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Once again Steve Martin has secured the award-winning bluegrass group the Steep Canyon Rangers to tour with him in support of his Grammy winning Rounder Records release, The Crow:  New Songs for the Five-String Banjo. The Banjo Tour will begin on 19th April in Detroit and is expected to continue into October, with performances scheduled at the New Orleans JazzFest, MerleFest and Bonnaroo.

I am very excited to begin my banjo tour with the Steep Canyon Rangers. It has been a long time dream of mine to travel around the country with a bunch of guys - Steve Martin.

For their part, the Steep Canyon Rangers also earned rave reviews while on tour with Martin in the fall, during which they had an opportunity to perform songs from their fourth studio album for Rebel Records, Deep in the Shade.
The tour included performances at the 20th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Show, The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Carnegie Hall, Nashville’s famous Ryman Auditorium, Royal Festival Hall in London, and other venues in cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Washington, Toronto, Chicago, Denver and Santa Fe. The Rangers also performed with Martin on The Late Show with David Letterman, The View, NPR’s World Café, and the BBC’s Later with Jools Holland.

No Australian dates sadly.

Artists, Bluegrass News, International News Steve Martin, The Steep Canyon Rangers

Gibson Contributing Editor Ellen Barnes talks to Randy Scruggs.

Randy Scruggs grew up watching wide-eyed as his dad — legendary banjo player Earl Scruggs — took part in jam sessions at the family’s Nashville home with artists like Johnny Cash, Ravi Shankar and Linda Ronstadt. Besides his enviable vantage point, Randy also received personal tutelage from Mother Maybelle Carter.

When Randy was six, it was Carter who taught Randy to play autoharp. She instilled in him a lifelong affinity for Gibson guitars. Her Gibson of choice was an L-5, while his ultimately would become the Advanced Jumbo, a model he turned to so long ago that he can’t recall when or where he first fell in love with it.

It didn’t take long for Randy to earn his reputation as an artist in his own right; he was barely out of his twenties before he became a first-call session player and producer for artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Strait and Alison Krauss. He’s since won a Grammy and has thrice been named Musician of the Year at the Country Music Awards, among other honors. But at the end of the day, Randy says he is grounded by the guitar and by the example of his famous father.

Read the whole article at Gibson Guitars

Article, Artists, International News Gibson, Guitar

Australia’s Hottest Young Bluegrass Group in Melbourne.

Back from another successful US tour, Australia’s hottest Bluegrass group, the Davidson Brothers return to Melbourne for a rare performance. Originally from Gippsland, these National Bluegrass Champions recently won their 2nd Golden Guitar Award.

Known for converting crowds with their high-energy performances on banjo, fiddle & mandolin; their music has been referred to as the ‘Punk of Country’. The boys will team up with Compass Bros recording artist, Liam Brew from Qld. He’s been attracting fans to his style of contemporary country off the back of his 2009 Starmaker win.

Artists, Bluegrass News, Events Davidson Bros

The Tony Rice Story  Released on 12th April.

The long awaited release of the biography of one of bluegrass’s most revered guitar players, Tony Rice, is almost upon us. Industry news has the release  scheduled to co-inside with Merlfest on 12th April this year.

Tony’s story is told in his own words and features memories and insights from dozens and dozens of his family members, friends, and fans with an inside look at his life on and off the road. This is a bibliography of suggested reading for serious fans. More than 100 never-before published photos. Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story might be the bluegrass literary event of the year.

Woven throughout the anecdotes and memories are excerpts from a journal written by co-author Caroline Wright, who went on the road with Tony for a couple of weeks in the summer of 2003 and again in 2005, interviewing him as he drove to festivals, clubs, and recording studios. Caroline documents his everyday life in detail, and discovers things about Tony that will astonish and intrigue even his most knowledgeable fans.

Thanks to Blue Highway’s Tim Stafford, a highly respected acoustic guitarist in his own right, this book also provides insight into Tony’s matchless guitar playing. Tim explores Tony’s technique, his timing, his right hand, his choice of picks, and much more. Tim also discusses the life and times of Tony’s prize possession, formerly owned by the great Clarence White: the 1935 Martin D-28 Herringbone guitar also known simply as The Bone or The Antique.

You can pre-order your copy of The Tony Rice Story by going to this link and entering your email address -  Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story.

Artists, International News, Product Release Tony Rice

From Virginia, USA, The Whitetop Mountaineers are returning to Australia this week for their third Australian tour. They are playing numerous festivals throughout their tour, including Port Fairy, Blue Mountains, Brunswick, Yackandandah, Apollo Bay and the National Folk Festival.

For Sydney residents there is only one opportunity to see this world class act – at The Harp Hotel in Tempe, on Tuesday the 16th March.

The Whitetop Mountaineers bring with them a new album, released in the USA only weeks ago, called Go Away With Me. Described as the real McCoy when it comes to ol’ timey music, The Whitetop Mountaineers are an act not to be missed by fans of old time, bluegrass and mountain music & dance.

Where to see them:

• 5 – 8 Mar – Port Fairy Folk Festival
• 12 – 14 Mar – Blue Mountains Folk, Roots and Blues Festival
• 16 Mar – The Harp Hotel, 900 Princes Hwy, Tempe, NSW, Ph. 02 9559 6300
• 18 Mar – Brunswick Music Festival
• 19 – 21 Mar – Yackandandah Folk Festival
• 24 Mar – Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs, Vic
• 25 Mar – Bendigo Folk Club
• 26 – 28 Mar - Apollo Bay Music Festival
• 31 Mar – The Yinnar Hotel, Main Street Yinnar ,Vic
• 1 – 4 Apr National Folk Festival, Canberra Rock’n'Blues festival

Artists, Promotions Whitetop Mountaineers

Claire Lynch has announced the newest member of their band, Matt Wingate.

Winning Merlefest’s Doc Watson Guitar Championship in 1997 at the age of 15, at a time when he was performing with his family band, Matt later honed his bluegrass chops performing across the U.S. and in Europe as Valerie Smith’s lead guitar player.

He began performing with the Greencards in 2004, an experience that immersed Matt in a musically broader, more progressive repertoire, deepening his musical vocabulary and his facility with complex arrangements.

From 2006-08, his work as a member with a hot young band, The Lovell Sisters, opened the door for Matt to play a more significant creative role, lending a strong hand to the selection and arrangement of material. It also gave him the opportunity to return to the Merlefest stage in 2008, coming full circle to play the festival that was so key to launching his career at age 15. That year, Matt also released a solo CD, A Good Dream, to excellent reviews.

Matt brings impressive credentials and a mature, improvisational musicality seemingly far beyond his years, making him a natural for The Claire Lynch Band – Claire Lynch.

Flatpicking Guitar Magazine featured Matt on the cover of its March/April 2009 issue, praising not only his flatpicking prowess, but also his level of musicianship and his considerable talents as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (including guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, bass, drums and dobro).

…Matt is one of the most exciting young musicians in bluegrass music today. He has great chops, but he’s also got a lot of soul - award winning Dobro player, Rob Ickes.

Find out more about Matt by visiting www.myspace.com/matthewwingate

Artists, Bluegrass News, International News Claire Lynch

Last month we posted a story on Uncle Earl’s planned tour through New South Wales, ACT and Victoria. The girls from Uncle Earl have reminded us that they are currently on tour Downunder, and have provided a map with stick pins locating their various performance locations.  They are playing a variety of locations during this festival season including the ever popular Port Fairy Festival, Blue Mountains Festival and the legendary Basement

Here’s an itinerary of their journey:

• 3rd Mar – The Basement, Sydney, NSW, 9:00pm
• 4th Mar – Lizotte’s, Kincumber, NSW, 8:00pm
• 6th – 8th Mar – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy, VIC
• 11 Mar – Brunswick Music Festival, The East Brunswick Club, Brunswick, VIC
• 12 – 14th Mar – Blue Mountains Music Festival of Folk, Roots and Blues, Katoomba, NSW
• 18th Mar – Blue Mountains Festival Volunteer Party, Katoomba, NSW
• 19th Mar – The Harp Hotel, Tempe, NSW, 8:00pm
• 20th Mar –  Tilley Devine’s Cafe, Canberra, ACT, 9:00pm

From Australia they head over to Europe:

• 30th Apr – Wodan Halle, Freiburg, Germany
• 1st May – Jegelscheune Wendelstein, Germany, 8:00pm
• 7th May – Club Bastion Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany, 9:00pm
• 8th May – Schweizerischen Agrarmuseum Burgrain Alberswil, Switzerland, 8:00pm
• 10th May – Neue Welt Ingolstadt, Germany, 8:30pm
• 14th May – Bürgerhaus Bühl, Germany, 8:00pm
• 15th -16th May – Karl May Fest Radebeul, Germany
• 20th May – Ratssaal Stuhr, Germany, 8:00pm
• 21st May – Aual der Emsschule Leer, Germany, 8:00pm
• 22nd May – Jazztime Open Air Festival Hildesheim, Germany, 4:00pm
• 23rd May – Hamawe Roots Festival Virton, Belgium, 8:30pm

Artists, Promotions Uncle Earl

Peter Nahyusen has announced the dates for the next Australian Banjo Conference as 6th to 9th January 2011.

I am very happy to announce officially the dates for the next Australian Banjo Conference. I have called it Conference 2010/11 just for now, because the dates have been moved 4 weeks back from the regular December spot to early January. This means the Conference is 6th to 9th January 2011 – Peter Nahyusen.

The final list of instructors is yet to be confirmed and will be determined by the final numbers that register. However in 2011 there will be 50 places available with potentially 5 instructors on the faculty.

Ross Nickerson will once again be the principal instructor, ably accompanied by Gary Vann and Peter Nahyusen. Other instructors will be confirmed closer to the date.

The band and undoubted conference sensation Hungry Hill will be in attendance for the 2011 conference to provide their invaluable support and instruction once again.

Artists, Bluegrass News Australian Banjo Camp, Hungry Hill

Phil Leadbetter has announced his departure from the band Grasstowne.

While Grasstowne recently announced the addition of  veteran bluegrass musician Dale Perry to the band on upright bass, highly nominated and award winning Dobro player Phil Leadbetter is on the move from Grasstowne, the band he started with fellow originals Steve Gulley and Alan Bibey back in 2006.

Phil Leadbetter was born on 31st March, 1962 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The youngest of six children, Phil started playing the resonator guitar in 1974. In 1975, he became a founding member of the Knoxville Newgrass Boys, who at the time were one of the youngest bluegrass bands in the U.S.

I have had a good run of 3 years and 2 successful CDs here, but I have decided to pursue a few others interests. Some of these are musical, and some are non-musical. It just seems like the right time, and I didn’t want to leave the guys hanging during the upcoming festival season…

…I have really enjoyed working with Alan, Steve and Jason as well as Lee Sawyer, Jamey Booher, Travis Greer and Dale Perry who have also been members of the band. Thanks to everyone who  has supported me and been a friend - Phil Leadbetter.

Artists, Bluegrass News, International News Grasstowne, Phil Leadbetter

The all-girl stringband Uncle Earl (www.myspace.com/uncleearl) is about to embark on a tour of Australia starting 3rd March in Sydney.

Uncle Earl is an American stringband whose sound ranges from raucous to refined. An all-woman lineup presents traditional and original music that’s both feminine and powerfully danceable. Now in its tenth year, Uncle Earl has toured in the United States and Europe, and has released two award-winning albums on the Rounder Records label. They’ve worked with producers Dirk Powell (Cold Mountain, Joan Baez Band), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).

…definitely one of the most enjoyable productions that I have ever been involved with - John Paul Jones, on their album Waterloo, Tennessee.

Here are The March 2010 tour dates:

• Wed 3rd – The Basement Night Club – Sydney, NSW
• Thu 4th – Lizotte’s – Kincumber, NSW
• Fri 5th – Mon 8th March – Port Fairy Folk Festival – Port Fairy, VIC
• Thu 11th – Brunswick Music Festival – The East Brunswick Club – Brunswick, VIC
• Fri 12th – Sun 14th  – Blue Mountains Music Festival – Katoomba, NSW
• Fri, 19th – The Harp – Tempe, NSW
• Sat 20th – Tilley Devine’s Cafe – Canberra, ACT

Artists, Bluegrass News Uncle Earl

Submitted by Heather Robin

Old Crow Medicine Show March April 2010.

Old Crow Medicine Show, a quintet originally from New York, but now settled in Nashville will be touring Down Under this March and April. Playing  5 shows in New Zealand and 6 in Australia – their decision to tour Down Under  is a boon for Acoustic music lovers in both countries.  Old Crow Medicine Show  described by Rolling Stone Magazine Old Time String music married with punk swagger, was formed in 1998 and released their first album O.C.M.S in 2003 signed to network records. They have since gone on to release 2 more albums Big Iron  World in 2006 and Tennessee Pusher in 2008. The song Wagon Wheel is one of their best known songs. – For More Details check their website www.crowmedicine.com

March 2010

• Thu 18 | Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand
• Fri 19 | Founders Theater, Hamilton, New Zealand
• Sat 20 | Opera House, Hastings, New Zealand
• Wed 24 | The Opera House, Wellington, New Zealand
• Thu 25 | James Hay Theatre, Christchurch, New Zealand
• Sat 27 | Factory Theatre, Sydney, Australia
• Sun 28 | West Coast Blues n’ Roots Festival, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
• Wed 31 | Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne, Australia

April 2010

• Thu 1 | Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
• Fri 2 | Mossvale Music Festival, Meeniyan, Australia
• Sat 3 | Byron Bay BluesFest, Byron Bay, Australia

Artists, Bluegrass News Old Crow Medicine Show

Bluegrass stalwart Doyle Lawson has announced a new partnership with Caboots, a Texas-based boot and clothing company that specializes in custom designs and traditional manufacturing. Doyle Lawson has a long held reputation for his colourful clothing in his on-stage presentation.

Doyle Lawson’s career has stood at the center of bluegrass and bluegrass gospel for over 40 years. He is the one constant in a band that has featured over 40 different musicians over the years. The band has been a training academy for bluegrass players—initiating, training and then sending out into the world, some of the genre’s most respected musicians. Throughout it all, Doyle has maintained his devotion to a traditional sound with his signature vocal harmonies and stellar picking. Legends are made, not born and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have spent 30 years carving out their own eminent place in the bluegrass pantheon.

We are proud to work with Doyle Lawson and see this as a great fit. His music and style truly display the values we strive for and honor – a love of country American roots and quality fun - Priscilla and Joey Sanchez,  Caboots.

Artists, International News Doyle Lawson

News From The Davidson Brothers

Fresh after winning their Golden Guitar this year, Lachlan has been selected by the International Bluegrass Music Association to participate in the 2010 class of Leadership Bluegrass. Now in its eleventh year with more than 250 alumni, Leadership Bluegrass is an intensive three-day program of advanced level, interactive learning experiences that invites participants to examine the challenges and opportunities facing bluegrass music along with related leadership issues. Facilitated by Fred Bartenstein, the class will run at the BMI offices in Nashville USA on 9-11 March 2010.

Congratulations Lachie

Artists, Bluegrass News Davidson Bros, IBMA

From Sunday 7th Feb, Uncle Bill are playing a gig each Sundays in February at Burlesque at 42 Johnston St, Fitzroy, just near the Guitar Gallery. Doors open 3:00pm.

The jam session commences after the gig all are invited and onlookers are welcome.

Artists, Bluegrass News Jam Sessions, Uncle Bill

James King and his band have announced a new website featuring band bios and merchandise pages.

James King was born Sept. 9, 1958, in Martinsville, Virginia, and grew up in Carroll County, one of thof the most fertile breeding grounds for bluegrass and old-time musicians. James is known as The Bluegrass Storyteller. His most moving recordings being songs such as Echo Mountain, and Bed by the Window.

The James King Band features a different lineup to those who visited Australia a few years ago. They are apart form James himself, Ron Spears on  mandolin and tenor vocals, Greg Moore on  fiddle and vocals and Tony Mabe on banjo and vocals.

Visit James King Website

Artists, New Website James King