Greg McGrath

Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan On Tour

25 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Folk Trio to tour Australia

The band, I’m With Her features Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan. This folk trio supergroup has, since their formation at an impromptu show in 2014, honed a special, family-like chemistry, garnering acclaim for their unique blend of instrumental interplay combined with indelible harmonies.

Their debut album See You Around (2018) garnered instant and widespread praise, including from NPR, who hailed the collection as “willfully open-hearted”, and The Guardian, who called their sound both “ethereal and purposeful.”

Touring in support of the new album, the band have sold out shows across the US and Europe and have also made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Saturday Morning and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. The trio was recently nominated for “Duo/Group of the Year” by the Americana Music Association.

These three multi-Grammy-Award-winners have also individually released nine solo efforts, co-founded two seminal bands (Nickel Creek and Crooked Still), and contributed to critically acclaimed albums from a host of esteemed artists.

They are scheduled to appear in Australia at the following locations:

16 Apr. Sydney Recital Centre. Sydney, NSW
18 Apr. Melbourne Recital Hall, Melbourne, VIC
19 and 22 Apr. Byron Bay Bluesfest, Byron Bay, NSW

About the Band:

I’m With Her is a band rooted in a rare alchemy: three celebrated songwriters coming together to create music that reveals entirely new possibilities in their distinct and deep-seated talents. Since forming in 2014, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan have imbued their songs with a sharply detailed lyricism, graceful musicianship, and—perhaps most powerfully—mesmerizing harmonies that endlessly reflect their extraordinary chemistry.

The latest single from I’m With Her, Call My Name once again shows the strength and vitality of their connection. In a departure from the deliberately insular making of their debut album See You Around, the band pursued a new creative approach centred on true collaboration with producer Mike Elizondo (Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple, Dr. Dre). Recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Call My Name finds Elizondo building a hypnotic sonic backdrop, matching the track’s quietly urgent beat with I’m With Her’s interplay of guitar, Wurlitzer, and fiddle. The result is a song both stark and luminous, perfectly capturing the potent tension within even the most loving relationship.

Sam Bush Says Stop The Violence.

23 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

In his first new music release since Storyman in 2016, Sam Bush leads the Sam Bush Band in a rocking, electric charge against the current climate of our culture. “Stop The Violence”, written by Bush and long-time collaborator Jeff Black, is reminiscent of so many great rock and roll protest songs of the 1960s, but is focused on the here-and-now; a world of mass shootings, polarised politics, and continued social inequality.

Classic Allman Brothers-esque twin-lead guitar, or in this case, electric mandolin and guitar, are interspersed throughout the song, driving home their point with urgency and fervour not commonly found in Bush’s usual world of bluegrass. Today, Rolling Stone debuted “Stop The Violence” along with its music video counterpart, shot and directed by photographer and cinematographer extraordinaire, David McClister. Rolling Stone notes, “Sam Bush delivers a clear call to action in his rousing new song Stop The Violence”.

After sitting on the instrumental portion of Stop The Violence, Sam Bush found himself hanging with co-writer Jeff Black; drinking coffee, shooting the breeze. When the conversation turned to the current state of the world – mass shootings, violence towards women and children and minorities – they began questioning if this was the new normal. Jeff asked Sam what he wanted the song to say and Sam simply replied, “stop the violence.”

Violence has become a disease, a bad gene in our DNA. It’s not normal, but it’s being normalised and it’s happening right in front of our kids. When Sam brought me the track and his vision for the song, I started thinking about all the folks who grow up in a violent environment, and that’s all they know. I think about the children in particular and how they are cast into it without a choice. I think the hope, because violence itself is taught and handed down through the generations, is that someday, by small acts, we can break the chain – Jeff Black.

All-in, Stop The Violence is a decree; a frustrated, weary cry to humankind to stop hurting each other and spread love. When asked about the song. I’m jumping on that peace train. Stop the violence – Sam Bush.

This single comes hot on the heels of Revival: The Sam Bush Story, a documentary released to the public via Amazon in November of last year. Written, produced, and directed by Wayne Franklin & Kris Wheeler, Revival not only chronicles the life and career of the newgrass creator, but weaves an emotional, inspiring story about the risks and rewards of being a musical iconoclast. Since its debut at the Nashville Film Festival in 2015, winning the audience award for Best Music Documentary, the crowd-pleasing film has played to packed houses and standing ovations at independent film festivals (Sidewalk Film Festival, St. Louis International, Big Sky, Noise Pop, IF Film, Durango, Port Townsend, Woods Hole, and Hurricane) across the country and has screened at IBMA, Telluride, Film Falmouth, and Hear BG, picking up three more best documentary awards along the way.

About Sam Bush:

There was only one prize-winning teenager carrying stones big enough to say thanks, but no thanks to Roy Acuff. Only one son of Kentucky finding a light of inspiration from Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys and catching a fire from Bob Marley and The Wailers. Only one progressive hippie allying with like-minded conspirators, rolling out the newgrass revolution, and then leaving the genre’s torch-bearing band behind as it reached its commercial peak. There is only one consensus pick of peers and predecessors, of the traditionalists, the rebels, and the next gen devotees. Music’s ultimate inside outsider. Or is it outside insider? There is only one Sam Bush.

He’s released seven albums, a live DVD, and a documentary over the past two decades and in 2009, the Americana Music Association awarded Bush the Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist. Punch Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Greensky Bluegrass are just a few present-day bluegrass vanguards among so many musicians he’s influenced. His performances are annual highlights of the festival circuit, with Bush’s joyous perennial appearances at the town’s famed bluegrass fest earning him the title, King of Telluride.

On tour:

March 23 – Boogie at the Broadmoor – Colorado Springs, CO
March 29 – Winter Wonder Grass – Olympic Valley, CA
April 13 – Big Sky Big Grass Festival – Big Sky, MT
April 18 – Germantown Performing Arts Center – Germantown, TN*
April 20 – Nashville Earth Day Festival – Nashville, TN
April 27 – MerleFest – Wilkesboro, NC
May 24 – Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival – Axton, VA
May 26 – DelFest – Cumberland, MD
June 1 – John Hartford Memorial Festival – Morgantown, IN
June 14 – Blue Ox Music Festival – Eau Claire, WI
June 29 – ROMP Festival – Owensboro, KY

*with The Travelin’ McCourys.

Mac Wiseman to Feature on Southern Style

21 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

On 26th March Jan Dale will. be featuring a special tribute to Mac Wiseman on her popular radio show Southern Style.

Mac Wiseman was part of the foundation of bluegrass and modern country music for some 70 years. He remained a valuable mentor and ambassador for both genres until his death this month 24th February.

Jan Dale’s radio show, Southern Style, can also be streamed to your computer via the PBS website.

Southern Style with Jan Dale – PBS FM 106.7
Tuesdays 1:00pm to 3:00pm or online at www.pbsfm.org.au.

Rising Appalachia – Leylines

21 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, known musically as Rising Appalachia, have debuted a live performance video of the second single Cuckoo from their new full-length album Leylines,. This album will be released on 3rd May, 2019. Paste Magazine calls the track “upbeat and sturdy… rustic Appalachian music revamped for 2019. The studio version of “Cuckoo” will be released on Friday, but fans can pre-save the track on Spotify here. In February of this year, the band released Harmonize as the first single, which was premiered by Rolling Stone.

Leylines, the band’s seventh studio album, was produced by Joe Henry—the title alluding to the concept of invisible lines believed to stretch around the world between sacred spaces, bonded by a spiritual and magnetic presence. That deep sense of connection is key to understanding Rising Appalachia as a whole.

For the ten-day recording session in Marin County, CA, Rising Appalachia called on producer Joe Henry, along with longtime band members David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) and Biko Casini (world percussion, n’goni) and two new members, West African musician Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum) and Irish musician Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello) to bring new life to the band’s blend of world music laced with their own southern roots, creating an inviting folk album. Although Leah and Chloe Smith consider their voices to be their primary instrument, Leah also plays banjo and bodhran on the album, while Chloe plays guitar, fiddle, and banjo. Special guests on Leylines include folk hero Ani DiFranco, soulful songwriter Trevor Hall, and jazz trumpeter Maurice Turner.

Leylines runs the gamut with standout songs, all of which are freshly inspired and inspiring. “Cuckoo” brings together banjo, West African n’goni, and Irish fiddle to tackle the old-time Appalachian fiddle tune with a driving fervour. The uplifting and simple Sunny Days brightens the day with no more than the Smith sisters’ blend of voices and basic back beat hand claps for percussion. Rising Appalachia’s longtime favourite Ani DiFranco contributes her vocal stylings to Speak Out, a musical urge to protect the American South’s diversity, culture, and environmental wealth from the negative impact of consumption and capitalism in its modern age.

With some of our original songs, it’s a reflection of the times. We’re folk singers and we consider this a folk album, so there’s a lot in there. There’s word of politics, of being women in the music industry, as well as a lot about our lives on the road – Rising Appalachia.

Last year, the band released a duo version of Resilient. NPR praised the track as an uplifting, original folk anthem and Rolling Stone called their sound Protest Music for the modern age bolstered by delicate, skilful musicianship and otherworldly vocal harmonies. A full-band version of Resilient can be heard on the new album.

Rising Appalachia has toured British Columbia by sailboat, traversed the U.S. and Europe by train, and engaged in immersive cultural exchange programs in Bulgaria, Ireland, and Southern Italy, as well as Central and South America—not to mention the countless miles in their tour van. Tour highlights include Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, Music Hall Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colorado, and the Showbox in Seattle, Washington. The band’s routinely packed rooms around the globe are a testament to their self-built success and extremely loyal fan base, with no small degree of stubborn independence.

For more information, please visit the website.

Pre-order (digital, cd, or vinyl) Leylines here.

USA Tour Dates:

Apr 20 – Asheville, NC, Salvage Station
May 5 – New Orleans, LA, One Eyed Jacks
May 8 – San Diego, CA, Music Box
May 10-11 – Bakersfield, CA, Lightning in a Bottle
May 24 – Kerrville, TX, Kerrville Folk Festival
Jun 15 – Palisade, CO, Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Festival
Jul 5 – Santa Cruz, CA, Rio Theatre
Jul 6 – Big Sure, CA, Esalen Institute, Calif.
Aug 2 – Loveland, CO, ARISE Music Festival

Track listing:

I Believe In Being Ready
Harmonize
Speak Out (Featuring Ani DiFranco)
Love Her In The Mornin’
Shed Your Grace (Featuring Trevor Hall)
Sadjuna

Make Magic
Sassafras
Sunny Days
Cuckoo
Indigo Dance (Featuring Maurice Turner)
Resilient

About Rising Appalachia:

As world travelers for nearly two decades, Rising Appalachia have merged multiple global music influences with their own southern roots to create the inviting new folk album, Leylines. Remarkably the band built its legion of listeners independently—a self-made success story that has led to major festival appearances and sold-out shows at venues across the country. Rising Appalachia is composed of co-founders and sisters Leah Smith (vocals, banjo, bodhran) and Chloe Smith (guitar, fiddle, banjo) as well as David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar), Biko Casini (world percussion, n’goni), Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum), and Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello).

Tales From East Kentucky – Larry Cordle

16 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Kentucky Music Hall of Fame artist, three-time Grammy Nominee and multi IBMA award-winner Larry Cordle is back with another collection of original tunes called Tales From East Kentucky. The new album is now available now at major retail outlets. Radio programmers can download the album at AirPlay.com.

Cordle takes listeners down a Kentucky road as he co-wrote all tracks on the album including six songs with his good buddy Larry Shell. Other co-writers include: Donna Ulisse, Trey Hensley, Connie Leigh, Jenee Fleenor, Brandon Rickman, Jim Rushing, and Donnie Clark.

Musicians include Cordle’s band members from Lonesome Standard Time: Mike Anglin, Chris Davis, Kim Gardner and Jody King along with guests Ron Block, Mike Bub, Aubrey Haynie, Jenee Fleenor, Clay Hess, Chris Latham, Clay Hess, and Rob Ickes. Guest vocalists include: Don Rigsby, Jerry Salley, Val Storey, Jenee Fleenor, Val Storey, Donna Ulisse, Angie Prim, Brandon Rickman, Josh Swift, and LST member Chris Davis.

Tales From East Kentucky Track List:

01 – Yardbird (2:52) Larry Cordle, Larry Shell
02 – Where The Mountain Lilies Grow (3:31), Donna Ulisse, Larry Cordle
03 – Bluegrass Junction (2:15) Larry Cordle, Larry Shell, Trey Hensley
04 – Lawrence County Seat (2:51) Connie. Leigh, Larry Cordle
05 – Old Men (2:48), Larry Shell, Larry Cordle
06 – We Blame The Devil (3:58) Larry Cordle, Jenee Fleenor, Brandon Rickman

07 – A Large Detroit American Automobile (2:35) Larry Cordle, Larry Shell
08 – Scared The Hell Out Of Me (4:10) Larry Cordle, Larry Shell
09 – Back When (3:01) Larry Cordle, Larry Shell
10 – Anything Worth Doing (3:02) Jim Rushing, Larry Cordle
11 – Bandit (3:31) Larry Cordle, Donnie Clark

The album was produced: Larry Cordle for Wandachord Productions.

For more information please visit:

Changes To 2019 World of Bluegrass Announced

14 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Organisers of this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass, brought to you by Chiesi USA and taking place September 24-28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, have announced a change to the annual event’s weekend festival, PNC presents Wide Open Bluegrass. Beginning this year, in addition to the 7 stages of music that are available for free in downtown Raleigh during Wide Open Bluegrass, the performances at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater will also be open to the public for free.

A limited number of seats, in prime sections, will be available for those who want to ensure entrance and reserve preferred seating for every performance. Ticket prices for these seats will be offered at two reduced price points, $60 and $50 per ticket (per evening) for IBMA members or $70 and $60 for non-members. Additional sections and lawn seating will all be open for general admission, and available free on a first-come-first-served basis. Free general admission is limited by the size of the venue; once capacity has been reached, venue staff cannot permit non-ticketed attendees to enter until space is available.

Audiences at the Main Stage at Red Hat Amphitheater will be treated to six hours of performances by premier bluegrass acts, beginning at 5pm each evening.

With the help of our Raleigh partners and key sponsors, IBMA is transitioning our festival to a free, mission-forward event – taking bluegrass to the masses by reducing all barriers to participation. All are welcome to come hear the best in bluegrass music today – Paul Schiminger, Executive Director IBMA.

Wide Open Bluegrass will continue to be a fundraising vehicle for the IBMA Bluegrass Trust Fund, which provides direct financial assistance to bluegrass artists and other industry professionals in times of emergency need. (To date, the Trust Fund has given more than $800,000 in direct aid.)

Additional details about World of Bluegrass 2019 will be announced in the coming weeks.

Information about Red Hat Amphitheater limited reserved seating, Bluegrass Ramble Showcase passes, IBMA Business Conference registration, IBMA Award Show tickets and hotel reservations are available at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass website, WorldofBluegrass.org.

More info about IBMA’s World of Bluegrass and the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass, whose Principal Sponsor is Chiesi USA, is a five-day annual bluegrass music homecoming and convention. World of Bluegrass encompasses four events: the IBMA Business Conference, September 24-26; the Bluegrass Ramble, an innovative series of showcases, taking place September 24-26 in downtown Raleigh and at the Raleigh Convention Centre; the 30th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday evening, September 26; and PNC presents Wide Open Bluegrass, September 27-28, a two-day festival. Wide Open Bluegrass features the best of the best in bluegrass today, benefiting the IBMA Bluegrass Trust Fund—a 501(c)(3) charitable organisation that assists bluegrass professionals during financial emergencies—and introducing the music to thousands of new fans every year.

As in years past, events during World of Bluegrass will take place at the Raleigh Convention Centre, the Duke Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, the Red Hat Amphitheater and at various venues in town.

The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau reported that last year’s World of Bluegrass events generated $12.7 million in direct visitor spending for that region, with total attendance for the week’s activities estimated to be a record-breaking 223,000 people. Over 220 acts performed throughout the entire week of World of Bluegrass.

About Chiesi USA

Chiesi USA, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company committed to research, development, and commercialisation of innovative products in the areas of cardiovascular, neonatology, respiratory, rare disease and special care therapeutics. Our primary focus is on people: the people we serve in the healthcare community; the people whose lives are touched by our products and services; and the people who work at Chiesi USA, as they strive to build their company, their family and their community. Chiesi USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.

About PNC Bank

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.

About IBMA

IBMA – the International Bluegrass Music Association – is the nonprofit professional organisation for the global bluegrass music community. The organization’s successful run in Raleigh is the product of their partnership with The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Raleigh Convention Centre, PineCone—The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, the City of Raleigh and a local organising committee.

Nu-Blu Release The Stories We Can Tell

14 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

After completing a career-defining year last year, Nu-Blu aim to keep momentum rolling throughout 2019. The band has announced their brand new DVD, The Stories We Can Tell, which is available now in digital and physical format (buy a copy here). The visual project includes exclusive music videos and in-depth interviews to show fans a side of the exciting band never seen before. Available exclusively with the purchase of the DVD is the new single, a traditional Bluegrass staple from the Osborne Brothers, OneTear.

It’s safe to say that our story wouldn’t be possible without those that have paved the way before us. Our love for traditional Bluegrass music is what led us to where we are. This is the inspiration behind our radio release of One Tear to go along with the DVD. We really hope you enjoy it – Daniel Routh.

One Tear showcases Daniel and Carolyn Routh’s vocals, as the couple takes a different approach to the classic. Rather than a dialogue from one lost love to another, it becomes a conversation that might be heard in the heat of the moment. Throughout the song, Nu-Blu shows that traditional Bluegrass music is deeply within their wheelhouse. They will be performing the song during their jam-packed tour schedule, which includes stops throughout North America (find full schedule here). The track is available for DJ download on AirplayDirect.

The interview portion of The Stories We Can Tell, was conducted by fellow N.C. native, and DJ Buddy Michaels. Nu-Blu members Daniel and Carolyn Routh open up about an array of challenges and tribulations they’ve had to overcome to reach the point they’re at today. Along with covering how the band was created, the project touches on how the unique sound of Nu-Blu came to be, as well as life on the road and what Bluegrass music means to the couple.

The music videos on The Stories We Can Tell include many of the favourites featured on Nu-Blu’s current album,Vagabonds. Songs included are the No. 1 single 640 Battlefield Drive, the Top Ten charting Sawyer Brown cover of Gypsies on Parade, along with the lead single Still Small Voice featuring Country Music Hall of Fame Statler Brothers singer Jimmy Fortune and Ben Isaacs. Round it out with some Bob Dylan and the Willie and Waylon classic Good Hearted Woman, and you easily see how the project showcases the award-winning band’s unique genre-bending sound. Nu-Blu’s first official Country release, A Lot More Love is also featured on the DVD.

Fans can catch Nu-Blu each week as they host the nationally syndicated television show, Bluegrass Ridge. In addition to airing on Heartland TV, the 30-minute music video driven series also airs on The Family Channel, Keep It Country – UK and Country TV – New Zealand (check local listings). The show is affiliated with the internationally syndicated broadcast Bluegrass Ridge Radio, also hosted by Nu-Blu, which is the new 20-minute radio-cast featuring in-depth interviews with today’s hottest bluegrass personalities.

Big Country Bluegrass – Mountains, Mamas and Memories

8 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath 2 Comments

Rebel Records has released veteran bluegrass band Big Country Bluegrass’s fifth Rebel release Mountains, Mamas and Memories (REB-1872).

The album marks 32 years as a band, and their dedication to traditional bluegrass is just as strong now as it was when they started back in 1987. Choice material and heartfelt singing coupled with their spirited drive and energy highlight each of their releases, and Mountains, Mamas, and Memories offers plenty of evidence that the group continues to produce outstanding recordings.

Through the years Big Country Bluegrass has proven quite adept at finding older obscure songs as well as new material that fit their style. Mountains, Mamas and Memories is filled with twelve wonderful numbers, and – whether they’re vintage or newly penned – the band makes them their own.

The opening track and first single Country Boy, Banjo, and Flat Top Guitar was written and recorded back in the 1960s by the Highland Ramblers on a small, obscure Midwestern record label, and it is brimming with bluegrass flavour. Other vintage gems on this album include: Red Allen’s Keep on Going, Allen Mills’ Back to the Mountains, The Hills of Caroline, learned from a 1973 Southern Show Boys recording, and the Bill Anderson penned Dead or Alive, which guitarist Eddie Gill found on a 1974 recording by the Bluegrass Blackjacks.

Among the new songs, The Whiskey or the Coal heads up an impressive list. Kentucky writer Greg Preece wrote this fine number, and it could well be a true-life story about t

he struggle of living in the Appalachian Mountains. Boston-based writer Tracy O’Connell, who wrote Burn the Barn on their previous recording Let Them Know I’m From Virginia, has two new songs on this release: Mama’s Radio and You Can’t Buy Your Way Out of the Mines are especially expressive and colourful. North Carolina musician and WPAQ radio disc jockey Tim Frye penned the lively Carolina Traveler, and Glenn Alford of Kentucky follows up his two songs on the last project with How Lucky I Was (To Be Their Son) for this release. Eddie Marrs of West Virginia wrote the compelling Times Were Good When Times Were Hard, and Patrick Burns and Bruce Carpenter co-wrote the stirring sacred number Is This Seat Taken?

Tommy Sells on mandolin and his wife Teresa on guitar singing lead and harmony vocals continue to lead Big Country Bluegrass as they have from the beginning. Eddie Gill plays guitar and sings most of the distinctive lead vocals. John Treadway picks the spirited banjo and sings harmony. Tony King provides the rock solid upright bass work, and Tim Laughlin sings harmony and contributes the rousing fiddling for the band.

Big Country Bluegrass draws from the same old-time and mountain music traditions that the first generation of musicians drew from when bluegrass burst on the scene in the 1940s. When fans approach the band telling them how they love their style of bluegrass, they also usually request that the band never change what they are doing. Band leader Tommy Sells quickly tells them, “We are not going to change the way we play and sing because we love traditional bluegrass, and it’s all we know.”

Click the album title to stream or buy Mountains, Mamas and Memories.

Track List:

1. Country Boy, Banjo and Flat Top Guitar
2. The Whiskey or the Coal
3. Mama’s Radio
4. Keep on Going
5. Times Were Good When Times Were Hard
6. Carolina Traveler

7. How Lucky I Was (To Be Their Son)
8. Back to the Mountains
9. Is This Seat Taken?
10. The Hills of Caroline
11. You Can’t Buy Your Way Out of the Mines
12. Dead or Alive

The Michael Cleveland Story Now Available

6 Mar, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

He’s a bluegrass superstar and a rising talent across other genres. He’s an icon and an inspiration. He is eleven-time IBMA  Fiddle Player of the Year and even a Grammy Award nominee, but that’s just a small part of Michael Cleveland’s story. Some even consider him the greatest fiddle player of all time.

Michael Cleveland was born blind and with a cleft palate, and in early childhood lost 80% of the hearing in his left ear. In spite of physical challenges, he undertook a musical career undeterred and has ascended to the highest possible echelons of his genre.

Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story now released online, is a feature-length documentary for audiences worldwide.

Director John Presley brings his expert eye and heart for storytelling to the project. The film, while visually engaging, was also designed with Cleveland himself in mind.

I learned that our visually impaired friends see the world in an entirely different way. One of my goals was to create a film that Michael would be able to experience and enjoy through sound alone. I have felt deeply honoured to tell his inspirational story and present his talent to new audiences around the world – John Presley.

Years of commercial and short film work, along with his experience as a musician, led the director on a journey to uncover how Cleveland became the artist—and person—he is today.

When I was first approached about the idea of a documentary film about me, I was definitely surprised, and it still seems so surreal. For as long as I’ve been playing music professionally, I have made it a point to keep the focus on the music and not the fact that I am visually impaired. I decided that if I was going to have a career in music, I wanted to make it on my abilities as a musician and not the fact that I was blind. After I talked to John and took a few days to think it over and run it by my family and the rest of the Flamekeeper team, I realized that this could be an inspiration to some young kid somewhere with a dream that looks as impossible as it seemed to me when I was growing up and dreaming of a career in music – Michael Cleveland.

Flamekeeper features interviews with 14-time Grammy Award winner Bela Fleck and 21-time Grammy Award winner Vince Gill. Also appearing in the film are such music notables as Sam Bush, Jens Kruger, Jeff White, the Bibelhauser Brothers and Andy Statman.

It’s wicked to see how much music he pulls out of a bow. He’s untouchable – Vince Gill.

Flamekeeper was produced by Validate Films and is Presley’s first feature-length documentary film. Presley was joined on the project by co-producer Cortlandt Ingram, a familiar name in the bluegrass world. After winning over one hundred fiddle contests early in his career, Ingram founded a company providing audio and lighting resources for events across the nation. Ingram’s knowledge of the bluegrass genre was an invaluable asset to the film’s production.

Vale Mac Wiseman 1925 – 2019

26 Feb, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Mac Wissman has occupied pride of place in the bluegrass arena for more than 70 of his 93 years. He was born on 23rd May, 1925, in Crimora, Virginia.

Mac Wiseman was part of the foundation of bluegrass and modern country music. He remained a valuable mentor and ambassador for both genres until his death this month 24th February.

Wiseman early hits included Jimmy Brown The Newsboy and ‘Tis Sweet To Be Remembered. While he went on to record over 200 or so projects.

His musical career began as upright bass player for country singer Molly O’Day’s Cumberland Mountain Folks. He later went on to play with Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys and with Bill Monroe’s band The Bluegrass Boys.

In 1951, Wiseman released his first solo single, Tis Sweet to Be Remembered. The success of this release was the beginning of his solo career.

Mac Wiseman was one of the founders of the Country Music Association (CMA). In 1986 he co-founded the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

Wiseman was often referred to by a radio personalities as The Voice with a Heart. Other songs he recorded and became noted for are Shackles and Chains, I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight, Jimmy Brown the Newsboy, and Love Letters in the Sand.

More recently, in 2014, he released an album of songs inspired by his mother’s handwritten notebooks of songs she heard on the radio when Mac was a child: Songs From My Mother’s Hand.

Mac Wiseman was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honour in 1993. He also received a 2008 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States’ highest honour in the folk and traditional arts. In 2014 he was inducted into the Veteran Era category of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is given to an artist who achieved national prominence more than 45 years ago.