bringing bluegrass music news from all over downunder
Béla Fleck is recognised as one of the world’s most innovative banjo players. This week he visited New York city for a concert and while there, took time out to do a live video interview and answer questions from fans through the New York Times.
Here is the video of Bela FLeck being interviewed by Jon Pareles and Caryn Ganz of the New York Times.
One of todays most celebrated bluegrass duos is without doubt Dailey and Vincent. They have been nominated for several Grammy Awards and are multiple IBMA award recipients; a duo of modern-day Bluegrass pioneers with their own brand of hard-driving bluegrass, soulful ballads and compelling Gospel duets.
Both Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent started out playing and singing at a very young age with their families who were always playing and singing in their houses as they were growing up; indeed, both Jamie and Daren tell us that each of their fathers were the primary influence in their early musical development.
When asked for a quote on their new album Darrin Vincent responds:
Our goal for the past few years was to write an album. God, family and country are three of the most important and treasures in our life. We hope these songs will encourage, and bring comfort – Darrin Vincent.
In addition to celebrating 10 years together as a duo, they’re exploring new boundaries while also going back to their bluegrass roots on Patriots & Poets, which features collaborations with Steve Martin, Doyle Lawson, TaRanda Greene, David Rawlings, and Bela Fleck.
Dailey and Vincent continue to set the standard for which all modern-day Bluegrass artists are measured by – Billboard.
Patriots & Poets is being released through Dreamlined Entertainment Group and BFD (distributed via RED), and fans can pick up a copy on iTunes, Amazon and wherever music is sold.
Dailey & Vincent are celebrating the release of the new album by appearing this weekend on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction. They will join IBMA award-winning host Kyle Cantrell for the full morning show, spotlighting tracks from the new album, along with telling stories about what inspired each song from Patriots & Poets, which marks the first project from the dynamic pair with all-new, all-original material. Fans can catch the very special interview airing on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction (channel 62) Saturday, April 1 beginning at 7:00am ET.
To give fans an insight into the making of Patriots & Poets Dailey & Vincent will appear at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on March 31 as part of the 25th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival Presented by Regions Bank. In celebration of their 10-year anniversary, 50 years of NSAI, 35 years of the Bluebird Cafe, and on the street date of their brand new album,Patriots & Poets, fans and music industry elite can catch the dynamic pair performing brand new songs. The must-see round will also include Brad Crisler, Kevin MaC and Leslie Satcher. The rest of the year includes a jam-packed tour schedule including Dailey & Vincent’s third performance at the historic Carnegie Hall, along with a performance at the iconic Ryman Auditorium.
So far this new album has been met with high critical praise, with the duo recently being spotlighted by outlets like The Boot, Roughstock, Sounds Like Nashville, Audio Driver Magazine, and more, while also creating buzz within bluegrass circles on Bluegrass Today, Cybergrass, Prescription Bluegrass, WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, Australian Bluegrass and more. The award winners will also appear on the nationally syndicated online video series The Pickup beginning April 1. Other upcoming features include The Huffington Post, Billboard, Parade.com, BackHome Magazine, WSM/Heartland TV’s Coffee, Country & Cody, Nashville Country Club and more.
| 1. Gimme All The Love You Got 2. Beautiful Scars 3. Baton Rouge 4. Until We’re Gone (feat. TaRanda Green) 5. Bill and Ole Elijah 6. Unsung Heroes |
7. Spring Hill 8. God’s Love (feat. Doyle Lawson) 9. California (feat. Steve Martin) 10. Here Comes The Flood (feat. David Rawlings) 11. That Feel Good Music |
12. He’s Been So Good To Me 13. No Place Love Won’t Go (feat. Bela Fleck) 14. That’s What We’re Put Here To Do 15. America We Love You 16. 255 North (digital only) |
More About Dailey and Vincent:Five-time Grammy award winners individually, three-time Grammy award nominees collectively, four-time Dove Award winners, and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, backed by one of the best bands on tour today, are some of the most reputable and elite entertainers in American music; bluegrass, traditional country and gospel music. The concoction of the fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s reedy harmonies has gained them well-deserved praise for their own distinctive style and worldwide recognition as American Music gold. Dailey & Vincent has garnered world-wide attention with their first national, top-rated television series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show,” on RFD TV and over 500 airings of their PBS special “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE – In Concert.” Their most recent CD, Dailey & Vincent ALIVE, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks. For more information, visit DaileyandVincent.com.
There’s no better way to learn about the Davidson Brothers than to hear it directly them. For the writing of their eighth studio album – All You Need Is Music, out April 7 – the brothers met half way. Hamish (vocals, banjo, fiddle) who’s based in Bendigo and Lachlan (vocals, mandolin) based in Melbourne booked a B&B in the small town of Benloch. Hamish said, “We got out there and wrote [lead single] ‘Take A Little Drive’ in that first session… It was sort of a bluesier thing when we wrote it.” When the song was recorded, however, country elements seeped in “and you sorta get the two colours.”
‘Take A Little Drive’, is the first taste of the duo’s new album, and the song’s jaunty tempo and irresistible chorus melody celebrates “gettin’ out of town” at the end of the working week with an accompanying video that sees the Davidson Brothers and pals jamming on a porch.
Hamish explains the sound of the new album, “Lachie toured with Lee Kernaghan for two years, and I did a lot of session work with lots of other country singers, and I think we just sorta got used to being the bluegrass sound in a country band.” But Lachie admits, “We didn’t wanna do a full record just country, ’cause I feel like we’re getting better at bluegrass after touring so hard and doin’ it live. “So we decided to do an A- and a B-side concept.”
After performing at Meredith Music Festival in 2013, Lachlan says he’s noticed the Davidson Brothers attract a more diverse audience these days, which inspired them to take a ”broader approach” on their latest record. “We didn’t wanna turn off the people who were enjoying what we’ve been doing at our live shows, but then we wanted to step it up a level, we kept the upright bass instead of the electric bass to keep that acoustic feel in there. And the drummer’s not an intense Dave Grohl kinda drummer,” he laughs.
They’ve been recording together since 1998 and at the end of 2016, with Hamish about to become a dad for the second time, Lachlan points out, “We didn’t wanna stall an album even longer”. So when he clocked Qantas were having a “big sale” (“I think it was 500 bucks each, return, to Nashville”), he immediately got on the blower to his brother.
They booked Nashville’s Sidekick Sound Studios and rounded up some hot players to work with alongside producers/previous collaborators Mark Thornton and Larry Marrs. “Mark Thornton’s a different cat,” Hamish offers. “He comes from the Jerry Reed school of musicians – he played in Jerrry’s band for 12 years – and his studio, it’s like going back in a time machine… RCA mics and they’ve even got an RCA stove in the studio, so we were cookin’ lunch on that in between doin’ dubs and things. And he’s got gear that used to belong to, like, legends and it’s got their names with little dymo labels on the mics and things – all of these guys have gone now, but it’s kinda cool.”
“And our other producer Larry Mars is also a bit intimidating if you know his past… We had to do something at Larry’s studio one night and there was a picture of Larry singing with Merle Haggard on his dunny door and he goes, ‘Oh, ain’t that kewl!’” Hamish cracks up. “He just never mentioned it, you know?” Lachlan contributes, “They record old-school style, like, old mics from the Grand Ole Opry and stuff, and we just cut everything live.” Because “all the great session guys respect those guys”, the Davidson Brothers were able to “pretty much book [their] first-choice musicians” for these sessions, Lachlan stresses. “Bryan Sutton’s one of the top bluegrass guitar players. He grew up in North Carolina, but he’s done, like, Dolly Parton bluegrass records and the Dixie Chicks stuff. “The guy that played percussion [Kenny Malone], he’s 76; he played at JFK’s inauguration and funeral….. We’re playing with the best musos in the world, in our field.”
All You Need Is Music is the fifth record the brothers have recorded in Nashville. Lachlan recounts, “Our Nan lent us money for our first album when we were teenagers, and then a banjo player lent us some money, he was a truck driver [laughs]. He wanted us to go to Nashville and make our first record there, and so he lent us a wad of cash at a truck stop… But we’ve always had people who have supported us in that way.”
It was the brother’s late grandmother who drove them towards country. “I feel like she was probably a big driver for us to win a Golden Guitar, ’cause Tamworth meant the most to her out of everyone in the family,” he continues (in fact Davidson Brothers have been awarded three of these prestigious Australian Country Music Awards to date). Nan must’ve been smiling proudly down on her grandsons in January when the Davidson Brothers added their hand prints to the Hands Of Fame monument during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, further cementing their status among the most influential artists in Australian music history.
“If you ask me all you need is music/And a little red wine/To have a good time.” And if said music just so happens to be All You Need Is Music by the Davidson Brothers? Then those good times are guaranteed. All You Need Is Music will be suitably launched at Melbourne’s newest and classiest live music venue, Longhorn Saloon. Stay tuned for support announcement, tickets on sale now.
Become Part of the Action at the Australasian Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association (ABOTMA).
At the ABOTMA annual general meeting last year it was made clear that the membership would like the committee to expand its activities. In order to grow the activities within the organisation the committee believes that it needs to engage extra hands to help out during the year.
You can make the festival and expanded ABOTMA activities possible by signing up today for one of the many volunteer positions available. Get more information at the festival website.
The White Cliffs Music Festival is scheduled for 19th to 21st May 2017.This year’s offering featuring one of the finest bluegrass bands in Australia – Bluegrass Parkway.
You can learn lots more about White Cliffs Music Festival from the festival website.
White Cliffs is 95k north of Wilcannia on the Barrier Highway just 200k east of Broken Hill New South Wales.
The festival has catered to a wide variety of musical genres and over the years has delivered a variety of artists, many of whom are internationally acclaimed performers.
The organising committee is composed of local volunteers who work to present the White Cliffs Festival annually on the third weekend in May. The festival has received ‘Event of the Year’ award in 2010 and 2016, through the local shire Australia Day awards.
This year’s festival will feature, among others, Greg Champion and Bluegrass Parkway.
The next MountainGrass Festival is scheduled for 17-19 November 2017 in Harrietville Victoria.
As always, the MountainGrass committee remains dedicated to bringing together the best bluegrass and old-time music from across Australasia. If you are making excellent bluegrass or old-time music, then the festival organisers are keen to hear from you.
Artist applications are now open via the MountainGrass Website.
The second Bluegrass and Old Timey Campout weekend at Fat Wombat Farm in the Central tablelands 10 – 13 March.
Jamming all weekend with blackboard concerts in the afternoon and evening campfire.
Basic camping: bring your own tent, chair, stove, food and torch etc.
Rain water and toilets available. There are 3 cottages available for accommodation at Clonturkle Sanctuary next-door. Contact clonturkle@westnet.com.au. Caltex garage Yetholme on highway plus many hotels/motels in Bathurst.
Applications are now open for this year’s celebration of Bluegrass, Old Time and other acoustic music at Wirrina South Australia.
While organisers are wanting to hear from prospective artists, their website (and web email) are subject to ongoing gremlins and somewhat inoperable.
If you are interested in performing at this year’s Wirrina this year, please send your expressions of interest to their email address – wirrinabluegrass@gmail.com.
Organisers would also love to hear from you if you’d like to volunteer to assist in any of the many festival operational tasks or indeed have questions about, or suggestions for, the festival.
If you sent organisers any emails in the past few months chances are that they have been undelivered due to the ongoing problems with their website.
You can use this email address to contact organisers – wirrinabluegrass@gmail.com.
You can also find them on Facebook.
Two of Australia’s most highly driven and well-respected bluegrass musicians – Lachlan and Hamish Davidson – have literally and figuratively cemented themselves in the Australian country music scene early this year. The Davidson Brothers were invited by the Australian Country Music Foundation to leave their hand prints on this iconic Hands Of Fame monument during the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
The prestigious induction recognises the time, energy and passion the Davidson Brothers have given to country music in Australia.
It’s an absolute honour to be permanently recognised along side some of the most influential artists in Australian music history – Hamish Davidson.
While this was happening, the Davidson Brothers officially announced details of their eighth studio album, All You Need Is Music.
Hamish and Lachlan returned to Nashville Tennessee in December last year to record the new material which will be released on 7th April this year.
Recording this time around has been a particularly exciting process, getting to work with a wider group of musicians which allowed us to cover a broader range of styles that we haven’t attempted on previous albums – Lachlan Davidson.
Canadian roots music sensation and former boxer Gordie Tentrees is no stranger to Australian shores with 2017 clocking up his third visit in as many years. He is joined again by good friend and fellow Canadian roots singer Jaxon Haldane. This time the pair are exploring the West on an epic 17 date tour across Western Australia including a spot at the Nannup Festival and shows in Perth, Geraldton, Margaret River, Bunbury, Warwick and many more.
Fresh off a 200-date world tour that started a year ago here in Australia before snaking its way around the world hitting UK/Ireland, Europe and North America, Tentrees and Haldane will be performing with 9 instruments (banjo, mando, dobro, cigar box guitars, harmonica, musical saw, acoustic guitar, porchboard bass) brotherly harmonies and skilful storytelling.
Gordie Tentrees sixth album “Less is More” brings together his knack for melody with his amazing ability to hold an
audience in the palm of his hands (both during and between songs!) and is a deeply personal, moving, melodic
and sometimes humorous look at life through the eyes of a unique and infectious personality.
The new album was produced by Juno award winner Bob Hamilton who also contributes textured beauty with tasteful tones, the album features Tentrees blend of folk, roots and blues sounds on which Tentrees plays Dobro, guitar, harmonica, porchboard bass with stellar accompaniment from Aiden Tentrees on upright bass and Fabian Brook on guitar and fiddle. The album also includes guest appearances by Patrick Hamilton, Annie Avery, Lonnie Powell and the voice of east coast darling 2015 Juno winner Catherine MacLellan.
Majestic songwriting, genuine authenticity, incredible insight – Americana UK.
Very superior songs on a terrific album, heartfelt and hysterical – R2 MAG (5 Stars).
Sounds like an album Woody Guthrie or Bob Dylan might have done if they were starting out today – Irish Post (4/5 Stars).
Tour Dates:
For more information visit Gordie Tentrees website.
