Slaid Cleaves Offers Up New Music

Slaid Cleaves new album "Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away will be out April 21 but here are a few cuts for you to preview.

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones

Here it is, my feeble, possibly futile attempt to get my arms around a ton of tunes and pick out the highlights. I will in no way say that the picks I make are the "best" of the year past. Instead, these are the albums that stood out to me from the sampling of music that I have collected.

So with that [useless] disclaimer aside here is the first of my cream of the crop picks.

Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones
Image via WikipediReleased April 21, 2008 on Liberation Records

This one really flew under my radar this year. I was trying to put together a 2008 year in review show for the Front Porch and I was perusing various blogs to see if I had missed anything. I can't remember the blog that pointed me to this album but what a great turn.

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson are a husband and wife duo from Australia. For this album they offer up a pop/folk/country/bluesy sound that oddly enough has an Appalachian feel at times. The album plays intimate throughout no matter the pulse of the beat delivering 14 original tunes that are interesting a delivered impeccably well.

This album is definitely in the top tier of Americana albums released this year.

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Earl Scruggs with Family and Friends

On November 18 Rounder Records released Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends: The Ultimate Collection, Live at the Ryman. Recorded live June 21, 2007 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN the album is an assembly of some incredible talent but Earl Scruggs, even at 83 still takes a backseat to no one. The lineup included Scruggs sons Randy and Gary as well as Rob Ickes, John Jorgenson, Jon Randall, Hoot Hester and John Gardner.

In all there's 18 tracks of great music included in this great release. The project also features liner notes from Jay Orr and Earl Stubbs. The evening and CD includes perennial favorites like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," "Lonesome Ruben," "Ballad of Jed Clampett," "Soldier's Joy," "In the Pines," and "Earl's Breakdown."

This is a great addition to any record collection and is a great entry point for the musical works of Earl Scruggs.

New Kenny and Amanda Smith Band

The Kenny & Amanda Smith Band have a new CD out on Rebel Records. The album titled Live and Learn features 13 tracks including a misprint on track 2. Track 2 should be labeled "The Blues Down in Kentucky" penned by Gray Brewer. Also on the release is the Norman Blake tune "Randall Collins" as well as "I'd Jump The Mississippi" penned by George Jones and Johnny Mathis. Two original tracks are including in the release, "Words You Use" and "Icicle Canyon".

All in all this is a very solid bluegrass album from start to finish. Produced by Kenny and Amanda themselves and recorded in Charlotte, NC by Glenn Tabor. Zachary McLamb lends bass, Aaron Williams chops the mandolin, and guests Ron Stewart (fiddle and banjo) and Alan Bartram (harmony vocals) round out the sound.

Kenny & Amanda Smith Band

2008 IBMA Award Winners

Image via WikipediaTHE 2008 IBMA AWARDS WINNERS

BLUEGRASS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Bill Clifton
Charles K. Wolfe


ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Dailey & Vincent


VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Dailey & Vincent


INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper


MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jamie Dailey


FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dale Ann Bradley

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Through The Window Of A Train," Blue Highway (artists), Tim Stafford & Steve Gulley (songwriters)


ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Dailey & Vincent, Dailey & Vincent (artists), Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records


RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
Everett Lilly & Everybody and Their Brother, Featuring Everett Lilly, Bea Lilly, Charles Lilly, Daniel Lilly, Mark Lilly, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Billy Walker, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, David Ball, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs, Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddy Weller, Mike Bub, Rad Lewis, Andy May, Darrin Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship & Bill Wolfenbarger (artists), Charles Lilly & Bill Wolfenbarger (producers), Swift River Music


INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Sound of the Slide Guitar, Andy Hall (artist & producer), Sugar Hill Records


GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
"By The Mark," Dailey & Vincent (artists), Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records


EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Dailey & Vincent


INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR

BANJO
Kristin Scott Benson

BASS
Barry Bales

FIDDLE
Michael Cleveland

DOBRO
Rob Ickes

GUITAR
Josh Williams

MANDOLIN
Adam Steffey


Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

• Bill Harrell
• The Banjo Newsletter
• Art Menius
• The Ernest Tubb Record Shop
• Joe Carr & Alan Munde

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year:
Kyle Cantrell; Bluegrass Junction, XM Satellite Radio


Print Media Person of the Year:
Chris Stuart, freelance writer for Bluegrass Unlimited


Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project:
Gary Reid, The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection
(1947-1966), The Stanley Brothers, Time Life


Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project:
Greg Carr & Sarah Holman, What The, Pete Wernick & Flexigrass, Niwot Records


Bluegrass Event of the Year Award:
29th Annual Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival; Brunswick, Maine; Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2007

New Album from Nathan Blake Lynn

Yesterday Nathan Blake Lynn stopped by the studio with Clayton Campbell (fiddler for The Gibson Brothers) to promote his new album 2 Catfish and a Bluegill. What was planned to be a few songs turned into an hour and a half of a great Saturday morning on the Front Porch.

Lynn's new album comes chock full of 18 tracks (17 originals) that span from straight-up storytelling folk music to more bluegrass flavored hopping stompers.

As always with Lynn come the historically spun ballads such as "Alben William Barkley" that tells the political life story of the 35th vice-president of the United States who just so happened to have been born in Graves County, KY before spending much of his life in Paducah, KY which is a region that Lynn knows well. Lynn's guitar lays the steady rhythm for a fiddle melody that supports Lynn's appealing-yet-loose vocals that are rock solid throughout the album. Vocals that fit on every song yet still have enough ragged edges to lend flavor and add interest to already engaging lyrics.

Lynn weaves humor into the lyrics of his music that compliment jumpy melodies as evident in "Dancin' Across Your TV Screen" which gets stripped down to just Lynn and his 6-string. There's something about a song that refers to watching Larry King on the tube while sitting on the "john". Humor and irony spill together at times as Lynn sings about how our country shipped TV's to countries short on food... "Old Uncle Sam, he shipped them on down south, talked about people who ain't got food in their mouths... I guess that's a way to provide relief, they ain't got clean water but they got Opera Winfrey at 3."

"Heading Up 26" brings in Tyler Grant's steady banjo work to provide flavor to one of my favorite tracks on the album. The ballad speaks Johnny Cash to me but definitely sows its own seeds. The storyline emanates through the eyes of a weary traveller both longing and admiring a love from afar. A steady melody gives way to a swaying chorus that brings both your tapping feet and swaying head together before rolling you back to the rhythmic 1 and a 2 bounce of the verse.

This album is crammed full of great stories paired to incredible melodies like a full bodied glass of Merlot to a tender filet mignon. You'll find plenty of variety to keep your interest peaked and incredible musicianship to wow you.

Explore and find more at http://nathanblakelynn.com where you can also pick up the album.

Nathan Blake Lynn on Myspace.

Rounder to Release Earl Scruggs, Family and Friends at the Ryman

Image via WikipediaRounder wrote: on Sep. 30, 2008:
Burlington, MA – American music icon Earl Scruggs helped give birth to bluegrass music when he first appeared on the legendary stage of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 1945. Another historic night for Scruggs came in 2007 when he headlined his first-ever Ryman concert. Rounder Records is proud to announce the release of that concert – The Ultimate Collection/Live at the Ryman – first as a digital only release on September 30 and then in CD format on November 18. On this career-spanning set of many of his signature tunes, the ingenuity and undiminished vitality of Earl’s playing, along with the stellar contributions of his Family & Friends Band, make for a magical and unforgettable listening experience.

From Cybergrass

Great Article!

Image via Wikipedia Bill Graham has written a great little piece for The Mandolin Cafe about Ray Jackson... the source for the mandolin riffs on Rod Stewart's "Maggie May". The article was influenced by a conversation with Sam Bush.

Many guitarists take up mandolin to bring something fresh to sessions and the stage, Bush said, and they often get to the heart and soul of a song more directly than a more accomplished mandolin player would.

"Take Maggie May by Rod Stewart," he said, "we heard that in the van today on the way here from the hotel. I said 'that has got to be the most well known mandolin solo there is.' Because we've been hearing it since what, the early 70s."

The piece is titled "The Man With The World's Most-Heard Mandolin Solo" and hit the site just today.

From songs: Illinois >> Gregory And The Hawk’s “Grey Weather”

From songs: illinois

In the entire 4 year run of Songs:Illinois I can count on one hand the number of times I found a song on another blog (here or here) and re-posted it here. But with the new song from Gregory And The Hawk I couldn’t resist. Musically “Grey Weather” sounds a bit like the song title. All minor keys and somber swaths of sound, but it’s Meredith Godreau’s childlike voice that lifts this song from a angst fueled downer into a light and airy tale of lost love.

From The Bluegrass Blog » New Bill Monroe Book

Fast approaching the 12th anniversary of the passing of Bill Monroe... my how time flies. A new book is available that shares the life in pictures of "Big Mon" from one of Monroe's closest friends, Javonda Smith. Bill Monroe would have turned 97 on September 13.

Recently, I learned of a new book about Bill Monroe that was published yesterday, Bill Monroe & Friends, written by Javonda (Charlene) Smith, one of Monroe’s closest friends during some of his later years. How appropriate that she has chosen September for its release.

Inside the life of Bill Monroe, as the book is sub-titled, is a collection of black and white photographs, taken from various sources, including the author’s own collection, and from Denise Painter and Scott Farnum, predominantly. The author provides extended captions with background information.

~ Richard Thompson, The Blugrass Blog

Josh Williams Adds New Band Member

From The Bluegrass Blog:

A recent post on JoshWilliamsMusic.com lists Greg Blaylock as the newest member of the band. Blaylock is a young resophonic guitar player. I got in touch with Josh and asked him about Greg. He tells me Greg joined the band after filling in during a sold out show at the Station Inn in mid-July.

Full Article at http://www.thebluegrassblog.com/greg-blaylock-joins-josh-williams-band/

Upcoming Shows in Our Region

Some great shows headed to western Kentucky.

Saturday, October 25 @ 8:00PM
John Prine
Carson Center Paducah, KY

http://www.thecarsoncenter.org/event-details.cfm?ID=454
www.johnprine.net/

Legendary songwriter John Prine returns to the Carson Center for another great night of music. If you have never been to this venue then this would be a great night to give it a spin. A beautiful setting to see a concert.


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Image via Wikipedia Friday, November 7 @ 7:30
The Del McCoury Band
Lovett Auditorium Murray, KY

http://www.myspace.com/lovettlive
www.delmccouryband.com/

The Del McCoury Band is one of the best touring bluegrass acts on the scene today. Murray State University teams up with Lovett Live and WKMS to bring you yet another incredible night of music.


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Saturday, January 17 @ 7:30
The Greencards
West Kentucky Community & Technical College Paducah, KY

http://focus.westkentucky.kctcs.edu/
www.thegreencards.com/

A great Americana music act that ranges from bluegrass to pure folk music and sometime beyond. This is the 40th anniversary of the Arts in Focus series and they have done it again! This should be a "not to miss" evening of music.