Chris Jones & The Night Drivers CD Release

On a rainy, warm Sunday evening after the exhausting and exciting rigors of a week attending the annual IBMA Conference and Fan Fest in Nashville, we returned to Music City's prime entertainment street, Broadway, for the Chris Jones & The Night Drivers CD release party.  The rain helped to wash clean the street, which only last night had been crowded with drunken revelers whose joy seemed cloaked in late night torpor as we drove past at 2:30 AM.  This evening, the seedy street and Layla's Bluegrass Inn, a pretty seedy bar in its own right, seemed the perfect venue for this very fine band to greet its fans a loose a very good recording on the world.

Chris Jones may be best known for his work as a dj on XM/Sirius satellite radio, especially for his deep knowledge of the history of bluegrass displayed on his weekly "True Grass" program.  His mellifluous voice combines with an authoratative presentation to present an always arresting program.  His regular daily programs demonstrate his depth and breadth still further, as he programs a wide variety of traditional and contemporary music.  This range is distinctly on view in his new CD "Cloud of Dust," which he and his very able band released at The Bluegrass Inn on Sunday night. Containing fourteen songs running the range from deeply affecting to joyously satirical, the collection shows wisdom and wit, a rare combination in bluegrass music. I'll try to write a review of the CD within the next couple of weeks.  Meanwhile, Chris Jones career has been long and he has reached into many corners of the music and media worlds.  Check out his bio on his web site.

Chris's band is composed of a very accomplished  crew of Nashville veterans as well as Mark Stoffel, on mandolin, who came from Illinois just for the event.  Ned Luberecki, Chris' colleague at XM/Sirius and a seriously excellent banjo picker, plays banjo on the CD.  At the release party, he also offered up a funny and insightful song called "The Perfect Bluegrass Song," which can be found on his CD "Nedski." Jon Weissberger is well known for his bluegrass writing in prose and on songs as well as his play on bass with Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time as well as other bands. Aaron Til was wonderful on fiddle as well as contributing his own unique version of Tennessee Waltz to the festivities. It's always a delight, and somewhat rare these days,  to see and hear the real band that's on a CD in performance.  Guests on the CD include Darrin Vincent, Sally (Mrs. Chris) Jones, Jeremy Garrett, Mike Witcher, Megan Lynch, and Shawn Lane, but the core band is strong and really needs no augmentation. 

Chris Jones

Ned Luberecki

Jon Weisberger

Aaron Til

Mark Stoffel

An event like this one usually attracts an interesting combination of friends and fellow musicians.  Because Chris and his band made two tours in Europe this past summer, the crowd was unusually international in scope, attracting some of the European crowd who had attended their concerts abroad as well as local musicians and tourists like us.

Lily Pawlak (Czech Republic and Switzerland)

Stephen Mougin (The Sam Bush Band)

  Darwin Davidson and Carol Goodwin

 

Donna Ulisse and Missy Raines

 

"Cloud of Dust" by Chris Jones and the Night Drivers is a first rate piece of bluegrass, varied and interesting.  You can buy it from Chris' web site or other sources.  It will make a solid contribution to any collection.

Chris Jones

IBMA 2009 - Fan Fest - Friday

As I begin to try to create an overview of the past week's experience, I'm overwhelmed by both the good feelings I'm coming away from IBMA with and the size of the task. During IBMA week (Sept. 28 - Oct. 4, 2009), we attended many seminars and presentations, two awards events, three banquets, dozens of showcases (both official and after hours), a couple of private functions, and a three day bluegrass festival featuring fifty different bands.  There were also the exhibition hall and the workshops, the meeting and greeting in the hallways, the elevators, and various other nooks and crannies, as well as quiet moments spent chatting with old friends, meeting new ones, and saying hello to readers of this blog.  There's no way to capture it all.  Over the week, Irene and I took 4776 pictures.  What I'll use in the blog represents only a sample, a good one I hope, of our experience, and my words can only give a verbal impression.  I expect photos from this week will be appearing in different contexts for much of the coming year on artist web sites, my own highlight selections, and in other places.  Thanks for you patience during the past week, when all the work and fun of attending the convention took place.  I'll be posting frequently for the next two weeks, and, as usual, look forward to your comments and corrections. I've decided not to try to do this in any particular order, although I hope to examine the entire event.  For openers, we'll look at some highlights from Fan Fest on Friday.

IBMA Fan Feast

As a fund raiser for the IBMA Foundation and the organization itself, 200 tickets were sold to a buffet breakfast served by bluegrass artists.  Everyone appeared to be having a great time, and I beat a hasty retreat when the aroma of bacon and sausage began to overcome me.

Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley, and Tim Stafford on the Serving Line

   Donna Ulisse - A Comely Waitress

Bill Knowlton, IBMA President Greg Cahill, and Kitsy Kuykendahl

Dreama Stephenson & Cia Cherryholmes Wait on Table

 

Kids on Bluegrass

Each year, Fan Fest opens with a presentation from the "Kids on Bluegrass."  Coordinated and directed by Kim Fox, does more, perhaps, than almost any other activity during the week, to provide assurance for those concerned about the future of bluegrass that the music will continue to be in good hands.  Throughout the week, these kids and dozens of others could be found all over the convention jamming, performing with bands, and interacting with each other and with established people in the music. The future is in good hands.

Bertie Sullivan (Emcee and Promoter of the Two Rivers Bluegrass Festival

Space doesn't permit posting a large selection of pictures of these talented kids.  Follow the link below to view, and download if you wish, a full set of my pictures of Kids on Bluegrass

http://picasaweb.google.com/KeeneValleyGuy/IBMA2009FanFestKidsOnBluegrass?authkey=Gv1sRgCNvO0Z3N8uHULQ#

Fan Fest Impressions

Jeanette Williams 

Elderly Instruments Booth in Exhibition Hall

Danny Roberts (The Grascals) and Daughter Jaelee

Greg Cahill (Special Consensus): IBMA President

Jeremy Abshire (The Grascals)

Kristin Scott Benson (2009 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year)

The Grascals

Michael Cleveland (2009 IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year)

Jesse Brock (IBMA 2009 Mandolin Player of the Year)

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

Marshall Wilborn (IBMA 2009 Bass Player of the Year)

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

 Banjo Workshop

Jens Kruger, Uwe Kruger, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick

John McEuen, Cia Cherryholmes, Ron Block

Ronnie Bowman Sings "Saving Grace" for Miss Bertie and Garnet Bowman

Audie Blaylock

Alicia Nugent

Carl Jackson &Alicia Nugent

Fan Fest Audience

J.D. Crowe

  Jerry Salley, Clay Hess, Carl Jackson, Jim vanCleve

Ronnie Bowman

Ron Stewart, Ricky Wasson, Ronnie Bowman, Larry Cordle,

Garnet Imes Bowman, Jerry Salley, Carl Jackson

 John McEuean & Son Nathan

Donna Ulisse &Donna Hughes

Adam Steffey Band

Adam Steffey

Doyle Lawson, Carl White & Corey Hensley

Sadie's Got Her New Dress On

Doyle and the Sadies

Cherryholmes

Sandy Lee,Skip, Molly Kate, BJ, and Cia

Del McCoury

Del McCoury with Presentation Guitar

Martin Del McCoury Model d18 #1 with Rob McCoury

Jim VanCleve (Mountain Heart)

Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart)

The Farewell Drifters at After Hours Showcase

Tomorrow's News at After Hours Showcase

Bryce, Victor & Kalyn Hall with Keith Bass

Four Daughters of Bluegrass

Annette Kelley, Frances Mooney, Tami Butler, & Jeanette Williams

The Gary Waldrep Band at After Hours Showcase

Jerry Butler and Two of the Blu-J's

John Wade, Jerry Butler, and Tim Goins

And so to home and bed at nearly 2:30 AM.  I want to thank Irene for her huge help.  Without her support of this effort, I wouldn't be able to this.  Now, she's also got a camera in her hands, which extends our range of coverage and adds to the quality of this blog.  At Fan Fest, Carl Jackson's asking me to take pictures back stage has provided an unequaled opportunity to view bluegrass at this huge event from the inside.  Ms. Bertie Sullivan also deserves much thanks for allowing both Irene and me to work backstage and work with her and her very able crew.  I'll be posting on various elements of IBMA for the next week or so.  Visit often, and thanks for your support, too.

IBMA 2009 - The Plan

WOW!!!

IBMA was a great event. It opened with four days of a business conference.  Culmintaint in an awards luncheon and the evening's Awards ceremony.  Some expectations were met, and the membership selected a few delightful surprises.  There was a feeling of warmth and togetherness about much of the process.  On Friday, Fan Fest commenced with two and a half days of the best bluegrass music you could want to experience...bluegrass in all its many varieties.  As the week closed out with today's annual gospel show, people headed away with new skills and and enhanced conviction that, while the world is experiencing sometimes difficult to manage and understand change, and that change is reflected in our music, the future is well-assured.

During the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting pictures and commentary on this wonderful and fulfilling event as well accounts of our continuing adventure.  Thanks for you patience in waiting for it.  This morning we hit the hay at shortly after 3:00 AM and arose at  7:00 on time to get back to town.  Tomorrow morning I'll post my first account.  See you on the net. - Ted