australianbluegrass.com

Geoff Morris from Bendigo, Victoria, presents a regular radio program featuring national and international bluegrass music artists. Indeed this week Geoff clock up his 325th broadcast.   He tells us that he loves it as much today, if not more, than when the show commenced nearly four years ago.

Geoff also tells us that he is to be featured in a radio presenter profile in the September/October issue of Bluegrass Music Profiles magazine.

Kevin Kurfoot contacted me three months ago suggesting I submit answers to some questions for printing in Bluegrass Music Profiles magazine. I am tremendously thrilled and honoured to have this profile now appear in the September-October 2010 issue.
To be included in such a widely read and highly respected bluegrass publication is both significant and tremendously gratifying. It is a strong recognition that presenters from far-away Australia have a key part to play in promoting fabulous bluegrass music worldwide, though ten thousand miles from the centre of bluegrass activity, especially at this time of year.

On a personal note, I’m just rapt that the wonderful friendship and correspondence with so many people, and those hours beyond calculation spent researching programmes is truly of value and a worthwhile contribution to the joy we all share playing and listening to this fabulous music. Sincere thanks to Kevin and Lori for their recognition of this far distant presenter and, likewise, to Gracie and all at worldwidebluegrass.com for continued support - Geoff Morris.

Geoff’s popular Wall-To-Wall Bluegrass show can be heard on www.worldwidebluegrass.com each Tuesday morning for three hours from eleven a.m. and each Saturday morning for three hours from eight, Eastern Australian Standard Time.

Bendigo bluegrass presenter Geoff Morris reports that this coming Tuesday, 8th June, on his Wall-To-Wall Bluegrass show, aired twice a week on worldwidebluegrass.com, that he will be playing a special interview he recorded recently with International Bluegrass Museum Executive Director Gabrielle Grey.

This is a delightful talk with the passionate Executive Director of the Bluegrass Museum in Owensborough, Kentucky and focuses chiefly on what will undoubtedly be four astonishing and memorable days from June 23rd to the 27th in and around the Museum .

The River Of Music Party (ROMP) will commence with two full days focussing on a large number of people who played at one time or another with Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, all of which, (stories, experiences and performances) will be filmed. These two days also will feature plaque installations  to the Bluegrass Hall Of Fame, a Bluegrass Pioneers Recognition ceremony and Legends concert - Geoff Morris.

This special interview will go to air in the first hour of Geoff’s Tuesday program on 8th June. For Australian audiences that’s between eleven a.m. and midday Eastern Australian Standard Time. FOr US audiences it’s 9:00pm to 10:00pm on Monday 7th June, eastern Daylight Saving Time.

Wall-To-Wall Bluegrass, which recently celebrated its 300th show, airs twice a week: Tuesdays from 11:00am. to 2:00pm and Saturday mornings between 8:00am and 11:00am, both Eastern Australian Standard Time.

Last weekend a little known milestone was reached in bluegrass music circles. On Saturday morning 22nd May blind Bendigo bluegrass radio presenter Geoff Morris celebrated a special event. Geoff shares his passion for talking about and playing bluegrass music with a large number of people, broadcasting Wall-to-Wall Bluegrass twice a week on worldwidebluegrass.com. Three and a half years later Geoff has clocked up the 300th show which is listened to by a large number of people in Australia and around the world.

Geoff today commented:

I vividly remember presenting my very first show for worldwidebluegrass.com on the Saturday before Christmas Day 2006. I was naturally all keyed up to present it, but as a blind d.j. I can’t use the mouse on the computer so had to press twenty-one key strokes in fifteen seconds in order to connect successfully on both streams and, surprise surprise, it didn’t connect. Hence the first show was a no-show but I chipped in and did a make-up show on the morning of Christmas Day which luckily went off well.
I received a large number of feedback emails during the show, including from many regular listeners whom I’d never heard of. One  listener from Virginia wrote to say that she would be there for the thousandth show, so I wrote back and said well, if she’d be there, I’ll be there too.

Geoff’s show may be heard each Tuesday between 11:00a.m. and 2:00pm and each Saturday morning from 8:00am till 11:00am Eastern Australian time.

Geoff has a few other achievements and highlights too which we posted here last year. Geoff and his black labradour Milo, took some time out in 2007 to visit the IBMA convention in the USA and spent time with Tom T. and Dixie Hall, and his long time hero, Doc Watson. Geoff also wrote about his trip to the USA which was picked up and published in Bluegrass Now magazine.

Saturday week 24th October, commencing at 6 p.m.

News from Geoff Morris of Bendigo in Victoria is that the community radio station Phoenix FM and the Star Community Cinema are holding a joint fundraiser in Eaglehawk on Sat 24th October at 6:00pm

They are presenting two films, the first is a beautiful documentary tracing a journey by Bascom Lamar Lunsford through the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1965, while the second film is Song Catcher, a well-known film about a musicologist researching and collecting Appalachian folk music in the mountains of western North Carolina.

In between these films the audience will be enjoying a spectacular two-course southern -style meal which seems to have a lot to do with marinated chicken pieces in buttermilk for twenty-four hours then double dipping and deep frying them, plus corn and grits, followed by a dessert of sweet potato pie topped with strawberries and cream.

In addition to the meal will be entertainment by Australian bluegrass band Hardrive.

Personally I’m thrilled to be involved in putting it on as, apart from all related experiences and its fund-raising aspect,  it is bringing bluegrass music and culture to Bendigo in a way never done before. Please wish us luck - Geoff Morris, Phoenix FM.

I got an excited email this morning from Geoff Morris, radio presenter in Bendigo, who advises that he sent the outline of a story to Bluegrass Now Magazine a couple of months ago to test the waters as it were. Here’s the email from Geoff:

A couple of months ago I submitted an idea for an article to the editorial staff at Bluegrass Now. This was to write a piece about my adventures culminating in a fleeting few seconds with lifetime hero Doc Watson.

To my amazement, I received word back suggesting that I submit a full multi-media article concerning my whole visit to bluegrass America in 2007. This was to include text, audio segments, photos, video clip, etc. I was initially daunted by this prospect but, with some help from friends in Australia and America, got down to it and the final product is a substantial multi-media article to appear in the November 2008 Bluegrass Now on-line magazine. Non-subscribers will be able to read the text, whilst subscribers will have access to the entire audio-visual article.

I believe this article will go some way towards putting Australian bluegrass journalism fairly and squarely on the map and therefore, something we should be thrilled about and proud of. I should add that the difference between reading the text of the piece, and being able to read, see and hear the entire audio-visual article is well worth the subscription.

Geoff Morris Presents Wall to Wall Bluegrass on worldwidebluegrass.com on Tuesdays from 3:00p.m. and Friday nights from 10:00pm.
Read Geoff’s Article on Bluegrass Now Website
Submitted by Geoff Morris – worldwidebluegrass.com

Geoff Morris Bluegrass Radio. Could this be Australia’s best-kept bluegrass music secret?

Geoff Morris sits in his lounge-room at home in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, playing and talking about bluegrass music to listeners around the world.

For over four years now, Geoff – who has been totally blind since birth – has hosted a weekly bluegrass show on Central Victorian FM. In addition, for the past twenty months Geoff has presented a show twice a week on worldwidebluegrass.com, for four hours on Friday nights between 8:00p.m. and midnight and for two hours on Tuesday afternoons 1:0pm to 3:00pm. “Not that I always stick to time, often I get carried away with the music and next thing I know we’re twenty minutes over time!” Geoff says.

Geoff is always extremely keen to promote and foster Australian bluegrass recordings and he states “I always play Australian content on every show and therefore always in search of new Aussie material as long as it’s fair dinkum, genuine, authentic bluegrass”.

Geoff comments: “It’s how radio used to be. I make a point throughout each show of greeting everyone personally in the chat room and listeners logged on to both streams and I know, from all the email feedback I receive, that people really appreciate a personal greeting or message. I think it’s what real human communication is all about. I often find myself saying that bluegrass music heals your body, mind and spirit; it’s richness and sheer beauty of harmony singing carrying with it, down-to-earth personal and family values make it a joy and privilege to present.”

By being awarded an I.B.M.A. grant, bluegrass has also taken Geoff and seeing-eye dog Milo to America for seven weeks last year. Geoff tells us that “it was a never-ending road of rich experiences without pause”. “From spending a few hours with Tom T. and Dixie Hall to a few glorious seconds with Doc Watson, the amazing experiences just kept happening. Thankfully I took a little digital voice recorder everywhere and still play snippets of interviews on the show.”

Geoff concludes: “I’d like to have many more Aussie listeners tuning in, especially on Friday nights. Perhaps this is partly through just sheer lack of promotion on my part or knowledge that an Australian-based bluegrass show like this one exists!”

Geoff Morris on Tuesday afternoons 1-3 or Friday nights 8 ’till midnight – Eastern Australian Standard Time.

Wall-to-Wall Bluegrass on worldwidebluegrass.com
Submitted by Geoff Morris for the Australian Bluegrass Blog