AustralianBluegrass.com

bringing bluegrass music news from all over downunder

Header Right

Main navigation

Headline News

Grand Ole Opry Honours Dailey and Vincent Band

by Leave a Comment

Daley and Vincent BandMultiple members of Dailey & Vincent’s world-class band were honoured recently at the legendary Grand Ole Opry, where they were awarded a golden ring commemorating more than 5 years touring with the Grammy-nominated duo. Springer Mountain Farms CEO Gus Arrendale was present to help present the commemorative rings.

Musicians Honoured:

  • 10 years: Jeff Parker
  • 7 years: Bob Mummert
  • 6 years: Jessie Baker

When you’re a band leader, or in our case band leaders, it’s most crucial to surround ourselves with the very best musicians and singers you can possibly find. Darrin Vincent and I have been so blessed with these fine gentlemen that perform with us. Not only are they great musicians, entertainers and singers, but they’re great people – Jamie Dailey.

Being side men in the past, we understand the importance of being recognised and appreciated. Thanks to Gus Arrendale of Springer Mountain Farms for helping us show our gratitude for 5-plus years of loyalty and hard work. These rings are a small part of honouring and leaving behind their music legacy for them and their families to remember for years to come. Thank you and congratulations for a job well done, it’s much deserved – Darrin Vincent.

Mac Wiseman Inducted Into The Blue Ridge Hall of Fame

by Leave a Comment

Country and Bluegrass Music Legend Mac Wiseman To Be Inducted Into The Blue Ridge Hall of Fame

Mac Wiseman will be honoured once again for his numerous contributions to Country, Bluegrass, and American Roots music when he is inducted into The Blue Ridge Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 10th in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

Famed for a clear, mellow tenor voice that conveys empathy, kindness, and understanding, Mac Wiseman has been recording great American music for seventy years. He is part of bluegrass music’s first generation, having played in Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys band and in Flatt & Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys, and having sung lead on Monroe classics including “Can’t You Hear Me Callin’” and “Travelin’ This Lonesome Road.”

In 1951, he launched a marvellous solo career with “’Tis Sweet to be Remembered.” He helmed Dot Records’ country division, he helped form the Country Music Association, and he became, in Kris Kristofferson’s words, “One of the heroes” of American roots music. Wiseman has recorded over 50 albums including his latest, I Sang The Song for Mountain Fever Records, the first album fully composed of Mac Wiseman’s own words and melodies. I Sang The Song achieved new success for the music legend, who at the age of 92, received his very first #1 Bluegrass song as a writer—”Going Back To Bristol“—co-written with Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz. Mac Wiseman is a member of the Country Music and Bluegrass Music Halls of Fame.

Wiseman will be honoured during a ceremony inducting him into The Blue Ridge Hall of Fame in the “Nationally Known Artist” category where he will join previously inducted colleges that include Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ronnie Milsap, Emmylou Harris, and Andy Griffith. The Induction Ceremony will take place at the Stone Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, June 10, 2017 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

About The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame:

The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame exists to showcase and preserve the rich musical heritage of the greater Blue Ridge Mountains area from northern Georgia to northern Virginia. The Hall of Fame educates, defines and interprets the history of music in the Blue Ridge area and musicians in all genres from the region with exhibits and an annual celebration of inductees.

Black Mountain Stringband In Melbourne

by Leave a Comment

From the shadows of Black Mountain in the ACT, the Black Mountain String Band is a celebration of string-band music, where fiddles and voices harmonise with banjo, guitar and double bass. This superb group shares tunes and songs that draw deep from the well of old-time tradition and from other regions and ethnicities, while adding their distinctive original touch.

The Black Mountain String Band will be under taking a short tour to Melbourne from 7th to 9th July across three inner city venues:

The band members are:

  • Pablo Shopen, who grew up playing fiddle with his family in a house full of music from Appalachia to Buenos Aires. He has mastered many fiddle and banjo styles.
  • Donal Baylor has been the fiddler in Bluegrass Parkway for the past 16 years. The Black Mountain String Band gives him a chance to reveal some of his other talents.
  • Jacqueline Bradley is a talented singer, fiddle and banjo player with a love for music. She has recorded in a range of styles, from Irish music to blues to alt country.
  • Matt Nightingale is a very in-demand bass player for all manner of styles. He keeps a solid beat and contributes great vocals as well.

You can find more information on the Black Mountain Stringband from:

Their Website Their Website On Facebook Or Youtube

Jens Kruger Takes Deering’s 100,000th banjo for a spin

by Leave a Comment

Jens Kruger, a wonderful banjo player and inspiring musician, is no stranger to many of us musicians and bluegrass music aficionados us here in Australia.  In the video below Jens is at Elderly Instruments, demonstrating this Deering Banjo serial number 100,000, currently being auctioned on Ebay.

All proceeds will be donated to the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Bluegrass Trust Fund.

Deering Banjo Company and Elderly Instruments of Lansing, Michigan, have always exhibited an unwavering support of the Bluegrass community. Together they have decided to offer Deering’s 100,000th milestone Sierra banjo up for special auction with all proceeds going directly to the IBMA Trust Fund.

Please spread the word to the banjo lover in your life: this one-of-a-kind instrument is up for auction now. IBMA is grateful to Deering Banjos and Elderly Instruments for their generosity. It will be a boon to the hardworking bluegrass pros in our music who turn to the Trust Fund for help in times of emergency need.

2017 Pittwater Bluegrass Retreat

by Leave a Comment

Pittwater Bluegrass RetreatWe have just received news that the 8th annual Pittwater Bluegrass Retreat is now open for bookings.

Here’s a great weekend of good company, amazing scenery, delicious food (all provided) and non-stop picking. What more could a bluegrass or old-timey picker ask for?

The Pittwater Bluegrass Retreat is set for 26th-28th May 2017 at Pittwater YHA (Lovetts Bay- access by ferry from Church Point.

The weekend will cost $140 or just $30-40 day pass

If you are into bluegrass or old-time music then here is the weekend for you. Click here to pre-purchase your tickets.

Please pass this on to all and any whom you think may be interested.

2017 Lost Highway

by Leave a Comment

Lost Highway Karuah Bluegrass Music Festival is scheduled for 5th to 7th May this year. This year’s event looks set to be a huge draw with headline act Golden Guitar winner and musical comedian Pete Denahy. Others on this year’s bill include Bluestone Junction as ell as the festival’s first band from Canada The All Day Breakfast Stringband from Montreal. Queensland’s Owl Valley Bluegrass from the Gold Coast.

Karuah main street is set to feature with market stalls and a variety of food vendors and pop up restaurants at the festival site.

Tickets are still available to purchase from the website.

Want to be involved in the Lost Highway festival as a volunteer?

You will be treated to an exclusive workshop and jam session with Canada’s All Day Breakfast Stringband, plus all the fun and satisfaction of helping to run a blossoming local music event. We are looking for people with their RSA to help at the bar, ticket sellers and gate monitors, venue decorators and sign writers, stage managers, and general help setting up the site.

Please contact Gleny Rae by emailing gleny120@yahoo.com or call her on 0416196525.

 

Meet Folk Instruments Australia’s Leon Reihana

by 4 Comments

Leon Reihana
Leon Reihana

Some eight years ago Leon Reihana started building banjos at his home in Carrun Downs Victoria. He now provides a valuable service to banjo enthusiasts across the country.

Leon discovered the banjo when he lived in Frankston around 2002-2003. His friend – a guitar player – returned home from a festival with a banjo.  Leon was captivated by the sound of the banjo and more importantly transfixed on the number of components that, from first observation, made up the banjo.

Leon is a motor mechanic who commenced his trade in the field of drag racing. The art of finely tuning a drag racing engine requires the careful assembly and tuning of many critical parts. Leon saw a similar need for the assembly of the banjo. Here was an instrument that required careful assembly of a collection of vital parts to make a fine sounding instrument. He was smitten.

Leon bought his first, affordable, banjo. Thinking it was a top-notch instrument he went to see Jim Golding (Coolgrass fame). Jim quickly set him straight on what a good banjo needs – good tone and action.

Leon found a copy of Earl Scruggs book and followed the instructions on how to make a block rim.  This rim greatly improved the sound of his newly acquired banjo. Harking back to his drag racing experiences he discovered that you could change the engine in a banjo and get a better sound.

Leon was on the road to discovery. There was a good number of banjo enthusiasts in Australia, some of whom were already making banjos. He set off to meet with them and increase his knowledge on the composition of a great banjo. Leon tracked down and met with other instrument makers such as Rodger Buckmaster, Pat Doole, Ray Black, Alan Funk, Wayne Beckett, David Aumann, Greg Deering and many more over time.

He then spent months and years talking with American builders and banjo pickers via email and web chats. He got to talk with international companies who make  Huber banjos, Hatfield banjos and smaller known luthiers and pickers like Sonny Osbourne, Kenny Ingram, Glenn Millar to name just a few.

Like a sponge, Leon soaked up all of his learnings and through continued study, practice, testing and experiments, enjoyed many failures and breakthroughs. Being on this new journey was one of his life’s most exciting experiences.

During his time of research and testing, he partnered with a friend of his called Peter Elias and together they created Banjo Brothers Australia. They spent time trying to sell the idea that a cheap banjo could be improved for a few hundred dollars by changing the rim and doing a professional set up. They invested time in visiting local festivals to show that a cheap banjo can sound quite good for a budget shopper who does not want to spend what to some would amount to big money. Peter and Leon got a fair bit of interest and made sales and made some people very happy.

Each of the partners felt that the next step was to try to match the sound and quality of established makers such as  Gibson and Stelling in the USA and the locally popular Grundy banjos from Australia.  They believed in their skills and new-found knowledge. Thus was born the Banjobrothers Eureka, a direct Gibson banjo clone. They chose the vintage Huber tone ring and other components as well as V2 Waverly tuners with flame maple for the neck and the engine room.

We have never been prouder of our 2 demos which we both still own and treasure. We love putting them in people’s hands to experience the quality, the sound and the feel – Leon Reihana.

The company enjoyed many sales but sadly few were prepared to invest the $4,500 for their treasured Eureka model banjo. Some of the banjos now reside in New South Wales and Queensland.

Today Leon is on a path to kick-start a community based Australian business. wanting to promote his fellow bluegrass friends, be it advertising, sharing, finding help, finding a teacher or jamming partner etc.

Leon is mostly making banjo rims and bridges these days while replacing real skins on banjos, ukuleles, mandolins etc. He still undertakes banjo set ups.

I try to get my customers to stay and watch me work and ask questions. 99% stay and enjoy the experience of seeing their banjo stripped to 50 pieces then reassembled correctly with a major result in sound quality. Your banjo will never leave the shop sounding worse than it came in. They also see that I respect their instrument and there is no smoke and mirrors or cheating their pockets – Leon Reihana.

Leon’s newest adventure is a light weight resonator banjo that will suit people with injuries, women and children. The banjo will still pack a punch and ring like a bell. So far Leon claims that the results are exciting with a weight of 7.8 pounds not 12 plus pounds. Sales of these rims have commenced.

I would like to thank everybody I have helped over the years for trusting me with their prized instruments. If you are not pleased call me, I am happy to say not one of you has ever come back with complains in the past 10 years. I just want to spread the knowledge and help people carry out their dreams and wild ideas customizing the banjo – Leon Reihana.

Leon now operates under the name Folk Instruments Australia and can be contacted through the website.

We wish Leon all the very best for the future and thank you for sharing your experiences with us all at AustralianBluegrass.com.

An Interview With Bela Fleck

by Leave a Comment

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.

Dailey & Vincent Release Patriots and Poets

by Leave a Comment

Patriots And PoetsOne 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.

Patriots & Poets Track Listing:

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)

 

Dailey and VincentMore 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.

Jane Germain and Ian Simpson – Home on the Hill

by Leave a Comment

Multi award-winning acoustic duo Jane Germain and Ian Simpson’s new album features songs they have been creating together in their own style. They range from raging bluegrass, hard-driving blues, to old-timey banjo duets and alt country blues.

Jane and Ian have been playing their style of acoustic music together now for several years. They first teamed up for Jane’s album Chinese Whispers, and then released their first duo album Lonesome Road. This was followed with No Fun Allowed  From that album the track Listen to What You Know was awarded Song of the Year at the 2016 Tasmanian Composer’s Festival.

The duo had the honour of representing Australia at the World Expo in China. They were also awarded WA Country Music Award for Best Vocal Group or Duo for four consecutive years.

Home on the Hill contains songs written about Jane’s travels in Tasmania. Songs such as The Girl From Daisy Dell – the story of a girl who was murdered near Cradle Mountain – (legend has it that her ghost appears by the side of the road); Too Much is Not Enough is a song of fun, lust and longing while the title track, Home on the Hill  describes life on the East Coast, with its beautiful beaches, wineries, and penguins. The rollicking banjo of I’ll Meet You on the Outskirts of Town is a song of yearning, and All Aboard the Maglev is Ian’s tune about traveling on the magnetic levitation train in Shanghai; Grandson of a Sailor – written for Jane’s son Max, leaving home to join the Navy, and follow in the footsteps of his Grandfather; Little Red Bird gives us the pursuit of peace – sometimes it seems that life is hard, but when visited by a Scarlet Robin every morning, the realisation that there is so much beauty all around and a lot to be grateful for. Jane and Ian have included some twin banjo duets – with Jane on clawhammer banjo, and Ian playing bluegrass style – with Big-Eyed Rabbit, Cluck Old Hen and Lulu Girl, a song about a girl who just wants to have fun – much to the despair of her parents.

Home on the Hill also features Jane and Ian’s tribute to their favourite vocal duo – The Delmore Brothers with their great gospel song, The Wrath of God. And lastly, Sleepy Eyed John a tale about a man with a sleepy eye and a wooden leg, who was also a bit of a thief – they just don’t write songs like that anymore.

Jane and Ian play almost all of the instruments on this recording and welcome the addition of Norm Leslie on harmonica on Home on the Hill and Too Much is Not Enough; and Pete Cornelius & Simon Holmes on Little Red Bird.

Jane and Ian will launch their new album, Home on the Hill on Saturday, 13th May 2017 at Clancy’s in Fremantle, WA. Joining them on the night will be Adam Gare on fiddle/mandolin and Sophie Gare on bass. Then on the 26th May at Mountain Mumma in Sheffield and the 27th May, a launch at Rosny Barn in Hobart with The Cherry Tree Hillbillies, followed by a tour of Tasmania, playing all over.