The Bluegrass Standard - Volume 2, Issue 3

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INSIDE: Cody Sisters  Blue Highway  Philip Steinmetz  Deanna Efaw  Backline  and more! ...

Volume 2 ~ Issue 3

HI GHLIGH T S !

8 Sideline

46

Barefoot Movement

41

Dave’s Highway

57 Glen Campbell THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

The Bluegrass Standard The Bluegrass Standard magazine is published monthly.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of The Bluegrass Standard or its staff, advertisers or readers with the exception of editorials.

Publication of the name or the photograph of any person, business or organization in articles or advertising in The Bluegrass Standard is not to be construed as any indication of support of such person, business or organization. The Bluegrass Standard disclaims any responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

Advertising rates are subject to change without notice. The Bluegrass Standard reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any advertising for any reason. It is our policy to publish any letters to the editor that are signed and verifiable by phone number. We reserve the right of anonymity upon request. Letters must be grammatically correct, clarity and original and free of libel. The Bluegrass Standard reserves the right to decline publishing or reprinting any letter.

Please forward any letters to: editor@thebluegrassstandard. com The views expressed are not necessarily those of The Bluegrass Standard. Copyright Š2018. All Rights reserved. No portion of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the expressed consent of the publisher.

Th e Blu e gr as s S t a nd ard S t a f f This month's Contributing Writer: Daniel Wile Keith Barnacastle • Publisher The Bluegrass Standard represents a life-long dream for Keith Barnacastle, who grew up in Meridian, Mississippi.

For three years, Keith brought the Suits, Boots and Bluegrass Festival to Meridian, allowing him to share his appreciation for the music of his youth with fans from across the country. Now, with the Bluegrass Standard, Keith's enthusiasm for the music and his vision of its future reaches a nationwide audience, every month!

Richelle Putnam • Managing Journalist Editor Richelle Putnam is a Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) Teaching Artist/Roster Artist (Literary), a Mississippi Humanities Speaker, and a 2014 MAC Literary Arts Fellowship recipient. Her non-fiction books include Lauderdale County, Mississippi; a Brief History, Legendary Locals of Meridian, Mississippi and Mississippi and the Great Depression. She writes for many publications.

Shelby Campbell • Journalist Editor Shelby Campbell is a writer and designer whose heart beats for creativity. A native of rural Livingston, AL, she found her passion in journalism and design at The University of West Alabama, where she received a Bachelor's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. Shelby is the web designer and creative specialist for The Angie Denney Agency in Pensacola, Florida. She also has her own photography business, Shelby Campbell Photography.

Kara Martinez Bachman • Journalist Kara Martinez Bachman is an author, editor and entertainment journalist.

Her music and culture reporting has appeared in dozens of publications and she's interviewed many performers over the years, from local musicians to well-known celebrities.

She's a native of New Orleans and lives just outside the city with her husband, two kids, and two silly mutts.

Stephen Pitalo • Journalist Stephen Pitalo has been an entertainment journalist for more than 30 years, having interviewed everyone from Joey Ramone to Bill Plympton to John Landis. He is the world’s leading authority on the The Golden Age of Music Video (1976-1993), mining inside stories from interviews 70+ music video directors and countless artists of the pre-internet music era. You can check out his blog GoldenAgeOfMusicVideo.com.

Susan Marquez • Journalist Susan Marquez is a freelance writer based in Madison, Mississippi and a Mississippi Arts Commission Roster Artist. After a 20+ year career in advertising and marketing, she began a professional writing career in 2001. Since that time she has written over 2000 articles which have been published in magazines, newspapers, business journals, trade publications.

James Babb • Creative Director James Babb is a native Californian, and a long-time resident of Palm Springs. He has been involved in creative work of many types, ranging from electronic design in the 1980's, to graphic and online design today.

In addition to his work for The Bluegrass Standard, James designs and produces large-format graphics for trade shows and special events. James also provides custom framing of paintings by artists from his local community.

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CONTENTS 8

Sideline

12

The Cody Sisters

16

Blue Highway

19

Philip Steinmetz

23

The Quebe Sisters THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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The Rail Splitters

30

Deanna Efaw

33

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars:

38

Blue Mafia

41

Daves Highway

Kristen Bearfield

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Barefoot Movement

49

Borrowed Tyme Band

53

Backline

57

Back Porch: Glen Campbell

60

Festival Guide

63

Suits, Boots & Bluegrass

fan photos THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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CONTENTS

TOMORROW'S BLUEGR ASS STARS

by Susan Marquez 8

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It began as an off-season side project. “We were all playing in other bands

at the time,” says Steve Dilling, fighting a scratchy throat after a several-city run in the northeast. But when Steve Dilling, Jason Moore and Skip Cherryholmes got together in their off time, it was bluegrass magic. That side project became a full-time deal in 2013 when three more members joined the band they called Sideline, named after their successful side project. Now five years later, the three original musicians are still with the band, while the other three faces have changed.

The band has enjoyed success from the beginning, and rightfully so. The combined years of playing professionally is mind-boggling. “I’ve been on the road since 1984,” said Dilling, who serves as the spokesperson for the band. “In 2017 alone we had 115 tour dates.” Judging from the tour dates listed on the band’s website, they’ll probably have that many or more when all is said and done at the end of 2018.

Dilling plays banjo in Sideline, something he’s loved since he was ten years old. He started playing in earnest at age twelve, and in time started the Bass Mountain Boys before joining the Lonesome River Band. He played for over twenty years with Russell Moore and III Tyme Out. Skip Cherryholmes is married to Dilling’s daughter. He plays guitar, coming to Sideline after playing with his family’s band, Cherryholmes, for thirteen years. The family won the 2005 IBMA Entertainer of the Year award and was nominated for five GRAMMY ® awards. He played with Lou Reed and Carolina, and works as an engineer and producer at Old Stage Recording Studio in Raleigh, North Carolina.

On bass is Jason Moore, who began playing bluegrass in 1993 with James King. He has been on three GRAMMY ®-nominated projects and has been nominated “Best Bass Player of the Year” four times at IBMA, where he won “Recorded Event of the Year” twice as well as winning “Gospel Event of the Year.”

The band is rounded out with Nathan Aldridge on fiddle, Troy Boone on mandolin and Bailey Coe on guitar. Together the group recorded Sideline’s fourth album, which will be released on April 27th. Titled “Front and Center,” the album features many original tunes, as well as a few standards.

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“We have been lucky that people approach us with songs everywhere we play. We’ll take them and listen, and if we hear something we like, we’ll share with the other band members.”

It’s a collaborative effort, with all band members agreeing on a song before going forward. The upcoming album is Sideline’s first with Mountain Home Music Group. “It’s a new record label for us, and we are really excited about it,” says Dulling. “Tim Surrett from Balsam Range produced it and he did a great job.”

One of the standards on the upcoming LP is an old Johnson Mountain Boys song. “We changed the feel of it a bit to fit our style,” says Dilling. “We really like it and think listeners will, too.” Dilling says that the band listens to a lot of old bluegrass music. “In our concerts we play to the crowd. We never have a set playlist. We will know the first few songs we sing, and all the while we’ll size up the audience. If they are older, we play a lot of the old traditional songs using a clawhammer banjo. But if they are a younger audience, we will play more contemporary songs.

That makes it fun for us, too, to mix it up a bit. We sometimes take requests from the audience, but that can be challenging if it’s a song we haven’t played in a while! One thing’s for sure, no two shows are ever the same, and that keeps it exciting for us.”

Steve Dilling

The band travels in a large tour bus that is covered in a colorful wrap touting Swaggerty’s Farm Sausage from Kodak, Tennessee. “They’re our sponsors, and we are grateful for it,” Dilling says. “We enjoy being on the bus, which is good, because we spend a lot of time on it. It would be hard to travel the way we do without it. We are self-contained on the bus, with beds, TV’s and such.”

And while family doesn’t travel with them on the bus, they do attend local shows and recently accompanied them when they played on a cruise ship. “And of course they’ll be at the festival we host, Little John’s Mountain Music Festival on Memorial Day weekend in Burlington, North Carolina. “The festival has been going for forty years, and we became the host band last year,” explains Dilling. “It’s so much fun. We have a big potluck dinner at the cabin, and we’ll do some picking with the fans at the campground.

Skip puts on a corn hole tournament and we’ll do some workshops during the weekend.”

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Jason Moore

Skip Cherryholmes

Troy Boone

Bailey Coe

For more information about Sideline, visit their website at www.sidelinebg.com Information on Little John’s Mountain Music Festival can be found at www.littlejohnsmountainmusic.com

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Wanna Feel Good?

Check Out the Joyful, Lightnin’-Fast Pickin’ of The Cody Sisters Band

It’s delightful to watch a performance by The Cody Sisters Band.

Take in just a few of this Colorado-based trio’s online videos, and you’ll feel a notably lighter mood and will inevitably think: They look so happy.

They jam with an innocent lilt that rubs off on the listener with ease and relay a joy that’s almost palpable; it’s clear they love music. Half-a-song in, and you won’t help but grin right along with them.

The Cody Sisters Band includes 15-year-old Megan Cody, vocalist, guitarist, and mandolinist who took first place at the 2016 New Mexico Flatpicking Competition; her sister, 13-year-old Maddie Cody, who at her young age is already singing, writing songs, playing banjo, guitar and mandolin, and who is described as a “Young Loretta Lynn or Hazel Dickens”; and the girls’ dad, upright bass player Steve Cody, who provides the low-down rhythm.

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“We’re not a traditional bluegrass sounding band,” Steve Cody said. They describe their music as a blending of “old time, swing, gypsy jazz, jazz, folk and modern bluegrass.”

Cody explained that the youthfulness of his girls results in fiddle tunes that are notably absent of adult issues of loss or suffering.

To be honest, this is just as it should be, and is why the music is a potent antidote to feeling low.

“They write their own music,” he said. “They write a lot of positive-message stuff.”

Cody himself actually started out as a juggler and comedian, skills he said aid in putting on a better show. He said he’s taught the girls how to engage an audience by telling jokes but admits he sometimes “forgets” that they haven't spent several years working as a comic as he had.

In the past he’s played piano, guitar, mandolin, banjo, great highland bagpipes, and even the penny whistle. It’s only in recent years, though, that he’s been plucking at the upright bass. He took to the bass because the girls needed someone to back their gentle harmonies and expert pickin’.

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“I was a festival guy, I’d go to festivals as a fan and jam in the circles when I could,” he explained. He wanted his kids to experience that feeling that comes with sharing music, so put guitars in their hands. Pretty soon, his daughters were burning up the strings.

“They got better than me quickly,” he said. “I think I saw it actually happen.”

He was in a jam with one of them and right there on the spot, came to the realization they’d both eclipsed him on guitar.

He said his wife is “a great supporter of our bluegrass habit,” so she was fine with him picking up the bass and starting to perform for audiences. Since that time, they've all honed their skills even more. As students at the school for artistically talented children, Denver School of the Arts, both sisters major in guitar and perfect their craft for an hour-and-a-half each school day.

Although Cody jokingly worries that one day he’ll be replaced by a young, good-looking bass player, the girls have made no hard-and-fast future plans.

As for now, though, they seemed headed down a path that leads straight to the professional folk community.

In 2017 they released in digital the indie album “Strings,” and are in the studio now, working on a second that should be released by summer.

“We have seven tracks right now, but might add our own takes on some standards,” he added.

The debut recording garnered a little attention in England, so in addition to dates in the U.S., they’ll be doing a two-week, 15-night tour there this summer.

“We’ve never done England before, we’re really excited about it,” Cody said.

“Ultimately, what I like about this whole thing is this is just like two girls who sit on the edge of their beds and make music,” explained the proud father. No doubt, that’s why the music seems so fresh and unpretentious.

At the band’s website, a written comment made clear just how fortunate he thinks his family is to have so much fun together. Wherever the path leads, it seems clear it’s been an absolute blast.

“I just buckled up and went along for the ride,” Cody commented. “Really, all I wanted to do was play music with my kids after dinner or on the weekends. I got lucky in a way that I couldn’t imagine.”

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For 24 years, Blue Highway has given their fans what they want, original lyrics pressed into emotionally driven musical scores.

“The main goal of music is to make somebody feel something,” said Jason Burleson, the group’s riveting banjo player. “If you listen to music and it doesn’t do anything to you then you might as well be listening to a fly buzzing around you.” A good song will take somewhere if you listen to it, he continues. You become that character, whatever character is in that song.

That’s the mark of a good song. “Just to Have a Job” is one song that sticks with Burleson because he lost a loved one who was a truck driver. “Every time I hear that song, the words make me think of him because it’s about a truck driver out on the road. His back is hurting and he’s ready to lay down somewhere.”

Co-founder of the band, Tim Stafford, said original material has been a big part of the band since it started and that the identity of the group is the material they write. “Most of the songs are written by Wayne [Taylor] and Shawn [Lane] and myself separately. We’ll bring them in and then we’ll pick out what we think is the best,” he added. “I think that’s one of the big reasons why we are still together after 24 years.”

Jason usually comes up with the instrumental solo, if the band wants to do one. “If it’s a vocal song, I try to structure everything around the melody. I think if you do that,

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you can hardly go wrong. A lot of people try to do a lot of fancy stuff, but I like to hear people play the words of the song.”

As one of the most awarded and forceful bands in bluegrass history, Blue Highway has been nominated for three Grammys and has received a Dove Award and 27 IBMA Awards. The peculiar thing about the band’s 24-year success is that it was intended it to be a part-time group.

“I really had no intention in playing again after I left Alison’s band,” said Tim, who, in 1990, was hired by Alison Krauss along with Adam Steffey and Barry Bales. Like Tim, Adam and Barry hailed from Kingsport, Tennessee and were former bandmates in the Dusty Miller band, along with Brian Fesler and Adam’s wife, Tammy Rogers. In January 1992, Tim became a new father, the same year Alison Krauss and Union Station received a Grammy for the CD, Every Time You Say. “I didn’t have any desire to play anymore because we were gone all the time. I wanted to spend time with my son, so I quit the band in May 1992.”

Tim’s early days as a musician was as a drummer loving all kinds of music, especially Rock and Roll. But being born less than four miles from the Virginia line and less than 10 miles as the crow flies from the Carter family home, he was bound to hear bluegrass at some point and time.

“When I was a freshman in high school, the first day I went into concert choir class, there were some guys playing guitar and mandolin and I had no idea what a mandolin was,” said Tim. The mandolin player told Tim all about bluegrass and pointed to a little house at the bottom of the hill, saying that the mama of the best mandolin player in the world lived right down there. “That little house belonged to Doyle Lawson’s mother.

I didn’t know who Doyle was.” In the mid-70s, the king of the Tennessee Bluegrass scene was a band called Country Comfort, which included high school English teacher, Wayne Chilcote. “They did a concert in the choir room and there was something about being in the middle of that sound with all five acoustic instruments, I could hear everything, and it was just so clear and strong. I knew that that’s what I wanted to do.”

And that yearning didn’t die. In 1994, Tim got the urge to play again. “I knew that I could put together a band that would be part-time, that could put together a few records that were really good.” Wayne Taylor would be one of those guys, as well as Shawn Lane, who had called Tim after leaving the Ricky Skaggs band. He was looking for somebody to pick with part-time. Rob Ickes and Jason Burleson were on board, as well.

“It was just a put together of friends to have fun and we got into it,” said Tim “Our first album did really well. and we started getting all kinds of offers for shows.” In time, their part-time band became a full-time band. “It was by happenstance.”

Jason believes the band has worked so well together for so long because, “everybody has an equal say in the band.” All five band members vote on everything. You can’t have THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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a tie vote with five people. “We all have about the same taste musically, so there’s no conflict there. Plus, we’re all just good friends and like family.”

Band members also drive to events separately and stay in separate hotel rooms. “I think that’s a key, too, because we don’t spend all our time together,” said Tim. “When you spend so much time together you are going to argue because families don’t get along perfectly, but we don’t do a lot of that. We have a lot of respect for each other.”

“I think there’s something that happens when certain musicians play together,” said Jason. “You can have five of the best musicians ever and them not gel together as a band.

But sometimes. you get the right combination.”

In December, 2015, the youngest member of Blue Highway, award-winning fiddler and dobro master Gaven Largent, joined the band.

What’s a goal the band still wants to accomplish? “I’d say stay together for 25 years for sure,” said Tim. “Next year, I think we’re doing a big push to do a 25th anniversary record with Rounder Records. That hasn’t been finalized yet. We’ve been with Rounder since 2000. We’re looking for an anniversary record and an anniversary tour.”

Who to thank for their success? Jason: “I’d just like to tell all the fans that attend our shows and bought our records over the years because if it hadn’t been for them, we could not have done it. Thanks to all the fans that have supported us all these years.”

Tim: “We’ve had some great help along the way. With wonderful agents and tour managers (see website). Record label Rounder Records Ricky Skaggs produced fourth record Jerry Douglas produced fifth one. Rounder has been great.”

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Philip Steinmetz Delivers the “Old-Timey” Nostalgia of Yesteryear Nothing brings back feelings of nostalgia like oldfashioned reruns of the TV show, “Hee-Haw.” It depicted a culture that today may be considered naive, or even simple. For some, though, reminders of those days bring yearning for an era when everything seemed somehow sweeter.

Back then, church socials were more important than smartphones, and riding on a tractor put people in touch with the world in ways that could today never be matched by catching an Uber. In its heyday, old-timey fiddle tunes directly mirrored a quaint rural life enjoyed by people who were salt of the earth.

When some think today of those “old-timey” variety show jokes and music, they have vivid memories of entertainers such as Grandpa Jones, the comedian and banjo player we all might wish we’d have had as a member of our family.

Musician Philip Steinmetz was lucky — Grandpa Joe was a member of his family. As his great nephew, Steinmetz carries on in Grandpa Joe’s footsteps.

“It’s in my genes, I guess,” Steinmetz explained. “My dad (also) loved old-time music, and all the old-timers that were kinda the foundation of the Grand Ole Opry.”

He said he was lucky to grow up with visits from Grandpa Jones, who he said would be “pickin’ at one or two in the morning.” When Steinmetz was ten years old, the inevitable happened: the well-known musician had a banjo delivered to the young boy’s house.

Before long, he was teaching his great nephew how to play. And what he taught was pure Grandpa Jones.

“I’ve loved it ever since,” he said. “And when people see me onstage, I’m playing Grandpa’s instruments.”

Not only has he kept those famous old instruments alive, but he’s done his part to keep old-time mountain music living and breathing.

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He admits that in this day and age, and with so many choices, promoters are sometimes wary to hearken back to the old varietyshow style performances Steinmetz carries on with still today. He said the wiser promoters who book him, however, understand there’s still a big fan base among those who love the nostalgia of traditional banjo tunes.

Over the last few years, Steinmetz said he’s had people come up to him after performances and say they were delighted, that “it reminded me of sitting in front of the TV with Dad, or Grandpa, watching ‘Hee-Haw.’” He said his show — which he readily admits is today a fun “novelty” act — tends to be a pleasant surprise for festival audiences. He said today’s modern bluegrass musicians are all incredibly talented, but tend to be similar to each other. After a full lineup like that, one of his sets “gives audiences a break” and serves as a welcome, fun throwback.

“The singing style is different, the banjo playing is different, everything is different,” he said, adding that there’s of course jokes and “cutting up.”

“If done right and done with integrity, it’s just as good when done today,” he said, emphasizing his performances are like multifaceted variety shows.

“We hearken back to the days when you entertained an audience and didn’t just get up there and sing.”

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through the earliest days of folk and mountain music, and features tunes from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and even reaches as far back as the mid-1800s.

One of the cool things that’s happened to Steinmetz recently is that he’s signed on with Turnberry Records, owned by diehard bluegrass fan and publisher of The Bluegrass Standard, Keith Barnacastle. Steinmetz is excited about the new arrangement, and said he hopes to cut a gospel album sometime in the next year, followed by a record of oldtimey bluegrass.

“We've got enough material for endless albums,” he said, of the many songs he’s collected over the years.

“I write very few songs,” he added, “simply because there’s so much of the oldtime music that’s so good.”

Steinmetz recently performed at the SPGMA convention and had a great time.

“It’s always big for our type of music,” he said, “and this was the first SPGMA showcase I’ve ever had. It’s a long time overdue.”

Has he ever considered updating his style, or moving on from the banjo music Grandpa Jones taught him to pick when he was a boy?

Nope, Steinmetz said. It’s just who he is. It’s at his core.

“My reply to that is I do what I do, and I can’t do anything else but old-timey banjo playing,” he laughed. “It’s how I grew up, and it’s what I love.”

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The Quebe Sisters: American Sisters with a True Americana Sound The fiddle-champion Quebe (pronounced Kway-bee) Sisters from Texas are truly authentic and true to themselves with their all-American sound. When Grace, Sophia and Hulda sing their three-part harmony, audiences are blown away by their unique sound and brand of music - blending swing, country, bluegrass and jazz.

While these sisters sing together in close harmony, they also complement their vocals with equally precise fiddles and are accompanied by a sock-rhythm guitar and upright bass. They began playing music together as pre-teens in 2000. Growing up in Burleson, Texas, they attended many fiddle competitions and earned state and national championships for singing—solo and as a group.

Along with headlining their own shows, The Quebe Sisters have held guest spots on The Grand Ole Opry, The Marty Stuart Show, and the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree, as well as sharing stages with countless American music legends. After over a decade of touring the world with their music and recording three albums, The Quebe Sisters are pros in a variety of genres and have a true passion for music.

We got the chance to sit down with the youngest Quebe sister, Hulda, to learn a little more about what makes this band truly special.

The Bluegrass Standard: Where made you guys decide to start a band in your teens?

Hulda Quebe: Our start was pretty organic. Being siblings, we all grew up playing together and competing in contests against each other, so it made sense to work up songs and arrangements and then go play gigs.

TBS: What is your favorite part of this experience?

HQ: It’s a combination of everything about this lifestyle. Traveling, performing, becoming friends with people from all walks of life, having the ability to have a job that we

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are all passionate about, being creative, and, of course, just music in and of itself. Music is the universal language and is its own reward. It has the ability to translate every human emotion, and that's why we all love it.

TBS: What does it mean to you as a band to be able to share the stage with musicians like George Strait, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price?

HQ: There aren’t really words that can describe what it’s like other than it’s the best feeling ever! When you have the opportunity, especially then you are young, it’s the biggest “stamp of approval” you could ask for to share the stage with those that have been so successful and it’s just plain fun!

TBS: What musicians have inspired you as a band throughout your career?

HQ: Oh, so many. Growing up, we did listen to more traditional artists - the likes of Ray Price, Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Smith, and more. Now, it’s a much broader list, especially since we are delving into songwriting. We love Willie Nelson, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson trio, Cannonball Adderley, Colman Hawkins, Donny Hathaway, John Lennon, Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin and the list goes on.

TBS: How do you feel your music resonates with fans?

HQ: Every genre we play is really just dance music, so the common term associated with us is feel good, fun music. We like to have a good time when we’re on stage!

TBS: The Quebe Sisters has played the Grand Ole Opry multiple times. Do you have a favorite Opry moment?

HQ: I’d say it was when we played the Opry at the Ryman Auditorium for the first time.

It was pretty overwhelming to stand on the stage where so many incredible musicians have stood and made their mark on the world.

I actually walked off stage and went to the stairwell and shed a few tears because I was so excited.

TBS: What have you learned from performing in a band with your siblings?

HQ: Communication is key in any band and especially when working with siblings. We all have the same goals for our band, but we do have different approaches to getting those goals accomplished so working through those differences is a must. The ability to be brutally honest with family can be hilariously 24

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difficult at times, but it’s always worth it in the end. We really enjoy, and see, the unique specialty that is our life together.

TBS: What music are you listening to these days?

HQ: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson (the IRS Tapes album is incredible), Harry Nilsson, Aerosmith, John Mayer, Beatles, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Eminem and Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant TBS: When do you feel that you are the most successful at what you do?

HQ: Oh, that’s a hard question. Being someone that’s my own worst critic, I can always find things to improve in.

TBS: What is your mission on what you want to do with your music?

HQ: All our favorite artists were and are innovators, and they each pushed themselves to create and move their genre forward. And that’s the path we want to take and be known for as well.

TBS: Anything new on the horizon for the Quebe Sisters?

HQ: A new album, song writing, touring and much more! Last year was an extremely busy year for us, and 2018 is looking to be even better. We are about to tour Alaska for the first time, so we’re pumped about that!

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The Railsplitters: Bringing the Magic Back to Touring “Does anyone happen to have a blender they want to get rid of?” That was the question The Railsplitters’ Lauren Stovall posed to an audience in Scotland while on a recent European tour. It was an unusual question, coming from the lead singer of the Boulder, Colorado-based bluegrass band. Veterans of tours across the U.S., Europe, and Australia, the Railsplitters should, by now, have everything they need for life on tour, including a blender, if necessary. But the Railsplitters are embarking on a new attitude about touring, and it is bringing them closer to their artistic core and to their growing fan base.

The Railsplitters have had plenty of time to taste the grueling life on the road. The band, consisting of Stovall on guitar, Pete Sharpe on mandolin, Dusty Rider on banjo, Joe D’Esposito on fiddle, and Jean-Luc Davis on bass, recently celebrated its sixth anniversary.

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Throughout their time together, they have learned that touring often means giving up family, friends, and control over some of the most basic facets of life, such as rest and nutrition. “Touring can be really hard and draining,” Stovall says. “A lot of people get in the mindset of thinking they have to grind, grind, grind and keep pushing to the next big break. But that model hasn’t worked well for us, going out busting out bar gig after bar gig just to make a buck.”

That kind of life can have a disastrous effect on creative energy.

“As musicians, we are, by default, emotional people, and it can be really hard on the road if you don’t take care of yourself— not just on the road, but in the long run,” Stovall admits. It is true that the roadside is littered with the carcasses of bands who burned out from the stress of touring.

But instead of accepting the traditional attitudes about touring, the Railsplitters have embraced a new approach. “Lately we’ve been shifting priorities to make tour more pleasant and healthier, mentally and physically,” Stovall says. Scheduling time off and making time to enjoy the places they are visiting are at the core of this new philosophy. In short, Stovall says the principle is this: “Do things that make you feel good and make you healthy.” She adds, “I like to think of it as living tour to the fullest.”

For the band, this touring philosophy enhances their ability to connect with people, which is what folk music is all about. “It’s not only about busting out these shows but also within that tour, taking that time you have in these new places and meeting people and seeing the culture and going to places where you’ve never been but always wanted to go,” Stovall explains. “When you can take a night off and enjoy the culture, that’s when you can say, ‘Now we are living the dream.’”

So, what does this have to do with a blender?

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The Railsplitters’ new approach to touring encompasses how they eat as well as how they spend their time. “Food is a huge priority in our band,” Stovall is quick to admit. “Eating healthy is part of our normal life. Eating restaurant food for two months is just not okay.”

So, the band has been carrying groceries with them on the road.

“One day Joe was saying, ‘When we get back, I’m going to go to a thrift store and get a blender for our next tour, so we can make smoothies on the road.’ I was like, ‘Why don’t we just do it here?’,” Stovall recalls. The band scoured thrift stores across the U.K., looking for a blender. “We didn’t want to deal with paying a lot of money, and we didn’t want to deal with the packaging. We waste a lot of stuff on the road, so we’re finding ways to reduce our waste as much as possible.”

After leaving countless thrift stores empty-handed, Stovall half-jokingly asked a Scottish audience if anyone had a blender to spare. After the show, a lady approached the band exclaiming, “I’ve been having so much trouble getting rid of this blender! No one will take it off my hands! Will you come to my house tomorrow and pick it up?”

“So, we traded her two CDs for a blender and then we had a lovely afternoon with her and her husband,” Stovall says. “They made us tea and muffins. It was amazing!

It was this really cool interaction that we would have never had if we had not asked for a blender.”

The band’s new approach to healthy touring allowed them to take advantage of the opportunity for such a personal connection with fans. “We had time to go meet the woman, meet her husband, meet their dog, and sit by the fire and tell stories,” Stovall says. “That’s the kind of stuff that makes tour really magical.”

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Deanna Efaw

by Richelle Putnam Hard-driving, contemporary bluegrass music is what you’ll get from Matt Efaw and Rural Free Delivery, said Deanna Efaw, the band’s fiddle player and lead singer alongside bandmate and husband, Matt.

The two married in 2015 and reside in the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania area where, after finishing her homeschool education, Deanna moved in with her grandmother who lived there. Deanna grew up around Madison, Ohio, “near Geneva, on the lake,” she said. She and siblings, Claire, Sylvia and Shawn Luke made up The Klein Family band.

Their music teacher, Rick Campbell, drove the bus route on their road and would drop

by Deanna’s house to teach them lessons. “He taught bluegrass music and he was very patient with our whole family. He taught guitar, mandolin, bass, fiddle” The band consists of Matt (lead vocals and guitar), Deanna (lead vocals and fiddle), George Boe (bass fiddle) and sometimes Ron Bonkowski (guitar). “My husband and I both have loud voices, so when we harmonize, we match volume with each other.” And their voices are kind of what brought them together, “because we sang so well together,” said Deanna. “Right now, we’re in between banjo players because our banjo player is getting deployed to Iraq. That’s kind of difficult.”

Whether around a campfire, at a big festival, or a small benefit to help someone out, Rural Free Delivery enjoys playing music and making people happy. “We play a lot of benefits,” said Deanna, as well as festivals like the Veterans Bluegrass Festival and 30

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Mickey’s Mountain in Ohio and other festivals between Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

But the band is not opposed to going elsewhere.

“We would love to go further south and play or even out west and play,” said Deanna.

The band plays mostly covers, but Matt and Deanna are steadily working on originals. They once stayed at a log cabin just to write tunes and lyrics. Also, while traveling, they’ll toss ideas to one another, Matt playing guitar while Deanna drives, and Deanna playing while Matt drives. Both play multiple instruments. Deanna plays guitar, fiddle mandolin, and upright bass and Matt guitar, mandolin, and some fiddle and bass. As soon as the band gets settled with a banjo player, they plan to record.

“We have some material in mind that we have been working on,” said Deanna, “and we will be recording in North Carolina. We’ll do a full CD.” The Efaws are expecting their first child in August and Deanna is delighted to bring him (or her) up in the bluegrass world. “That’s one of the things we always talk about,” the way people bring children to a bluegrass event and they’re not worried about them “because they know everybody there. There’s not a lot of places you can go in other music settings and feel comfortable with children around.”

Bluegrass music is more like family, said Deanna. You go to a festival not knowing anybody “and you walk in and you’re just family and everyone talks to you like they’ve known you forever.

And that’s important to us.

I think that’s what we love most.

DID YOU KNOW: Playing music isn’t the only thing Matt and Deanna Efaw do with their hands. “Matt does framework and collision body work. I detail cars and I can do a little bit of body work and whatever odd jobs need to be done. We have great bosses for the kind of music and travel we want to do”.

Deanna’s favorite thing is to thoroughly detail a car.

“We take the seats out and take everything apart and scrub everything down. When I can take something old and it looks real bad and I detail it and it looks brand new, it’s really a good feeling.”

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“We love the music, but even more than that we love the environment.” Deanna thinks it’s a good thing that bluegrass is still a smaller music category because “we are family oriented,” but she stresses that she doesn’t want limits placed on how big bluegrass music can become.

“Alison Krauss got her start in bluegrass and is still bluegrass, but she’s got her own bluegrass sound. So, the different mini-genres of bluegrass coming out are great.” Everybody has their own take on music, she said. People don’t understand bluegrass music because they don’t know any bluegrass.

Look for Matt Efaw and Rural Free Delivery at Mickey’s Mountain in Hopedale, Ohio, June 6-9, 2018.

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Kristen Bearfield

by Shelby Campbell Neither age, genre nor tragic life events has held Kristen Bearfield back. Raised in the mountains of East Tennessee, Kristen is a singer, songwriter and musician who plays guitar, mandolin and banjo with HighRoad, a county/ bluegrass gospel band based in Nashville, Tennessee. She blends traditional tones with modern chords and melodies to create something fresh and beautiful.

Kristen grew up with bluegrass, country and gospel music all around her. At an early age, a passion and love for music took root deep within her soul and by three years old, she was singing her first solo. Sitting at the piano, she picked out church hymns with her aunt. Early proponents of Kristen’s music also included great uncle Clarence ‘Tater’ Tate, who played bass and fiddle for Bill Monroe for many years, and the house fiddle for the Grand Ole Opry.

“Uncle Clarence’s legacy was a huge inspiration for me in wanting to play bluegrass music,” Kristen said. “This music that I grew up on sparked my interest in wanting to play the guitar, mandolin and, later, the banjo. My love for music originated as a little girl, and God has continually increased my passion for worshiping Him through instrument and song.”

Kristen draws off this rich musical heritage each time she performs. Her voice and passion have pierced the hearts of many who have had the chance to hear her sing. Her strong faith gives her the ability to perform with depth beyond her years.

Kristen went on to study Praise & Worship Ministries at Liberty University, and she graduated from East Tennessee State University with a degree in Marketing and Bluegrass & Country Music Studies. In college, Kristen worked as a publicist for the Zac Brown Band tour.

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After working with one of modern country’s greatest acts, Kristen showed some greatness of her own by getting to play with Country Music Hall of Fame Member Jimmy Fortune.

Plus, she played with the gospel bluegrass band The Hurleys for seven years and Adam Steffey for two years before joining her current band, HighRoad.

In 2008, Kristen’s incredible musical journey almost came to an abrupt end after a traumatic car accident. She suffered a severe neck injury that affected her spinal cord, and, as a result, she was told that she may be unable to walk—much less sing and play instruments. The injury eventually disabled Kristen’s ability to sing or play music for a short time. It was during this difficult journey that she sought out another creative outlet— photography.

“I truly believe that everything has a purpose and every experience is part of God’s plan,” Kristen said, referring to her accident leading to photography.

“During my wreck and illness, there were certainly times that I didn't understand why things were happening. I could not imagine a life where I was unable to sing.

However, there was never a moment that I didn't feel God’s hand on my life.”

Through this tragedy, Kristen created KB Photography, a business that exists to capture priceless moments through photos that will be cherished forever.

She began shooting special events, which eventually led to portraits and even weddings.

Now, Kristen is fortunate to work for Fishman Acoustic Association. At events such as MerleFest or IBMA, she photographs endorsed artists. Those photos are used for digital content, company catalogs and marketing.

Although Kristen spends a lot of time on her music and photography, it doesn’t keep her from giving back. She is a mentor for Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars (TBS), a company devoted to preserving and supporting young bluegrass musicians.

TBS mentors are accomplished bluegrass musicians who demonstrate song character in faith, humility, integrity and preserving bluegrass music for future generations. As a TBS mentor, Kristen made a commitment to support, encourage, and teach TBS members.

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Through TBS, Kristen encourages young musicians to join and spend time around other musicians who can encourage and inspire them.

“At SPBGMA 2016, I had my first opportunity to speak to the TBS group, and it was there that I met a room full of smiling faces that melted my heart. This is such a special group of young people whom I am privileged to know. The future of bluegrass is in good hands!” said Kristen.

Kristen’s number one goal is to inspire others with her music and to share the message of true hope. “There is hope for the hopeless, rest for the weary and love for the broken hearted,” Kristen said. “His name is Jesus, and it’s my prayer that through a song I sing or word I say that someone will take hold of that hope in Him.”

Kristen tours full-time with HighRoad. Their recently released Christmas album is available for download on their website.

Preserving Bluegrass One Youngster At A Time!

John Colburn & Maggie

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars continues to support the awareness of its many talented young members, and the preservation of yesterday’s bluegrass music for tomorrow.

Click the banner below to visit the TBS website:

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Blue Mafia

Offers a Bluegrass Sound You Can’t Refuse

by Stephen Pitalo

Blue Mafia bandleader Tony Wray may be one of the only professional bluegrass musicians who can build his own banjo. An accomplished musician since his teens and a sought-after talent in Nashville, Tony first moved to the city in 1999 to become the Gibson Instrument Company’s banjo supervisor.

“Gibson was a great place to work,” Tony said. “I absolutely loved my time there, and building banjos was a passion of mine. I was responsible for making sure our quotas were met each month, getting all of the parts engraved and plated — all of the things you could imagine and more when it comes to banjos!”

Tony, a guitar and banjo player since 13, started freelancing his skills with a veritable who’s who of bluegrass musicians in Nashville. Currently, his time is spent with the band he founded in 2011, the ominously-named Blue Mafia.

Tony’s first attraction to the banjo was the Deliverance soundtrack, which he found intriguing. After many years of gigging, assisting and building & repairing banjos, Tony eventually formed Blue Mafia with Kent Todd on fiddle and vocals, Mike Gregory on bass, and Tony’s wife Dara on mandolin and vocals. Dara made her performing debut with Blue Mafia, which resulted in some successful (if not unexpected) music and performances.

“I formed this band for my wife Dara,” Tony explained. “She had always wanted to play music. She grew up around it—always was going to shows and supporting her family and 38

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me in whatever I was doing—so I thought, let’s give it a shot. We just wanted to play every now and then, and do some local things, but it really took off. It’s been an absolute joy and I’m so proud of what we’ve done so far.”

Tony has always had a dislike for musicians who put their egos before their musicianship, who, when he formed Blue Mafia, he made sure the players he recruited were missing that self-important vibe that tends to tear bands down.

“I hate attitude and arrogance. This band is as far from those two things as you could get. We all get along great and are really like a big family. We spend time together outside of playing and just genuinely enjoy one another.”

Blue Mafia has recorded three powerful albums—2013’s My Cold Heart, 2015’s Pray for Rain, and 2016’s Hanging Tree—and can be seen on the festival circuit all through the coming year.

Tony enjoys bringing the songs of Blue Mafia to the public, drawing from his experience playing with some prominent Nashville musicians. Maintaining a steady gig with Grand Ole Opry member Mike Snider for the last seven years, Tony’s past studio and tour time was spent with luminaries like Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, Del McCoury, and even prominent musicians outside the bluegrass scene, such as jazz icon Bela Fleck and Latino rockers Los Lobos. Tony says all of them helped him learn some valuable lessons along the way, so it’s very hard to pick a session or show or even a moment that contained the most important truths.

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TOMORROW'S BLUEGR ASS STARS BACK PORCH ”It’s hard to pinpoint one, because I’ve learned quite a bit from each one of them,” Tony said. “but if I had to choose the person I learned the most from, it would be Mike Snider. He taught me not to get caught up in industry politics and all the bells and whistles, and to stay true to yourself. I gained so much from not only his business sense, but his timing and dynamics musically, which are second to none.”

The members of Blue Mafia are looking forward to two things on the horizon: recording & playing more great music, and an addition to the lineup coming later this year.

“We have some exciting things coming up this year,” Tony said. “We have a new banjo player, but we can’t say who just yet. We’re working on a new album for Pinecastle Records, and hope to see a spring or summer release. Be on the lookout for news about both of those things!”

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by Susan Marquez

If you log on to YouTube and type in “Daves Highway 2009,” you’ll see three cherubic children singing perfect harmony in front of the family’s fireplace. Delaney, Zachary and Erika Daves were 14, 13 and 11 at the time, and the recordings were made by a proud dad, Darryl Daves, with a new camera he got that had a feature that allowed videos to be uploaded to YouTube. “I posted the video and set up a Facebook page and people started following them,” says Darryl. “Before we knew it, we were on the road every weekend for the kids to sing at churches and festivals.”

Zachery claims the camera was a gift to him, but when his dad started using it to record the trio, he held on to the camera. It’s a good thing he did, as that’s how Daves Highway was discovered by the world.

“They have an international following,” says Darryl. “Their whole life story has unfolded on social media and people love them.” Darryl, who grew up in the Mississippi Delta, says he was raised on rock ‘n roll. “I loved the Eagles and groups like that.” His wife, Myrna, grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and sang in church. “She is a beautiful singer. She sings at weddings, in church and is just an awesome soloist.”

The Daves Highway siblings call their style of music “Americana Pop.” “We kind of created our own genre,” said Zachery. “We have always sung songs that we loved, and most of those came from hearing them with our parents first.” The group began by accident THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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when Delaney was practicing “The Star-Spangled Banner”. “I was going to sing it for school and I wanted to practice at home. Erika started singing harmony with me, and then Zachery jumped in and started singing harmony as well.” Zachery laughs and adds, “I thought we were killing it!”

The Daves entered Erika as a soloist in the Mississippi State Fair talent competition around 2010 or 2011.

“We wanted to help bring her out of her shell,” says Darryl. “She won first place, and the group came in second.”

The trio began singing more, and Darryl continued uploading videos to YouTube. Because of their schedule, Myrna began homeschooling the kids. “It was becoming increasingly difficult for us to get back at a decent hour on Sunday night and have them in school Monday morning,” explains Darryl. “We were playing gigs two to three weekends a month,” Delaney says.

With their performance schedule and social media posts, Daves Highway became a huge success and sought-after

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performers. “We are lucky in that we have never had to seek performances,” says Zachery.

People have come to us wanting to hire us to perform.”

The siblings are older now, 23, 22 and 20, and all three attend Lipscomb University in Nashville.

They perform often for schoolrelated events and have begun playing at venues in Nashville.

Recently they posted a Facebook Live video from a gig at The Local in Nashville and reaped over 18,000 views.

With four studio albums under their belt, the group is excited about their next project.

“We are doing an album with all original music that we wrote ourselves,” says Delaney.

“It’s kind of risky, because with this album we were really trying to find out who we are.

It will be fun to see how people respond to us.” Delaney explains that the album will have a lot of three-part harmony and a “root” sound. Many of the songs were written by Erika. “I write from mostly personal experiences. Over time, I realized that trying to force something that isn’t natural doesn’t work. God has given me challenges in life to learn from and experience and talent to write about it. I feel blessed.”

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The hand-made microphones from our craft workshop are unlike anything else you've seen or heard.

We combine state-of-the-art sound quality with playfully eclectic design– the perfect recipe for the creative performer.

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Take Your “Mental” Shoes off with The Barefoot Movement

by Kara Martinez Bachman

Take a peek at the website, videos and photos of Nashville’s The Barefoot Movement and you’ll notice these musicians mean business when it comes to feeling grounded.

Not only does the band’s name conjure feelings of country comfort, but the performers like to air out their own shoeless tootsies while jammin’ away on fiddle tunes.

“It just kinda dawned on me one day as a band name,” said vocalist, fiddler and songwriter, Noah Wall. “Our shows are all about letting people relax and be at home and take their mental shoes off.”

Wall laughed that there have been times that going shoeless would have made no sense, including a concert they played in Raleigh in below-freezing temperatures. “There was no way. But we do it most of the time, so people do get that vibe.”

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Wall and her bandmates tour widely, including stops across the U.S. and in exotic locales such as Burkina Faso, Africa, where they were guests of the American Embassy. They’ve been showcase artists at both the IBMA and Americana Festival conferences and have received an IBMA Momentum Award for “Band of the Year,” and placed as first runnersup at the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s New Band Competition. They’ve even been featured at RollingStone.com.

The lineup consists of Wall, on fiddle; Tommy Norris, on mandolin; Alex Conerly, on guitar; and Katie Blomarz, with her upright bass.

The Barefoot Movement’s schedule is filling up for 2018, with a number of dates spanning the U.S. and Canada, including Merlefest, which happens in Wilkesboro, NC in April.

Although the band has released some Christmas music and other smaller projects, Wall said an album they’re working on now will be the first full-length release since 2013. From all indications, they’re “going big” with this one.

“We’re working with Chuck Plotkin, [Bruce] Springsteen’s main producer for many years,” Wall said. They’ll also work with Hank Linderman, who’s produced for luminaries, including The Eagles. “I think we’ll get it done this spring,” Wall said, although she was reticent to give an exact CD release date.

As far as sound goes, Wall said fans will not be surprised; it’ll be The Barefoot Movement through and through. “It’s a natural progression...you can hear some growth,” she explained, “but you can also hear the connection to the roots that we have.”

For the North Carolina native, those roots have real grounding. She’s been doing this since as far back as she can remember. Wall said the very first thing she ever sang was Tom Petty’s “Free Falling.” Wall’s mother swears she was just one year old for the performance, but since she has memory of it, Wall herself doubts it was that early.

In either case, she was itty bitty. Making music has always been with her.

“My mother is a singer/songwriter and played guitar, and her father played the same way, he played bass,” Wall explained. She began fiddle lessons while in the second grade, and then in high school, picked up a pen and wrote her first songs.

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It wasn’t until she studied bluegrass and country at East Tennessee State University, though, that bluegrass grabbed her heart for good.

“There, I really fell in love with old time string band music,” she said.

As primary songwriter for The Barefoot Movement, Wall said what motivates her most is listening to music by other musicians she admires.

“When Tom Petty passed away recently, I was going through and listening to his music,” she explained. She said occasionally—as most people do when evaluating their lives—she’d wondered whether spending a life playing music was “worthwhile.” She said she worried about whether it might be a bit self-centered.

Then, she really thought about Petty.

“You know, he really made my life better,” she said. “And if I can do that for somebody else, then it is a worthwhile cause.”

The band asks only that listeners kick back and allow themselves to relax with the music.

The advice--presented at The Barefoot Movement’s website—can’t be more clear.

“Barefoot is better,” the motto suggests. “Won’t you join the movement?”

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Borrowed Tyme Band

By Susan Marquez Roger Brown owes his success and the success of Borrowed Tyme Band, to his late father, Raymond Brown. “I put music aside when my dad died,” said Roger Brown. “He passed away on March 9, 2013, and after that I went into a depression. I couldn’t have told you which closet or under which bed any of my musical instruments were. I had no desire to play.” That changed one day when Roger heard a small voice inside tell him he should start playing music again. “I’m sure that came from my dad. He’s the one who introduced me to music, before I was even born. My parents went to Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom Festival when my mom was pregnant with me, so I was exposed to bluegrass music very early on.”

Brown’s father was actually friends with Bill Monroe, and he had an opportunity to go on the road with him. “He turned Monroe down because he had a job with insurance and such, and he felt that was better for my mom and me.” But Raymond Brown played music at home and with his band, Roger Brown and the Traveling Grass, so Roger was exposed to music all his life. The elder Brown showed his son how to play the guitar and mandolin.

Raymond bought Roger a righthanded Ibanez mandolin and switch the strings so he could play it left-handed.

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Roger joined his father’s band in 1983. In 1985, Roger’s dad bought him a custom-built lefthanded Taggart F-model mandolin, which he still plays today.

Knowing he wanted to put together a band in honor of his father, Roger began seeking out musicians. “I contacted a guy who mentioned Josh Woods’ name a few times. I found Josh on Facebook and sent him a message. We met and talked about what we wanted in a band, and we were very much on the same page. Josh had also lost his dad, a preacher who was Josh’s biggest fan.” Eventually the band was complete with Dan Canerday on guitar and Rick Wilson on bass. The band launched in October 2015.

The name of the band came from Roger’s dad as well. “My wife and I were riding in the car and we were kicking around band names. She said “borrowed time,” and that jogged my memory. My dad used to talk about borrowed time a lot when I was a kid, but I didn’t know what that meant. If you look at our band logo, it is a clock with no numbers on it.

The hands are set at 1:23, the time when my dad drew his last breath.” The spelling of tyme comes from the urban dictionary, according to Roger. “In the urban dictionary time refers to time of day and tyme refers to a specific action that is going to take place. What’s going to take place is I am going to take my dad's memory with me as far as I can and make a splash in the bluegrass world.”

The band gets together for rehearsals about every other week, and often the sessions last six to eight hours. Everyone in the group writes and sings. “We want to be known for our original songs. We have added Bonnie Moore to the group. Bonnie is a wonderful song writer and with her ability to phrase and rhyme words to sometimes tragic, happy and true experiences in life, she is able to do what every aspiring artist attempts to do on canvas and that is paint a beautiful picture.”

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Roger Brown

Rick Wilson

Josh Woods

Dan Canerday

Borrowed Tyme is putting the finishing touches on their first album.

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Backline New Band, Old Bluegrass Souls

By Shelby Campbell When you think of what embodies the bluegrass band, Backline, there is no better way to describe them than this: Carefully arranged music. Vocal harmonies that catch the listener’s ear. A smooth and vibrant stage presence. A modern, but traditional style of picking. Add these to the ability to create original material and season traditional covers with the Backline touch, the five-piece band is leaving their mark on the world of bluegrass.

All about God, country, faith, family and bluegrass, the Spartanburg, South Carolinians Katelyn Ingardia (guitar), Zachary Carter (banjo), Jason Belue (bass), Louis Hughes (mandolin), and Travis Tucker (dobro) formed the band in 2016 and hit the ground running. They released their debut album, Carolina, before the year was out.

“We wanted to do something different with the start of our band,” said Katelyn. “In February 2016, Travis reached out to me and proposed starting a band centered around her vocals and originally written material and compositions.

In the last two years, it has become far more to us than just those two small ideas, but that was the start of it all.”

Most band members had grown up around Spartanburg in the Mill Hill Towns area and wanted to choose a band name true to their town’s rich heritage. The word “backline” was a term used in the booming textile area of the south to refer to the back of the mill. The band was glad to bond this history with their growing future in music.

Backline members are multi-instrumentalists with extensive backgrounds in music and each has a distinct sound and style that brings creative diversity to the band’s compositions.

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Lead vocalist and guitarist Katelyn grew up in a bluegrass family with her father being her greatest influence and teacher. She wrote her first song at 12 years old and hasn't stopped writing bluegrass and gospel. Nine of the 13 songs on Backline’s newest album were from Katelyn’s personal writing catalog.

Zach contributes his musical knowledge to Al Osteen, who taught him how to play music from ages 12 to 16. He played with his dad and sister in a band before attending college on a banjo scholarship where he furthered his knowledge of bluegrass.

Jason began playing at 13, starting with piano lessons and eventually played electric bass before transitioning to upright bass in 2016. He has a deep fascination with recording and audio engineering, which led to his business Acoustic Highway Studio, where Backline recorded their first album.

Louis grew up in Kentucky playing mandolin in his home church and has been playing for 18 years. Raised in a bluegrass-loving family, he began playing jazz and Americana folk music at 16, which is evidenced by his writing style.

Travis grew up taking piano lessons, but he didn’t get involved in bluegrass music until he was 18. He taught himself how to play the guitar and dobro and has played both for about 18 years. He also plays mandolin and bass and is teaching himself the banjo while raising a second generation of bluegrass lovers through his daughter Makaila, who plays fiddle.

The band has gained recognition for their music by winning the Band of Renofest 2017 State Bluegrass Band Championship and playing at places like Dollywood and Mossy Oak Music Park. In 2017, Poor Mountain Records signed Backline for their second album, A Thousand Wishes, set to be released the end of March. This 13-track album is made up of 11 songs written by the band and a cover of 80’s rock ballad Straight from the Heart by Brian Adams with a grassy twist.

“To be given the opportunity to work with guys like Jonathan Buckner and the team at Poor Mountain Records at such a young age in our career is very encouraging! It was great reassurance to us that we were doing something right and to keep working, keep writing, and keep pounding the pavement to continue making bluegrass music that we love,” said Katelyn.

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The band’s goal with A Thousand Wishes was to really showcase Backline’s music, their style and who they are as a band. They wanted it to be something for every listener to enjoy.

“Each song on the album holds some kind of picture of human emotion or feeling,” said Katelyn. “Whether it be love, faith, determination, hope, sorrow, grief, heartbreak or regret, they all began to show themselves in the material. That brought us to the place of naming the album because every day, every one of us wishes for something and those desires are fueled by our feelings and our lives. We just hope that the music and stories will touch others the way they have spoken to us.”

Inspired by artists like Allison Krauss and Union Station, Lonesome River Band, and Nickel Creek, Backline plans to continue creating new music and bringing unique, individual material to the table so that they grow as artists. With plans to open for some incredible artists, they’re excited to announce their shows soon.

To download Backline’s first single from A Thousand Wishes, “Lullaby”, or pre-order their album, visit their website.

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Back Porch: A Tribute to Glen Campbell

by Richelle Putnam Every year around Christmas, Carl Jackson returns to his Louisville, Mississippi hometown for a Homecoming Show. But 2017 was a tough year for Carl. He lost his father, Lethal Andrew Jackson. And he lost good friend and legendary, musical giant, Glen Campbell. So, in lieu of Christmas songs, Jackson wanted to do something different for the homecoming, alongside musician friends Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley, and Glen’s youngest child, Ashley Campbell, who is also Jackson’s goddaughter.

his lifelong friend, Glen Campbell.

The venue changed as well. Instead of the Strand Theatre, which was undergoing restoration repairs, the Homecoming was held at First Methodist Church, in the fellowship hall where photos and videos from Glen’s youth and his later years, and his 2011-2012 Goodbye Tour surrounded the stage. This familiar place of worship, faith, love, and abiding spirit seemed appropriate and right for Carl Jackson’s tribute to

Life with Glen happened just before Carl turned 19, when he and (the late) Keith Whitley saw that Glen was going to be at the Ohio State Fair. “We had just started a group [The Country Store] and had to go see him because we both loved him so much.”

Keep in mind that, by this time, Carl had already performed on the Grand Ole Opry stage and for five years had played banjo for Jim and Jesse McReynolds. After Glen’s show, as Carl and Keith were walking to the car, Carl noticed Larry McNeely, who played banjo for Glen. “I walked THE BLUEGRASS STANDARD

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over to him, stuck out my hand and said, ‘I’m Carl Jackson and I loved the show.’” Larry seemed somewhat surprised to see Carl and asked him to come by and pick some. “I went by the next day and he just kept asking me to play different things, and I didn’t really know what he was doing.” Larry then asked Carl if he would like to have Larry’s job. “It was weird because in my yearbook people had signed, See you on Glen Campbell one day, because of Glen’s Goodtime Hour. I certainly didn’t expect it to happen. The next thing I know, Larry is taking me over to meet Glen and he hired me on the spot that day.”

Their first night together, as Glen and Carl were going over a few things backstage, Carl was playing one of Glen’s Ovation guitars.

“Glen asked me if I liked the guitar and I said, yeah, I like it a lot.”

And Glen said, “Well, it’s yours.”

This was Carl’s first taste of Glen Campbell’s generosity. It wasn’t the last.

“His heart was so big. You better not say you like something or he’d give it to you. That’s just the way he was. He gave me a lot of things. He was such a gracious, wonderful boss and friend,” said Carl.

It was Carl who set Glen up on a blind date with his wife of 35 years, Kim Woolen, Ashley’s mom.

Ashley grew up watching her father. She played piano when she was little and the guitar in high school. “But I wasn’t super-invested in it or anything,” said Ashley. “Then, I started playing banjo in college and that’s when I really got into it.” From that point, when she stepped onto stage with her father, it was “like getting on stage with your favorite musician. I wanted to go on the tour to Australia and New Zealand and he asked me to play banjo for it,” said Ashley. “I thought it was just going to be for that tour, but it ended up just going on.”

“She’s a great musician and an incredible songwriter and she’s knows how to smooth over those little blips in the road that happen on almost every song,” said Carl. “Singing with Ashley is like singing with Glen. She makes me feel more comfortable.” Carl paused here and turned to Ashley. “And I’m not just saying that because you’re sitting here.”

Playing beside her father, there was the sense of family, but there was also “a different drive to excel and impress than it is with just playing with someone else,” said Ashley.

“He was so at ease with himself on stage. He wanted you to relax and have fun and if you messed up, you messed up.”

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Glen loved to play, and it wasn’t about the money, said Carl, who played with Glen for 12 years, from 1972 to 1984. “I used to say to Glen, man, you’d play a dog fight, wouldn’t you?”

Glen Campbell was only 15 when he started playing with Uncle Dick Bills. He never became too big for people and after a show he stood in line for hours to sign autographs, explained Carl. “He remained an Arkansas farm boy and I never saw him be rude to anybody.”

Glen’s last CD, Adios, produced by Carl, was difficult for Glen because of his Alzheimer’s, “but he was such an amazing singer, he surprised people. He didn’t surprise me because I knew he was going to be able to do it,” said Carl. “He couldn’t remember lyrics, but it didn’t take away his perfect pitch and it didn’t take away his vocal ability.”

Before Glen passed in August 2017, Carl told Glen many times how much he loved Glen. “I wish I could tell him again. He made such a difference in my life and I owe him so much. I miss his goodness and his professionalism. I miss his jokes. I think in the years I was with him I told one joke he hadn’t heard,” said Carl. “He was famous for letting you try to tell him a joke and then he’d tell you the punch line right before you got to it. He knew all of them.”

If the world knows anything about music, said Carl, they know how incredible Glen Campbell was.

DID YOU KNOW: Carl plays on Monday nights at The Station Inn in Nashville and when Ashley is in town, she usually comes down and hangs out.

What inspires Ashley Campbell as a songwriter?

“Just about anything, but mostly experiences from my life.” Ashley’s new CD entitled The Lonely One is due to be released March 9.

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March Festivals & Events

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Dates

Event

Location

Fridays

Friday Bluegrass - Blue Cypress

Fellsmere, FL

March 1-3

Cabin Fever Pickin' Party

Chesapeake, VA

March 1-4

Shorty's Strickly Bluegrass Festival

East Peoria, IL

March 2-4

Everglades Bluegrass Festival

N. Miami Beach, FL

March 2-4

Winter Bluegrass Weekend

Plymouth, MN

March 2-4

Bluegrass on the Beach

Lake Havasu City, AZ

March 8-10

Mountain View Bluegrass Festival

Mountain View, AR

March 8-11

Bluegrass Gospel Sing & Jam

Bronson, FL

March 9-10

DC Bluegrass Festival

Tysons Corner, VA

March 10-11

Arizona Bluegrass Music Festival

Apache Junction, AZ

March 11

American Legion: Lou Reid & Carolina

Hughesville, MD

March 15-18

Withlacoochee River Bluegrass Festival

Dunnellon, FL

March 21-25

Sertoma Spring Bluegrass Festival

Brooksville, FL

March 23-24

Bristol Bluegrass Spring Fest

Bristol, VA

March 23-24

Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival

Wilmington, OH

March 23-25

Temecula Valley Bluegrass Festival

Temecula, CA

March 23-25

Wilmington Bluegrass Festival

Claymont, DE

March 25

American Legion Bluegrass: Donna Ulisse & Poor Mountain Boys

Hughesville, MD

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April Festivals & Events Dates

Event

Location

Fridays

Friday Bluegrass - Blue Cypress

Fellsmere, FL

April 5-7

Florida State Bluegrass Festival

Perry, FL

April 6-8

WinterWonderGrass

Squaw Valley, CA

April 6-8

Cabin Fever Festival

Duluth, MN

April 12-15

Bender Jamboree

Las Vegas, NV

April 13-15

Marana Bluegrass Festival

Marana, AZ

April 13-15

Georgia State Bluegrass Festival

Folkston, GA

April 13-15

River Falls Roots & Bluegrass Festival

River Falls, WI

April 18-22

Daughters of Bluegrass Festival

Guyton, GA

April 19-22

Old Settler's Music Festival

Lockhart, TX

April 20-22

Durango Bluegrass Meltdown

Durango, CO

April 21

Lone Star Fest

Arlington, TX

April 21-22

Bear on the Square Mountain Festival

Dahlonega, GA

April 26-29

Merlefest

Wilkesboro, NC

April 27-28

Charm City Bluegrass Festival

Baltimore, MD

April 29

American Legion Bluegrass: Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show

Hughesville, MD

For links to full info, check out our Events tab at TheBluegrassStandard.com!

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April 13 and 14 , 2018 th

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Suits, Boots & Bluegrass

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Next Month… from the Publisher's desk

SPBGMA... What an experience, we had a great time although some faux pas for our first year to attend. We made lots of new friends and The Bluegrass Standard Magazine was well received. The showcases with Ear Trumpet Labs, Wilson Pickins, Poor Mountain Records, Rick Dollar, Kyle Triplett, and a host of volunteers were just awesome!

Thank You all for the Support. Looking forward to next month's issue and lots in store for the coming year.

Don't forget we have Hats and T-Shirts now so go online and order. See you at a festival soon!

Carolina Blue Coming in May: Stars Behind the Stars July Special Focus: Recording Studios and as always, so much more!

Keith Barnacastle — Publisher For the latest in Bluegrass, visit our website!

Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook!

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