New Bluegrass FM Station arrives in Virginia
Bluegrass FM 89.5 or 91.7 out of Spotsylvania, Virginia is up and running and announces a fundraiser concert at Massaponax Highschool (Fredericksburg) on January 10th - doors open at 5:45. The concert is free (come on, folks! a donation is expected to keep Bluegrass Music alive and on the air!). Featured are Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice and Kenny and Amanda Smith. You must have a ticket to get in, and they're available (Gratis!) by calling 888-582-9701. According to Keith Aycock, the reception for the station is limited right now to the central Virginia area but should be available to a broader region in the coming months. Stay tuned. This is exciting news for hardcore Bluegrass fans.
Visit the Station's website: www.bluegrassfm.org
Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice, plus Kenny and Amanda Smith will appear at Massaponax Highschool, 10 January, 5:45 pm.
888-582-9701 for tickets and more information
7 December 2008: Lucketts, Virginia:
I'm posting this on Pearl Harbor Day - and no one cares. Not a word in the Papers, nothing on the internet about the famous "Day of Infamy." Have we reached this point in forgetting history? Are Christmas shopping and white sales more important? There are certain aspects of life and living that remain true to form - take the Bluegrass Brothers for instance. As I experienced their performance on Saturday night the word conviction kept running through my brain-housing group. These guys are all business, all the time. No crap - no lies - no fancy packaging. You either deeply appreciate the proffered music or walk away from it. When Victor Dowdy (on bass) starts 'growling' out the songs, you have to sit up in your seat and listen closely. This is music that comes out of a deep appalachian-Virginia-Shenandoan tradition. You either love it or hate it, or at its most appreciated value, you dig back into it every once in a while to try and figure out how today's packaged-to-the-max "Country Music" got so boring and stupid! Saturday night was not only a great performance by this group from the Salem/Roanoke area, but it was also an academic seminar on how Bluegrass evolved originally from purist mountain music.
The Greats come from family traditions. The core of this group is the Dowdy Family. Victor, Robert, Steve, and Donald are all Dowdys. Billy Hurt on fiddle is the exception - and an exceptional fiddler. Donald on mandolin played the perfect sweet baritone foil to Victor's low-down, growling tenor. Donald opened the show with two vocal pieces. As the night went on, the group members switched off on different vocal positions and different instruments to show-case their individual versatility. I counted 27 songs with one encore - the highlights were a mixture of old standards and some songs written by the Dowdys. I noted more than a few of my old favorites and was surprised when Steve Dowdy lit into the (original Seldom Scene) song, "Wait a Minute." We don't hear that old Seldom Scene chestnut enough. Memories of John Duffy . . . . . .what a loss to those who appreciate talent and true genius. But the Dowdys are keeping it all alive for the good of the order.
For more information and CD's: www.thebluegrassbrothers.com
It's the day after Thanksgiving and it's brilliantly cold. A perfect evening for a Big Fire out at the farm. We had about 140 people show up. Sarah brought pumpkin pie, the hot spiced cider was especially good and warming. Ben and Galen provided the entertainment and three drummers appeared out of the darkness to join us at the edge of the "Inferno." J.D. passed around one of the prize roosters while every once in a while the turkeys would holler back near the pig pens. The fox and raccoons are probably prowling around again as they normally do, trying to shake up the serenity of another evening by the Big Fire. Mike provided this final shot of the blaze at the Halloween Bonfire in October - amazing pyrotechnics - Thanks, Mike!
22 November 2008: Report from Lucketts, Virginia
One of the coldest Novembers on record, but the Lucketts Community Center is warm - jam-packed with Nothin' Fancy Fans. I just knew we should have left home earlier than usual to drive out to Lucketts, and my fears were confirmed when we pulled into the Old School House Parking Lot and there wasn't anywhere to park. The staff had opened up the 'pasture' for additional parking and that was filling up, too. We hurried into the Old School House just as Nothin' Fancy started playing. No seats! SRO. The staff scrambled to get us some folding chairs, back at the ticket counter we could hear them turning people away. "Sorry, we just can't possibly bring in any more people." This is every performer's dream situation. And this band is worth it. I should have known what to expect when I saw all the West Virginia and Maryland license plates in the parking lot. This band has an incredible fan base that travels wide to hear it. And do they live up to their reputation? You bet! This is tight bluegrass - tight, perfected musicianship - and tight vocals. Every once in a while the Lucketts Community Center gives over a whole evening devoted to just one band and last Saturday night Nothin' Fancy filled the bill. Mike Andes (mandolin) assumes the role as band leader, but this group is so tight and polished that oftimes it's hard to tell exactly who is singing the vocal harmonies. Nothin' Fancy does it the hard way - one microphone - that's it - with different band members stepping up to add this and add that into the perfected, time-tested blend. Midway through the first set the humor and banter commenced and the audience reacted to it. Mike Andes started it. He started making jokes about going back to the CD Table and everyone laughed. More humor followed, with continual comments to go back to the CD Table and buy more CD's. It got tiresome quickly - and then everyone lit into Chris Sexton (fiddle) for his classically inclined violin scholarship work at the Shendandoah Conservatory of Music (Good On Ya, Chris!). This got old also. There's a danger here. Are you going to play music or just 'goof around all night? - especially when you're such damned good musicians. This was the only distraction in an otherwise brilliant night of performance. These guys are so good they can afford to 'goof around (at least a little bit) with what they're doing - as shown by two rock and roll selections and a medley of TV theme songs, driven by Chris Sexton's fiddle work. The distracting humor and on-stage banter aside, Nothin' Fancy was here to entertain their fan base and that they did in spades. What I found distracting, about 230 other audience members found loveable - and they kept yelling for more. These guys are a piece of work . . . . .
Can a guy from Rutland, Vermont really do Bluegrass? Buy this album and find out. Also go to NPR Radio interviews for an interesting session with Dan Tyminski. This music is pure liquid gold!
18 October 2008 - Last night's performance at the Old School House should've been entitled "Night and Day" because that's the thought I couldn't get out of my head. Iron Ridge and Blue Daze shared the evening at the Lucketts Community Center and entertained a nice-sized crowd. I had checked out the Blue Daze website before entering the Hall so I would have some general sense of the music I'd hear. Iron Ridge is a frequent guest at the Lucketts School House and Lucketts Fair, and had just recently graced the "Gazebo' performances in August (see my earlier posts). The two bands are like Night and Day, and I wasn't alone in preferring Iron Ridge over Blue Daze. The feeling also showed up in the applause Blue Daze received when they infrequently delved into their Bluegrass roots, as opposed to the polite applause they received after a number of "Old Cowboy Swing Songs" and other obscurities. It's the kind of music that personally drives me nuts when I accidentally turn on Garrison Keillor on Public Radio. The Cowboy Swing Song only existed in the minds of Hollywood B-Movie producers after it gained popularity in a few Gene Autry films. Soon after, everyone was a "singing cowboy" and this was every kid's impression of the Wild West, post-World War II. Yep, me too. I thought all cowboys carried a guitar right along with his six-shooters. Suffice it to say, I didn't stick around for Blue Daze's second set. Don't get me wrong - the musicianship and vocals weren't all that bad. But I saw more than a few hardcore bluegrass fans voting with their feet after the final encore of Iron Ridge, and the stage was turned over once again to Blue Daze - Good Night Folks!
Iron Ridge . . . .
I'm always suspicious of guys wearing black cowboy hats. You better have the goods to back up the black headgear or else get off the stage. Thus, rhythm guitarist Jerry Leitner mounted the stage last night and proved he could live up to the image. How old is this guy, anyway? Mandolin player Denny Kopp burst into "Lucketts Saturday Night" (he wrote it) and the audience went wild. The song has become an anthem of sorts for this particular venue, and well it should. 13 more classic songs soon followed in quick succession like a shotgun blast (and that was just the first set!) and even when there were a few mistakes it all fit in somehow. The vocals were tight and right. The performance was genuine. This is quintessential mountain music delivered with a high-energy purpose - songs about convicts, coal-towns, lost love, and espousing a culture that's "Poor but Proud." Iron Ridge hails from central Maryland, north of Baltimore, and does a lot of performing in that area of the Maryland/Pennsylvania border.
Iron Ridge has an excellent website full of biographical material on the band members and most notable in the line-up are two teenagers - 16-year old flat-picker Joey Mosley and 17-year old Jennifer Starsinic on fiddle. Joey is the son of Jay Mosley, on banjo. You can see in what direction these two talented kids are going. Your first encounter with Iron Ridge begs the question: "OK . .How well are these two kids going to fit into the mix?" Very well, thank you, as proven by the overwhelming ovations they both received on their solo work. Also outstanding was the dual banjo work of Jay Mosley and Max Allison - they lit a fire in the house with "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Fireball Mail." This is the kind of music that takes you for a long, pleasant ride back in time to maybe a gloomy hollow somewhere near Logan, West Virginia, or maybe down a rail line headed for Nitro.
www.ironridgeband.com . . .the Band has a number of CD's available
Iron Ridge members: Denny Kopp, Mandolin - Jerry Leitner, Guitar - Jay Mosley, Banjo - Max Allison, Bass and Banjo - Joey Mosley, Guitar - Jennifer Starsinic, Fiddle.
Keep the date of February 8th, 2009 open on your calendars. "ABC" (The Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition) is coming back to perform at the Vienna Town Community Center. I was fortunate to catch this talented group here in our town last winter and they're coming back again after performing this summer at our new 'Town Green' Stage. The Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition has a lot of local fans as exhibited by the huge crowd which showed up for the summer performance. Returning for the third year, I hope Vienna makes it a winter tradition. It certainly breaks up the monotony of a cold, boring winter. This is Bluegrass at its basic best with a few modern numbers thrown in the mix. The Community Center is directly off Center Street, near the town baseball field and firehouse and there is plenty of free parking. Last year's concert was free. . .this is the best deal you'll ever get in free entertainment . .and another good reason for living in the town of Vienna, Virginia. More on the Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition as the date approaches.
Date: 8 February, 2009, 2:00 pm. Vienna Town Community Center, Vienna, Virginia
Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition at Vienna Community Center, 2007 performance
For more information click on to www.annapolisbluegrass.com
4 October 2008 - Saturday Night
There's a chill in the air. The Old School House in Lucketts opened its 2008/2009 season with Norman Wright and the Travelers and Ken Rickett and Recent Addition. It's fair to say that Norman Wright and his group stole the evening, although Ken and his group also provided some good, solid music. Fiddler and vocalist Warren Blair was the focus of Ken's group, for reasons which will become evident. I had caught Norman's act here last season and to tell you the truth, wasn't very impressed. This time around he came up on the venerable School House stage with a new configuration consisting of Mark Delaney on Banjo, John Miller on guitar, and Brandon Johnson on bass. What can I say? Those who were fortunate enough to catch this evening's performance have scaled Mount Olympus. I think I figured out why I was a little disappointed last season: Norman Wright is carrying around so much talent that he's on a continual quest to go out and recruit the best. He found it Saturday night with his current line-up.
Everything fit. Everything worked, from the basic musicianship to the extraordinary blend of the vocals. Norman's also not afraid or intimidated by those who support the cause. He took a lot of time show-casing Mark Delaney and John Miller. We used to call that smart leadership in the Marine Corps. I think they're both from another planet. More than a few songs, Wright let the audience know, "I'm just going to unleash these guys on you!" What ensued were sessions of note-bending like I'd never heard before in Bluegrass. Miller is a flat-picking force to be reckoned with. I googled Mark Delaney on the usual sites and didn't find much. That's a sad commentary on the state of Bluegrass - Mark Delaney should be on the top of the list of anybody's roster of U.S. Banjo pickers. The amount of sound and force he could muster from a simple 5-stringed instrument was astounding, and even more astounding was Miller's matching of Delaney's playing, note for note. And yet it never slid into a competition or a contest, again owing to Wright's musical leadership. I would be amiss in not mentioning two highlights of the performance and they were the songs "Old Rugged Cross" and "Dark as a Dungeon" which again show-cased the incredible blend of voices and finely crafted instrumentals of all four members.
The audience wouldn't let them get off the stage at closing time. Two standing ovations, two encores. There's an old saying: "Don't leave five minutes before the miracle happens." That old saw seemed to fit the mood last Saturday night at Lucketts. This is as good as it gets - and if you missed it, well, maybe you should just stay at home and be contented with your $4,000 plasma TV. You're missing out on the good things in life, My Friend!
Coming up next: Norman Wright and Fellow musicians join to raise funds for Warren Blair at a full day's musical event in Vienna, Virginia.
Fiddler and Vocalist Warren Blair Needs Your Help . . .
It was announced at the Lucketts School House Show that there would be a special Fundraiser for Warren Blair the following day at the local Moose Lodge in Vienna, Virginia. Norman Wright and Kevin Church would be the headliners along with a whole raft of Virginia and Maryland musicians who have supported each other over the years in the mid-Atlantic country music and bluegrass scene - a rich legacy of talented people who have contributed mightily to keeping this style of music alive and kicking. Blair played his heart out Saturday night with the Recent Addition and apparently he is not well. On top of that he's burdened with the financial problems that accompany this kind of situation. It's a double whammy no one should ever have to face. The call went out, I was intrigued, and decided I could devote a little time and money to the cause. I didn't expect to stay as long as I did.
The deal was contribute $10 and come and listen to some music for as long as you like from 12 noon until 8:00 pm. How could you go wrong with that? I've lived right near the Moose Lodge for 35 years and had never been in it. I never knew the Lodge had a huge entertainment hall attached to it. It's hidden by a lot of trees. I was met at the door by the organizer of the event, Allen Case, and he made me feel at home. Walking into the place was like stepping into some of the places I hung out at in National City near San Diego in the early 60's. I expected at any minute to run into Clint Eastwood and his Orangutan 'Clyde.' Don't get me wrong. I've gone on record as not being particularly thrilled with today's idea of "Country Music.". But what I heard wafting through the rafters was not today's country music. It's been said that real country music should evoke some sense of loss in an individual, and it should also evoke a sense of that loss being replaced with a more pleasant memory. Maybe that's why I keep digging a deeper hole into Bluegrass. Up on the stage were the Hall Brothers and they were really digging deep into some ancient cover songs. I had come to listen to Bluegrass - but these guys were really good.
Soon Norman Wright strolled in and joined up with Kevin Church and his group of friends. Norman said hello to me and I asked him how he could still be on his feet after the 4-hour fire and brimstone performance at Lucketts the previous evening. Always with a smile on his face, Wright just laughed it off. There was a cause to be met and a friend was in trouble. With more mandolin and banjo cases arriving I knew the place would soon get cooking. The group Mill Run was up next and soon all the musicians on hand (including Warren Blair, who was in rare vocal form throughout the afternoon,) were switching off in different combinations until I left at 4:30. Along for the ride were Mark Clifton, Terry Pearson, J.D. Dawson, Lynn Healey, Bob and Billy Sue Goff, Chip Clemmer, Chris Hall, Chick Hall, and a host of other friends of Warren Blair. If I missed anybody, please e-mail me so I can correct the record. The afternoon, all-day event was an amazing array of talent and support for a fellow musician. Thanks for a really great time. If I hear of any more of these events for Warren I'll post notices on this site.
Donations may be sent to:
Warren Blair, 706 Middle River Road, Baltimore, Md. 21220
View My Photos of this Event in the Photo Section
Narita International Airport, Tokyo:
I've spent the major portion of my working life hanging out in airports. You run into the most amazing people. So it was, sometime around 1995 or 1996, I was stuck at Narita Airport on my way back from another working trip in Viet Nam and I was trying to get to Los Angeles. I had made the trip a lot, guiding tour groups of Marine Corps veterans and a few Army veteran groups back to the old battlefields. The old airport has changed these days, but back then it was overcrowded and very confusing. I was all too familiar with the upper level, where I knew I could grab a few smokes before the next flight - the 10 or eleven-hour portion that would get me back to California. Our flight was delayed. We would be there a few hours just killing time. Me and a couple of the old Marines sat back in the uncomfortable benches and dragged on our cigarettes. We surveyed the mass of humanity around us and tried to pick out the U.S. military guys who were always coming and going through Narita.
I noticed a few musicians milling about (the long, unkempt hair and guitar cases are always a dead giveaway). Seated across from us was a short guy dressed in denim. He had this handlebar mustache and wild, long, hair-do that was going almost totally gray. He was staring at us, checking out the Marine Corps emblems that one of my compatriots was wearing on his jacket. Under my breath I said to my traveling mate, "You know who that is? That's Freddy Fender!" Just then Doug Kershaw and Porter Wagoner strolled up and started talking to Freddy. They left and moved over to the other group of musicians. We sat there pretty much in amazement. Freddy made the next move. He got up and started coming our way. "Are you guys Marines?" We nodded, and I said, "Hi Freddy, How ya Doing?" "Stuck here." he responded, and chuckled. We were all stuck there. We thought that would be the end of it. He would extend his pleasantries and then get up and leave. But he didn't. He spent the next few hours with us talking about traveling and the big concert they had just completed in Tokyo. Seems the Japanese just can't let loose of their country/western heroes. Freddy looked tired and beat and he just wanted to get home like the rest of us. When Porter Wagoner and Kershaw came back, Freddy introduced them to us.
Freddy Fender died of lung cancer on 14 October 2006, and when I heard the news I thought back to that meeting. It wasn't until I read his full biography that I realized why he was probably staring at us that evening in Japan. I never knew it (and he certainly didn't mention it) but Freddy had also served his country as a Marine. I can't confirm this, but the story quickly went through Marine Corps scuttlebutt networks that Freddy had requested to be buried in Marine Corps Dress Blues. If the story's true, that's pride for you. He was not forgotten - at least not by the Marine Corps - the day his death was announced I must have gotten 20 or 30 e-mails from Marine Corps buddies who wanted to share the news about Freddy's passing. Freddy (born Baldemar Huerta in San Benito, Texas) was an original. A poor Chicano working in a Gringo world of Tex-Mex, you never knew which idiom he would swing into next - you never knew what you were listening to - maybe it was country/western, maybe it was rock and roll. But it really didn't matter. What he did was good, as exemplified by his number of hits and gold records. Baldemar made his mark and God had gifted him with an entertainer's abundance of talent.
We live in a great country that soon forgets. At the end of each year, on December 31st, I always look forward to the newscasts, the look-backs, the retrospects. You know the drill - "Let's review who we lost this past year." I waited for Freddy's name to pop up at the turning of 2006 to 2007. Nada - zip - no mention of Baldemar Huerta, aka Freddy Fender. Just like last year there was no mention of Ray Baretto, one of the world's great Conga Drummers, and an artist who had a lot to do with establishing the Cuban Sound in New York City.
There's a real special group of warriors who will remember and honor Freddy - The U.S. Marine Corps never forgets one of its own.
