Saturday, March 23, 2013

Spring-Summer-Fall 2013 Tour Schedule for the Claire Lynch Band



Buck-dancin' - Claire Lynch & Mark Schatz
Pulling into Red Lodge, Montana


       One of the busiest bluegrass bands anywhere  is the Claire Lynch Band. If you have seen the band, you know why they are so busy. In America and beyond these shores, the Claire Lynch Band is sure to entertain. Below is a glimpse of the spring, summer and fall 2013 schedule for the band. Click the link at each date to learn more about the event. Hope you can make a show somewhere this year. If you can't make it, at least tell your friends about it! Band members in the photo are Bryan McDowell (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), singer-songwriter Claire Lynch (guitar, vocals, buck-dancin'), Mark Schatz (upright bass, banjo, vocals, 'body' [he can explain] and buck-dancin'), and Matt Wingate (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, vocals) Award-winning performers all--this band makes you glad you were there!

Schedule updated June 18, 2013 Most recent additions or corrections in red.

June 27    New York, New York  Hill Country BBQ Market NY  http://www.hillcountryny.com/locations.ny
June 28    Blairstown, NJ    Historic Blairstown Theatre  www.thehbt.com
June 29-30  Altamont, NY  Old Songs Festival of Traditional Music & Dance  www.oldsongs.org
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
July 12    Mount Solon, VA  Redwing Roots Music Festival  http://www.co.augusta.va.us/Index.aspx?page=616  
July 13    Lorton, VA      Workhouse Arts Center at Lorton http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/performances/    NOTE: This is an outside performance. In the event of inclement weather, cancellation notifications for the public are posted on the Performance Hotline: 703-324-SHOW at 1 1/2 hours prior to the scheduled performance.
July 24    Nashville, TN  Music City Roots -- Loveless Barn  http://musiccityroots.com/shows
July 25    Hiawassee, GA    Georgia Mountain Fair - Anderson Music Hall  www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com  
July 26   Athens, GA  Melting Point  http://www.meltingpointathens.com
July 27   Bloomingdale, GA  www.randywoodguitars.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
August 1  Ridgefield, CT    CHIRP Concert--Ballard Park  www.chirpct.org
August 2  Sodus, NY    Brantling Bluegrass Festival  www.brantlingbluegrass.com
August 8  Wisconsin Rapids, WI    McMillan Memorial Library  
http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/concerts/index.html
August 9  Richmond, MN    Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Festival--El Rancho Manana
http://www.minnesotabluegrass.org/index.php?contentID=559
August 11 Alta, WY   Grand Targhee Festival  http://www.grandtarghee.com/summer/music-festivals/bluegrass-fest.php
August 14   Billings, MT  Venture Theatre/Nova Center www.yellowstonebluegrass.com
August 16-17  Worland, WY    Wyoming State BBQ Championship & Bluegrass Festival
http://www.wyo-bbq-bluegrass.com/Bluegrass.htm
August 23    Los Alamos, NM  Gordons Summer Concerts  http://www.gordonssummerconcerts.com/index.html
August 24-25  Santa Fe, NM    Santa Fe Bluegrass & Old Time Festival  http://www.southwestpickers.org
August 30   Groot-Gelmen, Belgium  Country Festival  http://www.countryfestival.be/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
September 4  Boeblingen, Germany  Sommerkonzerte  Watch www.clairelynch.com for more information!
September 5  Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic    Eurocentrum  
http://www.eurocentrumjablonec.cz/o-nas/poloha
September 6  Kaufbeuren, Germany  Sudhaus  http://www.facebook.com/FR.Concerts?group_id=0
and also http://www.facebook.com/frank.rickal.3?fref=ts 
September 7  Rheinau, Germany  Stadthalle Rheinau-Fresistett  http://www.rheinau.de/index.cfm?fuseaction=freizeit&rubrik=veranstaltungen&id=1037 
September 8    Laufen, Switzerland  Watch www.clairelynch.com for more information!
September 9   Sachsenheim, Germany Watch www.clairelynch.com for more information!
September 11 Munich, Germany Watch www.clairelynch.com for more information!
September 12  Bopfingen, Germany  Kultur am OAG  www.astalb-gymnasium.de/index.php/kultur-am-oag 
September 15  Memphis, TN  Bellevue Baptist Church  www.bellevue.org 
September 19  Duluth, GA  Red Clay Theatre  www.eddieowenpresents.com/calendar (date correction)
September 20  Nashville, TN  AMA Showcase  http://americanamusic.org/about-conference
September 21  Bristol, TN    Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion www.bristolrhythm.com/index.php
September 27  Raleigh, NC  IBMA's Wide Open Bluegrass Festival (Red Hat Amphitheatre, Raleigh Convention Center  http://bluegrassfanfest.org/
September 28  Cary, NC  Sertoma Amphitheatre in Bond Park  http://www.townofcary.org/Departments/Parks__Recreation___Cultural_Resources/events/concerts/sertoma.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
October 3  Toronto, ON (Canada)  Hugh's Room  www.hughsroom.com
October 4  Innisfil, ON  Music Up Close  http://www.musicupclose.com/3/events.htm
October 5  Earlville, NY  Earlville Opera House  www.earlvilleoperahouse.com 
October 6 Saratoga Springs, NY  Caffe Lena  www.caffelena.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
November 2    Pensacola, FL  Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival  http://www.ggaf.org
November 9    Nashville, TN   Country Music Hall of Fame  http://countrymusichalloffame.org 
November 15  Florence, SC  Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center  www.fmupac.org
November 16  Asheville, NC  Isis Restaurant & Music Hall  www.isisasheville.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
December 7    Dahlonega, GA  Crimson Moon Cafe  http://www.thecrimsonmoon.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2014  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
March 8   Las Vegas, NV  Historic Fifth Street School  www.artslasvegas.org/performances/music.htm

Pick away!
Betty

Blog: talkinbluegrassmusic.blogspot.com
Yahoo Grp: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NE-AR-Bluegrass


  

    


Friday, March 15, 2013

Tunes from the Mountain View (AR) Spring Festival 2013



THE MOUNTAIN VIEW (AR) SPRING FESTIVAL 2013 was held at the Ozark Folk Center on March 7-9. The weather was sunny and chilly, but at least it wasn't snowing! It was a bit of a struggle to park in a lower parking lot and walk some distance to the shuttle stop in order to be delivered to the Ozark Folk Center. It was worth the inconvenience! The local planning committee did a fine job of lining up talent for the event. We will mention some songs from each group, as many of you have already seen most of the groups. We were distracted from some band performances by backstage personnel/announcers who came onto the stage during a band's performance to dance across the stage with a broom as an imaginary partner, to do "the twist" behind band members, and to strike a pose similar to that on the Monroe Crossing sign at the rear of the stage--directly in front of that sign. We are very glad that the same person did not disrupt Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver's program. We feel for those bands who were somewhat upstaged by the antics during their performances.

FRANK RAY & CEDAR HILL (MO) led off the event: Peter, You're the Man; Ozark Hills; Wayfaring Stranger; Nails and Bonds; The Floodplain of Despair; Gonna Have a Time; I've Got a Thing About Doors; Paint the Town; Echo Mountain; 'Til the End of the World Goes 'Round; For Me It's Hello; Pearlie; Orange Blossom Special; and You Won't Be Satisfied That Way.

MONROE CROSSING (MN) is the amazing band we all had heard about, but many of us had not seen yet. WOW! Here are some of their songs: Life is Like a Mountain Railroad, Who's that Knockin'; Joy, Joy, Joy; Judas is My Name; He Did Rise; Whispering Hope; When the Angels Carry Me Home; 40 Years of Suff'rin'; It's Easy to Get Lost When You Don't Know Where You're Goin'; My Girl ("Mo-Grass": Motown + Bluegrass); Potter's Field; Rocky Top; Encore: Uncle Pen . . . later set: Muleskinner; Heartache and Soul; Into the Fire; The Old Mountaineer; Chattanooga; Satan's Jeweled Crown; I'll Fly Away; Doin' My Time; At Last (Etta James-style); Man of Constant Sorrow; Softly and Tenderly; Nail that Catfish to a Tree; Listening to the Rain; Bread and Milk and You; McKinley's March/Boston Boy; Build Me a Cabin in the Corner of Gloryland; Rocky Road Blues; Rank Stranger; Bullet Train; Keep on the Sunny Side. . .still later: Honky-tonkin'; Blue Eyes; Cicadas; Heavenly Table; Hobos in the Roundhouse; Me and Billy; In the Pines; Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress (The Hollies-style, standing ovation); Orange Blossom Special (2nd standing ovation); and Wayfaring Stranger.

DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER (TN) is a band with a 40-year history of absolute top-quality gospel and traditional bluegrass music. Here is their selection: Lay Your Burdens at the Feet of Jesus; One of These Days It Won't Be Long; Lay Down the Hammer of Sin; I Have Found the Way; Then I Saw Him Walk Out of the Sky; God Can; Just Hold on a Little Longer; Greatest Creator (a cappella); We Need the Light; He Made It All Right; How Do You Say Goodbye to Sixty Years; I'm on My Journey Home; Helped and Protected by God's Love; Little Mountain Church House; What a Friend We Have in Jesus/Pass Me Not (fiddle medley); Sing Me a Song About Jesus; Sea of Life; and It Took His Blood to Set Me Free.

THE GIBSON BROTHERS (NY) is a group that is new to this writer, but they do a mighty fine job with bluegrass music: Wishing Well Ain't Workin'; Lonesome Road Blues; Dying for Someone to Live For; Red Letter Day for the Blues; They Call It Music; Gone Home; and Happy, Sunny Side of Life.


HICKORY HILL (TX) is well-known all over the South and Southwest. They know how to deliver the music we all love: The Old Crossroads; The Pilgrim; Cadillac; Bear Tracks; Willow Garden; Home-Grown Tomatoes; No Longer a Sweetheart of Mine; Hot Highway; Songs About Texas; Down Yonder; Poor Monroe; Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Loud, Loud Music; Little Maggie; and Old-Time Feeling.

LA TRESA & THE SIGNAL (TN) is a group led by a talented Nashville songwriter. We regret that we missed the complete titles of several songs because we could not understand what was said. Here is their selection: Gone to Memphis; Never [? Civil War tune]; Shady Grove; Promise You'll Be [?]; Can You Give Me Drink; Baby [?]; and Think of What You've Done.  

THE STEELDRIVERS (TN) is a band that began their journey with what some might call a 'dark message,' and they like it there in the dark. Here is their selection: Deep Thinker; Good Corn Liquor; When You Don't Come Home; Lonesome Goodbye; Drinkin' Dark Whiskey; Hell on Wheels; If It Hadn't Been for Love; Angel Tonight; Gloryland; Midnight Tears; Guitar, Whiskey, Guns, and Knives (about life in East Kentucky); If You Can't Be Good, Be Gone; Wearin' a Hole in a Honky-Tonk Floor; Blue Side of the Mountain (Grammy-nominated); Encore: A Rainbow Can Never Die.

THE REDMOND KEISLER BAND AND BUCKSNORT HILL are two bands who are quite well known in the area. You might say that Redmond's band is the house band. He works the sound for the Ozark Folk Center. They put on a fine performance. Bucksnort Hill is Dan Shaw's band from over around Bono, AR. You may remember that they hosted the Claire Lynch Band at "Dan's Place" about a year ago. They, too, put on a fine program of bluegrass music.

All the bands were prepared and presented their brand of music in a professional manner. Thanks to every band that participated in the Spring Festival. The Fall Bluegrass Festival is scheduled for November 7-9, 2013, and it too should be one dandy festival! 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Nashville: The Reservoir, United Record Pressing, Grimey's New & Preloved Music, and The Basement


       YES INDEEDY! I own every single one of the objects here on the screen. I can even find most of them within five minutes! There is just no getting around the fact that this writer is a 'child of the '50s'and '60's. Tonight's blog isn't strictly about bluegrass music, but I betcha Grimey's could locate a bluegrass album or two there in the shop! Right, Grimey?

         I was prompted to talk to you about these items and a big, round reservoir called...well..."The Reservoir"...in Nashville on 8th Avenue. From the reservoir side of the street, I can look across to see the absolutely funkiest little place in town! Grimey's New & Preloved Music is at 1604  8th Ave., So. Grimey's phone number is 615.254.4801. E-mail Grimey's at funky[at]grimeys.com. They got vinyl! Yep! They surely do! Lots and lots of vinyl!
       Grimey's friends at United Record Pressing at 453 Chestnut St. are close enough for Grimey to sail a 45 record across and hit the pressing company right on the roof! United Records' phone numbers are 615.259.9396 or toll free at 866.407.3165. Those folks are pressing vinyl records 24/7 or close to that! Vinyl is back! Or it never really went away! E-mail United Record Pressing at united[at]urpressing.com. NBC Nightly News did a story on this company on March 1, 2013. I am personally glad that I didn't throw away the 33 1/3 albums, the 45's, or anything else recorded on vinyl. A lady on WKNO2 just used the word 'record player'. Do you have yours? You're going to need it before long. Mine works, has a needle, and just needs a vinyl record by Wanda Jackson or Mother Maybelle and the Carters to play!

       My Duncan Yo-Yo with the rhinestones? I never did learn to manage it quite like those folks who used to demonstrate all the things that a yo-yo would do. I would have been happy if the yo-yo had just climbed back up the string!
       While I am standing over here Reservoir-side and trying to make this yo-you do tricks, I want to tell you about the basement of Grimey's. It's known as "The Basement". That Grimey! He just has a way with words! The Basement is the home of some of the coolest bands and individual performers--Minton Sparks, for example! This spoken-word artist has performed at The Basement any number of times and always to a packed house! Minton and her performing partner, John Jackson, provide superior entertainment. We of the generation of the '50s and '60s know about most of the people and events in her stories. Some stories are dark; some, not so dark. All are extremely entertaining. Visit The Basement at www.thebasementnashville.com or contact Mike Grimes at mike[at]slowbar.com.

Despite the fact that I spent large amounts of time with my 45's and later with my 33 1/3's, and despite the fact that I tried long and hard with that Duncan yo-yo, I did indeed graduate from high school (see class ring). I even went on to MTSC (as it was known back in the day) and then to Memphis State(as it was also known back in the day) for post-graduate work. That's my story tonight and I'm sticking to it.