The Bluegrass Blog is THE best blog for Bluegrass music and this is a post from the guys about the upcoming Fretboard Journal issue that features Chris Thile on the cover.
The Summer 2008 issue of The Fretboard Journal is set to be mailed to subscribers next week, with a cover feature on Chris Thile. The piece is an interview, conducted by fellow mandolin trailblazer David Grisman, who graced the cover of the inaugural issue of the magazine in 2005.
Also profiled in this issue is resonator guitarist Jerry Douglas, and a lengthy interview with noted guitar builder Jean Larrivee is included as well.
We have spoken highly of this glossy, full color quarterly in the past for its use of heavy, archival-quality paper and for the excellence of the writing and photography.
Subscription and single issue order information can be found on The Fretboard Journalweb site.
Yeah, it's Monday and I am a day late... but better late than never.
We get started with a 5-part Infamous Stringdusters video series from their current European tour.
1. The Infamous Stringdusters European Tour 2008 (Part 1) - 07:12 2. The Infamous Stringdusters European Tour 2008 (Part 2) - 07:46 3. The Infamous Stringdusters European Tour 2008 (Part 3) - 05:31 4. The Infamous Stringdusters European Tour 2008 (Part 4) - 03:59 5. The Infamous Stringdusters European Tour 2008 (Part 5) - 04:57 6. The Infamous Stringdusters with Sam Bush & Scott Vestal - "Shenandoah Breakdown" - 6:00 -----> from Floydfest 6, July 26, 2007 7. John Prine - "Souvenirs" - 04:41 ----->2004 Philadelphia Folk Festival 8. The Byrds - "Pretty Boy Floyd" - 2:40 -----> May 18, 1971 at Forest National Stadium in Brussels, Belgium 9. Sam Baker - "Psychic" - 4:45 -----> with Gurf Morlix at Rock the Loft in Milwaukee, WI Apr 11, 2008 10. Dan Tyminski Band - "Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere" - 02:49 -----> Live At The Birchmere 11. The Dillards - 'There is a Time" - 03:28 -----> The original Dillards, live at the Tonder Festival in Denmark in 1999. 12. John Hiatt - "Crossing Muddy Waters" - 03:58
We'll hear a cut from Sam Baker's first album Mercy this morning called "Change".
Baker is an incredible songwriter from Itaska, TX and brings an incredible story to the show. In 1986 when he was traveling on a train in Peru, a terrorist bomb exploded and Baker lost most of his hearing and suffered serious injuries to his left arm. He had 18 corrective surgeries over the next decade and the consequent physical, emotional, and spiritual journey shaped his view of the world and ultimately his music. Baker had to completely relearn how to play the guitar with his mangled left hand, and singing was extremely difficult for him because of his severe hearing loss, but he overcame these obstacles to develop his uniquely hushed and quietly powerful performance style.
The new Infamous Stringdusters album hits the shelves on June 10 but we are featuring 10 cuts from the album this morning on The Front Porch. The Infamous Stringdusters are currently on tour in Europe so a live interview isn't a possibility. I will try and collect as much information as possible right here for you to explore.
After the immensely popular debut "Fork in the Road"and with all of the awards and accolades poured on these guys, the bar of expectation left only the sun and clouds as a backdrop. With the sophomore, self-titled release The Stringdusters have matched the hype with yet another top-notch project.
This is the first album without Chris "Critter" Eldridge (Now a Punch Brother) in the lineup on guitar. Replacing Eldridge is Andy Falco who has worked with Alecia Nugent, The Greencards, Vanessa Carlton and Levon Helm (The Band). Falco takes no backseat here and the instrumentation is still the signature of the band as the instrumentals on this album are as good as it gets in modern bluegrass. The vocals here can be a bit flat and forced in a few spots but mostly they work very well and overall this is yet another incredible release from a great band. The album flows well and you will find many enjoyable hours spent with this release!
The Band Andy Hall (dobro) Andy Falco (guitar) Chris Pandolfi (banjo) Jeremy Garrett (fiddle) Jesse Cobb (mandolin) Travis Book (upright bass)
Tour Dates(with my favorites highlighted) May 24 8:00 pm - Günter Eich Haus SWR Mitschnitt - Baden-Baden, Germany May 25 8:00 pm - Music Academy - Regensburg, Germany May 28 8:00 pm - Kulturforum - Fürth, Germany May 29 8:00 pm - Bürgerhaus - Dreieich, Germany May 31 (all day) - Strakonice Bluegrass & Country Festival - Strakonice, Czech Republic Jun 1 7:00 pm - Culture House Zrkadlovy Haj - Bratislava, Slovakia Jun 6 9:00 pm - The Station Inn - Nashville, Tennessee - RECORD RELEASE PARTY Jun 7 1:00 pm - Capitol Theatre - Greeneville, TN Jun 12 8:00 pm - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC Jun 13 9:00 pm - The Visulite - Charlotte, NC Jun 14 6:20 pm - Georgia Mountain Roots & Music - Hiawassee, GA Jun 20 12:00 pm - Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival - Cashmere, WA Jun 21 12:00 pm - Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival - Cashmere, WA Jun 26 5:30 pm - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN Jun 28 1:00 pm - ROMP - Owensboro, KY Jul 9 8:00 pm - The Ark - Ann Arbor, MI Jul 10 (all day) - Winnipeg Folk Festival - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Jul 11 (all day) - Winnipeg Folk Festival - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Jul 12 (all day) - Winnipeg Folk Festival - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Jul 14 7:30 pm - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA Jul 15 7:30 pm - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA Jul 16 8:00 pm - The Bowery Ballroom - New York City, NY Jul 18 (all day) - Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival - Oak Hill, NY Jul 19 (all day) - Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival - Oak Hill, NY Jul 21 1:00 pm - RockyGrass Academy - Lyons, CO Jul 22 1:00 pm - RockyGrass Academy - Lyons, CO Jul 23 1:00 pm - RockyGrass Academy - Lyons, CO Jul 24 1:00 pm - RockyGrass Academy - Lyons, CO Jul 25 (all day) - RockyGrass Festival - Lyons, Co Jul 26 (all day) - RockyGrass Festival - Lyons, CO Jul 31 8:00 pm - Club Passim - Cambridge, Ma Aug 1 (all day) - Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival - East Hartford, CT Aug 2 8:00 pm - Shangri-LA Arts and Music Festival - Blue Hill, ME Aug 8 12:00 pm - Targhee Bluegrass Festival - Alta, WY Aug 10 1:00 pm - Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival - Spokane, WA Aug 21 7:00 pm - Courtyard @ City Hall - Culver City, CA Aug 23 (all day) - Summergrass - San Diego, CA Aug 24 (all day) - Summergrass - San Diego, CA Aug 29 1:00 pm - Four Corners Festival - Pagosa Springs, CO Aug 30 1:00 pm - Four Corners Festival - Pagosa Springs, CO Aug 31 1:00 pm - Four Corners Festival - Pagosa Springs, WA Sep 6 1:00 pm - High Country Bluegrass - Boone, NC Sep 7 1:00 pm - Pickin’ In the Panhandle - Martinsburg, WV Sep 13 8:00 pm - Center for the Performing Arts- Illinois State Univ - Normal, IL Sep 19 (all day) - Rhythm and Roots Reunion - Bristol, VA Sep 20 (all day) - Rhythm and Roots Reunion - Bristol, VA
1. Guy Clark with Karen Matheson - "Dublin Blues" 2. Gibson Brothers - "40 Years of Trouble" 3. The Dappled Grays - "Nightlife" 4. Chatham County Line- "Route 23" 5. Flatt & Scruggs - "Randy Lynn Rag" 6. Old Crow Medicine Show - "Wagon Wheel" 7. The Avett Brothers - "Swept Away" 8. Greensky Bluegrass - Unknown Live at the Purple Fiddle 9. Scott Miller - "The Only Road" 10. Doc & Merle Watson - "Tom Dooley" 11. Trampled By Turtles - "Nowhere To Hide" 12. Uncle Tupelo - "No Depression"
On next Saturdays Front Porch you can hear a BUNCH of the new Infamous Stringdusters self-titled album which is due out June 10. Be sure and tune in at 91.3 WKMS or at http://www.wkms.org/ to hear cuts from the new album on Saturday, May 24 from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM.
I spoke with Nathan Lynn this morning from Bawn in the Mash and he informed me that they guys are working on a new album. There is no release date as of yet but stay tuned!
A great lineup of bands at Kenlake State Resort Park for this years Kentucky Lake Bluegrass Festival. Come spend a weekend in our region and catch some great bluegrass music. Nearby Land Between The Lakes provides plenty of camping with rooms also available at Kenlake State Resort Park and Lake Barkley State Resort Park. The backdrop for the fest is beautiful Kentucky Lake which provides plenty of room for water activities.
Yeah... that's correct! Friday, November 7 The Del McCoury Band will be onstage at Lovett Auditorium in Murray, KY. Another collaborative effort between Lovett Live and WKMS brings yet another incredible national act to our region. More information to follow!
Catch their music on Music From the Front Porch on Saturday mornings from 10 AM until 1 PM and then catch them live at Lovett Audtorium Friday, November 7th!
1. Alison Brown Quartet - "I'm Naked and I'm Going to Glasgow" 2. Various Artists - "Rolling in My Sweet Baby's Arms" 3. Various Artists - "E.M.D." 4. Nickel Creek - "Bluegras Journey" a documentary 5. Chris Thile and Brian Sutton - "Raining at Sunset" 6. Crooked Still - "New Railroad" 7. Dan Tyminski Band - "Freeborn Man" 8. Hackensaw Boys - "Nashville" 9. Kevin Welch - "Long Cold Train" 10. Lucy Kaplansky - "Ring of Fire" 11. Justin Townes Earle - "Ghost of Virginia" 12. Wilco - "California Stars"
Cybergrass has put together a great quick-read article on the Infamous Stringdusters with band members reflecting on the past year. With their new self-titled release due out June 10 this is a good primer.
Here is the 4 Days of Infamy video produced by Craig Havighurst. It follows the Stringdusters during a four-day swing through Colorado in the Winter of 2007, and features interviews with band members, backstage rehearsal jams, and live concert performances. Its been broken down into 4-parts but they are all here... just let them roll.
Yep... on August 8th The Steeldrivers will share my 40th birthday with me on the stage of Lovett Auditorium on the campus of Murray State University. This will be a coffeehouse setup which means a limited number of seats but a more intimate atmosphere.
Stay tuned as all the details have yet to be worked out but the contract is signed.
The Steeldrivers are blowing people away with the debut self-titled release which I can hear something different every time I listen. They have the release of the year in the bluegrass cirlces in my mind. We'll see how that plays out though. The IBMA hasn't exactly been an open-arms group historically... think Shawn Camp's "Live at the Station Inn".
Image via WikipediaThe Grascals have a July 15 target for their new album Keep On Walkin'. This will be the third studio release on Rounder Records for the two-time Reigning IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Entertainers of the Year. The Grascals will present 12-songs on their self-produced release including works by well-known bluegrass tunesmith Aubrey Holt as well as material from Charley Stefl and Harley Allen.
There' also plenty of that "Nashville" feel here... for good or bad. The Grascals have always been more than willing to stand on the country side of bluegrass and this album looks to be no different. Along with the hefty dose of slick production you'll also get songs from Waylon Jennings' "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," to the George Jones it "Choices."
Jamie Johnson is featured in the May edition of Bluegrass Now.
Jim is sad to announce that he has cancelled his dates for the month of May. His doctor has placed him on strict vocal rest for the next 4 weeks. This includes the following:
May 9th - Asheville, NC May 10th - Kingsport, TN May 15th & 16th - San Francisco, CA (opening for Hot Tuna) May 17th - Crystal Bay, NV (opening for Hot Tuna) May 19th - Portland, OR (opening for Hot Tuna) May 20th - Seattle, WA (opening for Hot Tuna) May 24th - Topanga Canyon, CA May 29th - Nashville, TN
The Asheville and Nashville shows will definitely be rescheduled for the future. Jim hopes to make it back out to West Coast very soon, and would like to apologize to his fans for missing them this time around. He is looking forward to getting back on the road as soon as he is healthy again!
Burlington, MA – Recently named the #1 “Band to Watch in 2008” by American Songwriter, The SteelDrivers will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, May 3 in support of their self-titled debut album. Their performance will be broadcast live on Opry Live on GAC (8 PM EST/7 PM CST) with encore performances airing several times during the week. Check out air dates here: http://www.gactv.com/gac/shows_goo/.
Chris Thile in Fretboard Journal
