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November 2016
“Let life be like music.” ~ Langston Hughes ~
Here we go! Some would say it’s their favorite time of the year - me included! I love fall! And not just because the heat’s going away, or that it’s football season, or sweater weather. Those are ALL great reasons. But it’s also fall festival season, and more specifically, it’s time for the Americana Music Association (AMA) and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) annual conferences. A big welcome to all of you folks who have met AR for the first time at one of these events. There’s music, music everywhere. But we’d be remiss not to mention some of the other great events going on around us too - The Nothin’ Fancy Festival in Buena Vista, VA, The Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival in Manteo, NC, and the Richmond Folk Fest in Richmond, VA, just to name a few. You can check further festival listings on page 18. We’re headed to Nashville, and Raleigh in a few weeks - hope to see many of you there. Keep up with us on our face book page and on our new magazine site, www.AmericanaMusicMagazine.com. See you out there! Questions, comments, suggestions: greg@americanarhythm.com PUBLISHER
Americana Rhythm is published six times a year. All corresponCONTRIBUTORS dence should be sent to PO Box 45, Bridgewater VA, 22812 or Ed Tutwiler email to greg@americanarhythm.com. Copies of Americana Wayne Erbsen Rhythm are made available free at various pick up locations within Donna Ulisse the publication’s region. Subscriptions are available inside the United Don and Martha DePoy States (only) for $16 US currency made payable by check or money Andrew McKnight order sent to, Subscriptions at PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812. Mark Whetzel Foreig n su bscrip tion req u ests shou l d b e sen t to Scott Perry greg@americanarhythm.com. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. DISTRIBUTION Reproduction of any content, artwork or photographs is strictly Ed Tutwiler prohibited without permission of the publisher or original owner. All Zebra Media advertising material subject to approval. Associated Dist. PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Greg E. Tutwiler Associate Editor Ed Tutwiler MARKETING & PROMOTION Mark Barreres (GrassRootsNetworking.com) ADVERTISING Letters, Comments, Suggestions Business office 540-433-0360 greg@americanarhythm.com advertising@americanarhythm.com www.americanarhythm.com
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Full Service Media Solutions
Did you ever play a house concert
that was so well received, that folks wanted to take some of your music home? Who you gonna call? Did your band kill it on stage last night, and the sound man handed you a boardrecorded CD with the comment that you should copy this? Who you gonna call? Do you have a really super batch of self-penned material that you need to get on a CD for your buddy in Nashville? Who you gonna call? Were you ever out on the road and need just a few more CDs for the merchandise table? Who you gonna call? Are you finally ready to record that award-winning album of original material that is going to put you up there with the A-list fellows? Who you gonna call? Well, recently, the Publisher called me and told me to grab my notepad, pencil, and tape recorder and join him on a road trip down to Front Royal, VA to the National Media Services facility.
training along the way. He ultimately joined the Command Services Unit, which is the military’s version of a publicity agency. At the same time, he garnered a side job of repairing tape duplicating equipment. The publicity part of the job led McCool to joining the Air Force band as a re-
sold me the equipment, offered financial help, and a contract for me to do all his cassette duplication for him. So, I was suddenly in the tape duplication business as well as working on the equipment for others. All this led to me building a recording studio for a public service company in DC and
Will Shenk, studio engineer
Mike McCool began his long and winding road to NMS in the US military where he was taught a bit of electronics and given ample opportunity to put his skills to use. Mike put it this way, “You know how you’ve heard that when you are in the military never volunteer for anything? Well, that is wrong. What you really should do is volunteer yourself for everything. Trust me, when you volunteer for different things you get to try different things and find what suits you best.” This constant volunteering for special assignments eventually led to an assignment where Mike worked on complex tape recorders in air traffic control towers—Mr. McCool says that this assignment is where his interest in audio recording actually began. Following this long winding path of volunteerism led to Mike doing a stint as an on-air radio announcer; doing repair of various audio and audio/mechanical equipment; and gaining more and more
By Ed Tutwiler
Mike told me that most of the work that they had done up to that point was spoken-word and very little music. The in-house studio for the spoken word recordings was modest. Mike then said, “The music people found out about us and we started doing some packing and printing for that market. At that time, the minimum number of CDs one could order was 1000 to 2500 units. This meant that the small independent artist could not make those numbers pay out. This provided a niche market for us because most of our work was already hands-on and in small quantities.
More Than Duplication
One Stop Shop
National Media Services (NMS) is a full service operation that has a big heart for the weekend warriors who pick and sing music for the rest of us to enjoy. NMS is the only short-run manufacturer that will mix and match pricing for artists, for record labels and for companies that have multiple titles. They do it all, record and mix the studio master, design customized art for the packaging, duplicate CDs in large runs or as few as 50 pieces. Did I mention that they do all this in house?
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cording engineer where he produced, recorded, and distributed their shows to radio stations across the country. By now, you can see where this long and winding path of expertise and experience is leading can you not? After 12 years, Mike retired to civilian life in 1979. He was already servicing commercial audio related equipment as a sideline while fulfilling his USAF band duty, so it seemed natural to continue that course full time for commercial duplication customers.
From Cassette To CD
One company proposed that he take the audio duplication equipment that he was servicing back to Front Royal and use it to do their duplication work there, which he did. Mike said, “He
this company in-turn employing me to duplicate and mail their recorded material from my Front Royal location. That is how we got started, we were duplicating tapes and mailing out tons of stuff. I tell people the new post office in town came about because of the volume of mailing we were doing.” Alas, with the advent of the internet, rules changed for the distribution business. Mike said, “In six months that business was gone—wiped out.” He held on doing cassette duplication for 25 years but along came CD technology and the cassette duplication business dried up as well. Those notebooks filled with six cassettes and a workbook that he was producing and distributing for companies were no more.
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“The problem with any of this work is not the media but the packaging. That means that this small artist that is trying to compete with the big guys has to have packaging that matches or is better than the quality of the big guy’s packaging. So, we made the capital expenditure needed to purchase quality packaging equipment. It paid off in increased business,” Mike added. The next step in the evolution of the business came when McCool obtained digital offset printing equipment and was able to produce high quality labeling for his product. He said, “This purchase changed our business completely. We were the only duplicating company in the country at that time to have this technology. With it, we could make our product look just like the big boys’ product. We then added the equipment needed to enhance the appearance of our discs.” It is important to realize that with the addition of all this technology, NMS is one of only a couple short-run duplication companies in the country with this capability and technology, NMS is producing a short run product that equals the quality of product
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from high volume companies, and can do it faster. Here is how Mike puts it, “Once upon a time a customer needed to pick between speed, price or quality but now with our company you can pick all three.”
and it is booked solid 50 weeks a year.”
Moving Ahead
I asked Mr. McCool what prompted him to take the giant step into having a music recording studio. He told me that in the quest to be a one-stop shop he needed that last part. His take was, “We always had some recording capability in the form of a small booth but when a five piece bluegrass band came in to record and they couldn’t cram themselves into the space, we knew we needed a bigger audio booth. The big part was getting someone other than me to be the sound engineer.” Mike continued, “There was a retired guy in the area that had a studio in his house and did some recording, and he knew some people in the bluegrass business. He came in here one day and asked if we had a recording studio. When I told him we did, he said that he’d like to work in it. The next thing I knew he brought his friends and they brought their friends and these folks told others and here we were with a steady stream of recording clients. Basically, my first engi-
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neer walked in the door with a customer list. So, we tore out some walls, set up shop, and kept expanding the thing as business grew. Eventually, he wanted to retire again. I thought, ‘what am I going to do now as good sound engineers are very hard to find’. The day George told me he was going to retire, Will Shenk, who is a Shenandoah University grad, walked in the door looking for a job. This had to be divine intervention to have two great sound engineers just walk in the door. Will has been here for 10 years now. Everything is great and he loves being here. That is how the studio got to where it is today,
An artist can walk in the front door of NMS with a guitar; cut a carefully mixed and mastered recording of his work; and walk out the back door with a box full of professionally reproduced CDs that have been artfully labeled and packaged for his fans to enjoy. Sure sounds like a onestop shop to me. Mike injected, “Anything you want done, we do it; and if not, we know a guy who does.”
Anual Holiday Project
I asked Mike if he would tell me a bit about the Christmas album that I had watched Will work on in the studio. He told me that this is the 10th year for NMS to do such a project. Here is how Mike tells it, “It started out as an idea for something meaningful the company could send to their customers as a special and unique Christmas card. At first we had some local folks come in and do some traditional sea-
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sonal cover songs. People loved it. So we thought that we would do that again the next year. For the first two or three years, we had some local people come in and record some material. The project became quite successful after about five years, and we needed to set some limits as to who would be featured on the CD and their quality as performing artists. We decided that the performers on the CD must be NMS customers and be professional artists who actually play in front of audiences. We want willing artists who want to be a part of this project and can see the value in being a part of it. Our Christmas albums have become well accepted, and in the past have featured some big name artists in the acoustic and bluegrass world with this year being no exception as it will feature Circa Blue Bluegrass Band.” It is worth noting that NMS pays for all the studio and production costs; and produces a sizable quantity of CDs that NMS uses for their own marketing purposes as well as 150 copies, which the recording artists can use as they wish. So back to the original question of Who you gonna call? I think I would certainly call National Media Services in Front Royal, VA
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Vinyl In Perspective When Peter Allen released “Everything Old is
New Again” in 1974, he had no idea that the title would offer a prescient view of the vinyl on which his song was originally released. Vinyl has long competed with other formats such as cassettes and even the relatively short lived 8-track tape. However, it wasn’t until the 80’s that LP’s nearly vanished into the dustbin of audio history as consumers rushed to replace their record collections with CD’s. Recently vinyl is experiencing a growth that many experts are projecting to only increase in the near future. Almost 12 million records were sold in the US last year alone. This is a 30 percent increase from 2014 and the tenth year in a row where annual vinyl sales have shown an increase. And although many brick and mortar stores are feeling the pressure of online sales, independent record stores accounted for 45% of vinyl sales last year. While the plummeting CD still accounts for the majority of physical music sales, vinyl has substantially increased its market share and now makes nearly half the revenue that CD’s do.
Broad Appeal
By Mark Whetzel
bined the audio and visual in a new and unique way that CD’s just haven’t quite been able to duplicate. The statistics suggest that factors in addition to audio preference are involved. Research indicates that 7% of vinyl purchasers don’t even own a turntable and a recent poll showed that of those who purchased vinyl, 48% had not even played it a month after owning it. It appears many simply want to own the vinyl. New records also typically come with digital download codes so consumers can have the physical product but also enjoy the conveniences of digital music.
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So who’s behind this vinyl phenomenon? Apparently records have broad appeal. Some recent polls have shown that nearly 50% of records are purchased by people under 35. Hipsters raised in a digital age have become well known for their low tech preferences. Even cassette sales are showing signs of life. And while many new artists find themselves on the best selling vinyl charts, it’s not uncommon to see Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zepplin also. Middle aged and older adults are significant contributors to the increase in record sales as they reassemble record collections from their youth. High school and college kids also listen to classic rock. This format appears to capture the interest of a broad demographic. continued on page 11
It Just Sounds Better
So which factors are contributing to the renewed popularity of vinyl and how can modern technology impact the future of LP’s? Do the audiophiles have a point? Is an older generation simply craving a bit of nostalgia or are hipsters trying to connect to their music in a new way? Many audio engineers would point out that, in theory at least, CD’s provide superior sound quality compared to LP’s. In both sonic reproduction and fidelity, CD’s outperform vinyl in many ways. For many though, there are several reasons why the sonic idiosyncrasies of vinyl are preferred. In the early stages of digital technology, some listeners found CD’s lacking. Many of these early deficiencies have been addressed as the technology has matured and developed; however, it left some with a prejudice toward digital audio. Undoubtedly though there is a warmth that is unique to vinyl. In fact, a quick look at digital recording software will show a variety of programs and plug-ins designed to replicate the nuance of records, right down to the crackle and hiss of your favorite LP. Many of us remember the excitement of visiting the local record store in search of a new release or even coming across a record that you didn’t even know existed. I still remember vividly walking into my local, small town record store and finding a copy of Allan Holdsworth’s “Metal Fatigue” in the late 80’s. I still have it. In all fairness, I have the CD also. But you’ll never see the CD displayed on my wall. This brings us to the visual aspect of vinyl which appears to be a significant factor in record sales. Some albums were known as much for their artwork as they were for the songs. Records com-
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Today finds me teaching more and more about songwriting throughout the country, being a part of panels and workshops and talking turkey about penning a song and it’s a newly stoked passion for me. I am finding the more I talk about it the more fired up I become to write. Some writers experience the total opposite telling me that it shut the writing doors for them. They get so caught up in teaching that they forget to feed the inspiration that is so needed to create that next song. I actually had that fear as I started out on this new musical adventure. You know how it goes, someone plants the seed that teaching will destroy the ability to write new material and that seed turns into an all out garden of fear that is tended to every time I greet a classroom.
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The miracle for me is the actual students sitting there looking at me for ways to improve their own songwriting. I always start out talking about the initial inspiration, giving them exercises that have worked for me without fail for years. In giving them the exercises and then going over what they come up with I find myself learning as much from them as I am trying to teach them. For me, the gift of teaching, or as I like to now say, paying it forward with the many years of knowledge I have acquired and am willing to share, is newfound inspiration for me. They are giving me a gift with their excitement for writing.
State Of Awareness
I practice a piece of advice during these workshops that I give to songwriters attending; stay in a state of awareness! By doing this,
I am able to glean a fresh look at my craft through the approaches other composers use. Even the writers that are brand new teach me some new tricks through their novice attempts. The fact is there is no rigid formula for writing songs. I give a class my approach to writing in hopes that the way I do things might help strengthen their songwriting. In return, I am given a chance to analyze my practice through their practice. It is a win/win for me.
Workshops Work
I encourage all songwriters, advanced or novices, to gather in a room filled with excited songwriters. Lots of bluegrass and folk festivals offer workshops as part of the festival, try them. Check out workshops coming through your town and attend! Look for a grand way to spend a
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vacation through attending a workshop somewhere around the country. Feed the songwriting soul with shared experience in song structure. I find that it ignites the inspiration in me every time I place myself in a songwriting community. Now, go forth and write! In September 2016, Donna was nominated for the fifth year in a row for the IBMA Songwriter of the Year award, and Her song “It Could Have Been The Mandolin,” co-written with long time friend Jerry Salley, stayed in the #1 spot on the Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine chart for two months in a row.
Find out more about Donna’s book at www.DonnaUlisse.com
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There aren’t really that many hot licks that are appropriate to play on “Rabbit in a Log.” Instead, you should concentrate on just playing a good, solid version at a pretty good clip.
By Wayne Erbsen
Rabbit In The Log “Rabbit in a Log,” also known as “Gonna Have a Feast Here Tonight” straddles the line between bluegrass and old-time music. It makes a dandy solo old-time banjo piece, so I included it in my brand new book entitled Clawhammer Banjo ~ Tunes, Tips & Jamming. Bill and Charlie, the Monroe Brothers, did such a powerful performance on their January 28, 1938 recording of this song that I was convinced they had written it. Come to find out, it’s a much older song that may have had its roots on the minstrel stage going back as far as the late 19th century. The song as we now know it was cobbled together out of bits and pieces of older songs by the group known as the Prairie Ramblers. You might remember the Prairie Ramblers because they were the band that backed up Patsy Montana on the first million seller for a female performer in country music with her 1936 recording of “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”
The Monroe Brothers frequently got to see the Prairie Ramblers in action when they all shared the stage on the National Barn Dance in Chicago, starting in 1932. It’s strange to say, but the Monroe Brothers were part of a team of exhibition dancers, not a musical ensemble. It is interesting to note that the Prairie Ramblers’ prominent use of the jug on this song may have influenced Bill Monroe to include a jug player in the earliest lineup of his new band, The Bluegrass Boys. Not long after Bill and Charlie Monroe broke up, Bill hired Tommy “Snowball” Millard to do rube comedy, as well as play the jug and the spoons. For the fascinating story of how Tommy became part of bluegrass music history see my article, “Tommy Millard – Blackfaced Musician & Bluegrass Boy” that can be found at http://nativeground.com/tommymillard-black fa ced-mu sicia n-a bluegrass-boy-by-wayne-erbsen/.
NOTE on the banjo tab: “Rabbit in the Log” is written out in Double C Tuning (gCGCD). It is too long to fit on one page, so when you finish playing the bottom line of tab, go back up and play the third and fourth lines. The song finally ends when you play the 1st half of measure 16. Recording of “Rabbit in the Log:” To assist you in learning this arrangement of “Rabbit in the Log,” here is an link to an MP3 file so you can follow along. http:// nativeground.com/rabbit-mp3/ Note on the lyrics: “Gonna Have a Feast Here Tonight” was first recorded by the Prairie Ramblers December 6, 1933. They recorded it again on April 18, 1935 with Tex Atchison, fiddle; Salty Holmes, harmonica/jug/vocal; Chick Hurt, mandola/vocal and Jack Taylor, guitar/vocal. These are the lyrics they sang on the later recording. There’s a rabbit in the log, I ain’t got my dog, How will I get him I know? (How!) I’ll take me a briar and I’ll twist it in his hair, That’s the way I’ll get him I know.
JUST ADDED: March 24-26, 2017 Oxford PA Old Time Music Weekend for Fiddle, Clawhammer Banjo and Old Time Singing
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I know, (yes I know) I know (I surely know), That’s the way I’ll get him I know. I’ll take me a briar and I’ll twist it in his hair, (how?) That’s the way I’ll get him I know. I’ll build me a fire and I’ll cook that old hare, I’ll roll him in the flames and bake him brown (good and brown). Have a feast here tonight while the moon am shining bright, Then find myself a place to lie down. To lie down (to lie down), to lie down (oh, to lie down), Then find myself a place to lie down. Have a feast here tonight while the moon am shining bright, Then find myself a place to lie down. I’m going down that track with my coat ripped up my back. The soles of my shoes are nearly gone; Just a little ways ahead there’s a barn or a shed, That’s where I’ll rest my weary bones. My weary bones ( my weary bones,) weary bones (you lazy bones), That’s where I’ll rest my weary bones, Just a little ways ahead there’s a barn or a shed, That’s where I’ll rest my weary bones. continued on page 21
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Vinyl continued from page 7 From the independent artist’s perspective, getting your music released on vinyl can be difficult. Not only is it expensive, but there are only about a dozen plants in the US pressing records. Wait times can be significant. One such company aimed at assisting independent artists is Qrates. This on demand vinyl manufacturer can produce small or large quantities of albums (starting at 100) in approximately 6-8 weeks by partnering with presses in Europe. Artists upload their music and artwork and then begin promoting the album. If enough fans pre-order the album to cover the manufacturing costs, it goes to press. If not, the artists have the option of making up the rest out of pocket. Qrates can even handle distribution and setting up the project takes only minutes.
Here To Stay
Chief Marketing Officer of Qrates, Taishi Fukuyama, believes the future of vinyl is bright. He says,”We now know that approximately 50% of vinyl users have listened to the music on a streaming service prior to purchasing the record. That’s great news for ev-
eryone since streaming doesn’t cannibalize but helps promote vinyl sales.” Fukuyama believes that with copyright and licensing issues continuing to be resolved, the demand for vinyl will only increase. He envisions a time when vinyl can be pressed on demand. These revolved legal issues may enable the consumer to have the option of having their playlist from a streaming service pressed to vinyl or perhaps even using records in various novel ways such as party favors. The numbers indicate that, for the immediate future, vinyl is doing well and experiencing significant annual growth. Some experts believe it’s still a niche market though and will in all likelihood never regain the prominence it had in decades past. However it appears to offer something for everybody from the purist, to the collector and to the avid music fan who wants some nostalgia with the flexibility of digital media. Maybe it will even be the catalyst to bring back other antiquated musical mediums. I’ll hold onto that minidisc player just a little while longer
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Wide Open Bluegrass Festival Set For Raleigh Ricky Skaggs (Eleven-time IBMA award winner) and his band Kentucky Thunder will be one of the featured performers for this years Wide Open Bluegrass Festival, scheduled for downtown Raleigh, NC, Friday September 30th – Saturday October 1 st . Wide Open Bluegrass is just a part of the IBMA’s conference which gets under way on Tuesday, September 27 th. The street fest is free, and open to the public, while the conference is for member/pass holders. Additional ticketed performances will take place in the Red Hat amphitheater with proceeds going to benefit the IBMA-operated Bluegrass Trust Fund.
PNC regional president of Eastern Carolinas. PNC is in it’s fourth year as presenting sponsor. “Great performers and events are the hallmark of the festival, and this year is no exception.” Dailey & Vincent, Earls of Leicester, Marty Stuart, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Cowan, and Steep Canyon Rangers are just a few of the featured entertainers.
“Wide Open Bluegrass is a remarkable event and an economic boon for our region,” said Jim Hansen,
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The Raleigh Convention Center plays host to the five day IBMA conference which features industry related seminars, exhibit hall, and the 27th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, scheduled for Thursday, September 29. For full line ups and ticketing information, visit www.IBMA.org
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Something Special the other guys in the band were jealous, and wanted to check it out. So we decided that we would enter the band competition at the next festival – just to have an excuse to go to Rocky Grass. We went to the festival, and had a blast, and ended up
As the genre’ of string music
continues to morph and evolve, musicians will continue to find new ways to craft sounds that are distinct and original. One such group is the California based band Front Country. A chance encounter with this touring ensemble at the Red Wing Roots Festival (a rich and diverse musical experience held each July in Virginia) left me wanting more from this up and coming string band. The quintet features the soulful vocals of lead singer-songwriter Melody Walker, accompanied by mandolinist Adam Roszkiewicz, guitarist Jacob Groopman, violinist Leif Karlstrom and bassist Jeremy Darrow. Almost immediately, they have received high praise from around the music community; winning a Momentum award from IBMA as well as being nominated for the emerging artist award. Fretboard Journal wrote, “They somehow strike that perfect blend of soaring vocals, impressive playing and interesting song choices.” The Herald, Scotland UK said, “Their music occupies a hinterland that
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extends much further than bluegrass, however, reaching into a beyond that at times makes them the missing link between Punch Brothers and the Penguin Café Orchestra and even extends to the prog rock of Family and King Crimson.” And Woody Platt of the Steep Canyon Rangers commented, “”Bluegrass, Progressive Bluegrass, Newgrass, Americana, Folk-Pop… In today’s music world it can be totally exhausting to try and put music in a box and deliver it under one clear, clean description. In this case, one thing is undeniable … this is damn fine music!”
we’re a band now,” Melody recalled the band saying after winning the competition. “So the next day I set up a quick web site to be able to communicate with all the folks that were trying to reach out to us. And we immediately started booking gigs around the Bay area.” They played mostly regional gigs in the beginning while they made arrangements to record their first record together. Sake Of The Sound came out in the fall of 2014. “It did really, really well for us,” Melody said. “We realized that we had happened onto something really good; And we realized that none of us had ever heard anything quite like the music we were creating. We all decided that we had a little something special going on.” Each of the members had different projects going on at the time, and all were still in different bands. “When that album came out, things started happening, and we all shifted our focus to Front Country,” she said.
Chance Beginnings
I caught up with lead singer, Melody Walker not long after my first encounter with the band to get some insight into their skyrocketing career. “About five years ago, we started out by playing a gig in the Mission District in San Francisco, CA,” she recalled. “It was just a monthly gig – basically a pick up band essentially. We ended up playing that gig as the same group of people for several months. A couple of the band members had been out to the Rocky Grass Festival in Colorado before – and
By Greg Tutwiler
winning the band competition – it was crazy. And we met so many friends for life that weekend too.” The success was almost immediate with festival attendees wanting copies of the CD (which they didn’t have yet), and a way to keep up with their schedule (which was non-existent at the time). “I guess
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Melody said the band’s name isn’t an accident either. “Front Country – it’s the opposite of the back country; a nod to the fact that we’re a progressive string band. And that we’re looking forward, not backwards. I think the genre’s changing – people just don’t see the need to label it anymore. Just because we
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have a banjo doesn’t mean you are a bluegrass band.”
That Sound
There is a distinctive California grass feel to their music. Some might call it New Crass, or progressive, but Melody feels like it’s
“Gospel Train,” that was on our first album. That’s a big part of who we are, but I’m really a song writer at heart, so penning originals will always be big part of who we are too. The majority of the new CD will be original songs that I wrote along with instrumentals from Adam, our mandolin player.”
Mix Tape
just the sound you get when you put so many different influences together. “Each player in the band brought so many different influences into the band, that when it all meshed together, what came out was this distinct West Coast feel,” she commented. “Each of us came to bluegrass through so many different musical trails. Some of the members studied classical music, and others of us are fans of classic rock and folk roots legends like Grateful Dead. We have Jazz influences as well as folk music. So there’s just all these different influences, and I think they really come through in the music we are making, whether we like it or not.” “We’ve been writing our own music since the beginning and steadily building our repertoire of songs,” she said. “We’ve always been about taking traditional songs and remixing them and rearranging them. For instance on the new record we have coming out next year we completely reinvented a Carter Family tune, “The Storms Are On The Ocean.” We did a similar thing with the Larry Sparks track,
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While we await the next release from Front Country, there’s still a little taste to enjoy in the meantime. “We’ve always enjoyed doing covers of pop tunes,” Melody said, “so in between full length albums we decided to release an EP of some of our favorite pop covers. We thought it would be fun to learn them and rearrange them for a string band.” One of the feature cuts on the five song EP is a rendition of Don Henley’s “Boys Of Summer.” While this might draw comparisons to other grass bands offering covers of 80s and 90s pop tunes, rest assured, you’ll know it’s distinctively Front Country. For the last two years they’ve been a full time touring band, with no end in sight. A planned move to Nashville, TN will create a nice mid-point
to travel from while they continue to build their brand of grass; West Coast style, front forward. We look forward as well to what’s in store from this exciting string band
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* Sure, you can eat a pint of ice cream if you like, but a simple “Yay me!” will suffice.
A 5 Step Plan for Practicing Guitar Beginning an effective practice routine is simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy! Here are five essential steps that are easy to understand and actionable that will help you get going or get back to a rewarding guitar playing adventure! Step 1 – Make a Vow Developing a persistent and purposeful practice often requires changing a behavior or developing a new habit. The most effective way to do this is not just to promise to begin and maintain a practice routine, but also connect it to serving others. Why? Research shows that connecting a vow to serving others is the most effective way to achieving a desired outcome. Practice to honor the faith and investment of those who are financing your instruction. Or to entertain and
inspire those around you. Or to help take your jam session, garage band, or touring act to the next level. Or to make the world, or at least your little corner of it, a better place. Think not what will your practice do for you, but what you will do for others! Step 2 – Be Short & Specific What’s your goal? Fame and fortune? Jamming with family and friends? Self-expression and enjoyment? That’s all well and good, but it’s vague. Too much ambiguity will allow your brain to hack your intentions. Create micro-goals that are clearly defined and can be done quickly (like 60 seconds). A micro-goal is not “Learn tunes for my first hit recording.” Nor “Learn enough songs for a 30 minute set.” Nor “Learn my first song.” Nor “Learn the chord changes of a new song.” But, “Learn how to switch between the first two chords of a new song.”
Get clear on the first step or two and you’re much more likely to keep going! Step 3 – Practice Deeply * Chunking – practice smaller bits of a bigger action. * Don’t strum your way through an entire new tune, deaden the strings with your left hand and practice the strumming pattern. * Repetition, Repetition, Repetition – do it fast, do it slow, do it differently. * Strum through the changes in a slow stead quarter note strum with accents on the downbeat. Pay attention to any patterns and key changes. * Celebrate the Small Successes – recognize progress and reward yourself.
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Step 4 – Plan How to Get Back on Track Everyone stumbles, misses a day, falls back on bad habits, etc. Don’t give up, double down! Develop self-awareness. Recognize when and why you stumble and develop a system for getting back on the horse. Remember, it’s not just a vow you’re breaking to yourself. Your vow is tied to others you care about! Step 5 – Employ These Tools & Tips to Boost Effectiveness * Play to your strengths, but practice your weaknesses. We all enjoy hearing ourselves play well so we often practice what we already do competently. Use practice time to focus on turning weaknesses into strengths, use play time to hone what you already know. * Practice new material and concepts for short 10 minute periods. Research show our brains get overloaded around the seven minute mark when we’re trying to absorb new concepts or develop a new technique. Remember the importance of repetition! Practicing the new stuff for 5 -10 minutes continued on page 21
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November 2016
Thanks to our partnership with ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) we are honored to give you a peak at a few of the nation’s hardest working indie artists. Each month we select one entry to showcase for you here. Enjoy! THIS MONTH’S FEATURE:
By Greg Tutwiler
The Moon And You
FEATURE ARTISTS The Moon and You, a duo based in
Asheville, NC, features the unique musical collaborations of Ryan Furstenberg and Melissa Hyman. They started their melodic adventure together in 2011, and sealed the deal in marriage in 2015, with the honeymoon marking their first European tour together. Bill DeYoung of Connect Savannah said this; “Ryan Furstenberg and Melissa Hyman combine guitar, cello and two voices in harmony to produce a sweet and sometimes swinging take on Americana-type folk music. It’s a rich, full sound: Sometimes you’d swear there were more than two people onstage.” Ryan started music young, playing harmonica by age seven, and then picking up several other instruments after that first. He played in rock bands on both harmonica and guitar throughout high school and college. Melissa grew up with a violinist father, who is now a full time music teacher. She and her brothers all took piano and string lessons when they were little. “I always loved singing and writing poetry,” she told me. “It was just a part of my life. Ryan’s one of those enviable types who can pick up any instrument and make it speak,” she added. “It’s fantastic to watch. He seems to un derstand them intuitively.” Melissa didn’t join her first band until after moving to Asheville in 2007. “I was genuinely shocked and delighted to find that a career in music was an
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option, because until that point my life’s ambition was to be a well-read waitress,” she recalled. “Both are good options, but I love being a professional musician.”
Tired Of Being Apart
The Moon and You’s first tour was in January 2012 after both Ryan and Melissa’s bands at the time had just fallen apart. “When a band dissolves there’s a lot of white space,” Melissa commented. “We looked at the calendar for the months ahead and decided we’d either have to fill that space with gigs or get normal jobs.” It felt like a pretty easy decision for the two. “Neither of us is qualified for much outside of playing music,” she mused, “and we’re not particularly good at taking orders from bosses. Neither of us is a solo performer type, either. It just made so much more sense to learn to play together. We also took into account the fact that we’d basically been in a longdistance relationship for a year at that point, being in two different touring bands. We were getting tired of being apart.”
Their approach at the beginning was not high-concept. “We decided to continue working up a repertoire together, and playing whatever music we thought was fun and interesting. Mostly we wanted to play originals, and we each had a decent-sized back catalog of those. We’d already learned a bunch of oldies together, for playing at the old folks’ homes to earn money. We had worked up a few of our own songs by messing around with them for fun, and, most importantly, we were fans of one another’s music. So we were kinda-sorta ready to be a performing band when we began playing shows together. That’s actually a pretty good description of everything we’ve ever done, perhaps with the exception of getting hitched. We always seem to be almost ready, and jumping in with both feet anyway. It’s not very comfortable, but it sure keeps us learning and entertained.”
Writing Songs
As song writers, most often the two write separately and then come back together to arrange the songs. “Our
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writing styles are very different,” Melissa said. “But they have moved toward one another over the years as we inspire and influence one another’s approach to creativity. We do have a couple of songs where we’ve collaborated throughout the writing process, and that gives them a really distinctive character.” Melissa said she is primarily inspired by events and people that move her emotionally, and these days she tends to write as a coping mechanism in times of difficulty. “A lot of my more recent songs revolve around some pretty heavy themes: identity, illness, death, and empathy with those who are struggling. Ryan, on the other hand, seems to be inspired lately by travel, love, and self-empowerment, which I think is fantastic. His most recent songs exude a mischievous joy and levity, which balance out my dark-side introspection. It’s funny, because when we first got together the opposite was true: my songs were all happy-sappy love songs, and Ryan’s tended to be dark and to come from a more painful place. It’s wonderful to watch each other evolve. We love watching one another mature and change as songwriters, and learning from one another as we go.”
The Latest Project
A White Light That Sings is first fully produced, full-length recording from The Moon And You. “It’s the first one we were able to put enough time into to fully realize the sounds we had in mind,” Melissa said. “We’ve described it as a headphones album: it has ample sonic space with lots of texture and variety. So audiophiles like ourselves will hopefully find plenty to chew on, through multiple listens. It’s been described to us as being ‘a whole, coherent piece,’ as opposed to, ‘just a collection of songs,’ which was very nice to hear. Stylistically it runs the gamut of our wide-ranging musical interests, so it’s not easily categorized. You’ll find front-porch banjo, smoky vocal jazz, breakbeat drums, lush string sections and soul-style horns rubbing elbows here, but without the cognitive dissonance you might expect from such a mashup ”
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www.themoonandyou.com
November 2016
Jump Start Your Music With A Camp By Greg Tutwiler
In today’s world of performing mu-
sic, there are so many opportunities to hone your craft. There are dedicated music schools, curriculums’, courses of study, and even online educational classes and courses you can take on various aspects like tuning, picking, vocal instruction, and various techniques. Another way people are taking advantage of the expertise of others is music camps. Those as well come in all various forms.
Jane said her passion for teaching and sharing music with people of all ages and ability is what led to the music camps. “I wanted to create an environment that focused on this philosophy -that it’s not just about learning tones of tunes, but we show them how to play better. We focus a lot on musicality, rhythm and tone.”
She believes the Janie’s Jumpstart Camps accomplishes that goal by facilitating small classes (max eight students per instructor), using great teachers, providing delicious food, a offering lots of jamming. “We give 100% access to the instructors, and hold the events in a comfortable, relaxed environment,” she Campers jamming in the kitchen said. “The soluOne such camp is run by Jane tion was to create a house camp Rothfield, called Janie’s Jumpstart model, held in homes, and so far it Traditional Music Weekend Camps. has worked very well.” Jane is an accomplished performer and teacher of both fiddle and clawhammer banjo, and plays a variety of musical styles including Old Time, Contra Dance, Celtic and Folk styles. She grew up just outside of New York City, but from the age of 10 through high school, she lived in Connecticut, “which was full of traditional fiddling, bluegrass and other roots music,” she commented. Although she started fiddling in High School, even working in an all student old time/bluegrass band (Mint Julep), her music took a slight turn of interest when we she met her then future husband, Scottish singer/guitarist Allan Carr, during a college year in Aberdeen, Scotland. “My music took a turn towards Celtic Music and we had a successful career during the 80’s, melding Appalachian Old Time and Scottish Traditional music. We recorded 3 LP’s, toured throughout the UK and United States,” she recalled. www.JaniesJumpStart.com
All of the Jumpstarts are held in peoples homes, with the host usually being a student as well. “They are very turn key in that I do everything from planning, hiring, organizing the meals, and the finances,” she said. “The host really just turns over their house to me and off we go.” “The camps are for Novice and Intermediate-Advanced musicians who want to improve their playing, increase their repertoire and have a chance to meet and play with other musicians and instructors in the genre of music they love. So far I have focused mainly on Old Time Music but I am also looking to expand into other genres, instruments and singing. The camper will experience a focus on learning in a supportive, comfortable environment, in small classes with others who are at the same level as they are. Plus, the socializing, jamming and being part of a unique and fun community who love music makes the experience less intimidating.”
www.AmericanaRhythm.com
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November 2016 The sisters from Gold Heart
Jocey Gold
W
e double checked the hotel room, making sure we had our passports and belongings. With seven people traveling, sometimes it’s easy to leave something behind. After going through TSA, we boarded the first plane, excited to begin our trip to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. Two layovers and three flights later, we landed safely in the Yukon. We could see that the Land of the Midnight Sun was beautiful, because it was still daylight when we landed around midnight. After we got our luggage and rental cars, we started on our short drive up to the cabin. Just minutes into our drive we spotted a big moose off the dirt road. We slammed on our brakes and got our cameras out. Good thing it was daylight, right? We woke up the next morning ready for an adventure. We did a little research before the trip and found a
coffee shop we really wanted to try called Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters. They brew some tasty coffee. I ordered an iced lavender latte with whipped cream. For lunch we ate at a local favorite called The Klondike Steak and Salmon House. The food was great. After supper we visited Fish Lake, just a few kilometers from our cabin. We took some great shots that included both bald and golden eagles. The next day we met up with some super nice festival folks who took us on a tour of Whitehorse. We got to see many cool things like the Yukon River, The SS Klondike and Miles Canyon. The day ended with a BBQ at the home of our new Whitehorse friends. On day three we made the two hour drive from Whitehorse to Haines Junction where the Festival was being held. The drive was spectacular! It was hard to not pull over every five minutes to take pictures of the rivers, glacier capped mountains and wildlife!
SEPTEMBER (AMA) Americana Music Festival September 20 - 24, 2016 Nashville, TN www.americanamusic.org Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival September 22 - 24, 2016 Buena Vista, VA www.nothinfancybluegrass.com
After arriving at the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival grounds, we unloaded equipment, instruments and band merch before our sound check. The sound crew was awesome, which is always a bonus, because it makes our job all the better! The green room was great and the catered meals were fresh and locally grown. Eating healthy on the road is a challenge, but not at the Kluane Festival. Thanks everyone! Our show that evening was an absolute blast!! The crowd was energetic and everyone in the band had such a good time on stage. Traveling the world and playing music with your family is the best! We enjoyed meeting everyone after the show. My sisters and I gave an intense harmony workshop, and our students were really interactive. We performed in the Grand Hall and in the Vintage Log Church. Adam Haynes, of the Grascals, joined us for a song. He and Shelby played some heavenly sounding twin fiddle together. We definitely couldn’t pass up a boat ride and fishing trip with our new friend, Randy. The glacier water of Lake Kathleen has the most amazing
OCTOBER Mountain Magic Bluegrass Fest. October 1, 2016 Buchanan, VA www.townofbuchanan.com Wide Open Bluegrass Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, 2016 Raleigh, NC www.wideopenbluegrass.com
Watermelon Park Fest September 22 - 25, 2016 Berryville, VA www.watermelonparkfest.com
Jumpin’ Bluegrass & VA State Bluegrass Championship October 6 - 9, 2016 Chesterfield, VA www.vafolkmusic.org
Outerbanks Bluegrass Festival September 20 - 24, 2016 Roanoke Island, NC www.bluegrassisland.com
The Festy Experience October 7 - 9 , 2016 Nelson County, VA www.thefesty.com
Misty Mountain Music Festival September 23 - 25, 2016 Crozet, VA www.mistymountainmusicfestival.com
Shakorihills Grassroots Festival October 6 - 9, 2016 Pittsboro, NC www.shakorihillsgrassroots.org
IBMA Wide Open September 30 - October 1, 2016 Raleigh, NC www.ibma.org
Richmond Folk Festival October 7 - 9, 2016 Richmond, VA www.richmondfolkfestival.com
Email festival listings to info@americanarhythm.com
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shades of turquoise and deep blue. Dad and Kai got to do a little fishing and Dad caught a nice 10 pound Lake Trout. Of course he had fun bragging about it later. The festival ended in a grand finale. All of the performers gathered on stage to play “On the Sunny Side of the Mountain”. Thank you to everyone at the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival! We can’t wait until next time. On our way back to Whitehorse, we actually spotted…Yep…you guessed it…a grizzly bear! Seeing the grizzly totally made our trip to the Yukon! We had a couple of extra days before flying back to the states, so we drove ‘south to Alaska’. It’s not very often when you get the chance to say that, is it? Alaska was more beautiful than I had imagined, and the quaint little town of Skagway was lots of fun! We saw a brown bear, mountain goats and more bald eagles. “The Land of the Midnight Sun” is now one of Gold Heart’s favorite places to perform. Next we are off to Bismarck, North Dakota for the Missouri River Bluegrass Festival. We’ll have to catch up on sleep another time
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DeweyFest October 14 - 15, 2016 Burlington, NC www.deweyfest.com LEAF October 20 - 23, 2016 Black Mountain, NC www.theleaf.org 40th Home Craft Days Festival October 14 - 16, 2015 Big Stone Gap, VA www.homecraftdays.org Blue Ridge Folk Life Festival October 22 , 2016 Ferrum, VA www.blueridgeinstitute.org Boo Grass By The Lake October 29 - 30 , 2016 Wakefield, VA www.airfieldconference.org All American Indoor Bluegrass November 17 - 19, 2016 Fishersville, VA www.americasmusicfest.com
Circa Blue Christmas I had the good fortune recently to sit in on the making of the annual Christmas album that National Media Services releases every year as its Christmas card. The featured performers for this year are the Circa Blue Bluegrass Band. During a break in the recording session, I sat down for a short chat with Mr. Steve Harris, founder, guitarist, lead and harmony vocals for the group. “This is a great opportunity for us,” Steve injected. Circa Blue is based in Martinsburg, WVA, and hosts their own festival every spring. The additional members of the band consist of Malia Furtado (Fiddle, Lead and Harmony Vocals); Ashley Stewart (Bass, Lead & Harmony Vocals); Garrett Wren (Mandolin, Lead and Harmony Vocals); and Matt Hickman (Banjo). The group records for the Orange Blossom Records label and is currently performing in support of its latest release titled, Once Upon A Time. I asked Steve how they got the band together. He replied, “I put together the original band about five years ago but it did not have the current lineup. Matt Hickman, the banjo player has been with us from the beginning.”
Steve said that he came up with the name. “As you know, the term Circa is used to denote a general era or time so we just combined it with the Blue for bluegrass. The term is a Latin word for around or about and I thought it fit us because we are around or about bluegrass. We are not traditional and do not claim to be. We are not afraid to branch out not to be disrespectable but rather to be unique. We believe that good music is good music.” I asked Steve if he was a life-long player and was surprised when he said that he was not. Steve said, “It’s a weird story. I played a lot when I was younger. My dad had a family band. We were young children at the time and he bought instruments for all us kids (four boys and a girl). Mom was musically inclined, and when I was in my teens I played with the family
November 2016
By Edward Tutwiler Steve Harris at National Media Services
band. When I got married, my work career took me down a different path. I completely dropped music for 20some years. My brother started going to the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival and he kept urging me to attend with him. I finally went with him one year and while sitting there in the audience, I had an emotional experience. To this day I wonder why I ever walked away from the music. Had I stayed with it, where would I be today? So that is what got me back into music about five years ago. I had to relearn and the guitar is not my first instrument. I’m really a banjo player”
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We wondered when songwriting came into his life. Steve replied, “Way back I wrote a bit and we actually recently cut one song that I wrote when I about 14 years old. I didn’t write a lot but when I got back into the music it struck me to do more. I’m an impulsive writer. There has to be something that spurs the impulse. I can not just set down and write a song. However, it is good to be able to write and perform your own music.” I asked Steve (with a tongue in cheek approach) if this music endeavor was a full time gig or did he still have a day job (actually, Steve is a successful contractor). Steve chuckled and replied, “It is full time but it is not full time; however, I think it would be the greatest thing in the world if I could make a living doing this full time. It would just be incredible, but will that happen, maybe when I’m older.” We pressed him to see if that was his goal as a band, and Harris came back with, “You know, you must marry that dream with reality given the genre of music we play. You know the folks that do make a living doing this have a haggard look on their faces. I think we have the best of both worlds right now ”
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For more on the band ahd their upcoming CD release, or their festival, visit www.circa-blue.com
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November 2016
Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles in iTunes!
Beth Marlin Beth “Bethie” Marlin is no stranger to the music industry. In fact, her many accolades include a stint as a BMG kids’ recording artist, Parents Choice awards, writing for Disney TV, and work on groundbreaking educational software. But what she’s most excited about at the moment is getting back to her roots – folk roots that is. She has just released her 7th album, Railroad. Beth wrote her first song and started performing out in the world when she was just 13 years old. “Yes, I have been at it quite a while. I’m in my sixth musical decade, and it’s been quite a lovely journey,” she commented recently. “My dad sort of thrust me into this musical adventure when I entered some music competitions in my home state of New York, playing guitar and singing a rendition of “Moon River.” “I kind of became a vagabond of music around age 21,” Beth said. “I became a huge fan of the Beatles music, and I decided after hearing Paul McCartney I wanted to be a writer and a singer. I started my career in Columbia, Missouri officially where I sang in some little coffee shops.” By the late 70s, she was in a rock and roll band in LA. And in 1990 she released her first children’s album. In 2012, she moved to San Francisco, where she picked back up her folk career and began performing throughout the Bay Area. One of her recent highlights include a featured spot at the Yerba Buena Night Festival in San Francisco, two years in a row. She is now a feature performer at many of the area music venues and claims status as “one of the city’s busiest singer/songwriters, even participating in a weekly event called the KC Turner Meetup where Beth, along with several other veterans and newcomers gather as a community to share stories and songs with each other. “A lot of young musicians come to me to talk about pathways and opportunities – it’s a very rewarding part of this journey.”
Colorado singer/ songwriter R Michael Rhodes says he’s a firm believer in, “it’s never too late to be what you might have been.” It’s a se n t i m e n t originally penned by poet Mary Ann Evans, (AKA) George Eliot, and speaks volumes to Mike, a late comer of sorts to the professional side of performing music. Mike, who grew up in rural Wyoming and North Dakota, was surrounded by a tight-knit community, supportive of his musical endeavors. His ability to learn music by ear stuck with him through out his life and allowed him to hone his craft while a life for him, for the most part, unfolded outside music. Although he dabbled in music in the early 80s in and around the Nashville area, as he puts it, “Life sort of got in the way; marriage, kids, etc. I had basically given up on it – until recently. I ran across some musicians in Denver, and we started jamming together for fun. I thought, maybe I can do some writing again, and even perform again.” Mike got a little momentum and encouragement and eventually recorded a collection of his songs. “I was pretty happy with what we came up with,” he said. “It really restarted my musical pursuit.” The Littleton, CO resident has not quite made the transition to full time musician though. While it’s certainly a desire and a goal, Michael still holds down a day job as an IT manager, and he spends off his time writing, rehearsing with his guitar, coaching youth wrestling, and engaging with his church community. But the idea of, “it’s never too late,” is not far from his mind. “What’s my career after I retire from the day job is never far from my mind. I love music, and being around music. I know that is where I want to be.” His new EP, After All These Years, and the first video/single, “The Only Song,” are out and doing well for Mike. “It’s a great start to getting me where I want to be,” he commented.
Bow Thayer says he’s been “singing and writing songs for as long as I can remember.” While Americana music hasn’t always been the genre’ he’s played in, his reputation as “a sublimely gifted artist” has him pursuing a new creative vision that, as his press puts it, “seeks to lead Americana music into the future.” He’s rubbed elbows with many noted artists, and made a name for himself in Boston with 7 League Boots, a rock/reggae band that shared the stage with the likes of Fugazi, The Mighty Might Bosstones, and Pearl Jam. In the early 2000’s, Bow decided it was time for a change – he left the city for the Green Mountains of Vermont, where he began exploring the Delta blues, playing slide guitar, and began a new relationship with the banjo. This onetime Levon Helm compatriot finds the Vermont lifestyle pleasing to the soul, and now enjoys his time play out almost as much and he enjoys spending time in his hand built, from scratch, cabin studio. “After doing the gorilla warfare kind of touring, sleeping on couches and under the van kind of thing, I really had this feeling that I needed some dirt under my feet,” he recalled of his move to Vermont.” Bow literally chopped down a bunch of trees, hued his own timbers, and even made some of his own tools for the build. “I’ve always been a carpenter since I was a teenager, to help make ends meet. So I figured I could put that to use here. All the while, playing the banjo and guitar, and writing songs.” His recent CD, Sundowser, is a product of that process. “It’s more in line with my version of progressive mountain music,” Bow said. “The theme though is loosely based on harvesting the sun. We recorded it right after I had solar panels installed. So we did the whole thing under solar power, which I thought was pretty cool,” he added.
To find out more, visit www.michaelrhodes.com
To find out more, visit www.bethmarlin.com Check out
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Bow Thayer
R Michael Rhodes
To find out more, vivit www.bowthayer.com on iTunes
www.AmericanaRhythm.com www.AmericanaRhythm.com
November 2016
Practicing Guitar continued from page 15 twice a day is far more effective than slogging through it for one 30 minute session.
Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/ americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles in iTunes!
Mark T I first met Mark “T” Tobolsky at a Folk Alliance conference in San Diego, CA over a decade ago. Originally from the upper North East, Mark made the move to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia nearly 10 years ago where we reconnected. “I always remembered how beautiful and inspirational the mountains and valley were, and it felt like a really great place for a fresh start in life,” He told me. Mark started playing guitar when he was just eight years old. High school years playing music led to pursuing a musical education, eventually attending Rutgers University where he studied music theory and classical guitar. In 1978 he joined the Just for Play Country Dance Band where he got the chance to perform with artists like the Oak Ridge Boys, Brenda Lee, Marty Haggard, Melba Montgomery and Jon Anderson. After his move to Virginia, he found himself working for National Media Services in Front Royal, and becoming re-exposed to music, and the ever growing folk/bluegrass/string music genre’. In 2011, he jumped back in the studio to lay down a bunch of original tunes and a few covers on a CD that would begin to open doors for him in a new way. Additionally, the mountains he loved so much began offering a stage for Mark and his music. Now a regular staple at several of the lodges in the Shenandoah National Park, Mark said, “I feel very blessed to have regular gigs playing in a part of the country I enjoy so much.” A career pinnacle of sorts, Mark had the honor to perform at Merlefest in the spring of 2016. It’s one of the largest music festivals in the country, and opened up Mark’s music to a whole new audience. His unique style includes an eclectic mix of acoustic music ranging from classical and finger-style instrumentals and originals to his unique spin on hits of the 70’s, 80’s 90’s and more. His 2011 CD, A Child Of Lir, is available through his web site and CD Baby. To find out more, visit www.marktmusic.com Check out
Free Dirt Records
* Isolate and Repeat. Once a technique or tune is 80 – 90% developed, we tend to say “I got it,” and start playing the tune over and over. Often there’s one or two small sections where we make mistakes, but we just gloss over them thinking it’s “good enough.” However, what we’re really doing is practicing making mistakes! Isolate the problem spot and practice it over and over on a loop until you can perform it with confidence and competence then practice the whole piece. You’ll soon have the entire piece 100% down. * Some is better than none. Before you say “I don’t have time to practice today.” Think about whether or not you have time to check email and social media, surf Google and YouTube, watch television, etc. Do you really not have time or do you just not have your priorities straight? Five or ten minutes is better than no minutes.
In 2006, John Smith and Erica Haskell formed Free Dirt records as a direct byproduct for a project they were working on. John has been in the music business for over 20 years. After high school, John made the trek to Seattle, Washington for college and found himself right in the middle of the 90’s Seattle music migration. “Being in that scene was a really special thing to experience,” he recalled. John was already interested in the business of music after spending several years working in a record store, and as a DJ back home in Olympia. The Seattle experience further fueled John’s love of the industry. An opportunity came among for John to work for Smithsonian Folkways Records, where he met then co-worker Erica Haskell. He spent the next 15 years working with their preservation program for traditional music. “About halfway through that experience, in 2006, I decided to start a little record label on the side with Erica. We had been working on a project for the Smithsonian working with the late, great folk singer Bruce “Utah” Phillips. We discovered that he was working on a greatest hits project of sorts, and we got very involved over the next four years producing that project for him. When we finished, our thoughts were, that was fun, let’s try doing it again. That’s basically how and why we started the label.” Today, from their headquarters in Takoma, D.C., they represent nearly a dozen artists providing, not just management, but also distribution, and publishing administration. “We seek to release good and important work that we hope educates and enlightens,” their web site says, as well as to “seek out and preserve archival traditional music.” John concluded, “Working at the Smithsonian and being a part of a great mission driving, historical based record label like the Folkways, was very influential on me. Preserving music and educating people is at the forefront of what they do, and it’s heavily on our minds as well as influencing what we do at Free Dirt.” To find out more, visit www.freedirtrecords.com
* Set a time and place to practice. What gets scheduled gets done. A dedicated space set up with all our tools out and handy helps you get going right away and eliminates excuses. * Get a teacher. Working with a dedicated, experienced, knowledgable and professional teacher is the most efficient and effective way to reach your guitar playing goals. They’ll provide direction, encouragement and correction, accountability and inspiration.
About the Author
Scott Perry is a vintage blues guitarist and the creator of GuidedGuitarLessons.com. He is dedicated to cultivating a love of music and music making. His method is built on personalized, step-by-step lessons that encourage self-expression and exploration. Find more about setting up a practice space and schedule in his free course, New Guitarist Guidebook HYPERLINK “https://www.guidedguitarlessons.com/ store/o5WJZJom”&HYPERLINK “ ht t ps : // www. gu i de d gu i ta r le s so n s. c om/ st o re / o5WJZJom” Checklist.
Rabbit In The Log continued from page 11 You might find it interesting to compare the Prairie Ramblers’ recording of “Gonna Have Feast Here Tonight” from 1935 to the Monroe Brothers’ 1938 version they called “Feast Here Tonight.” Both are available on YouTube. Because Bill and Charlie’s lyrics are practically a carbon copy of the earlier recording of the Prairie Ramblers, it’s logical to assume that they learned the lyrics right off the 78 rpm record after seeing them play that song live on the National Barn Dance. Of course, the main difference between the two recorded performances is that the Monroe Brothers played it as fast as a spooked rabbit! ********************************* Wayne Erbsen is an active musician and teacher with more than 30 instruction books for banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and ukulele to his credit. For more information, visit www.nativeground.com.
on iTunes www.AmericanaRhythm.com
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November 2016
Music From The National Scene
Music From Your Neighbors
welcome to this edition of
SPINS! Check out all this wonderful ear candy! (in no special order) - This collection will keep you busy for hours - Grab your iPad or Smart Phone and dial up some of these fine folks. And please let them know we sent you. Conference goers and Americana artists; want to know how to get your CD in AR? We have several ways. Just ask! www.AmericanaRhythm.com Uncle Woody, The Spin Doctor PO Box 45 Bridgewater, VA 22812
The Coteries Reason In The Road
Dwight Yoakam Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars www.dwightyoakam.com
www.joekwalsh.com
www.clairelynch.com
www.thepricesisters.com
This Berklee College of Music faculty member has done musical stints with Darol Anger and the Gibson Brothers, and founded the roots band, Joy Kills Sorrow. His latest solo project, Borderland, is rich in songwriting and voice
Claire is a three time female vocalist of the year for IBMA and a 2016 nominee. Her latest bluegrass/americana project, North By South, pays hom age to Canad ian songwriters in honor of her new Canadian husband
Lauren and Leanna Price caught the attention of Rebel Records owner, Dave Freeman, at the 2013 IBMA convention. “These girls were something special,” he recalled. Fastforward, their latest self titled CD is dead on
Valerie Smith
The Lonely Heartstring Band Deep Waters
Mickey Galyean & Cullen’s Bridge My Daddy’s Grass
Adam Steffey Here To Stay
www.lonelyheartstringband.com
www.cullensbridge.com
This bluegrass/Americana band “made my hair stand on end,” said Darol Anger, Associate Professor Berklee Deep Waters is their debut CD, but you wouldn’t know it. It has musical depth, and maturity
Steeped in tradition, Mickey Galyean and Cullen’s Bridge are keeping the old Carolina style of bluegrass alive with their latest, My Daddy’s Grass. A tribute to Mickey’s dad, Cullen, who passed in 2011. It’s solid gold grass
Adam Steffey is a well decorated bluegrass musician - 11 time IBMA Mandolin player of the year - and multiple Grammys - so when he puts out a new CD; well, it’s good, really good. Here To Stay, his latest, is top shelf bluegrass
Red Tail Ring Fall Away Blues
Woodland West Devil To Pay
This Is The Year
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www.thecoteries.com
www.sonoluminus.com
The Coteries are one of my favorite new bands this year. Now, a full time touring band, This trio’s played over 200 shows in their first year on the road. A little bit grass, a little bit folk, and a whole lot of personality, they are one for your watch list for sure
Already with several IBMA, Grammy, and Dove nominations - Valerie Smith is another bluegrass gal to keep your eyes on this year. An award winning song writer too, she’s high octane grass. And her new CD is off the charts, or course
Laurence Jones Take Me High
Si Cranstoun
www.laurencejonesmusic.com
How ‘bout a little blues? Laurence Jones is the 2014, 2015 Young Artist of the Year winner of the British Blues Awards. No wonder. His smokin’ guitar riffs and raw vocals make him sound well seasoned for his age. You’ll like this
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The Price Sisters The Price Sisters
“Melodically, it’s just part of my nature,” Yoakam says, “part of the birthright, I guess, in my DNA,” Dwight Yoakam said of his new bluegrass CD. If you’re a fan of Yoakam’s style of music, THIS is a must add. L.O.V.E it
9 Liberty Lane
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Claire Lynch North By South
Joe K. Walsh Borderland
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www.adamsteffey.com
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Old School www.sicranstoun.com
www.redtailwing.com
www.woodlandband.com
Probably my most favorite disc in this issue - Si Cran stoun’ s Old School nearly bounced outta my computer. Good cl assic, American 50s/60s vibe. Their press says, “It’s clinically impossible to stay depressed” when you listen to this. Yep
This Kalamazoo, Michigan duo has the low down on traditional music for sure with their new, Fall Away Blues. This is their fourth full length CD together, 12 tracks of original and traditional cuts. Keep your eyes on this pair
Seattle is home for this five piece progressive bluegrass band. Formed in 2014, Devil To Pay, is their dedut CD. They mix traditional string instruments with electric guitar, clavinet, and even an organ to derive their uniquely appealing sound
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You can send new Americana CD releases for consideration to PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812
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Yarn www.yarnmusic.net
Once splintered and unsure, Yarn found themselves ooking for new beginnings. A move from Brooklyn to North Carolina - and the eventual new disc, This Is The Year brought hope and optimism back to this Americana/Roots rock band. This could be their best disc to date
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November 2016
John Prine
We’d love to show up in your mail box six times a year!
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