IBMA - Why You Should Care

Irene and I spent the first week of the end of September and the beginning of October in Nashville attending the annual business meeting and Fan Fest of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Gas prices and shortages as well as the weakening economy had caused us to question making the drive, but we went ahead, and we’re glad we did. Reading the Bluegrass-L, it’s easy to get the impression that IBMA only gives unsatisfying awards and generates complaints from traditionalists, progressives, neo-proto-pseudo bluegrassers. Instead, what we encountered was a vital organization seeking to increase professionalism, provide opportunities for musicians and promoters to meet and make connections, showcase new and experienced bands, examine the many issues confronting bluegrass music in these difficult times, raise money to support bluegrass people in distress through Fan Fest, and provide a great time for all those who attend. That’s a pretty big agenda, and IBMA fulfilled its goal.

Mentor Sessions

Mike Witcher - Photography

Mark Schatz - Practice Tips

Valerie Smith & Jim Lauderdale - Keeping Your Voice in Shape

Claire Lynch - Preparing Your Band for the Road

These Mentor Sessions are merely representative of the twenty-six sessions offered on an appointment basis for one-on-one sessions with professionals who knew what they were talking about from expeience.

Because so many people attend IBMA to hear and make music, it’s easy to underestimate or miss entirely the business conference that runs through the first four days. During the four days of the Business Conference, IBMA sponsors a broad range of seminars and presentations focused on the needs of all segments of the bluegrass music industry: Agents & Managers, Artists & Composers, Associations, Print Media & Education, Record Companies & Music Publishers, Luthiers & Music Publishers, Event Producers, and Broadcast Media. Presentations are designed to assist people seeking to improve their knowledge and professionalism by exposing them to experienced and successful practitioners in the industry. A look at the variety of programs suggests the range and diversity of the offerings. Mentor sessions were established to provide people seeking information opportunities to interact with people who had experienced some success. I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in a Mentor Session dealing with bluegrass photography and writing. Co-mentor Mike Witcher and I sat with three people for scheduled sessions. Their questions were thoughtful, and I thought Mike and I worked well together to provide useful alternative ways to attack their issues. Other mentor sessions looked active and interesting. A Gig Fair provided bands with an opportunity to talk directly to promoters from around the country. A town hall session gave all members the opportunity to interact directly with members of the IBMA Board of Directors in order to air grievances and ask questions. Unfortunately, the session seemed to me not to be well-attended. Regardless, the sessions presented attendees with new ways to think about their profession and ways to point to increased success. As at any professional conference, sessions were provided to meet the needs of almost anyone there.

Gig Fair

Buller & Smith
Interview with Grey Fox

I’m told the Exhibit Hall did not feature as many exhibitors as in years past. Nevertheless, there were plenty of people showing instruments, highlighting services provided by agents and managers, and representing other useful products for musicians and others. Whether the Exhibit Hall was crowded with exhibitors or not, it served as a social center and meeting place for band members and others who rarely get as good a chance to interact as they did here. The Exhibit Hall was a lively and interesting center during the Business Conference and Fan Fest.

Seen In and Around the Exhibit Hall

Ned Luberecki in Deering Booth

Pete Kuykendall - Bluegrass Unlimited Founder

Andy Hall & Roger Williams Share Licks

Jamie Johnson (Grascals) Shows Baby Pics

Mark Schatz Watches as Jens Kruger Picks
Deering Booth

Kym Warner (Greencards), Jesse Cobb (Stringdusters)
Stephen Mougin (Sam Bush)

Andy Falco (Stringdusters) & Eric Gibson (Gibson Brothers)

$225,000 Lloyd Loar at Elderly Instruments

John Lawless & Brance Gillahan (Bluegrass Blog)
with
Kyle Cantrell (XM Radio - Bluegrass Junction)

Showcases, both official and “After Hours,” gave both new and established bands an opportunity to perform for the assembled membership with a particular eye to catching the attention of new ways to market themselves through their performance. Official showcases were offered after major sessions of the Business Conference – The Keynote Address & Banquet, The Special Awards Luncheon, A Showcase Brunch, and several showcase sessions. Held in the Grand Ballroom, these sessions featured five or six bands performing for a large audience. The Keynote Address by Dr. Roger H. Brown, President of Berklee School of Music in Boston, provided insight into the state of the music business at the time of Bill Monroe’s emergence, provided an interesting connection between bluegrass and bebop, and pointed the way for preserving the traditions of our music while making way for new interpretations of its intent.

Official Showcases

Red Wine - Italian Bluegrass Band

Donna Ulisse

Jr. Sisk & Ramblers Choice

Becky Buller & Valerie Smith

Alecia Nugent Performing at Showcase Brunch

Kitsy Kuykendall, Mark Schatz & Tom T. Hall
at
Showcase Brunch

IBMA President Greg Cahill Showcases

Kathy Mattea Showcases

“After Hours” showcases were held beginning from 11:00 PM until 2:00 AM in twelve rooms of varying sizes in the convention hall. No amount of scurrying around would allow anyone to see all the bands performing their twenty minute to half hour sets, but bookers and supporters, with plenty of hustle, could see more than they could take in. The “After Hours” showcases provide lots of exposure for plenty of bands. As if all that weren’t enough, several bands not lucky enough to be booked for showcases set up in the hallway and played for people stopping past to listen. Finally, informal or private showcases were offered in suites throughout the hotel. CBA sponsors a famous and, I understand, lively suite. We spent a little time in the Darrel Adkins suite where he auditions some bands for MACC. Other such suites were scattered about the hotel. Meanwhile, informal jams were taking place in spaces throughout the hotel. Once, on our way down stairs on the elevator, the car stopped at the sixteenth floor to reveal a jam with Mike Cleveland sawing away right in the center. It sure looked and sounded good as the door closed to take us back to the main action. In short, there was no shortage of great music available at IBMA all the time.

After Hours Showcases

Carolina Road

Phil Leadbetter (Grasstowne)

Darin Aldridge & Brooke Justice Quintet

In the Hallway

Dale Ann Bradley & Louisa Branscomb at Singer/Songwriter Showcase

Awards Luncheon Applauds Choice

Art Menius Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Bill Harrell Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Larry Stephenson

Kyle Cantrell - Broadcaster of the Year

Alan Munde Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Mike Bub

The Awards Show, held in the Ryman Auditorium, marks the official end of the Business Conference at IBMA. Since this was our first experience with this convention, we’re no judge of such things. Suffice it to say that attending a function in The Ryman is a thrill in itself. The production was well-paced, the big winner was Dailey & Vincent and they were received each time with huge enthusiasm. There was, to my mind, only one real surprise – the well deserved awarding of banjo player of the year to Kristen Scott Benson. The Award Show, although sold out, was not completely filled. I thought the Special Awards Luncheon on Thursday was, in many ways, more interesting as Lifetime Achievement Awards and a variety of “lesser” awards were presented with interesting and insightful comments.

Awards Show

Steep Canyon Rangers and Dancers Perform

Host Del McCoury

Dailey & Vincent Accept Award
presented by
Sierra Hull and Ron Block

Claire Lynch & Larry Cordle Present Award

Del McCoury Band Performs

Steve Gulley and Tim Stafford Accept
Song of the Year Award

Daily & Vincent Accept Award
(One of Seven)
from
Lynn Morris and Marshall Wilborn

Rickey Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
Close the Awards Show

Fan Fest created a complete change in the tenor of the event. For two days, IBMA focused on performances by some of the top bands in the business for fans and professionals. Produced by Carl Jackson, the legendary performer and Grammy winning song writer, Fan Fest presented twenty bands in half hour sets for each of two days as well as a worship service and five bands playing Gospel sets on Sunday morning. There were, in addition, a number of workshops on the Master’s Workshop stage and a Roots and Branches Stage offering another fifteen or so groups. In other words, Fan Fest offered wall-to-wall music. I was briefly able to get out to the Exhibition Hall for a few minutes during Fan Fest and found it crowded, with many new exhibits, and lively. The hallways were filled with band merchandise tables and the general environment of a well-run, large festival prevailed. I was not bothered by the fact that Fan Fest was held indoors, and being in a smoke free environment for the whole week proved novel for the bluegrass environment.

Sierra Hull & Cia Cherryholmes at Showcase

So why should you care about IBMA? Because it’s about you. If you want to have a voice, IBMA is the place to have it. If you want to learn about the world of bluegrass, IBMA is the place to do it. If you want to luxuriate in an abundance of great bluegrass music from all the schools and strains of the genre, IBMA is the place to hear it. If you want to see your favorites and get a chance to talk with them, IBMA is the place to interact. We’re eager to get on board for next year’s event.

Carolina in the Fall - The Kruger Brothers Festival

The Kruger Brothers
Jens Kruger, Joel Landsberg, Uwe Kruger

Carolina in the Fall is an event characterized by small, intimate, personal moments in conjunction with big musical ideas and the best on-stage jamming you can experience anywhere. Always at the center of this day and a half salute to the Kruger Brothers are the two Swiss men, and their long time colleague who hails from Brooklyn, who immigrated to the the United States in 1997 and showed the country that wonderful bluegrass could come from abroad. Then they listened more closely to their own muse and infused their trio with sounds and sensibility that emerged from their European upbringing infused with their experience in rock music, classical repertoire, American folk music, and traditional bluegrass. From this fusion they have offered the world new sounds and continuously creative new compositions. While we missed their Friday evening concert event from fear of a too cold and wet evening for our own well-being, Saturday brought a mix of music, personalities, and sounds so thoroughly satisfying as to make any music lover float away from the Shepherd Farm as the evening drew to a close.

The Shepherd Farm is a lovely, rolling piece of farmland lying on the edge of N. Wilkesboro, NC owned by Robert and Brenda Shepherd, long-time friends of the Krugers, who host the festival. The festival began when Robert Shepherd suggested to the Krugers that they should go ahead and let the world and the local music community hear the full range of the Kruger's musical imagination. What has emerged is a weekend devoted to Jens and Uwe Kruger along with Joel Landsberg, their longtime bass player taking center stage and welcoming a number of their close friends and recent finds to perform alone and to play with the trio. This year's combination of players and music yielded a rich a varied day.

The day began with the first annula North Carolina Banjo Championship. While only eight competitors appeared for this year's contest, they were distinguished by a variety of backgrounds and their high skill level, ranging from seasoned professionals to young up and comers. The contest was won by Steve Lewis whose performance was characterized by particularly clear tone and phrasing making his delivery both interesting and exciting. Interestingly, Lewis has such high respect among his fellow competitors that he was tapped by at least two of them to accompany them on guitar, an instrument on which he has also won contests.

Steve Lewis Accompanying Eric Ellis

Billy Ray Summerlin Competing

Steve Lewis - Banjo Contest Winner

Due to an equipment problem, I missed the Waddington Family from North Dakota's performance as well as most of the Johnson Family, a Gospel choir. Back Porch Bluegrass, an able local bluegrass band performed a set, permitting the Krugers a bit of a rest.

Back Porch Bluegrass

We had last seen Zeb and Samantha Snyder in Conway, SC in May. During the ensuing six months, each has matured as a performer while they remain engaging and interesting youngsters. Samantha is only nine and Zeb is reaching into adolescence at age thirteen. Each was seen on stage on several occaisons during the day. Samantha particularly distinguished herself during the final fiddle madness jam at the end of the evening, holding center stage, listening carefully, contributing appropriately, and looking sprightly and lovely. Zeb, whose flat picking has improved enormously, really shone in the Guitar Frenzy portion of the program where, seated on a stage with Ron Block, Steve & Penny Kilby, and Uwe Kruger playing Blackberry Blossom, Way Downtown, and Alabama Jubilee. In each case, Zeb contributed mature and tasteful guitar solos on each round, holding his own with a pretty distinguished group.

Zeb Snyder

Zeb & Samantha Snyder with Jens Kruger, Adam Steffey, and Uwe Kruger

Bobby Hicks & Samantha Snyder

The Kruger Brothers debuted a new bluegrass band on Saturday. The still unnamed band features Jens Kruger on banjo, Uwe Kruger on vocals and guitar, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Bobby Hicks on fiddle, and Joel Landsberg on bass. The Krugers hope to schedule this new band for a limited tour this spring and summer. This band has the potential to meld traditional bluegrass with the unique Kruger sound and to hit the bluegrass world with a similar impact to that created by Dailey & Vincent or the Dan Tyminski Band in 2008.

Cindy Baucom, Bobby Hicks, Terry Baucom
Jim Brooks (Cindy's Dad) & Uwe Kruger

Cindy Baucom (Knee Deep in Bluegrass) Sings!

One of the true pleasures of this day was watching Bobby Hicks, at age 75 providing a connection to bluegrass music's early days, adding humor, the joy of playing, and flavor to the event. During one somewhat tedious performance during which George Hamilton IV, a veteran Grand Old Opry member, recited a tribute to Hank Williams, Hicks started playing background fill using phrases from Hank's songs, and grew the entire flavor of the moment into something special.
Other delightful moments grew out of his play with Samantha Snyder, and his wonderful bluegrass phrasing.

Bobby Hicks

There were too many great moments to detail them, but here's a collection of shots during the day that I hope will give a flavor of the experience.

Joyful Jens Kruger

Singer Maynard Holbrook

The Kruger Brothers On Stage

Steve Kilby & Uwe Kruger

George Hamilton IV

Wayne Henderson & Jens Kruger

Hillside Crowd

Evening Crowd

Mr. & Mrs. Lehmann with Mr. & Mrs. Steffey

Hometown Opry at Minton's -N. Wilkesboro, NC

The Hometown Opry is carried live on WKBC Radio, 880 AM, every Friday morning from 7:00 until 9:00 at Minton's Music & Pawn in North Wilkesboro, NC. On any given Friday morning visitors might hear a local bluegrass band, the drop thumbpickers, or a music celebrity on his or her way through town. I understand Rhonda Vincent once dropped in for a performance. This morning, the release party for Tut Taylor's new CD called "OOzin' yhr Blues" was scheduled. Despite the fact that Tut is ill and in the hospital, the band showed up with Donnie Swaim filling in on Dobro. There is, of course, no substitute for Tut. When we visited him in the hospital on Wednesday, he was optimistic he would be released the next day and be able to perform on Friday. Sadly, it was not to be. The performance this morning was dedicated to Tut and his lovely wife Lee with the hope and prayer he would soon be coming along.

Tut Taylor Playing the Tutbro

We arrived at Minton's around 6:45 AM and were by no means the first people there. Over the next fifteen or twenty minutes enough people showed up to fill the 50 or so seats provided. The band took the stage and were introduced by radio host Steve Handy as they came on the air after the news at 7:00. The walls of the performance area at Minton's are hung with all sorts of instruments as well posters and signed pictures from the dozens of well-known musicians who have been through the store. Minton's is, indeed, one of those fabled music destinations all lovers of acoustic music should visit as a sort of pilgrimage. Beyond that, they deal in excellent instruments at good prices.


The band, containing members of the recording band who had made "OOzin' the Blues" performed from the stage, singing and playing songs from the new CD produced by Tut Taylor. From the recording band, Lorrie Barker sang and Steve Barker played lovely blues/jazz guitar. Dwight Burks played mandolin and fiddle as well as doing some singing. Donnie Swaim filled in for Tut more than capably on Dobro while his wife Lynn provided the solid bass on the doghouse. Songs like Honey Babe Blues, Wayfaring Stranger, Columbus Stockade Blues, and Sittin' Alone in the Moonlight were played with a bluesy tone in solid interpretations by Lorrie Barker, a very fine singer. Tut had said the other day that the music was different, and it is. And it's very good. "Oozin the Blues" can be ordered for $15.00 directly from:

Tut Lee Records
808 Old 60
N. Wilkesboro, NC28659

There may be a shipping and handling charge.

The Barker & Taylor Band

Steve Barker

Lorrie Barker

Dwight Burks

Donnie Swaim

Lynn Swaim

In addition to the roll-out of a new CD featuring the still creative and innovative Tut Taylor at age 85, we were involved in a local radio station that's quite a favorite. Host Steve Handy arrived just in time to go on-air, glowing with enthusiasm and energy. He hit the decks running and kept the event lively and interesting through the next two hours. I commented to someone that I'd rather go to WKBC's Hometown Opry than attend The Grand Old Opry in Nashville. The hometown flavor and immediacy of a live radio program kept things interesting. During the program, Steve undertook to give away a number of small gifts and CD's in drawings, conduct a taste test for a variety of hot sauces, have two new guests to the Opry blow into Grandpa's Moose Call to the amusement of all, and to introduce fellow on air personality Ed Racey as both Edgar Alan Racey to read a poem and Sherlock Racey to recount an amusing crime story. Racey, in his regular role, reads the news.

Steve Handy - WKBC Radio Host

Edgar Alan or is it Sherlock Racey?

Grandpa's Moose Call

Hot Sauce Contest

Minton's is owned by Jerry Minton and Mike Palmer who provide space for this weekly event. By nine o'clock it's all over, and local people head off to work. Visitors to today's Opry come from as far away as England, Key West, Fl, Tennsesse, and, of course, there's a couple from New Hampshire there, too. The Hometown Opry at Minton's Music & Pawn is a local event featuring fine music, good fun, and a friendly environment. It's a not to be missed visit!

Mike Palmer videos the festivities

Jerry Minton

Minton's Music and Pawn

Carolina in the Fall - Steffey and Hicks to Join Krugers

Kruger Brothers Perform at Carolina in the Fall

Monday and Tuesday in Wilkesboro have been filled by visits with old friends, opportunities to turn acquaintances into new friends, and catching up on deferred activities like laundry, banking, mail, and such. First, for a bit of news. This blog doesn’t usually go in for scoops, but here’s an interesting bit. The Kruger Brothers have added two members to their group and will debut a new bluegrass band at their festival, Carolina in the Fall, on Saturday. The new Kruger Brothers bluegrass band will feature Adam Steffey on mandolin and Bobby Hicks on fiddle, along with the usual trio of Jens Kruger, indisputably the best banjo player in the world, Uwe Kruger on guitar and vocals, and Joel Landsberg on bass. The boys are being very careful not to tip their hand about the plans they have for this group, but it looks to me as if they’re going to go on a limited tour this summer. They could be the most thoughtful and innovative bluegrass band to hit the ground in years, perhaps since the Bluegrass Album Band. At a couple of parties in the past two days, I’ve watched Jens in bluegrass mode create licks and figures and arpeggios so dazzling in their conception, and seemingly so easily achieved, that few other pickers would either conceive of them or try to replicate them. This could be an interesting and ground breaking event for bluegrass, especially considering the brothers’ great regard for the history and background of bluegrass music and their creative energy in developing new ways for the banjo, guitar, bass trio to express itself.

Bobby Hicks (Photo by David Roye)

Adam Steffey

Bobby Hicks, at age seventy-five, brings a bluegrass pedigree without peer. At the age of eleven he won a North Carolina State Championship on Fiddle. He joined Bill Montoe’s Bluegrass Boys in 1954 and played with them off and on. Hicks spent twenty –three years playing with Ricky Skaggs in both country and bluegrass settings, while continuing to play with Bill Monroe as well as Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys. No one could add more bluegrass luster to the Kruger Brothers than Hicks. Adam Steffey is six time IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, including 2008. His storied career includes lengthy stints with Allison Krause and Union Station and Moutain Heart. This year he has toured with the all-star Dan Tyminski Band. Steffey has distinguished himself as both a traditional and progressive bluegrass mandolinist. His strong bass voice is always excellent. If you’re going to put together a bluegrass band, why not make it the best?

Philip Zanon's Home in the Hills

Krugers Jam on Philip's Porch

Maynard Holbrook Sings with Uwe Kruger

Joel Landsberg Plays Upright Bass (?)

Jens Kruger Jamming

On Monday we were invited to Philip Zenon’s home for a barbecue and picking. Philip is the Kruger’s sound engineer and a fellow immigrant from Switzerland. Philip’s sister and family were visiting North Carolina for the first time. Also present was the Waddington family band, young group from North Dakota. It’s quite amazing that a group of five youngsters growing up in the bluegrass desert of the Great Plains. The kids are traveling with their parents and two younger children and will be appearing at Carolina in the Fall this weekend. The next day we went to Uwe Kruger’s home for supper and more music and conversation. The welcoming warmth of this large and interesting family, like so much of the music community we seem to have joined, exceeds any we’ve experienced elsewhere.

Waddington Family Picks in Uwe Kruger's Living Room

Uwe at Home

Seth Waddington (17) Plays My Thirtieth Anniversary Deering

The Carolina in the Fall event, coming up at the Sheperd Farm in N. Wilkesboro on Friday evening and all day Saturday (October 17 and 18) seeks to bring this environment into a festival setting. Various guests, many close friends of the Krugers will appear on stage and perform with the Kruger Brothers. Check here for a list of performers and add Steffey, Hicks, Ron Block, Terry Baucom, and a big banjo championship to the list. The setting is lovely, and the host band truly acts as hosts throughout the weekend as well as offering extensive performances. The addition of their new bluegrass band should appeal to many.

Stage at Carolina in the Fall

Hillside to Vendors at Carolina in the Fall

Willow Oak Park BGF - Roxboro, NC - Review

As we drove through the tobacco fields of north-central North Carolina toward Willow Oak Music Park, I remembered one of the problems with this festival. Too many people in the audience smoke with casual disregard for the comfort of those around them. Nothing happened during the long weekend to erase that memory from our minds or nostrils. Willow Oak is a pleasant, simple music park with streets carved out to provide numerous shaded camping spaces, convenient standpipes for water, and plenty of porta-johns which are frequently cleaned. The newly built stage sits in a grassy, natural amphitheater providing good sight lines. Sound, provided by Doug Crabtree, was quite good; up to his usual standard. There were several problems with this festival, mostly growing from inept decisions made by promoter Clyde “Peaches” Solomon, who seems to make many rookie decisions despite having run festivals at Willow Oak for six years.

Two major programming mistakes led to the general weakness in the overall lineup of this festival at Willow Oak. The first is one that many other promoters seem to be making these days. Many promoters have been relying on scheduling major headliners to draw in customers. Rhonda Vincent, one of the most important performers in the business, played two well-received sets on Thursday to a small, but appreciative audience. Scheduling Vincent, regardless of the deal Peaches was able to make, must have cost at least as much as two or three very good mid-range national bands. Saturday night’s fireworks display also depleted the entertainment budget by the cost of another good national band without attracting any additional audience. People don’t attend a bluegrass festival to see fireworks, even though they might be a nice addition on July 4^th. The result of these expenditures was that a good regional band and a rising national band were each required to play six sets over three days. No band, with the possible exception of Del McCoury, has sufficient readily available material to provide six distinct sets. These bands were forced to repeat material and thus lose listeners as the weekend progressed. Furthermore, three other bands performed four full sets. Such programming leads to a generally weak festival and depresses attendance.

Finally, there’s the issue of rules. Willow Oak has a clearly defined performance area with signs posted prohibiting dogs, alcohol, and golf carts within the area. The golf carts stayed out. The printed program for the festival also had a No alcohol prohibition. Emcee Buddy Michaels made several weak attempts to encourage people who smoke to move to the side. Each time he made this statement, we observed people sitting around us light up, almost in contempt for the announcement. When the promoter sits in the front seats and lights a cigarette, there’s no question what his attitude toward the smoking issue is and what message it sends. As the three evenings progressed, the number of drunks and open drinking within the performance area rose as did the noise from the audience. These shenanigans made listening to the music and enjoying the environment increasingly difficult.

Audience Member Showing Respect for Rules

and

Other Members of the Crowd

Last week at IBMA we met the promoter of the Thomas Point Beach bluegrass festival, held for the past thirty years in Maine and, by all accounts, one of the best festivals anywhere. This year Thomas Point Beach won IBMA’s award for Bluegrass Event of the Year. This is worth mentioning here, because the promoters there have earned a reputation for taking no guff from their fans. They have clear rules, and people not abiding by these rules are required to leave the festival grounds…no ifs, ands or buts. The result has been a festival boasting one of the best and most balanced lineups anywhere that draws bluegrass fans from a wide area to a rather remote location for a weekend of great music. Promoter Pati Crooker Mulligan regretfully decided to close Thomas Point Beach after this year’s event culminated thirty years of successful festivals. This emphasis is used to point to the comfort people feel in knowing that posted rules and regulations will be enforced with vigor and conviction.

Two regional bands impressed this weekend. We had first seen Ricky Stroud and his Hager's Mountain Boys in Conway, SC about three years ago opening for Lou Reid. It was their second performance as a band, and they were rough, but eager. We saw them a year later, much improved. This year, appearing at Willow Oak for three days they showed why they have become busier and more visible, not only in North Carolina, but across a broader spectrum. Perhaps the band's greatest strength is bass player and singer Blake Johnson, whose singing is better than good, filled with soulful bluesy sounds and interesting interpretations. His rendition of "Freeborn Man" was clear, understandable, and sufficiently innovative to stand aside from others in the often cliched song. The band has become tighter, with Cliff Smith on banjo chiming in, and Cliff Waddell on guitar singing well and playing a formidable flat picking guitar as well as good rhythm. Straub's Chestnut mandolin rings out, as does his voice.

Cliff Waddell, Ricky Stroud, Blake Johnson

Hagar's Mountain Boys

Blake Johnson

Constant Change, another regional band hailing from the Raleigh area, performed with their usual very solid traditional bluegrass. Dan Wells on guitar is a very good lead singer in the high lonesome tradition. He's backed by a first rate band Brian and David Aldridge on banjo and mandolin as well as Clifton Preddy on fiddle and Gary Baird on bass. The band features very good harmonies and delivers its program with energy and conviction, if not exceptional showmanship.

Constant Change

Unfortunately for quality bluegrass bands like the Hagar's Mountain Boys and Constant Change, fans confuse energy, speed, and volume for quality. The Bluegrass Brothers put on a high energy, high volume program that pleases crowds while not exhibiting first rate singing or picking, despite recent kudos on Bluegrass-L. Fans, especially those well-lubricated by alcohol, whoop and holler, but don't get music whose lyrics are understandable or instrumentation which is tight or well presented. The formula seems to work for them, but for people wishing to hear well-presented bluegrass, they just don't cut it. The word "raw" is often applied to this band as if it were a compliment. For some, I guess it is.

Victor Dowdy

Robert Dowdy

Jr. Sisk and Rambler's Choice took on a big assignment with courage and commitment. This band, together again for a little over a year now, has shown great progress and now emerges on the national scene as a first rate, rising national band. Sisk, who has performed as a side man and lead singer with Wyatt Rice, an earlier version of Rambler's Choice, and for a number of years as a crucial member of Blueridge, has emerged as a band leader to complement his well known and appreciated lead singing and rhythm guitar. He shows increasing comfort and humor at the microphone introducing the songs, the members of his band, and providing amusing patter. The music provided by Rambler's Choice represents traditional bluegrass at its very best, presenting long established standards as well as new songs written by Jr. himself as well as his cousin Tim Massey on bass. Chris Harris on mandolin, while still quite young, is a rising star with great licks and a first rate voice. Sadly, his prized Adam Steffey mandolin was stolen at IBMA last week. All hope it is quickly recovered, but be on the lookout for it. Billy Hawkes on fiddle and David Wilkerson on banjo are both fine, both fitting well into the ensemble sound Jr. seeks. The Friday night jam with guests Johnny Ridge, Adam Poindexter, Viktor and Donnie Dowdy, and Alan Mills of Lost and Found, provided the highlight of the festival while serving to save Jr.'s voice for the additional sets he had.

Jr. Sisk

Chris Harris

Lost and Found has been touring for over twenty-five years with Allen Mills at its head. It's a reliable bluegrass band that always provides value. New mandolin player Scott Napier is making his mark as well as mentoring Mills' four year old grandson Zachary on stage. Scottie Sparks brings a first class bluegrass voice to the mix.

Scottie Sparks & Allan Mills

Zachary Potter & Scott Napier

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and The Lonesome River Band provided the headliner performances expected of them. An interesting highlight of Rhonda's performance was the presence of Dorothy, who has written one of Rhonda's most requested Gospel testimonies.

Rhonda & Dorothy

Hunter Berry

Mickey Harris

Lonesome River Band
Sammy Shelor

Andy Ball

Brandon Rickman

The Expense of One Very Good Bluegrass Band

The Faces of Bluegrass
Stan - The Flyer Man

Don Dilling

Golf Cart Parade

A Long Weekend

IBMA - Kids on Bluegrass

On Friday morning at the IBMA Fan Fest, dozens of kids all under age 18 got on the stage and reassured the audience that the future of bluegrass music is in good hands. In twenty minutes or so, they played bluegrass standards, sang, and moved on stage with enthusiasm and skill. I took too many pictures to post them on this blog, so here's a link: Kids on Bluegrass Album. You may view this album and download any or all pictures you wish for your own use. Unfortunately, I don't believe you can download the entire album at once. If you decide to use any of these pictures on web sites or your MySpace or Facebook pages, I do ask that you give me a photo credit and include a link to my blog. Otherwise, you are free to use these pictures in any way you wish. You may crop them or tweak them as you wish. Enjoy them. You did a wonderful job. Your parents and bluegrass music in general can be proud of you. - Ted

IBMA Fan Fest - Saturday

IBMA Fan Fest turned out to be a great bluegrass festival. Held indoors in the Nashville Convention Center, the venue featured what felt like miles of fairly comfortable seats, a vast stage, excellent sound and lighting, and one of the best lineups anywhere. Outside the performance area there was plenty of space for musicians to set up their merchandise tables as well as other vendors. The exhibition area, directly behind the performance area was separated by a wall so neither area interefered with the other. The exhibitions were, if anything, more extensive during Fan Fest than during the business conference and attracted good crowds all day long. One promoter commented that she'd prefer the Fan Fest to be held outdoors, but at this time of year, despite the fact that nearly perfect weather prevailed this year, an outside festival begins to become chancy. Bundling the IBMA business conference attracting huge numbers of musicians with a fan oriented music festival benefitting the Bluegrass Trust Fund, which assists bluegrass professionals in times of need and the IBMA for use in promotion of bluegrass music. makes perfect sense. A few days of great music held indoors doesn't inconvenience anyone. Before I start the pictures, I'd like to thank Carl Jackson for making it possible for me to work back stage and for his huge generosity of spirit as Fan Fest progressed. Good photographs emerge from great access, and Carl most kindly provided it. I'll have a separate blog entry about Carl sometime in the near future.

G2 - Swedish Bluegrass Group

Carrie Hassler

Carl Jackson & Carrie Hassler

Audie Blaylock & Redline

Tim Shelton of New Found Road

Jaret Carter of the Circuit Riders

Darin Aldridge of the Circuit Riders

Special Consensus

Ashby Frank of Special Consensus

Greg Cahill of Special Consensus
IBMA President

Special Consensus & Carl Jackson

Melonie Cannon & Alicia Nugent

Michael Martin Murphey

Michael Martin Murphey

Carol Young of the Greencards

The Greencards

Williams & Clark Expeditions with Carl Jackson

Ralph Stanley II

Ronnie Bowman

Donica Christensen of Ronnie Bowman and Sugar Hill Records

Ronnie Bowman

Darrin Vincent & Jamie Dailey

Dailey & Vincent

Jeff Parker of Dailey & Vincent

Ronnie Bowman & Carl Jackson

Carl Jackson Receives Award from Dan Hayes, IBMA Exec. Dir.

Vince Gill

Vince Gill

Vince Gill

Carl Jackson & Vince Gill

Vince Gill w/Jarrod & Tyler Walker

Terry Baucom

Bradley Walker
Bradley Walker

Bradley Walker Band with Carl Jackson

Kathy Mattea

Lonesome River Band

Brandon Rickman of LRB

Sammy Shelor - LRB

I would have liked to put pictures of every band and every performer at Fan Fest on this blog, but there were just too many good bands. The IBMA conference and Fan Fest have left me with much to think and write about concerning our music. Over the next few weeks I'll have more to say about why IBMA is important to fans of bluegrass music as well as musicians. I'll also be writing a good deal about the importance for bands and promoters to gear up to work and live in this new world of high technology and tough, competitive world in a declining economy. But for now, enjoy the pictures, and let me hear some of your responses, either on the comment section here or on the forums.

IBMA Fan Fest - Friday

On Friday IBMA changes from a trade show and professional conference into a bluegrass festival with one of the best and most diverse lineups anywhere. Ramrodded by Carl Jackson, whose contacts in the music industry are endless, the range of talent is beyond impressive. I'll post a selection of pictures from Friday night now and continue to dribble out pictures from IBMA over the next few months. In a day or so, I'll also post a link to a Picasa Web Album of pictures from Kids on Bluegrass, probably on Monday, for people who are interested in a more extensive look at the future of the music.

Sweet Brenda Lawson - Emcee

Kids on Bluegrass

Melonie Cannon & Rob Ickes

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

Jesse Brock, Carl Jackson, Michael Cleveland, & Jesse Baker
2008 IBMA Fiddler of the Year

Lyn Butler, Darrell Adkins & Carl Jackson

Carl Jackson & Danny Paisley

Charlie Sizemore

Didi Thacker & Bradley Walker

Sierra Hull

Sierra Hull & Highway 111

Brandon Rickman

Tony Tischka Double Banjo Spectacular

Josh Williams - 2008 IBMA Guitar Player of the Year

Steve Gulley & Alan Bibey
2008 IBMA Song of the Year
Through the Windows of a Train - Gulley and Stafford

Dale Ann Bradley - 2008 Female Vocalist of the Year

Gina Britt, Mike Bub & Dale Ann Bradley

IIIrd Tyme Out with Carl Jackson

Doyle Lawson

B.J., Cia, and Skip Cherryholmes

Adam Steffey - 2008 Mandolin Player of the Year

The Grascals

Jamie Johnson, Terry Smith, Terry Eldridge

Tony Rice & Larry Stephenson

Carl Jackson & Tony Rice

Tony Rice

Carl Jackson

Clay Hess, Tony Rice, Barry Abernathy

IBMA Live - Thursday - Awards Show Edition

The stories of the IBMA award show were two standout surprises, some nice stories, and the amazing power shown by Dailey & Vincent who walked off with six awards to the enthusiastic cheers of the audience. Over at The Bluegrass Blog they raise the issue of whether six awards constitute a sweep. Dailey & Vincent took home enough hardward to decorate the mantles of every member of the band. That's a pretty strong performance. We had seats way up in the nosebleed section of the Ryman, and I didn't toddle down to the main level to take pictures, so please forgive the angles and, perhaps, a little fuzziness.

Cia Cherryholmes & Sami Butler at Awards Luncheon

Bill Harrell Receives Distinguished Achievement Award
from Larry Stevenson

Bill Harrell and Larry Stephenson

Kyle Cantrell - Broadcaster of the Year

Alan Munde Receives Distinguished Achievement Award
from Mike Bub

Ricky Skaggs w/odd banjo

Mando Jam in Exhibition Area w/Mike Compton

Jens Kruger, Mark Johnson & Joel Landsberg in Deering Booth

Terry Baucom w/Baucom Deering #1

Terry Baucom & Jens Kruger

Chris Pandolfi at Huber Banjos booth

Dale Pyatt & Steve Thomas

Kristin Scott Benson - Banjo Player of the Year

Brooke Justice, Darin Aldridge, Kristen and Wayne Benson & Hogan

Dale Ann Bradley - Female Vocalist of the Year

Steep Canyon Rangers open the show

Dailey & Vincent Receive One of Six Awards

Blue Highway sings "Window of a Train"

Michael Cleveland - Fiddle Player of the Year

The Steeldrivers

Andy Hall - Instrumental Album of the Year

Kristin Scott Benson - Banjo Player of the Year

Del McCoury Band
Del also did a fine job as emcee

Rob Ickes - Dobro Player of the Year

Dan Tyminski Band sings "Wheels"

Jamie Dailey accepts an award

Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford receive Song of the Year
for
"Through the Windows of a Train"

Dailey & Vincent - Entertainer of the Year
presenters - Lynn Morris and Marshal Wilborn

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Close the Show

Commentary on the IBMA experience next week some time. Fan Fest today and tomorrow. I'll be backstage. Should be fun.

IBMA 2008 - Live - Wednesday

As IBMA continued the attendance and intensity grew. Mentor sessions, the Gig Fair meat market, Showcase brunch, the exhibition hall, dinner at Demo's, more "Official" showcases, and "After Hours" showcases tumbled one on top of the other. The adage, repeated to us by several more experienced attendees, is that IBMA actually stands for "I've Been Mostly Awake." Here's a sampler of pictures from several venues.

Kitsy Kuykendall, Mark Schatz, Tom T. Hall at Brunch

Jim Lauderdale

Lonesome River Band Brunch Showcase

Becky Buller, Valerie & Craig Smith
w/Mary Daub and Mary Burdette (?) of Grey Fox
at Gig Fair

Roger Williams & Andy Hall

Donna Ulisse

Young Turks at Nechville Booth

Jerry Douglas at Beard Booth

Andy Hall Sitter at the Master's Feet

Hunter Berry, Jamie Johnson, Aaron McDaris

Jere Cherryholmes, Alan Mills, Sandy Leigh Cherryholmes & Jeri Butler
w/Sami Butler

Mr. Roberts in Mrs. Roberts Booth

Si Kahn, Jens Kruger, & Joel Landsburg in Deering Booth

Pete Kuykendall - Founder of Bluegrass Unlimted

Miss Dixie Hall at Daughters of Bluegrass Rehearsal

Special Concensus at Showcase

Greg Cahill - IBMA President

Kathy Mattea

Eddie Biggerstaff

Steve Gulley

Phil Leadbetter

We're beginning to run down with another day of the conference to go and then two days of Fan Fest after that. Stay tuned for more, if I can stay tuned in myself.

IBMA 2008 - Live - Tuesday

Tuesday was a great day for meeting people, hearing music, attending sessions, and seeing old friends. Here's a sampler of the pictures I took with no commentary. More tomorrow.

Andrea Roberts - Booking Agent

Crowd for Dale Ann Bradley and Louisa Branscomb Showcase

Dale Ann Bradley, Louisa Branscomb, Tim Laughlin

Sierra Hull & Cia Cherryholmws

Tony Williamson & Two Loars at Elderly Instruments

Andy Falco and Eric Gibson

Janet Deering

Ned Luberecki, Janet Deering, & Jens Kruger

Donna Ulisse

Junior Sisk

Becky Buller & Valerie Smith

Ned Luberecki & Chris Pandolfi

Brooke Justice

Darin Aldridge

Meetin' & Greetin'

Kyle Cantrell & Your Faithful Blogger