Tag: International Bluegrass Music Association

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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 Music

IBMA World of Bluegrass Move to Chattanooga

So, the announcement was made this past week that the IBMA World of Bluegrass Conference will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 2025 through 2027 seasons. The choice surprised a few in the bluegrass community, as most thought that it would be moved back to Kentucky.

The IBMA stated that it would make the announcement much earlier in the year, so being this late made many lose interest in where the conference would be located in the future. Once the announcement was made that 2024 would be the last year that WOB would be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, the bluegrass community was talking heavily on a new location, which included Louisville, Lexington, or Owensboro, KY, Dayton, OH, or even St. Louis, MO. Very little talk was of Chattanooga, but one can see a few positives to the choice:

  • More centrally located. While still in the South, Chattanooga is closer to other bluegrass-oriented cities such as Nashville, Knoxville, Louisville, and Dayton. As a mileage note, Chattanooga is about a 9.5-hour drive from Detroit, while Raleigh is closer to 13 hours (I still don’t plan on going, more on that later).
  • Investment. Chattanooga is planning on investing $25 million into promoting tourist and convention marketing. We are fully aware that conferences such as WOB can pull in millions of dollars to a city’s economy, so I would venture that with WOB being there for three years, it will be a hefty return on investment, not even considering other conventions and tourism outside of WOB.
  • Weather. During WOB’s tenure at Raleigh, there were two instances where hurricanes affected the conference, with one cancelling a large amount of events or forcing re-scheduling. A fan registered for WOB that just paid a few hundred dollars to attend, as well as hundreds more for hotel and food, expects a whole week of entertainment without Mother Nature screwing up things. Yes, maybe a day can be a disappointment (we’re used to it at bluegrass festivals), but to be in fear of dangerous weather the entire time is not worth the trip.

The first WOB in Chattanooga is scheduled for September 16-20, 2025. Oddly enough, that is usually the same week that the Americana Music Association schedules its AmericanaFest conference in Nasvhille. While there is not a lot of conflict, some bands and fans do attend both conferences, so one would wonder how much of a loss either association would feel if both were to be held on the same week. I would imagine that the AMA would probably hurt more, albeit not a large amount. Also, would anyone even consider the two-hour drive between the two cities to attempt to attend both? Highly unlikely.

As I stated above, I don’t plan on attending WOB in the near future, unless drastic changes are made in the philosophies of the IBMA, especially its political leanings. Because they moved so far left in thought since the George Floyd riots, I not only stopped becoming a member, but also resigned my position as a member of Leadership Bluegrass. Granted, I have also left the Americana Music Association for similar reasons, so whatever happens to the conferences over the next few years does not concern me. What I care about is the quality of music, not the diversity/equity of the artists. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at SPBGMA this past January because there was no politics, just a bunch of people enjoying music and jamming, and it allowed me to network without having to deal with conflicting attitudes.

In a related note to end this blog, I was going through some thumb drives a few evenings back, and came across a folder marked “IBMA 2011.” I believe this was one of the last years that WOB was held in Nashville, as well as one of the last times that I attended. One of the themes that year was Del McCoury’s 70th birthday. The Del McCoury Band performed live outdoors near the Ryman Auditorium and had a number of special guests, including Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, and Dierks Bentley. I actually got to hang out with Dierks for a while after his appearance, which he proved to be a true gentleman. I remember taking this photo and sending it back to two female co-workers. They were so jealous that they wouldn’t talk to me for days!

My beautiful picture

Chew on it and comment.

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Bluegrass Music

More About Jerry Garcia and Bluegrass

The March 2024 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited showed up in my mailbox a few days ago, and on the cover was a picture of a young Jerry Garcia playing the banjo. Inside were three articles on him, one dealing with the history of his bluegrass supergroup Old & In The Way, a second looking at his career performing bluegrass and acoustic music, and a third briefly covering the Grateful Dead’s delving into roots music

Ever since the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum took over publication of the magazine, the editor/publisher has been much more varied in its bluegrass coverage. There have been a lot more articles on progressive bluegrass artists, which I find helpful. This coverage of Garcia coincides with the Museum’s upcoming exhibition of Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey.

Back in May 2020, I wrote one of my early blogs concerning why Garcia hasn’t been considered being entered into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame permanently (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/05/16/why-wont-the-ibma-recognize-jerry-garcia/). More than any other musical artist outside of the bluegrass fold has Garcia been a proponent of bluegrass music. Before his time in the Dead, he was an adamant player of the banjo, despite missing a finger on his picking hand. Even during lulls in the Dead’s recording and touring schedule, he was performing with bluegrass and old-time country music with so many incarnations.

It’s hard not to fathom bands and artists like Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Crooked Still even existing without being influenced by Garcia, if not musically then at least on approach to bluegrass. As much as he was experimental in overall band sound, he was still very loyal to original artists like Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, and Reno & Smiley. Mandolinist Jesse McReynolds was a big supporter of Garcia, recording a number of Dead tunes in bluegrass style.

I can only hope that this exhibition, as well as the dedication of these articles in BU, will push Garcia’s entry into the Bluegrass HOP even closer and sooner. He, through is influence with younger Deadhead audiences and guitar aficionados, helped bluegrass gain a wider and newer fan base than anyone else.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Folk Music Musicians

Phil Leadbetter/Paddy Moloney RIP

Last week just after I posted my blog, I learned of the deaths of two great musicians. This week, I will briefly cover the lives and influential presence of dobroist Phil Leadbetter and The Chieftains’ leader, Paddy Moloney.

Phil Leadbetter was a true traditionalist when it came to the dobro. He kept his feet firmly in bluegrass while others took it to other genres. He began playing the dobro at age 12, and soon after graduating high school worked with country legend Grandpa Jones. He spent his longest tenure with J.D. Crowe and the New South, often serving as booking agent as well, from 1990-2001. He helped form a number of superstar bluegrass bands, including Wildfire, Flashback and Grasstowne.

In 2011, Phil was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. He was part of trials that tested the drug Opdivo for his type of cancer, and became a five-time survivor. He returned to performing part-time in 2013, working with Dale Ann Bradley as well as his own band, Phil Leadbetter and the All-Stars of Bluegrass. Unfortunately, his health kept deteriorating, and there were a number of benefit concerts and funding pages. Phil passed away October 14 from COVID-19 complications working against his already poor health. He was 59 years old.

While Phil’s work can be heard on the aforementioned bands, as well as work with The Whites and Vern Godsin, if you want to hear probably his best work on the dobro, seek out his 2005 solo album Slide Effects on Pinecastle Records. The cut “California Cottonfields” was a Number 1 hit for two months on the bluegrass charts, and the disc won the Instrumental Album of the Year award that year at the IBMA World of Bluegrass show. He was a three-time Dobro Player of the Year winner, and both Gibson and Recording King released signature resonator guitars in the past few years.

Phil will definitely be missed in the bluegrass community. I had the chance to meet up with him after a Grasstowne show, and he was one of the most humble people you would ever get a chance to meet. Hopefully, there are a number of young dobro players out there listening to his fine work.

My first true experience in watching The Chieftains was when the band appeared on a special St. Patrick’s Day showing of Saturday Night Live back in 1979. By then, the band was just starting to get some notoriety in the US, after much success in Ireland and the UK. This was not the usual musical fare of SNL, and I was blown away. The sound was magical, moving, hitting at your heart strings. And in the middle of this ensemble sitting, playing the uillean bagpipes and with a big grin, was Paddy Moloney. One could tell after just a few seconds of watching that he was the leader, and that his direction was similar to a classical music conductor, but not as obvious. He knew where to guide the music, and everyone in the band trusted his instinct.

Paddy formed The Chieftains in 1962, but the band did not become full-time professionals until the early 1970s. They built up a large following in Ireland and Europe, but it was the band’s work on the Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon in 1975. From there, it was international success. They have performed with dozens of other famous musicians and singers, have held concerts for Pope John Paul II and a number of other dignitaries, and in 1983 were invited to perform at the Great Wall of China, the first non-Chinese artist to do so.

Paddy was born in Dublin in 1938. He first picked up the tin whistle at age six, then the uillean pipes at age eight. In 1962 he invited local musicians Sean Potts and Michael Tubridy to his house for a jam session, and The Chieftains was born. The band signed with a local label Claddagh Records, and Paddy served as leader, composer, and arranger for the band’s music. His endless work to promote the band made it an international success. If any big-time producer or film director needed Irish or Celtic music, they would call on The Chieftains.

I cannot begin to list the different artists that the band has worked with. Almost everyone from Luciano Pavarotti and John Williams to Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney. While The Chieftains had never had a huge hit in the US, it did score minor hits with Van Morrison and The Coors in the UK. They also performed on the soundtracks for the films Gangs of New York and Bravehart. Paddy was a major reason that The Chieftains have such a huge following. His business head knew that it was important for the band to work with different people to get the best exposure, but his musical heart knew not to sell out. The sound of the band stayed pure and close to its roots, so that other performers gladly adapted to the band’s sound.

Paddy recorded 44 albums with The Chieftains, and there is not a bad one among them (although I can honestly say that I have not heard all of them, but trust me). If you were to pick only one, you might try to locate The Best of The Chieftains from 1992, which contains selections from the band’s 7th, 8th, and 9th albums. The 1993 disc The Celtic Harp is hauntingly beautiful. To hear how well the band worked with American artists, get a copy of Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions from 2002.

I only got to see The Chieftains once live. It was during a tour promoting Down the Old Plank Road with Allison Moorer as a guest. The sound of the band live cannot be described with words. One could close his/her eyes and be transported into a different world. If Ireland had a sound, it would be The Chieftains.

Paddy passed away at age 83 on October 12, and is now buried in Glendalough, Ireland. He was the last original member of the band. There will never be another band like The Chieftains, and definitely never be another beautiful man such as Paddy Moloney.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

IBMA Awards: Pretty Much Predictable

OK, this COVID is still knocking me on my butt, but I’m tired of lying in bed doing nothing, so I will at least try to write a small blog on the IBMA awards from two weeks ago.

So Billy Strings won Entertainer of the Year. No argument here, he’s been touring relentlessly over the past year performing at bluegrass and not-so-bluegrass festivals to thousands. Is his style akin to Bill Monroe or Flatt & Scruggs? Hardly, but he is helping to keep the format in the spotlight. If it were not for Billy, I am sure that bluegrass would not be half as popular as it is now.

Billy also won Guitar Player of the Year. Again, no argument. For the past few years and probably another five or more in the future, I see that award passing between Billy and Molly Tuttle.

I am extremely proud of my good friend Bronwyn Keith-Hynes for winning Fiddle Player of the Year. She has busted her tail this past year recording her own album as well as recorded and performed with a number of other acts. She has recently announced that she is leaving Mile Twelve after seven strong years. I know that whatever she does, it will be amazing! Big hug from Detroit, Bronwyn!

Most of the other award winners were predictable. Partly because live music is still trying to get back fully on its feet, partly because the voting membership doesn’t really pay attention to anything new coming out. Even though I haven’t been a IBMA member for four or five years, I still get the ballots emailed to me, and I just shake my head. Bluegrass will never be big if the audience refuses to open its mind. Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglass, The Punch Brothers, and now Billy Strings are being innovative, yet most listeners just want to listen to re-hash standards. Bluegrass will eventually get stale and, like old bread, will be tossed in the trash.

For the list of winners, go to

https://bluegrasstoday.com/2021-ibma-bluegrass-music-award-winners/

The IBMA hasn’t even posted the winners on its own website. Sad.

As for the Momentum Awards, I won’t even go there. You can if you want.

https://ibma.org/momentum-awards/

I’m exhausted just doing this little bit of typing. COVID is truly a virus that will bring you down, but I still refuse to take the vaccine, so I will just keep plodding through.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music Bluegrass Music

So Long, AMA!

Well, with a heavy heart but no regret, I have decided to not attend this year’s AmericanaFest, and I am not renewing my membership to the Americana Music Association. My decision is similar to why I left the International Bluegrass Music Association.

The AMA has decided to for a committee to find ways to promote musicians based on race, gender choice, and sexual preference. The IBMA launched a similar program a few years back. Both were supportive of the BLM movement (a Marxist organization that it fully admitted to on its website until recently when the co-founder was caught red-handed purchasing five homes around the country), yet when the BLM/Antifa riots reached Nashville last summer and vandalized the Bill Monroe statue outside of the Ryman Auditorium, neither organization did anything to either condemn the crime nor help support the clean-up.

I left the IBMA a few years back,, but I remained in the AMA primarily due to my friendship with other members, board members, and staff. However, I had been on the fence the past two years because of the organization’s political involvement. This recent decision by the AMA helped make my decision to bow out. I had been a member for over 20 years, and had served in a volunteer capacity for about 15 years. This included stage management, chauffeuring, showcase organization, and a dozen other jobs. I met a lot a good people along the way, including artists, managers, booking agents, and publicists. The networking was great, to say the least. However, the time had come where I had to decide between my beliefs and going with the flow.

Music organizations such as the AMA and the IBMA are there to promote music first and foremost. The color of one’s skin or the choice of one’s personal identity should not matter if the talent is there. Both organizations have reneged on their original philosophies and are now more interested in an artist’s identity instead of the talent. Political correctness has led to being woke.

With the AMA, one can see that it would eventually lead to that direction. Many of the artists come from a more liberal background. Being a member for over 20 years, I could see that it was an almost inevitable move. I highly doubt that my leaving will affect anything. I will miss going to Nashville and working the conference, seeing old friends and making new ones, but I have my standards as well.

In the case of the IBMA, I have gone over this before, but the direction it is taking may have different consequences. The bluegrass community is a wonderful melting pot. Liberals and conservatives, hippies and rednecks, traditionalists and progressives, all coming together for the enjoyment of acoustic music. Debates consist of musical matters (Percussion? Electric bass? No banjo?), not anything about the race, creed, sexual orientation, or political views. A few years back, the powers-that-be discreetly began implementing more woke philosophies and actions. Now, most of the IBMA membership only care about concerts and such, but are dumb to how the organization is spending membership dues. There were a few like me that left, including one or two A-list bluegrass performers. The IBMA marches on, but it will be interesting to see what it will be like in five or so years as the organization becomes more woke. I don’t see too much negativity happening with the AMA as it moves in that direction.

So I leave the AMA. The only national music organization that I am currently a member is the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America, which has much smaller representation than the IBMA but is much more dedicated to the music. There are a few local groups that I belong to, such as the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association and the Michigan Fiddlers Association. For now, I will work harder with those groups to promote the music that I love.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Tidbits: Garcia, Ellis, SEMBMA, Circle TV, YouTube

Hey! Remember back on May 16, 2020 when my blog was about how the IBMA refuses to recognize Jerry Garcia as a viable influencer on bluegrass music (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/05/16/why-wont-the-ibma-recognize-jerry-garcia/)? WELL! It seems that this year’s World of Bluegrass virtual conference is having a presentation on Jerry and his work with the bluegrass music industry. Hmmm, I wonder where they got that idea from. Anyway, here’s a link to the description in the schedule: https://worldofbluegrass.org/schedule2020/ . It will be on October 1 at 11:00 am. I’m not expecting a thank you from IBMA, if you want to know.

Last Saturday the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association had its annual Hall of Honor ceremony. I was proud to see that Marvin “Red” Ellis was inducted. I wrote about him in a previous blog (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/03/15/red-ellis-and-the-forgotten-history-of-michigan-bluegrass/), and will continue to research the history of bluegrass music in the Detroit area. On a related note, there was a good article on the Miller Brothers in the September 2020 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited. The Miller Brothers were originally from Kentucky, lived for a while in Indiana, them moved up to the Detroit area for auto factory work. While in Michigan, they recorded a few bluegrass albums in the early 1970s. They are definitely a group that I hope to research more for the SEMBMA Hall of Honor.

Speaking of SEMBMA, the Association is now awarding scholarships to youth 13-18 years of age who are interested in pursuing further education with bluegrass music. The scholarships will be paid directly to the instructor/institution, and lessons can be in-person, over the internet, or some form of video. Students can be studying a stringed instrument (guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, autoharp) or studying vocals. For more information on the scholarships and to secure an application form, go to http://www.smbluegrass.org . Submission deadline is January 1, 2021 and may require a personal interview of the applicants by SEMBMA board members and/or the scholarship committee.

Late to the Party Department: I just discovered that Circle TV (www.circleplus.com) is available in my area over the air (I don’t have cable, and my mom’s cable service sucks to say the least). I don’t watch television much, maybe an hour a day, but now that I can watch Circle, I may make use of it since the pandemic still won’t let us go to see live music. I get to watch the Opry on Saturday night (although host Bobby Bones irritates the crap out of me), reruns of Hee Haw and The Beverly Hillbillies, some Ditty TV programs, Daily & Vincent, and even some CMA songwriter programs. Pass me the Doritos!

YouTube fiddle lessons videos: I may have mentioned FiddleHed here before, but if not, I highly recommend checking him out, even if you don’t play fiddle. I have an article on him for Fiddler magazine coming up in the Winter 20/21 issue. I bring him up because he is one of the few that actually “teach” the tunes. I recently did a search for fiddle instruction for the Bill Monroe song “Uncle Pen.” A lot of videos came up, but most of them were hardly instructional. They are usually just a camera pointed at the fingerboard during the “lesson,” and no slow downs or explanation of what the fingering is. That is not instruction, that is just showing off that you can do the lick. Thank you again, FiddleHed!

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

The Sir Walter Raleigh Statue and Why I Left the IBMA

I was recently scanning the articles on the Bluegrass Today website and came up on the following op-ed from former International Bluegrass Music Association employee Abby Lee Hood:

Time for IBMA to retire Sir Walter Raleigh as a symbol for World of Bluegrass?

I recommend a full reading of it, but in short, Hood suggests that the IBMA stop using the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh as part of its World of Bluegrass advertising representation. The image is of the statue of Raleigh (namesake for the city in which WOB is held yearly) with a banjo slung over his shoulder. Cute, funny, eye-catching. But Hood thinks that the use of Sir Raleigh is offensive since he had reportedly murdered native Americans while attempting to colonize early America for the English.

Of course, the comments to her editorial were about 90% against. Most people saying what I stated in the previous paragraph and that bluegrass music should not get involved with politics.

Well my friends, it is much too late for that. It is about time I talk about why I resigned from Leadership Bluegrass and no longer am a member of the IBMA (which I have hinted at in previous blogs).

I was a member of Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2014. I met some fantastic people there in the bluegrass music industry, many of whom with which I still stay in contact. Our chat group was continually discussing concerns about promoting various aspects of the music. Then around 2017, things started to change. The California Bluegrass Association participated in a gay pride parade with a float that had IBMA signage on it. This was never approved by the IBMA, but the executive director (Paul Schiminger) and the board did nothing to prevent it or reprimand the party. Soon after, there was praise on the chat group for this person taking that initiative. Then, there was a debate regarding boycotting the WOB at Raleigh because of North Carolina’s stance on transgender people using the bathrooms of their choice. This was obviously a few vocal people speaking for themselves and not the membership, which is very family-oriented and ripe with Christian values. Those vocal members also made it a point that if anyone had a dissenting opinion, they were considered bigoted and should not be heard from (sound familiar?).

I decided that it was at the point that I should resign from Leadership Bluegrass, since it seemed that the direction of LBG (as well as the IBMA in general) was straying away from the association’s Mission Statement: “The IBMA is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.” I sent in my LBG membership identification materials to the IBMA office with my letter of intent.

I received a phone call from Mr. Schiminger a few days later, and we had a productive discussion on the matter. However, my mind did not change, and I did not renew my IBMA membership when it became due later that year. I also discussed this with one of my songwriting partners, which did not change my mind either.

As the years have rolled on, I have noticed that the IBMA has taken a stronger political stance (leaning left), and seem to be negligent of understanding the values held by a large contingent (probably a large majority) of the membership. Recently, the IBMA was supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement (go to that organization’s website to read about its Marxist agenda) by participating in a Blackout Tuesday with its website. Yet they have never spoken about the vandalizing of the Bill Monroe statue that stood in front of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, which was done by the BLM protesters back in June.

Former IBMA employee Abby Lee Hood has been a voice in the leftist protests (check her Twitter account). She worked for the association for a few months in 2019, yet her influence has had an impact on Mr. Schiminger, the current staff, and the board members. The thought of promoting bluegrass music in the community has become secondary to the appeasing of the left. It has only been in the last two years that “Diversity and Inclusiveness” has been added it the Values section. The IBMA doesn’t want to offend anyone that is so easily offended and will resort to violence if their demands are not met.

What do I see in IBMA’s future? Well, just like every other association surrendering to the Woke generation, there will need to be a certain ratio of minority and gender-based members on the board, with no concern of their expertise in the bluegrass music industry, but only to make sure that those lifestyles are represented. Perhaps for the yearly awards given out, the removal of the Gospel Recording of the Year replaced with, say, Inspirational Recording of the Year, so as to appease the non-Christians and atheists. We may even see a removal of all images and references to Bill Monroe. Yes, he is considered the Father of Bluegrass Music, but he also participated in comedy routines early in his career that consisted of blackface performers. Think about it.

Part of this left-move by the IBMA is the fault of the membership. Most do not really care about politics, as long as the WOB presents a lot of great bluegrass talent during the fan fair days in Raleigh. It is about time the membership take a look at what the IBMA does with the money it gets from its members. There are a lot of great programs that the association has continually presented. However, some are becoming political and PC-correct so as not to offend the few that are vocal.

I suggest that if you are a IBMA member, then you should thoroughly read the associations’s website (http://www.ibma.org), closely examine what the association does in comparison to the Mission Statement, and if you are confused or have concerns, then contact the IBMA office or one of the board members. It it their job to listen to your concerns.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

More on the IBMA World of Bluegrass (and a short note on Tex)

The list of performers for the IBMA World of Bluegrass fan fair this year has been set, and all of the performances will be streamed online. You can go to www.ibma.org for the list.

According to what IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger states, many of these performances have already been filmed. So, one will be watching a “live” performance that is not actually live. I can understand some of the reasoning for this, specifically that no one can trust the streaming online, with possible freeze-ups and blackouts. Well, that is what you can expect when a lot of people will be watching it online for free.

Free? Well, according to the press release, all of the viewing of performances are free IF you have a Swapcard. Trying to find out what Swapcard truly does is like doing a scavenger hunt. Swapcard is some business headquartered in France that allows a person to attend scheduled conferences and events through its app. Some things are free, like networking with other Swapcard members, but there is a $7.00 surcharge for attending other online events. That’s about all that I found out on the surface. To find out more, you have to JOIN Swapcard and get the app. Gee, that sort of sounds like Nancy Pelosi telling us Congress needed to pass the Obamacare bill before we could see what was exactly in the bill.

Fact of Life #1: NOTHING IS FREE. I do not care what Bernie Sanders tells you! Whenever you are told that something is free, you will pay for it eventually, whether it be through money and taxes, or with some of your precious time, or your legacy after you have passed on, or your sanity. I am truly suspicious of any organization telling you that something is free but only if you have a certain app on your phone/computer. That app will make you pay, either with money or by slamming you with pop-up ads that can never go away unless you pay to have those removed (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, the list goes on). If anyone out there can give me a simple and complete explanation of Swapcard, I would welcome it!

So, in short, you will be paying for pre-recorded performances that are probably not much different than those that the artists put on their YouTube or Facebook channels. I understand that the IBMA (as well as a few other music business associations) want to stay in touch and relevant with its membership. However, everyone is in the same boat with the Coronavirus pandemic. Artists have found ways to perform online with a tip-jar situation. Why is the IBMA making it so confusing to attend a virtual performance (I ranted about attending the IBMA business conference in a previous blog)? On the surface, it just makes me want to participate even less than before (which was a big NO).

On a final non-related note, I just learned that Alan “Tex” Booker, a long-time resident of my city of Hamtrmack, passed away recently. If there ever was a definition for “character,” one only had to look at Tex. He would be seen wandering the streets of town with his cowboy hat and T-shirt marked SECURITY during celebrations such as the Hamtramck Festival (which would be on Labor Day weekend, but of course was cancelled) and Paczaki Day. Every store owner knew him. He was a pain in the butt many times, but his heart was there. He will surely be missed by those who love Hamtramck. Rest in Peace, Tex.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooYceFvkCSU

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

The IBMA Virtual Conference – Really? Really???

Even though I am no longer a member of the International Bluegrass Music Association, I still get regular emails from it regarding monthly activities and, of course, an invite to register for the annual World of Bluegrass conference. This year, due to the Coronavirus, the conference is being held virtually.

Now the IBMA knows that it could never get away with charging the usual $300 or so that it would cost for a normal in-person conference. The cost this year is $99 for members and $149 for non-members for the Business Conference portion (which is the only portion that I ever attended anyway). But what do you really get for that cost?

Well, you will get to “virtually” attend a number of seminars dealing with the business end of bluegrass music. Great, but with everyone lately doing the work-from-home option and connecting to meetings through Zoom or some other online conference application, the World Wide Web can only handle so much. The chances of crashes are extremely high. Additionally, the opportunities to ask questions and get an answer back is highly unlikely.

One of the regular activities at WOB every year is the Gig Fair, which artists do a speed-dating style of interaction with booking agents and event organizers to secure gigs for the upcoming year. I am wondering how well this will go by trying to do it over the internet instead of speaking with people face-to-face and physically handing out press kits.

However, the one concept that I have the most problems with is the Virtual Exhibit Hall. During a normal conference at WOB, dozens of musical instrument manufacturers, festival organizers, record companies and artists set up display tables in a hall and allow attendees to try out new products and talk with the band members. It is a VERY physical experience! Many attendees love to try out a new guitar or banjo, shake hands with a bluegrass performer, and grab up a bunch of free swag. With the virtual aspect, that has all disappeared. Now everything will be only available to see on the computer screen. But … the IBMA still plans to charge exhibitors $300 to $400 to appear at the Vitrual Exhibit Hall.

Seriously? Something that can be done on the manufacturer’s website, such as product questions, price guides and feedback, the IBMA is going to charge a few hundred bucks for them to do at its virtual conference? I am sure that there will be a few that will succumb to this “virtual” pick-pocketing, but I am sure that there will be many others that will opt out just for the reason that it seems ridiculous.

I am sure that there will be enough people to register for the virtual business conference for the IBMA to not lose a lot of money, perhaps even make a few bucks from it. However, for whom is this all benefitting? The WOB always served as a great networking opportunity as well as a chance for fans to get up close to their favorite bluegrass artists. The virtual idea seems only like an opportunity for someone to take someone else for granted.

The IBMA is losing touch with its original objectives and philosophies more as each year passes. The Coronavirus has screwed up everyone’s normal schedule and lifestyle. We all need to adapt. The IBMA should also remember that the bluegrass artists, event organizers, and managers went broke this summer due to cancelled shows. It should have swallowed its pride and postponed the conference for this year, or perhaps moved it up to the late Winter/early Spring of 2021 when the world may have a better handle on the virus. Instead, it continues to think only of itself and its progressive ideas. While I miss many people that I have networked with in my previous trips to the WOB conferences, I seriously feel that I am not losing anything by not attending them any more.

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