Categories
Bluegrass Music

SPBGMA 2025 Summary

Last week I was in Nashville for the SPBGMA conference. Once again, I had a great time! I will be hitting there again next January, hoping to make even more connections. As I did last year, here are some of the good and bad points about the conference and Nashville:

QR Code Parking – I see some cities slowly getting rid of this nuisance, but not Nashville. I hit a downtown garage for 20 minutes and paid $7.00. Later in the weekend, I swallowed my pride and went to Elliston Place (more on that later), and the meter stated $1.75 for one hour. So I scanned the QR code, and then was charged another 68 cents for Travel Fee (my out-of-town license plate?). So now it is $2.43. I am in the restaurant for 20 minutes, and my phone shows a text that my time is almost up! I can see how they sucker people into paying more by this tactic.

Band Competition – There were a few good bands, but the one that I was most impressed with was Lake Side out of Madisonville, TN (www.lakesidegospel.com). The quartet performs mostly bluegrass gospel tunes, and it has some great harmonies. The guitarist for the band is Jonathan Manness, an old acquaintance that I knew from his playing with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike. It was great seeing him after a number of years. I surely thought that they would place at least 2nd if not 1st, but they came in 5th place. For a list of the finalists, go to the Bluegrass Today website link (https://bluegrasstoday.com/2025-spbgma-international-band-championship-results/).

Alaskan Sunnyside Sisters – This band of young sisters was also in the competition, but did not make it as a finalist. Yes, they were still rough sounding and not truly professional, but I absolutely fell in love with them, as did much of the audience. They performed some bluegrass standards, reminding me a lot of The Peasall Sisters who performed for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. They are completely adorable, and are really enthusiastic to get better at their instrument playing and singing. I talked to their mother and told her that I would help in any way that I could to get them better. I also recommended that they listen to Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard music for some inspiration and song coverage. They made some good friends at the conference, including Whysper Stephenson, daughter of Larry Stephenson, who was more than happy to jam with them. I highly recommend that you check out some of their videos on their YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@Alaskansunnysidesisters).

Hollace Oakes – I had blogged about this young fiddling prodigy a few months back (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/11/02/two-great-young-fiddlers/). I was hoping that she would show up at SPBGMA, as there are videos on YouTube of her at Galax and IBMA World of Bluegrass. I finally got to talk to her and her father late in the conference schedule, but told them that anything that I could do to help out her fiddling and potential career they should feel free to ask. I told her that it would be great to see her on the band competition stage next year, so hopefully she will be able to form a band to back her by then. She also posted a few videos of the week on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@HollaceOakes).

Jamming – As expected, the four days of the conference saw a lot of jam sessions going on in rooms, the lobby and hallways. Because I was doing more networking for my songwriting, I wasn’t able to participate in any true jamming. However, some of what I heard was not only fantastic, but inspired me to write down some song ideas. If you go to YouTube and search “SPBGMA 2025,” I am sure that a few dozen videos will show up showing how great it was. Of course, my old body could not stay up too late to enjoy, so I had my earplugs in when I went to bed earlier than most others.

The Kaintuck Band – So this band was practicing in the room next to mine on Friday. I was in my room thinking that I had not heard any jammers playing one of my favorite songs, “Thirty Years of Farming,” by James King (written by Fred Eaglesmith). Sure enough, God strike me dead, within 10 seconds of that thought, the band next door kicked into it. It was like mental telepathy! Of course, I had to get my shoes on and go to their room and talk to them. Nice guys, the guitarist/singer was from La Grange, KY, where I usually stop on my way to Nashville to have breakfast at the Waffle House. I may have talked about this town before. The Main Street in town has active railroad tracks running right down the center, and there are videos on YouTube showing cars almost getting hit by locomotives. It totally reminds me of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show.

Jimmy Martin’s Guitar – There it was, on a guitar stand in the hotel lobby. I was ready to take a photo of it, but a relative of Martin’s was there, and she asked if I wanted to pick it up and play it. REALLY? I had to! Man, it was like touching a piece of Heaven!

Food – I hit the Waffle House a few blocks away from the hotel every morning. I absolutely love their Signature Bowl, and if you are there, you HAVE to have the waffles at least once! As stated previously, I went to the famous Elliston Place, but it wasn’t the same. It had moved out of its old location in the diner building and built a new, larger restaurant next door. The decor is the same, but not the spirit, The food is still great, but it seems like smaller portions. One thing that hasn’t changed is its selection of shakes and malts. I had a caramel malt, and I was in Heaven! I also visited the famous Prince’s Hot Chicken. There was a location only a few miles from my hotel, but because of construction the entire way, it took me almost an hour to get there. The place has a number of levels of chicken heat, from Mild to XXXHot. I went for the Medium, and one bite of the chicken fingers that I ordered was burning my tongue! Trust me, it was excellent, but if the Medium was that hot, I would NEVER go near anything more hot.

IMG Retail – I am going to do a whole blog about this place and experience next week, but let me say that it was such a fun experience that I plan on going back to Nashville sometime this spring or summer just to re-visit this place.

Bands – Along with the Larry Stephenson Band, other popular bands that performed at the awards show included The Grascals, Junior Sisk, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, and Nothin’ Fancy. During the week, a number of other bands that performed included Dave Adkins, NU-BLU, Edgar Loudermilk, and my favorite band, The Kody Norris Show. One band that I had wanted to see for a long time was The King James Boys. They are a fantastic bluegrass gospel group, with amazing harmonies. There was a young lady sitting near me that seemed to know every word of every song that they performed. I asked her if she was related to anyone in the band. She said that she was not, just someone that was a big fan of the band. I immediately tagged her as a “Gospel Groupie,” a term that she and the band loved, and have proceeded to start writing a song about the experience.

Sylamore Special – This band won the band competition last year, and tradition is that the winner performs at the closing of the following year’s conference. The band was great back then, but has matured even more to being a fantastic bluegrass band this year. These younger performers have a good chance of being in the high ranks of bluegrass bands within a few years.

Songwriter Workshop/Showcase – I had complained about labeling this event as a workshop last year, and in some of the promotional material, it was deemed a “showcase.” However, some other material still listed it as a workshop. It still consisted of four bluegrass songwriters (Johnny Williams, Jeanette Williams, Donna Ulisse and Rick Stanley) performing some of their compositions to the audience. As I have stated previously, a workshop would be professional songwriters sitting down with aspiring ones and helping them to better their craft.

Well, that was one of my longer blogs, so I will end it there for now. Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Garth Hudson RIP

Well, I’m in Nashville for the SPBGMA conference, and the jamming and shows are already in full swing. I’m taking a few minutes break from the festivities to post this quick blog about Garth Hudson, keyboardist extra ordinaire for The Band, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 87.

He was the last surviving member of the original The Band. He was a musician’s musician. He brought in so many influences to the roots-rock mentality of the other members that they were always in awe of his performance. He tinkered with the arrangements like a hobbyist would tinker with watch repairing (and he did that on the side as well, along with gun and knife collecting, as well as water dowsing). He helped make The Band the true godfathers of the Americana format.

Hudson joined up with Ronnie Hawkins’ backup band The Hawks (as the band was originally known), but his creativity was way too good for Hawkins’ rockabilly persona. If you even has to question what Hudson contributed to The Band’s sound, first start listening to Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes. Then, move on to The Band’s albums Music From Big Pink and the self-titled album. His organ work is phenomenal to say the least. However, his peak creativity can be found on the song “Up On Cripple Creek.” Who else would think to run a clavinet through a wah-wah pedal? Those breaks at the end of each chorus really make you think of a Cripple Creek, with bullfrogs barking or someone playing a jaw harp.

Hudson also stepped away from the keyboards and gave some fantastic saxophone work. I always thought of him as a genius of a musician.

I can remember seeing a video in the mid 1980s from The Call of their song “The Walls Came Down.” I was watching MTV, and I remember shouting, “Hey, that’s Garth from The Band! It has to be!” I immediately went out and bought the Modern Romans album, which had Hudson all over the production with his fantastic work.

Hudson was always the quiet one, but you knew that so much was brewing in his head. He had so many hobbies and side projects going, and unfortunately, he had to declare bankruptcy three times due to mismanagement of money, and lost so much of his equipment and personal belongings to fire and theft.. However, what a legacy of keyboard work he has left us to remember him by.

I cannot tell you how much he will be missed, but I will always listen in fascination to The Band’s musical genius, most notably Garth Hudson’s work. I implore you to watch The Last Waltz (I do at least once or twice a year), and get a few albums from The Band and REALLY listen.

Now all five of you are performing together again in that musical practice room in the sky.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Buck White RIP

Another bluegrass and traditional country music legend has left us. On January 13th, Buck White passed away at the age of 94. At the time, he was the oldest suriving member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Born in 1930 in Texas, White played mandolin and piano around the state, later relocating to Arkansas. He formed the country music group the Down Home Folks, which his daughters Sharon and Cheryl would later join. After an outstanding performance at Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom Festival in 1971, the band/family was encouraged to move to Nashville. There they worked with Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs, whom Sharon would eventually marry.

In 1983 the band changed its name to The Whites, and became members of the Opry a year later. While they were popular there and on tour, it was the group’s appearance in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (where they would appear as a faint imitation of the Carter Family) and its soundtrack that gave them worldwide acclaim. The band toured in support of the soundtrack, as well as the documentary made regarding the soundtrack entitled Down From the Mountain. They would eventually win two Grammys, as well as numerous country, bluegrass, and gospel music awards.

One bright star regarding his passing, the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? re-entered the Billboard Album chart at Number 2 today. Note that the soundtrack album won the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year in 2001, and a Grammy in 2002. It also won two awards that year at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s ceremony, and has presently sold over 8 million copies.

My favorite memory of Buck White was when I went to see one of the package shows that was supporting Down From the Mountain as well as the movie Cold Mountain. On previous tours, the shows would have a music or film celebrity to join the tour as a master of ceremony. This particular show in Detroit did not have an MC, so Buck walked out on stage to introduce the first act. No one was paying attention, but I stood up, started applauding and shouting his name. It took about 10 seconds for others to start joining in, but he smiled at me for knowing who he was. I was also extremely pleased to see him come out to buck dance when the band Reeltime Travelers were performing.

As my friend Ken wrote back to me when I texted him about Buck’s death, “All our heroes are dying.” It is true, the legends that have helped create the Americana music format, as well as keeping bluegrass and traditional country music alive when it was low on the totem pole, are leaving us one by one. I thank God that was have been able to at least soak in some of the great music that the legends have given us in a live setting. Buck will be missed by many, including me.

Chew on it and comment. My blog next week may be either short or late, due to being in Nashville for the SPBGMA conference.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Lutherie

Getting Ready for SPBGMA/Fesley Body Finishing

I leave for Nashville in less than two weeks for the SPBGMA conference, and I am getting ready in more ways than one. Packing clothes and medicines will get done a few days before, but what I am doing now is getting things done for my networking down there.

I have already posted two new songs on my ReverbNation page, and I may tag on one more before the week is over. I have learned that it is easier and less cumbersome to upload songs on the ReverbNation page and hand out business cards than making a bunch of demo CDs and handing them out. My problem is still getting the nerve to approach artists that I don’t already know.

I really didn’t do any jamming last year, so I plan to try and get into it more this year. I’ll take the Sevillana guitar down with me. Last year I took way too many guitars and a bass with me, and hardly opened up a case let alone jammed. Plus, It takes up way too much room in my small car.

I have already set up some time with one songwriter to hopefully do some co-writing. The conference ends Sunday, but I’ll be sticking around Monday just for the reason of possible songwriting work.

I’m not sure if I will be doing any contacting for article writing. I haven’t heard back from my editor at Fiddler Magazine in a long while. I sent in an article recently, and ever since the magazine went online-only, It has been hard to stay in touch.

I’m also taking down a lot of 12-packs of Vernors Ginger Ale. This is a Detroit staple, and I know a lot of friends down there that crave it and can’t get it in Nashville.

If the weather is behaving, I will probably hit Rosine, Kentucky on the way down and pay my respects to Bill Monroe. It is a time-consuming detour, but I feel it has to be done when the opportunity arises.

Of course, I have to hit the Waffle House, Jack’s BBQ, and I hope to visit another Nashville eatery institution, Prince’s Hot Chicken. The original location is just a few miles from my hotel down there, so I don’t have an excuse. While I’m not a big fan of hot chicken, I do like to try places that are featured on food-related television shows and YouTube channels. I’ve seen some great stories about Prince’s, so it is a must!

Changing topics, I decided to get started on finishing one of the guitar bodies. I’m starting with the Fesley Strat body, since it was the best set-up already smooth sanded. I buffed it a bit more with OOOO grade steel wool. It is too cold to do spray painting outside, and I don’t have good ventilation for spraying inside the house, so I’m trying my hand at stain/finishing it with a combination stain and polyurethane coating and a brush. It is a lot more difficult to work with than I imagined, as the stain does not seem to go on that even, perhaps due to the polyurethane. I will probably end up doing at least five or six coats and sanding between them. I do like the color that came out. I am using a stain labeled Mahogany, and on the mahogany body, it darkens it nicely. The label says you can do sanding and re-coating after an hour, but I plan to let it dry for a day and see what happens.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Three More YouTube Recommendations

A short blog this week, just showcasing three YouTube channels that you may want to check out.

World Bluegrass Day – I am not sure when this channel officially launched, but it was created to celebrate World Bluegrass Day on October 1st. The channel currently has 205 videos dedicated to promoting the bluegrass format. This includes performances from legendary artists, interviews, and short documentaries on related artists and festivals. It is definitely worth it for anyone wanting to learn more about bluegrass, which now during the winter months and spending more time indoors, might be a worthwhile subscription.

Cody M. Music – Cody is a recent graduate from the Bluegrass and Old-Time Country Music program at East Tennessee State University. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, but this channel is dedicated to playing bluegrass guitar. He covers choices in guitars, rhythm patterns, simple solos, and has a thing for covering Billy Strings techniques. Some of his advice and lessons are great, but I find myself disagreeing with a few of his statements and suggestions. I do recommend checking out the channel, as you may pick up some improvements on your bluegrass guitar playing.

Deeslounge615 – I first visited Dee’s Lounge when I was in Nashville last year for the SPBGMA conference. I saw Chris Jones and The Night Drivers one night and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes the next night. The cool thing is that it broadcasts shows at the bar live on its YouTube channel every night a band is performing. If you subscribe to the channel, they will send you a notification what artist is performing that evening, and you have the option of “tipping” the artist through Venmo. Acts include bluegrass, country, roots-rock and folk. If you need a dose of live music but don’t feel like leaving the house because of the weather, this is a great alternative.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Folk Music

Perfect Song #13: Hej Sokoły

Last week I blogged about the three most beautiful angels from Georgia, Trio Mandili (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/12/21/trio-mandili-hallelujah/). Since I subscribe to their YouTube channel, YT’s algorithms tend to send me a Trio Mandili video every time I go online to the site. I have pretty much seen all of their videos, so when one pops up, I know that I have already hit the Like button, but will check just in case.

Recently, the trio’s video of a Polish/Ukrainian folk song “Hej Sokoły” came up. I had seen it already and watched it again. It motivated me to do some research on the song. I was totally moved by the history, and more so by the different interpretations by many artists.

There is no definite authorship for “Hej Sokoły,” translated in English as “Hey Falcons.” Some historians claim the composer is Ukrainian-Polish poet/songwriter Tomasz Padura, while others believe it was written by Polish classical composer Maciej Kamieński. It is based on a 19th century Polish folk song “Żal za Ukrainą.” It has been translated into a number of languages, as its storyline is held dear to many people of different European nationalities.

The story tells of a soldier leaving his love as well as his country Ukraine for a battle. He often sees falcons flying in the sky and asks them to fly back to his homeland and make sure the bells continue to ring, and refers to his girl as his little skylark and swallow. As with many similar folk songs, the soldier dies in battle, and he wishes for wine, as well as to be buried back in Ukraine next to his love.

Because of its storyline, the song has continued to be popular with the Polish and Ukrainian people throughout the 20th century. Polish solders sang it during the Polish-Soviet War, as well as with the Polish Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising during World War II. Most recently, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have performed it to celebrate victories against the Russian invasion that began in 2022. There have also been versions performed to honor military aid from Poland and the Slovak Republic.

While searching videos of the song, not only is it performed for military concerns, but since it is such a popular folk song, there are clips of people singing it at weddings, school functions and parties. It seems as if everyone in Poland knows the song by heart, the same way perhaps people in the US may know “Yankee Doodle” or “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” only with more spirit and love than we have here in the US.

While I totally enjoy Trio Mandili’s version of this song, the version that most moved me and brought me to tears was one performed in Polish by the Ukrainian Pikkardiyska Tertsiya, an a cappella group from Lviv, Ukraine. I have probably listened to this version a hundred times over the past week and it moves me emotionally each time. I cannot fully describe it, maybe it’s because of my Polish heritage, but it is perfect according to my soul.

Chew on it and comment. Let us hope for a better 2025.

Categories
Folk Music

Trio Mandili – Hallelujah

I had briefly covered Trio Mandili in a blog a few years back (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/10/17/na-zdrowie-eastern-european-folk-music-and-comedy/), and I continue to be amazed by their vocal talent as well as their natural beauty. These three young ladies from the country of Georgia have been putting out wonderful and entertaining videos for a number of years, and have also release a few CDs along the way.

This past week, it was a lovely surprise to find the trio’s latest CD Hallelujah in my post office box. It contains ten Georgian Orthodox prayers sung either a capella or with minimal accompaniment. I immediately threw it into my CD player once I got home, and was floored!

I cannot even begin to tell you how gorgeous their voices are performing these holy songs. If I were ever to say that there are living angels among us, the ladies of Trio Mandili would be three of them. The opening cut, “Psalm 50,” is hauntingly beautiful. All three voices complement each other so perfectly. They easily move from harmonies to droning vocals.

My only complaint is that, either out of humility or not realizing it, they never put their names on their CDs, and I have three of them. Tatuli Mgeladze is the lone original member, and takes most of the lead vocals, although they switch lead vocals often. Tako Tsiklauri sings much of the high harmonies, and Mariam Kurasbedani sings low harmonies, has a beautiful ear for droning vocals, and plays the panduri (a three-stringed mandolin-like instrument).

At this time, Georgia, like many Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries, are witnessing political turmoil. The ladies of Trio Mandili are patriotic for their country, and while not true activists, they are not afraid to show their support for the people that fight for human rights there. Honestly, they would be the kind of daughters that you would want to have.

This CD has brought me to tears of emotion, both joyful and heart-wrenching. The vocals are a feast, a weapon, a medicine, and a comfort. I implore you to go to www.triomandili.com and spend money to get this CD if you want to truly have your heart moved in a religious way. I will always love these ladies, as their voices continually warm my soul.

Have a wonderful Christmas. Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Pop Music

More Lousy Music Journalism

Today’s blog is short due to getting Christmas stuff done for the next two weeks, but this subject really had me shaking my head this week.

I have previously complained about the poor writing found with American Songwriter magazine and online postings. Well, it now has competition with incompetence. The website singersroom.com just put out an article that can only be compared to complete idiocy” “15 Best Pop Music Songs of All Time” (https://singersroom.com/w70/best-pop-music-songs-of-all-time/). To make a statement like that, you had better be a true expert in the field. However, I have never hear of the author Samuel Moore, and his credit only states him as a frequent contributor to the site.

I won’t list the songs he tabulated, but will list the artists: Michael Jackson (2x), Madonna, Adele (2x), Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Ed Sheeran, Mark Ronson w/ Bruno Mars, Carley Rae Jepsen, Queen, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Mariah Carey, and Lady Gaga.

WTF?!?!?!? If you are going to make the statement “of all time,” you better sure know what you are talking about! Popular music (just in the US) has been around since the late 18th century, and even if we were to limit to recorded music, we could go back to perhaps the 1920s. The earliest song on the list is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” from 1975, three from the 1980s, two from the 1990s, and the rest coming in during the 21st century.

This list easily shows how uneducated the author truly is. There is NOTHING listed from Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Elton John, or Aretha Franklin just to name a few legendary artists. How about probably the greatest pop song of all time, Judy Garland’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”? While I have heard of almost off of the artists that Moore listed (I could not tell you who Carley Rae Jepsen is), none of them, with the exception of Michael Jackson, has ever put out a credible pop song that can compare to the artists that I have listed.

Since I do not subscribe to singersroom.com, I am not able to post comments to the artice. Moore should be glad that is the case, as I would be taking him to task for his lack of pop music knowledge. Hopefully he catches wind of this blog (as I have learned that a few people from American Songwriter have done with my previous blogs), and I welcome him to contact me so that I can fully explain to him what the definition of both “pop music” and “of all time” means. While I do not consider myself the greatest expert on pop music, I do know that there is a lot more out there than what Moore considers the best.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Musical Instruments

Getting a Kid Interested In Music — On the Cheap!

Christmas is coming up fast, and it is always tough thinking of gifts to get someone, especially children, that they can use for more than a day, may be interested in using long term, and are somewhat age appropriate. If you know me, I always recommend something involved with music. Getting a youngster interested in music will benefit in the long run with creativity, attention development, and as some scientific studies show, can help in school with studying and learning.

However, investing in a musical instrument can be expensive, and as many parents know, it may result in a guitar, clarinet, violin, or piano never being used and eventually gathering dust. So how does one get a child, or even an adult, interested in playing music on the cheap?

The Five Below stores that appear in numerous strip malls and shopping centers around the country may be a quick oasis. A lot of us already know how reliable these stores can be for last-minute gifts such as T-shirts, candy, toys, and other unique items. While I was in one a few days ago to find another Christmas item for my brother, I noticed that it had a few musical items that may pique the music curiosity of some children, and of course, the items won’t break the wallet.

First, there are a number of different ukeleles available, usually plastered with cartoon characters or designs that more attention was paid to than the actual quality of the instrument. Now I am not a big fan of ukeleles, but they made a big surge of interest a few years back, and many people started picking them up to learn on. The ones available at Five Below are hardly pro instruments, and they will probably get banged around against walls and furniture more than plucked. Moreover, the features such as tuning gears and strings are not high-quality, so don’t expect it to stay in tune or sound good at the outright. However, it may get a youngster interested in a string instrument, and if enough attention is paid, a better ukelele, or even a small guitar, violin, or mandolin may be in order soon enough.

The miniature keyboards have been around for decades, thanks to companies like Casio, and have been useful musical tools for hobbyists and pro players alike. I still have one that I purchased probably 30 years ago and I still play around with. Thanks to advanced technology, mini keyboards that would have been pushing $100.00 back in the 1980s are as inexpensive as $5.00 at Five Below. They usually have a half-dozen different sounds that can be engaged at the push of a button, and also come with a simple drum machine built in so that one can play to a rhythm pattern. These little items are always great to get a child interested in creating music, and even adults tend to have fun playing with them. Heck, back in the days when I was an electronics geek, I would re-wire these things to be able to plug into a guitar amp or PA system so that a band’s keyboard player had one for his/her arsenal.

If one doesn’t mind a lot of pounding with hopes of having the next Ringo Starr or even Buddy Rich in the family, there is the simple drum set. This consists of usually three drum heads, a rudimentary cymbal, and a pair of small drum sticks. This is not a Tama or Ludwig professional drum set to be sure, but for hundreds of dollars less, it may get a child interested in percussion once he/she gets involved in a music program at the elementary school.

Finally, there is the old standby, the harmonica. It was my first musical instrument, and I still have a few that I play when I get a creative idea going. My brother, who was never really into playing a musical instrument, has started playing around with one in his 60s. We know that these instruments have been around since the American Civil War, and soldiers in every war since then relied on them to bring a little bit of musical comfort when resting near the battlefield. They are pretty easy to learn on once one understands the pattern of reeds in each hole. While professional harmonicas can run several hundred dollars, simple ones can be had for, yes, $5.00 at Five Below. This instrument has always been a go-to gift for anyone who has even a slight interest in music.

Of course, there are many videos on YouTube that can instruct beginners on these or any other instruments that are on hand. And if for some reason the child loses interest in the short time, there is not a lot of money lost.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Visiting the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum

I finally got to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky after wanting to get there for years! I had a few days off during the Thanksgiving weekend, so I made the eight-hour trek.

First off, just because Kentucky is south of Michigan doesn’t necessarily mean it would be warmer down there. I froze most of the time there and took the wrong jacket. But it was still worth it to go. I thought that the building would be larger than it is, but the work done with displays and exhibits use the space perfectly.

Walking into the museum, one is met by a friendly worker that explains all of the rules and features. You are given a Walkman-style device that narrates parts of the museum displays by programming in the number on the wall next to the display. To be honest, I didn’t use it much, as I already knew the history of the photos and items. And those items were fantastic to see! Carter Stanley’s Martin guitar, Bill Monroe’s Rolodex that had all of his business contacts, John Hartford’s banjo, and Uncle Pen’s fiddle. There was a video accompanying the fiddle showing a number of bluegrass fiddlers playing the legendary instrument. The best was when Ricky Skaggs, after playing the fiddle, says, “That’s got some stank to it!”

There was a display of some of today’s popular bluegrass acts. I was happy to see my “kid sister,” Vickie Vaughn, in a photo with her band Della Mae.

One other great section is a bunch of acoustic instruments hanging on a wall that are purposely there for visitors to try and play. Bluegrass has always been a format that common people play, so it makes sense for that music to be accessed easily by the people attending.

One of the best displays was dedicated to bluegrass history coming from the Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio area. Banjoist Joe Mullins narrated the video, showing all of the locales that bands like the Osborne Brothers and J.D. Crowe performed, as well as radio stations and record companies such as the legendary King Records, home of the Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley AND James Brown!

The second floor had the Hall of Fame member display. It was great to see all of the artists, radio D.J.’s, and promoters that made bluegrass music famous and have kept it alive. Two plaques that I definitely wanted to see were of guitarist Clarence White and his brother, mandolinist Roland White. Clarence was inducted in 2017, with Roland inducted in 2018. I was disappointed in the fact that the brothers’ plaques were not next to each other, separated by two other 2018 inductees. I made the suggestion to move Roland’s next to Clearance, as it would be spiritually important for the brothers to be together again. Hopefully that move will be made soon.

Also on the second floor was one of the main reasons that I made the trip — The bluegrass dedication to Jerry Garcia. While I have never been a big fan of the Grateful Dead, I have always valued Garcia and his love and respect for all roots music. He started out playing folk music, moving on to playing banjo in the Hart Valley Drifters before forming the Dead. During the 1970s, while the Dead was taking a break, he played banjo in the legendary band Old & In The Way. Up until his death in 1995, he was continuing to perform acoustic music with various side projects.

I totally recommend anyone into roots music to make the trip to Owensboro (about a 90-minute drive west of Louisville by way of I-64/U.S. 231 through Indiana) and visit the museum. By the way, there is also the Green River Distillery a few blocks away, just in case you need another reason to go.

Chew on it and comment.

Create your own website, free on WordPress.com.Create your own website.
Start free