NewsComments Off on Bluegrass Legend Miss Rhonda Vincent Releases New Single.
Jul182019
GRAMMY Award winning Vincent premieres an all new song co-written by Grand Ole Opry star Jeannie Seely
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Rhonda Vincent, affectionately known as the Queen of Bluegrass, premiered her brand new single “Like I Could” onstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday, June 19. Co-written by Grand Ole Opry country music star Jeannie Seely, along with Erin Enderlin and Bobby Tomberlin, Vincent’s bluegrass interpretation of the country song is a beautifully composed, string-driven melody, which highlights her soaring vocal abilities. The song also made it’s online premiere at the Bluegrass Situation.
“As soon as Jeannie Seely started singing ‘Like I Could’ to me, I instantly loved it. It felt like it was written just for me and my vocal style. As we were recording the tracks, it just felt right. You know when you can feel that something is just right for you; like trying on that perfect dress, or pair of shoes. This song was just the right fit.”
There wasn’t a song search, or a target recording date for the song. Frankly, the entire process was a continuous chain reaction of spontaneous events. Vincent discovered the song while riding in a limousine with Jeannie Seely, who was sharing her fear of co-writing by appointment, and how she finally faced her fear with the writing of the song. At the encouragement of fellow Opry member Bill Anderson, Seely wrote the song with Erin Enderlin and Bobby Tomberlin. Seely sang her new song as the limo rolled along, and Rhonda instantly loved it and told Jeannie she wanted to record it. Jeannie, in total amazement, later texted Rhonda to ask if she really wanted to record it, or was it merely an impulse reaction. Rhonda really loved it and could not wait to record it.
“I feel that many people will relate to this song and its tremendous heartbreak and sadness,” said Vincent. “My hope is that there are people who hear this song, namely those in the midst of the devastation of a breakup, who will reconnect and renew their love with each other. It has a very desperate message, asking, ‘What happened, I thought you could see us together forever?’ Maybe this is the perfect song and question they need to hear to bring them back together.”
About Rhonda Vincent:
Rhonda Vincent was born in Greentop, Missouri, where she grew up performing in her family band, The Sally Mountain Show, featuring country and bluegrass music. After releasing a handful of her own successful bluegrass albums on Rebel Records as the 1990’s began, she was signed to a country recording contract with Giant Records. Songs such as “I’m Not Over You,” “An Old Memory (Found It’s Way Back Home Again),” “I Do My Cryin’ At Night,” and “At The Corner Of Walk and Don’t Walk” endeared her to fans of traditional country music, even if the mainstream audience was not ready for her unashamedly country sound. After developing a loyal following within both musical styles, she chose to return to her bluegrass roots in 2000, and hasn’t looked back. Her powerful voice and unrelenting work ethic have made her the undisputed “Queen of Bluegrass” (a title bestowed upon her by The Wall Street Journal), earning her a closet full of bluegrass music awards, and a GRAMMY Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2017. Her first-class presentation both on and off stage has allowed Vincent to be one of the only bluegrass artists of the 21st century whose albums consistently reach the Billboard Country Top 40, finding a home among both camps of fans. She is also one of Nashville’s most in-demand harmony singers, heard on recordings alongside names such as Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, and Daryle Singletary. For more information and the latest tour itinerary, visit rhondavincent.com.
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Suggested Tweet:
.@RhondaVincent13 premieres new song #LikeICould on the stage of the @opry @WSMradio. Co-written by @seelyofficial #ErinEnderlin & @bobbytomberlin, available everywhere now! hypeurl.co/LikeICould
NewsComments Off on Music Festivals 2019: The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.
Jul162019
AMAZING STRINGS ATTACHED: GREY FOX BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN JULY
OAK HILL, N.Y. – Superstar phenom Billy Strings returns as Artist-in-Residence, joining 40+ award-winning bluegrass acts including the Del McCoury Band, Leftover Salmon, Tommy Emmanuel and many more at the 2019 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival from July 18-21.
Always a deep and wide mix of Grammy, IBMA, CMA, and AMA winners and nominees, Grey Fox presents the best of bluegrass and acoustic music. In its 35th year, Grey Fox is the largest and most-established bluegrass festival in the Northeast, featuring traditional, contemporary, and progressive bluegrass to old-time, Americana, jamgrass, Celtic, and dance music.
The festival is a homecoming every summer for campers from more than 30 states and at least a dozen countries. Held on the Walsh Farm in the bucolic Catskill Mountains, the festival has six stages, with shaded performance venues and workshop stages, along with entertainment for children and families. In all, more than 175 performances are scheduled over the festival’s four days, from Thursday through Sunday (camping gates open early on Wednesday, July 17).
The lineup is always eclectic and on the cutting edge, a “Who’s Who of Bluegrass” that offers something for everyone. Bands this year also include the Earls of Leicester, I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan), Tim O’Brien, Balsam Range, Steep Canyon Rangers, Molly Tuttle, the Gibson Brothers, Sierra Hull, and host band Dry Branch Fire Squad. The Larry Keel Experience and The Travelin’ McCourys will bring back “A Grateful Ball,” a collaboration of the music of The Grateful Dead.
Over the past few years, Billy Strings has made his mark on the Grey Fox faithful, with dynamic performances that have left audiences spellbound. The young guitarist has been turning the dyed-in-the-wool bluegrass world on its head. Rolling Stone magazine says that Strings sounds like “The head-banging speed of a thrash metal band channeled through flat-picked guitar and mandolin, with a touch of end-of-the-world psychedelia.” As Artist-in-Residence, Strings will be performing with his own band and with other bands from Thursday through Saturday.
In addition to the main stages, there are impressive Emerging Artist Showcases of young bands hailing from around the country, music and dance workshops, a much-loved Open-Mic Night, red-hot jam sessions around the campgrounds, ethnic and festive foods, unique vendors, Grey Fox Bluegrass Academy for Kids, (now in its 21st year) and a stage entirely devoted to children’s activities. Everyone from music fans to foodies, beginning pickers to serious players, singles to multi-generational families will find something to capture their imagination and heart.
GIVING BACK: “This year, our goal is to collect 1000 pounds of food!” Grey Fox will again a food drive to help feed needy families in the area. Grey Fox campers will be bringing non-perishable foods and pantry items with them to help fill up the Community Action of Greene County van that will be parked at the ticket gate all weekend. Also, as an incentive for local residents to help with the food drive and hear some great music, admission to Sunday’s show is free with a donation to local food banks.
Sunday will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a one-hour gospel show by host band, Dry Branch Fire Squad. The festival will close this year with a performance by 100+ students of the 21st Annual Grey Fox Bluegrass Academy for Kids who have been studying with some of the top instructors in the business all weekend. For many Grey Fox fans, the Sunday gospel show and the kids academy “graduation gig” are long standing highlights of the festival.
Donations of non-perishable pantry items or cash go to Community Action of Greene County who distributes food and supplies to area food banks. Grey Fox invites residents and visitors alike to enjoy Sunday’s musical performances and help feed needy local families. Acceptable pantry items are listed at https://cagcny.org/food-donations.
For tickets, information and a complete list of all the bands, visit the Grey Fox website at http://greyfoxbluegrass.com.
The Grey Fox Way
CAMPERS CREED
As a camper, I agree to these guidelines:
My campsite will not be more than 20×25 feet. Allowances for RVs.
I will save NO MORE THAN TWO CAMPSITES besides my own up to noon Thursday. After that, I will welcome new folks to camp there.
Park vehicles perpendicular to the roads to conserve space.
Park all unnecessary vehicles in the Car Corral and earn raffle tickets.
Use only camp stoves or grills for cooking. Make no ground fires. Leave no fire unattended. Have fire extinguisher handy.
Use only local firewood purchased within 50 miles of Oak Hill.
No luminaries! Landing on a tent could start a fire.
Keep my campsite clean. Use trash and recycling barrels properly.
Leave no debris on the ground. This is a working farm!
Use no amplifiers. Play no loud recorded music at my campsite.
Be super quiet from 10pm to 7am if camped in Quiet Camping.
Drive only when necessary to reduce my impact on the land.
Be considerate of my fellow campers. Follow the Golden Rule.
Be patient and tolerant and even perform random acts of kindness.
If I have a legitimate concern for anyone’s health or safety, I will seek assistance from Security or Medical personnel.
OTHER STUFF TO KNOW:
No glass. Broken glass, barefoot children and hay farms just don’t mix.
No pets. Sorry, we do not allow pets at Grey Fox. Call ahead. Most kennels require up to date shots, so be sure to bring documentation and food with you.
• Al-Ann Grooming & Boarding, Catskill, NY 518-945-1087
• Bed & Chow Pet Lodge, 11289 Rt 9W, Coxsackie, NY 518-731-6859 (3 mi from Coxsackie Exit off I-87)
• Carriage House, East Durham, NY 518-634-7009 (very close to festival)
• Hannacroix Kennels, Hannacroix, NY 518-756-2391
• Mainstay Kennels, 461 Route 385, Catskill, NY 518-943-7900 (Very close to NYS Thruway exit 21)
• Oak Hill Groom and Board, Route 81, Oak Hill, NY 518-239-6051 (very close to the festival)
• Pet Express Inn at the Albany Airport 518-785-0575
• Siam Kennels, Windham, NY 518-734-3168
• Valkin Kennels, Route 9, Valatie, NY 518-758-6195 (7 miles from I-90 exit 12)
Use only locally purchased firewood!! Bringing in firewood from more than 50 miles away is strictly illegal in New York State. Moving firewood long distances can spread tree-killing pests like the emerald ash borer. Please purchase firewood in towns such as Greenville, Catskill, Cairo, Middleburgh or at The Milk Run on Rt 145 a mile from the site. To learn why using locally purchased firewood is so important, visit Don’tMoveFirewood.org
Use garbage and recycling bins as marked and please keep your campsite clean. Remember, we’re on a farm that produces hay for dairy cows to munch.
Dispose of anything that might make animals sick such as cigarette butts, instrument strings, plastic bags, paper, etc. Be sure your area is clean before leaving. Thank you.
Field dress all smoking materials. No butts on the ground.
Smoking is prohibited in concert areas. If you wish to smoke, move beyond the outside edge of the crowd. This applies to all performance tents and food service areas.
SEATING & ETIQUETTE IN CONCERT AREAS
Seating in concert areas is on a first-come, first-served basis.
In the High Meadow concert area only, you may leave your chair in place all weekend. Bring your own chairs or blankets. If you leave the concert area for a while, it’s the ‘Grey Fox Way’ to share your chair/blanket until you return.
Do not block the view of others. See map for high chair, low chair and blanket sections. A high chair is one that a basketball can fit under.
Sunbrellas may be set up along the perimeter of the High Meadow seating area. Staff can direct you.
We provide two large shade tents in the High Meadow Concert Area. Bring your own chairs.
For handicapped attendees, a tent is provided. Staff will assist.
The Creekside Stage is tented, with about 300 chairs provided.
For all other performance areas, please provide your own seating.
Keep your area litter-free. When you leave, take trash & recycling with you.
Last but not least, during any performance, please refrain from talking. Others are trying to hear and enjoy the music.
Copper Kettle Motel
4.7
$75
Hotel
Cozy lodging with a restaurant & a bar
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
Winwood Inn
4.1
$114
3-star hotel
Modest lodging with a Mexican restaurant
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
Albergo Allegria Bed & Breakfast Hotel
4.9
$129
4-star hotel
Homey B&B with a fireside lounge
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
Hotel Vienna
4.7
$131
4-star hotel
Mountainside lodge with free breakfast
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
The Country Place Resort
3.8
3-star hotel
Casual all-inclusive resort & water park
Gavin’s Irish Country Inn
4.1
2-star hotel
Country inn with inclusive meals & shows
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
The Shamrock House
4.4
Motel
Baumann’s Brookside Resort
4.8
$200
Resort
Laid-back rooms, plus a pool & lake
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
Blackthorne Resort
4.0
Resort
Woodland retreat with an amusement park
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
Ruby’s Hotel
3.4
(9)
Hotel · 3689 Co Rd 67
Artsy bistro with retro furnishings
Captain’s Inn Point Lookout
4.6
3-star hotel
Casual country lodging with dining
Free Wi-Fi
Greenville Arms 1889 Inn
5.0
Bed & Breakfast
Free breakfast
Evergreen at The Thompson House
5.0
(2)
Hotel · 20 NY-296
Windham Mountain Inn
Hotel · 139 Co Rd 12
Antique Rose Inn Windham
4.7
$105
3-star hotel
Cuomo’s Cove
4.4
$145
4-star hotel
Upscale suites with kitchens & hot tubs
Acra Manor Resort
4.3
$110
4-star hotel
All-inclusive resort with sports
Free Wi-Fi
Windham Mountain Resort
4.4
(234)
Ski Resort · 19 Resort Dr
1,600 vertical ft. of skiing & 12 lifts
Free Wi-Fi
Christman’s Windham House
4.2
$175
3-star hotel
Historic inn with golf & 2 bars
Sunny Hill Resort
4.8
Resort
Old-school lodging, golf & a pool
Free breakfast
Dancin’ Dave’s Festival Camping is once again offering advanced camping accommodations for this festival. I have heard some truly great feedback from my “Spies” that go to some of the festivals I haven’t yet been to. This basically lets you pay a set price up front, and EVERYTHING IS SET UP AND READY upon arrival.
There’s NO NEED to have tent poles laying all over and strings everywhere, no instructions blowing in the wind or tent stakes to pound into the hard dirt. It might be a little more expensive but if convenience is your deal then THIS IS the package for you!
Advance Tickets Now Available:
Full Festival Advance: $215 Includes Camping 7amWednesday thru 7pm Sunday
Day Tickets: $80
Thursday, Friday, or Saturday
Kids 12 and under, FREE with ticketed adult.
Senior Discount: $5 off day tickets at gate with ID.
NewsComments Off on Chris Knight Announces First New Album In Seven Years
Jul152019
Nashville, TN – Esteemed singer-songwriter Chris Knight will release his first new music in over seven years with Almost Daylight on October 11th via Thirty Tigers. An uncompromising artist that the New York Times called “a hard-nosed iconoclast and the last of a dying breed…”, Chris Knight now finds himself influencing a new generation of young artists (John Moreland / Tyler Childers) who revere his honest approach to songwriting and his unflinching integrity. His ninth album to date, Almost Daylight delivers some of the most powerful and unexpected music of Knight’s career.
Almost Daylight features the colorful characters and compelling rural narratives that dedicated Chris Knight fans have long been drawn to. Tales of small-town despair (“I Won’t Look Back”) and outsiders bound by love (“Crooked Mile”) are classic Chris Knight, while at the same time, the new album features testaments to perseverance (“Go On”), redemption (“Send It On Down”), and even love (“Almost Daylight”). The balance of tough and tender, raw, yet open hearted is what sets this new work apart from previous albums.
Almost Daylight was produced, mixed and mastered by Grammy-winner Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams) who has a long-standing relationship with Chris Knight. The blend of Appalachian instrumentation (banjo, fiddle, harmonica) and electric guitars (Dan Baird), Hammond B-3, and stunning background vocals by Chris Clark, Siobhan Kennedy and Lee Ann Womack create a sound that’s both edgy and full at the same time. A guest vocal performance by John Prine on his 1973 classic “Mexican Home” rounds out the album.
For the past 20 years, Chris Knight has been making music his own way, flying under the mainstream radar, touring steadily, all while influencing a generation of young up and coming artists. Knight’s lyrics connect so intensely with his fans because he tells the real-life stories, often overlooked by mainstream music. His dedication to his craft has stood the test of time, and Almost Daylight is a testament to that.
Chris Knight 2019 Tour Dates
July 12 – Maryville, TN – The Shed
July 13 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
July 17 – Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing
July 19 – Roanoke, TX – ChopShop Live
July 20 – McKinney, TX – Hank’s Texas Grill
July 26 – Springfield, IL – Boondocks
July 27 – Arlington Heights, IL – Hey Nonny
August 22 – Paris, TX – Heritage Hall Paris
August 23 – Pointblank, TX – Hilltop Icehouse
August 24 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
August 30 – Helotes, TX – John T. Floore’s Country Store
August 31 – Yantis, TX – Neon Moon
September 1 – West, TX – Westfest
September 7 – Morehead, KY – Morehead Conference Center
September 11 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
September 12 – Amarillo, TX – Hoot’s Pub
September 13 – Lubbock, TX – The Blue Light
September 14 – Farwell, TX – Alpo’s Barn
September 15 – Roswell, NM – The Liberty
September 18 – Kenney, TX – the Kenney Store
September 19 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
September 20 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
September 21 – Saint Jo, TX – Red River Station BBQ
September 27 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy
September 28 – London, KY – World Chicken Festival
October 3 – Charlotte, NC – Booth Playhouse
October 5 – Middlesboro, KY – Cumberland Mountain Fall Festival
October 12 – Hickory, NC – Shooters Lounge
October 19 – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
November 7 – Orlando, FL – Tin Roof
November 8 – Brooksville, FL – Riverhawk Music Festival
November 9 – Tallahassee, FL – Fifth and Thomas
November 19 – Boston, MA – City Winery
November 20 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
November 21 – New York, NY – Hill Country Live
November 22 – Washington, DC – City Winery
NewsComments Off on VERY Excited For The New Tanya Tucker.
Jul142019
My buddy Mr. shooter Jennings stays busy, and so does Miss Brandi Carlile. Mr. Shooter is currently on tour at The Big Sky Festival in Montana, and Miss Brandi is currently messing around with her new supergroup the Highwomen, which I am working on writing about now. She announced a huge Ryman concert run in 2020 and is having a GREAT year, however she stopped to get together with Mr. Shooter Jennings to co produce the ALL NEW album from Country Legend Miss Tanya Tucker .
For the first time in 17 years we will have new music from her in the form of the 10 track album called “While I’m Livin’ “, which is available now for pre order and will be available on August 23rd. The first single and video have been released already for the song called the “The Wheels Of Laredo”, and I have embedded them here.
I have a lot of respect for what Shooter Jennings does for so many people like her and Hellbound Glory, and Billy Don Burns. He releases a lot of music that not many else would. This album is going to be a blockbuster turning point for her career, and will hopefully reignite her as she has announced a show at the Exit In this fall.
This album is reportedly molded after her life and the places she has been, like the song “Mustang Ridge” which is about her troubled youth and hard times growing up in central Texas. “High Ridin Horses” was a 1987 song that was selected by Shooter that featured Mr. David Lynn Jones and his father, Waylon Jennings.
I am going to be eagerly writing more on this subject at a later date folks!
1. Mustang Ridge (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
2. The Wheels Of Laredo (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
3. I Don’t Owe You Anything (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
4. The Day My Heart Goes Still (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
5. High Ridin’ Heroes (written by David Lynn Jones)
6. The House That Built Me (written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin)
7. Hard Luck (written by John C. “Pete” Bailey, David Lee Mitchell, Raymond L. Turner and Jerry Ontiberoz)
8. Rich (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
9. Seminole Wind Calling (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
10. Bring My Flowers Now (written by Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth and Phil Hanseroth)
NewsComments Off on Mr. Joe Rucker Hosts The Midnite Jamboree.
Jul132019
TEXAS TROUBADOUR THEATRE
2416 MUSIC VALLEY DRIVE
FREE ADMISSION
THE ERNEST TUBB MIDNITE JAMBOREE IS THE SECOND LONGEST RUNNING RADIO SHOW IN HISTORY.
WE INVITE YOU TO BE A PART OF THE LIVE AUDIENCE SATURDAY NIGHT AT 10:00 PM.
ADMISSION IS FREE AT OUR TEXAS TROUBADOUR THEATRE.
THE SHOW IS BROADCAST ON AM 650 – WSM AT 12 MIDNIGHT.
ALL SHOWS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
PHONE 615-255-7503 – PLEASE DO NOT CALL UNTIL THE WEEK OF SHOW.
MC OF THE MIDNITE JAMBOREE IS JENNIFER HERRON.
I keep up with so many ongoing Country Music function, that it would be ludicrous to continuously focus on the same acts and the same community time after time. Not only would it become mundane but it would copy too many other websites out there covering the same content, and it’s been quite some time since I took a fast jaunt down to the Midnite Jamboree.
Anybody that keeps up with Texas music and the ongoing spat here can tell you the age old argument of “There is no real Country in Nashville” ( YAWN) can easily tell you that if you look and listen to the right avenues you can find some TRULY GOOD Country Music here in town. It’s just totally ignored by those people that want to gripe about it.
Mr. Joe Rucker is one of my local friends that I have known for years and is enjoying his two girls growing up while playing music locally. he isn’t one of the many road dog touring bands I know, however he has many years of shows and music under his belt. Make no mistake that beneath his gentle and easy demeanor lies a raging Country Music beast, that like me salivates for steel guitar laced Honky Tonk sadness.
Every week this show begins with music from the great legend Mr. Jimmie Rogers whom Mr. Ernest Tubb idolized along with others like Mr. Merle Haggard. There are many breaks and recordings as Miss Jennifer Herron advertises new products for sale in the store, and online as well.
Mr. Joe played the Harlan Howard classic “Above And Beyond” that Mr. Buck Owens released in 1960, additionally Mr. Wynn Stewart garnered much commercial success from the song in 1967 on his album he did for Hilltop Records. To find that album is a top find for vinyl collectors abroad. Another song he played that REALLY sparked my attention tonight was “House Of Blue Lovers” from Mr. James O’Gwynn. He was a VERY obscure artist active in the early 60s produced by Mr. Pappy Daily, who was one of the many producers that were patient enough to work with a young George Jones when he was insistently inebriated.
He played an original called “150 Old Mims Road”, a song about his Grandparents whom lived across the street as he grew up. He is cutting that song on a new album coming in August, along with a few more he said. Along with his band that consisted of Mr. Pete Finney on steel guitar ( Reba, The Judds, Patty Loveless and more), Mr. Rob Price on bass (Gail Davies, Crystal Gayle), Mr. Rick lonow (Poco, Flying Burrito Bros.), Mr. Will Barrow on keys (Suzy Boguss) and Mr. Andy Reiss on guitar whom is a legend in his own right, Mr. Joe played songs like “Happy Hour Blues” by Mr. Jim Glaser.
Having been mentored at an early age by Country Legend Mr. Hank Locklin he showed his affection for his late teacher by playing “Send Me The Pillow” one of his most beloved classic songs of all. Initially the song did not chart, and it wasn’t until he made a 1957 re release of the song for it to chart at 5th. He also played the Red Foley version of “Peace In The Valley”, before receiving an honorary award from the ALM nashville Chapter.
The ALM is the Acadamey Of Local Musicians that recognizes local artists in different communities across America for their contributions to the art of music. Also there was a great advertisement for the new Gospel album from Mr. Tony Booth on Heart Of Texas Records, I love what Mr. Tracy Pitcox is doing out there in Texas.
Country Legend Miss Margie Singleton is a very special performer to me right now, as she is one of the last remaining people whom were signed to the Starday label in the late 1950’s. Along with her late husband Mr. Shelby Singleton they produced and wrote more Country music that I could name in a short article like this one.
She performed her famous song that Mr. Brooke Benton cut called “Lie To Me”, that he cut in 1962. She also played a wonderful Gospel song called “The Road To Damascus”. I distinctly remember her from the movie Road To Nashville with Mr. Marty Robbins and others I used to enjoy as a kid.
The final guest was Mr. Guy Gilchrist, whom played a song he wrote with Mr. Jimmy Payne called “Angel In Black”. Mr. Guy was the original designer of the muppets for Mr. Jim Henson, and he drew for the comic strip of Nancy for years. he is also a great Country Music songwriter in his own right.
MIDNITE JAMBOREE BROADCASTS TEXAS TROUBADOUR THEATRE
TAPINGS ARE SATURDAY NIGHT AT 10:00 PM
(unless otherwise noted)
Doors Open After Sound Check
JULY 27
BROOK & DARIN ALDRIDGE
Broadcast #3771
AUGUST 3
BOBBY MARQUEZ
Broadcast #3772
AUGUST 10
BEN HALL
Broadcast #3773
AUGUST 17
GREG GARING
Broadcast #3774
AUGUST 24
CRYSTAL GAYLE
Broadcast #3775
AUGUST 31
RUSS VARNELL
Broadcast #3776
SEPTEMBER 7
SALUTE TO ERNEST TUBB
w/GLENN DOUGLAS TUBB
Broadcast #3777
SEPTEMBER 14
JESSE LEE JONES
& BRAZILBILLY
Broadcast #3778
SEPTEMBER 21
DAVID FRIZZELL
Broadcast #3779
SEPTEMBER 28
LULU ROMAN
Broadcast #3780
OCTOBER 5
TIM ATWOOD
Broadcast #3781
OCTOBER 12
RON WILLIAMS
Broadcast #3782 OCTOBER 19
LISA LAYNE
Broadcast #3783
OCTOBER 26
JESSE MCREYNOLDS
Broadcast #3784
NOVEMBER 2
LEONA WILLIAMS
Broadcast #3785
NOVEMBER 9
RIDERS IN THE SKY
Broadcast #3786
NOVEMBER 16
SALUTE TO STEEL GUITAR
w/LYNN OWSLEY & GUESTS
Broadcast #3787
NOVEMBER 23
MARGIE SINGLETON
Broadcast #3788
NOVEMBER 30
DENNIS STROUGHMATT
Broadcast #3789
DECEMBER 7
THE COWPOKES
Broadcast #3790
DECEMBER 14
BOBBY TOMBERLIN
& SPECIAL GUESTS
Broadcast #3791
NewsComments Off on The Devil Makes Three live At Red Rocks.
Jul132019
In 2018 The Devil Makes Three unveiled some of their finest work in the form of the 2018’s album “Chains Are Broken”. The California based trio have been leaders in the Americana community for a very very long time now, gracing stages all over the world with their music that embellishes many different sounds through the years.
This band is amazing live, and this venue is on EVERYONE’S bucket list. In fact this weekend I’ll be writing about the very first appearance of Mr. Cody Jinks at Red Rocks as well, but right now I wanted to tell you about this album.
This LIVE baby has seventeen songs on it spanning all of their album from back to their humble beginning in the form of their self titled 2002 debut. In fact it opens with “The Bullet” which was from that album, and features their wonderful three piece harmonies. It also features the toe tapping fun song called “Spinning Like A Top”, from the 2013 album I’m A Stranger Here.
The Redemption And Ruin album boasted the song “Drunken Hearted Man”, along with “All Hail” from the Do Wrong Right album. Now, this album concluded with one of their more popular songs “Aces And “Eights” from that same album. In my opinion it is one of Roots music’s more iconic albums, and this band is one of Americana’s more popular bands.
One of the songs that speaks to me the most lyrically and also intertwines the vocals of the three members Mr. Pete Bernhard, Miss Lucia Turino and Mr. Cooper Mcbean is the title song off their 2018 ‘Chains Are Broken” album. As a recovered addict I also can love the meaning of this song, along with many others in their catalogue.
This song called “Bad Idea” is from the “Chains Are Broken” album followed by one of my favorite songs they do the touching Gospel ballad “What Would You Give” . Especially with their three part harmonies and as they break into another one off “Redemption And Ruin” called “There’ll Be A Jubilee”, which is about that wonderful day the Lord calls his children home.
“Old Number Seven” is an OLD SONG from WAY BACK to their first album as well, and like I said I regard their debut album as an Americana and Roots music classic album. If you do not know this album you MUST go check it out, the fiddle work is exquisite and sweet. I mean what can be bad about a song about Jack Daniels whiskey?
“Pray For Rain” and also “Deep Down” were also songs off the album “Chains Are “Broken” that closed the album out quite well along with the previously mentioned “Aces And Twos” . Overall the song choices were spectacular and it was recorded very well. They have an earlier live album from 2011 at the Mystic theater, which had the song called “They Call That Religion” that pokes fun at fake preachers and fake churches…we won’t mention names……This band has a home here on Gary Hayes Country. Com and always will.
NewsComments Off on Texas Country Radio Summit Set For September 23rd.
Jul122019
TEXAS COUNTRY RADIO SUMMIT SET FOR SEPTEMBER 23 Registration Is Now Open
FORT WORTH, TX. – (June 17, 2019) – CDX president, Joe Kelly is proud to announce the inaugural Texas Country Radio Summit taking place at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 23. The one day event, presented by CDX TRACtion, is designed to bring together like-minded people with the common goal of growing Texas Country music as a genre and radio format. $25 registration is open now at www.texascountryradiosummit.com.
“We are super excited to kick off our inaugural event in Fort Worth, Texas,” says Joe Kelly. “We have been distributing singles to Texas radio for quite some time and we continue to hear how important the format is to the music business especially in Texas. This event will allow for industry veterans and newcomers to meet each other and learn tricks of the trade to help them furthering their goals. Our TRACtionTX monitoring system and chart were designed to help Texas Country grow through transparency and real actionable data. We look forward to sharing and showing how the system works and how artists, managers and agents can use it to monetize their efforts.”
Panels throughout the day will feature some of the top artists and radio programmers sharing ideas and educating attendees.
TRACtion Texas is the premiere digital delivery service for Texas Country Music and the only U.S. based monitored airplay chart serving the Texas Country community. TRACtion has the ability to empower everyone in the business to formulate targeted and focused marketing and promotion plans.
About CDX: CDX was founded in 1991 by late Country Music Hall of Fame Broadcaster Charlie Douglas and national record promotion veteran Paul Lovelace as a delivery system for labels and artists to supply their upcoming singles to all full-time US country stations, satellite providers, syndicators, and programming consultants. In 1991, CDX clients’ music was distributed via the then new medium of CD. Today, our clients’ singles are digitally distributed via InstaTrack e-blast, integration into our smart phone app, and also included on our regular CD compilation disc. CDX also expanded by creating CDX TRACTION which is an airplay monitoring and tracking software system. CDX TRACTION monitors radio stations through the online web stream of their broadcast signal. It utilizes a proprietary and patented music recognition system to log every song played. CDX now offers distribution in all music formats.About Joe Kelly: Joe Kelly started in Country music in 1992 working for CDX allowing him 7 years of radio promotions knowledge before venturing into the radio promotions side of the industry in 1999. Joining Intersound Country and Platinum Entertainment where he was named Southeast Regional Director of Promotion and controlled a seven-state area with sixty-two major radio markets, Joe quickly learned there was more to promotion than just calling radio and giving them a box of free CDs. Working in radio promotions only inspired Joe to learn more about all the aspects of the label business eventually bringing him to partner with two others to launch Aspirion Records Group in 2004. Aspirion Records Group became a traditional label with A&R, marketing, sales, publicity, as well as offering distribution and label services. The label soon became home to Joe Nichols, John Corbett, Collin Raye, T. Graham Brown, and many others. In 2011, Joe’s career came full-circle when he rejoined CDX as Director of Marketing and Label Relations and has now ultimately purchased the company. He has continued the innovation that is a part of the company’s DNA by inventing the radio monitoring system TRACTION , which garnered him a nomination as Innovator of the Year by the Nashville Technology Council. TRACTION is the software system that is used to calculate the single and album charts for the Americana Music Association. In addition, CDX publishes national charts in Mainstream Country and Texas Red Dirt.
NewsComments Off on Billy Strings Debuts New Single, New Album Home Coming in September
Jul112019
By Joshua Wallace
Billy Strings just dropped the first single from his new record titled Home called “Taking Water”. The new album is coming out on September 27th. You’re going to want to get this one. We will have a full review on it closer to release, but let me just tell you this. Billy Strings is one of the best acoustic guitar players alive and this new single “Taking Water” is proof. Billy Strings reminds me of when you would hear Chris Stapleton with The Steeldrivers. So much talent and you just know he is going to break out of the bluegrass scene and onto bigger things in a similar way very soon. You can pre-order the new record Home starting tomorrow and there are a bunch of tour dates this fall starting with a two night run in Atlanta, GA at Terminal West in September.
NewsComments Off on Miss Michaela Anne Debuts New Single, Announces New Album And Tour Dates.
Jul112019
Michaela Anne Drops “Child of the Wind” via Brooklyn Vegan
New Tour Dates Announced
Desert Dove to release September 27th on Yep Roc Records
July 9, 2019 – Nashville, TN – Michaela Anne is proud to debut “Child of the Wind”, which exclusively premiered today via Brooklyn Vegan, who dubbed the track “a catchy, breezy dose of modern country.” You can listen here. The single is the newest from her upcoming album Desert Dove, out September 27th on Yep Roc Records. In June, Anne released the first single from the record, “By Our Design”, which premiered on Rolling Stone. In addition to playing notable festivals like Wisconsin’s Mile of Music and Nashville’s long-running AmericanaFest, Michaela Anne announced new East coast dates today for her fall tour. Pre-order Desert Dove here.
Recorded over the course of several weeks in San Clemente, California, Desert Dove was completed “on location” with the help of an all-star cast. Producers Sam Outlaw and Delta Spirit’s Kelly Winrich assembled guitarist Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam, Jim Lauderdale), fiddler Kristin Weber (Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price), and drummers Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Butch Walker) and Daniel Bailey (Everest, Father John Misty) to address this batch of songs with a fresh take, not leaning too hard on traditional arrangements or instrumentation. “Child of the Wind” is a great example of this; using a chunky, fuzzy electric guitar in place of what could have been a pedal steel or fiddle intro, adding sonic and tonal variables to the breadth of Michaela Anne’s range of characters and motifs.
Amidst the ups and downs of Desert Dove, there is a recurring focus on the emotions that fall in between peaks and valleys. “This record, for me, highlights the gray area, the nuance of emotional life and relationships that seems to be harder to convey in today’s modes of communication and limited attention spans: short excerpts on Instagram or Twitter paragraphs,” says Michaela Anne. “Nothing is black and white, solely good or bad. Who we are, how we live, how we love, what we desire or reject, it’s all full of contradictions and confusions. I wanted to explore that through my songs with care, depth, reality as well as light-heartedness, fun and fantasy.”
Michaela Anne also attacks most of the album with a sharp feminine perspective, dealing out wisdom, confidence, and sass with authority and maturity that is never tiresome. The easiest example of this is Michaela Anne’s light-hearted rebuttal to condescension and “mansplaining” with “If I Wanted Your Opinion,” but her stance drives deeper with each new song, all the way through the end of Desert Dove. “When I got to Nashville, I was told the ‘rules’ of songwriting,” Michaela recounts. “I was informed that a woman in a country song can never be the victim, but she can also never be the perpetrator. That’s not real life. As a woman, sometimes you’re everything all at once, and I wanted to write about those real experiences.”
Desert Dove is Michaela Anne’s full-length follow up to her critically-acclaimed 2016 release Bright Lights and the Fame, which garnered praise from NPR, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and Noisey, who celebrated her as the antidote to commercial pop-country, calling her “our saving grace, our angel, the person who will help usher us into a new age.”
Desert Dove is also Michaela Anne’s first release as a new signee to Yep Roc Records. North Carolina-based Yep Roc announced their partnership with Michaela Anne on May 16th of this year, making her label mates with the likes of Mandolin Orange, Jim Lauderdale, Aoife O’Donovan, Chatham County Line, The Felice Brothers, Amy Helm, Tift Merritt, and Kim Richey. Billy Maupin, Yep Roc’s General Manager, says of the signing, “We are ecstatic that Michaela Anne is now part of the Yep Roc family. Her new album showcases her as a triple threat of singer, songwriter, and performer. We are excited to be part of the release.”
Michaela Anne on Tour:
August 1-2 – Appleton, WI – Mile of Music
September 10-15 – Nashville, TN – AmericanaFest
October 10 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
October 11 – Raleigh, NC – Kings
October 13 – Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse
October 16 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
October 18 – Lowell, MA – The Town and The City Festival
October 19 – Saugerties, NY – Hangin’ and Sangin’
More About Michaela Anne:
Michaela’s writing first began garnering national attention with the 2014 release of Ease My Mind, an old-school collection hailed by The New York Times for its “plain-spoken songs of romantic regret and small-town longing” and named one of the year’s best country albums by The Village Voice. After a move from Brooklyn to Nashville, Michaela followed it up in 2016 with the similarly lauded Bright Lights and the Fame, which featured guest appearances by Rodney Crowell and Punch Brother Noam Pikelny. Rolling Stone compared her to Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and Noisey praised her as the antidote to commercial pop country, calling her “our saving grace, our angel, the person who will help usher us into a new age.” Songs from the record landed on high profile Spotify playlists as well as the HBOseries ‘Divorce,’ and the album earned Michaela slots at Bristol Rhythm & Roots, Merlefest, and both the US and UK iterations of AmericanaFest, along with a seemingly endless series of dates across the States and Europe with the likes of Mandolin Orange, Courtney Marie Andrews, Joe Pug, Ron Pope, and Sam Outlaw.
About Yep Roc Records:
Founded by Glenn Dicker and Tor Hansen in 1997, Yep Roc Records is based in Hillsborough, NC and calls itself “the artist-driven label that refuses to be labeled.” With a strong belief in the vision of each of its artists, Yep Roc Records strives to serve each project based on its unique characteristics. Over 20 years, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Aoife O’Donovan, Mandolin Orange, Tift Merritt, Chatham County Line, Dave Alvin, Los Straitjackets, Nick Lowe, and Robyn Hitchcock. The label is exclusively distributed by Redeye.
NewsComments Off on Complete List Of Local Ky And Tn Shows.
Jul102019
If YOU have a show YOU would like added to my list PLEASE email me at garyhayes2@yahoo.com. I literally watch more than 40 venues in Nashville plus belong to many concert websites in order to bring you this coverage. NEW IN 2018, folks I am always looking for ways to enhance what I do for you. So this year I’ll be reporting on further Kentucky shows, and further Tennessee shows as well.
Mr. Joshua and I cover hundreds of shows a year, and many festivals in person. Online, we cover 200 festivals yearly and bring a LOT of news to the masses. Folks WHATEVER YOU DO PLEASE support live venue music.
Rye Davis
Bourbon Barrel Tavern July 25th
Vince Gill
Ryman Auditorium July 25th
The Steel Woods
The Shed Maryville Tn July 27th
Andrea Colburn And Mud
The Local July 28th
Steel Woods (opening for R.E.O.Speedwagon)
Ryman Auditorium July 29th
Kristina Murray
American Legion Post 82 July 30th
The Steel Wheels
City Winery July 22nd
The Legendary Shack Shakers
Southgate House Revival August 1st
Nick Dittmeier And The Sawdusters
The Wicked Eyed Woman August 1st
Blackfoot Gypsies
Mercy Lounge August 2nd
Brett Cobb
Rye Davis
Spillway August 3rd
The Bottle Rockets
Beaver Dam Ky August 3rd
Steel Woods
John Anderson
Country Music Hall Of Came August 8th
Mark Chesnutt
Cahoots Dance Hall August 9th
Erin Enderlin
3rd And Lindsley August 10th
Ray Wylie Hubbard
3rd and Lindsley August 11th
James Carothers
Southgate House Revival August 16th
Raelyn Nelson
The 5 Spot August 19th
Read Southall
The Basement East August 22nd
Tanya Tucker
Exit In August 22nd
Jimmy Fortune
Kentucky Opry August 24th
Rhonda Vincent And The Rage
The Caverns August 24th
Lost Dog Street Band
Acme Feed And Seed August 26th
Austin Lucas
The Basement August 29th
Tim Atwood
Two Rivers Campground September 1st
Mandolin Orange
Ryman Auditorium September 6 and 7th
Dwight Yoakam
Ryman Auditorium September 8th and 9th
Supersuckers
Little Harpeth Brewing September 8th
Holly Williams
City Winery September 8th
Whiskey Myers
Minglewood Hall September 13th
The Mavericks
Ryman Auditorium September 13th
Drew Holcomb
Ryman Auditorium September 14th
Hogslop String Band
IBMM Owensboro Ky September 15th
Rhiannon Giddens
City Winery September 21st
Whiskey Myers
Bourbon And Beyond September 22nd
Gene Watson
Kentucky Opry October 25th and 26th
Greensky Bluegrass
The Caverns September 25th
The Steel Woods
Minglewood Hall September 26th
Jon Pardi
Ryman Auditorium October 1st and 2nd
Greensky Bluegrass
Minglewood Hall October 2nd
Chris Stapleton
Fed ex Forum Memphis Tn October 5th
Trishia Yearwood
Schermerhorn Symphony Center October 5th
Ian Now
Exit Inn October 10th
David Ball
American Legion Post 82 October 15th
Infamous Stringdusters
the Caverns October 18th
Joecephus And The George Jonestown Massacre
Exit In October 20th
Kristina Murray
American Legion Post 82 October 23rd
Ian Now
The Southgate House Revival November 1st
Chris Stapleton
KFC Yum Center November 2nd
Josh Abbott Band
William Clark Green
Marathon Music Works November 3rd
Chris Stapleton
Memphis Tn November 5th
Josh Abbott
Cannery Ballroom November 7th
The Rhythm Shakers
Nashville Palace November 8th
Southern Culture On The Skids
high Watt November 9th
Ryan Bingham
The Ryman Auditorium November 11th
The Charlie Daniels Band
Bridgestone Arena November 20th
Del McCoury Band
The Caverns November 23rd
David Ball
American Legion Post 82 December 21st
Unknown Hinson
Exit Inn December 31st
Brandi Carlile
January 14,15th and 16th 2020
Ryman Auditorium
NewsComments Off on 2019 Music Festivals: Outriders Under The Big Sky Festival.
Jul102019
GOING GREEN UNDER THE BIG SKY
Outriders Present is committed to the Whitefish community and is thrilled to roll out our green initiatives for Under the Big Sky Festival. Please read more about our efforts and how you can help us make the event—and our community—sustainable for years to come.
Recycling, Composting, & Material Recovery
Under the Big Sky wants to challenge conventional behavior around material waste. Through a partnership with Citizens for a Better Flathead and their WasteNot Project, our team will be collecting, sorting, and recovering materials for reuse, recycling, and organics composting. Do your part by depositing your waste correctly in one of our three-stream recovery stations, and use the QR code at each station to learn more about what is and is not recyclable locally:
iPhone: Simply point your camera at the QR code
Android: Download a free QR code app and follow the instructions
Additionally, each vendor and sponsor will be given a guide to decrease their waste impacts to align with local material recovery infrastructure.
Hydration
There is a free water refill station located in the middle of the festival for you to stay hydrated in the summer heat. Please bring your own empty reusable bottle under 24 ounces and fill ‘er up!
In partnership with Path Water, there will be no plastic water bottles sold on site. If you leave your bottle at home, we will be selling water in reusable (and infinitely recyclable) aluminum bottles.
Water Resources
Water resources in Montana are under threat, and Under the Big Sky is supporting local watersheds to ensure healthy and sustainable ecosystems. We will be making a 200,000 gallon donation to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s (BEF) Prickly Pear Creek Flow Restoration Project near Helena, about 200 miles from Big Mountain Ranch. We hope to raise awareness about this critical resource and continue to find opportunities to grow this initiative!
Transportation
Alternative transportation is strongly encouraged! Shuttles, ride shares (Uber/Lyft), carpool, and biking will all be available at the event:
We are offering shuttles running between the festival and Depot Park in Whitefish through the duration of the event. Uber and Lyft are also available in the area, as well as local transportation options, which can be found here.
You can find detailed parking instructions for all forms of transportation here. If you are driving, carpooling saves money and reduces our emissions!
We will have secure places to lock up your bicycle in both of our parking lots. The total trip from Whitefish is only 3.2 miles to the ranch, so roughly a 15-minute bike ride. Save money and work on those summer body goals!
Energy
If your phone is drained, charge up without feeling down. Oscillation Transia will be providing a solar-powered charging station onsite that will get you and your phone back on track!
As 2019 will be the first ever Under the Big Sky Festival, we will be tracking our carbon emissions to understand how we can further decrease our environmental impacts and support local clean energy efforts.
Attendee Engagement
Flathead County is a stunning corner of our country, and it is worth protecting. We are excited to learn how we can continue improving our event and how we can address local environmental resources. Come find our friends at Climate Smart Glacier Country, give them your thoughts on our sustainability efforts, and learn how you can continue supporting community efforts after our weekend together!
Tickets Still Available!
All ages welcome and children under 6 admitted for free!
Amtrak’s Empire Builder arrives twice-daily at the historic Whitefish Railway Depot from Chicago and Minneapolis to the east and Portland and Seattle from the west.
Driving from any direction takes you through some of the most scenic landscapes in the country.
Shuttles
Under the Big Sky is happy to provide shuttles in Whitefish. Shuttles will be running from 11 AM until Midnight on both days of the festival, July 13 & 14. They will be running continuously throughout the day and available on a first come, first serve basis. Please plan accordingly and note that travel and pick up/drop off times will vary each day.
Unfortunately there is no on site camping at Under the Big Sky this year, but there are plenty of lodging and camping options in the area right here.
Can I leave my car overnight in the parking lot?
While we don’t encourage you to park overnight, the safety of our fans is our number one priority and we will not be towing any vehicles. Remember that there are plenty of shuttles, taxis, and ride share options to and from the event.
For additional camping and/or RV options, please follow the below links to make a reservation, request a permit, or get more information on various campsites within the area.
Once in Whitefish, getting around is easy. Ride a bike, take a free ride on the S.N.O.W. Bus, or grab a local taxi, Uber, or Lyft. For festival attendees staying at Whitefish Mountain Resort, shuttles will make regular trips between the resort and Big Mountain Ranch. The ranch is located just 3.2 miles from downtown Whitefish.
From Downtown Whitefish:
– Head east on 2nd St/E Second St
– Turn right at the 2nd cross street onto Columbia Ave
– Turn left onto 10th St
– Turn right onto Park Ave
– Turn left onto Voerman Rd
– GA Parking will be on your left
From Columbia Falls:
– Head west on Hwy 2
– Continue straight onto MT-40 W
– Turn right onto Dillon Rd
– Dillon Rd turns left and becomes Voerman Rd
– GA Parking is located on your right
From Glacier Park International Airport:
– Turn left (North) onto US-2 E
– Turn left onto MT-40 W
– Turn right onto Dillon Rd
– Dillon Rd turns left and becomes Voerman Rd
– GA Parking is located on your right
From Kalispell:
– From Hwy 93, head north and make a right on Hwy 40
– From Hwy 2, head north and make a left on Hwy 40
– Turn north onto Dillon Rd
– Dillon Rd turns left and becomes Voerman Rd
– GA Parking is located on your right
From Bigfork:
– Head north on MT-35 W
– Turn right onto Montana Hwy 206
– Turn left onto US-2
– Continue straight onto MT-40 W
– Turn right onto Dillon Rd
– Dillon Rd turns left and becomes Voerman Rd
– GA Parking is located on your right
From Whitefish:
– Head east on 2nd St/E Second St
– Turn right onto E Edgewood Dr
– Follow Edgewood Dr until you see signs for the Parking Lot & Drop Off on your right From Columbia Falls:
– Head west on US-2 W
– Turn right onto Halfmoon Rd
– Halfmoon Rd becomes E Edgewood Dr
– Continue onto E Edgewood Dr
– Follow Edgewood Dr until you see signs for the Parking Lot & Drop Off on your left
From Glacier Park International Airport:
– Head north on US-2 E
– Continue straight onto Halfmoon Rd
– Halfmoon Rd becomes E Edgewood Dr
– Continue onto E Edgewood Dr
– Follow Edgewood Dr until you see signs for the Parking Lot & Drop Off on your left
From Kalispell:
– From Hwy 93, head north and turn right on Hwy 40
– From Hwy 2, head north
– Continue straight onto Halfmoon Rd
– Halfmoon Rd becomes E Edgewood Dr
– Continue onto E Edgewood Dr
– Follow Edgewood Dr until you see signs for the Parking Lot & Drop Off on your left
From Bigfork:
– Head north on Hwy 35
– Turn right onto Montana Hwy 206
– Turn left onto US-2
– Turn right onto Halfmoon Rd
– Halfmoon Rd becomes E Edgewood Dr
– Continue onto E Edgewood Dr
– Follow Edgewood Dr until you see signs for the Parking Lot & Drop Off on your left
What Can I Bring?
We want to ensure that your time at the ranch is comfortable and safe. Here’s what you can bring:
Cell phones
Bug Spray
Non-professional cameras
Medium backpacks/purses (18x13x8 or smaller)
Blankets/towels
Sunscreen (contents to be checked at entry, limited to 4oz)
Sealed gum
Sealed chapstick
Sealed lipstick
Sealed eyedrops
Sealed makeup
Empty 24oz (or less reusable water bottle)
Heavily Encouraged:
GoPros (w/o sticks)
Sunglasses
Good times
Prohibited items:
Pets
Onsite RV parking
Totems
Hula hoops
Drugs / drug paraphernalia
CamelBaks / bladders (water stations provided + one empty 24oz (or less) empty reusable water bottles (Please make sure your bottle is EMPTY to expedite entry into the festival)
NewsComments Off on Miss Kelsey Waldon Readies New Album.
Jul102019
Kelsey Waldon Readies New Album White Noise/White Lines
For Oct. 4 Release
Her first on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records; Tour dates with Prine announced
First single “Anyhow” and accompanying video available now
July 9, 2019 – Nashville, TN – Monkey’s Eyebrow, KY, native Kelsey Waldon has announced the release of her new full-length album White Noise/White Lines, her first with Oh Boy Records, for October 4th. With White Noise/White Lines, Waldon captures the rugged country sound of her touring band without sacrificing the intimacy of her songwriting. Because of that approach, the record feels immediate, somewhere between a concert and a conversation. Co-produced by Waldon and Dan Knobler, the collection opens with a confident anthem, “Anyhow,” which finds the Nashville-based songwriter forging ahead after some frustrating setbacks. Garden & Gun praised the song as “a fitting first taste of an album that should firmly establish Waldon as one of classic country’s rising torchbearers.” “Anyhow” and its accompanying video are available today. White Noise/White Lines can be digitally pre-ordered here. Visit https://www.ohboy.com/kelsey-waldon to snag the pre-order bundle which includes digital, cd, and vinyl—plus a limited edition 7” vinyl of duets from Prine and Waldon.
Aside from the songs themselves, White Noise/White Lines is riddled with unique touches, very personal to Waldon. From the Chickasaw Tribe chant which Waldon recorded on her cell phone at her father’s hunting camp—added to the record with their blessing, of course—to a voicemail recording of Waldon’s father who’d called to tell her he’d heard her on the radio, to a snippet of her friends playing the bluegrass classic “Run Rabbit Run”; little moments and memories dropped into the album’s tracklist speak worlds to Waldon’s deep connection with her roots, her family, and her home state of Kentucky. All of these threads run tirelessly through White Noise/White Lines, weaving together a decidedly country sound, but not without some of Waldon’s unique influences shining through. The Band and The Meters, to Hazel Dickens and Ralph Stanley, to Ann Peebles and Bill Withers have all left their imprint on how Waldon fleshes out her songs.
Waldon recently found herself honored by one of her biggest influences and songwriting heroes, John Prine. White Noise/White Lines will be her first release on Prine’s own independent label, Oh Boy Records. As their first new artist signing in 15 years, Waldon doesn’t take the relationship with Prine and Oh Boy lightly. “It’s hard for me to put into words what it truly means to me to be signed to Oh Boy Records,” says Waldon. “To have someone like John, who I have looked up to my whole life, who I have set my songwriting standards after and my general music making standards after, to have someone like him endorse my music and care enough about it to make sure it reaches a wider audience…that means everything.” Waldon recently joined Prine on stage in Manchester, TN, for his set at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, dueting on “In Spite Of Ourselves” much to the delight of their Saturday evening crowd.
July 9 – Nashville, TN – American Legion Post 82 (HonkyTonk Tuesday)
July 13 – Central City, KY – Lu-Ray Park and Amphitheater (with John Prine)
Aug. 11 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Festival
Sept. 7 – Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Festival
Sept. 10-14 – Nashville, TN – AMERICANAFEST
Oct. 1 – Hollywood, CA – John Anson Ford Amphitheater (with John Prine)
Oct. 3 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater (with John Prine)
Oct. 4 – Davis, CA – Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts (with John Prine)
Oct. 12 – Springfield, MO – Juanita K. Hammons Hall (with John Prine)
Oct. 13 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre (with John Prine)
Nov. 11-15 – Punta Cana, Domincan Republic – All The Best Festival
Dec. 6 – Orlando, FL – Bob Carr Theater (with John Prine)
Dec. 7 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall (with John Prine)
About Kelsey Waldon:
On her new album, White Noise/White Lines, Kelsey Waldon captures the rugged country sound of her touring band without sacrificing the intimacy of her songwriting. Waldon is native of Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky, who took an interest in singing, songwriting and playing guitar as a child. After moving to Nashville, she cultivated a loyal following through frequent touring across the U.S. and two critically acclaimed albums; the most recent of which, I’ve Got A Way, made it onto NPR’s Fresh Air host Ken Tucker’s “Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2016,” while the album’s lead single, “All By Myself,” was featured on NPR’s list of “Top 100 Songs of 2016.” Her persistence paid off when, on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, John Prine invited Kelsey to join his Oh Boy Records family. White Noise/White Lines will be released October 4th on Oh Boy Records.
About Oh Boy Records:
Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label located in Nashville, Tennessee and founded in 1981 by Grammy Award-winning songwriter John Prine and his longtime manager Al Bunetta. The label has released almost 50 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Daniel “Slick” Ballinger, Shawn Camp, Dan Reeder, and Todd Snider, along with a dozen reissues of classic country music artists.
In 1980, Prine finished his recording contract with Asylum and moved to Nashville. Rather than sign with another label, he decided to start one of his own, and was joined by Bunetta. The new Oh Boy label’s first release was a red vinyl Christmas single with Prine singing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” on the A-side and “Silver Bells” on the B-side. The first full-length release was Prine’s Aimless Love in 1984. Oh Boy is the second oldest artist-owned independent label in the country and the oldest in Nashville.
NewsComments Off on The Quebe Sisters Add Innovation To Western Swing With New Self Titled Album.
Jul092019
DALLAS, TX (June 7, 2019) — “Here we are again, for the first time”: It may be a strange statement from a band that has been delighting audiences with its unique take on Western Swing music for 15 years and counting. However, it’s the perfect way for Dallas’ The Quebe Sisters to approach their fourth release, a self-titled album that is due out September 20th.
The five-piece, centered around real-life sisters Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe, is already well-loved for its glowing sibling harmonies and authentic Americana influences, but the group is never afraid of branching out and building on its roots. “This album represents a new phase of our band and the start of a new direction for us,” the sisters explain.
“In a lot of ways, the process of making this album felt like starting over; deconstructing what we knew about music and then trying to put it back together again. That’s the primary reason why we felt a self-titled album would be appropriate.”
The set was recorded at Texas Treefort Studio, which the band terms “the best kept secret in all of Austin.” The studio features Jim Vollentine at the helm where the group went for a self-production route in order to deeply explore their synergy.
“It was a holistic process, involving everyone in the band,” they relate. “We’ve never arranged and recorded so collaboratively before, so it’s very rewarding to hear everyone’s musical fingerprint in the final sound.”
Fans of the Quebes’ previous three albums will doubtlessly appreciate the new directions they chose for this collection. In addition to including original compositions for the very first time–Sophia, Grace, and bass player Daniel Parr put their pens to three of the 10 songs–the trio chose to branch out from its signature triple fiddles and three-part harmony vocals to spotlight individual solos, showing off each member’s strengths.
While taking pioneering steps in that direction, the band worked at the same time to preserve its traditional vibes. In order to create an inviting audio experience, the band recorded together in one room, using vintage gear for a warm and classic sound. They also selected a range of covers perfectly suited to progression — from Jesse Harris’ “Always Seem to Get Things Wrong” to Willie Nelson’s “Summer of Roses.” The overall result is a collection of songs simultaneously strong and wistful; peacefully blending new and old waves.
“This album came from the curation of our inspirations,” note the Quebes. “We looked at all the styles that we play, and found a single performance that embodied the essence of everything we loved about that style. Then we dug into the mood and feel of those performances, and used them as reference points for how we played the album.”
The Quebe Sisters have toured North America, Europe, and Russia over the past decade and a half, and will be bringing their efforts to a national stage later this year in support of the new album.
For more information and tour dates, please visit For more information and tour dates, please visit www.quebesisters.com
NewsComments Off on Miss Kelsey Waldon Inks Deal With John Prine’s Oh Boy Records.
Jul092019
Kelsey Waldon Inks Deal With John Prine’s Oh Boy Records
Oh Boy’s First New Artist Signing In Fifteen Years
May 29, 2019 – Nashville, TN – Hailing from Monkey’s Eyebrow in Ballard County, Kentucky, Kelsey Waldon is certainly no stranger to the rural, workingman’s world in which John Prine’s songs come to life. Both artists are admired for their often candid, occasionally humorous view of normal, everyday life, so when it came time for Waldon to find a home for her songs, Prine and his long-independent Oh Boy Records welcomed her with open arms. Waldon has played shows with Prine before, but none as impactful as their appearance on last night’s Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. After performing her own Opry set, Prine called Waldon back to the stage to sing his classics “Unwed Fathers” and “Paradise” together. Following their duet, in front of a sold-out Opry audience and in honor of all the legends that have graced that stage before her, Prine announced Waldon’s new partnership with Oh Boy right in the center of the famed Opry circle. Watch here.
It’s been a hard fought journey up to this point in Waldon’s career, but a strong dose of perseverance and patience has led her to greener pastures as of late; spending the last year opening for Tyler Childers, Jamey Johnson, and the head of her new label, John Prine, as well as completing her third full-length album which is due out this fall on Oh Boy.
“It’s hard for me to put into words what it truly means to me to be signed to Oh Boy Records,” says Waldon. “To have someone like John, who I have looked up to my whole life, who I have set my songwriting standards after and my general music making standards after, to have someone like him endorse my music and care enough about it to make sure it reaches a wider audience…that means everything.”
It has also been some time since Oh Boy Records recruited new talent. With Kelsey’s signing, their first in fifteen years, Oh Boy is keen on ushering a fresh, inspired artist into a world where important traits like authenticity and honesty have been replaced with marketability and catchiness. Jody Whelan, Director of Operations at Oh Boy, says of the signing, “It’s an honor for us to work with Kelsey. There is an honesty and commitment in her music, both as a performer and songwriter, that we’ve long admired. Evident in all her work is a strong point of view, and a reverence for the culture and history of country music and songwriting, she is exactly the type of independent-minded artist that Oh Boy Records was founded to support.”
Prine echoes Whelan’s excitement adding, “I am bursting with pride to have Kelsey Waldon recording for Oh Boy Records. Her music continues an important arc of traditional folk and country music. I love Kelsey’s singing. Her voice is one of the more authentic country voices I’ve heard in a long time. I’m looking forward to all the shows we’ll be performing together this year.” Speaking of shows, Waldon will join Prine for a handful of dates starting in July. See below for announced tour dates and stay tuned to https://www.kelseywaldon.com/tour-dates for additions in the coming months.
“All I have ever wanted in a label home was for it to feel real, like a little family, and for a label to really ‘get it’. I couldn’t ask for a better dream team, in all seriousness. I’m so thankful I kept on my true north,” Waldon graciously stated. “After everything I’ve been through up until this point, Oh Boy feels like home.”
June 28 – Lexington, KY – The Burl (with John R Miller & the Engine Lights)
June 29 – Galax, VA – The Blue Ridge Music Center
July 13 – Central City, KY – Lu-Ray Park and Amphitheater (with John Prine)
Aug. 11 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Festival
Sept. 7 – Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Festival
Oct. 1 – Hollywood, CA – John Anson Ford Amphitheater (with John Prine)
Oct. 3 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater (with John Prine)
Oct. 4 – Davis, CA – Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts (with John Prine)
Nov. 11 – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – All The Best Festival
Dec. 6 – Orlando, FL – Bob Carr Theater (with John Prine)
Dec. 7 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall (with John Prine)
About Kelsey Waldon:
Since the release of I’ve Got A Way, Waldon has been busy touring the country with a tight-knit band of extremely talented musicians opening for artists such as John Prine and Jamey Johnson. Waldon has played on the Grand Ole Opry and has been featured on some of the country’s biggest festival lineups, including ROMP Fest, Pickathon, Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, National Folk Festival, and Gasparilla, to name a few. But despite the fame and notoriety she’s seen in the past three years, Waldon remains humbled by her success, “I’ve spent a huge majority of my life studying my favorite records, my favorite songs, and my most-favorite singers,” she says, adding, “you never stop learning or gaining from it. I’m still doing it all the time.”
About Oh Boy Records:
Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label located in Nashville, Tennessee and founded in 1981 by Grammy Award-winning songwriter John Prine and his longtime manager Al Bunetta. The label has released almost 50 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Daniel “Slick” Ballinger, Shawn Camp, Dan Reeder, and Todd Snider, along with a dozen reissues of classic country music artists.
In 1980, Prine finished his recording contract with Asylum and moved to Nashville. Rather than sign with another label, he decided to start one of his own, and was joined by Bunetta. The new Oh Boy label’s first release was a red vinyl Christmas single with Prine singing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” on the A-side and “Silver Bells” on the B-side. The first full-length release was Prine’s Aimless Love in 1984. Oh Boy is the second oldest artist-owned independent label in the country and the oldest in Nashville.
NewsComments Off on Album Feature: The Royal Hounds: Low Class Songs For High Class People.
Jul082019
The Royal Hounds are amazing Rockabilly band with an eclectic variety of influences that derive from Memphis to Bakersfield. I mean, if you study their roots they are not ashamed of history. I actually moved up in respect for them on a few levels after seeing how much love they have for obscure people in music history the likes of Mr. Billy Lee Riley, and Mr. Bobby Darin.
They are am intense three piece band from the Nashville area fronted by Mr. Scott Hinds and include the guitar wizardry of Mr. Matheus Canteri from Brazil. According to their press release it took many years to clear his visa to work in America. Now this album really stuck out for me from the other two albums because they really focused on more guitar riffs and solos than lyrics. The songs are just plain out Rockabilly FUN, and easy to “get”…you don’t have to sit and analyze anything. Just DANCE and JAM on these 11 songs.
He came across Mr. Matheus on a chance video he saw on social media and sought after him in a heavy way. You see the guitar RIGHT AWAY on the song “The Walk” it just opens right on your face on the first song, and can get a live audience involved with a HEY HEY. This song is for people like ME, I LOVE MUSIC but I cannot dance at ALL. I’m clumsy as a stump! This song spoke to me as a person, and made me feel like he wrote it about ME, and that sold the album to me on the first song.
This band has an amazing live set as they stand on the bass and shred guitars, and stand on their drum kit. Mr. Nathan Place, from Texas is an accredited producer in his own right, and is the current drummer . However the drummer on this album was Mr. Scott Billingsley. Mr. Nathan has toured America as a drummer and fiddle player and has earned his own place in the independent music scene with hard work and attention to detail.
The dancing songs continue with a song called ‘Whackity Do” which features a fun stomping beat you can twist to or whatever dancing you like to enjoy. It goes on to the song “The Parthenon” , however one of the songs that I enjoyed was the guitar filled song called “Pororoca” , which is an actual thing that happens on the Amazon river. A giant wave makes it’s way down the river and people go out to ride the wave. It’s kind of a personal shout out to Mr. Matheus homeland.
“Tweakers From Outer Space” and “Pizza Party” were two crazy songs with lyrics that are just nuts, and it’s just fun to listen to them. The album gets to be the best during the song ‘Road Scholar” which chronicles how difficult their road life is. You know folks, I never realized how hard the road really was until I began following these bands around America. I load and unload semi trucks on a loading dock on third shift, so I treasure those real country trucker songs. This song really hit the mark for me! This song really put me to mind of Red Simpson and others that brought out that genre.
“Herbie The Butterfly” is a song about a butterfly that got caught on the band’s tour van windshield wiper, and he went to Tupelo, Tennessee and Texas. He went to butterfly heaven and lived a great life up there. Another great jam song on this album was “Chinese Buffet” I mean everybody loves to pile up plates of crap from a good hole in the wall buffet. For 10 bucks you can tear up some food! The album closes with a rousing cover of ‘Ghost Riders In The Sky”, written by Mr. Stan Jones in 1948.
This album becomes available for sale on AUGUST 2ND
NewsComments Off on Mr. Vince Gill Readies His New Album “Okie”.
Jul072019
I’m extremely excited for 2019 and 2020 just for the simple fact that so many artists whom were prominent in the 1980’s and 1990’s are popping up now making new albums that sound better than ever. I have a huge list of names that I could rattle off with names of people to expect in 2019 alone.
One of those names would be Vince Gill, as he announces the August 23rd release of his new album called “Okie” which embraces and celebrates his Oklahoma roots. It’s been reported that this album will address some of the issues we have today in society, as the album itself is named after an old derogatory name for an Oklahoma resident.
They were viewed as scum that migrated westward during the dust bowl era of 1930-1937 when severe drought plagued the nation and many went elsewhere to find work. This is more of a concept album in it’s own right by all means, in that it displays so much knowledge and life lived lessons in these twelve songs.
Mr. Vince Gill wrote nine of the songs on the new record solo, and co-wrote the other three. His co-writers on Okie are Leslie Satcher, Charlie Worsham and Dean Dillon. So far there are two singles released from this album, one was released on Mother’s Day and it was called ” A Letter To My Mama”. The second one was called ” When My Amy Prays”, inspired by his wife of 19 years Miss Amy Grant.
Also on the album is ‘Forever Changed,’ which Gill introduced at the 2018 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. Written from a female perspective, it focuses on a story of sexual assault. The song will stir poignant memories of that standing-ovation CRS performance, during which Gill opened up about his own #metoo story, of how a gym teacher had attempted to molest him when he was in middle school.
” A Letter To My Mama” in my opinion is just amazingly classic Vince Gill back into his prime form, with his heart on his sleeve and that sad lonely voice that could make tears emanate from a rock. Vince Gill could make Mr. Roy Acuff cry backstage at the Opry every time, and I think he could again if he wanted to….and he evidentially does.
To be honest folks my co writer Mr. Joshua Wallace did a great review of the new Aaron Watson album “Red Bandanna”. He has a big and busy schedule well through 2019 playing some big shows across America. He played some HEADLINE shows at the Ryman Auditorium last year, and did a great job.
As far as the overall album goes I myself enjoyed Underdog more than his next two albums, it just had more of an independent “feel” to them. I STILL LOVED this album, but it’s getting a little too pop sounding for my personal taste as he moves forward. Of course that’s just basically MY opinion of his new albums as of late.
But the more I sit and dwell upon JUST WHY he may be doing this, I can not blame him for trying to become more friendly to larger audiences that embrace a more mainstream sound. I mean I’m not hip on Mr. Eric Church or his music but to say he didn’t expose a whole new echelon of people to the Drive By Truckers by taking them on tour with him would be ludicrous. I was thankful to Kid Rock for what he did for Hellbound Glory as well. I don’t normally make a big huge stink when my favorite artists throw a different sound at me in the name of audience growth or trying new markets.
I cannot take away from his twenty plus years of creating and writing and distributing independent music on his own terms and his own fashion. Just because I dislike one or two of his albums, I just cannot justify tossing him totally aside for that one reason. I actually look forward to him live one day soon, and I’ll go from there folks. He is still ONE HELL of a prominent frontrunner in the Texas Country Music community.
7/12 – Riverfront Live!, Cincinnati, OH
7/13 – Jam in the Valley, Varysburg, NY
7/18 – Adams County Fair, Hastings, NE
7/19 – Lazy Gators, Lake of the Ozarks, MO 7/20 – Texas Live!, Arlington, TX
7/26 – A Night in the Country, Yerington, NV 7/27 – Clos La Chance Winery, San Martin, CA 8/1 – Adams County Fair, Brighton, CO 8/2 – Starlight Ranch, Amarillo TX 8/3 – Whitewater Amphitheater, New Braunfels, TX 8/9 – Brewster St. Parking Lot Party, Corpus Christi, TX
8/10 – Ford Park Arena, Beaumont, TX
8/15 – KC Live!, Kansas City 8/16 – Revolution Music Room, Little Rock, AR
8/23 – Colorado State Fair, Pueblo, CO
9/5 – Washington State Fair, Puyallup, WA 9/7 – New Mexico State Fair, Albuquerque, NM 9/20 – Southport Hall, Jefferson (New Orleans), LA 9/27 – Tulsa State Fair, Tulsa, OK 10/11 – Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ
NewsComments Off on Album Feature: Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts.
Jul052019
I have a PILE of album I have to feature on here, and this week I plan to catch up on some of them like this man Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts from Denver Colorado. In 2019 they released a damn fine Outlaw Country album with enough twang to keep my foot tapping at my desk for an hour or so. Every song was a decent 2:30 plus, which was good and the songs all complimented one another quite well.
The backup vocals from this band were really awesome and brought out the lead vocals very well, on songs like “No Leash No Chain”. that was a great male rebound song after a breakup. Quite the typical Country song about no pain ( meant to be a lie) spun into a positive song of freedom. My dogs are my best friends, and my booze bottles.
“Burn Up The Highway” was a heavy and fully loaded rowdy song about being a road warrior, which is exactly what this band does. They play a whopping number of shows during the year in the local bars and festivals. “Almost Gone” was a song about a cheating woman in her rare from, however it also reverts to his own self. The lines “my fear shows and my age grows, I think about the life I chose from dusk till dawn, I’m almost gone” were attention grabbers for me. I felt like he was singing the song about ME. That’s what I look for in an album from anybody.
“Guitars, Bars & Hotels” is a great song about the perils of the road, the bed bugs and lice line was GREAT, and so true. You know I’ll tell you what, I never knew how hard the road was until I began following these bands all over the United States. I learned many highway stretches and good places to eat along the festival circuits and byways of America.
The album closes with “Sorrow” and the longest song on the album is “Gimmie Some” at a whopping 6 minutes long. “Sorrow” is a dark and poignant song that can be taken another way toward the end. If every soul could be strong there will be sorrow no more is indeed a noble thought to have.
The Rough Cuts
Ryan Chrys: vocals/guitar
Jack Yoder: guitar/vocals
Michael Jochum: drums
Susan Phelan: bass/vocals
Lauren Michaels: vocals
Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts formed in January, 2013, and have since been touring steadily through the North, Mid and South West states. The core of the band is made up of Ryan Chrys on guitar and vocals, Susan Phelan on bass and vocals, and Michael Jochum on drums. In their home state of Colorado they often perform with Laura Quam on violin. Bradely Weaver helped launch the band and performed in the band up until the end of 2017, when he departed for personal reasons. During the last couple years, Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts have earned some prestigious local and national accolades including a nomination for 2018 Oultaw Group of the year by the Ameripolitan Music Awards.
Ryan’s mother was a folk and country singer who performed at the Troubador in Hollywood where artists like Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and the Eagles all got their start. Eventually her love for horses and mountains lead her to move to Montana to work on a cattle ranch. It was on that Montana cattle ranch where Ryan was born and raised and learned to strum along on the guitar with his mother. Amidst playing in bands in his hometown of Missoula, Ryan eventually graduated from the University of Montana before moving to Denver to pursue a life of music.
Since 2004, Ryan has been performing, touring and recording for various acts as a lead guitarist, doing so lead him across the country performing at venues like Milwaukee’s Summerfest, Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Fillmore Auditorium, and the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles. Along the way he shared the bill with a diverse range of notable acts including Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, George Clinton and Parliment Funkadelic, and The Fray.
Susan Phelan is a master musician and has played with countless acts. She sings, plays the stand up and electric bass and is highly respected in the Colorado scene. She was once a pro wrestler! To learn more, check out this in-depth article about Susan Phelan on Westword Magazine.
Michael Jochum is an accomplished drummer from Los Angeles, California, he has so many credits and accolades its tough to mention them all! He has toured with bands from Jackson Browne to Korn. Check out Michael’s pages on Wikipedia and AllMusic.
Jack Yoder and Lauren Michaels are both accomplished musicians who fronted their own bands for years.
NewsComments Off on 2019 Music Festivals: Red Wing Roots Music Festival.
Jul052019
The Steel Wheels
Virginia-based acoustic roots music collective The Steel Wheels have announced the July 12th release of their 7th full-length album, Over The Trees. Recorded in Maine with producer Sam Kassirer, Over The Trees draws attention to the impeccable harmonies of the four original members: Trent Wagler (guitar/banjo), Eric Brubaker (fiddle), Brian Dickel (bass), and Jay Lapp (guitars/mandolin). Kevin Garcia, who plays multiple percussion instruments, keyboard, and mallet-based instruments, formally joined the band after the 2017 release of Wild as We Came Here, which Kassirer also produced. In addition to familiar-to-fans harmonies, The Steel Wheels ventured a little farther out of their known comfort zone for Over The Trees. “This is a bit of an experimental record at times, with new sounds and influences,” Wagler says. “We know where we come from. We are a string band from Virginia, but we are evolving with this album, and we are embracing the future.” [Read More]
The band’s name is a tip of the hat to steam-powered trains, industrial progress and the buggies of their Mennonite lineage. Their musical style weaves through Americana and bluegrass, folk and old-time music, and the acoustic poetry of the finest singer-songwriters.
The Steel Wheels present the seventh annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival on July 12, 13 & 14, 2019, brought to you by Blue Mountain Brewery and WNRN.
Three days, four stages and 40 bands at the beautiful Natural Chimneys Park and Campground in Mt Solon, VA, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.
The 2019 line up includes Lucinda Williams, The Wood Brothers, Mandolin Orange, Peter Rowan’s Carter Stanley’s Eyes, The Tim O’Brien Band, The Gibson Brothers, Della Mae, Charley Crockett, The Lil Smokies, Fruit Bats, River Whyless, Lindsay Lou, Birds of Chicago, Big Daddy Love, Hush Kids, Feufollet, Lonely Heartstring Band, The East Pointers, Sam Reider, Larry Keel, Dead Horses, Lula Wiles, The Hollering Pines, Sean McConnell, Kaia Kater, Fireside Collective, Cedric Burnside, Courtney Hartman, Cedric Watson, Danny Knicely, Kristin Andreassen, Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Locust Honey, John R Miller & the Engine Lights, Justin Jones, Jordan Tice, Oliver Craven, The Judy Chops, Corner House, Saw Black, Dogwood Tales, The Wildmans, The Walking Roots Band, The Bright Siders, Ragged Mountain String Band, Dirt Road Sweetheart featuring Nora Jane Struthers, The Fernandez Sisters and more!
The towering limestone chimneys, reaching more than 120′ in the air, provide a spectacular backdrop for you to lounge in the Music Meadow and hear some great music in the great outdoors.
Red Wing focuses on the whole experience: an incredible variety of food, craft vendors, kids activities, camping, swimming, organized bike rides, fun runs and hiking adventures, and much, much more!
Natural Chimneys Park
Located near Mt. Solon in Augusta County, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley, Natural Chimneys Park features rock “chimneys” formed from limestone that began to accumulate and harden into stone about 500 million years ago in the Paleozoic Era, when the region was underwater. Over time, enormous upward pressures of magma and widespread geologic upheaval, which created the Appalachian Mountains, combined with erosive forces of water and destroyed weaker layers of stone. Eventually, this created the rock chimneys which can be seen today. The chimneys tower as much as 120 feet above ground level. (Wikipedia)
Please be advised, Google Maps can send you to the wrong location! We are working to fix this, but in the meantime please use these GPS coordinates: 38.355792, -79.086199. You can also search by the address, 94 Natural Chimneys Ln, Mt Solon, VA 22843. If you search for Natural Chimneys Park or click on the marker for Natural Chimneys Park in Google Maps, you will be sent to the wrong location.
From the North or the South:
From Interstate-81, take Exit 240 toward Bridgewater. At the end of the ramp, turn onto VA-257 West/Friedens Church Rd toward Bridgewater and follow for 3.3 miles to stoplight at VA-42/Main St. Turn left at the stoplight and head south on VA-42 for 3.7 miles. Turn right onto Mossy Creek Rd (State Rte 613)*. Follow Mossy Creek Rd for 2.4 miles to the 4-way stop sign intersection in Mt Solon. Turn right onto Natural Chimneys Rd (VA-731) and follow for 0.6 miles to the entrance to Natural Chimneys Park, turning right onto Natural Chimneys Lane.
*Large RVs, trailers or buses:
To avoid a hard right hand turn at the 4-way stop sign in Mt Solon, do not turn onto Mossy Creek Rd from VA-42. Instead, continue to follow VA-42 South for another 4.6 miles to a slight right onto VA-731/Moscow Loop. Stay to the right and follow VA-731 (which becomes Natural Chimneys Rd) for 2.5 miles until the 4-way stop sign intersection in Mt Solon. Continue straight through the intersection on Natural Chimneys Rd (VA-731) and follow for 0.6 miles to the entrance to Natural Chimneys Park, turning right onto Natural Chimneys Lane.
DAILY SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Shenandoah Mtn Stage
1:00pm The Hollering Pines
3:00pm Hush Kids
5:30pm Peter Rowan
8:00pm Mandolin Orange
10:30pm The Wood Brothers
Blue Ridge Timberwrights Stage
12:00pm Allison & Tatiana
2:00pm Cedric Burnside
4:15pm The East Pointers
6:45pm Charley Crockett
9:15pm The Lil Smokies
The Roots Stage
1:00pm Courtney Hartman
3:00pm Kristin Andreassen
5:30pm Oliver Bates Craven
8:00pm Sam Reider & The Human Hands
10:30pm Larry Keel
The Kinfolk Stage
1:00pm Appalachian Stories
2:00pm For Goodness Snakes
4:00pm Red Wing Academy
5:00pm Dirt Road Sweetheart
6:15pm The Steel Wheels’ Kids Set
7:15pm Square Dance
The Hill Stage
2:00pm The Wildmans
3:30pm Courtney Hartman
5:00pm Corner House
6:30pm Allison & Tatiana
8:00pm The Judy Chops
SATURDAY
Shenandoah Mtn Stage
1:00pm Jordan Tice
3:00pm River Whyless
5:30pm Della Mae
8:00pm The Steel Wheels
10:30pm Lucinda Williams
Blue Ridge Timberwrights Stage
12pm Locust Honey
2:00pm Cedric Watson Trio
4:15pm Lonely Heartstring Band
6:45pm Feufollet
9:15pm Fruit Bats
The Roots Stage
1:00pm John R Miller
3:00pm Lula Wiles
5:30pm Kaia Kater
8:00pm Square Dance
10:30pm Big Daddy Love
The Kinfolk Stage
1:00pm Appalachian Stories
2:00pm Birds of Prey
3:00pm The Fernandez Sisters
4:00pm Cedric Watson & Danny Knicely, brought to you by Kline’s Dairy Bar
5:00pm The Bright Siders
6:00pm Corner House
The Hill Stage
2:00pm Oliver Bates Craven
3:30pm Locust Honey
5:00pm Justin Jones
6:30pm Lula Wiles
8:00pm Jordan Tice
SUNDAY
Shenandoah Mtn Stage
12:00pm Dead Horses
2:00pm Birds of Chicago
4:30pm Lindsay Lou
6:45pm Gibson Brothers
Blue Ridge Timberwrights Stage
11:00am “Gospel” Set
1:00pm Sean McConnell
3:15pm Tim O’Brien Band
5:45pm Tribute Set
The Roots Stage
12:00pm The Wildmans
2:00pm Justin Jones
4:30pm Fireside Collective
The Kinfolk Stage
1:00pm The Fernandez Sisters
2:00pm Pick Along Jam Session
3:30pm Dogwood Tales
4:30pm Saw Bllades
Hampton Inn South is our official Red Wing VI hotel sponsor.
The closest hotels are located in Harrisonburg and Staunton, VA, each only about 15 miles away.
Bed & Breakfasts/Inns
There are numerous Inns and B&Bs in the area. Here’s a partial list:
We are committed to fostering a relaxed atmosphere, but there are certain guidelines that must be followed to ensure a safe and fun festival for everyone. Every attendee must abide by the following:
NO CLIMBING ON THE CHIMNEYS!! Please stay on the designated trail.
Absolutely NO PETS allowed on the festival grounds, campgrounds or parking lots (licensed ADA assistants excepted). This will be strictly enforced.
No fireworks, drones, smoke bombs or sky lanterns
No drum circles or amplified music from 11pm – 11am
No outside alcohol permitted. Coolers and bags will be checked. (Augusta County Park Rules) Beer garden brought to you by Blue Mountain Brewery provided with beer, wine and cider available*
No unauthorized vending – if you’re not a registered vendor you may not sell or distribute anything on the festival grounds
Audience and radio taping only (no soundboard patches), except when prohibited by performing artist.
No video recording of any performances
No motorized vehicles (golf carts, ATVs)
Do not remove your festival admission bracelet. It cannot be replaced and you will be denied entry
No weapons or firearms
On the Music Meadow (The main viewing areas of Shenandoah Mountain Stage and Blue Ridge Timberwrights Stage)
No aluminum cans or glass bottles in the meadow. Reusable drinking bottles/cups allowed. Disposable plastic water bottles discouraged.
For safety reasons, no Frisbee throwing in the music meadow
All personal possessions must be removed from the music meadow after each night’s performance
Lawn chairs & blankets allowed only in designated areas (wheelchairs exempted)
Coolers allowed only in designated chair areas
Camp chairs with built-in shade awnings and other sun-blocking apparatus that does not obstruct the view of other festival-goers are allowed
No pop-up tents are allowed anywhere on festival grounds, other than campgrounds
No large umbrellas allowed on the music meadow (sun or rain)
Enjoy the relaxed festival atmosphere, but be proactive about the security of your belongings. Leave your campground overtly empty. Don’t bring what you cannot afford to lose and be sure to look after one another. Our community is not possible without your participation!
Festival goers must abide by all local, state, and federal laws. NO ALCOHOL OR DRUG SALES tolerated anywhere on the festival site or annexed properties. Anyone caught selling or distributing illicit substances will immediately have their wristband cut and be ejected from the festival. Further legal repercussions are likely.
We’ll have free water so bring your reusable bottle!
*To partake our delicious craft beer and cider in our Blue Mountain Beer Gardens, you must purchase tickets from booths stationed inside the ABC area. Beer/cider/wine tickets are $6 each, for 16oz beers or 12oz cider servings. In our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, we minimize plastics by only serving drinks in Klean Kanteen stainless steel cups. Purchase one in the garden, or re-use your cup from last year, Rooster Walk, The Festy Experience or FloydFest!
YOU MUST BRING A VALID ID to consume alcohol. (Having grey hair and grandkids are not acceptable forms of ID)
**The festival grounds are wheelchair/handicap accessible, including portable restrooms. A limited number of handicap spaces will be designated in General Admission Parking; a parking pass is still required. If needed, a golf cart ride from main gate to Music Meadow will be provided.
Festival Camping
CHIMNEY RIDGE PICK-YOUR-OWN TENT CAMPING
2 tents and 4 people max per site. Good for 4 nights (Thurs 11am – Mon 10am). This camping area has three zones: 1) Large camping area – pick your own camping spot in the shade of the trees, out in the meadow or tucked in the woods; 2) Drop-off zone so you can drive close to your chosen spot to drop off your gear; and 3) Chimney Ridge Parking lot for vehicles. Personal fires allowed and nearby parking for one vehicle. Once the festival begins on Friday, there will be limited access to drive into Chimney Ridge. Basically, once you’re there, plan to stay! 3-day General Admission tickets are required for all camping guests! NO PETS. Click HERE to learn more about Chimney Ridge Camping.
PREMIUM CAMPING AT NATURAL CHIMNEYS **SOLD OUT
One premium campsite purchase per order. These spacious RV Campsites include electric and water hook-ups and are good for 4 nights (Thursday11am – Monday 10am). Each site allows one RV/trailer/popup plus two tents (or if no RV, four tents total) and parking for up to two additional vehicles. A picnic table and fire ring are provided at each site. 12 people max per site. 3-day General Admission tickets are required for all camping guests! NO PETS.
SUPER GROUP PREMIUM CAMPING AT NATURAL CHIMNEYS Put a group of friends and family together to buy this package and enjoy a few extra perks as well! **SOLD OUT
Price is $2,500 (A limited number of sites available.)
1 Premium RV site with room for tents and parking for 2 vehicles
12 3-day General Admission passes
1 extra General Admission Parking pass
1 signed festival poster by The Steel Wheels
$50 gift certificate for RWR festival merch
Super Group includes 1 premium campsite purchase per order. These spacious RV Campsites include electric and water hook-ups and are good for 4 nights (Thursday11am – Monday 10am). Each site allows one RV/trailer/popup plus two tents (or if no RV, four tents total) and parking for up to two additional vehicles. A picnic table and fire ring are provided at each site. 12 people max per site. 3-day General Admission tickets are required for all camping guests! NO PETS.
Z LOT Dry-RV CAMPING **SOLD OUT
6 person max per site and one car. Good for 4 nights (Thurs, 1pm – Mon, 10am). Only a 3 minute walk from the Music Meadow, drive into the field and park your RV or camper. No hook ups for electricity or water and no fires. You may bring quiet, clean generators for your RV. Once the festival begins on Friday, there will be limited access to drive into Z Lot. Basically, once you’re in Z Lot, plan to stay! 3-day General Admission tickets are required for all camping guests! You do not need to reserve a specific spot, your plot will be assigned when you arrive at the festival. NO PETS. ONE VEHICLE LIMIT PER SITE.
CHIMNEY RIDGE PARK-N-PITCH CAR CAMPING **SOLD OUT
2 tents, 4 people and 1 car max per site. Good for 4 nights (Thurs 11am – Mon 10am). Similar to Z Lot Tent Camping, when you arrive Red Wing campground staff will assign you a site where you can pitch your tent beside your vehicle. You will have approximately a 20′ x 20′ area next to your vehicle for your set up. Fires not allowed on Park-n-Pitch campsites. Once the festival begins on Friday, there will be limited access to drive into Chimney Ridge. Basically, once you’re there, plan to stay! 3-day General Admission tickets are required for all camping guests! NO PETS. Click HERE to learn more about Chimney Ridge Camping.
NO FRILLS TENT CAMPING AT NATURAL CHIMNEYS **SOLD OUT
Good for 3 nights (Fri, 9am – Mon, 10am). You get a nice, flat 15′ X 15′ plot to set up your tent(s), chairs and maybe even a foosball table…as long as it fits, go for it! The sites are nice but it’s not glamping, there are no hook ups for electricity or water. No fires, and most importantly, no cars. Folks camping here must park in the general admission parking lot and walk in with their stuff, so pack smart! And since you will be parked in the GA parking lot, don’t forget to purchase a parking permit for each vehicle (carpooling encouraged). 2 tent and 6 person max per site. NO PETS.
SHOW SHERPA TENT VILLAGE **SOLD OUT
The Show Sherpa brings The Sherpa Village, a pre-pitched tent rental community, to Red Wing this summer. The Show Sherpa is hassle-free camping at its best. They do all the heavy lifting; you just focus on the fun! Located in the Chimney Ridge Camping area, The Sherpa Village is outfitted with large cabin style Eureka tents with almost seven feet of headroom and 100 square feet of space. No tiny dome tents here! 2-Person packages available. In addition to the tents, packages include comfy Eureka camping cots, a lantern and camping chairs as well as all Sherpa Village amenities featuring FREE COFFEE, a daily complimentary bag of ice, and a large shade canopy filled with plenty of comfortable chairs for relaxing between performances. There is also a full camp kitchen with a large gas grill, expedition stoves, as well as, all the pots, pans & utensils you need to make a great meal in order to refuel for more dancin’. Limited amount of tents available and they will go fast. One car per site. Click here to purchase camping with The Show Sherpa.
LOCAL CAMPGROUNDS
Stokesville Campground (464 Stokesville Rd, Mount Solon, VA) Located just four miles away from the festival, Stokesville offers spectacular views, lots of room to spread out and exclusive use of the Stokesville Bridge swimming hole. This mountain edge campground also includes amazing hiking and mountain biking trails. Note: This year Stokesville will be privately run by Stokesville Campground and Lodge and will not be providing a shuttle service to the festival.
Shenandoah Valley Campground is the only campground in Virginia with a spectacular waterfall and four 6-person indoor hot tubs. They offer free Wi-Fi, river tubing, wading, and trout/bass fishing in the river as well as their well-stocked weed free lake. They have a huge pool and a kiddie pool, 18 Hole mini-golf, game room and two playgrounds.
Sherando Lake Recreation Area’s Family Campground provides an ideal camping destination. Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s known locally as the jewel of the mountains, where visitors enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming and relaxing on the sandy beach. Click for Sherando Lake campsite registration.
North River Campground This open area campground was originally constructed as a CCC camp. Evidence of the original sites and logging trails still remain today. North River Gorge is a popular hiking, biking, and fishing area with a swinging bridge spanning the North River. Close proximity to Wild Oak National Recreation Trail, Staunton Dam Day Use Area and Elkhorn Lake provide multiple recreational options that are easily accessible within a few miles. Campsites cannot be reserved in advance. First come, first serve. Sites are primitive, but vault toilets are located on-site. No drinking water provided.
Camping fee is $5 per site, per night. Operated by North River Ranger District: 540-432-0187
Todd Lake Recreation Area Located in Augusta County, visitors to Todd Lake Recreation Area enjoy a historic campground complete with universally accessible beach. A volleyball court, horseshoe pits, children’s playground and an onsite campground host make this location an ideal place to spend a relaxing summer afternoon. Explore multiple trails from this location popular amongst mountain biking, backpacking, and hiking enthusiasts. Sites are $16.
We are proud to host Red Wing Roots Music Festival as a family-friendly experience. Rest assured, kids AND parents are going to have a great time!
Over in the Shady Grove area you’ll find a whole pile of games and activities for kids and families. Plus…Over on the Kinfolk Stage, you’ll always find great music, dancing and awesome presentations!
SHADY GROVE:
Thanks to sponsorship from Venture Builders, we have a collaborative mural to paint, tie-dye workshops on Saturday and Sunday, a mist pavilion, outdoor games, and a rock climbing wall. Plus you’ll find a slackline zone, an instrument petting zoo run by The Front Porch, and a toddler/parent zone run by the fine folks at Our Little Planets. We also have our friends from KINGDOMS Lawn Games showing us how to play this competitive family-friendly game that combines elements of fantasy with a new variant of bowling.
NewsComments Off on Alan Jackson “Small Town Southern Man” Documentary Available Now.
Jul042019
I’m going to be totally honest here, the last few days I have been reflecting on many of the artists from the 80’s and 90’s that seem to be returning to the forefront here, much like vinyl records and other items of the past. You have SO MANY artists well on their way of becoming Country Music Legends, like this man…Mr. Alan Jackson.
You are going to learn a LOT about the early years of a man well on his way to legendary status in Country Music, as well as his middle years. I mean, we all know what he HAS accomplished since his first album called “Here In The Real World” . We all know that he began his professional career by getting a job in the mail room of The Nashville Network’s mail room, and his wife got in contact with Mr. Glen Campbell who helped jump start his career.
But what about his youth and his early years? Who were his parents? Where did he come from? What was his childhood like? Well friends this documentary answers many of those questions. Nobody in his family even knew he could sing, and his older sister didn’t take his secret too well, nor did his mother. His other sisters and father shared his enthusiasm to make the move to Nashville. It took him a LONG TIME to get a break and become the first artist signed to the then new Arista Records. His parents really DID live in a tool shed his grand daddy rolled down on two logs.
In the years to follow he sold 80 million albums, 66 titles on the charts, 35 were in the top 5, 36 were number ones. He is the recipient of two Grammy Awards, 16 CMA Awards, 17 ACM Awards and nominee of multiple other awards. He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 by Loretta Lynn and into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
A few years back his album ‘Angels And Alcohol” made my album of the year, and he shows NO SIGNS of slowing down at all. He played a sold out show at Red Rocks Ampitheater, and playing huge tours all over the world.
Of course, true Alan Jackson fans know he’s a man willing to fight for what he believes in. This new documentary is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon Prime and on DVD through the Eagle Rock website. This piece from their website:
This weekend, our Sunday Night Rocks concert is Keepin’ It Country thanks to a little help from 18 time Academy of Country Music Award winner, 16 time CMA winner, and multi-platinum country superstar, Alan Jackson. Watch as he celebrates his 25th anniversary with a sold out crowd at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and a catalog of mega country hits that have withstood the test of time including “Gone Country”, “Chattahoochee”, “Remember When”, and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”. Don’t miss a single song from the set and tune in this Sunday, March 12th at 10/9c ONLY on AXS TV.
Before the show, check out this sneak peek of “Good Time”:
NewsComments Off on 2019 Music Festivals: The Great Blue Heron.
Jul032019
It’s HOT down here in Kentucky already this year and I have covered some TERRIFIC Festivals in the first half of 2019. Now, as I prepare for the second half of the year, I am on my annual July 4rth vacation, holed up in my COOL house and catching up on some music website work for the year.
I am catching up on my festivals for the rest of the year, and I wanted to touch on some friends in the northeast up in New York State that bring some GREAT String Bands and Bluegrass and also Americana to their area here..folks this is the Great Blue Heron Music Festival in New York. This is the 28th year of the annual evnet, here is a brief history of it all:
A summer tradition since 1992, the Great Blue Heron Music Festival is an annual celebration that brings thousands of music lovers to the rolling hills of Western New York each July. With a wide variety of live original music on three stages – including the Main Stage, the intimate Tiger Maple Stage and a big-top Dance Tent that swings through the night – plus instrument workshops, dance lessons, and activities for both children and teens, the festival provides many ways to enjoy the Independence Day weekend. And that is why so many music fans come back year after year, sharing the event with family and friends while camping out among the breezy fields and shady woods that grace the property
Main Stage • Dance Tent • Café in the Woods • 300+ Acres Rural Setting • Food & Merchandise Vendors • Instrumental Workshops • Square Dances •
Healing Arts Workshops
Come to The Heron, in Western New York, Chautauqua County. It’s real pretty here!
For Google Maps searching
the festival address is:
2361 Waits Corners Rd
Sherman, NY 14781
Zydeco Dances • Kids’ and Teen Programs • Hiking and Biking Trails • Songwriters Circle • Dance Instruction • Drumming Circles • Supervised Swimming
NewsComments Off on My Friend Mr. Buddy Jennings Has Heart Transplant.
Jul022019
Many people know the Jennings name in the music community, but some of you may not know Mr. Buddy personally like I do. He, along with his family have been wonderful friends to me in the last few years. Mr. Buddy and Mr. Shooter are two of my favorite personal friends I have met through music.
It goes beyond whom they are biologically, and manifests from whom they are as people to me and to others like me. Every time I am in the area, and can get to them we try to stop and have a nice lunch together and we like to make jokes during Dallas Cowboys games.
Several weeks ago, he was admitted to Vanderbilt Hospital with breathing problems. Mr. Buddy has battled heart problems for many years, and ever since I remember meeting him he has always been in and out of hospitals. Now he has some TRULY WONDERFUL doctors and nurses taking care of him, and his transplant went VERY WELL.
I keep in daily contact with Miss Kathy who informs me that he TOOK A SHOWER, walks and even has been outside as of late. I myself told him he is tougher than day old White Castle hamburgers (heard that). You can darn sure bet he isn’t going to sit around and let this beat him, not the Buddy I know.
I wanted to take the opportunity to THANK the doctor that performed this surgery, and worked a miracle with the generous and life saving gift of that donated heart. You know, oftentimes doctors and nurses do not always get the recognition they deserve or the thanks they should get for saving so many lives on a daily basis. I have a lot of health issues myself and there is NOTHING more valuable to me than a good nurse that can administer a DECENT IV, and not butcher your arm.
Nurses forgo holidays with loved ones to put up with screaming patients that are sometimes abusive, and clean up blood, vomit and other bodily fluids that many wouldn’t even do for their own family…let alone a stranger. It takes a special kind of love to be a GOOD NURSE, and a special kind of love to be a doctor as important and heroic as Dr. Menachem. This man truly was the answer to all of our prayers, and with the help of his staff preserved a piece of Country Music history in the form of my friend Mr. Buddy.
by Matt Batcheldor
Patients with a form of congenital heart disease — having only one ventricle (pumping chamber) — are now living longer lives due to the successful surgical and medical treatments they receive as children.
However, as these patients survive to adulthood some of them face a new problem — heart failure, for which they will require heart transplantation.
Transplant in these adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), which remains rare, is more frequently required and becoming more common at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the only location in Tennessee and one of a few in the South where such transplants are possible, said Jonathan Menachem, MD, a transplant cardiologist and director of Advanced Congenital Cardiac Therapies (ACCT) at Vanderbilt Health.
Congenital heart disease patient Shawn Land, left, here with his sister, Crystal Faulkner, received his heart transplant in January.
Menachem, assistant professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, said four single-ventricle patients who have been palliated with a Fontan procedure have been transplanted in the last 12 months, out of a total of nine transplant recipients with congenital heart disease. Fontan is the name of the procedure given to pediatric patients with one ventricle.
Menachem points to two remarkable patient outcomes in the last six months involving Fontan patients. In January, Shawn Land of Clarksville, Tennessee, a Fontan patient with liver cirrhosis (a common complication in these patients), successfully underwent a combined heart/liver transplant. Then, in October 2018, Deja Baynard-Watson of Delaware became Vanderbilt’s first documented case of using a heart from a hepatitis C-positive donor in a patient with CHD.
“These two cases demonstrate the ability of Vanderbilt to take the sickest single-ventricle patients and successfully transplant them using innovative techniques,” Menachem said. “A lot of these patients and also providers don’t realize that transplantation is an option.”
Vanderbilt Health has the second largest heart transplant program by volume nationwide.
“As one of the largest heart transplant programs in the country, we need to leverage our true strengths: an uncommon depth of experience and teams that can work collaboratively when faced with difficult problems,” said Ashish Shah, MD, professor and chair of Cardiac Surgery.
A normal heart has two pumping chambers, called ventricles, said David Bichell, MD, William S. Stoney Jr. professor of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, professor of Clinical Cardiac Surgery and chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
“Patients with only a single working ventricle can suffer progressively inefficient circulation, resulting in fatigue,” he said. “The condition can be fatal if untreated. For some, additional surgeries can improve the situation, but not completely repair it.”
Single ventricle heart defects occur in about five out of 100,000 live births, according to the Adult Congenital Heart Association.
With more advanced treatment, these patients are living into adulthood, having jobs, families and children of their own and are becoming candidates for heart transplants in increasing numbers.
One of them is Land, who was born in 1989 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He had three open heart surgeries as a young child.
“They only gave me to age 9 or 10 for survival time,” he said. “I’ve lived to be 29 years old.”
In June 2018, Land found himself on the transplant list at Vanderbilt. On Nov. 6, 2018, he was in for “just a normal checkup” when doctors noticed his liver function was greatly deteriorating. He checked into the hospital that day and waited for a matching heart and liver to become available. His double transplant occurred on Jan. 17.
He says he feels much better after the transplant. “I’m glad that technology has come so far,” he said.
Land’s mother, Teresa, said her son is motivated to fight. He now has a son of his own, Mason, 7. And he fights in memory of his brother Dakota, who died in 2013 with cystic fibrosis at age 17.
“To have this second chance to extend his life is just so amazing to us,” she said. “We’re very, very happy with the outcome and really looking forward to a happy, healthy future. “It’s going to be exciting to see the things he can do now.”
Baynard-Watson, 38, remembers two surgeries when she was 8 years old. Then, as a young adult, she passed out one day when she was walking from her home to her high school to pick up some papers for college. She said a woman revived her and called 911. “From that point on I kept passing out,” she said.
Patient Deja Baynard-Watson poses with Jonathan Menachem, MD.
After several years of procedures, including receiving a pacemaker and a defibrillator, Baynard-Watson ended up on a transplant list at another hospital in Pennsylvania. Deemed too risky to transplant, she was placed in hospice care.
But Baynard-Watson wasn’t ready to give up, and she came to Vanderbilt. “I was really glad that they accepted my case because I didn’t know where I was going to go,” she said.
Her initial course at Vanderbilt was quite bumpy as she nearly died on multiple occasions, Menachem said. However, due to her internal strength and the collaborative team effort to get her to transplant, she was able to undergo transplantation on Oct. 25.
Now she is looking forward to returning home, where she loves being an aunt to her brother’s three children. “I feel back to normal,” she said. “I feel energized and I’m just ready to get back to going back to work.”
Menachem said that as recently as 20 years ago, a 38-year-old single-ventricle patient like Baynard-Watson would be unexpected. But not today. “It’s because they’ve done so well as kids,” he said. “They’re surviving these surgeries, but now they’re having heart failure and needing transplants.”
Vanderbilt has the right elements in place for excellent outcomes for such patients, Menachem said. “A dedicated and collaborative multi-disciplinary team is the key to success,” he said. “In order to transplant these highly complicated and risky patients, you have to have a high-volume transplant program, adult congenital program, and pediatric and adult surgical teams, amongst others. Furthermore, as in the case of Land, there is a need for a dual-organ transplant program as well. It takes a lot of pieces at the institution to make it go well.”
Menachem’s team recently published data in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation that shows that adults with CHD benefit from undergoing transplantation at high-volume centers such as Vanderbilt.
Patients who survive the first year after their transplant have outcomes equivalent, if not better than, non-congenital patients, he said.
“We have a group in place that is focused on taking care of these patients, and while it’s not perfect, we continue to grow and improve due to the dedication of our team and the needs of our patients,” Menachem said. “And with the growth in volume, we expect that our outcomes will continue to improve so that we can positively impact the lives of these patients.”
NewsComments Off on Don Williams: Music And Memories Of The Gentle Giant.
Jul012019
ON WILLIAMS: MUSIC & MEMORIES OF THE GENTLE GIANTTOURING PRODUCTION SET TO PREMIERE WITH NASHVILLE SYMPHONY AT SCHERMERHORN ON OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 2
Keith Urban Named Curator Of New Show
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Spanning more than 45 years, the music of Don Williams continues to connect adoring fans around the world, and soon they’ll have a chance to experience those iconic hits in a whole new way. Starting October 31,Don Williams: Music & Memories of The Gentle Giant takes residency at Nashville’s famed Schermerhorn Symphony Center for three nights of reflection of the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s music, accompanied by the Nashville Symphony, with Keith Urban serving as the show’s curator.
“Don Williams and his music are strong threads in the tapestry of my life,” said Urban. “I jumped at the chance to play even a small role in this incredible concert experience. There is no better way to celebrate him and his legacy than reliving those musical moments and I’m honored to be part of continuing to share his story and music.”
Williams – (1939-2017) – was one of the earliest Country artists to take their music globally. In addition to his North American success, The Gentle Giant toured extensively throughout Europe and Africa and his legendary songs reached all corners of the globe and continue to capture the hearts of fans worldwide. His catalog is among the most streamed music from his era.
“This style of show has never been done before in Country music and it’s very fitting that we present Don and his music to the fans in this way,” says Robert Pratt, Don’s long-time manager. “Don was a very quiet and private person who loved performing for his legion of fans. I am especially happy to bring his music back to the fans and premiere this new show in Nashville with the symphony and then take it on the road throughout 2020.”
The concert is a musical journey through historical video performance of Don Williams, plus special guest singers live onstage, all accompanied by Don’s touring band and the Nashville Symphony.
During his career, Williams scored 17 No. 1 hits including “I Believe In You”, “It Must Be Love”, “Lord I Hope This Day Is Good” and “Tulsa Time.” He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and was best known for his straightforward, yet smooth bass-baritone voice and soft tones which earned him the nickname The Gentle Giant of Country Music.
Exclusive pre-sale tickets for these shows go on sale via Ticketmaster with code GENTLEGIANT on Monday, May 27 for a limited time of 80 hours in celebration of Don’s 80th birthday. Tickets are also currently available with Nashville Symphony season ticket packages at NashvilleSymphony.org, 615.687.6400 or the Schermerhorn Symphony Center box office. Any remaining tickets will go on sale July 19, 2019 at 10 am.
About Don Williams:
Williams first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the folk group The Pozo-Seco Singers. The trio recorded several hit records, with the biggest being “Time.” By 1971, Williams had gone solo, and had signed a publishing deal with Jack Clement. The Hall of Fame producer was so taken with Don’s style that he offered him a recording contract with his JMI Records in 1972. Early hits included “Atta Way To Go” and “Come Early Morning,” as well as “We Should Be Together,” which became his first Billboard top ten hit from 1974. He then moved to ABC / Dot (Later MCA), where the hits increased. Tracks such as “Rake and Ramblin’ Man,” “Tulsa Time,” and “Nobody But You” helped to make him one of the most-played artists on Country Radio in the 1970s and 1980s. He took home the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy from the Country Music Association in 1978, and notched his biggest hit in 1981 with “I Believe In You,” which also crossed over to the top-30 on the Hot 100.
Subsequent moves to Capitol Nashville and RCA kept Williams on the charts into the 1990s, as he continued to play for huge crowds on the road. His success in the United States is well-documented, but the music of Don Williams has made him an international star – with followings in such places as Africa, England and New Zealand. He has placed 52 singles in the top-40 on the Country charts in the United States, with 17 going all the way to the top spot. Williams was a member of The Country Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ole Opry. Williams appeared in the films W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings and Smokey & The Bandit II with Burt Reynolds.
