...but jes' 'fore Christmas...

we're good as we can be!

Bluegrass Jam in 'Sherry's Room' Collierville UMC

December 13, 2019

       Sure! We really try! Honest we do! The recent Friday night jam at the Collierville United Methodist Church, 454 W. Poplar Avenue, caught some great pickers and friends smiling and enjoying each other and this special time of year. We acknowledged our wonderful friend, SHERRY KNIGHT, who passed away recently. This room just inside the side entrance is officially the Missions Room, yet our Sherry made it her own by inviting anyone and everyone to come in and play, regardless of skills! So, we dubbed it 'Sherry's Room'. Even better, on this night, Sherry's husband Sam Knight and granddaughter Ragan Knight came and played in Sherry's Room, along with a lot of other jammers and friends of this wonderful music!

       We'll keep it short, since we know you're busy wrapping presents and baking for the big event, now only 10 short days away. We should mention that the jam will continue on December 20 and 27 of 2019, and January 3, 2020. Here are some photos from that very special evening.

       OK! I took the jam photos with my phone. Apologies! I have no clue about setting the photos upright. I believe that Orion Osborne can 'Air-Drop' these pictures to your phone if you have your phone with you when we are together again. I wish I could 'blink' them straight. Just tilt your head sharply to the right until your neck is killing you. Then stop or explain to me in simple terms how to set these photos upright! I will happily send you (from my phone) a photo of you. With any luck the photo will be upright or you can turn it correctly. Thanks! At least the Christmas scene is sitting upright! Click each photo to enlarge it for a better view.

Jackie Osborne, Bob Corken, Glenda Markle

Jen Arnold, Pete Richter, Sam Knight, Monroe Jones, Ragan Knight

Winter cap: Bob Turner's Brother, Bob Turner, Baxter Qualls

Monroe Jones, Ragan Knight, Joe Cupp, Bob Davis

Claire Turner and daughter Donna, Don Markle



RANGER BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

NORTHWEST FARM - SENATOBIA, MS

OCTOBER 4-5, 2019

Photography by Mark and Sharrye Holder of MCH Music Group

(click each photo to enlarge for a better view)

 

L to R: Emma McDowell, Jim Hurst,

Michael Gaisbacher, the Jim Hurst Trio

 

        THE FARM AT NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE has quickly turned into the place for bluegrass musicians and fans to be in early October. Gateway Tire and Service Centers 'go the distance for you,' and the company eagerly supports the Ranger Bluegrass Festival. The 2019 version saw two delicious (if hot!) days of bluegrass and traditional music from the likes of Jim Hurst and his Trio, Alice Hasen, Delta Celtica, Circus No. 9, The Barefoot Movement, the NWCC Choir, and Andy Ratliff and Friends. Something for everyone there!

       The Barefoot Movement was helpful in providing their set list for their performance: My Little Darlin', Bowling Green, Touch the Sky, Sheepherder, Do What You Please, Lighten Up Honey, It Won't Matter Anymore, Every Little Thing, Fire, Pressing Onward, Wade in the Water, and  Shuckin' the Brush.

The Barefoot Movement

 

       In addition to the musical artists, there were activities galore for kids (grownups, too) of all ages: A vendor marketplace, photo booth, welding art, pumpkin science, leather tooling craft, cowboy hat craft, story time, corn hole, horseshoes, football toss, finger knitting, duct tape crafts, and the Northwest Alumni and Recruiting Tent. First aid and lost and found were covered, concessions, too, along with T-shirts and souvenir posters. It was a wingding down there, and you need to plan now to go to this fine festival in 2020 and beyond.

 

The Northwest Choir and one very familiar face--Craig Yarbrough

 

 

Circus No. 9

 

The Barefoot Movement

 

L to R: Emma McDowell, Jim Hurst,

and Michael Gaisbacher

The Jim Hurst Trio performed Nothin' Like a Hundred Miles, Funky Flatfoot (in honor of the legendary bassist, Mark Schatz), A-minor Infraction, Widow's Weeds, Mando Bounce, This Waltz Is for You (dedicated to Jim Hurst's mother), Keep Me Awake, and It's a Beautiful Day. The Jim Hurst Trio often performs as part of the Claire Lynch Band.

 

 

The Northwest Choir assisted by Craig Yarbrough and John Gay of Memphis

 

       The Ranger Bluegrass Barn, sponsored by AERC Architects, is a 70-year-old gambrel barn where the bluegrass music stage and picking post were located. There were jam bands, parking lot pickers, and singer/songwriters hanging out at the classic old barn. Open mic? Sure! You just had to sign up for a spot. Boatloads of other great sponsors jumped in with money and support for our friend Len Lawhon, who has coordinated the Ranger Bluegrass Festival for the last few years. It's working, Len, and everyone reading this who loves bluegrass appreciates the effort put forth by you and your hard-working crew.

       We appreciate Mark and Sharrye Holder, who have offered us some wonderful photos from the event. Check out the photos from the 2019 Ranger Bluegrass Festival at Northwest Farm in Senatobia, MS, just a short drive south from Memphis, Tennessee.

 

The Barefoot Movement

 

 

For more information:  www.northwestms.edu or www.facebook.com/northwestmscc or

                                      (662) 562-3222

THE HISTORIC COLLINS THEATRE

HOSTS NO TIME FLATT

PARAGOULD, AR   NOVEMBER 25, 2019

(photos from November 27, 2017, click each to enlarge) 

 

     Bluegrass bands love to perform at the Historic Collins Theatre in Paragould, AR. And "Bluegrass Monday" (4th Monday of each month except December) provides a perfect opportunity. KASU 91.9 FM and Program Director Marty Scarbrough, who heads up Bluegrass Monday, have their offices on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. Marty selects top-quality bands and performers to play throughout 11 months of the year. The theatre prepares the usual theatre snacks and sodas, the price of admission is at least five dollars (put in more if you can), the sound man provides great sound, and you just know you're going to be royally entertained. There's a first set, a refreshments pause where you can buy snacks at the stand, and CDs which are at the band's table, then a final set for the evening. It's just downright delightful!

      

NOTE: The concert will be broadcast on radio on Sunday, December 1, 2019, at about 12:30 pm CT on 91.9 FM and www.kasu.org on the program called "Down Home Harmonies" hosted by Mr. Scarbrough.

      

L to R: Kevin Keen, Steve Moore,

Kevin Wright, Patrick Cupples,

Becky Weaver

       Many readers of this blog already know about NO TIME FLATT, but let us review quickly: Together now for almost five years, several friends from the Jackson, TN, area decided to see what might work for them as a band. It was one of those ideas that just clicked! Several people had already played bluegrass together before, but this time it was really serious. The band members are as follows: Kevin Wright (Humboldt, TN, guitar, vocals), Patrick Cupples (Dyersburg, TN, upright bass, vocals), Becky Weaver (Montezuma, TN, fiddle, vocals), Steve Moore (Jackson, TN, banjo, vocals), and Kevin Keen (Corinth, MS, mandolin). No Time Flatt has played many shows, had two very successful overflowing CD release parties at Clark Shaw & Son's Old Country Store in Jackson, TN, played the Plaza at the Ryman Auditorium (the "mother church" of country and bluegrass music) three times, scored top honors three times at the Tennessee Music Awards at the University of Memphis Lambuth Campus in Jackson, TN, and now have played the Collins Theatre twice. They've kept all five members since day one, and the sound is tight! They've only just begun!

 

L to R: Kevin Keen, Steve Moore,

Kevin Wright, Patrick Cupples,

Becky Weaver

 The music for the evening of November 25, 2019, was as follows:  Set 1 Fox on the Run, Lonely Moon, Look Down the Lonesome Road, I Have Found the Way, Before the Cold Winds Blow, I've Lived a Lot in My Time, Dim Lights Thick Smoke, Humble Yourselves, Methodist Preacher, Could I Have This Dance, Ten Plagues, Foolin' Around, and Long Gone.  Set 2 Dixieland Delight, How Deep Is the Lonesome, Crying Holy, The Golden Rule, It Must Be Love, Calling After Me, Little Lou, Keen Mountain Prison, Wayfaring Stranger, Whiskey & Tears, Tammy Marie, and I'll Have to Say I Love You. The Encore was Beulah Land.

For further information:

Website:  No Time Flatt www.notimeflatt.com or Facebook www.facebook.com/notimeflatt Google Play, Spotify, Apple Music, and Airplay Direct

Contact: Kevin Wright notimeflatt@yahoo.com or (731) 616-1208

 

Meet the members of No Time Flatt
Becky, Patrick, Kevin Wright, Kevin Keen, and Steve

 

 

 



BANJO BONANZA

House Concert at the Finders' Memphis Home

October 19, 2019

 

L to R:  Jon Finder, Tom Gray, Eddie Adcock, Martha Adcock

       WORD LEAKED OUT a few weeks back that there was going to be the first annual Memphis Music Camp at the home of Dr. Jonathan and Jana Finder in Memphis. It's hard to keep this kind of thing secret when the likes of Eddie and Martha Adcock, Alan Munde, our own Randal Morton and Henrietta Smith, Terry Ferguson, and Tom Gray would be teaching all-day workshops and then performing on the evening of October 19, 2019. After all, there would be two (imagine it!) of the original Country Gentlemen there in the living room in the persons of Eddie Adcock and Tom Gray. The others of the Classic Country Gentlemen from around 1960 were Charlie Waller, John Duffey, and Bill Emerson. How good is that!

       While we don't play a note of anything, we knew enough to be there for the wonderful house concert by all the incredible bluegrass artists in the house. Apologies in advance for any errors in song titles or songs left out. We were writing as fast as we could! The artists performed with their pals and occasionally by themselves. It was truly an amazing event.

 

Randal and Terry

                                      Limehouse Blues, Rawhide, and a super jazz tune

 

Alan

Stymie, Munde Night (Monday Night) Waltz and Peaches and Cream ~ ~ Alan mentioned the Nashville String Band from a few years back, consisting of Chet Atkins and Homer & Jethro, and that must have been something to hear!

 

Eddie

 Hotel California

 

Eddie, Martha, and Tom

Pallet on You Floor, Many Miles I Have Gone ~ Martha mentioned that the Country Gentlemen took the music to new heights, pointing out that in the early days of bluegrass music, there were no modern conveniences--for the music or the musicians. Eddie joined the band in 1959, Tom in 1960, and it flowed from there with Charlie Waller, John Duffey, and Bill Emerson. Eddie, Martha, and Tom added Tom's novelty song "Would You Mind?"

 

Randal and Tom

Shuckin' the Corn, Opus 36 from Sonatinas by Clementi (not easy on banjo), Blue Bells (Eddie Adcock style)

Randal and Henrietta

                                                              Blue Kentucky Girl

 

Randal and Terry

Silver Bells, Red-Haired Boy, Dance with Me (from the band Orleans), Bully of the Town

 

Alan

What a Friend, Softly and Tenderly (gospel tunes), Jenny's Desire (a cat playing for a mouse in a nursery rhyme for his daughter) ~ Alan mentioned his colleague Beth Meade, who played banjo on old classics which were published by Hal Leonard; also 'brother tunes' (George and Ira Gershwin) like Embraceable You; Oklahoma Bound (Alan's from Oklahoma), and Huckleberry Hornpipe (by Beppe Gambetta and Dan Crary, done Byron Berline style)

 

Here are some photos from the event, some better than others, but we will put the great and near-great pictures here for you. Click each photo to enlarge it.

 

Special Note:There are more Finder house concerts scheduled for the coming months:  Jim Hurst (guitar/vocals) on Dec. 7, 2019, Irene Kelley (guitar/vocals) on January 25, 2020, and Special Consensus with Greg Cahill on April 26, 2020.

 

L to R: Randal Morton, Terry Ferguson

 

L to R: Tom Gray, Eddie Adcock, Martha Adcock

 

L to R: Randal Morton, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

Alan Munde

 

Several photos of Alan Munde were turned sideways,

but we will put just one in the list until we figure out

how to set them upright

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

L to R after the concert: Michael McKnight and his father, Mike McKnight

This one is very special to this blogger!











JUST FRIENDS JAMMIN' 2.0

COLLIERVILLE TN FRIDAY NIGHT

BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIME JAM

COMMON CUP COFFEE SHOP

COLLIERVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

NOVEMBER 8, 2019

       When things get in the groove at the Friday Night Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Jam in Collierville, it's tough to lay it down a few minutes before 9:00 PM. Hint: When you arrive on time, you get to play and enjoy the music longer! These days, pickers and fans are pouring into the Common Cup Coffee Shop at the Collierville United Methodist Church (454 W. Poplar Avenue) each Friday around 6:30 PM, and it takes off from there. It could be the warm accommodations, the coffee and hot chocolate, or the fellowship and an opportunity to jam with good friends. Or it could be all of that.

       We are particularly glad to have Sam Knight and his granddaughter Ragan Knight, also Jean Burton, with us again. They recently sustained losses in their families and we would ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

       The jam is in its 20th season and we have ironed out most of the kinks by now. Most folks know we are all-acoustic and that we stick to the traditional bluegrass and old-time music instruments of guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, upright bass, resophonic guitar (you remember it as the Dobro[R]), and dulcimer (lap or hammered). There are no amps, microphones, or speakers. Someone starts the jam and from there things move clockwise most of the time. You can perform a tune or pass until the order of things comes back to you.

       Keeping it short, we will again show you some photos of folks having a lot of fun pickin' and grinnin' and having a 'country-dog good time' at the weekly jam. If you haven't been out, all skills are welcome and if you don't play or sing, that's fine, too. We would love to have you! Thanks to all who participate weekly or even occasionally.

       Note:  There is no jam during Thanksgiving weekend. Otherwise, the jam continues each Friday evening from 6:30 until about 8:50 PM Central, when we ask participants to re-set the room and clean up after themselves. The jam will continue as usual after Christmas Day and after New Year's Day.

L to R: Ragan Knight, Don Markle, Monroe Jones,
Gerald Goforth, Robert Higginbottom

L to R: Robert Higginbottom, Jenny Goforth, Jean Burton,
Jackie Osborne, Joe Cupp

L to R: Jenny Goforth, Jean Burton, Jackie Osborne,
Orion Osborne, Glenda Markle

L to R: Joe Cupp, Ragan Knight, Andy Williamson,
Monroe Jones, Rochelle Ponder

L to R: Joe Cupp, Ragan Knight, Clay Caver, Gerald Goforth,
Monroe Jones, Andy Williamson, Rochelle Ponder

L to R: Christine Donhardt, Ragan Knight, Jean Burton,
Jackie Osborne, Donna Nickelson, Sam Knight

L to R: Monroe Jones, Gerald Goforth, Bob Corken,
Rochelle Ponder, Donna Nickelson, Ragan Knight, Don Markle







JUST FRIENDS JAMMIN'

COLLIERVILLE TN FRIDAY NIGHT BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIME JAM 

COMMON CUP COFFEE SHOP

COLLIERVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

NOVEMBER 1, 2019

       It's been a while since we blogged about our Friday night bluegrass and old-time music jam. It happens each week, and we're now in the Common Cup Coffee Shop for the fall/winter season at the Collierville United Methodist Church, 454 West Poplar Avenue, where it's warm, the coffee is on and the snacks are just right. You're invited to come out and pick with us. We're all-acoustic, which means no microphones, speakers, or other electronic devices. Just voices and instruments as it was 'back in the day'. All skill levels are invited. Fans are encouraged to come in, watch, and enjoy this 20-year-old tradition which has been proclaimed as a real 'thing' by the Town of Collierville.

        We shall cut to the chase and show you some great photos of pickers, singers, and even some grinners who enjoyed the music on Friday, November 1, 2019. You will notice acoustic instruments like the guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and the upright bass. There was another bunch having a great time pickin' in the lobby that night. Thanks to all who participate weekly or even occasionally. We love having you with us!

       Note:  No jam during the Thanksgiving weekend. Otherwise, the jam continues each Friday evening from 6:30 until 9:00 PM Central Time. The jam will continue as usual after Christmas Day and after New Year's Day.

      

L to R: Don Gentry, James Patrick, Jen Arnold,

Jeff Tallant's knee, Clay Caver

L to R: Don Gentry, Clay Caver's arm, James Patrick,

Bruce White, Peter Smith, Annette Corken, Christine Donhardt,

Andy Williamson

L to R: Don Gentry's arm/knee, Pete Richter, Shawn Braddock,

Bruce White, James Patrick, Clay Caver, Andy Williamson

L to R: Peter Smith, Bob and Annette Corken,

Don Markle, Jeff Tallant

L to R: Peter Smith, Annette Corken, Jean Burton, Jen Arnold,

Christine Donhardt, Andy Williamson

L to R: Jen Arnold, Jeff Tallant, Chuck & Candy Gentry

NO TIME FLATT SCORES BIG

AT 2019 TENNESSEE MUSIC AWARDS

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, LAMBUTH CAMPUS

JACKSON, TENNESSEE

October 7, 2019

   

       WEST TENNESSEE'S own hot bluegrass band NO TIME FLATT scored big at the recent 2019 Tennessee Music Awards held at the University of Memphis, Lambuth Campus, in Jackson, TN. On October 7, 2019, the band captured Bluegrass Artist of the Year for the third year in a row, and if that weren't enough, they were awarded Entertainer of the Year. While being together about five years, the band has produced two fine CDs, worked some outstanding shows and concerts, and drawn a boatload of fans along the way. They're out there working hard and meeting new fans, who have become known as "Flattheads"!

        Hats off to the following band members:  Kevin Wright (guitar, vocals), Patrick Cupples (upright bass, vocals), Steve Moore (banjo, vocals), Becky Weaver (fiddle, vocals), and Kevin Keen (mandolin). Catch the band soon at The Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR, and at the November Bluegrass Monday (4th Monday) at the Collins Theatre, Paragould, AR. More events at Facebook and the website.

For more information:

No Time Flatt is on Facebook, their website www.notimeflatt.com, Google Play, Spotify, Apple Music, and Airplay Direct

Contact:  Kevin Wright

               115 Creekwood Road

               Humboldt, TN 38343

               Phone 731.616.1208

Email:  notimeflatt@yahoo.com 

Top photo L to R: Steve Moore, Patrick Cupples, Becky Weaver, Kevin Wright, and Kevin Keen

IRIS DeMENT

Can Move Mountains!

SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER, ST. MARY'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, MEMPHIS, TN

Iris DeMent stayed to chat and sign albums until the last person

had a chance to visit. Proceeds from sales were donated to

MIFA. Iris backs up what she sings about!

We've never seen a performer do that. Ever!

       IRIS DeMENT can move mountains, and she will surely move you! Her voice and her song selection hit you hard--right between the eyes. She penetrates your very soul and you can't take your eyes or ears away for a second. We have put off blogging about Iris DeMent for a couple of weeks, because we just didn't know what to say or how to say it.

       One thing is for sure and certain: There is nobody like Iris DeMent! Her gentle touch on the piano and on the strings of her guitar stands out in contrast to the plaintive cry in her voice. And she is not afraid to sing about what many others would not dare to tackle. Her music carries the message that we're all out there striving for something better. Salvation? Maybe. Freedom and justice? Forgiveness for self and others? Count on it.

       Iris DeMent started life as one of 14 kids (the last one!) in nearby Paragould, AR. The family moved to Southern California, where she lived most of her earlier years. The wide separation of lifestyles between rural Arkansas and Southern California, cotton sacks and dirt roads of the Delta, mingle with the complicated life of the West Coast. It's all there inside this creature called Iris DeMent. Today, she lives in Iowa with her musician husband Greg Brown and their daughter whom they adopted in Russia.

       Russia brings us to Iris' sixth album, The Trackless Woods, which was influenced by the book of Russian poetry by Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966). Iris knew quickly what would come next. She would try to set Akhmatova's poems to music. The poet knew the hardships of the Bolshevik Revolution, two world wars, and Stalin. Anna lived it and somehow made it through with her poetry. Time passed and 16 tracks later, which were recorded 'live in Iris' living room under the guidance of producer Richard Bennett and a few musicians, Anna's poems with Iris' magic touch are The Trackless Woods. Babette Deutsch and Lyn Coffin served as translators for the project.

       We encourage you to purchase the album. Its haunting beauty will hang around in your mind forever. The Anna Akhmatova songs: To My Poems, Broad Gold, And This You Call Work, From The Oriental Notebook, Prayer, Not With Deserters, All Is Sold, Reject The Burden, From An Airplane, Oh How Good, Like A White Stone, Song About Songs, Listening To Singing, Lot's Wife, Upon The Hard Crest, The Souls of All My Dears, The Last Toast, Not With A Lover's Lyre, and Anna Akhmatova's Recitation of "The Muse".

       Iris DeMent’s music isn't just on her collection of CDs. Perhaps you have heard her voice in movies like "True Grit" and "Songcatcher," in which she actually had a role. The final scene of one of our favorite series, "Northern Exposure"? Yes, that's the Grammy-nominated Iris. "The Leftovers" and "The Handmaid's Tale," too? Iris again. She has garnered the respect of her musical peers, such as John Prine, Emmylou Harris, and Merle Haggard, who referred to Iris as "the best singer I've ever heard".

       Her subject matter comes from everywhere: folk, country, gospel (she's a fan of Aretha Franklin, but who isn't?), bluegrass, Americana, and whatever she can use to reach out to her audiences. You are likely familiar with songs like "Our Town," "Let the Mystery Be," "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," "Wash My Face in the Morning Dew," and her encore for the evening which brought the Buckman crowd to their feet, "When Morning Comes Around".

For More Information:

Iris DeMent  www.irisdement.com and The Trackless Woods is on Flariella Records

Anna Akhmatova  www.poetryfoundation.org