Tag: Sister Servants of the Eternal Word

Categories
Bluegrass Music Musical Instruments

US-12 Yard Sale 2025/SEMBMA Picnic 2025/Misc.

This weekend was the US-12 Heritage Longest Yard Sale, so I took Friday off from work and did the drive. This year, I started driving west from Dearborn, but as expected, the set-ups really weren’t available until I reached Saline. I went as far as Allen, Michigan and turned around. Of course, I had to hit Randy’s BBQ in Brooklyn, MI for the famous Godzilla Sandwich (Google it!).

I didn’t get many bargains, as there was not a lot offered as far a music-related stuff. I got a gig bad and an empty Gibson hardshell acoustic guitar case, but the only real bargain (maybe) was a Dean electric bass.

I purchased it on the way back home and didn’t really look at it closely. For what I paid ($60.00), just about any cheap bass would be a decent buy. Once I got it home, I took a better look. The neck, body, and hardware are definitely a Dean model, but it looks like the pickguard and pickup were replaced with a generic setup, which doesn’t properly fit the body. I’ll most likely patch it up in places (like removing some stickers on the back of the body) and sell it off.

The Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association had its annual picnic and Hall of Honor ceremony Saturday. Not much to talk about here, only that we are still in need of young pickers to receive scholarships. Two current recipients showed up for the afternoon jam session, along with a few older members. I have never been much of a jamming enthusiast for myself, but I know how others enjoy it.

I received a nice email from my friend Sister Clare Marie of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word convent in Alabama (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/08/07/nuns-performing-bluegrass-and-diversity/). It seems that they are in need of some more material. Looks like I need to get finished with some of my incomplete bluegrass gospel songs.

This morning I got the new Billy Strings/Bryan Sutton live CD. I cannot wait to throw it on the player and give a review, which will come probably next week. Also, I got the call that my Cirrus guitar is finished, so I’ll be picking it up next weekend.

Short and sweet for this week, Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Gospel Music Old-Time Fiddle

2023 Michigan Old-Time Fiddle Contest/Sister Servants/Christian Youth Singers

Two weekends ago was the 2023 Michigan Old-Time Fiddlers Contest at the Applefest in New Boston. There were only four participants, and when I saw Trae McMaken (last year’s winner) seated near the stage, I knew that he would be this year’s winner as well. The guy is THAT good!

The contest was held later in the afternoon, which did see a bit more people in the audience than in previous years. There are also the problems with scheduling. First and foremost, the contest always goes on after the performance by the local middle school orchestra and choir. Every year, that performance always runs over because they go on late due to poor organization by the school music director. Thus, the contest began about 30 minutes late, and as expected, the blues/rock cover band scheduled to go on after the contest decided to start setting up some of its equipment during the contest.

It is sad that this old-time fiddle music is not as appreciated here in Michigan as it is in other parts of the country. I have preached about Michigan’s fiddle and music history many times, but it seems that very few people outside of the actual musicians care about it. I am glad to see that the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association has gotten some interest from young musicians recently for the scholarship awards. We have awarded one more student some scholarship money since I last wrote about it (https://luegra.design.blog/2023/08/06/sembma-scholarships-part-2/). I was hoping to see a new young fiddler at this year’s contest, but the four contestants were older fiddlers that have participated a number of times.

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We can always hope for next October! In the meantime, if any of you know of any young fiddlers (or banjo players, or mandolin players, or acoustic guitarists) playing bluegrass or old-time music, be sure to send them to the SEMBMA website and have them fill out a scholarship application (https://smbluegrass.org/scholarships/).

As many of you know, I am moving out of my house and moving back into my folks’ house as they both have passed away. I have sold the house and will be completely out by November 1st. So every day I have been grabbing a box or two and shipping it back to my new homestead. Yesterday, while in Hamatramck at a stop light, I noticed a group of young people (about eight) on the corner singing standard Gospel songs like “Rock of Ages” and “Amazing Grace.” They were from a Christian youth group connected with Living Waters (http://www.livingwaters.com/). It was extremely strange, as Hamtramck has become a highly populated Muslim community, and of course, tensions due to the Hamas attack on Israel recently has gotten a lot of people on edge. But there they were, being brave, singing old-time Gospel tunes and holding signs requesting looking toward Jesus.

It warmed my heart to see that. While I am a devout Roman Catholic, I have always loved the songs that early bluegrass Gospel brought forth. On my way back down the street, I saw that they were still singing, so I went to the local store, picked up some soft drinks, and gave it to them, letting them know how beautiful the singing was. They were friendly, and while they started to try to get me to be a part of their organization, I felt obliged to let them know of my faith in Catholicism and that my parish was a few blocks from where we were.

Seeing young people so motivated by their Christian beliefs, and what is more to be standing in an area that could prove to be hostile, was extremely moving, Then again, Jesus was not set on preaching to the believers, but to preach to those that were straying from the Lord and help them see the light.

I end this blog with a video that my friend Sister Clare Marie of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word sent me. I mentioned this group in previous blogs (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/08/07/nuns-performing-bluegrass-and-diversity/ and https://luegra.design.blog/2021/12/04/715/). These wonderful ladies stay in my heart always.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Acoustic Guitars Bluegrass Music

Martin Guitars YouTube Channel / More on the Sister Servants

Everyone that knows me knows that I love Martin guitars. I have a 1981 D-28 that I call Hazel (after Hazel Dickens) that I traded for with a Fender American Telecaster. She sounds beautiful, and even though my arthritis has been making it a bit difficult to fret, I still rely on her to be my guitar wife.

My first Martin as a DXM model that had a laminated top and was a low-end model. Even so, I was able to sell it years later for the same price that I paid. Over the past few years the lower-end Martins become more valuable as they age just like the higher-priced models. I have five or six other acoustics, some are easier to play, but Hazel is my go-to acoustic when I am recording or playing live.

I have always been a fan of Martin guitars. Partly because many of my country and bluegrass heroes played Martins. They truly set the standard for acoustic guitars, especially dreadnoughts. I recently subscribed to the Martin Guitars YouTube channel. It contains videos of artists performing at the Martin Guitar museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, as well as demo videos of Martin guitars and ukuleles. There is also a “Jam on the Road” series, with the most recent upload being country artist Dierks Bentley doing an acoustic jam with some of his bandmates.

There are two newer videos showing the construction of the D-18 and D-28 models at the Nazareth factory. Watch them and tell me what you think that I find wrong about them.

It has nothing to do with what the video is showing. It is great that they can show all of what goes into making a solid, beautiful and legendary acoustic guitar in under five minutes. However, the music is what I find wrong. The background music is electric blues-rock, with distorted electric guitars and heavy drums. Why would someone put this kind of music on an acoustic guitar video? There are hundreds of hard-driving guitar-laden bluegrass recordings out there. A Billy Strings or Molly Tuttle instrumental would work. Or most perfectly, “The D-18 Song (Thank You, Mr. Martin)” by Norman Blake and Tony Rice.

But what do I know?

Changing the topic. Back in August 2020 I blogged about the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, a sect of nuns currently residing at the Casa Maria Convent in Birmingham, Alabama (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/08/07/nuns-performing-bluegrass-and-diversity/). The Sisters are very musically inclined, performing at various religious functions. Back in August I posted a video of them performing the bluegrass Gospel standard “I’ll Fly Away.” I just came across two more videos of Sister Mary Anthony jamming with fiddler David Morris and his mother. They are performing Bill Monroe’s “Jerusalem Ridge” and the old-time fiddle classic “Tom and Jerry.”

This is so wonderful to watch. Never doubt the power of God and music!

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

The Hillbilly Thomists: More Bluegrass-Meets-Catholicism

Remember a few months back when I told you about the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word from Birmingham, Alabama that did a video of them performing the bluegrass standard “I’ll Fly Away”? If not, here’s a link: https://luegra.design.blog/2020/08/07/nuns-performing-bluegrass-and-diversity/.

Anyway, I bring them up again as they were the source for my latest bluegrass discovery. Through their website (https://www.sisterservants.org/) I learned about the Hillbilly Thomists. Taking their name from a comment made by author Flannery O’Connor, the group of Dominican friars, priests and brothers study intensely the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. However, some of them are also move by the lyrics of many folk and bluegrass gospel songs. Under the guidance of Father Thomas Joseph White, the rotating group of brethren perform on traditional folk and bluegrass instruments (guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, fiddle), as well as other traditional and ethnic instruments such as drums, piano, bodhran and accordion.

Seeing them on stage, you would think that you were to be serenaded by an age-old Gregorian chant. However, they pick up their stringed instruments and kick into a religious folk standard such as “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms” or “Poor Wayfaring Stranger.” While it may look strange to the eye at first notice, it becomes apparent that these men of Catholic conviction also know how to jam!

YouTube is filled with videos of the Hillbilly Thomists, whether it be live performances or professionally created music videos. What comes across is that they are religious, but they are also human. They like to have fun. They crack jokes, become self-deprecating about their musical skills, and also love to play secular music (one of the many YT vids shows them jamming to “Whiskey In The Jar”). Take away their robes and dress them in suits and ties, and you would think that they were another great-sounding bluegrass band.

However, it is their conviction to the Lord that makes them special. Jesus and his disciples also loved to laugh, sing, and dance. I do believe that God is looking down on the Hillbilly Thomists and smiling, probably even tapping his foot. Catholicism has always gotten a bad rap when it comes to music. The images of friars walking slowly and chanting in Latin seems to many like a depressing drone. Yet if one really takes a step back, the drone can be enlightening, with fluctuations of tones that the heart reacts to.

The Hillbilly Thomists take this a few steps further. They know that music makes people feel better generally. Moreover, the messages that come across in the standard bluegrass gospel songs are ones of hope, not fear. They also show to others that even priests and brothers can have human fun without insulting God. Theirs is a life of devotion to God and Christ, and that devotion can include singing praises in a popular style of music such as bluegrass and folk.

I urge you to check out a few of the Hillbilly Thomists’ videos and, if moved, purchase the album they releases a few years ago (https://www.dominicanajournal.org/music/the-hillbilly-thomists/). It may help you, as Lucinda Williams says, “Get right with God.”

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Nuns Performing Bluegrass and Diversity

Scanning through other WordPress blogs, I came across this and it melted my heart:

They are the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. Their convent is the Casa Maria Retreat House in Birmingham, Alabama. They have a number of prayer and inspirational videos on their website (https://sisterservants.org/), but this one takes the cake as far as inspirational AND toe-tapping.

It makes me think about bluegrass music and its religious connections. While so much of bluegrass Gospel music comes from the Baptist and Methodist themes, a song like “I’ll Fly Away” seems to have no religious border, especially with the Judeo-Christian sects. I have heard this song and “Down to the River to Pray” (both are heard on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack) in a Roman Catholic church that I have attended. I have also heard other songs with Southern Gospel leanings during Catholic mass. Of course, a song like “Amazing Grace” cuts across all barriers and is performed regularly even in secular settings, along with Hank Williams’ classic “I Saw the Light.”

It got me to thinking. The International Bluegrass Music Association has been going crazy with implementing diversity into its fold. They are trying to attract more minorities, including women, African-Americans, and the LGBTQ-whatever else to listen to and perform bluegrass music. This sucking up to the liberal fold is one of the reasons that I left the IBMA – worrying more about who they don’t have listening to the music instead of supporting those that do listen. So, how would they react to a group of Roman Catholic nuns performing bluegrass music? Would that be “diverse” enough for them, or would it be something that they could not handle? In my honest opinion, they would probably ignore it or even purposely brush it off due to the Catholic Church’s views on certain topics.

The IBMA has changed dramatically in the past five years. The people in charge seem to be more concerned with being part of a political move toward the left rather than promoting and preserving the original ideals of the music. Bluegrass music was always firmly rooted in Christian values, and those have gone by the wayside in order to appease the vocal leftists. Bill Monroe is probably turning over in his grave.

As for me, I do hope that the Sister Servants do consider putting out such a bluegrass album in the future.

Chew on it and comment.

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