Listen to the Mockingbird...

After more than enough of Ben Franklin's favorite bird and all the super sides on Thanksgiving day thanks to nephew Matt King and his new bride Liz, we hit the highway to at least make some attempt to walk off such a fine feast.  Destination:  milepost 5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the trailhead for Humpback Rocks, an awesome outcropping where I camped as a Boy Scout.  It's a short hike but a steep one, marked "strenuous" on the trail guide, an assessment with which I concurred while remembering the mashed potatoes and corn pudding from the day before.  Made me wish I had a couple extra young legs like Em's puggle Opie, who easily outpaced her master's parents.  I love treks like this one where you huff and puff a bit for a spectacular payoff...a 360 degree vista with haze-free views of the Shenandoah and Rockfish Valleys.  Windy and clear with a few snow-laden clouds blowing by for an extra edge.  Invigoration. 

The climb was also effectively a way to justify another good meal, a few drafts and some live music in Staunton's new restaurant/listening room, The Mockingbird.  As described in an earlier post, this new venue is now open at the western end of Beverley Street downtown...there's the main dining room when you first walk in, and there's the separate Roots Music Hall which on this night featured our pal Jesse Harper sharing the bill with Staunton favorite son Nathan Moore.  Jesse went first with the seriously tasteful accompaniment of keyboardist Wells Hanley.  Jesse's becoming a solid and compelling solo artist with well-crafted originals like "One True Thing" and "Memphis" along with well-chosen covers including his spot-on take on James Taylor's "Bartender's Blues."  (And for something completely different, check out Wells' zany video "Brainiology" here, also starring Robby Sinclair and Curtis Fye.  Whew!)

Then the hometown boy stepped in to stake his claim, with some spiffy duds and illuminated slight-of-hand, and of course the clever and insightful homemade tunes that won him the Telluride Troubadour title in 2008 and lots of new fans including me at FloydFest last summer.  Plus he's the son of a couple of my old classmates at Lee High School, all-around good guy Steve Moore and the former Gloria Lutz.  We had a fine reunion...and the show was terrific too.  You need to check out the Mockingbird's Website and find out who you might like to see there (like the Honey Dewdrops on Dec. 11) and make a night of it.  Again, the former chef from Richmond's Six Burner, Lee Gregory is running the kitchen, which was slammed on this Friday night, but they still cranked out some deliciously imaginative fare.  It's great to see so much going on in my old hometown.  (above photos by Emily Timberlake)

 

Thanks to B.J. Kocen for the chance to share judging duties with Kay Landry at Ashland Coffee & Tea for their 2nd Songwriter's Showdown a week ago.  I had a blast.  And congratulations to Clay Motley who took first, and won us over with a smoothly delivered set of solid tunes to his own adept accompaniment on guitar.  Another round of contestants appeared tonight and will from now on...a great way to spend a Monday night, whether you're competing or just listening.  And don't forget the paid professionals on their way to AC&T this month, including the Taters, The Gobstoppers and Tony Furtado respectively Wed-Fri nights this week, Adam Steffey & Kym Warner on the 9th, Robin & Linda Williams on the 11th and a very special John Cowan Christmas on the 18th.  And don't miss Charles Arthur's CD release party there on Tuesday the 15th.  The project is called Back At The Christmas Shack and you can preview a few choice tracks here.

So what the heck was Alison Krauss doing at the big game in Charlottesville on Saturday?  Randy and I are dying to know.

Have a meaningful 12th month...TT

rabbit

Acoustic feast...

With two memorable but disparate performances still lingering in my mind's ear...Saturday's mesmerizing reconnect with Jesse Winchester at AC&T and last night's raucous return of Robert Earl Keen, Jr. at the National, it's time to move ahead to compelling offerings over the next few days before Thanksgiving.  We might well be sold out for tomorrow's JAMinc/In Your Ear studio concert with Anne & Pete Sibley but it wouldn't hurt to check here if you're up for our last show of the year.  Friday marks a potent pairing that Brad Wells conceived at the National, gifted singer-songwriter David Wilcox along with guitar wizard Phil Keaggy.  There'll be floor seating for this intimate collaboration between two of acoustic music's most expressive practitioners and again, I'm offering up a pair of  free tickets.  No questions this time...just email me:  mail@timtimberlake.com and say you want them...I'll have a drawing on Thursday and let you know if you've won.

On the way home from Ashland last Saturday, we caught an assured and delighted songwriting contest winner named Grace Pettis on the syndicated radio show Mountain Stage.  The apple falls close to the tree, as her dad is talented composer/singer Pierce Pettis who happens to be playing Richmond on Saturday as part of Cafe Caturra Coffee House Series at St. Giles Presbyterian Church on Grove Avenue.  Listen to some of Pierce's great tunes on his MySpace page and consider taking in his thoughtful and inspired performance.  I also have a free pair of tickets for that show...same deal.  Email me a request and I'll draw on Friday. 

After taking a much-needed night off for reflection and retrospection at Little Compton on Sunday, it's back to Ashland Coffee and Tea on Monday for their 2nd Songwriter Showdown.  Congrats to Louis Ledford for winning the debut event this past Monday...this week I have the honor of co-judging the competition with Kay Landry and host B.J. Kocen.  Come to listen or to give a couple of your originals an appreciative audience.  Pertinent details are on the Website and the cover's only $5.  Should be a blast. 

Good wishes for healing wanted for Page Wilson after a vehicular mishap a few weeks ago left him hurting and having to miss a couple of his Saturday night OOTBRR shows on WCVE-FM.  Feel better Page...the big swamp's just not the same without you.  TT

(all photos in this post from artist Websites)

A Natural Collaboration...

It may have been something their agent Keith Case cooked up, but judging by the smiles on stage at Hat Factory last Friday, it appeared that Larry Keel and his band Natural Bridge from up Rockbridge County had been longtime friends and musical associates of the man, the myth, the master...Tony Rice.  My first live experience with Larry  proved more than positive as his flatpicking prowess produced more than one raised eyebrow and broad grin on Mr. Rice's face.   Along with wife Jenny on bass, Mark Schimick on mandolin and Jason Flournoy on banjo, the Natural Bridge kept the nice-sized crowd pumped with a juicy set of roots-based power grass, before the legend even left the green room.  During the break, this former Stauntonian played "do you know" with the band as we passed a nice bottle of Jameson around.  My old compadre Charlie Reilly (who was our blog ticket winner-correct answer: Magraw Gap) shared the observation that he'd seen Marty Stuart at Toad's Place, the venue's previous moniker, playing the other iconic Clarence White guitar...his 1954 B-bender Fender Telecaster.   So with the 1935 big hole D-28 now in the house in Tony's gifted hands, Clarence had come full circle.  Tony seemed pleased at that notion.  And he proved as he has so many times before that he can fit slip into any musical setting and turn it to gold.  Look for a new Tony Rice Unit studio project early in 2010.  Good news.

 

Lone star statesman Robert Earl Keen's back for his annual autumnal stop in River City this coming Tuesday, this time, for the first time at the National, which should prove to be his perfect local launch pad.  And thanks to a National sense of compassion, we'll put you and yours on the guest list if you can answer this query:  What does Robert Earl call the one-room shack fifteen miles from his Kerrville home out on the prairie where he goes to be alone and write his story songs?  I'll do a drawing on Saturday from correct responses to mail@timtimberlake.com.  He'll no doubt be doing a bunch of tunes from his latest album The Rose Hotel along with the growing list of songs his devoted fan base loudly demands every time.  And no doubt Christmas will arrive early again this year.  Fran and Rita will again drive from Harlingen.  Will you at least drive downtown?

Don't forget about Chris Smither and Jesse Winchester playing AC&T this Thursday and Saturday respectively.  Kay and the Parmeles won't be able to keep bringing artists of this caliber here unless we show our gratitude by showing up.   And we hope you'll grace us with your presence and something tasty to eat as JAMinc presents its final In Your  Ear Studio concert of the season on Thursday, the 19th.  You don't want to miss those sweet Sibley harmonies from the foot of the Tetons.  We're filling up fast to hear Anne & Pete so grab your seats here.  And a grateful nod to Julie Geen for the piece on JAMinc in this week's  Style Weekly.  Pick up a free copy anywhere or read it online here. (Sibleys photo from their Website)

"How high's the water Mama?  Six feet high and rising."  True story, with the James running maybe ten more feet by Friday night.  The blog Tobacco Avenue reports evidence of an ark being built at Maymont.  At least get the flying squirrels on there.

TT

Then and now...

First a glance over the shoulder to a couple of memorable performances you probably missed.  Back to Sunday, October 25th where my cozy rural church in Goochland County was host to the sensational Oberon Quartet.   Hebron Presbyterian was founded in 1842 and in recent years thanks to our music director Markus Compton (the new leader of the Richmond Choral Society incidentally), we've been privy to a wide variety of performers from classical to jazz to bluegrass in an inviting, worshipful setting.  Comprised of four gifted members of the Richmond Symphony, the Oberon Quartet, artists-in-residence at St. Catherine's School, enthralled us with an expansive program that included the world premiere of The More Things Change, an original composition by Richmond's own John Winn,  best known for his extensive endeavors in the jazz realm.  In three unique movements (the 2nd of which, Stasis,  was one of the most lush and dreamy things I've ever heard), John's work came to life, thanks to violinists Susy Yim and Alana Carithers, violist Molly Sharp and cellist William Comita.  It was a privilege to hear such artistry radiating from a score played for the first time anywhere.  I hope John's work will be properly recorded soon so it can be shared with the rest of the world.  Bravo!

I'd first met Wil Maring, an enchanting singer/songwriter from the Land of Lincoln, when she played the Cabin Stage at MerleFest more than ten years ago as a winner of the Chris Austin songwriting contest.  On that April Friday night she became a member of a distinguished sorority that also would include Gillian Welch, Adrienne Young, Tift Merritt and Martha Scanlan.  She brought her road partner/sideman Robert Bowlin along for the ride to Richmond to play one of our JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio Concerts last Friday and it was pure magic.  Robert's a past Winfield, Kansas national flatpicking champion and the last fiddler to play in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, as well as a sensitive backup vocalist and the two of them cast a spell over the two delightful sets that included "Bottomland," the tune that won the contest and my affection all those years ago, another poignant original "Keeper of the Farm" you can see here and a show-stopping take on Cole Porter's western show tune "Don't Fence Me In."  Look for that one in the soon-to-be-released JAMinc/IYE compilation CD.  They had a tough act to follow.  Lucille Brown Middle School 6th grader Harper Speagle-Price opened the show with a handful of well-played tunes on her mandolin, backed up by dad Terry on guitar and Barry Lawson on bass.  She was poised, cool and collected and you can count on hearing much more from this talented 11-year-old in the years to come. 

Our next In Your Ear concert, the last of 2009, will feature Anne and Pete Sibley from Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Thursday, November 19th.  As mentioned before, they won the "Great American Duet Sing Off" on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion last spring for good reason.  Come hear why...reservations soon on our JAMinc Website.  Don't dally on this one.                          

(All above photos from artist Websites)

Sunday night had me back at the Landmark to host the Richmond Pops Band's fall concert and it's a kick to hang backstage in that venerable hall with consummate stage manager Donna Pendarvis and hear that big and brassy group of musicians work the crowd so powerfully.  The incredible U.S. Army Chorus was back as special guests from DC and their announcer was Staff Sgt. Jesse Neace whom you might have caught singing "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch in Game 3 of the World Series in Philly.  What a thrill for a super nice young guy!  Thanks to RPB director Joe Simpkins for one of my favorite recurring gigs.  You still might be able to get free tickets to their annual holiday concert on December 14th by sending a SASE to the Richmond Pops Band, 3811 Cotrell Road, Richmond 23234, before Dec. 7th.  Limit 4 per letter.

So much music down the short road...including Rockbridge County roots rocker Larry Keel and Natural Bridge at Hat Factory this Friday night, with very special guest Tony Rice.   I've heard Tony in many settings over the decades but this should be a unique environment for him.  Intrigued?  Just tell me the name of the group Larry was in that won the Telluride band competition in 1995 and I've got a pair of free tickets to the show for you.  (Hint:  Danny Knicely was in it too)  I'll draw from correct answers to mail@timtimberlake.com.

Lots of great shows booked at Ashland Coffee & Tea this month including Richmond Folk Festival regulars Coleman & Fuller on the 4th, Chatham County Line on the 6th, Chris Smither on the 12th and Jesse Winchester on the 14th.  And don't forget Texas road warrior Robert Earl Keen at the National on the 17th.  Please get out and support these venues that are going out on a limb for us in bringing all this top-drawer talent to town.

One of the most creative, tireless, effective, zany, enduring, fearless, witty, dapper and debonair gentlemen to ever work a microphone for a living, Harvey Lee Hudson, Jr. called it quits Sunday after 88 action-packed years of doing what he did best...being himself.  Charming the socks off anyone in his presence either in person or on the air, ol' Harv set the bar impossibly high.  Era over.  The "Passing Parade" goes on forever.  Heaven has a new host.             

(Adolph B. Rice Studio photo/April 27, 1949)

TT

Straight from the Crooked Road

Those who joined us this past Saturday night at the Virginia Historical Society for warm and wonderful performances by  Wayne Henderson & Helen White along with the Dixie Bee-Liners may still be sporting indelible smiles thanks to witnessing Wayne's mastery up close and hearing (maybe again) his delightful story of the day Billy Graham drove a limousine.  Or sharing in mom Melinda's pride as 15-year-old Danielle Sargent confidently filled Casey Henry's banjo slot with the Bee-Liners after only a brief green room rehearsal.  Here she is taking her victory bow with co-founder Buddy Woodward.  Thanks to Jennifer Guild and all the VHS crew for sharing their elegant space with us.  We hope to do more music there down the road.  Thanks to Bob Brown and Page Dowdy for the above photos.

You may have enjoyed Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at FloydFest this past summer...if you were left hungry for more, she graces the National this Thursday night.  She's a powerhouse.

 

The IBMA Awards handed out earlier this month saw last year's sweepers Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent take Vocal Group and the big one...Entertainer of the Year once again.   And I hear they blew the lid off the Ryman at the award show with their a cappella rendering of "Don't You Want To Go To Heaven."  If you've never supped from this duo's cup of soaring gospel harmony, your most pressing opportunity is this Friday as they make a return trip to Richmond's West End Assembly of God on Parham Road...thrills and chills guaranteed.

Our next JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio Concert promises to be another gem, as past MerleFest/Chris Austin songwriter winner Wil Maring and her duo partner Robert Bowlin join us on the eve of Halloween, Friday, October 30th.  They've toured Europe extensively and played the Opry.  Reservations only $15 in advance (no surcharges) and $20 at the door.   And we're happy to have our talented young friend Harper Speagle-Price, accompanied by her dad Terry and Barry Lawson on bass as musical appetizers. Harper's the former Mary Munford mandolin student who's now at Lucille Brown Middle School.  Come hear how far she's come.  Better not procrastinate on this one.

Lots more to come this fall...an embarrassment of riches, as they say.  Do pace yourself but catch as much as you can...the music matters.

(Bowlin & Maring photo from her Website)

TT

Don't Need No Ticket...

After Maggie Ingram's daughter completed her stirring monologue about simpler times and blessings to be counted, the throngs gathered under and around the Virginia Folklife tent were offered a completely heart-rending rendition of "Beulah Land" by Richmond's gospel treasures, the Ingramettes.  And when, right on cue, a CSX coal train lumbered over the riverside trestle and sounded its whistle, I fought back tears, recalling Curtis Mayfield's mid-sixties anthem "People get ready, there's a train a comin'.  You don't need no baggage, you just get on board.  All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'.  You don't need no ticket...you just thank the Lord."  Looking out over the reverent and completely engaged crowd of many colors, we listened to this gifted family sing with such soulful intensity, they dissolved the invisible walls that divide us and delivered hope for a brighter day.  I learned a lot that Saturday at the 2nd Richmond Folk Festival...that Maggie had moved to our city from Georgia in 1961 and found employment in the home of attorney and civil rights icon Oliver W. Hill, Sr.  And she often appeared with the Silver Star Quartet, forty-year Sunday morning fixtures on WRVA Radio.  This elegant matriarch and her progeny holding court was the highlight of this year's three-day gathering for me, much as it was two years prior.  Much credit again goes to Virginia's folklorist Jon Lohman who programmed the "Sacred Sounds, Sacred Places" theme for this year's Folklife area and wisely brought back the Ingram family, old time singing Baptist preacher Frank Newsome and Tidewater's powerful a cappella ensemble the Paschall Brothers.  Amen and amen.

 

(panorama by Charlie Reilly)                                           The heavenly Father blessed us with another wonderful weekend of weather despite the light sprinkles of Saturday afternoon.  If the TV weatherfolk hadn't made such a deal of a rainy Saturday forecast, attendance that day would have likely been as strong as Sunday's record-breaking numbers.  This fifth collaboration between our city and the National Council for the Traditional Arts continues to earn the affection and appreciation of an increasingly wide demographic, with respect to both age and ethnicity.  It's apparent that people are learning that folk music in the inclusive sense is less a hootenanny and more a celebration of the world's cultural traditions.  Let's take good care of it. 

Another rewarding experience for me came before the festival even started, as I drove and ran sound for the remarkable Tuvan throat singers, Khogzhumchu.  We took these four gentle souls and their interpreters Elena and Constantine from New York's CEC Artslink, to five public school appearances, where they filled young minds with sounds never before heard...of wind and birds and rushing water in rhythmic songs astonishingly created solely by vox humana.  It was a thrill to see and feel the reception they received. 

(Bora Ju and Min Ji Kim from Korea-Wally Thulin photo)   And I'm proud of our non-profit JAMinc for coordinating transportation and sound reinforcement for six Festival performing groups.  We covered sixteen different schools Thursday and Friday and brought compelling musical experiences to over five thousand young people.  Thanks to TNT Limousine for the vans.  Mission accomplished!

And a serious salute to all my intrepid artist hosts who made sure all the festival performers had a proper good time in our fair city and made it from hotel to stage to CD signing to lunch to the next stage and back to the hotel all weekend long.  You guys are the best ambassadors Richmond could ask for.  My one regret is that it's all over for another year.  I sincerely hope you witnessed at least some of RFF II.  It's  truly Richmond's finest hour.  And you don't need no ticket.

I wimped out and left my camera at home this year so I'm grateful for my visually-gifted pal Charlie Reilly for preserving images and sharing a few with us to your right.

At least there's much more great music in the pipeline starting with tonight (Thursday) at the Capital Ale House downtown as that highly-evolved string band from California makes its way back to town...that's right, the Waybacks return for a couple of wild and witty sets of quality tunes.  Don't miss James, Warren, Chuck and Joe.  We won't.

Saturday, one of the coolest roots combos you could imagine is happening on the Boulevard thanks to JAMinc and the Virginia Historical Society...an evening of "Tunes From The Crooked Road" featuring legendary luthier/guitarist Wayne Henderson and his tuneful pal Helen White along with one of the nation's top contemporary string bands, the Dixie Bee-Liners.  Virginia's Heritage Music Trail winds through the southwest part of the Commonwealth, near places like Rugby, Wayne's hometown,(population: 7) and provides an actual and figurative link to our dearest folk traditions.  The duo's earnest stories and songs will be complemented by the Bee-Liners fresh lyrics, tight harmonies and instrumental prowess.  The Roots Music Association named them Bluegrass Artists of the Year in 2008.  The concert starts at 7:30pm in the luxurious Robins Family Forum auditorium at 428 N. Boulevard.  Tickets are $20 in advance and for VHS members, $25 at the door.  You can buy them online here.

A footnote:  we caught the CD release matinee at Ashland Coffee & Tea a few Sundays back for the rock-solid string swing jazz band, Gypsy Roots.  Richmond should be very proud of Thomas Wakefield's impressive ensemble and how far they've come.  The new album is entitled Chakra Odyssey and it's must listening.  Somewhere Django is smiling.

Live music lives only if we head out to hear it.  Let's go.

TT

(Wayne & Helen photo by Bob Brown at In Your Ear; Dixie Bee-Liners photo from their Website)

Blown Away...

For those of us on hand for the first of two evenings with harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy at In Your Ear last night, it was one of those special nights that makes one grateful for the gift of music and those who invest their hearts and souls into the art of making it.  Howard and his gifted and tasteful guitarist Chris Siebold mesmerized the intimate audience which included local blues legend L'il Ronnie along with jazz mentor and JAMinc co-founder Doug Richards.  It was a profound experience to see such serious musicians truly astounded by Chris' and Howard's stunning artistry.  And the recording is spectacular...we'll let you know when some of it might air on WCVE-FM.  You should have been there...but the beautiful thing is, we have them for one more incredible show tonight at 7:30.  (Doors at 6:30, $20)   I can't urge you strongly enough to be spontaneous.  Just do it.  And be looking out for a short Flecktones reunion tour with Howard onboard this November.  In Your Ear Studios are at 19th and Broad.  (photo by Page Dowdy)

 

And it was a big night for Brad Spivey and his Honky Tonk Experience as they provided the proper backdrop for Black Tie & Boots, the annual pre-State Fair throwdown at the brand new venue, Meadow Event Park.  Don't let a little needed rain keep you away from this sprawling and much more appropriate setting for the State Fair of Virginia.  Just north of Ashland, exit 98 off I-95.  It runs through Oct 4th and there's a lot to see...and hear.

 

The Experience is playing one of a handful of terrific pre-Folk Festival gigs starting Sunday, October 4th (theirs is at the Hat Factory on the 7th) called the Richmond Roots Music Sessions.  Check out the full lineup here.  Big thanks to Todd Ranson for all his legwork in putting this awesome addition to the Festival together.  Crank it up!

TT

Crown Jewel

By all indications, Richmond's elegant new performing arts complex CenterStage has been more than worth the wait. We got a first look tonight during dress rehearsal for the grand opening Saturday night in the fully enhanced and expanded Carpenter Theatre. It's been meticulously restored and repainted with more bars, more restrooms and inviting lounges and public spaces. First class all the way...and we didn't get to see the 200-seat Gottwald Playhouse and the smaller Rhythm Hall that will afford more intimate venues under the same big roof between 6th and 7th Streets along East Grace. You can take in the big show featuring all of CenterStage's resident companies including the Richmond Symphony, Ballet, Shakespeare and Jazz Society plus SPARC, The African American Repertory Theatre, Barksdale/Theatre IV, Elegba Folklore Society and the Virginia Opera. Tim and Daphne Maxwell Reid proved genial and light-hearted hosts during tonight's rehearsal and the challenging stage changeovers were amazingly smooth. If you make the scene on Saturday, look for John Winn and his dad Jack (left) blowing twin saxes and crooning "The Best Is Yet To Come" with Desiree Roots Centeio. (That's David Hoggard on drums) And prepare to be impressed by the AART tap and stomp production of Langston Is My Man inspired by Harlem poet Langston Hughes. (below) Hats off to producer/director Keith Martin who did a sterling job of wrangling hundreds of performers and crew, and this was just rehearsal. Richmond's new star attraction should shine brightly Saturday night. Plus you can tour the place for free during a Sunday afternoon open house. Details and info on all the above on the CenterStage Website. Oh, and fittingly, Mother Abbess showed up from the Sound of Music and sang "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." The climb has been challenging and contentious but the view from the top is spectacular.

TT

September Songs

So far, the ninth month has brought luxuriously less humid more comfortable weather, a full corn moon, a much-needed soaking rain at the end of the Labor Day weekend, and a heightened anticipation of the season that comes next. Fall is my favorite of the four, and I find that preference grows with each passing year. The AC-free open windows, the lengthening shadows cast by more golden rays of sunlight, and the wistful awareness that life is indeed passing and every moment is more precious. Music plays a big part in that and there’s so much to look forward to in this and the months to follow. A few highlights…

The much-anticipated opening of Richmond CenterStage is this coming Saturday downtown at 6th and Grace. After a long and often painful gestation, we’ll all be anxious to see the birth of the new Carpenter Theater with wider, more cushy seating, a freshly fancy paint job and a greatly expanded backstage/load in capacity. The first glimpse will feature performers from nine of our area’s cultural fixtures including the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Ballet. Hopes are high that this re-burnished jewel will assume its rightful place as Richmond’s cultural focal point, with creative booking that gives everyone a reason to come downtown and be inspired.

If you want to give the CenterStage folks a little time to work out the inevitable bugs and don’t feel the need to be there on opening night, you might want to witness the potent reunion of Chuck “Rockin’ Daddy” Wrenn and Barry “Mad Dog” Gottlieb who’ll be overseeing the festivities this Saturday at the BennyFit for Hospice at the Playing Field out on West Broad. For those who frequented Benny Waldbauer’s punk rock club Benny’s, near Monroe Park back in the eighties, you can bask in those hazy memories as members of the Ortho-Tonics, Beex, The Good Guys, the Diversions and others give it their all to recapture the magic. Outspoken smooth operator Chris Bopst will also partake. Proceeds go to Bon Secours Hospice. (old Benny’s poster from The Throttle-1981)

The following weekend, the Virginia Folk Music Association will bestow its highest honor to native son Sammy Shelor for his contribution to bluegrass and evolution of the five-string banjo. He will join fellow finger pickers Roy Clark, Ralph Stanley, Bill Emerson, Eddie Adcock and Ben Eldridge in the VFMA Hall…Sammy’s a four-time winner of IBMA’s banjo player of the year award and is a finalist again this year, has played with the Heights of Grass, the Virginia Squires and currently leads the solid-as-ever Lonesome River Band. Sammy’s induction will include an LRB performance at the Chesterfield Fairgrounds on Friday, the 18th. More info and tickets are available here. Let’s all turn out and celebrate one of this generation’s true stylists and genuinely nice guys.

Ashland Coffee and Tea has regained its stride with some very compelling local and touring artists on its fall schedule, including Bill Kirchen, Chatham County Line, Chris Smither and Jesse Winchester. Keep an eye on their ever-changing Website.

A fine lineup of players will join Mark Newton in Fredericksburg on September 19th for his Homecoming Pickin’ Party at Maury Stadium.  Artists include Larry Stephenson, Claire Lynch, IIIrd Tyme Out and the Seldom Scene and a big jam at the end of the day.  Advance tickets are $30 available here, and proceeds benefit the James Monroe High School athletic program…I think Mark played baseball there.  So its a….homer!

JAMinc presents a double opportunity to experience the remarkable virtuosity of Grammy winner Howard Levy, one of the most innovative harmonica players of all time on September 24th and 25th at In Your Ear Recording in the Bottom. Howard and his veteran guitarist Chris Siebold will offer a far-ranging set list including jazz, blues, latin and pop melodies with a few old Flecktone favorites thrown in for good measure. You can reserve one of 80 seats we’ll have each night here (click on “events”) or you can get lucky and win a pair for Thursday night here by answering the following question: Mr. Levy’s harp was heard on the soundtrack of what 1996 film adapted from a novel of the same name by a Virginia writer? I’ll draw from all correct responders to mail@timtimberlake.com on September 12.

Jamgrass devotees will welcome Railroad Earth back to the National on Friday, the 25th and I’ve got a pair of comps to that show as well…here’s the question: Name the band lead vocalist Todd Sheaffer played in prior to starting Railroad Earth. Email answers again to mail@timtimberlake.com. Drawing for duplicate correct replies on September 14th.

There are still quite a few volunteer slots in numerous capacities available for the 2nd annual Richmond Folk Festival, October 9-11. Check the Website to sign up and enjoy the sweet satisfaction of being a part of one of the best things ever to happen to our city. And stay tuned for the soon-to-be announced lineup of the Richmond Roots Music Sessions, a nightly warm-up for the Festival starting at Legend Brewery on Sunday, October 4th. Some of our town’s best from all over the musical map will be performing at places like Capital Ale House, Plaza Bowl, Gibson’s, and The Hat Factory. What an amazing week we have in store…soak up as much as you possibly can.

And if RFF II leaves you hankering for more, the west coast’s Waybacks blow into town on Wednesday, October 15th at Capital Ale House.  Preaching to the choir for many of you extolling their extensive musical virtues, but this is definitely a band that shines live.  The records don’t do them justice.  They can do it all.  Tickets available online.

A footnote: the previously announced reunion concert with the Robbin Thompson Band at the National on November 27th will be re-scheduled to another date shortly…

Hope your summer’s been as memorable as mine…hard to let the memories fade so quickly. But that’s ok…fall’s in the air and that will ease the post partem summertime blues.

Thanks for the read…TT

(Howard Levy photo from his Website)

Cautionary Tales

A belated retrospective of the past week of enhanced musical adventures, starting a week ago tonight when we were thankfully persuaded to make the Mekong scene ostensibly to celebrate the West Broad Vietnamese eatery’s 14th anniversary with a beer-soaked bash to remember, even though mine’s a bit hazy.  The draw was all the Belgian draft beer, wings and spring rolls you could consume, a commemorative glass and t-shirt (above) and the clincher, a beefed-up version of Richmond’s potent Modern Grove Syndicate, with Daniel Clarke back on keys and guest sax solos from Samson Trinh. (A side note:  Samson’s big band take on the Beatles’ Abbey Road, at least what I’ve heard of it, is remarkable…it’ll be well worth the long wait.)  It was a big night on all levels, especially the brew which I wasn’t quite prepared for…the Grande Reserve Chimay Ale for example weighs in at 9% alcohol.  Bottom line…the stuff’ll sneak up on you…it took many of us by surprise…I was grateful to have a designated driver.  Mekong’s selection of Belgian and world beers is said to be the best in town…behold but beware.

 

A healing ride up 64 to Staunton on Thursday meant a rendezvous with sister Robyn who was already headed there for Lee High School’s 40th class reunion, and an intimate evening with Middlebrook residents Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group in a cozy black box of a theater on the campus of my sister’s alma mater Mary Baldwin College.  Robin and Linda were taping a live DVD with bandmates Jim Watson, Jimmy Gaudreau and Dr. Chris Brashear.  Robyn and Tim were enjoying re-discovering their old hometown.  The Williamses covered lots of musical turf including a lovingly revived “High Atmosphere,” their moving impression of seeing “Maybelle’s Guitar and Monroe’s Mandolin” in the  Country Music Hall of Fame, and some heroic homage to Hank Williams thanks to Robin’s take on “Ramblin’ Man” with his bluesy harp work and a stunning mando solo by Mr. Gaudreau.  The camaraderie and close harmony that ideally comes with more than 30 years of marriage shone brightly and the performance will be worth anticipating…the DVD is due out by year’s end.

We heard a lot of buzz from Stauntonians in the audience that night about the new upscale restaurant/music hall being carved out of an old downtown corner building.  Robyn and I stumbled on the construction zone on West Beverley during a post-breakfast walk the next morning and were excited to find the Mockingbird, billed as offering “Artisan Fare and Roots Music” well underway.  We got to talk with owner/proprietor Wade Luhn who was cagey about the level of talent he’s planning to book, but with a 160-seat dedicated listening room (above) and former Richmond chef Lee Gregory (Six Burner) in the kitchen, my gut says this guy’s gonna do things right and there may be a good many Queen City road trips in our future.  Breaking news…a fire starting in a trash can in the music hall on Sunday did some serious damage that will set back the opening but some hard work and insurance money should keep things on track.  And a chocolate malted for the road from Wright’s Dairy Rite was the perfect postlude.

We had to get back to set up for our 7th sold-out JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio Concert in a row, as seasoned PP&M players Dick Kniss and Paul Prestopino made their tedious way south on I-95 to join George Turman and Daniel Clarke once again for an emotional tribute to the folk legends who would likely do their last command performance at Wolf Trap the next night, sans Mary Travers.   Enduring friend Libby Dunton was also on hand to add her signature harmonies.  If you missed the music and the memories, stay tuned for a replay on Page Wilson’s Saturday night show down the road.

The finale to our four-day tour meant another run west up to the Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company near Wintergreen for the 1st annual Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival.   If you remember, Saturday was a bit soggy and a steady drizzle when we rolled in and the realization that you could see and hear the main stage from the terrace of the very nice and dry restaurant nearby, moved us to sit under an umbrella sipping craft brew and nibbling on nachos and wings all day. William Walter and his guitar man Tucker Rogers, along with Jesse Harper, Darrell Muller & Trey Pollard and the Infamous Stringdusters (right) were in top form as the crowd grew throughout the day and the rain went away.  The solo CD Jesse Harper & His Best Intentions is finally out and in a generous marketing gesture, he’s letting us download it for whatever we want to pay…let your conscience be your guide. Click here for details and follow the golden rule.

Conserving sufficient energy for our final stop wasn’t easy, but thanks to my perennially patient road pal, with some difficulty we found Bel Rio on Monticello Road (not Avenue), a new place in the up-and-coming Belmont section of Charlottesville, where newgrass rockers Cadillac Sky were holding forth.  The boys came to play and the crowd was more than appreciative.  They have a new 5-song EP entitled Weary Angel that you can get for free here with a t-shirt order.  And you can watch their latest video, a cover of Death Cab For Cutie’s, “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” here.  We’re working on getting them back to R’town in November.

More breaking news…good news this time:  the Robbin Thompson Band is reuniting for a handful of shows to  reprise their breakthrough album Two B’s Please from almost 30 years ago, starting at the National on November 27th.  RT plus Velpo Robertson, Eric Heiberg, Audie Stanley and Bob “Rico” Antonelli are honing their highly-evolved skills  to perform the best-selling project in its entirety…in its original sequence.  As solid as “Brite Eyes,” “Candy Apple Red,” and yes, “Sweet Virginia Breeze” were back then, it should be a powerful experience to hear what these songs have become with all that accumulated musical wisdom.  We’ll let you know when tickets go on sale.

Here’s a save the date…they’re inducting the inimitable Sammy Shelor into the VFMA’s Hall of Fame at the Chesterfield Fairgrounds on September 18.  It’s a well-deserved honor for Virginia’s five-string stylist who’s guided the Lonesome River Band back into the bluegrass limelight.  Details to come. And don’t miss the cool corn maze that Sam and wife Sue have created again this year up near Meadows of Dan.  It opens September 5th.

We’re well into our second hundred posts here and we’re grateful for your readership, input and nice words.  They mean a lot…TT

(Turman & Friends photos by Charlie Dunton.  The awesome early Robin & Linda photo from their personal collection)

Straight Ahead...

Good live stuff in the short term:  tonight, Richmond's Mekong Vietnamese restaurant on West Broad celebrates its 14th anniversary with a big food, beer & music party featuring the all-out ensemble Fear No Beer, whose members you may very well mistake for the seasoned vets of Modern Groove Syndicate.  The roving keyboardist for said group says the suds selection at Mekong is world class...Danny C should know.  There's a $40 tab but food, drink and tunes plus a t-shirt and take-home glass are included.  Deal.

  The aforementioned Mr. Clarke, back off the road for a few weeks, will also join the venerable George Turman and his other compelling compadres at a sold-out JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio A concert on Friday in the Bottom.  No more reservations...hope you have yours.

Saturday, the Chickahominy Swamp's most visible denizen hosts the Out O' The Blue Stage Revue  once again at Pocahontas State Park with Marna & Macy, L'il Ronnie & The Grand Dukes and of course Page Wilson & Reckless Abandon.  Advance tix are $8 with parking included.  Music starts at 6.  Hot fun in the summertime! 

Further out of town is the new Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival up near Wintergreen with the Sons of Bill,  the Infamous Stringdusters, Jesse Harper, William Walter and others...15/advance, 20/gate. Noondark.  (at right, Dusters Jeremy Garrett, Travis Book and Andy Hall)

And later that night, power stringband Cadillac Sky plays Bel Rio in Charlottesville for a 12 buck cover.  Indoors.

Oh, and Saturday night right here in River City, the ever- ready National welcomes Drive By Truckers with MerleFest darling Tift Merritt opening.  And it's good to hear the Toad's Place space is back as The Hat Factory...with the National already in fifth-gear they've got a big hill to climb...even with a mechanical bull!  We wish them well.

A non-musical footnote...watched the HBO documentary Resolved on DVD last night.  It's about the academic pursuit of debate at the highest level and it's a most engaging and fascinating treatment of what I expected to be dry and tedious.  Highly recommended Netflix viewing when it's too hot to be outside.

Les Paul is more...TT

(Turman & friends photo by Charles Dunton/Page Wilson and Cadillac Sky photos from their Websites)

Sweet and Sticky...

So this walking definition of "lanky" bounds on to the Charlottesville Pavilion stage Sunday night sporting light blue seersucker slacks, a bow tie and white suspenders and declares "It's great to be back down south, where the air is sweet and sticky."  A dramatically more gregarious Justin Townes Earle, as compared with our last laid-back encounter at Barksdale's "Stretchin'" series a few years ago, got things rolling for this Big Surprise Tour stop, two 90-minute sets with Steve Earle's gifted son, NY's Felice Brothers (former subway buskers), the Dave Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch, and the Old Crow Medicine Show, who each had their own time punctuated with frequent cross-pollination.  Although we may have preferred an indoor listening room to reverently take in the all-too-rare Welch/Rawlings appearance, the Pavilion is a fine shed as outdoor venues go and as the thermometer threatened the century mark at showtime, the shade and a dog's breath of a breeze made it tolerable.  And the ice-cold Bud in the 16-ounce aluminum bottles.  Highlights were definitely the chance to hear Dave get his long-deserved share of the spotlight with some new material we hope ends up on a CD.  And James Felice, the hulking accordion player and his whiskey barrel of a voice.  I missed seeing these guys at FloydFest and am grateful for a second chance.  An added plus was a nice chat with Robin Williams who's getting ready for a live HD DVD recording session with wife/roadmate Linda and Their Fine Group up in Staunton later this month.  Something to watch for.

Friday we witnessed a diverse night of music in Bruce and Adrian Olsen's Soundog Studios in north Richmond...light was too low for pictures but imagine a spacious barn of a studio with candlelit tables and chairs, Tiffany-style lamps, a grand piano gracing oriental rugs at the far end and one of Richmond's rock legends pulling it back a notch or two but still maintaining his edge and attitude.   It was a CD release party for Bruce's leaner, more earnest and earthy heros kings and lovers, recorded right there with pals Johnny Hott, Bob Rupe, Stephen McCarthy, Steve Bassett, and Joe McGloen with Adrian on percussion.  Original material.  They even did their own earth-friendly packaging.  And thanks to Adrian, we were treated to two compelling musical appetizers, singer/songwriter Keegan Dewitt from Nashville who also scores films, and Annie & The Beekeepers, a delightful acoustic trio from the Boston area comprised of Annie Lynch on lead vocals and guitar & banjo, Alexandra Spaulding on cello and harmony vocals and Charlottesville's Ken Woodward on bass.  They met Adrian at Berklee and with his help, recorded the Squid Hell Sessions EP which is available through CD Baby on their MySpace page.  Fine work. 

Do take a minute to check out Ashland Coffee and Tea's   new Website and a full calendar of music over the next few months, with all our local favorites plus plums like Eliza Gilkyson, Bill Kirchen, Moondi Klein & Jimmy Gaudreau, and in November, Chatham County Line and Chris Smither.  Jackie Frost and some of her musical boyfriends take the stage this Saturday. 

If you want to catch George Turman and his friends Paul Prestopino and Dick Kniss plus Daniel Clarke and Libby Dunton at our next JAMinc/In Your Ear studio concert on the 21st, click here quick...we're almost sold out.  It'll be a loving tribute to Peter Paul & Mary and then some...a very special night.  And reservations will be available soon for our two nights at IYE with harmonica/keyboard king Howard Levy on September 24th.  Save the date and check back.

One more thing...a pretty impressive lineup near Wintergreen on Saturday, the 22nd including the Infamous Stringdusters, Jesse Harper, the Sons of Bill and FloydFest faves William Walter and his guitar man Tucker Rogers.  It's called the Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival.  Hard to pass that one up.

Find some shade and some sweet tea and take in some live music...it'll help the dog days pass.  And welcome back down to the sweet and sticky south Wally!

TT

(Turman photo by Charles Dunton)

Gerloff Sendoff

  It was a hot August afternoon just west of the Boulevard when all Gary's people gathered to celebrate him in the manner by which he'd be most pleased...a sweaty club packed to the walls with good friends and disciples who came to properly fete the whiskered wonder with drink and song.  It couldn't have been a scene he'd have enjoyed more.  And it's a gross understatement to say that there was a lot of love in the room.  Proceeds from merch sales and the door went to an education fund for Gary & Mindy's  two great kids.  Richard Arthur's Cafe Diem was the room and all afternoon, one after the other thanks to typically spot-on stage management by Kevin "McMick" McGranahan, fourteen of Richmond's most enduring bands paid homage to the one who lasted not long enough.  We caught Little Ronnie & The Grand Dukes, The Charles Arthur Trio and  Billy Ray Hatley & The Showdogs....all doing their beer-soaked best to create the "pull out all the stops" atmosphere that echoed Mr. Gerloff's approach to life.  He leaves us in his wide and frothy wake and we'll surf it for as long as we can and try to be worthy.  RIP GG

FloydFeast

FloydFeast...an aptly coined title that I can't claim but will use to start this year's look back at what's evolved into a lovingly-crafted treat for all the senses near milepost 170 on the Blue Ridge Parkway every July.  Kris Hodges and his partner-in-dreams Erika Johnson have conceived and brilliantly executed this mountaintop celebration of music and its singular capacity for removing the walls that divide us to reveal the ties that bind.  Over four days on seven stages, the tunes pour out from players of all stripes, a dizzying accomplishment of scouting and scheduling on the part of the fully-engaged Mr. Hodges, his dedicated staff and legions of volunteers.  If you haven't, do take a look at the Website to peruse the rich list of performers. FloydFest is a time of discovery...of music you've never experienced that resonates with what you inherently recognize as well done.  And a generous helping of the familiar favorites.   Throw in the splendid scenery, the blissed-out fans, the creative campsites and the most mouthwatering array of festival food you'll ever find, and you have FloydFest 8...the Revival.  And even though I had to bug out before it was over this year, I'm still full to the brim with great memories and deep admiration and gratitude for all who made it happen.

Much of this year's event was captured in HD by a crew shooting for the Virginia Department of Tourism for a promotional video and maybe a documentary on the phenomenon that is FloydFest.  After a dust settling downpour the night before things got started, the weather was summer-perfect and the festers showed up in big numbers.  Leftover Salmon and String Cheese survivors respectively,Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi  and their bandmates pulled a fine first-day set on the Dreaming Creek main stage as did Chapel Hill rockers and Floyd-faves The Old Ceremony with front man Django Haskins serving up the proper mix of thoughtful lyrics and rock & roll attitude.  Last year's top popular vote getter among a fertile field of emerging artists, William Walter & Company worked the Hill Holler stage and the main over the weekend.  With tasteful support from lead guitarist Tucker Rogers, bandleader Willie Walter played the crowd like a harp, tossing out t-shirts, CDs and even scanty logo wear just for the ladies.  And the boys can PLAY.  They'll be at Sine here in Richmond on August 21st.  But there are other kinds of front men...

...like the remarkable reverend from the Little David Old Regular Baptist Church just outside of Haysi, Virginia, elder Frank Newsome.  A former coal miner with black lung, he still sings a capella praises to The Lord from his dog-eared songbook with riveting clarity and power.  The Rev. Mr. Newsome sang and talked with old friend Jon Lohman on the Virginia Folklife porch stage and will be coming to share more testimony with us at our Richmond Folk Festival October 9th-11th.

And from my old hometown of Staunton came last year's Telluride Troubadour winner Nathan Moore with a couple of gentle sets of self-made story songs.

New York's stylish and sassy Smart Brothers, Jay and Lou were crowd pleasers with their youthful exuberance and their retro-sounding repertoire.

One of my top discoveries this year was Toronto-based brother band The Sadies, a kind of alt-country Gram Parsons-inspired quartet led by Dallas and Travis Good.  Sporting tailored western-cut suits, they easily proved there was substance as well as style.  Travis' vintage Telecaster even sported a Scruggs-style tuner to facilitate the twang.

I'm realizing I've been ignoring the distaff side of the lineup, so here's daughter of rock-royalty, Levon's daughter Amy Helm with the most excellent group Olabelle, who did a couple of choice tunes penned by their namesake Ola Belle Reed including "High On A Mountain Top" and "I've Endured,"  both popularized by Tim O'Brien.  

Adrienne Young left Little Sadie behind and was back at FloydFest with her new band Old Faithful comprised of Andre Eglevsky on bass, Oliver Craven on fiddle and vocals and another notable offspring, John Starling's son Jay on Dobro.  Her caring spirit shines through all that she does including a coming event celebrating rural ingenuity and craftsmanship starting this Friday called the Backyard Revolution up in Albemarle County.  Click here for more details.  And The Duhks flew south once more from Winnipeg to render a few more of their inspired and ultra-musical sets with Sarah Dugas' soaring vocals and confident stage presence.  Here she shares a knowing smile with banjoist/vocalist Leonard Podolak, who, incidentally was also smiling...trust me.  These guys also packed the Va. Folklife Porch for an informal sit-down set to the delight of the care- and hair-free fans of all ages. 

Another first for me was witnessing the sultry showpersonship (new word too) of Grace Potter.  With her hot band The Nocturnals from the great state of Vermont, Grace rocked through a strong set on the main stage, after waiting for the lights to come back on...literally.  We had a site-wide power outage near the end of Grupo Fantasma's preceding Friday night set and it took nearly two hours to find the off-site breaker responsible.   All stages continued in the old acoustic way.  The whole thing was handled with great aplomb thanks to savvy scrambling by the crew led by production director John McBroom and main stage manager J. P. O'Connor.  A well-oiled machine indeed.

So many logistics, so many talented people executing so well both on stage and off.  And I left out so much.

FloydFest is a living monument to what a good idea can become with proper nourishment.  And it's set to happen again the last weekend in July, 2010.  I hope I'll see you on the Parkway for Love Potion # 9.  Can I get a witness?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Back down in River City, I'd like to give you some save-the-dates for our JAMinc offerings upcoming:

As Peter, Paul & Mary prepare for what could be a final bow at Wolftrap next month, their two loyal sidemen, bassist Dick Kniss and multi-instrumentalist Paul Prestopino have agreed to re-join old fan and friend George Turman for our first summertime Studio Concert at In Your Ear Recording on August 21st.  Some other special guests you might hope for are in the wings as well.  This should be a memorable evening on many levels and reservations will be available online probably this week.  Check back. 

In September, we've booked harmonica titan Howard Levy, who helped Bela Fleck get the Flecktones started two decades ago (whew!) and is currently dazzling audiences with his musical diversity.  That's on Thursday, the 24th. 

Then in October, we've got two things...on Saturday, the 17th JAMinc and the Virginia Historical Society proudly present Music From the Crooked Road with the Dixie Bee-Liners plus Wayne Henderson & Helen White.  Wayne and Helen played back to back sold out shows for us last year at In Your Ear.  This fall, one of the top contemporary bluegrass bands in the country join the bill in VHS' beautiful Robins Family Forum auditorium on The Boulevard.  And former MerleFest songwriting contest winner Wil Maring and her singer/stringman Robert Bowlin play our In Your Ear Studio Concert Series on Friday, October 30th.

One more...on November 19th at In Your Ear, JAMinc welcomes the winners of Prairie Home Companion's "Great American Duet Sing-Off" held this past spring, Anne & Pete Sibley from the foot of the Tetons out in Wyoming to IYE.  A footnote...autoharpist Bryan Bowers who graced our stage last November underwent successful prostate surgery early this month and is mending nicely.  As we wish him many more years on the road, tune in to Page Wilson's Out O' The Blue Radio Revue this coming Saturday night from 8-10 on WCVE 88.9 FM and hear a generous segment of that magical evening.  Or streaming live here.

This Sunday at Cafe Diem, 600 North Sheppard, some of our best will play tribute to one of their own, our too-soon-departed Gary Gerloff.  Proceeds will benefit an education fund for his two fine kids.  Here's the lineup with times:

        1. Just Dessert 1:00 p.m.

        2. Page Wilson & Reckless Abandon 1:50 p.m.

        3. Dominic Carpin & Armistead Wellford  2:35 p.m.

        4. Terry Garland & Bruce Corson  3:10 p.m.

        5. The Revinyls 3:50 p.m.

        6. DJ Willams Projek 4:25 p.m.

        7. Little Ronnie & Grandukes 5:10 p.m.

        8. Gayle McGee & Nocturns 5:50 p.m.

        9. Charles Arthur Trio 6:30 p.m.

      10. Billy Ray Hatley & The Show Dogs 7:05 p.m.

      11. The Big Guys 7:45 p.m.

      12. The Taters 8:25 p.m.

      13. The Janet Martin Band 9:05 p.m.

      14. Manny Green & Members of the Gary Gerloff band  

Times won't be exact but come early and stay late. 

$15 cover.  There'll be a lot of love in the room, for sure.

And one last thing...noted string player/instructor Adam Larrabee went to his car last week behind Key Signatures on Grove Avenue to get his banjo out of the back seat.  To his surprise the rear passenger window had been broken out and there were now two banjos in there.    So he's selling the extra one.  But seriously folks, Adam does have a nice Stelling five-string for sale at a bargain price.  Contact him at alarrabee@earthlink.net if you're interested, or if you have one you've been trying to ditch.  His back window's still not fixed.

Peace out...T

Full Glory...

The July full moon over Jackson, Wyoming was a moving and melancholy sight, and looking back at the image tonight, on the 40th anniversary of man first setting foot on that distant source of wonder, elegantly underlines the fleeting nature of time and the precious nature of what we can do with it.  My window on the west has closed for now, and I'm lamenting how quickly the small memories fade and how quickly the routine returns.  I'm so grateful for the 30 days I had with my favorite girls and for even the already forgotten moments...there were so many.  The "magnificent desolation" Buzz Aldrin described exactly four decades ago and the rugged terrain found in the part of America we just left, make one at once thankful for our comforts and yearning to be more at one with the elements.  The craggy majesty of the Tetons was something I'd been preparing for for years albeit insufficiently.  These timeless sentinels that tower above Jackson Hole, snow-covered year round, are breathtaking in their testimony to our inconsequentiality. 

But this is a music blog after all so I'll share a few thoughts about our big Friday night in the old copper-mining wild west town of Butte, Montana.  Home to hundreds of saloons and up until the 1980's a vibrant and legal red light district called "The Line," Butte inherited the National Folk Festival from our ten times larger and far more genteel hometown.  The venues couldn't be much more different...Richmond's modern urban skyline up against the falls of the James vs. Butte's lingering frontier attitude toward wide-open dancing and drinking in the streets....no cooler checks, no sneaking beer into plastic cups here, no sir.  And instead of our wilderness river, Butte has the Berkeley Pit, a massive hole in the ground on the eastern side of town that's not only full of toxic water, it's a major tourist attraction.  So the county seat of Silver Bow County has a little harder edge.  But what a fun place to hear music.  We only were able to take in opening night which included a great Irish band, the Pride of New York, Sierra Hull and Highway 111, Magic Slim & The Teardrops, a solid Chicago blues unit, and BeauSoleil avec Michael Ducet.  The Cajun legends closed the "Original" main stage that 1st night, beneath the scarlet-trimmed and iconic headframe from the old mining days that was used to lower men into the deep shaft and pull the ore to the surface.  On a hill overlooking the town, it was a fitting and imposing centerpiece for the National, which of course has left our 2nd annual Richmond Folk Festival in its tailings.  Artists playing Butte and headed east to join us in October include Bob French's Original Tuxedo Jazz Band from New Orleans, North Bear from outside Butte, and Wylie Gustafson, the Texas yodeler made famous for his .com cry, "Ya-hoo-ooo."  It runs the 9th thru the 11th and we'll be expecting you.    

Back home in the comfort zone a week later (Boulder to Richmond in 3 days), we had to check out the John Cowan Trio at Ashland Coffee and Tea.  Actually his drummer Bryon Larrance had a previous gig, and John Frazier had a best-friend's wedding.  So it was just John with his most seasoned side-men Shad Cobb and Jeff Autry.  And it was just right...a tasty set list including favorites like Tim O'Brien's "Hold To A Dream," some sweet jams on the Moody Blues' "Tuesday Afternoon" and Jeff's instrumental composition "East Meets Wes" (Montgomery).  And there was also a silky Sinatra tribute dedicated to the memory of John's dad, "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning."  The boys just finished recording a Christmas album...more than worth waiting for the November release on Koch Records.  Standards like "Silent Night, " "O Holy Night," "I'll Be Home For Christmas," and even "Ave Maria" gain new meaning with John's perfectly-controlled power.  And wait 'til you hear the rousing new take on "Let's Make A Baby King."  It'll be a Christmas to remember.

And I want to pat my pal Page Wilson on the back for a fine free show at Dogwood Dell on Saturday night with a top-drawer Reckless Abandon alongside including Bill Lux, Jay Gillespie, Charles Arthur and Jim Skelding.  Their 1st set closer, Michael Burton's "Night Rider's Lament" was as fine a tune as I've ever heard them render.  And he was doing the Out O' The Blue at the same time!  Magic.

Speaking of King Charles, he'll be doing a solo show at AC&T's new homegrown Wednesdays slot on August 5th...he can do it all, so get out and support the live stuff.  And this Thursday, the 23rd, Chris Fuller, Frank Coleman, Jackie Frost and the Taters take the Ashland stage in a benefit for the Bluemont Concert Series coming to the Center of the Universe later this summer. 

Jesse Harper's opening for Dean Fields at Capital Ale House's downtown music hall this Saturday and then of course this is FloydFest 8-The Revival weekend, Thursday-Sunday up on the Parkway.  I only need to hyperbolize if you've never been...it's one of the coolest and far-ranging fests in the nation...give it a try; you'll be hooked.

Finally for now, JAMinc's got such a fine lineup set for this fall's Studio Concert series that we're getting started in August at In Your Ear Recording with George Turman welcoming back his friends and Peter, Paul & Mary sidemen Dick Kniss and Paul Prestopino...and likely some other special folk sitting in.   It's on the 21st and you can check our Website soon for reservations.  In September we've snagged harmonica master and original Flecktone Howard Levy.  In October, it's past MerleFest songwriting winner Wil Maring with John Bowring, and in November, Jackson Hole's Anne & Pete Sibley who last spring took top honors at the Great American Duet sing-off on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion.  Join us for a great season that also includes the Dixie Beeliners with Wayne Henderson & Helen White at the Virginia Historical Society on October 17th.  Ticket info soon.

A good year for howling at the moon...TT

 

(George Turman photo by Charles Dunton)

At the drop of a pin…

I can’t remember when I’ve been to a concert where the audience has been as reverently attentive.  No whoops, no shouting of requests, and very little spontaneous applause after instrumental solos.  The Punch Brothers were treated to the respect one might expect for a renowned string quintet, which of course they are, at the century-old auditorium at Boulder’s Colorado Chautauqua.  From the Website:

Before radio and television, the Chautauqua Movement united millions in common cultural and educational experiences. Orators, performers, and educators traveled a national Chautauqua circuit of more than 12,000 sites bringing lectures, performances, concerts, classes, and exhibitions to thousands of people in small towns and cities. Theodore Roosevelt called Chautauquas, "the most American thing in America."

The Boulder site is one of only three remaining Chautauquas in the country, and the Brooklyn-based band rose to the acoustic potential of the ancient all-wood shed.  Their wide-ranging two setter included Chris Thile’s entire “Blind Leaving The Blind” suite plus such surprises as Gabe Witcher’s  happy homage to Roger Miller, “Kansas City Star,” a collaborative new nod to “Rye Whiskey,” and a tribute to former hometown heroes Hot Rize as their finale with Nick Forster’s “Shadows In My Room.”  Chris Eldridge proudly shared that he’s been playing the late Charles Sawtelle’s D-28, thanks to Nick.  As many times as I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing this band’s prowess, this may have been their finest hour.

Being out here in these new Rockies, as compared to our ancient Appalachians back home, one can’t help but be changed by their majesty and be struck with a deep sense of gratitude for having so many wonderful and wild places to visit from sea to shining sea.  But forget about finding any Smithfield ham out here.

Of course there’s no hiding from the media even in the wilderness, so the continuing accounts of Michael Jackson’s premature passing came to perfect fruition for me thanks to an email from old friend and radio colleague Kirby Carmichael.  Here’s Kirby with a 13-year-old MJ on a Richmond visit.  Innocence lost…rest in peace Michael.

TT

The Masters…

Offering up a fitting finale to the indescribable four-day music fest at Telluride…Luke Bulla, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Bryan Sutton…the “House Band.” I say indescribable because words or pictures can’t capture the spiritual and mystical experience that’s happened for the last 36 summers in a nearly 9000-foot-high box canyon in Colorado’s San Juan mountains. It was our sixth pilgrimage since 1988, and possibly the sweetest, having passed the 60-year mark and finding that shared moments with some of one’s favorite musicians and my cherished wife and daughter, are among life’s most countable blessings.

The veterans all proved why they continue to inspire, and the newcomers underscored that the music’s in very good hands and why this festival draws fans from all over the world, as this map illustrates. Doing this event justice is impossible…all I can do is present some shots that I hope might motivate you to make the journey if you haven’t, or at least give you a sense of what makes it special…

…like having Tim O’Brien and Jerry open things up on Thursday with a well-chosen hour of memorable tunes.

Or the Lovell Sisters’ high energy follow-up featuring the youngest and first female MerleFest mando contest winner, Rebecca.

Country-rock phenom Zac Brown, who recently packed Brown’s Island in Richmond with a record crowd, crossed one entry off his bucket list by having Jerry join him on stage.

 

Former Bill Monroe Blue Grass Boy Peter Rowan has personified the boundary-stretching attitude that pervades the Telluride experience since the Old and In The Way days. Us old timers still thrill to “Midnight Moonlight” and “Panama Red.”

 

 

 

Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin swapped songs with the singular assistance of Buddy Miller as Three Girls and Their Buddy.

Speaking of boundary-stretching, Thursday night’s finale featured Talking Heads’ innovator David Byrne and his entourage of singers and dancers all clad in white, with what many festival veterans called the most spectacular set they’ve ever witnessed on the Shellman Stage. No argument from me…an unexpected pleasure in every way. And that’s just the first day’s worth…

Bluegrass meets string quartet in the refreshingly fabulous Crooked Still comprised of cellist Tristan Clarridge (look out for his other group, the Bee Eaters at In Your Ear this fall), fiddler Brittany Haas, Corey DiMario on bass, Dr. Greg Liszt on banjo and the mountain-fresh vocals of Aoife O’Donovan. Watch for their brand new live album.

Two revered members of the 30-Year Club jammed it out during the John Cowan Band’s fine Friday afternoon set, the Cow and King Sammy. John charged out of the gate with former NGR bandmate Bela Fleck sitting in for “Callin' Baton Rouge.” The current JCB roster of Shad Cobb on fiddle, John Frazier on mandolin, Bryon Larrence on drums and beloved compadre Jeff Autry on guitar is as strong an ensemble as the “Voice of Telluride” has ever put together.

Festival first-timer and Rilo Kiley rocker Jenny Lewis and her solid backers won new hearts in the high country after snagging none other than Elvis Costello for a few tunes ahead of his own set to follow.

Her pointed songwriting and Jaggeresque stage presence validated the high anticipation level for this energetic set.

 

 

With a tip of the purple fedora, Elvis took the stage Friday night with a cadre of acoustic all stars, collectively the Sugarcanes, including Jerry Douglas and Jim Lauderdale (above) along with Stuart Duncan and Mike Compton, to play tunes from his new T-Bone Burnett project Secret, Profane and Sugarcane. Did you see them on the Tonight Show Tuesday?

Our first treat on Saturday just past noon was provided by Chris Thile’s Punch Brothers, (Jerry guesting) playing to a wildly-enthusiastic rain-soaked crowd. They served up a brilliant tribute to bluegrass music’s most influential bands including founders Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers, along with the Seldom Scene (Critter did “Through the Bottom of a Glass”), Hot Rize (“Shadows In My Room”), NBB (“Old Devil’s Dream”), and even “See Rock City” from Bela’s benchmark Drive album. And they had a LOT of fun doing it…payback for all the woodshedding that made it possible. Very impressive.

Dobro master Douglas then launched his own set with soaring instrumentals and a few heart-rending vocal numbers thanks to multi-talented Luke Bulla, who graciously honored my earlier request to do “The Suit.” That song tears me up every time I hear it, whether it’s sung by Luke or James Taylor.

“Good evening music lovers!!!” Sam Bush’s trademark stage greeting on Saturday night prepared The King’s loyal subjects for a far-ranging two-plus-hour performance that included old chestnuts, and a sentimental new tune co-written with Jeff Black, “Circles Around Me” about the blessings of making it to 60 with old friends and good music. A parade of old pals joined in the love fest, including Pete Rowan, Emmylou, Chris Thile and then John Cowan blew us all away near the end when he, in glorious falsetto, snuck in to render the Stones’ “Just A Shot Away.” And the crowd went wild. Sam Bush for Entertainer of the Year. It’s time.

All too soon, it was Sunday and it began in a seriously soulful and spiritual way, thanks to powerhouse Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue. Backed by a thunderous band with horns and Hammond B3 and the sensational McCrary Sisters, Mike held church amidst the towering snow-capped cathedrals surrounding Telluride. Don’t miss this act if they’re ever near. Amen and amen!

A compelling mix of the best of two musical generations, collectively the Works Progress Administration (WPA) next offered up some of the most moving new tunes of the weekend, thanks to former Nickel Creekers Sara and Sean Watkins, Glen Phillips and Luke Bulla. They were backed by a quartet of very well-seasoned players including keyboardist Beaumont Tench and Greg Leisz on pedal steel. Well-crafted songs of the heart lovingly presented. CD out in the fall.

We first heard renegade tunesmith Todd Snider at Telluride back on ‘02 and we’ve savored his fearless and often funny songs near home at AC&T a few times. Although for reasons unclear, he cut his set more than 20 minutes short (and didn’t do “Beer Run”) he had a good time sharing new material from his latest CD The Excitement Plan. Todd is Todd.

 

 

Our hero Tim O’Brien returned for his own signature set Sunday afternoon with the A-list support of Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton and Dennis Crouch. And it was all the more moving to see the impressive turnout of adoring young minions sitting up front to continue drinking from Tim’s prolific musical fountain…Sarah Jarosz, Sara & Sean Watkins, the Greencards’ Carol Young, Aoife O’Donovan and all of Crooked Still, and ALL the Punch Brothers.

 

Chris Thile was even moved to grab Sara Watkins’ hand for a turn or two on the dirt floor up front when Tim O broke into “Get On Up And Dance.” It was a tender reunion, one of among many at this remarkable gathering of kindred spirits.

 

Country music Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris loves Telluride and the festivarians’ feeling is mutual, so she’s been a regular for years. 

 

After many guest appearances over the weekend, she returned for her own turn late Sunday afternoon with a trio of players that again included our old Virginia friend Rickie Simpkins on mando, fiddle and backing vocals. The dream gig continues and it fits like a glove. Play on Rickie.

 

So my longest post to date comes full circle with the capstone set from the Telluride House Band from 9-11 Sunday night. Collaboration and camaraderie at the highest level. It was a more than fitting finish to four days of sun and starshine, rare mountain air, majestic scenery and music that gets no better. For fans of Conor Oberst, Railroad Earth, the Greencards, Kasey Chambers, The SteelDrivers, Gaelic Storm, and others I failed to cover…I apologize. I couldn’t do it all.  And thanks to Chris Eldridge who introduced me to his pal Ed Helms (Andy Bernard from “The Office” who goes way back with fellow banjo player Chris Pandolfi)…just there for the music.

Take a bow boys, along with festival director Craig Ferguson and the countless staff and volunteers who make this celebration of life such a profound experience. The gratitude will linger until we meet again.

TT

Power Pairing...

With our dear departed Gary Gerloff providing upstage security, the 5th annual Music for Massey concert unfolded rain-free on Thursday night on the tracks at the Science Museum.  The Waybacks got it rolling with some early cross-pollination as Sam Bush on bottleneck electric mando and James Nash on lead guitar dueled mightily.  The two bands were a potent combination, especially when they joined forces for a finale that included Little Feat's "Easy To Slip," the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," and Santana's "Soul Sacrifice.  Having Sam's drummer Chris Brown and the Waybacks' Chuck Hamilton pounding twin drum kits was a heart thumping percussive power play.  Major creds to SoundWork's Steve Payne and Sam's venerable road manager Rob Stokes for the creative collaboration that enabled both full bands to play together at the end.  An end that came all too soon...just as the light showers began to fall.  We'd almost made the call to move the show inside earlier that morning due to the prospect of heavy storms but NBC12's Jim Duncan, after some creative consultation with his comely "computer models," urged us to stay outside.  And we were so glad we did. Proceeds went to
pediatric cancer research at VCU thanks to Connor's Heroes, an organization named for cancer survivor Connor Goodwin started by his folks and dedicated to conquering childhood cancer.  Connor, pictured above with mom Lisa, Sam and James, lists his pal Sam as perhaps his biggest hero, and did a fine job helping me emcee and introducing the band.   Mr. Bush also spent some quality time with fellow mandolin aficionado Harper Speagle-Price, sharing old road stories and generally encouraging her to keep playing.  He loves it more than ever.  And a serious round of virtual applause for MFM mastermind Jim Napier who tirelessly engineered this benevolent train down the tracks along with Patrick McCarty and Steve Goodwin who helped shovel the coal...let's do it again in twenty-ten! (thanks to the Goodwins and Lori Price for the pix)

And still floating from Thursday's heady experience, we made our way to Brown's Island for Friday Cheers last night, knowing that Old School Freight Train has now basically become New School and that this was the final official gig for the formerly C'ville-based band.   They sprang from bluegrass roots some nine years ago,  and as any gifted young musicians are expected to do, they've found their new road, now under Jesse Harper's confident direction.  With Ben Krakauer's banjo and Pete Frostic's mandolin in the rearview, the new quartet comprised of Harper and fellow-founder Darrell Muller, Nate Leath and drummer Nick Falk are plowing a more pop/rock furrow alongside Dave Matthews and John Mayer instead of Monroe-inspired mountain tunes.  Growing is good.  And all indications are, Jesse Harper's in the early days of a long and prosperous journey.  They insisted on having Richmond's No BS Brass Band open, to impressive effect, especially when most of them hung around to help OSFT lift "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" to a Crescent City crescendo.  A proud night for homegrown Virginia music.

We'll be on the road a bit this summer...stay tuned for a few reports from way out west...TT

Local Laurels...

I had to put up a quick post to acknowledge a couple of significant milestones for two local folks we've mentioned in past blogs.  The first kudos go to young Harper Speagle-Price from Mary Munford and student of Adam Larrabee who just became the Junior Mandolin Champion at the 85th Fiddler's Grove Festival in North Carolina last month.  She was the one who impressed us and Bryan Bowers last fall as she picked out a quick Monroe tune on his vintage Martin bowlback.  She's pictured above at Union Grove with proud pop Terry (Paul Zalinsky photo) and at right with Bryan in his van at Munford after the JAMinc in-school performance.  So exciting to watch the young ones so engaged in this music.

Last week I got an understandably enthusiastic email from former Richmonder Parrish Ellis who's been tirelessly pounding the pavement with the retro string swing band The Wiyos for the last five years.  (Parrish is 3rd from the left-Tommy Kearns photo)

The woodshedding and the persistence has paid off as they've just been picked to open 28 dates across America this summer for, hold tight, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp!  It's the minor league ballpark circuit again and the closest they come to here is Harbor Park in Norfolk on July 25th.  It was just a matter of time boys...now knock it out of the park.  Patience is a virtue, Martha Anne.

TT

Deep Graves

The rich experience that comes from sharing music with old friends in a setting like this four-centuries-old travelers' mecca up against the Blue Ridge along the Rose River is a profound one.  This was number 17 for the Graves Mountain Festival of Music and as the years get shorter, these occasions get sweeter.  Sharing Pete's House with the Hughes, Lux and Ward families made for a four-day full house filled with afternoons of reminiscing and very long nights of homemade music.  And then there's the compelling lineup of folks who do this for a living up on the stage.  Like James King who sings a story like no other.  "She Took His Breath Away," dedicated to his new bride, took mine too.  And hearing the result of Sammy Shelor's dedication,  tenacity and hard work in crafting his beloved Lonesome River Band into one of the strongest configurations ever was a thrill.  Keeping a band on top (their latest album No Turning Back has spent two months at #1 on the BU charts) through personnel changes and growing competition is no small feat, but Sam's done it and I know it feels good.  It should.  You should buy that record. Back in the day, the 4-time IBMA banjo player of the year rode with the Heights of Grass who put on a much-anticipated and lovingly received reunion set Friday before suppertime.  He joined them for a couple of numbers and so did Mark Newton but the core band, Don Grubb, Vernon Hughes, Billy Lux, Sonny Mead and Richard Ward made it clear they could still cut it.  Maybe even better than back then.  It was a festival highlight for so many of us who followed them back in 80's.  There were other great performances from favorites like IIIrd Tyme Out, Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, and the Seldom Scene and new sensations the SteelDrivers.  And there were heartwarming surprises from prodigious pickers like Dobro whiz kid Gavin Largent from Winchester who drove Rhonda Vincent's adoring fans wild.  12-years-old and definitely one to watch.

Our little cabin home on the hill was again the setting for late-night music making, single-malt sampling, and general chewing of the fat.  Friday night/Saturday morning was particularly enticing thanks to Tommy "Big Tree" Reynolds, Dave Giegerich, Russell Bonavitch, Richard Ward, Billy Lux, Gary Ferguson and Tara Lindhart, who held the packed living room enthralled for over four hours straight.  There were so many others over the course of the weekend but that night was magic.  Thanks to you all...my gratitude runs deep.  Especially you Tiny Johnson.

Coming up...Jerry Douglas this Friday on Brown's Island for free and Old School Freight Train the following Friday.  Same deal.  And don't forget at the old Broad Street train station (now the Science Museum) the Sam Bush Band and the Waybacks hold forth on June 11.  Not free but worth the price of admission for sure.  Tickets online right here.  See you there.

TT

GG

So this is what a ton of bricks feels like...raining down on you to get your full attention and make sure you take nothing for granted...to ensure that the "New York Minute" Don Henley wrote so eloquently about will not just be a clever lyric.  Gary Gerloff is dead and that resonates with an impossible but familiar ring evoking memories of others who've left us wanting for more...Otis Redding, Gram Parsons and yes Jerry Garcia...larger-than-life characters who've shaped our appreciation of music and our time on the planet.  For someone to have made such an impression on one who's only heard him perform maybe twice, speaks volumes of his private persona...a gentle, thoughtful, caring soul who had so much to say.  I'm just glad I caught a part of it...here's more from others pleading for more, like Don Harrison.

I remember making a quick phone call after I got out of my first National Folk Festival programming committee meeting a few years ago. I rang my friend Brent Hosier — a Richmond music historian of the first rank — and asked with an exasperated tone (as if some big secret had been kept from me all these years):

“Alright, tell me all about Gary Gerloff.”

Gary Gerloff, who passed away Saturday morning, made an indelible impression on me from the moment I met him. I’m told he specialized in that sort of thing. The longtime local musician — who performed a type of Americana music that he referred to as “Psychedelic Dixieland” — continued to be a distinctive and unavoidable presence at those committee meetings. With a build and a beard not unlike Jerry Garcia, Richmond’s own “Captain Trips” was kind of like the precocious class clown who keeps wanting to start his own discussion groups at the expense of the lesson plan.

Ah, but who would usually be the first among the group to bring up a topic nobody wanted to discuss, or to suggest an artist/genre/aesthetic that was somewhat provocative? Who was sure to get the discussion flowing with a thought or an argument that no one else anticipated? It was Gary, who could quickly become as serious, insistent and persuasive as a prosecutor when it suited his fancy. This guy was no clown — he was as sharp as they come.

According to his pal Todd Ranson, viewing arrangements are currently being finalized and “a full Catholic funeral is planned.” Reading this fine essay on Gary over at the Cool Stretch of Highway blog, I wished I had known him better… a lot better. I’m proud to have known him at all.

An excerpt:

He’s never left his hometown for more than a month. And if the former capital of the Confederacy, an aloof and well-mannered place, never will be considered a musical Mecca, it does hold special appeal for him.

“I just love the dignity of living in a once-defeated city,” he says. “A great deal of pride once carried us here. It gave us a noble cloak, and adorned us with the air of some ancient Greek city-state. Richmond is like some old whore or piece of architecture. She’s been around forever, it seems. But when you notice her in a certain light, why, there’s a real charm to behold.”

He’s talking in his basement over a 20-foot bar with three sinks. (“One to wash your hands. One to wash your face. And one to throw up in.”) Behind the bar are display cases jam-packed with the things he holds precious: bobble-head dolls of Satchel Paige, Grady Little and Keith Richards; miniature ceramic hand-painted jazz ensembles from New Orleans; an autograph from Hunter S. Thompson; a collection of Three Stooges shot glasses; an English nose whistle; two James Brown posters from concerts at The Arena; a stuffed and mounted bear’s head casually draped in a feathered Mardi Gras mask and beads; and a 1970s photograph of his late brother Peter, arm-in-arm with the family’s maid.

Behind him, on a 9-foot Brunswick regulation pool table, lie seven bamboo fly rods, an assortment of air horns, one birdhouse in the form of the Parthenon and two Halicrafter short wave radios. Behind the pool table stand 15 vintage guitars and six worn-out, antique tube amplifiers.

He says he’s tempted to call his 1960s split level, with its 1400 sq. ft. terraced deck, “a tumbled-down shack in BigFoot country,” but instead refers to it as his roost, his outpost and his thinking line of defense. He lives here on a densely wooded hill a half-mile from the James River with his wife who’s an accomplished pianist, his 11-year-old daughter who’s an aspiring writer, and his seven-year-old son, whom he tags a “yellow-haired monkey.”

All are unimpressed with his musical persona, one that plumbs the depths of American music and its attendant emotions.

Known to his fans as “Gary Garcia” because of a likeness for the late leader of the Dead, he labels himself a relic from another era – a living fossil. “I see myself as a bluesman first. Second, I am a champion of heartfelt emotions. I like awkward displays of love. I am an encourager of dreams,” he says.

Richmond musician Johnny Hott has played with Gerloff for 15 years. “His fans are about 30 years old and up. There’s this jam-band, Grateful Dead tie-in,” he says. “We were opening once for the Jerry Garcia Band after Jerry had died. There was this one guy in a tie-dyed T-shirt who was walking slowly to the stage from the back of the crowd, getting bigger and bigger, and he was chanting to Gerloff in a trance: ‘Jerry…Jerry…Jerry…” totally transfixed on him.”

Gerloff picked up his first guitar at age 12, and promptly abandoned all other ambitions; music became his life.

There will be a lot said about Gary Gerloff in the coming days. But his buddy Tim Timberlake passed along along a couple of quotes from a Times-Dispatch article on Gary from 2001 (written by Jim O’Brien) that helps us to get a grip on what a special dude that he was. [Say what you want about the man — he gave great interview. Here is another revealing Q&A, from Plan 9's 9X Magazine.]

Let’s let this beloved “force of nature” — who could always speak for himself very well — speak for himself:

On new music:

“I may not understand it but I don’t fear it,” Gerloff said. “When I go by Twisters or some place and I hear sounds like the end of the world Parts 1 through 4, I encourage every bit of that. You want to know why? That’s the launching pad and kids are going to develop and their final twist after I’m done and gone will incorporate everything we’ve been through.”

On how he would like to be remembered:

“Well I’ve been described as a force of nature and I don’t know whether I like hearing that or not. But if I’m going to be viewed, I want to be viewed as somebody who cared about other people and the impact music can have. I want to be viewed as someone who made a stand for what I consider to be important music.”

And that you are, my friend. That you are.

Gary's life will be celebrated at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church on Huguenot Road tomorrow.  Visitation is from 4-6pm and a full-blown mass will follow at 7.  Then it's on to the Positive Vibe Cafe for lively reflection.  Throat lumps and tears guaranteed.

TT

One-Two Punch

  Back to back experiences like the two I just had make me very proud and glad to be here in Richmond...perfect weather, world-class outdoor venues, nationally known bands and record crowds were exciting combinations to behold.  Last night saw hundreds turned away at the Lakeside gate as Lewis Ginter's Groovin' In The Garden reached capacity before Old Crow Medicine Show took the elegant new stage.  They followed an engaging solo set from Shenandoah Valley native son Scott Miller.  Then there was tonight's huge gathering on Brown's Island for Friday Cheers with hot country shooting star Zac Brown.  Those who should know say it's the biggest crowd the island's ever seen...ever!  Educated guess is 16,000.  And all for a breakout down home artist playing solid country tunes, many co-written by Richmond's own Wyatt Durrette. No, not his dad, the former delegate and GOP gubernatorial hopeful...Wyatt III, who's surely picking up some nice royalty checks these days now that Zac's arrived big time.  He also co-wrote "Chicken Fried," Mr. Brown's signature hit.  My hat's off to Tom Beals of Haymaker Productions and Stephen Lecky of Venture Richmond for having the vision and savvy to snag these two acts that one might've expected to be "out of our range" and raising the bar on our town's summer musical offerings.  I urge you to check the coming lineups for Groovin' and Friday Cheers.  Along with the Folk Festival, they're signs that Richmond's come a long way. Now if they could figure out how to shorten those endless beer lines and lines for the places where you deposit the beer, once it's been internally processed.  Much patience and strong sphincters required.

After giving you guys a few days to get back to me with your guesses, I'm happy to announce the two winners of a pair of tickets each to the June 11th Music For Massey concert at the Science Museum with the Sam Bush Band and the Waybacks.  I did an eyes-closed drawing from among the right answers and pulled out Maggie Rainwater-Budd and Barry Lawson.  Oh, and Sam's eight string pride and joy is a 1937 Gibson F5 lovingly referred to as "Hoss"...one of the most recognizable sounds in all of string music.  The rest of you will just have to pony up to hear Sam jamming with guitar marvel James Nash of the Waybacks on the tracks.  Will that ever be worth the price of admission...whew!

Hope to see a bunch of you at Graves...but first, have a meaningful Memorial Day, the holiday we don't celebrate, we commemorate.  God bless our defenders of freedom.  TT

 

(I hope the cartoonist who did this, whose name I can't make out, won't mind my sharing it.)

And thanks to Erika Gay of Venture Richmond for the Friday Cheers photos.

Back and Forth...

Now that Kris Allen has upset Adam Lambert to take the crown of this season's American Idol, I can finally get back to the business of getting my head around the local music scene to recap a few worthwhile experiences and focus on the near future and all the promise it holds.  Since my last post, I've witnessed the first two Groovin' in the Garden concerts at the magnificently-enhanced rose garden and terraced lawn at Lewis Ginter.  Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile proved to be strong leadins for tomorrow (Thursday) night's blockbuster featuring Old Crow Medicine Show, which promises to produce record-breaking numbers.  General admission tickets should still be available here at $25 (plus $3.75 handling), or for $30 at the door.  Discovered by Doc Watson and revered by everyone from Merle Haggard to Gillian Welch, these guys bring a powerful arsenal of vocal and instrumental prowess to the Americana tent...with attitude.  Should be a major night under the stars with the Commonwealth's own Scott Miller opening well.

The next night, Friday Cheers brings a free chance to find out what all the Zac Brown buzz is about.  I've been hearing folks drop this Georgia boy's name all over the place for the last six months, so where there's smoke, there's usually fire.  Let's go see what all the fuss is about, and enjoy some "Chicken Fried," starting on Brown's Island (they've already named the island after him) around 6pm.

We're getting dangerously close to the week when so many of us head west to Gordonsville and then up the Old Blueridge Turnpike to Syria and the four-centuries-old homeplace of the Graves family where Jimmy, Rachel, Lucky, Lynn and the whole hospitable bunch open their idyllic spot on the Rose River for the 17th year to thousands of bluegrassers new and old.  Charlie Rainwater and I look forward to hosting from the stage again this year with a solid lineup and a special reunion of the Heights of Grass on Friday. For those who just can't wait until opening day, Thursday the 28th, the campground opens day after tomorrow, the 22nd, for those with 3-day tickets.  It's one of America's best small festivals, and the food is legend.

And the hits just keep on comin' as Friday Cheers presents the Jerry Douglas Band on Brown's Island, again for FREE!, on June 5th and on Thursday, June 11th out on the tracks at the Science Museum of Virginia, the fifth annual Music for Massey benefit raises the bar with the triumphant return of the west-coastal Waybacks and this year, the Sam Bush Band, to make it extra special.  Tickets are available here, and if you're sharp, you might even win a pair of comps to the big show.  Just tell me by email (mail@timtimberlake.com) the model year and nickname of Sam's Gibson F5 mandolin.  I'll do a drawing in case of more than two correct answers as I actually have 2 pairs to give away.  Bring it on...it's gonna be a really big show!

In closing, let me mention a major jazz event that JAMinc, the Richmond Jazz Society and WCVE Public Radio are co-presenting on Friday, May 29th at In Your Ear Studio A.  Legendary Richmond reed man James "Saxsmo" Gates is recording a live CD and you can be in the audience if you hurry and reserve your seat here.  Just check out the who's who of a-listers who'll be there to lend a musical hand:  John D'earth, Hod O'Brien, Desiree Roots, Dr. Weldon Hill, Justin Kauflin, Jim Branch and Russell Wilson among others.  Saxmo's Jazz Summit gets rolling at 6:30 with a pot-luck buffet...it'll surely be one tasty and tasteful night.

Do it live...TT

For the love of Pete...

You look up "folk singer" in the dictionary and you'll likely find his picture.  Iconic activist, musician and banjo player Pete Seeger turns 90 on Sunday, and you're invited to his great big Richmond birthday party at The Camel on West Broad Street, with a whole host of local folk gathered to pay him homage starting at 6pm.  For a ten buck donation, benefiting musicians in need, you can catch the likes of friends George Turman, Jackie Frost and Sheryl Warner, plus Amy Ferebee, Becky Taylor and event organizer Ron Gentry.  Lots more. Kudos to Ron for his hard work.  Pete should be appreciative.

The big hootenanny follows another big benefit south of the river earlier in the day...it's Vibefest 2009 on Forest Hill Avenue out in front of the Positive Vibe Cafe.   If you aren't a regular, the Cafe is quality restaurant that offers employment and training to those with physical and developmental disabilities.  A serious roster of Richmond's top-drawer performers are lined up to sing and play for the cause starting at 11:30am.  Also a bargain @ $10.  Click here for the schedule, with one note:  that lovable rascal Gary Gerloff is on the mend after some surgery and won't be making this one.  We'll be pulling hard for his speedy return to the scene.  Garth Larcen's, the Cafe's owner is a real positive force in our community.  Hope he has a big day on Sunday.  Hope you all do too.

Thanks to all who will make our Cadillac Sky concert at In Your Ear tomorrow our fifth sell-out in a row.  And thanks to the writers at Style Weekly for voting JAMinc one of their First Annual Music Awards as "Best Musical Potlatch." Don't miss the next one...a jazz summit with James "Saxmo" Gates on May 29th.  Details on our Website soon.

And don't forget JAMinc presents The Isaacs for a night of stirring bluegrass gospel at the West End Assembly of God on Parham one week from tonight (May 8). Tickets here. 

TT

And the rest...

And rest is at least what's needed if not realized after four days and nights at a festival like MerleFest that with each passing year becomes dearer to my heart.  And not so much for the inspiring music to be heard, but for the enduring relationships with musicians and the production team I work with.  MerleFest is special because of these capable and caring people, and if you've ever been a small part of something big and worthwhile, you know what I mean.  Thanks and love to Sam, Maple, Buck, John, Randy, Dwight and Cliff.  And of course to B Townes who started it all and who gave me a job twenty years ago.  I'm dreaming of another twenty.  Words are insufficient to capture all that this festival has become, so I'll just share a few shots that might resonate with those who were there and encourage others to consider the trip to the Carolina foothills next April.

First up, Bryan Simpson and the daring young men of Cadillac Sky, (are they actually levitating?) who played four different stages by my count and made the most of their MerleFest debut.  Don't forget their JAMinc/In Your Ear show this Saturday...only a handful of tickets remain.  A rare chance to witness such energy in such an intimate space as IYE's Studio A. 

Here's veteran blues stylist Rory Block from my home away from home, looking out the front door of the Cabin from the dark and cozy living room/green room...it's a favorite place of all the artists who get a set there. Including Pete Wernick who invited the Gibson Brothers and harmonica phenom Buddy Greene to play a few during his Sunday set. 

Former mando prodigy and now maturing musician Sierra Hull won more hearts on the main stage Saturday with a crack band that includes guitarist Clay Hess.  Sierra's advanced chops betray her tender years and her singing is sweeter and more pleasing than young Alison Krauss at her age.  IMHO.  And she's coming to town Saturday...see below.

The Waybacks served up one of the best closing sets in MerleFest memory Friday night, with James Nash deftly wrangling an A-list of special guests like Sam Bush (above), Rob Ickes, Jens Kruger and Byron House.  And John Cowan raised the roof with a stunning take on Roy Orbison's "Crying."  Only to be followed by an extended jam on the band's signature song, "Bright Place."  But that was only a warmup for the much-anticipated Hillside Stage Album Hour...how would they follow last year's Zeppelin II?  How about the Stones' Sticky Fingers.  Emmylou guested on "Wild Horses."  It was musical mayhem.  Don't forget to get your tix for Sam Bush and The Waybacks at the Science Museum of VA on June 11th.  www.musicformassey.com

Festival favorite Jim Lauderdale, who lost four months of gigs last summer after voicebox surgery, returned with a voice even stronger and more expressive than before...what a relief to him and all his many fans and admirers.  Bluegrass is blessed to have Jim in the fold.  He brings a lot to the table.

The aforementioned Mr. Cowan, who was at the very first Merlefest with New Grass Revival in 1988, brought along his current well-seasoned band including best-pal and lead guitarist Jeff Autry, Stringduster Jesse Cobb's brother Shad on fiddle and new poppa and Rebecca Hoggan's hubby John Frazier on mandolin for a couple of engaging sets.  Johnny C's heart is as big as his voice and he will always be a beloved member of the MerleFest family.

Old friend Rickie Simpkins continued his dream gig of playing fiddle and mandolin and providing tasteful  backup vocals for Emmylou Harris.  Her Saturday night Watson Stage set was one of her sweetest in many years.  All the old chestnuts.

And no one can put the lid on a MerleFest Saturday night like King Sammy.  Doesn't matter who they book to play, you can count on Mr. Bush for the biggest, most adoring crowd of all four days...and nights.  Nobody does it better.  Oh yeah, did I mention Sam's headed to Richmond to play with the Waybacks on Thursday, June 11th?  And that tickets are on sale here?  Good.

Montana songbird Martha Scanlan spent some quality time at the Cabin on Sunday, the scene of her double Chris Austin songwriter honors in 2003, even sharing some peaty single-malt from her dainty flask.  It put a nice edge on a haunting set with many tunes from her acclaimed album The West Was Burning.

And for something completely different...the festival finale featured Linda Ronstadt paying homage to her father with the formidable assistance of Los Camperos de Nati Cano, who you may remember for their show-stopping performances at our National Folk Festival here a few years back.  Although I weathered a few grumbles about not hearing "Different Drum" of "Blue Bayou" but the color and pageantry of this cultural exclamation point, underscored that MerleFest is much more than a bluegrass festival.  Find out for yourself April 29-May 10, 2010. 

A fond farewell to Wilkes County and the Addison for another year...back soon...the years are getting shorter and shorter. I have mixed emotions about that.  Doc is still delivering his endless repertoire with deep baritone and playing all the right notes, although he's a little harder to find on the schedule these days.  He's earned a little quiet time.  We understand.

Lots of music around River City including the City Slickers festival put on by the Rotary Club at the Science Museum on Saturday, May 9th.  (I had the date wrong earlier) Quite a lineup including Sierra Hull, The Grascals and the Seldom Scene.  And our own Page Wilson will open, with Reckless Abandon of course.  Tickets here.

Thanks as always, for checking out my ramblings...and please share the link with anyone who might be interested.  Is it April or July?

TT

First Quarter...

I know we're approaching a new moon, but tonight marked the first quarter of the 22nd annual MerleFest in the Carolina foothills.  Spring is at its young and tender best down this way and being back here for my 20th year brings a warm and intense sense of deja vu.  Travis Tritt (above) capped the first day in an engaging acoustic set with Jerry Douglas on the Watson Stage.  It was indeed a great day to be alive with old friends, perfect weather and such well-made music.

Raleigh's Tift Merritt made a magical return to the scene of her career's genesis with a sincere solo set on the Cabin Stage, where she'd won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest eight years ago.  She was genuinely glad to be back.

 

Earlier in the day, the world was set right again as Jens and Uwe Kruger and their 'brother' Joel Landsberg made a long-overdue return to the MerleFest lineup with a short but sweet Cabin Stage appearance.  They're back and sounding so great, with a new CD Between the Notes just out, and a special replay of one of their past JAMinc/In Your Ear concerts on Page Wilson's show this coming Saturday night on WCVE-FM.  If you're not in the Richmond area, you can listen online here.

Rugby, Va's resident guitar hero Wayne Henderson rendered a couple of choice tunes with keyboard king Jeff Little and bassist Billy Gee at the Cabin after revealing he and Robbin Thompson have found some George Washington-era walnut at Mt. Vernon for his all-Virginia-wood guitar project.  Wayne and his partner Helen White will return to Richmond in October for a Crooked Road concert with the Dixie Beeliners at the Virginia Historical Society presented by JAMinc.  We'll let you know when tickets become available.

This shot is for ol' pal Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters, who tore it up at their full-house Modlin Center show Monday night.  The Dusters are now on the west coast, not at MerleFest, where Chris could otherwise be with his fiddler friend Odessa Jorgensen, former Biscuit Burner, and now with the talented Alaskan bluegrass band Bearfoot.

Thursday began on the Cabin Stage with Wyoming sweethearts Anne & Pete Sibley, who deliver close Welch & Rawlings-style harmonies with earnest affection.  We almost had them for an In Your Ear show this month, but scheduling didn't work out.  We'll try again in the fall...it'll be worth the wait.  Tomorrow, I'm anticipating a couple of strong previews of our upcoming May 2nd Richmond appearance by Cadillac Sky at IYE.  Tickets are almost gone. They're at MerleFest with both Hillside and Creekside sets.  All that plus the Dixie Beeliners, Ollabelle, the Duhks, John Cowan and the Waybacks...almost too good to be true.  And there are two more full days after that!  Stay tuned.

TT

One Enchanted Evening...

Just back from just over 48 hours in the most invigorating city on the planet ostensibly to ready my brother-in-law's upper east side apartment for his return from 2 years in Mumbai, with a few reflections of the musical impressions we savored....some by plan, some by accident.  The latter came in the depths of the NYC Subway where we heard everything from Andean string music, to perhaps Nashville's next big thing filming her first video, to six African-American siblings from six to sixteen singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" in six-part harmony to the accompaniment of the clattering E train at Penn Station.  That was just the free stuff, although we put a few bucks in the bucket.  Later Thursday night, we took the F train to Washington Square and found the Cornelia Street Cafe in the West Village, where we had a simple but superb meal before moving downstairs to the packed but perfect (think 60 or so max, including Charlottesville's Greg Liszt) music hall, to catch the NY CD release party for Sometymes Why.  This trio of friendly femmes fatale, each a luminary in her own right, took us through two spare and honest sets of engaging lyrics and ethereal harmony.  Led by the pure and plaintive voice of Aoife O'Donovan, already acknowledged here for her work with Crooked Still and guesting with the Punch Brothers, the ladies cast the faithful and new ears alike in their spell.  They're all most known for their "regular" gigs...Ruth Ungar Merenda with the Mammals and Kristin Andreassen with Uncle Earl.  But vocally, this four-year-old, part-time mutual admiration society finds new and compelling chords yet unheard, scoring a dreamy spring night in the world's most stimulating urban setting.  New York is an inspiring place to plug into, knowing that its impossible complexity, fostering the very best and very worst that human civilization has to offer, including everything in between, is a high that requires no chemical enhancement.  New York is a breathtaking marvel of what energy and creativity can accomplish.  We could all do well with a fix from time to time.  The night before, we caught a taping of Jimmy Fallon's new Late Night show on NBC at 30 Rock, in studio 6B where Jack Paar hosted the Tonight Show back in the 50's to be followed by king Johnny Carson before his departure to beautiful downtown Burbank in 1972.  Fallon's success on Saturday Night Live may or may not follow him into Conan O'Brien's former timeslot, but one thing's for sure, his house band, Philadelphia's legendary The Roots gives the wee-hours variety fest, a full-throated funky consistency that might be Jimmy's strongest suit.  It was a treat to hear them live and not though the little speakers on the TV.  They would absolutely kill if we could get them at the National or maybe even a future Folk Festival.  Too hot!

We're well on our way to another sell-out situation at In Your Ear Studio A on Saturday, May 2nd with Skaggs Family recording artists Cadillac Sky.  This is gonna be a night the fortunate few (80 seats) will be talking about for some time, so if you're on the fence, get off it and make your reservations now!  Don't say I didn't warn ya.

And for an uplifting and powerful evening of music from the heart, you'll not want to miss the incomparable Isaacs, the world-renowned gospel family band, on Friday, May 8th at WEAG.  Another joint presentation of JAMinc and 88.9 WCVE-FM.

Also on the horizon is the fifth annual Music For Massey concert on the tracks at the Science Museum with the Sam Bush Band and the Waybacks on Thursday, June 11th.  Just imagine the possibilities for an outrageous jam!  Tickets and info here.  The bar has officially been raised.

One more reminder that Groovin' In The Garden is back at Lewis Ginter on Lakeside Avenue on Thursday nights this May and June.  A big-time lineup in Richmond's most beautiful outdoor concert setting.  Check the schedule and get tickets here.

I think there are still a few tickets left to catch the Infamous Stringdusters at the Modlin Center this coming Monday.  Profound and polished new grass at its finest.  Tickets.

And of course, the last weekend in April fast approaches, which for the past twenty-some years has meant MerleFest, starting Thursday in the foothills of North Carolina, a sprawling but very personal gathering of the world's best acoustic musicians and those who love them.  Stay tuned.

And finally, a significant turning of the page on our local live music scene...our beloved Ashland Coffee and Tea is officially changing hands, with the promise of maintaining the things that have drawn us up 95 so many meaningful times.  Here's the notice from former co-owner Mary Leffler:

 Dear Customers of Ashland Coffee & Tea,

We want to welcome our new friends Moya and Truman to Ashland Coffee & Tea. This lovely couple has just purchased the shop from Jim, Mary and Kay. We are delighted to let you know that they come with a love of music and an appreciation of this great good place.

We want to offer humble thanks to our loyal customers that have been with us these many years. We didn't really think we'd still be in the coffee business this long when we opened our doors in 1996. We have been blessed. We are ready to start a new chapter in our lives but want all of our customers to know how much we care.

You will still see Kay behind the counters some. Jim and Mary you'll see too....as patrons. Their kids will probably still work there once in awhile (at least the two still at home).

Thanks to all our staff. You are the best!

We want to wish Truman and Moya the best of luck. Please give them your support.

love to all,

Jim and Mary Leffler

 

Thanks for the memories you guys...let's make more!

TT

(To my new friend Gordon Nash...we enjoyed the conversation and your photos of Sometymes Why at Cornelia Street Cafe, seen above.  Except for the Merlefest sand sculpture, all other shots are from artist Websites)

Spring Loaded

Long-awaited April is showering us with musical opportunity including an admonition to secure your seat for our next JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio concert featuring the Texas cyclone that is Cadillac Sky.  If you aren't familiar with them, they're one of the hottest bands in the broad bluegrass genre and they've set tongues to waggin' all over the country.  Behind bandleader Bryan Simpson's brilliant songwriting and lead vocals, CSky brings stunning harmonies and instrumental virtuosity to a table loaded with acoustic creativity.  I know I'm gushing but join us for this special show and hear for yourself.  Reservations are already going fast so giddyup!  The boys will be taking a victory lap after what no doubt will be triumphant performances at this year's MerleFest April 23-26. Oh yeah, our show's on Saturday, May 2nd.

I will be back at the Watson festival for the 18th straight year as Cabin Stage manager so if you can't be there, watch this space for accounts and photos.  It's an annual pilgrimage that restores my soul.  The lineup is huge as always and I'm overjoyed that The Kruger Brothers are back at last...it's been way too long. 

Those hard travelin' Infamous Stringdusters won't be at MerleFest this year but you can catch 'em right here in River City on Monday, April 20th at the the University of Richmond's Modlin Center.   This now well-seasoned sextet has been all over the U.S. and Europe and this'll be the first time we've gotten to hear them in a theater setting.  Tickets are a bit pricey (good for them!) but they're more than worth it.  Another prime example of how well this new generation has nurtured bluegrass.  And as a special gift from the Easter Bunny, we've got a pair of tickets to the Dusters concert for the first one of you dear readers with the right answer to this:  Name the two brothers (and what they play) with the Stringdusters and the John Cowan Band respectively.  (hint-they're tuned the same)  Winner's name will be held at will-call.  mail@timtimberlake.com Should be a very high-quality show.

Hats off to Tom Beals and all the Haymaker guys who've  come up with a stellar season for Groovin' In The Garden at Lewis Ginter every Thursday in May and June.  After a year off for a major expansion of the gorgeous rose garden venue and terracing the lawn, get your tickets now for acts like Shooter Jennings, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Cowboy Junkies AND Old Crow Medicine Show.  Mama rock me, indeed.

In the short term, the leaner latest edition of Old School Freight Train (Jesse Harper, Darrell Muller, Nate Leath and drummer Nick Falk) will bring their brand new release Six Years to the Capital Ale House downtown music hall on Friday night (4/10)

And Saturday night, our new friend from Sedro Woolley Washington, Bryan Bowers returns for a well-deserved encore to his JAMinc/In Your Ear show last fall.  He'll play the Shady Grove Coffee House in Glen Allen and will surely hold the audience in the palm of his well-calloused hand.  Bryan is a master autoharpist and storyteller besides being a wonderful human being.  Highly recommended, especially if you missed him before.

Tickets are selling well for our May 8th JAMinc concert with The Isaacs at the West End Assembly of God on Parham Road.  We've been talking about this show for some time but now it's less than a month away so don't procrastinate...get 'em now at our JAMinc Website.  The Isaacs promise as powerful a musical and spiritual experience as you've likely had in quite a while.

From the spring band shuffle, it's just been announced that dazzling Flecktones saxman Jeff Coffin has joined the Dave Matthews Band replacing LeRoi Moore who was fatally injured in an ATV accident last year.  Jeff had been filling that spot since the mishap last summer.  So will Bela find another reed player or will he go in another direction?  Remember harmonica wizard Howard Levy from the original band?  Or how about kora master Toumani Diabate who played on Throw Down Your Heart: Tales From the Acoustic Planet Vol. 3, Africa Sessions, Bela's latest project for Rounder?  Expect the unexpected from the banjo's best friend.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend and thank God for this magnificent spring.  The full moon rise tonight was spectacular.  Hope you saw the man in there.

TT

(Cadillac Sky and Isaacs group photos from their press kits)

Henrico Honky Tonk

If you don't have plans for tomorrow night, now you do.  If you do have plans, drop 'em and make your way to the newly restored Henrico Theater on Nine Mile Road in the East End for a very special evening with Brad Spivey and his Honky Tonk Experience.  This marks a bit of a departure for this highly-revered real country band as they'll be performing in a plush and pretty concert setting rather than on a bar's bandstand with chicken wire protecting them from flying beer bottles.  A well-deserved up-town gig.  And expect to see some notable and devoted followers in the audience craving a night of solid American tunes in an inviting new venue.  Best of all...it's free!  But reservations are recommended at 501-5138.  Get on out and show 'em the love.

Don't forget tonight at Ashland Coffee & Tea...they're continuing their focus on the best of our Richmond area talent pool and it's a deep one...the dean of folk singers around here for decades George Turman will hold court with the singular assistance of double-threat Billy Lux on double bass and rock-bottom vocals. 

Thanks to all who made our Tony Furtado show a week ago at In Your Ear the 5th sell-out in a row...listen for an abridged playback down the road on Page Wilson's Out O' The Blue Radio Revue.  Tony was terrific.

Our next JAMinc event is an evening with the incomparable family band, The Isaacs on May 8th at the West End Assembly of God.  Tickets on sale soon on our Website.  It will surely lift your heart...the snow lifted mine although I missed most of it.  Andy Thompson, outdoor writer for the T-D did a superb job of capturing just how I feel about the all-too-rare-anymore blanket of white.  Here's a link to the column...thanks Andy.  Peepers and jonquils herald the new season and we're in just the right place.  TT

 

(Henrico Theater marquee photo from the HTE Website)

Birthing a band....

A yearning for some seldom seen snow back home and a free place to stay has brought me out to Boulder, CO for a week with Miss Em who's lived in this tantalizing town at the feet of the Flatirons for six months now. It's a place focused on the outdoor experiences that only dramatic mountain scenery can inspire, and then the cultural and culinary offerings to savor the rest of the time...think Laudisio Ristorante last night for elegant Italian fare and an upcoming late night at Boulder Draft House to catch the highly-recommended Unknown Americans featuring local legend Danny Shafer.


Yesterday afternoon afforded the chance to hang with great new band in rehearsal for an upcoming gig at the Argyle Bluegrass Festival in Fort Worth next weekend. Thanks to their well-seasoned banjo player Pete Wernick, I headed over to fiddler Justin Hoffenberg's place after lunch to meet the rest of this talented bunch comprised of three young players in their twenties being grounded and inspired by two veterans including Dr. Banjo himself and former NBB bassman Gene Libbea. Justin is an accomplished violinist with great taste and tone who's about to join fellow prodigy Alex Hargreaves in Cremona, Italy for a prestigious festival that also lists Itzhak Perlman on its roster in late April. But meantime, it's bluegrass with his peers Martin Gilmore, a long tall lead singer/songwriter and last year's Rocky Grass
mandolin champ Jordan Ramsey, who has mastered the Jesse McReynolds brand of cross picking. It had been so long since I'd seen Gene or heard him play, I'd forgotten what a monster of timing and energy his is on the upright bass. You couldn't ask for a stronger rhythm anchor and the guys are blessed to have him...he brings a mean tenor line as well. It was a real treat hearing them hammer out arrangements for a wide ranging repertoire...standards like Jim & Jesse's "Sweet Little Miss Blue Eyes," successful stretches like Tom Waits' "Two Nineteen," and a Gilmore original, "Hard Times and Lonesome Memories." All these and more portend hot prospects for Long Road Home, a potent mix of fresh and well-leavened (thanks to a dash of Hot Rize). Keep an eye out for them at a festival near you this spring and summer. And pick up a copy of Steve Martin's new banjo album The Crow...lots of tasty stuff and guest artists...Pete Wernick's all over it. Thanks again Pete.

Back home, don't miss the Bill Lohmann/Bob Brown piece on our JAMincIYE concert series in this Sunday's T-D Flair section and don't forget to reserve your seats (at JAMinc.org) for Friday's Tony Furtado concert which is well on its way to sold out.

All aboard the Ski Train!

TT