Categories
Americana Music Bluegrass Music

Ronnie Bowman/Chip Taylor RIP

This past week we lost two influential artists in the bluegrass and Americana fields. Ronnie Bowman died from injuries due to a motorcycle accident on March 22, and Chip Taylor passed away from cancer on March 23.

Ronnie Bowman was well known throughout the bluegrass community for his wonderful voice and great songwriting. As with many bluegrass artists, he got his start performing gospel music in church. His first break came with joining the Lost and Found band in 1987. From 1990 to 1002, he was the singer and bass player for the Lonesome River Band, which also included his lifelong friend Dan Tyminski. He would later form Band of Ruhks with Kenny Smith and Don Rigsby.

His solo career included a number of albums, but he was best known in the bluegrass and country music community for his songwriting. He wrote and co-wrote a number of songs for Chris Stapleton, Lee Ann Womack, and Brooks & Dunn as well as many bluegrass artists.

Awards received included IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year for 1995, 1998 and 1999. His album Cold Virginia Night won the IBMA Album of the Year for 1995, as well as the title song winning Song of the Year.

I only talked briefly once at an AmericanaFest back around 2008. He was performing with showcase artist Melonie Cannon, with whom he had co-produced her album and co-written songs. A very humble man, one could tell he enjoyed all aspects of music performance, be it writing or being on stage. His presence in bluegrass will surely be missed.

Chip Taylor should be considered a legend in the music industry if for only two of his many songs that he wrote. It was he that wrote the Troggs’ classic “Wild Thing,” which has become a garage band staple. On the other side of the music spectrum, he penned “Angel of the Morning,” which was a country hit for Juice Newton.

He was born in Yonkers, New York, and was the brother to actor Jon Voight. He wanted to be a professional golfer, but entered the music business instead. After his success with “Wild Thing,” he continued to work freelance as a songwriter. While “Angel in the Morning” was originally written in 1967, it wasn’t until 1981 that it was a hit for Newton.

Other songs of Taylor’s includes “I Can’t Let Go” (the Hollies/Linda Ronstadt), “I Can Make It With You” (Jackie DeShannon), “On My Word “Cliff Richard), “Try Just a Little Bit Harder” (Janie Joplin), and “He Sits at Your Table” (Willie Nelson).

By his own admission, he had a gambling addiction, being unsuccessful as a professional gamble during the 1980s and early 1990s. During a performance at SXSW in 2001, he met fiddler/vocalist Carrie Rodriguez, and the musical partnership led to a number of albums that helped jump-start the Americana music format. He also performed with Canadian fiddler/vocalist Kendel Carson, as well as released a number of solo albums.

In 2009, Ace Records released a compilation CD of Taylor compositions recorded by other artists entitled Wild Thing: The Songs of Chip Taylor.

He began receiving treatment for throat cancer in 2023, but eventually succumbed to it last week. I was fortunate enough to get to meet up with him at an AmericanaFest in the early 2000s. What a wonderful man, totally appreciating the newly generated fan base that he was getting with the Americana format. I have a photo of me with him on one of my old computers that unfortunately, I do not have access to right now. But my memory of talking to him remains with me, and he will be a permanent “cool guy” with me, if only for writing “Wild Thing.”

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

The Earl Brothers

Back in the early 2000s when I still had satellite radio, it was always tuned in to for or five stations. One of them was Bluegrass Junction (of course). During that time, a band in heavy rotation was the Earl Brothers. Led by banjoist/vocalist Robert Earl Davis, the San Francisco-based bluegrass project had heavy gothic overtones to its sound. Instrumentally, it sounded like early Stanley Brothers, but Davis’ vocals gave it an alt-country grit. While many bluegrass bands at the time were starting to lean toward the progressive side, the Earl Brothers stayed traditional, with minimal solos and doing songs about death, drinking, and the Gospel. Chris Hillman of the Byrds fame (who started out playing mandolin in the bluegrass band the Hillmen) is quoted as saying “The Earl Brothers have got the soul and the songs and the attitude that brought us all into bluegrass music in the first place.”

They put out a few albums from 2004 to 2012, all with that lo-fi bluegrass sound that felt more like jamming on the back porch than in a studio. They had a cult following with the bluegrass and Americana fan base, but did not do much touring after 2013. I figured that Davis had pretty much wrapped up his work and moved on. Every so often, however, there would be a YouTube video of some new single from the band posted. About two weeks ago, Bluegrass Today posted a new video from the band. This one, entitled “Chicken Biscuit,” strays from the minimalist bluegrass and adds some electronic instrumentation. The overall sound still has what Davis calls “hillbilly trance.”

In the early days of the Americana Music Association, I hung out with a female bass player from SF that worked in an earlier project with Davis. She had told me that he was always more into bluegrass than Americana/alt-country, and forming this band was what he intended. I can totally understand, as when I became immersed in bluegrass in the late 1990s, I was getting into the early stuff by Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. My personal favorite bluegrass band is still Reno & Smiley. While I love listening to any bluegrass, be it traditional or progressive, it’s that old-time sound just hits me the right way. That is why the Earl Brothers CDs will always be in the front, and as I go back to learning the banjo, that is the sound that I want to get.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Old-Time Fiddle

Brittany Haas is Still My Favorite Fiddler!

Let’s start off by saying that I have a new job, and I will be working most Saturdays, so my blog posts will probably appear on Sundays instead.

Last Sunday I went to The International Institute of Detroit for both a workshop and performance by my favorite fiddler, Brittany Haas. We have been friends for years, but me living in Detroit and not able to travel much, while she is a traveling musician, we only see each other face-to-face about once every two years. I was definitely going to the show, which she performed with percussion dancer Nic Gareiss, but I wanted to see how she handles a workshop. As always, she impresses me like no end!

During the workshop, which there were about a dozen students (I was not one of them, as I haven’t picked up the fiddle in months and I know I am too rusty), Brittany taught the fiddle tune “Black Hawthorne,” originally performed by Vassar Clements and Norman Blake on the An Americana Christmas album. It was great that she chose a relatively unknown song that was also easy for beginners to comprehend. The participants ranged from absolute beginners to regular performers, and all seemed to be grateful for learning a new tune as well as how well Brittany communicates. The workshop lasted an hour in the afternoon, and ended too fast, as you could tell that all of the students were totally psyched from the experience.

I was not able to catch Nic’s step-dancing workshop that followed, as I had other commitments. However, I did come back in the evening for the fiddle/dance performance. Brittany and Nic have known each other for over a decade, and despite their individual busy schedules, they usually hook up for a few shows interspersed throughout the year. This particular one had a very intimate setting, with a small stage that Nic requested no PA system and even chairs on the stage for people to sit in and watch the show up close.

I had to leave early due to my starting my new job early the next morning, but I did want to show you what kind of fun a performance like this can be.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Guitars Lutherie

Lansing Guitar Show

Yesterday I hit the Lansing Guitar Show. It was nice, but nothing spectacular. As expected, about 90% electric guitars and amps (I’m not complaining, it’s just that I don’t play electrics that much any more). And of course, everything was way too pricey for me. I am still wondering if it was worth the three hours total drive back-and-forth to attend. I actually got through the entire show in a little over an hour, walking through it three times. It was set up in two separate rooms that were far apart, and there were not good signs pointing to the rooms.

I got to talking to a gentleman who was selling a late 1960s Guild Starfire II semi-hollowbody double cutraway. The thing was not completely original, as the bridge, tailpiece, and one pickup were replacements. He was asking $900.00, basing it on the harmonica-style bridge (it is wider, and looks like a harmonica) being a rare item. Dealers were passing on his offer (I totally understand), but it got me to thinking about a guitar that I have.

It’s a 1971 Guild Starfire I, which is a true hollowbody, with a single cutaway and a Bigsby-designed vibrato tailpiece. The pickups are original, but are quite microphonic, meaning that they act like a microphone (I actually used to talk through them at shows) and they feedback terribly. The thing needs some minor work, particularly the headstock plate needs gluing. The one dumb thing that I did to it was have a girl that I wanted to date paint a skull on it, as I was into rockabilly back then and thought it would be cool. Well, her skull looked more like a white tadpole. I remember my bass player at the time used to call it “the Happy Sperm Guitar.” I also remember that, playing the guitar though my Fender Twin Reverb, was absolute magic. With the right overdrive, that was the perfect-sounding rock-n-roll rhythm guitar. I guess that is why I still have not parted with it, but at least the talk gave me somewhat of an idea on how I could sell it just in case.

I talked a while back about how much I miss some out-of-print music magazines (https://luegra.design.blog/2021/06/06/the-print-magazines-that-i-miss/), particularly the Frets Magazine from the 1970s and early 1980s. This was an offshoot of Guitar Play Magazine, focusing on all acoustic instruments. Besides acoustic guitar, coverage included banjo, fiddle, mandolin, autoharp, dobro, sitar, and just about any other acoustic stringed instrument. It discontinued for a few years, but was brought back in the 2000s, but stuck to mostly acoustic guitar. The older issues covered artists that I thought were the best in bluegrass. So when I saw one vendor has a bunch of old guitar magazines, I had to thumb through to see if there were any treasures. I was able to snag his few copies of Frets. I love reading those old articles (just look at how young and skinny Jerry Douglas was back in 1986!).

One of the reasons that I went was to get a replacement nut for the Leo Jaymz Strat that I just finished building. The nut that was on the neck was horrendous! It was cut way too high, and even filing down the slots didn’t help. Plus it was made of a cheap plastic, so I picked up a bone one for a few bucks.

As I was leaving, I got to chatting with Cooper Wentz, who operates Galloup Guitars out of Big Rapids, Michigan. Besides building guitars, he runs lutherie classes out of his shop, which consists of programs ranging from eight to 24 weeks of intensive research and building of guitars, both acoustic and electric. For more information, go to galloupguitars.com .

But what struck me as very interesting was the lutherie tool that he recently developed. It is part of an online system that he has set up called Acousonix. The main aspect is a hammer-like object that has a small plunger on one side of the head, and a LED screen on the other side. This idea is to hit a piece of wood that is mounted on the body of the acoustic instrument (or before mounting) with the plunger, and the LED screen will display what that piece is tuned to acoustically for the best tone and stability of the guitar to be built. It is an amazing concept to be sure, and I hope that he has great success with this project. For more information, go to acousonix.com .

The next nearby show is in Toledo in June, so that gives me time to decide if I want to go, considering that I start my new job tomorrow and need to find out when I can take time off.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Banjo Comedy Lutherie

Leo Jaymz Guitar Kit/Banjo Practice/Fashion Show Parody

My second guitar kit is finished. Lessons learned from my previous kit were followed, and new lessons learned as well. This was a lit from Leo Jaymz. The Strat-style body had a nice grain structure for the most part, so instead of any paint or even stain, I chose to just finish it with Tru-Oil. There are about a dozen coats on the body, with light sanding between every two coats, and buffing/polishing afterward with car polish.

I would give my work on the body about a 7 out of 10, as the back of the body has a few drip spots from the oil that I had thought I sanded out. The wiring is a lot easier to work with than the first kit, which was a Fesley. Absolutely no soldering was needed, so it makes an excellent starter kit. My one problem is that, while the neck/body joint fit perfectly, the cut of the cavity in the body for the neck joint is ever-so-slightly off, by about a 1/32 of an inch. Thus, the low E string is closer to the neck edge near the joint than the high E string. Barely noticeable, but noticeable anyway.

As expected, much of the hardware is low-end. The tuning gears are rough when turning, and if I plan on keeping this guitar, these will definitely be replaced. The pickups are low-output, which is not a concern for me right now, but I could either replace them or do an update with magnetic pole pieces. I’m not a fan of the design of the headstock. I would have preferred a Strat-style cut, and this one is more like the old Epiphone batwing style.

I have a few other kits that I plan on building soon, including a Precision-style bass that I want to put in some modifications to make it unique. But they are being put on the back burner, as I want to spend my free time over the next few months working on playing the banjo again.

Since I haven’t practiced the banjo in so long, and giving my last banjo to my nephew, getting back into the swing of Scruggs-picking has been a chore. The ring finger on my picking hand has a problem known as Trigger Finger, which makes it difficult and painful to bend at times. Fortunately, it’s not one of the picking fingers, but I still feel pain when I rest it on the banjo head.

I’ve also given my nephew all of my instruction books and videos, so I am back to learning on my own and by watching YouTube videos. I still remember a few basic rolls, but in watching the videos on YT, there are not many that are too helpful to the beginner. Almost none show tablature while showing fingering in the video. My best way of learning things like this has always been the combination video and book. Right now, I am shopping around for one or two DVD/booklet packages. But until then, I am committed to spending a few minutes each day just practicing rolls.

And now for something completely different.

Nothing bluegrass, music, or lutherie related. While surfing on YouTube a few days ago, this video popped up. I haven’t stopped laughing since, and immediately subscribed to the channel. The guy has perfectly parodied the modern fashion-show runway and its models. I hope that you enjoy it half as much as I have.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Consumer Electronics Lutherie Musical Instruments

Buys at the Livonia Swap Meet

So this morning I went to another swap meet. This one is sponsored by the Livonia Amateur Radio Club in Livonia, Michigan. It is an annual one that I always attend, and while about 75% of the items for sale are related to ham and amateur radio enthusiasts, the remaining 25% is made up of computers, consumer electronics, and musical instrument items. Forty years ago, there would be swap meets like this at least once per month in the area. These days, I only know of this one and the antique radio swap meet I hit last month, so finding needed electronic parts is getting difficult.

I picked up a few things that made it worth the trip. First off, I secured a brand-new Shure SM48 microphone for $25.00. I made sure to hand-weigh it to make sure it was the real thing and not one of those fake ones coming out of China (see my blog https://luegra.design.blog/2021/01/14/are-you-sure-that-its-a-shure/). For those who are unaware, the SM48 is a more budget-friendly version of the stalwart SM58. The frequency response is a little less bass responsive, but still does a great job as a dynamic vocal mic. I’m not sure if they are made any more, but they used to run for about $70.00 new, and I see online that used ones are going for about $30.00. Beware of ones advertised as new on Temu, Wish, or eBay for less than that, as they are fake Shure microphones.

I snagged a microphone shock mount in a bundle package with a 1970s-era AM bicycle radio from Radio Shack. I already have a shock mount, but for a few dollars, it was worth buying to have around, or perhaps selling for a buck or two more on Craigslist. The radio is one that I wanted as a kid for my bike. Back then, to have any accessory on your bike was cool, and a radio was one of the ultimate blings! Besides the AM band, it had a horn and reflector. It is missing the handle-bar mount, but it will look cool in my transistor radio collection.

One item that I was planning on getting from Harbor Freight soon is a U.S. General Mini Toolbox. I have been seeing positive reviews for these on YouTube. It has two drawers and a flip top, all with pads to store smaller tools and items without them banging around. The drawers have a magnetic closure so they won’t open if the box gets tilted. One vendor there had a few new ones for $15.00, which is a few dollars cheaper than what Harbor Freight regularly sells them at (I was waiting around for a sale). This will make a great way to store some of my luthier tools that are currently in a large tote, as well as small containers that hold screws and electronic parts.

There were two musical instrument vendors there, which I often see at the other swap meets that I attend. All of the items that they sell are too much for my wallet, pretty much going for what can be seen on eBay. There were also some other microphones that I would have considered if the prices were right. I enjoy hitting these events, but I have some complaints:
-Setting up the vendor tables with too narrow of aisles, so it becomes hard to move along when there are others stopping to look at items.
-People with backpacks that make it even more difficult to get through an aisle
-People that bring their kids, especially infants in strollers that literally take up the entire aisle, so you have to wait at the end until the inconsiderate grandpa pushes the stroller through.
-People who decide to stop and have a conversation with each other in one of the aisles instead of moving into an open area along the wall of the hall.
-People who decide to have a cup of coffee without a cover while walking the narrow aisles, and when bumped, the coffee spills, usually on me!

I hope to hit the Lansing Guitar Show on the weekend of March 7-8. On March 9th, I start a new job as a valet/porter at a car dealership. Working at a logistics company for the last five years has been a drain on my mental well-being, and I’m willing to take a cut in pay and change my hours to get back my mental (and physical) health back.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Banjo Lutherie

Tetomas Banjo/Guitar Mat

Over the summer, my nephew helped clean up my back yard of overgrown brush. For payment, instead of money, he asked for my banjo. It was a J.B.Player model, sort of an intermediate banjo with basic parts but did have the more professional tuning gears on it, not the cheaper acoustic guitar style tuners found on an entry-level banjo. I had not picked it up to practice in a long while, so I felt it was a decent trade. I gave him the banjo and all of the instructional books and videos that I had laying around. A few months later, I had the inkling to pick it up again, but alas, it was gone.

Last week, I was updating some of my Craigslist ads, when I decided to peruse the Music Instrument category. There was an ad for a Tetomas brand banjo with the better tuning gears. Most of the banjos I have seen on CL are usually the beginner models, or occasionally a professional ones costing way too much for my wallet. The seller was a guitarist that had it sitting around and wanted to get rid of it. For the price asking ($60.00), I figured that it might be worth a shot. I contacted him and bought it a few hours later.

Tetomas was a musical instrument brand made in Japan in the 1970s, producing mostly acoustic guitars, but as I see, other instruments like banjos. There isn’t much information available on Tetomas on the internet, so my assumption is that it is like the import brands like Glarry or Ktaxon is for beginners today. I was surprised to see that this had some care put into its construction, especially with the tuning gears. The tone ring and pot of the instrument are pretty basic, so again, it was probably meant for an intermediate market.

Whether it was the seller or someone else, the banjo was set up pretty bad. Two of the strings were wound on the tuners in reverse direction, and the bridge was way out of place. After adjusting the bridge, it came to life. The sound is good, definitely not of the quality tone like a Stelling or Gibson, but can cut through with a good bite when picked three-finger style. When played clawhammer style, it can be pretty loud. I went and bought some new strings (which I will put on soon) and some finger/thumb picks. It felt good to play the simple tunes like “Bile Them Cabbage Down” again. I will be picking up a strap and gig bag shortly, but I do plan on keeping it within reach while watching television to see what comes out of it.

A really good find I purchased at the Dollar Tree recently has proven to be a lifesaver in my luthier work. The store sells these garden knee pads for relief when kneeling while working in the yard. They are about 17×11 inches, made of a semi-hard foam with some rib texture on the surface. This is perfect for laying a musical instrument on while working on it, as it holds the instrument without slipping but doesn’t scratch. The cost was $1.50, well worth it I think. I have already gotten a lot of use from it while working on my next guitar build project, as I can fine sand the guitar body on it with out the body moving around, and doesn’t leave any scratch marks. I have a bigger guitar bench top that I use when I’m doing setups, but this little pad is perfect for the jobs like just working on a body or neck on its own.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Consumer Electronics Entertainment Industry

Catherine O’Hara RIP/Antique Radio Swap Meet

A little over a week ago, we lost one of the funniest, most talented comediennes of our lifetime. Catherine O’Hara passed away January 30th at the age of 71. I was so glad to have soaked in her talent since the 1970s.

While most people will remember her as the mother in the Home Alone film series, as well as her Emmy-winning role as Moira Rose in the sitcom Schitt’s Creek, I will always think about her early roles doing sketch comedy for the SCTV program.

She began working with the Second City Comedy Troupe in the mid 1970s in Toronto. The main cast became so popular that they developed a television show for CBC starting around 1976. This is where I was fortunate to witness her talent long befor many others in the US. Being in Detroit, my television viewing included Channel 9 out of Windsor, Ontario. The Second City crew, which included O’Hara, John Candy, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty, parodied many commercial and cable television shows. The humor was perfect for a teen like me. O’Hara had some amazing characters, including Las Vegas singer Lola Heatherton, Brooke Shields, Meryl Streep, as well as dozens of housewife roles in commercial spoofs. It was fantastic that NBC picked up the program and aired it as a 90-minute comedy on Friday nights.

O’Hara was supposed to join the Saturday Night Live cast in the late 1980s, but passed because she did not want to live in New York City. She instead moved into film. Along with her Home Alone work, she was in Beetlejuice as well as a few of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries. These were I loved her the most. In Best in Show, she played a dog owner that seemed to have had previous sexual relationships with almost every man she comes across during a Westminster-type dog show. In A Mighty Wind, she plays Mickey Crabbe, the female member of the “famous” 1960s folk duo Mitch & Mickey. In For Your Consideration, she plays Marilyn Hack, an actress who is being considered for an Oscar nomination.

In all of her roles, O’Hara exaggerated the human character, which made them all the familiar to the viewer. She was beautiful, talented, and made each role memorable. The internet exploded with tributes to her, which was well deserved. However, the most beautiful quote that she uttered when asked what her favorite role she has ever performed was “the mother of my children.”

Ms. O’Hara, you brought so much joy into my life with your comedy. You have taken a piece of my heart with you.

Last weekend I attended an antique radio swap meet in Waterford, Michigan. I go each year, looking for vintage microphones, 60s-era transistor radios, and any music stuff that is interested AND cheap. Most of the items I was interested in was way out of my budget range, but I did find a dealer selling some as-is transistor radios for $2.00 each. I grabbed six of tem, with one being of great interest. Made for Radio Shack and its Realistic brand, it is an AM radio with additional bandwidth to tune in airplane traffic if you are near a large airport. I always wanted one as a kid, but never got one for a gift. I grabbed it, with the intent to just put it on my display shelp of radios. When I got it home, YES, it actually still works! Only one other of the group is working, but I am completely satisfied with that find.

There was also a dealer there selling some guitar-related items. Again, most of it was either not interesting to me or way too pricey. However, I was able to get a Yamaha bass guitar practice amplifier for $15.00. The speaker grille cloth is torn, and whoever previously used it actually poked a few small holes in the speaker cone to get a more ratty sound, probably to use it for guitar. The amp works, although a bit low in volume at regular setting, but when the Drive switch is engaged, it seems to boost the volume considerable. I will probably take the front apart and replace the cloth when I get a chance.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
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.

Categories
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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