Category: Bluegrass Music

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Bluegrass Music

SPBGMA 2026 – What a (Six-Day) Long, Strange Trip It’s Been

Last week in Nashville for the SPBGMA conference was an adventure to say the least. Arriving Thursday saw sunny skies and 50 degrees. By Sunday, we had an inch of ice everywhere, power outages, and temperatures in the single digits. While it was hilarious that the local officials kept saying on the news that they were fully prepared, they were not, as when I left Tuesday morning, roads were still not plowed and I was on I-65 north not going faster than 40 mph until I was close to Louisville. This photo is of trees down at Vanderbilt University.

But enough about the weather. Let’s get into the conference.

Arriving at the hotel Thursday afternoon, there was already jamming in the lobby, and while the valets and other employees may not be into bluegrass, they are very courteous to all of the participants, whether or not staying at the hotel. While much of the jammers are pretty much amateur hobbyists, it is great to see professional bluegrass artists sit in at jam sessions. Moreover, some of the amateur players can be really impressive, especially the younger crowd. I caught two young gals, Maya Ross and Shay Morgan, dueling their mandolins to “Cherokee Shuffle.”

I was glad to see my favorite young fiddler, Hollace Oakes, not only jamming when available, but she was with a band that was registered in the Band Competition. This young lady is 15 years old, and I predict that by the time she is 21, she will be one of the most watched stars on the bluegrass circuit. She is that good!

One of my favorite bands out now, the Kody Norris Show, spent the weekend not only doing some hosting (Kody MC’d the band competition), but continually talking with fans and joining in on jam sessions. This band KNOWS the meaning of entertainment. They know that it is the fan base that lets them do what they do for a living, and are always providing friendly advice to musicians just starting out.

There were a lot of bluegrass bands performing over the four days. Some of my favorites included Dave Adkins & Mountain Soul, the Stephens Brothers (which is just the husband and wife duo that fronts the band High Fidelity), Edgar Loudermilk Band, Red Camel Collective, the Kody Norris Show, Nothin’ Fancy, Volume Five, Special Consensus, and my favorite bluegrass gospel band, the King James Boys (more on them later). It seems funny that, with the large room dedicated to the performances, it is usually about 1/4 capacity for these performances due to so many non-registrants jamming in the halls. For the price of the four-day admission, it is more than worth it to just sit back and enjoy all of the scheduled bands.

Once again, I got frustrated that they call the one seminar a Songwriter Workshop. Four songwriters up on stage talking about the songs that they wrote is NOT a workshop — it is a showcase! I wish SPBGMA would think about that.

I took my Cirrus guitar with me and had a few people try it out. Among them were Dave Adkins, Kenny Smith, and Kody Norris.

Saturday evening has the Awards Show. I am not a big fan of such shows, as I would pretty much skip the local ones, even if I was nominated for a category. To see a list of winners go to the Bluegrass Today article (https://bluegrasstoday.com/2026-spbgma-national-bluegrass-award-winners/). I did catch a great performance from Carson Peters & Iron Mountain.

What I find most heartwarming is the amount of young people, and I mean YOUNG, playing bluegrass and old-time music. Check out these three youngsters in the hotel lobby.

Sunday morning was when the storm had its biggest impact on the conference. Power went out around 5:00 in the morning, and lasted about eight hours. Of course, bluegrassers were not going to let something like no power get in the way (except for the few complaining that they couldn’t get their morning coffee). Both Daryl Mosley and the King James Boys performed their sets without a PA, and the people in attendance were more than appreciative. The final round of the band competition was also held without amplification, and all of the bands did a great job even with the handicap. The winner this year was Strings of Green. The whole list of bands and their ranking can be found here at Bluegrass Today (https://bluegrasstoday.com/strings-of-green-win-2026-spbgma-international-band-championship/). Honestly, I thought that Hollace Oakes’ band Travis Watts & Mountain Blessings did much better than 4th place, but that is my opinion.

Power came back on just as the conference was closing up. Unfortunately, the conference did not have all great news. Songwriter/banjo player Rick Faris had a banjo come up missing (https://bluegrasstoday.com/rick-faris-banjo-missing-after-spbgma/). As of this writing, it still has not been located. I am hoping that it was just mistakenly grabbed by someone else and will be returned. However, as the conference was closing and attendees were heading home after the storm, there was a large influx of people registering in the hotel that still did not have power. Bluegrass people are usually trustworthy around other people’s instruments. However, if there is an unknown crowd present, there is a better chance of something going wrong. Aside from the dogs leaving “calling cards” in the lobby and entrance, and tons of kids running around until all hours of the night, there were people walking around the hallways scoping things out. I truly hope that Rick gets his banjo back and there is a happy ending to this.

I got back home in one piece on Tuesday (I stayed an extra day, hoping to do some networking, but the roads in Nashville said NO). Despite the weather, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I plan to go next year, even though I wish they would move the conference to November or March.

Next week’s blog will cover Catherine O’Hara and my visit to a local antique radio swap meet.

Chew on it and comment.

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Bluegrass Music

Nashville and Winter Storm Fern

I’m in Nashville for the SPBGMA conference, and the winter storm that they have been talking about for the past few days is just starting to hit our area. The National Weather Service has named this storm Fern (uh, OK), and it will be a combination of snow, ice and rain in this area. Still no prediction of actual accumulation, but from what I saw this morning, the salt trucks are out on the roads.

I am off to do more networking within the hotel, and it looks like I’ll be here until Tuesday morning. I will update you on the conference (a lot of great bluegrass stuff!), when I get back home, probably next weekend. Stay safe if you will be in the eye of this storm.

Chew on it and comment.

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Bluegrass Music

Cirrus Jam/Bluegrass in Superclass/Craigslist

I don’t usually attend open jam sessions, as being a songwriter, I tend to lean more toward writing and co-writing original material instead of playing covers, especially with other musicians of varying competence and choice of songs. However, I did want to attend a particular one held this past Thursday by Mike Frank, the gentleman who built my Cirrus acoustic guitar. The jam session was held in a small waiting room/lounge attached to his workshop, and was co-organized by his assistant Steve.

Mike and Steve were extremely welcoming to everyone there, which totaled eight jammers including myself and those two. Mike provided refreshments and was more than willing to show everyone around the shop and the guitars they are working on. Mike showed me a list of bluegrass musicians he has orders from, so his reputation for a solid guitar at an affordable price is getting around.

Two hours were spent playing covers of bluegrass, folk, and Celtic songs, with an abundance of acoustic guitars, although Steve did pull out his banjo and mandolin, and there was another banjo player there. While I would have liked to have done more classic bluegrass songs, it was good to hear what others liked to perform. The doors opened at 5:30 in the evening, the jam started at 6:00, and wrapped up a little after 8:00. Being once per month makes it something to easily fit into my schedule without growing tired, so I will definitely be attending again. Many thanks to Mike and Steve.

I took Friday off of work to get my windshield replaced, and afterward took a trip to Toledo (actually, suburban Oregon, OH) to attend the second day of the three-day Bluegrass in Superclass festival at the Maumee Bay Lodge. Google sent me on a crazy route to get there, and the wind advisory all day that was tossing my subcompact care around didn’t help. The lodge is a really nice place to be sure, and they had a hall set up for the performances with ample seating.

The big reason I went down is that the Kody Norris Show was headlining. The band is definitely one of my favorite live shows, it’s no wonder that they keep winning SPBGMA awards every year. As I was walking around the hall, Kody spotted me and came over to say hello. Soon the rest of the band came along and were happy to see me as well. I was able to spend a few minutes talking to fiddler Rachel Norris about some original material as well as getting more press for the band. She actually inspired me to consider doing an online magazine dedicated to bluegrass musicians and instrument manufacturers, eyeing the musicians themselves as the potential readers.

Of course, they put on a fantastic show. I video recorded one of the band’s songs to send to a co-worker. I won’t post it here, as the room as not well lit and it came out grainy. Unfortunately, I was not able to stick around for the second set, but we made an agreement to get together for some writing at SPBGMA in two weeks.

As for the festival, it makes a great getaway for those of us in the area needing a bluegrass fix in the middle of winter without having to drive 12 hours to a festival down south. I do plan on keeping this one in my calendar for next year, even if only for a day. I also found a much better way to get there without Google’s help.

So as far as my music stuff listed on Craigslist, I got a real doozie of an email last week. I decided to put up that Dean Playmate bass up for sale, and listed it for $70.00, knowing full well that I would probably accept a lower offer and lose a few dollars on the overall deal. Well, I got an offer that has made me and everyone I have told about it just scratch their heads and laugh.

Someone emailed me to offer a trade on the bass for a 2025 Nike hat with adjustable headband. Really? A Nike hat isn’t worth more than $20.00 brand new (I’m sure his was worn). Not even a music-related hat, just a Nike. And he never said if it was limited edition or if someone like Tom Brady autographed it. It was such a joke of an offer that I only responded “No thank you,” as I usually reply with an explanation. That offer didn’t even require an explanation, it was embarrassing. Obviously the guy didn’t get the hint of “get lost,” as he has to write band saying “well, then I will pass on the offer.” Uh, I didn’t make a counter offer, but I let him have his last word.

This incident was almost worse than the exchange I got a few months ago. I have a made in Mexico Fender Stratocaster on CL for $500.00. One guy wrote me that he would take it for $225.00 CASH (his emphasis, not mine). Oooh, like I would consider being paid by Venmo or PayPal and I was that desperate for cash. Similarly, I wrote back a no-thank you reply, but did give him a little explanation.

Chew on it and comment.

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Bluegrass Music

Bluegrass Unlimited’s Annual Talent Directory

Every November, Bluegrass Unlimited puts out its Annual Talent Directory. This lists a number of bands, artists, and songwriters that request appearance. I have been included for a number of years, and every July I get sent an application which I take five minutes to fill out and email back.

The Directory takes up about 12 pages of the magazine, and includes from around the globe, although the international representation is quite small. However, what surprises me the most about the listings is that there are so many bands and artists that do not take the time to request inclusion.

I can understand some of the A-list bluegrass bands such as Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Del McCoury Band, and Ricky Skaggs choosing not to, as they are well enough established that they do not need any type of recognition in the listings. However, looking through list, there are plenty of bands that I am familiar with that have performed at festivals and conventions I have attended that do not appear.

I am sure that it has little to do with not knowing about the directory. Bluegrass Unlimited is pretty much the only print publication exclusively covering bluegrass, and if anyone in any bluegrass band subscribes to the magazine, he/she would be aware of the Directory submission usually appearing in a summer issue. The listing is free of charge, and bands/artists are able to enhance their listing by submitting a photo for a small charge, as well as note that they are available for school programs.

I do see that managers/publicists such as Penni McDaniel and Wilson Pickens Promotions take full advantage of the Directory, listing all of the artists that they represent. This is great on both fronts, as it allows them to show who they represent, as well as any interested festival organizers to contact a single source for a few acts.

I highly doubt that the following is the reason, but perhaps a lot of bands do not want to promote themselves that much, preferring to playing occasional parties and VFW halls. I would think that any band that takes the time to continually practice in order to sound professional would take that five minutes to have themselves listed in the Directory, if only to show some reader that there is a bluegrass band that is in his/her vicinity, so that he/she can keep an eye out for a possible show in the near future.

As I do not do much performing these days, I choose to list myself in the Directory more for networking with bands and other songwriters for possible collaboration. Moreover, some promoter/manager may get in touch with me to find a location for he/her band to perform in the area.

The Directory should be filled with a lot more artists than it is, but Bluegrass Unlimited can lead a horse to water but not make it drink. Bands and artists themselves need to be more productive on their end and take the few minutes to fill out the form. I do not see how in any way that it can hurt the band.

Chew on it and comment.

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Bluegrass Music Nashville

A Short Trip to Nashville

I got back from Nashville late Thursday evening, and while I was there for only two days, there is some stuff that we can talk about.

  • I rented a car so that I could put my car in the shop that needed a few days of work. While I requested an economy car, I was given a small SUV. Comfortable, but it was a 2025 model that had way too many bells and whistles that was confusing me while on the road. The auto-bright-lights feature was throwing me off, as I thought that I was turning them on when going around a curve. Just give me four wheels, an engine and a steering wheel.
  • Sirius/XM Radio. It was on the rental car, and trying to find decent radio stations through Ohio is a pain, so I kept the satellite radio on. I dropped my subscription with Sirius/XM a few years back, and now I realize one of the reasons that I did. I kept the radio on the Bluegrass Junction station the whole time. I swear, they have a rotating playlist of about 12-15 songs that seem to get played every two hours, sparsely interspersed with a few classics by Bill Monroe or Jim & Jesse. The repeat ones were all modern songs, and as I listened, they were less like bluegrass and more like acoustic country/folk/pop. They also played a lot of Billy Strings, but at least they varied the song selection. No, not worth the cost for me.
  • Songwriter sessions. One got canceled (I’m not going to get mad, as I hope to reschedule in January when I go down for the SPBGMA conference), and the other, which was more of a Q&A session, I was late due to a stalled train at a crossing. The session was helpful to say the least as Brent (who runs SongwritingPro.com) got me interested in Suno.com, a website that helps make demos sound a lot better by providing instruments and vocals mixed in at the songwriter’s discretion. I haven’t used it yet, but plan on it soon!
  • Jack’s BBQ/Frugal MacDoogal. Two places that I can never pass up while in Music City. Jack’s has the best pulled pork I have ever eaten. I always order the three-meat special so I get the pork, beef brisket and smoked sausage, while dipping in six difference sauces! Enough to have lunch the next day. Frugal MacDoogal is the Wal-Mart of liquor stores! I always pick up a stash for my friends and brother while I’m in town. Prices are way lower than in Detroit.
  • Rosine, Kentucky. For me, it is worth the hour detour to visit the birthplace of Bill Monroe, I always visit his grave and lay a quarter on his stone for myself and one for my buddy Ken. This time, I was running a bit later than usual, so I was able to visit the Bill Monroe Museum. The place is filled with Monroe’s furniture, instruments, and loads of other memorabilia. As I was the only one there, the cashier/manager Christie walked around with me. I ended up telling her more about Monroe than she knew. She insisted that I take a photo with the cardboard cutout of Monroe in front of a microphone. I also went up to his boyhood home on Jerusalem Ridge. The dossier there named Ken was staying in his truck to keep warm, as the house was not fully heated. He told me that Doyle Lawson has been there a few days before just to look around. This town should have so many visitors because of Monroe, but there is no signage on the highways passing by, so really the only people that show up are the true fans like me, and those that come to the annual Bill Monroe Days Festival in September. The authorities that handle the state’s tourist functions need to get their heads in gear!
  • Theresa Kereakes. This is one of my dearest friends, not just in the music scene, but in my life. We text a lot, however, we don’t see each other much due to distance, so we make a plan to meet up whenever I am in Nashville. We worked together in the early days of the AMA AmericanaFest, and I can honestly say, if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had a Den Mother category, Theresa would be the first enshrined. I won’t even begin to list the artists she has worked with behind the scenes, but I can say there are a few that are legends in the business. For years I have told her that she needs to write a book of her life stories and anecdotes, and fortunately she recently has started on it. If you want a taste of her adventures, visit her blog at http://punkturns30.blogspot.com . Anyone that loves rock and roll with love her insights.

I won’t get into much else. Road construction down there is worse that here in Detroit, and that is saying a lot! Also, drivers down there are way worse. If they pulled the crap they do up here in Detroit, they would probably have their windows shot out!

As stated, I’ll be heading back down there in January, so the next two months will be busy emailing inquiries and recording a few more demos.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Music Instruction Songwriting

SEMBMA Bluegrass Kids Showcase/Songwriting Thoughts

It occurred to me that I forgot to post my thoughts about the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association’s 2025 Michigan Bluegrass Kids Showcase held on October 19 at the Woldumar Nature Center in Lansing. In short, it was a good time had by all.

The first hour was dedicated to the SEMBMA scholarship sponsored students performing tubes that they have worked on with their instructors, as well as a few past recipients showcasing their now professional-quality skills.

The second hour was held by the Edgar Loudermilk Band, who although from Georgia, have continually been supportive of Michigan bluegrass and the work SEMBMA has done to promote it in the area. Edgar has been a friend for years, and it is always a pleasure to converse with him when he is in town. The band gave a great free performance to those attending the kids showcase.

The third hour was special, in that Edgar and his band hosted a jam session with the kids as well as some adults attending a local jam session in another room of the building. While it was rough aroudn the edges, everyone seemed to have a good time, especially the younger musicians getting a chance to perform with a well-known bluegrass band.

My unfortunate incident involved my camcorder. I had numerous problems with it the last few times that I used it. I finally figured out the video end, but the audio has always recorded with a distortion, no matter if I use the built-in microphone or one of my many other pro mics plugged in I need to perhaps make some kind of attenuator to limit the signal, but as it is, the audio volume is low. Another job to work on during the winter.

For more information on the event, along with go to the article from Bluegrass Today: https://bluegrasstoday.com/2025-michigan-bluegrass-kids-showcase/ .

I will be heading to Nashville next week for a few days. I have a songwriter session scheduled, and hope to snag at least one more while I’m there. If not, I know I will find something to do down there. I have reached that point in my songwriting tenure that I need to definitely do more networking and co-writing with others outside of what is immediately available locally.

Co-writing with David Morris and Dawn Kenney proved to be my most fruitful, with “Something About a Train” winning the Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, the IBMA Songwriter Showcase, and being recorded by Valerie Smith. But that was 10 years ago, and not much has happened since. I have done some co-writing over the internet and through mail communications, but nothing that has been breakthrough, although it has been positive. I tried to do some networking at SPBGMA last year, but it was much more limited in possibilities than what is available at the IBMA conference. I still have no real intention of attending IBMA next year, so I need to take alternate steps.

What I need to do most is be more aggressive in introducing myself. I have the business cards, as well as CDs and thumb drives with some demos. I can easily had them out and walk away, hoping that the artist/manager/publisher will take a chance, but I need to PR myself better. The next few days will be spent researching available resources in Nashville that I can at least get my foot in the door.

I’ll be here next weekend, then leaving Monday, so my report will be in two weeks.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Music Technology

What the … ? Artificial Intelligence Bluegrass Music

As you know, I am always on YouTube searching for bluegrass-related videos. Performances, interviews, documentaries, instrument lessons, and anything else related to bluegrass. So it should be no surprise that YT sends me a number of recommendations based on my algorithms. In many cases, they are worthwhile to watch, as I have found a lot of interesting guitar/banjo/mandolin/fiddle lessons and players that I may have never learned about otherwise.

Then there are the clunkers. Poor performances, unhelpful lessons, and people posting stuff that makes no sense, just tagging it as bluegrass. The worst recommendation, however, has been a recent one that, even though I have tagged the channel as “Do Not Recommend,” YT keeps sending me new videos.

The channel is called Banjo Music AI, and it is exactly what it is says it is. Hours and hours (one video is over 11 hours long) of Artificial Intelligence-generated bluegrass music. The thumbnail and screenshot for most of the videos is of a pretty girl holding a six-string banjitar (not even a true banjo!) sitting on either a motorcycle or the bumper of an old car, which definitely looks AI generated.

Then there is the music itself. Hours of basic chord changes found in standard bluegrass tunes, played by AI-generated banjos, fiddles, dobros, mandolins and guitars. It sounds horrible to say the least. Every instrument sounds like a synthesizer program. Because it is AI, there is no feel to the performance. The songs move in such a robotic way. No groove, no swing, just strict metronome-forced tempo. I’m only posting a clip on here just so you can see haw bad it really is.

Most of the songs are instrumentals, although there are a few vocal tunes. As expected, the lyrics are so cliché and predictable that it literally has the feel that an infant with no musical experience wrote them. Even the worst actual bluegrass band that has never practiced together is 100 times better than listening to this!

What upsets me the most is that this will probably be viewed by people wondering what bluegrass music is like, without researching just a wee bit further to discover Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, or more modern performers like Billy Strings, New Grass Revival, and Alison Krauss. Forget the debates about progressive versus traditional bluegrass, this is truly one concept that every bluegrass fan, no matter what sub-format, can agree that it stinks to high Heaven!

With technology moving faster than humans can keep up, it was inevitable that someone would try to recreate with AI something that is wholly human. When AI started creeping into the music field, I saw many AI examples on the internet of concepts like “What if John Lennon and Beethoven write a song together” and producing a result. Maybe some found it interesting, but personally, I found it insulting to mankind in general. Art forms, including music, are part of the human soul, something that no machine can own 100 percent. Unfortunately, society is relying too much on AI and its advancement to resolve issues. Once that is conquered, then technology will control our emotions, and we will become the robots that we have created earlier.

Bluegrass is raw, unfiltered, and so much a part of the human heart and soul of those who love it. It moves like a human, not like a machine. There are different levels, different attitudes, different outcomes with each song and performance. Once we accept technology to make something like music generic in its presentation, we have lost our will to live as free thinkers.

Chew on it and comment.

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Bluegrass Music

IBMA World of Bluegrass 2025 – I’m Not There Again This Year

The International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass convention is being held this week in Chattanooga. I chose not to attend again this year, as the IBMA is still too political for me to tolerate. Once the organization realizes that bluegrass has never been that political, but has left-leaning officials and board members that force their political and social views and rids these vermin, then I may consider attending.

With that said, let’s take a quick look at what has been reported so far.

For the awards on Thursday evening, my “kid sister” Vickie Vaughn won Bass Player of the Year for the third year in a row. Billy Strings took home Entertainer of theYear (no argument here), and the fiddle partnership of Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland took away three wins (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Collaboration of the Year). Most of the other awards were predictable, although Strings did not win Guitarist of the Year, that went to Trey Hensley.

Strings also was seen jamming with a number of elder Bluegrass statesmen, including opening the convention with a performance joining Junior Sisk. Ever since they first performed together back at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival in June, there seemed to be a budding friendship. The best jam had to be when Strings joined Joe Mullins in the exhibit hall and sang a duet with the legendary Paul Williams.

Strings also provided the opening keynote address. He has had the biggest impact on bluegrass in the last 20 years, so it should be expected that sooner or later he would present this address at WOB. He talked about how music has always been a part of his life, and that bluegrass has helped him through his toughest times. He also talked about how traditional and progressive bluegrass artists and fans have to be more accepting of each other. While he has helped the format gain a humongous fanbase, I am not sure the full picture is visible to him and many others.

I’ve walked away from the IBMA (as well as the Americana Music Association) for non-musical reasons. Both groups have taken on a lot of political stands, which turned me off. The biggest one was supporting Black Lives Matter. IBMA never said anything about the vandalizing of the Bill Monroe statue during the George Floyd protests. And now that we are learning how corrupt the BLM officials were, using monetary donations to purchase mansions for themselves, there are no apologies.

One of my co-writers emailed me earlier in the week asking if I was attending. When I told him I was not but that he should still do as much to enjoy the week, he stated that he was sorry that I was not there but would check in with me in a few days. I don’t see spending hundreds of dollars on a conference that I don’t agree with politically just so I can do some jamming and possible networking. I actually enjoy attending SPBGMA in January much more because there is no politics, just people having good conversation as well as jamming in a much smaller area.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Guitar Bluegrass Music

Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton “Live at the Legion”

In last week’s blog, I talked about a bluegrass album that I was not too thrilled about. This week, I will be raving about an album that is absolutely fantastic!

Last April, bluegrass flatpickers Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton performed an intimate duet show at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82. They did two sets in one day consisting of bluegrass and old-time standards that have been a part of most parking lot jams over the past few decades. They have each performed some of them at their own shows, and almost all are recognized as being previously recorded by the likes of Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Clarence White and Norman Blake.

A few months back, I got word that the concerts were recorded and would soon be released as a double album by Reprise Records. I immediately put in a pre-order, and finally received the package a few weeks ago, I have been thoroughly enjoying these discs, going through each one at least five times over the past few days, and am just now sitting down to tell you about it.

Strings and Sutton are geniuses on the acoustic guitar. Everyone who reads my blogs know how much I love and appreciate Strings’ work. Sutton has been a go-to bluegrass guitarist for about 30 years, starting with his tenure in Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder, being on the A-list in the Nashville studios, and serving as guitarist in the re-formed Hot Rize, replacing the greatly missed Charles Sawtelle. Both gentlemen kept meeting up with each other at various bluegrass festivals, and would partner in after-hours jams as well as sit in on each other’s performances. Last year, when both of them had a break in touring, they decided to quickly book a venue for a day and do some picking together for a live audience.

Two of my favorite albums of all time, of any genre, have been the two Blake & Rice recordings released by Rounder records several decades ago. The sound of two acoustic guitars in the hands of masters working off of each other is Heaven to my ears. Live at the Legion has been that for me, with the added enjoyment of it being performed in front of a live audience. There is that beautiful intimacy that comes from a live acoustic performance, along with the between-song banter that is most definitely charming. It is the next best thing to being there.

A large majority of the songs are standards with bluegrass musicians, particularly guitarists and fiddlers. There are wonderful interpretations of “Nashville Blues,” “Walk On, Boy,” “Salt Creek/Big Sandy River,” and “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar.” Also included are some folk standards such as “Tom Dooley” and “Darling Corey,” as well as the Bob Dylan classic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”

Both players give it their best, and never try to outdo each other. There is no need to, as they ave both proven themselves to be the best at their work, and hold each other in high esteem as musicians. Both have always paid musical tribute to the aforementioned greats of bluegrass guitar, and both also have set up their own original expertise. Working off of each other on these discs is something that every guitarist, be they bluegrass or other genre, should listen to and pay attention. While the songs and even presentation have been performed and recorded similarly before, this album is so amazingly fresh to the ear of anyone wanting to hear what true bluegrass musical collaboration can be.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

A Recent CCR Bluegrass Tribute Album: Tepid at Best

A few weeks back, I heard one of the most mediocre tribute albums that I have ever heard, and it is a bluegrass tribute to a rock band.

CMH Records has released tribute albums for years, mostly through its Pickin’ On series. These have mostly been instrumental recordings paying tribute to artists from the Beatles to Metallica. I have never had much interest in these albums, but there must be enough of a paying audience for them to keep the series and the record company going.

Its most recent release takes a departure from the norm, as this latest includes vocals. Pickin’ On Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bluegrass Rising has an established bluegrass band named Iron Horse performing 12 CCR classic rock tunes. The result is hardly earth-shattering, and while some bluegrass fans may take some interest, it seems to be more of a boring jam session with players that are looking to do some songs outside of the parking lot standards.

The biggest disappointment with this album is the vocals. As a long-time fan of CCR, one of the charms of the band was John Fogerty’s voice. It was gritty without being obnoxious. It fit the songs, which had that Southern Rock feel (even though the band was from California). The singer for Iron Horse attacks (?) the lyrics with the energy of a 9-volt battery that has used up 8.5 volts. There is nothing motivating in the singing, and it is more disheartening when the instrument backing is halfway decent.

Other than “Looking Out My Backdoor,” which has a 2/4 time bounce common with bluegrass songs, most of the CCR original songs were in straight 4/4 time. These types of songs are hard to make into strong bluegrass numbers, unless an artist is purposely keeping the 4/4 signature like what Alison Krauss and Dale Ann Bradley. These then become simply acoustic pop songs, but are enjoyed by bluegrass fans because of the artist. However, Iron Horse does not have the clout to pull a whole album of these arrangements.

I don’t want to gloat on this too much. I was just very disappointed hearing this album when it was played on a local bluegrass radio program in its entirety. If you go to the CMH website (https://www.cmhrecords.com/products/pickin-on-ccr-cd-mp3), you can decide for yourself.

Chew on it and comment

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