dunn Brothers on Grand, 1569 Grand Ave, St. Paul EAG: Eagles Club, 2507 E 25th St, Mpls, 612-729-4469, www.Mplseagles34.org
FITZ: Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E Exchange St, St Paul, 651-2901200, www.fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org GINK: Ginkgo Coffeehouse, 721 N Snelling Ave, St Paul, 651645-2647, www.ginkgocoffee.com GKb: Grand Kabaret, 210 N Minnesota St, New Ulm, 507-3599222, www.thegrandnewulm.com HOB: The Loft at Hobgoblin Music, 920 State Hwy 19, Red Wing, 877-866-3936, www.stoneyend.com MER: Merlins Rest, 3601 E Lake St, Mpls, 612-216-2419 OAK: Oak Center General Store, 67011 Hwy 63, Lake City, 507753-2080, www.oakcentergeneralstore.com RIV: Riverview Café & Wine Bar, 3747 42nd Ave S, Mpls, 612729-4200, theriverview.com ROCK: Rockwoods, 9100 Quaday Ave NE, Elk River, 763-2224353, www.nograsslimit.com/RockwoodsCalendar.html SHL: Sheldon Theatre, 443 W 3rd St, Red Wing, 800-899-5759, www.sheldontheatre.org TAP: Tapestry Folkdance Center, 3748 Minnehaha Ave S, Mpls, 612-722-2914, www.tapestryfolkdance.org UMC: Underground Music Café, 1579 Hamline Ave N, Falcon Hts, 651-644-9959, undergroundmusiccafe.com VC: Vieux Carre, 408 St Peter St, St Paul, 651-291-2715, vieuxcarre.com WmH: The Warming House, 4001 Bryant Ave S, lower level, Mpls, 877-987-6487, thewarminghouse.net ZUM: Crossings at Carnegie, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, 507-7327616, www.crossingsatcarnegie.com
To post gigs and events to this calendar, request the link to our online submission form to editor@minnesotabluegrass.org
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS January 27 Saturday
Hello Heartache
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Eagles Club #34 2507 E. 25th St, Mpls 8pm
February 10 Saturday
MBOTMA’s Flannel Fundraiser Fred Babcock VFW 6715 Lake Shore Drive, Richfield 2-10pm
1/10 – Wednesday
• Mother Banjo, 331C, 7pm • Christine Lavin, CED, 7:30pm
1/11 – Thursday
• Mother Banjo & Doug Collins, 318, 8pm • SouthSide Aces, EAG, 8pm
1/12 – Friday 28
February 17 Saturday
High 48s
February 25 Sunday
Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust St, Hudson, WI 715-386-2305 7:30pm
• Bryan Bowers, ZUM, 7:30pm • Roe Family Singers, Rosemount Area Arts, TBA, TBA • Little Diamonds, UMC, 5pm • Dan Rodriguez w/ Andre Rogriguez, 318, 8pm • Roe Family Singers, Steeple Center, Rosemount, 14375 S Robert Trail
Irish Rovers
O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, 2004 Randolph Ave St Paul, MN 7:30pm
• Rosemount, 612-272-0997, 7pm • Four Mile Portage, Sir Benedicts, 805 E Superior St, Duluth, 6pm • Zosha Warpeha & Dean Magraw, BoDD, 7:30pm • Mary DuShane & Nick Jordan, Ingredients Cafe, White Bear Lake, 6-8:30 pm, 651-426-6611 January-February 2018
Classified Ads BlueGrass Quartet seeks fiddler, guitarist, banjoist or other instrument plus some harmony vocals. Have steady stream of well-paying commercial gigs. Contact: Steven Howard, bluedrifters@aol.com, 952-585-9819 Mandolin and banjo player,
new to the Brainerd, MN area, seeks people to play with. Mitchell Scott, 218-513-8642
Acoustic bass for sale:
Brand-Lewis, plywood, decent shape, good tone, new adjustable bridge. $1000. Doug, 612-306-3490
• Bob Bovee, Focal Point, St. Louis, MO, 8 PM
1/20 – Saturday
• Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Bernie King & The Guilty Pleasues, 318, 8pm • Ron Ansenault & Dave Pengra, GKb, 7:30pm • Chicago Farmer & Luke Callen, Leo & Leonas, W1436 WI-33, Bangor, WI, 7:30pm • The Pines, OAK, 8pm • Kirk & Low, RIV, 8pm • Leo Kottke, SHL, 7:30pm • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am • Lute-a-Thon (with guest vocalist), Sundin Hall, Hamline University, www.mnguitar.org, 8pm • Peter Mayer, Roots Cellar Concerts, University Baptist Church, 1219 University Ave SE, Mpls, 612-3311768, 7pm
1/22 - Monday
1/13 – Saturday • • • •
Alternate Route, BSC, ,0am Michael Monroe, 318, 8pm American Roots Revue, DAK, 7pm The Fish Heads, Zeitgeist Performing Arts, 222 E Superior St, Duluth, • 218-722-9100, 3pm • Live from Here, Broadcast from Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am
1/14 – Sunday
• Swing Brunch with Patty and the Buttons, AST, 11am
1/15 – Monday
• Roe Family Singers, 331C, 8pm
1/17 – Wednesday
• Adam Kiesling & Mike Munson, 331C, 7pm
1/18 – Thursday
• Jerry Rau, UMC, 5:30pm
1/19 – Friday
January-February 2018
1/24 – Wednesday
• Whalen And the Willows, 318, 8pm • Miss Myra & The Moonshiners, VC, 8pm
1/25 – Thursday
• Mudbug Zydeco, EAG, 8pm
1/26 – Friday
• Dan Rodriguez w/ Jackson Manowski, 318, 8pm • John Gorka, ZUM, 7:30pm • Jay Matthes, Leo & Leonas, W1436 WI-33, Bangor, WI, 7:30pm
1/27 – Saturday
• Hello Heartache, EAG, 8pm • Machinery Hill and The Sons, 318, 8pm • Kirk & Low, Contented Cow, 302B Division St S, Northfield, 8pm • Armchair Boogie & Barbaro, Leo & Leonas, W1436 WI-33, Bangor, WI, 7:30pm • Pushing Chain, OAK, 8pm • Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
• Dan Rodriguez w/ Matt Muller, 318, 8pm • Jack Klatt, GKb, 7:30pm • Medicine Brothers & Friends, Leo & Leonas, W1436 WI-33, Bangor, WI, 7:30pm • Jack & Kitty, Contented Cow, 302B Division St S, Northfield, 8pm • The Fish Heads, Sir Benedict’s Tavern, 805 E Superior St, Duluth, • (218) 728-1192, 6pm
• Roe Family Singers, 331C, 8pm • Crow River Junction, Glacial Ridge Winery, 15455 Old Mill Road, Spicer, 6:30pm
1/28 – Sunday
• Amy Helm, DAK, 7pm
1/29 – Monday
• DL Cajun Band, EAG, 7:30pm
1/31 – Wednesday
• Not Available!, 318, 8pm • Lenz and Frenz, 331C, 9:30pm 29
• The Fiddle Heirs, 331C, 7pm
2/1 – Thursday
• Mother Banjo, 331C, 9:30pm • John Gorka, McMillan Memorial Library, 490 E Grand Ave, Wisconsin Rapids, WI, 7pm • Granger’s Moonshine, UMC, 5pm • Barley Jacks, Halling Recital Hall, Early Center for the Performing Arts, MSU, 320 East Maywood Avenue Mankato, 507-389-5549, 7:30pm • Swamp Poppas, EAG, 8pm
2/2 – Friday
• Charlie Roth, GKb, 7:30pm • Noah John & Ringing Iron, Leo & Leonas, W1436 WI-33, Bangor, WI, 7:30pm • Kirk & Low, RIV, 8pm • Erik Brandt & The Urban Hillbilly Quartet, UMC, 7pm • Barley Jacks, BoDD, 7:30pm • Curtis & Loretta, Wildwood Concert Series at Clear Waters Life Center, 226 Elm St, Gonvick, 218-487-5290, 7pm • Eelpout Stringers, Klockow Brewing Co, 36 SE 10th St, Grand Rapids, 218999-7229, 7pm
• Mary DuShane & Nick Jordan, Midtown Global Market Family Night, 920 E Lake, Mpls 5:30pm
2/3 – Saturday
• Flour City Doughboys, TAP, 8pm • The Federales, OAK, 8pm • Bernie King & The Guilty Pleasures, Steeple Center, 14375 So Robert Rosemount, TBA • Sweet Rhubarb, UMC, 7pm • Pushing Chain, ZUM, 7:30pm • Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am • Dean “Bix” Bixenman, Bothy Folk Club, Emmy Frentz Arts Guild, 523 S 2nd St, Mankato, 507-217-0408, 7pm • Eelpout Stringers, American Legion, 12 1st St NE, Deer River, 218-3269141, 7:30pm • Tim Cheesebrow, Roots Cellar Concerts, University Baptist Church, 1219 University Ave SE, Mpls, 612331-1768, 7pm
2/4 – Sunday
• Corpse Reviver, 331C, 3pm • Eelpout Stringers, Laskiainen Festival,
Loon Lake Community Center, 3816 CSAH 100, Aurora, 218-638-2551, 1pm • Swing Brunch with Patty and the Buttons, AST, 11am
2/6 – Tuesday
• Andrea Lyn, Lori Jean & Dick Kimmel, Songwriters Showcase at New Ulm Community Center, New Ulm, 1:30pm • Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, Basement Bar, 511 N Washington Ave, Mpls, 8pm • Rough Draft Singer/Songwriter Night, WmH, 8pm
2/7 – Wednesday
• Jeff Austin Band, DAK, 7pm • Langer’s Ball, Dubliner Pub, 2162 University Ave W, St Paul, 9pm • MN Songwriter Showcase with Nick Hensley, AST, 8pm
2/8 – Thursday
• SouthSide Aces, EAG, 8pm • The Lowland Lakers with Humbird, AST, 7:30pm
2/9 – Friday
• Monroe Crossing, A Center For The Arts, 124 W Lincoln Ave, Fergus Falls, 7:30pm • The Fish Heads, Sir Benedict’s Tavern, Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake, 805 E. Superior St., Duluth, 218-728-1192, 6pm • Mary DuShane & Nick Jordan, Ingredients Cafe, White Bear Lake, 651-426-6611, 6 pm
2/10 – Saturday
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
• 2018 Flannel Fundraiser - to benefit MBOTMA, Fred Babcock VFW, 6715 Lakeshore Dr, Richfield, http://www. minnesotabluegrass.org, 2pm - 10pm • Boxstore Bird, Contented Cow, 302B Division St S, Northfield, 8pm • Timbre Junction, Leo & Leonas, W1436 WI-33, Bangor, WI, 7:30pm • Pistol Whippin’ Party Penguins, OAK, 8pm • Boxstore Bird, Contented Cow, 302B Division St S, Northfield, 8pm • Monroe Crossing, Steeple Center, 14375 So Robert, Rosemount, 7pm • Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am • Claudia Schmidt, CrH
2/11 – Sunday
• Swing Brunch with Patty and the Buttons, AST, 11am
2/12 – Monday
• Roe Family Singers, 331C, 8pm
30
January-February 2018
• Cajun Crawfish Hot Dish, EAG, 7:30pm
2/13 – Tuesday
• FAT TUESDAY-New Riverside Ramblers, EAG, 7 pm • Switched at Birth, Prior Lake Library, Prior Lake, 7pm • Rough Draft Singer/Songwriter Night, WmH, 8pm
2/14 – Wednesday
• Becky Kapell & Friends, 331C, 7pm
2/15 – Thursday
• DL Cajun Band, EAG, 8pm • Mike Munson, 331C, 9:30pm
2/16 – Friday
• Jack & Kitty, Contented Cow, 302B Division St S, Northfield, 8pm • Diahm, ZUM, 7:30pm • Big Turn Music Festival, St James Hotel. 406 Main St. Red Wing, 7 pm, Venues all over town!, The Double Down Darredevils, Long Time Gone, www.bigturnmusicfest.com, • Claudia Schmidt, Wiese Auditorium/ KBEK Radio, 208 Broadway Ave S, Braham, 844-200-5235, 8pm • Montenegrin Guitar Duo, Sundin Hall, Hamline University, www.
mnguitar.org, 8pm • Tony Rook Band, Arts Center, St Peter, • Andrea Lyn, Lori Jean, & Dick Kimmel, Songwriters Showcase, CASTLE Program, New Ulm Community Center, 1:30pm
2/17 – Saturday
• Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Ann Reed, Roots Cellar Concerts, University Baptist Church, 1219 University Ave SE, Mpls, 612-3311768, 7pm • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am • Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, Granite Peak Ski Area, 3605 N Mountain Rd, Wausau, WI, 9pm • Hello Heartache with The Bootlicker String Band, Sweet Hearts Ball at EAG, 8pm • The High 48s, Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust St, Hudson, WI, 715386-2305, 7:30pm
2/18 – Sunday
• Justin Roberts and The Not Ready for Naptime Players, CED, 10:30 AM • Mill Creek Irish, Paramount Theater,
913 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud, 320-259-5463, 3pm • Swing Brunch with Patty and the Buttons, AST, , 11am
2/19 – Monday
• Roe Family Singers, 331C, 8pm • Rough Draft Singer/Songwriter Night, WmH, 8pm • Bill Travers & Laura Moe, UMC, 7pm
2/21 – Wednesday
• Bill Travers & Laura Moe, UMC, 7pm • Hanneke Cassel Band with Orange Mighty Trio with Dean Magraw, CED, 7:30pm • MN Songwriter Showcase with Nick Hensley, AST, 8pm
2/22 – Thursday
• Billy McLaughlin, AST, 7:30pm • Good Morning Bedlam, New York Mills Cultural Center, 24 N Main Ave, New York Mills, MN, 218-385-3339, • Hello Heartache - Honky Tonk Dance, EAG, 8pm
2/23 – Friday
• Tom Chapin, ZUM, 7:30pm • Ani DiFranco with Gracie and Rachel, CED, 8pm • Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League
SATURDAYS AT 7 P.M.
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
LEARN MORE AT PIONEER.ORG/GRASSLANDJAM. January-February 2018
31
MinnesotaBluegrass.org 32
January-February 2018
with Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy, Hook and Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Ave, Mpls, 9pm • Harper’s Chord, BoDD, 7:30pm • Pert Near Sandstone’s Winter String Band Gathering with Kitchen Dwellers, CED, 8pm
2/24 – Saturday
• Timbre Junction, UMC, 7pm • Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Bluegrass Brunch with The High 48s, AST, 11am • Live From Here with Chris Thile, Broadcast live on MPR from FITZ, St. Paul • Pert Near Sandstone’s Winter String Band Gathering with Dead Horses, CED, 8pm
2/25 – Sunday
• The Irish Rovers, O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, 2004 Randolph Ave, St Paul, 7:30pm • Bill Staines, OAK, 3pm • Swing Brunch with Patty and the Buttons, AST, 11am
2/26 – Monday
• Roe Family Singers, 331C, 8pm • Jack & Kitty, Contented Cow, 302B Division St S, Northfield, 8pm • Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, DAK, 7:30pm • New Riverside Ramblers, EAG, 7:30pm • Lenz and Frenz, 331C, 9:30pm
2/27 – Tuesday
• Rough Draft Singer/Songwriter Night, WmH, 8pm
2/28 – Wednesday
• Lenz and Frenz, 331C, 9:30pm
3/1 – Thursday
• Swamp Poppas, EAG, 8pm
3/2 – Friday
3/3 – Saturday
• Winter Bluegrass Weekend, Crown Plaza Hotel, Plymouth, presented by MBOTMA • Alternate Route, BSC, 10am • Lisa Murphy, the Singing Cowgirl, Bothy Folk Club, Emmy Frentz Arts Guild, 523 S 2nd St, Mankato, 507217-0408, 7pm
January-February 2018
Sends aspiring Midwestern Cajun musicians to music camps at Folklore Village (WI) - March 23-25 Balfa Heritage Week (LA) - April 21-26 Augusta Heritage Center (WV) July 29-August 3 Application Deadline: January 31, 2018 For application and/or info: johnhugelencajunscholarship.org Email: cajunmusicscholarship@earthlink.net
• Live From Here with Chris Thile, Broadcast live on MPR from FITZ, St. Paul
3/04 – Sunday
• Winter Bluegrass Weekend, Crown Plaza Hotel, Plymouth, presented by MBOTMA • Bob Bovee, Sprakers House Concert, Sprakers, NY, 518-673-3212, 4pm • Swing Brunch with Patty and the Buttons, AST, 11am • Vasen, CED, 7:30pm
3/8 – Thursday
• Cherish the Ladies, CED, 7:30pm • SouthSide Aces, EAG, 8pm
3/9 – Friday
• Bob Bovee, Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music, Unitarian Fellowship
• • • •
Hall, 420 Willa Road, Newark, Del., 8pm Curtis & Loretta and Glenn Elvig, CrH Gaelic Storm, FITZ, 8pm Mill Creek Irish, BoDD, 7:30pm Moosejaw Dance Weekend with The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, The Canote Brothers, and Hello Heartache, Maplelag Resort, 30501 Maplelag Rd, Callaway, MN, http:// wildgoosechasecloggers.org/
LaPlant Instruments maker of fine mandolins & guitars
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
• Winter Bluegrass Weekend, Crown Plaza Hotel, Plymouth, presented by MBOTMA • Purdy River Band, Steeple Center, 14375 S Robert Trail, Rosemount, 612-272-0997, 7pm • Bob Bovee, The Roost at Topnotch, Stowe, VT, 4pm • Lucy Kaplansky, BoDD, 7:30pm
John Hugelen Cajun Music Scholarship
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www.homesteadpickinparlor.com folkmuse@aol.com and you can find us on Facebook
Making the world safe for discerning fans of Traditional Music since 1979
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Michel Wegen is a recognized Dutch model maker using sculpting and airbrush art techniques to meet the needs of clients such as theme parks, ad agencies and museums. In his search for new markets, Michel some years ago took on the design of the lowly pick. The results have been phenomenal. Wegen Picks endanger no animal species, and they are a fraction of the price of the illegal picks that do. We have eight models for guitar and mandolin on hand in a variety of thicknesses. Try one out on your next visit.
January-February 2018
Tab: Ragtime Annie By Bob Douglas
Ragtime Annie or Raggedy Ann is perhaps one the most well-known tunes played on fiddle, mandolin, banjo, or guitar. To be a rag, the tune needs to have syncopation in the melody. Ragtime music, the forerunner of jazz, had its origin and greatest popularity between 1895 and 1918. There’s enough ragtime played today in the Twin Cities and around the world to know it’s still a much loved music form. A number of great rags were recorded on mandolin in the decades following ragtime’s heyday. Some that come to mind include the
Ragtime Annie
Combination Rag 1927 & the Mineola Rag 1930 recorded by the East Texas Serenaders, the Dallas Rag recorded by Coley Jones & the Dallas Stringband in 1929, and the Hawkins Rag recorded by Ted Hawkins with Riley Puckett and the Skillet Lickers in 1934. Ragtime Annie certainly has the needed syncopation though its origin is still uncertain. Some think the tune was being played by Texas fiddlers in 19001910 which would place it in ragtime’s golden era. But it fails to appear in older printed tune collections; it only appears
Bob Douglas 651-778-1395
January-February 2018
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MinnesotaBluegrass.org
in more recent collections. The earliest appearance of the tune “Ragtime Annie” is the recording by Texas fiddler Eck Robertson. Robertson was the son of a Confederate veteran, allowing him to attend as well as perform at annual Confederate Soldiers’ Reunions across the South. At one of the reunions, he met 74-year-old fiddler Henry C. Gilliland and they began performing together. After a reunion in Richmond, Gilliland and Robertson travelled to New York City, to audition for the Victor Talking Machine Company. They made the audition and both received a recording contract. Robertson and Gilliland recorded four fiddle duets for Victor on June 30, 1922, which is thought by many to have been the first commercial recordings of country music performers. The Victor Company requested just Robertson return the next day, July 1, and he recorded six more fiddle tunes solo. One of those tunes was Ragtime Annie. Robertson played the tune with three parts with the third part in the key of G. That third part is rarely played in sessions or recordings these days. But it’s a good one to know. In 1926, Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers also recorded Ragtime Annie but without the third part. Robertson’s and Poole’s recordings of Ragtime Annie can both be listened to on YouTube. There are so many good versions of this grand tune, some much more “raggy” than others. But you really need to have it in your tune bag if it’s not there already. The notation here features some of the variations I play. And it’s a new year! Try introducing a few of your own syncopations into the tune! Call if you need help.
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2017 WBW Dance Hall - Photo by Joe Flannigan