bringing bluegrass music news from all over downunder
Wendy Jackson of the Stringbeans reminds us that the first Monday of the month is coming up next week which is the due date for a jam in Melbourne, Vic.
Come along and join in our open bluegrass jam session at the Rainbow – Monday 6th October. The venue is located at St David St. in Fitzroy, Melbourne from 7:30 pm.
All welcome – bring your instrument and your singing voice.
The Southern Gospel Music Guild (SGMG) recognized Bill and Gloria Gaither with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at a special VIP reception held during the 2008 National Quartet Convention. Newly elected SGMG President, Judy Nelon presented the honor where a group of industry friends and colleagues gathered to share in the special occasion.
The afternoon celebration included congratulations and numerous stories from Les Beasley, NQC Executive Vice-President Clarke Beasley, ASCAPs Dan Keen, Ken and Lisa Abraham, Ben Speer and Sue Dodge.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual who exhibits and upholds the SGMG Mission Statement which states, With Jesus Christ as our cornerstone, to create a cooperative environment designed to encourage excellence, education, awareness and growth, while preserving the essence of Southern Gospel Music over a lifetime. Bill and Gloria concluded the event with separate speeches of appreciation to the southern gospel industry and the SGMG. The celebratory afternoon of recognition was sponsored by the National Quartet Convention.
Judy Nelon, SGMG president and organizer of the lifetime honor stated, “Having the opportunity to pay tribute and recognize Bill and Gloria Gaither for their significant contributions in southern gospel music is one of my greatest honors. It is impossible to separate one from the other as both Bill and Gloria have been successful in their collaborations together as well as individuals: by composing over 700 songs, performing with The Gaither Trio, Gaither Vocal Band and for over ten years now with the phenomena recognized around the world as the Gaither Video and Television series.
More than 40 years ago, they founded Gaither Music which includes publishing, copyright management, record labels, recording studios and concert tour management. Gloria has created The Gaither Family Resources; a model store for their visitors in their hometown, Alexandria, Indiana. No one on earth has done more for music than Bill and Gloria Gaither.”
This folows on from their DVD topping the Billboard’s Music Video chart a month after it’s release. The two-volume Country Bluegrass Homecoming DVDs stars world class artists from all three genres and hosted by gospel legend Bill Gaither, Country Bluegrass Homecoming Volumes 1 and 2 feature performances by Vince Gill, George Jones, Ralph Stanley, the Gaither Vocal Band, Marty Stuart, the Isaacs, Larry Sparks, the Grascals, Dailey and Vincent, and more than a dozen others.
“Country, bluegrass and gospel music are connected in many ways, but one common denominator is that most artists in these three genres got their start singing in church,” Gaither pointed out. “So when we all got together there was a wonderful sense of camaraderie. After bringing these talents together in an event that was so thoroughly enjoyable to create, it is especially gratifying to see that the public is responding so positively.”
Read the full story – Gaither.com
Rebel Records announces it has signed a record deal with the award-winning Colorado bluegrass band Spring Creek. The energetic quartet plays music inspired by the classic sounds of traditional bluegrass, with a young, fresh twist. Spring Creek has traveled the country from north to south, gaining a reputation for exuberant performances at house concerts, festivals and clubs along the way.
Spring Creek’s creative original songs and meticulous harmony vocals caught the Charlottesville, Virginia, bluegrass label’s attention, which has never signed a band from west of the Mississippi.
Mark Freeman of Rebel Records says, “We are thrilled to be working with a dynamic band like Spring Creek. They project a youthful, highly energetic contemporary sound that is fresh yet still very much rooted in tradition. Moreover, for a relatively young group, they already display such a high degree of professionalism. A lot of thought and care goes into everything they do, from their stage show right on down to their website and press kits!… I have no doubt they will quickly win over bluegrass audiences everywhere.’
Spring Creek features Jessica Smith – bass; Chris Elliott on banjo and fiddle; Taylor Sims – guitar and Alex Johnstone on mandolin.
Read the press release Rebel Records.
Earl Scruggs With Family & Friends Debuts Exclusively On iTunes
Rounder Records will be releasing a long awaited album by Earl Scruggs featuring an amazing ensemble of players that include Gary Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, John Gardner, Hoot Hester, Rob Ickes, John Jorgenson, and Jon Randall.
Scruggs first appeared at Nashville’s Ryman Theatre in 1945 during a Grand Ole Opry performance as a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. However, the live album from his 2007 concert captured his first time there as a headliner. The CD’s 18 tracks include several of Scruggs’ signature songs, including Foggy Mountain Breakdown and The Ballad of Jed Clampett.
Fans will be able to purchase and download this album from 30th Sep at iTunes.
Fans who like a CD to hold on to will be able to buy that after Nov 18th.
We reported on The Greencards earlier this month, those rising stars of the acoustic world, who are the newest members of the Sugar Hill family. The Grammy-nominated trio is currently in the studio with award-winning producer Jay Joyce crafting their fourth album, slated for release in the US spring of 2009.
Check the Greencards Website
Bluegrass Bouquet is an organic all-female project from the IBMA Recorded Event award winning Daughters of Bluegrass on Blue Circle Records.
It is a landmark extravaganza featuring over fifty daughters and seventeen songs. Kicked off by the capable five-string picking of Donica Christensen the opening cut, Proud To Be a Daughter, written by Dixie Hall, expresses sentiment shared by the likes of: Dale Ann Bradley, Heather Berry, Lisa Martin, Gloria Belle, Sierra Hull, Rhonda Vincent, Lisa Ray, Linda Lay, Sally Jones, Carol Lee Cooper, Jeanie Stanley, Sonya Isaacs, Becky Isaacs Bowman, Michelle Nixon, Jeanette Williams, Sophie Haislip, Louise Tomberlain, Mindy Rakestraw, Lizzy Long, Frances Mooney, Lorraine Jordan, Annette Kelly, Lily Lieux, Dixie Hall, Judi Marshall, Beth Lawrence, Melissa Lawrence, Rebecca Frazier, Jenni Lyn Gardner, Lizzy Long, Lisa Manning.
There were no side-men on this project. All Daughters were girls such as: Gena Britt, Vicki Simmons, Megan McCormick, Becky Buller, Tina Adair, Kristin Scott Benson, Rebekah Long, Jenee Fleenor, Jeana Martin, Janice Martin, Larita Martin, Martha Adcock, Amber Burks, Beth Stevens and additional featured vocalists: Janet McGarry, Valerie Smith, Stacy York, Dara Wray, Alecia Nugent, Jennifer Strickland.
Designed to showcase the talents of women from all styles of bluegrass one main focus includes the breathtaking variety of picking, singing and writing.
Other than mastering and pressing, Bluegrass Bouquet is truly a labor of love. Monies for PR, promotion, music, writing & publishing, studio, art, graphics, food and travel were never a consideration. The master is owned by The Daughters themselves and is all about the music and illustrating the fact that women throughout the bluegrass industry are indeed worthy. These girls aim to shatter the Blueglass ceiling – that’s correct, BLUEGLASS.
Records are available from most of the girls, at CD Baby.com and Blue Circle Records.
Greg Deering of the Deering Banjo Company is set to visit for an Australian Banjo Tour.
Ryan Kerr from the Musicians Pro Shop in Qld, advises that Greg will be presenting a 2 hour informational seminar on all things banjo at their music store in Fortitude Valley on Friday, October 24th. He will cover hot topics including banjo repair and setup, how to maintain the banjo, along with plenty of time for discussion and a Q & A session. 
These clinics will be run in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne and will appeal to everyone with an interest in banjo, whether they are a beginner (or even just thinking about starting up) or a seasoned professional. Interested parties are asked to contact the store in advance so that we may gather an estimate of numbers for seating.
The night will kick off around 5.30pm. All attendees are invited to bring their banjos so that Greg may inspect them and even make adjustments! We will be offering special deals on all banjo floor stock as well as banjo strings and accessories on the night.
Greg Deering accomplished the college dream of owning a Vega banjo by acquiring the Vega Banjo Company in 1988. The first one he made was his own. Now he carries the torch of making the great American Vega banjos.
Today Deering Banjos are in the hands of many top musicians such as the Kingston Trio, the Keith Urban Band, Diamond Rio, Montgomery Gentry, the Dixie Chicks, Roy Clark, Rod Stewart, Joe Satriani, Los Lobos, John Sebastian, the Kruger Brothers, John McEuen, Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, Davidson Brothers and hundreds of other artists.
Workshop Schedule:
Adelaide – Mon 13th Oct, Derringers at 66-72 Leader St. Forestville South Australia 5035 ph (08) 8371 1884
Perth – Thurs 16th Oct, Zenith Music at 309 Stirling Hwy Claremont West Australia 6010 ph (08) 9383 1422
Melbourne – Mon 20th Oct, The Acoustic Centre at 206 Park St South Melbourne Victoria 3205 ph (03) 9699 5691
Sydney – Wed 22th Oct, The Guitar Factory at 280 Victoria Rd., Gladesville NSW 2111 ph (02) 9817 2173
Brisbane – Friday 24th Oct, Musicians’ Pro Shop at 59 Barry Pde Fortitude Valley Qld 4006 ph: (07) 3831 5898
Submitted by Ryan Kerr, Manager, Musicians Pro Shop, Qld
Morgan Music, a music store in the Ozarks that recently was devastated from a fire, has had another round of bad luck. Their temporary space was broken into and several instruments were stolen. Be on the lookout for the following instruments.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society has listed the instruments on their National Missing & Stolen Instruments online service.
Read the full story Bluegrass Journal.com
The Courier Mail Online reports that MySpace today launched a new music section that allows users to listen to millions of songs for free.
The Courier Mail Online reports: The advertising-supported format by one of the most popular sites on the internet could present the most serious challenge yet to the ubiquity of illegally downloaded music and to the dominance of Apple’s iTunes store in supplying legal music to fans.
The site called MySpaceMusic is supported by the world’s four major music labels, Sony BMG, Universal Music, EMI and Warner Music.
It allows MySpace’s 120 million users to search for a song by title, artists or album, select a track to add it to a playlist, and listen to it using an online music player that features ads. Users can also share their playlists with friends who can then listen to exactly the same songs.
The free tracks cannot be downloaded onto any device. But the player links to Amazon.com’s music store, where users can purchase them for download. The service launches with several hundred thousand songs available but hopes to ramp up to more than the 8.5 million songs offered by iTunes.
Read the full story Courier Mail Online
A reminder from Dorrigo Festival promoters:
This is just a short reminder that if you haven’t already purchased tickets for this years Festival, you only have a week left to get them at the Early Bird price.
We have also enabled online ticket ordering for those who prefer to do it all online. Simply visit the website, and choose the ‘Buy Tickets NOW’ option from the navigation menu.
For more details of this years festival, and of all the confirmed artists to date, visit the Artists page at the Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival site .
Don’t forget the all important dates… 24th – 26th October 2008!