The Grascals – Luegra

I can mark off another item on my bucket list. This morning, I went to the Cirrus Guitars shop and ordered myself an acoustic guitar made to my specifications!

I had blogged about Cirrus Guitars previously (https://luegra.design.blog/2023/10/28/cirrus-guitars/), and have been thinking about getting a guitar from there ever since. With money that could have spent on a bigger TV or some other item that does not really strike my fancy, I love guitars so much that it was what I wanted to treat myself to. I contacted Mike Franks, owner/luthier for Cirrus, a few weeks back, we scheduled a meeting this morning, and I went to the shop in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Mike was extremely friendly, and was grateful that I paid for the guitar in full rather than just a down payment. The shop is Heaven if you are a guitar enthusiast like me. Acoustic guitars in every stage of construction line the walls and workbenches. He has a special paint booth, and the whole shop is well ventilated and humidified. He also has a room set up for taking photos of his finished guitars, and a space where he holds small house concerts.

The best part of his tour was seeing some of the guitars that he is making for bluegrass artists. One guitar is a special left-handed model under his M.J. Franks brand of guitars for Jamie Johnson of The Grascals. He is also making a custom dreadnaught for John Bryan of The Grascals as well.

He related a great story of how he once heard an Osborne Brothers tune on the radio that moved him deeply, then fast forward two decades, and Joe Miller of Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top Xpress requested a guitar made for him. When it was finished, Franks took it to Nashville to present it to Miller at the Grand Ole Opry. He was then sitting on stage at the Opry when Miller performed with the band, and had that song dedicated to him that evening.

Franks knows how special bluegrass artists are, not only with the care and concern they have with acoustic instruments, but how much they appreciate the people around them, be they fans, promoters, or luthiers. You can see in all of the work he puts in every guitar that his respect goes equally back to the artist.

My guitar should be ready in about three months, and I am in no big rush. I know that I will fall in love with the guitar, simply because I see the quality work that goes into Cirrus guitars. Franks has stated that I should stop by the shop in a few weeks to see the progress. Despite the rainy weather going on today, the day was fantastic for me!

http://www.cirrusguitars.com/

Chew on it and comment.

A day late, but I just got back from the Charlotte Bluegrass Music Festival. This year, I went the whole three days, and I am glad that I did.

While not much is different from last year’s festival (https://luegra.design.blog/2023/06/25/charlotte-bluegrass-festival-2023/), there were a few high points. Returning acts included Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Williamson Branch, and one of my all-time favorite bands, the David Mayfield Parade. I cannot say enough great things about Mayfield and his band. Amazing musicians, fantastic songs, and the humor that Mayfield spills out between songs, as well as when he takes a guitar solo, is beyond energetic. They were such a big hit last year that they were booked for two days this year. That was four sets that saw only one or two songs repeated due to audience requests. I implore you to check them out on YouTube and follow them however you can. They have a new album coming out later this year, produced by Tim O’Brien. Their version of the classic instrumental “El Cumbanchuro” will leave you breathless!

There were a few stalwart bands that made a return after a few years away. Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers did two good sets, and are one of those bands that never disappoints. The same goes for The Grascals. Founding member Jamie Johnson has returned after eight years away, and he is honest to tell his audiences that it was due to some drinking, family, and other personal problems that he and The Lord were able to sort out. That takes a lot to feel comfortable emough to tell thousands of strangers, but bluegrass audiences are extremely supportive of performers in any situation.

One of my personal highlights was seeing Dale Ann Bradley. She has one of the most perfect voices in bluegrass, and can make any song from a slow ballad to a moving rocker sound soulful. On top of that, she is an absolute sweetheart to her fans. I haven’t talked to her in over 10 years, but she remembered that festival where we last met as well as we talked about some mutual friends. And absolute sweet lady!

I was also happy to see David Peterson & 1946 perform two sets. Long before Jerry Douglas formed The Earls of Leicester to pay tribute to the early Flatt & Scruggs days, Peterson was performing old Bill Monroe, F&S, and Jimmy Martin tunes nuance for nuance, and appearing on stage dressed for the part. Watching the 1946 band is literally like watching and listening to a bluegrass tent show from that period, as they sing and play around a single microphone and choreograph steps to control the sound.

Two bands that performed, which I have not seen before but caught my attention. The first was Highway North, a quartet of young pickers from North Ontario, Canada that made their first appearance at the festival. While the vocals were a bit laid back, the instrumental prowess on guitar and mandolin was phenomenal. Another great act was Dalton Harper. He is a singer/songwriter and a fantastic guitar picker as well. His style reminded me of Josh Williams (as it turned out, they are good friends and have performed together on occasion). I was truly impressed with his performances. I asked if he was going to be participating in the scheduled guitar workshop, and he told me that he wasn’t aware of the workshop. Sure enough, he got roped into leading the workshop the next day, and was joined by Taylor LaBreche and Jake Lavzon of Highways North for some great discussion and even better three-guitar jamming.

I helped out on the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association’s “Petting Zoo” Saturday morning. This involved having a number of acoustic instruments laid out for kids to try out to see if they would be interested in playing one at home, then talking to parents about cost and lessons. I had one young girl that was totally interested in the dobro. Fortunately, her parents are also hobbyist musicians, and encourage the daughter to pursue music as an interest. My big gripe is that a few adults show up and start jamming in the area so that kids cannot hear what they are doing, and can be overpowering when showing the kids some techniques that the kids cannot comprehend yet. Let the kids have fun first!

I stayed away from the food vendors for the most part, as the prices are way too high, and so is the grease! And of course, due to having to take insulin shots, I stayed in a nearby motel instead of camping. All in all, I will be heading back next year. Since I am not able to hit many multi-day festivals over the year, this one has a special place in my schedule.

Chew on it and comment.