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Image credit https://trueblueridge.files.wordpress.com

December 2015

“Let life be like music.”~ Langston Hughes ~

As we conclude production on this issue of Americana Rhythm, we’d liketo be among the first to wish everyone a happy, peaceful, and safe holidayseason. And we’d like to say a really big thank you to everyone who hashelped us deliver our perspective of the Americana world these past 10years. It wouldn’t have happened without each of you. Yep - it’s been 10years!

Looking ahead, there are so many more things we want to discover andshare with you, our faithful audience. To that end, we will be launching anew website in 2016, as well as bringing some added color to these pages.Our Americana Music Profiles podcast has become quite popular, and hasbeen loads of fun to produce. Our on-line radio station, Americana HouseParty (on live-365), is consistently in the top 10.

Although it’s getting chilly out, there’s lots of music still happening inwarmer climates outdoors, as well as the indoor festivals, jams, coffeehouse events, and house concerts. There’s no reason for your ears to everstarve. We’ll see you out there!

Questions, comments, suggestions:greg@americanarhythm.com

Americana Rhythm is published six times a year. All correspon-dence should be sent to PO Box 45, Bridgewater VA, 22812 oremail to greg@americanarhythm.com. Copies of AmericanaRhythm are made available free at various pick up locations withinthe publication’s region. Subscriptions are available inside the UnitedStates (only) for $16 US currency made payable by check or moneyorder sent to, Subscriptions at PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812.Foreign subscrip t ion requests should be sent togreg@americanarhythm.com. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.Reproduction of any content, artwork or photographs is strictlyprohibited without permission of the publisher or original owner. Alladvertising material subject to approval.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEFGreg E. Tutwiler

Associate EditorEd Tutwiler

MARKETING & PROMOTIONMark Barreres (GrassRootsNetworking.com)

ADVERTISINGBusiness office 540-433-0360

advertising@americanarhythm.com

CONTRIBUTORSEd Tutwiler

Wayne ErbsenDonna Ulisse

Don and Martha DePoyAndrew McKnightMark WhetzelKaye D. Hill

DISTRIBUTIONEd TutwilerZebra Media

Associated Dist.

Letters, Comments, Suggestionsgreg@americanarhythm.comwww.americanarhythm.com

PUBLISHER

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By Edward Tutwiler

After attending a weekend musicfestival, we head home remember-ing our favorite acts and discuss-ing with our fellow travelers everyaspect of our enjoyable experiencewith no thought as to what themembers of the bands might bedoing next. I can not speak for ev-ery string-music band, but I cansure tell you where Lorain Jordonand members of her Carolina Roadband go when the stage lights godark. They head on back to Gar-ner, NC where Ms. Jordon can kickback with a good cup of coffeewithin the confines of her very owncoffee house. Loraine Jordon is of-ten referred to as the Lady of Tradi-tion in the bluegrass world. Shegrew up around bluegrass musicin costal Carolina and now residesin Garner, NC just a few miles be-yond the city limits of the capitalcity of Raleigh. Jordan is an awardwining performer with 20 plusyears in the music business and hasbeen front and center with the bandCarolina Road since 1998 as a man-dolin player and singer; however,back in Garner, NC, she is a busi-ness woman and purveyor of goodcoffee as well.

Several weeks ago during the In-ternational Bluegrass Music Asso-ciation (IBMA) conference in Ra-leigh, Ms. Jordon invited somemembers of the media to join herfor a evening of music at her coffeehouse, and members of the AR staffwas privileged to be included onthe guest list for that event. Thiscoffee house is such a unique fu-sion of music, food, and fun thatwe wanted to know the back storyof what Loraine’s Coffee House isall about so I recently took up someof her down time to find out.

RepurposedLoraine’s Coffee House is located ina refurbished and reappointedformer drugstore building and firstopened in July of 2014. Ms. Jordontold us, “It was always in the backof my mind that someday I wantedto have a place where I could stage

live bluegrass/Americana music inan environment that was a non-bar scene—not a restaurant butrather just a laid back place wherefolks could kick back with a cup ofcoffee or a smoothie and maybe asnack to listen to music. Years ago,I went to places like The Birchmereand The Cellar Door in the DC areawhere they had people come in tolisten to the music. I alwaysthought that was so fantastic.” Shecontinued, “I was always lookingaround for the right place and foundit here at home just seven milessouth of Raleigh. There was thisdrug store building for sale. It wasa fairly modern building so we tookeverything out of the inside andcompletely remodeled the interiorinto a coffee house type of place.We added some tables and chairs,

upholstered sofas and chairs, somelow tables, and a coffee bar. Peoplecan come it and choose to sit wherethey will be comfortable and havea coffee.”

The interior of the house opens upinto much more that a cozy coffeehouse. The décor is mostly albumcovers and pictures of classic coun-try artists (prominently featuredare pictures of the 12 artists thatjoined Ms. Jordan and CarolinaRoad in their latest project, Coun-try Grass, which features classiccountry artists doing classic coun-try songs with bluegrass arrange-ments and traditional string instru-ments. Other pictures of wellknown personalities withautographed well-wishes for thesuccess of the coffee house are alsoscattered about the walls.

Offices near the front door of thehouse serve Ms. Jordon as head-quarters for her Jordon Enterprisesand for Steve Dilling who is book-ing agent for the coffee house stageand banjo player for the SidelineBand.

A professionally managed, robustcoffee bar along one end of thebuilding opens daily at 6:30 AMand closes around 7:30 PM when-ever music is not featured on stage.It serves coffee, muffins, and delisandwiches to folks who come in

By Edward TutwilerMusic With Your Cappucino

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from all over with their laptops anddo work, others sit around and reada book, and yet others come in andhave meetings.

Music On TapThe focal point of the coffee houseis the big performance stage alongone long wall that is equipped withgreat sound and lighting and is re-plete with a green-room at stageright for performers to relax beforegoing on stage. Ms. Jordon said,“We added a great big stage alongone side. Its probablythe biggest stage a cof-fee house ever had;however a bluegrassband has six or sevenplayers and they needroom to perform.”Not only does thestage provide a placefor Loraine Jordon andCarolina Road to playwhen they are homefrom the road (theyplay there at least ev-ery other month) butalso hosts well known classic coun-try and bluegrass personalities. Thelist of folks who have graced thecoffee house stage reads like a who’swho of classic country and bluegrassacts. Jordon said, “The ones whocome always like the experienceand want to return for another per-formance.”

There seems to always be some-thing happening at the coffeehouse. On Tuesday nights, theyhave a local jam session and folkswho play acoustic stringed instru-ments can set in the circle and playtogether. Non-pickers come in tolisten to the players jam together.On Thursday nights, they have ahouse band, and people come upon the stage with their banjo andfiddle and join in. On Fridays andSaturdays, professional bands gracethe coffee house stage. If that is notenough, Sunday mornings find anactive church worship service insession each week.

As far as cover charge and admis-sion tickets go, normally there isno charge when single acts, duets,and local bands play—they justpass the hat. Folks wishing to at-tend the professional musical per-formances on the other hand mustpurchase tickets in advance either

through their WEB site , by tele-phone, or by purchase at the door.

Multi-UseIn addition to the coffee and themusic, the coffee house has a con-ference room that is available torent for meetings and private gath-erings. It can hold 20 attendees andincludes a big video screen for mov-ies and presentations. The coffeehouse folks also hold music work-shops in this space, and a localmusic teacher has held the recital

for his music students in the con-ference room where his students’parents could come listen. Further,the main floor and event stage areaare available for public rental, andthat rental can include live enter-tainment and catered food servicefor as many as 85 attendees. I askedMs Jordon if she was pleased withher venture, and here is her reply,“I think I am satisfied with the cof-fee house venture. The bluegrasscommunity is finding out about itand coming out and being a partof what is going on here. The jamsessions are getting really busyalong with the music workshops.We’ve had bluegrass around here(North Carolina area) for a longtime; however, we here in NorthCarolina are the best kept secret inthe bluegrass world. We are notKentucky but we could be consid-ered the late bloomer of bluegrass.”

In closing, Ms. Jordan has this mes-sage concerning the magical placeshe’s put together in Garner, NC,“It has always been a lifelongdream of mine to have an estab-lishment where the communitycould come together and mingle ina family atmosphere. I am hopingthat this can be everyone’s homeaway from home and become aplace to relax and meet and greetwhile enjoying the artistry of lo-

cally and nationallyknown musicians. I haveplayed music on the roadall over the country for 23years. Now, I want tocome home and play inmy backyard.”

If you ever find yourselfin Raleigh, NC, you oweit to yourself to make theshort drive over to Gar-ner and check out thisspecial place. It is easy tofind: from I-40, take exit298A and go south onUS401 to US70 towardGarner; turn south onTimber Dr.; and travel to101 Timber Point Lane(call 919- 714-7990 forguidance if you get lost).Loraine Jordon’s CoffeeHouse is open weekdays:6:30AM–7:30PM; Satur-days: 8:30AM-7:30PM; and Sun-days: 10:00AM - 4:00PM (closedduring the worship service thatstarts at 10:30). On event nights,the closing is pushed out until9:30PM. You can call the coffeehouse at (919) 714-7990, and for in-formation about the music and

events, you can call (919) 779-5672.You can also point your computerbrowser to www.lorainescoffeehouse.com. Also, to find out moreabout Loraine Jordan and CarolinaRoad, go towww.carloinaroadband.com website for bios and tours dates.

“It was always in the back of mymind that someday I wanted tohave a place where I could stagelive bluegrass/Americana musicin an environment that was a non-bar scene— just a laid back placewhere folks could kick back witha cup of coffee ... and listen tomusic.”

Country legendEddie Raven showedup the night we werethere - he will betouring with Caro-lina Road next year.

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Music Trail

Along Shenandoahthe

By Don Depoy, Phd.

Tuesday 6 - 8:30pm – Elkton – Blue-grass Jam – If you like high level, highenergy, straight ahead bluegrass, thisjam’s for you. Everyone is welcometo join the circle. However, this jam isnot for the meek. It is the best exampleof traditional musicians practicing theirinstrumental and singing artistry thatdates back many generations to theearly settlers of the valley. ElktonCommunity Center, 20593 Blue andGold Drive. Elkton, VA; Just off Route340 behind the Pizza Hut. (540) 209-3540

Tuesday – 9 - 11pm – Staunton –Marino’s Jam – A robust acoustic jamranging from bluegrass to old time tocountry to western swing to whatever;depending on who shows up. It hasbeen going on for over 35 years in afunky little family run honky tonk res-taurant. There’ll be lots of singing,some instrumentals, often as manymusicians as listeners crowd in, great

burgers, all sorts of people mixed to-gether, all ages, and lots of Fun:Marino’s Lunch, 901 N Augusta St.,Staunton, VA (540) 885-0818

[Wednesday – No jams – Wantedsomeone to host a weekly jam inthe Harrisonburg area.]

Thursday – 7 - 9:30pm – GrottoesJam – This jam is set up as a stageshow and well attended. The pickinglevel is intermediate and experienced.Jammers swap songs with several mi-crophones for instruments and vocals.The song selection is traditional coun-try, bluegrass and gospel. The lastThursday of each month, a featuredband entertains the crowd from 7-8pm, and that is followed by jamming.Otherwise, it’s nonstop jamming.Snacks and Drinks are available. Grot-toes Community Center, 601 Dog-wood Ave., Grottoes, VA (540) 209-3540

Friday – 7 - 9:30pm – New MarketJam – This is the Valley’s oldest jam.For over 36 years it has been a greatplace to listen to some of the best pick-ers with a full range of talented musi-cians. This jam is set up as a stage

show and well attended. 50/50 Raffle,Snacks and Drinks. New Market Com-munity Center, 9184 John Sevier Rd.,New Market, VA (540-209-3540)

Friday – 7 - 9:30pm – “Spike” JamSessions – Named for the late “Spike”Stroop. This is a low key circle jamfrequented by some great players.Good for all levels of musicians. 50/50 Raffle, Snacks and Drinks avail-able. VFW Hall at Chimney Rock,14550 Runions Creek Road, Broad-way, VA (540-434-5491)

Saturday – 2 - 4pm – Old-Time Mu-sic Jam – This is an Old-Time musicjam, (Very different than bluegrass)with some of the Valley’s best musi-cians. Featuring the mountain dulcimer,fiddle, claw-hammer banjo, mandolinand guitar. It’s a great place to pick orlisten: Braithwaite Studios Art Gallery& Gifts, 415 Mason St., Dayton, VA(540-879-2110)

There are also once-a-month acousticmusic jams as well as music stores thathave regular impromptu jam sessions.A listing of these and other musicevents are detailed on the ShenandoahMusic Trail Brochure found atwww.meandmartha.com or you cancall for more information 540-209-3540.

It’s Jammin’ Time

Festival season is winding down,and we are settling in for the fall jamsand indoor music series. If you are vis-iting or traveling through theShenandoah Valley, there are weeklyjam sessions about every day of theweek. All of these jams are free andopen to the public. Listeners and pick-ers welcome, of course. As a picker,if you feel uneasy being in the jam“center-stage” you always have theoption of lurking in the back of thejam. As with all good jams, the key toa successful time is to be respectfuland enjoy the moment.

Monday 6 - 9pm – Harrisonburg –Private community Jam (by invitationonly)– Low key and mostly slowerpaced circle jam, traditional country,gospel, and folk. This is a perfect jamfor beginners who can tune and playin time and intermediate players. Toset up a meeting before the jam forthe evening, call 540-209-3540.

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Life continues to teach me how towrite songs with every breath I takethese days. I don’t know if it’s myage or being so tuned into my thoughtsand surroundings because of mysongwriting, but I am more aware andconsciously choosing to stay in a stateof gratitude and awareness. By makingthat effort as much as I possibly can,I am also in a place that keeps meready to write songs. It’s a beautiful,creative cycle.

I was recently asked to co-write withsomeone I have greatly admired foryears. He emailed me from out of theblue and I was jumping up and downas I tried to type back an availabledate to write. Of course, when Isnapped out of my initial excitement,I had already sent the reply (gulp)when fear and doubt kicked in andruined the mood. I started wonderingif I was a good enough songwriter towrite with this Grammy awardwinning, smash-hit writer who shallremain nameless. Whew, stress, whatwould I do without it?

I drove my poor husband crazy withmy worries. He patiently said time andagain that I was going to write a great

song with this guy and he didn’t knowwhy I was freaking out. Of course Iwas fretting that this writingappointment would be the one time Iwould be struck speechless andthoughtless - not one teeny song ideawould surface and redeem me in frontof my hero. Iwas hoping Iwould not be anutter failure. Istarted thinkingof a “plan B” ifthis shouldhappen. Maybejust once Ishould be quiet,and stoic to wait to see if this writercould come up with an idea. That wayI could meekly contribute to his greatsong. YES, that’s what I would do.(whew). Suddenly I felt better, lessweighted down with the responsibilityto come up with the initial idea for asong.

I waited for the day to arrive for thewriting appointment like I was waitingfor my execution. Finally, the morningcame and I packed all my writing toolsinto my brief case and picked up myguitar, put it in my gig bag and with a

stomach full of butterflies, made myway to the car. We were to write onfamous music row in Nashville so thatmeant getting on the interstate, whichis always scary for me. Just as Icranked the engine, the skies openedup, and the rain started pouring. The

gas tank was onempty and mynerves were onoverdrive. Thiswasn’t startingwell. Thankfully, Iallowed timeenough for suchrandom acts andmade it to the

publishing office right on time but Iwas the only car in the parking lot. Istarted panicking, thinking I had thewrong day written down for theappointment. I checked my phone andsaw a text from the writer saying thathe was sorry but he would be runninglate. I don’t know why that made mefeel better but it did. He was so latethat I had a chance to write about ahalf a song that I was really diggingbefore he got there. He was flusteredand very apologetic as we made ourway into the writing room. I, on theother hand, was suddenly feeling

confident. As he made coffee, I tookout my guitar and started noodling outthe melody that was in my head to gowith my partial lyric. Guess who lovedit and wanted to help me complete it?Yep, my hero!

My husband LIVES for thesemoments when he is the one to finallysay, “I told you so”. The song turnedout to be a good one and I receivedthe sweetest email from the co-writerexpressing interest in penning anothersong with me. Funny how things canturn on a dime.

After reflecting on this experience Ihad to chide myself on my total lackof confidence. I love to write, and Iknow that some co-writing teams donot work out. Fear has never doneanything positive for me as a writerbut I let it get hold of me leading upto this writing appointment. On theother hand, gratitude always helps myspirit. So, my lesson in that momentwas to not lose sight of what I knowto be right for me, to stay in a state ofgratitude and awareness and trust inmy own creative process.

“I was hoping I would notbe an utter failure. Istarted thinking of a“plan B” if this shouldhappen.”

In 2006 (in the March/April issue)we told you the tragic story ofCarter Stanley of The StanleyBrothers fame and added a sidestory about how his daughter waskeeping his legacy alive by writ-ing and performing a tribute al-bum about her farther as seenthrough her loving eyes and thatmight have been where the storyended; however, when I was look-ing at the fall schedule for theFloyd Country Store in Floyd,VA, I noticed they had scheduleda one-act play about CarterStanley. I made a mental note toslip down to Floyd and check itout but while in Raleigh for the

IBMA conference, I noticed thatvery play was to be performed atthe City of Raleigh Museum.

Remembering the story we wroteand knowing that Carter Stanleywas a very expressive singer andprolific songwriter who Bill Mon-roe once called the best naturallead singer that he had ever heardsing; of course, I had to slip ondown and check it out.

In the early days of the bluegrassmusic formation, Carter and hisbrother Ralph Stanley wrotesongs and made early recordingsthat set standards that many oth-

ers followed to their own path offame (including his little brotherRalph). Now gone for 50 plusyears, Carter’s legacy is largelyfaded from memory. That is whythis play titled, A Life of Sorrow,permits bluegrass music fans oftoday a chance to connect withone of the founding fathers of amusical genre that reaches inter-national audiences.

A Life of Sorrow is a one-man playthat combines songs by CarterStanley interspersed with wordmonologues, told in first personand in character by the actor, todetail Carter Stanley’s tragic andshort life. The play is the creationof Gary Reid of Roanoke, VA. Mr.Reid is a historian and bluegrass

By Edward TutwilerA Life Of Sorrow

continued on page 13

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According to Webster’s dictionary,one meaning for the word sidelineis “a job that is done in addition toyour main job.” For the guys inthe band Sideline, that’s exactlywhat it meant, at least in the be-ginning. But now, for SteveDilling, Jason Moore, SkipCherryholmes, and brothers Brianand Nathan Aldridge, it’s sidelineno more. “Sideline sort of turnedinto full line somewhere along theline,” quipped co-founder andbanjo player Steve Dilling, as wesat down recently at IBMA to talkabout this relatively new, and cer-tainly up and coming bluegrassband.

A veteran musician himself,Dilling got started in the mid-80sin a regional North Carolina bandcalled the Bass Mountain Boys.From there he spent about sixmonths with the Lonesome RiverBand before landing a more per-manent gig with Russell Moore andIIIrd Time Out in the summer of1993. Although he left that bandin 2013, Sideline had already be-come a “side” venture for Steveand several other musicians, and away to play when their main bandswere off the road.”

Pieces Coming Together“It started about five years ago,”Steve said. There have been differ-ent configurations of the band.Guys like Darrell Webb, AdamSteffey, John Chapman, and RonStewart all sat in with them attimes but it kind of started settlingin when Jason came on board.

Jason Moore got his start playingwith the legendary James Kingfrom 1993 to 1999. He participatedwith two Michael Clevelandprojects before joining the ac-claimed Americana/bluegrassband, Mountain Heart, where hetoured until he joined Steve andSideline in 2014. An accomplishedsession player, Jason has appearedon nearly 100 different studioprojects and has produced two oth-ers.

The third partner in the trio, SkipCherryholmes, played guitar forthe famous traveling family band,Cherryholmes for almost 13 yearsuntil they decided to disband in2011. In that time, they won the2005 IBMA Entertainer of the Yearaward, and were nominated fornumerous awards including fiveGrammys. He was playing withLou Reid and Carolina before find-ing his way into the Sideline fam-ily, literally.

“My daughter and Skip got en-gaged, and he move here to NorthCarolina,” Steve said. “So naturallyI wanted to pick with him. Weknew we had a foundation ofsomething that felt really good. Sowe invited Brian Aldridge and hissixteen year old brother Nathan,sons of long time Carolina musi-cian Mike Aldridge, to round outthe band. Those guys are both very

talented musicians from a longmusical background.”

Hitting The StageThe guys got booked for their firstbluegrass festival while they werestill in other bands, but it was en-couraging, and they started think-ing about booking some additionaldates. Steve had recently left IIIrdTime Out due to some health is-sues. “I just needed to stay close tohome and get my health straight-ened out,” Steve said. “We decidedto record a CD so we could havesomething to sell at the few gigswe already had booked. That CDdid pretty good, and things just re-ally took off after that.”

Jason was ready to make a changeand he wanted to work for himselfafter years of working for someoneelse. The success of that first CDwas enough to “go for it,” as Steve

put it. “We wentfull force fromthere.” Jason,Steve, and Skipformed a partner-ship, and Sidelineofficially becamefull line. “Thatwas actually just alittle over a yearago,” Jason added.“We went from 30dates last year to80 this year(2015),” Steve said.“We’re blessed, re-ally,” Steve said.“Some full timebands don’t evenwork that much.But the three of ushave done this forso long, and wehave a lot of con-nections, and con-tacts, and friends.So we’ve used thatto our benefit.”

Jason said that thewhole thingwasn’t even superintentional untilabout six monthsago. “I was kind of

done,” Steve said. “I was happywith 30 dates a year like we didlast year.” Steve had gone to workfor Jordan Entertainment, LoraineJordan’s business, and thought hehad settled into a day job. “She’svery understanding and support-ive,” Steve said. “She even said, ‘Iknew you would never quit. It’s inyour blood.” “We had to let thatrun its course,” Jason quipped.“Then the bug started getting athim again.”

Doing It DifferentlySteve was finally getting healthyagain and the band was reallystarting to click. The challenge nowwould be to keep it from gettingout of control on the other end.“The goal is if we can do the sameamount of work in two or threeweekends a month instead of four,then we still get to have time athome,” Skip said.

By Greg TutwilerSideline Success

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“For so many years, all of usworked all the time. I joke on stagethat Skip, with the family bandpractically living on the bus,worked 600 days a year,” Stevesaid.

“Our family would leave at theend of August and not come backuntil the first week of Novem-ber,” Skip told me. “You could dothat then because you’re withyour family. You’re not leavinganybody behind. But I couldn’tdo that now.”

“For 17 years, we played everyweekend accept the month of De-cember, Easter weekend, and oneweek in July,” Steve said, “when

I played with IIIrd Time Out. ForSideline, we’ll work heavy forthree or four weeks, and then takea couple weeks off. And if one ofus wants to be off down the road,we just bring it to the band, andthen we’ll schedule around it. Itkeeps sanity and relationships intact that way.”

Liking who you play with is im-portant too of course. “We’ll havethese two weeks that we’ll work,and then we’ll take two weeks off.But there’s going to be some kindof reason, either the three of us, ifnot the five of us, that we’ll endup calling each other during thebreak,” Skip said. “We actuallymiss one another,” Jason added.“We enjoy playing together,”Steve said.

“We have a family atmospheretoo,” Jason said. “If you want tobring your wife, that’s fine.” “Weeven vacation together with our

families,” Steve said. “We get abig beach house at the OuterBanks for the St. Patty’s Day fes-tival in Manteo. We play in theparade and then hang out at thebeach for a week.”

“As long as we continue to dothings like that, this will stay freshand we’ll keep having fun,” Stevesaid. “You know, this business ishard on your wife and family. Mydaughter is married to Skip. Shewas raised with me being gone,and now she has a husband onthe road. She’s a veteran, sheknows how to deal with it, andstill it’s hard.” “I’m very blessedbecause of her understanding,”Skip added.

The Long Run“2016 looks ever stronger too,”Jason said. With the second CDcurrently in circulation, SessionII, they are working on their third,initially titled Session III, set tobe out sometime in early 2016.While the band doesn’t currentlywrite their own material, they dohave a lot of new songs collectedfrom some very goodsongwriters. Of course there arefew covers including an oldJohnson Mountain Boys tune thatwill feature Dudley Connell as aguest performer.

So the future looks solid for Side-line. “I hope this is my lastband,” Jason said. “This is my lastrun at it,” Steve said. “I’m in my32nd year on the road, and I thinkthis is a great band to finish outmy career with, whenever that itis,” he quipped. “We’ve gotsomething good here.”

http://ncartseveryday.org

Perhaps you’re lucky enough tolisten to WAXM FM Bristol TN,“The Bluegrass Show” everyweekday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. Ormaybe you’ve tuned into thepopular public television broadcastseries, Songs Of The Mountains onPBS. Or, perhaps you get your fixby listening to the syndicated radioshow, The Tim White BluegrassShow, on one of 60 plus radiostations across the country.Regardless, the voice you hear isnone other that of Tim White.

I first met Tim a few years ago atan event in Virginia where he wasco-producing a music gatheringcalled Acoustic Uprising. Althoughour paths had crossedprofessionally a few times prior, itwas at this event where I becameacquainted with the rest of the story.What fascinated me and eventuallybrought us to this conversation isthe diversity that encompassesTim’s professional life.

On many occasions, I have foundmyself in conversations whereartists have expressed theirfrustration over how tough it canbe to make it in this music business.I get it. There’s lot’s of competitionfor a smaller number ofperformance opportunities. Butsomehow Tim (and other folks likehim) have found a way to carve aniche’ in this industry that affords

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them the ability to “make a living”doing what they love.

Mixing It UpUpon posing that question, Tim’simmediate response was, “It takesmore than talent – you have to havebusiness savvy too. I’ve seen waytoo many talented bands starvebecause they didn’t understand theentertainment aspect, or how torun their band like a business.Unfortunately, talent alone doesn’tbook you gigs. If you don’tunderstand that side of it, at leastinvest the money and hire someonewho does.” For Tim, being contentat just playing music was neverenough. It was a passion that ledto a life immersed in music.

Tim grew up in Roanoke,Virginia

watching Don Reno

and RedSmiley

on the Top of the Morning

Show as a kid. “That kind ofplanted the seed,” he said. “I

remembered seeing Author Smithand Flats and Scruggs. And even

though I listened to rock and rollin high school in the early 70s,when my family moved down toBristol, TN in 1974, the music therewas different, and I realized Iwanted to learn more about it.”So he got his hands on a cheapbanjo and started learning howto play. “My dad realized that Iwas starting to get pretty goodat it,” he recalled, “so he boughtme a real good Gibson banjo formy 19th birthday.”

He started learning about thehistory too, and places like theCarter Fold and where all thismusic came from. “I’ve alwaysenjoyed the history behind thismusic,” he said. And as the journeygoes, he eventually opened a signshop, which led to an opportunityto paint a mural in downtownBristol. If you’ve been there, you’velikely seen it. This year marks the30 year anniversary of thatpainting. “I didn’t really plan it thatway, but I always believe that

action creates reaction,” he said. “Ididn’t plan on doing all this stuff.I just had a passion for it likeeveryone else that gets into themusic business. We never get intoit thinking ‘oh, I’m going to getrich,’ I really have a passion for it.And that’s what drives us all.”

Behind The MicTim got his start in radio back inthe early 80s from a guy namedJoe Morrell. You may not knowthat name but it’s likely you knowwhat he’s famous for. If you’ve evertraveled north/south on interstate81 through Bristol, VA/TN you’veprobably seen what’s left of a giantguitar along side the road. In 1983,after years of planning, Joe builtand ran what he called the ‘world’sonly guitar shaped musicmuseum.’ The 70 foot, three storystructure (now empty anddeteriorating) was home to themuseum for many years.

Tim said that Joe had acquired asmall radio station soon afteropening the museum, and askedhim do a radio show. “He knew Ihad a bunch of bluegrass records,”Tim recalled. “So I took mycollection down to the station, andthat is where I started my firstbluegrass show. I did it for free – Ijust wanted to get a chance to play

my records,” he said. Joeapproached Tim about twomonths later and said ‘if you sellads on your show, I’ll give youhalf.’ “Well I liked that,” Tim said.“And I’ve been in the radio eversince.”

All of that eventually led to asyndicated two hour program thatis now aired on over 60 radiostations across the country calledThe Tim White Bluegrass Show.“To be honest, I don’t really go out

and solicit stations – they just seemto find me. I have some AM andsome FM stations. We’ll lose a fewnow and then; that’s just thenature of radio, but we’vemaintained around 60 for a fewyears now.” Additionally, Tim

hosts a live broadcast fromdowntown Bristol (WAXM-FM,93.5) six days a week from 3:00 PMto 6:00 PM Monday throughFriday, and 9:00 AM to 12:00 PMon Saturdays. That show is alsostreamed live on www.TopGunRadio.com.

On The StageAdding to the diversification, Timhas also been the host of the widelyacclaimed Song Of The MountainsPBS telecast since it’s inception in2004. “I was approached to helpwith a project to bring the Lincoln

Theater, in Marion, VA back tolife,” he remembered. Built in 1929,the theater had been sitting idol forquite some time. “Actually, it wasabout ready for the wrecking ball,”he said, “but the people of Marioncouldn’t stand to lose such a bigpart of their heritage. The folksbehind the renovation knew I wasputting on a bluegrass/Americanashow and asked if I would comeover and help stage something likethat as part of the restored theater.”

A Passion For The Craft

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December 2015

That show was initially aired onthe three local PBS outlets out ofRoanoke VA. At the conclusion ofthe first season, they were beingbroadcast on 33 different publicstations. “And now, in our 11th

season we are on over 180 PBSaffiliates across America. Song ofthe Mountains now reaches over21 million households and 52million people annually,” Tim said. www.SongsOfTheMountains.org

While all of that sounds likeenough to keep any one of us oc-cupied, there’s more. For the pasttwo decades Tim has fronted sev-eral bands including his currentproject, the VW Boys with fellowmusicians Dave Vaught and “Fat”Albert Blackburn. The VW Boysfeature a combination of music,magic and comedy. “I believe inlaughing,” he said. “It’s great medi-cine for the soul. And we get to doa lot of corporate work because ofour approach. We’re not pigeon-holed into one thing. I can putdown the banjo and pick up a gui-tar and we can become an Ameri-cana band. Now we don’t have tobill ourselves exclusively as a blue-grass band – but we can turn au-

diences onto bluegrass that wouldprobably never buy a bluegrass CD.I’ve seen it work. People will comeup to us after a show and ask usabout the music we were playing.They’ll say, “that was really good,what is it?’ We get to be ambassa-dors of bluegrass music that way,exposing new audiences to thismusic.”

Tim’s interest in music history hasnot gone to waste either. He re-cruited others of like interest to helporganize the Appalachian CulturalMusic Association www.appalachianculturalmusic.orgwhere he currently serves as presi-dent. The ACMA also helps to sup-port the Mountain Music Museum,which Tim helped found, in 1999.The museum is dedicated to pre-serving the heritage of the musicwhich was born in the SouthernAppalachians.

“When you do what you love, itdoesn’t feel like work,” Tim said.“I feel blessed to get to do this ev-ery day. I don’t think about it asbeing busy.”

enthusiast and has been for over40 years. He is regarded as theforemost authority on Carter andRalph Stanley, and recently re-leased a deeply researched printbook titled, The Music of theStanley Brothers, which traces the20 year recording history of TheStanley Brothers.

In the process of research andwriting the book, Reid conceivedthe idea of putting together a one-man play about Carter Stanley. Tothat end, he took two semestersof acting at Virginia WesternCommunity College to preparehimself. Prepare well he did as Ifound Reid’s A Life of Sorrow toeffectively capture the sadnessthat was Carter Stanley and hedoes that by reciting sad and poi-gnant anecdotes and soulfullysinging songs written by Carterand other meaningful public-do-main old time period songs.

In addition to his one-man show,Gary Reid has appeared in morethan 60 productions and eventsat regional community theatres asan actor, producer, and stagemanager and has appeared in sev-eral short films and commercials.He is a three-time recipient of theInternational Bluegrass MusicAssociation’s award for Best LinerNotes and is a co-author of therecently released book The Blue-grass Hall of Fame Inductee Bi-ographies 1991-2014.

If you are a fan of those old origi-nal bluegrass pioneers and themusic that they produced, youwill enjoy this one-man show andshould not pass up a chance tosee it. To find out when the nextproduction will be held or to hosta performance of A Life of Sorrow,you can contact Gary Reid at: POBox 13413, Roanoke, VA 24033;telephone or text (540) 982-6900;or email CopCrk@gmail.com.

Sorrow Continued from page 8

14 www.AmericanaRhythm.com

December 2015

FEATUREARTISTS

Thanks to our partnership with ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) we are honored to give you apeak at a few of the nation’s hardest working indie artists. Each month we select one entry to showcasefor you here. Enjoy!

THIS MONTH’S FEATURE: By Greg Tutwiler

Scott Parmer

Singer/songwriter Scott Parmerhails from Lancaster, PA. While thislead vocalist/front man is also anestablished drummer and guitarplayer, his current pursuit is “be-coming a top shelf lyricist andsongwriter.” Scott’s original mate-rial has been gaining high marksfrom listeners all across the folk/Americana scene as well as all ageranges. And his opening act creditsinclude regional favorites as well asacts like the nationally know iconsof rock, Cheap Trick.

Scott grew up in a house filled withmusic. He remembers his momsinging with many people comparingher to the late great Patsy Cline.“My older brother sang too,” Scottrecalled, “in many of the localpopular dance bands while I wasgrowing up. He had an incrediblevoice a was huge inspiration.”

It wasn’t long before Scott realizedthat he had the gift of singing aswell and began immersing himselfinto music. His first gig was playingdrums and singing at the age of 15.“The drums were a natural for me,”he said. “I was constantly tappingout every song I would hear on thetable, dashboard, or just aboutanything that gave me some percus-sive response. However, I havealways had the desire to create myown sound, and to do so, I had tolearn how to play instruments thatcreated some melody.”

Upside DownSo he picked up the guitar andslowly began teaching himself howto play. “Of course I did not realize Ihad picked up a right-handed guitarand learned to play it upside down,”he mused. “I can’t tell you why, itjust felt comfortable that way tome, even though I am not really atrue left handed person. Funny thingis I never switched the strings. So tothis day, I still draw stares from fansand guitarists when they realize myguitar is not strung traditionally. Mystrings are upside down,” he said. “Iam my own man.”

Scott recalled the first time he got toopen for a national act and playsome of his original songs. “When

we opened for Cheap Trick it was apacked house,” he remembered. “Iwas playing drums and singing leadin a very talented trio called Tower.When the crowd began to chant,‘Tower, Tower, Tower, over andover, I was hooked. I knew that Ineeded to devote the rest of mymusical career to composing originalsongs, perfecting my style andgetting my songs out there for thepeople to hear.”

All OriginalScott just released his new projectcalled Songcatcher. “Funny; when Imixed everything down and wasready to send off for mastering andCD manufacturing, I had 25 songsin the can and ready to go,” he said.“I was very excited. But reality setin pretty quickly, because I didn’t

take into account time and sizelimitations on a CD. I had to make acut down to about 15 songs tomake them fit or else produce adouble CD which I really didn’twant to do. It was extremelydifficult to decide which songswould make the cut and which oneswere going to have to be on afuture album.”

Scott said he chose the nameSongcatcher because, “it bestrepresents who I am. I bleed music.When I am out and I hear even faintmusic in the background, my brainkicks into determining what thesong is and who the artist is.Thoughts like, ‘Can I play it as acover, and who in the room isreacting to it,’ race through thismusic crazy head of mine. I also feelI have a knack for knowing whento play just the right song at just theright time based on mood, atmo-sphere and emotional state. I couldprobably make a pretty good livingbeing a top notch DJ, but I can’tbring myself to do so, playingsomeone else’s music,” he said.

Consumed“Quite simply, I now have theundying need to create and performmusic. I am consumed by it. Ibreathe it. It is the essence of mysoul. I feel God has blessed me withthis gift for a reason. So I am nowhell bent on sharing it with as manyfans as I can as long as I am ca-pable. I hope that my songs, in bothstudio and live shows, can bringpleasure to their ears and give themgoose bumps.”

www.ScottParmer.com

15www.AmericanaRhythm.com

December 2015

The more things change, the morethey stay the same. I’ve heard thisquote since I was knee high to agrasshopper, but never really un-derstood the meaning of thosewords. Recently I was asked if Ithought bluegrass music waschanging, and I began to ponderwhat bluegrass was years ago, andhow it may be viewed today.

Qualified ObserverAdmittedly, I’m now an official“senior citizen” so I’ve had the op-portunity to enjoy many of the truebluegrass pioneers. I remembergoing to festivals as a child, watch-ing men dressed in suits and tiesgather around a single microphone,and sing many of the same songsas other bands. There were thesame five traditional stringed in-struments in the band: banjo,fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and up-right bass. I grew up learning thewords to the familiar songs –“Cripple Creek,” “Fox on theRun,” “Are You Missin’ Me,”“Bringin’ in the Georgia Mail,”“He Will Set Your Fields on Fire,”and “Hot Corn/Cold Corn.” Ofcourse, it wasn’t unusual for aband to finish their set with thealways popular “Orange BlossomSpecial.” The bluegrass festivals ofthat era were not always family-friendly. I don’t even rememberfolks bringing their own chairs! Wesat on blankets and ate packedlunches brought from home whilewe enjoyed the music, but had toleave before dark because thecrowd sometimes turned “rowdy”later in the evening.

Today’s bluegrass festival is a muchlarger, organized event with nu-merous food vendors, and tentswhere fans can go to purchase t-shirts, CDs, pictures, and evenmeet their favorite performers. Se-curity is always present, use of al-cohol in the concert area is prohib-ited, now staff usually needs to setup two microphones; per bandmember. While bluegrass bandsstay true to the acoustic instru-ments, it’s not unusual now to seean occasional resonator guitar add-ing it’s unique sound to the blend.

While those bands who are play-ing traditional bluegrass may stilldress in suits/ties, many more con-temporary bands arrive on stagewearing blue jeans, flannel or t-shirts, tennis shoes, and an occa-sional baseball cap.

With many of the more well-known bands now signing con-tracts with recording companies,they are required to release newmusic so fans are treated to anhour of entertainment that is al-ways exciting to hear for the firsttime. After the shows, fans are en-couraged to purchase CDs to takehome (not the same vinyl as wehad years ago!) or they can alwaysorder a bands’ music online, some-times downloading only the songsthey actually want to add to theirpersonal library.

Keep An Open MindIt’s important for us bluegrass fansto remain open-minded about thisgenre of music. If we only allowourselves to listen to traditional or“roots” music, we become stagnantand miss so much good talent. Weneed to remember that every blue-grass musician, at some time prior,has heard the old songs that wegrew up with, and they too fell inlove with them. That’s why theywanted to play bluegrass - to keepthe old-timey tunes alive, but yetadd their own style to some newones. Even the more contemporarybands still get a hearty round ofapplause when they play the older,more familiar tunes, and occasion-ally even attempt “Orange Blos-som Special,” and do a fine job onit, I might add.

To me, bluegrass music meansmemories. Many times when youhear a particular song, it evokes amemory of a time long ago whenyou first heard that song played,or you remember meeting the origi-nal songwriter or artist who re-corded it. Recently I heard PeterRowan’s “Midnight Moonlight”played on the radio, and I smiled,because it felt like I was meetingan old friend. I had the pleasure ofhearing Peter Rowan, Tony Rice,and Tim O’Brien sing that tune at

a festival years ago and I fell in lovewith it. Occasionally, I would think‘that’s not bluegrass,’ but it is. It’sjust bluegrass with a different twist

I Like It Like That than what I grew up with. It’s stillthe same acoustic instruments thatmade me fall in love with bluegrassmusic.

We need to open ourselves up tothe many changes in the bluegrassworld. The performers may beyounger, their attire is certainly dif-ferent, but they also learned to fallin love with bluegrass by listeningto the same legends we knew. Ev-ery one of them is familiar withthe Stanley Brothers, the OsborneBrothers, Bill Monroe, Little JimmyDickens, Lester Flatt and EarlScruggs, and all the other greats. Ifwe listen closely, we can still hearsome part of that original sound intoday’s groups. Bluegrass IS chang-ing, which is a good thing. But it’sstill the same as it always has been– a wonderful genre of music thatmakes us all happy. Yep, “the morethings change, the more they staythe same,” and I like it like that.Hope to see you at a festival downthe road.

Kaye D. Hill lives in Harrisonburg, VA, andis an advid bluegrass fan. She has been afriend to Americana Rhythm Magazinesince we began. So happy to have Kaye writeanother one of her famous articles for us!

A copy of the poster from the first bluegrassfestival held in Fincastle, VA in 1965.

By Kaye D. Hill

16 www.AmericanaRhythm.com

December 2015

By Wayne Erbsen

The QuackWhile working on a recent fiddlebook, Bluegrass Jamming onFiddle, I was reminded that “life justain’t fair.” Not to fiddlers, anyway.Bluegrass guitarists proudly displaytheir “boom-chick.” Banjo playersstrut their “vamp” or “chunk.” Man-dolins show off their “chop.” Bassesseem content to stay in the back-ground with their “thump, thump,thump.” But what do fiddlers have?Only the dreadful sound of squeaksand squawks. If you ask me, fiddleplayers need a word to describe whatthey do when they’re making the per-cussive sound of the off-beat withtheir bow.

When I listen closely to a fiddle playerusing this technique, it sounds almostexactly like the quacking of a duck inheat. So I propose calling this back-up technique “the quack.” It can beused as a noun, as in “That fiddleplayer can sure lay the quack to it.”It also makes a terrific verb, as in“Oh my gosh! He’s quacking on thedown-beat.”

If you’re a beginner or clueless fiddleplayer who actually wants to learn toquack, stick with me close here.

The quack is nothing more than a shortrhythmic bow stroke on the strings thatproduces a percussive, yet harsh sound.Why would a fiddle player want to pro-duce such a harsh sound? Because itis a sound that will cut through the dinand clatter of a loud bluegrass band.Let’s try it.

Tap your foot in a steady “tick-TOCK” or one-TWO fashion. Asyou’re tapping, say out loud “one”when your foot hits the floor and“TWO” when your foot comes up.When you’re able to do that, tap yourfoot again, but this time remain silenton the one but say “TWO” when yourfoot comes up. So you’ll be going “tapTWO, tap TWO.” Practice that untilit becomes easy as pie.

Using only a very short bow stroke,strike the D and A, or the G and Dstrings with the end of the bow closestto the frog. Play only on beat TW0 asyou continue to tap your foot. After

you hit the strings with a quick down-ward bow stroke, lift the bow off thestrings. Your goal is to kind of smackthe strings with your bow to producea quick percussive sound. (We’ll callthis the “quick quack”). While youare doing this, the fingers of your lefthand should be resting on all thestrings to mute them.

Note: the mandolin’s chop is alsocalled a “bark,” so make sure yourquack and their bark are in sync.

TIP: A good way to practice yourquack is to play a recording of a goodslow or medium-paced bluegrass songthat’s in 2/4 or 4/4 time. With yourleft hand, wrap your fingers aroundthe fingerboard of your fiddle so allthe strings are mutted. Fire up the re-cording and tap your foot to the mu-sic, saying or thinking “one-TWO,one-TWO”. After you’ve got thatdown pat, just quack on the TWOS,while you mute the strings. Once youcan quack along with a recording, trysinging a familiar bluegrass song whileyou quack your fiddle. It’s not hard.

Quacking in Waltz-Time: When youwant to quack on a tune in waltz-time,such as “Kentucky Waltz,” or “Ten-nessee Waltz,” you’ll need to countONE-two-three, ONE-two-three. Re-member that the ONE is silent and

you would quack only on two andthree, so it would sound like “ONE-quack-quack, ONE-quack-quack.”

Quacking on Chords: Besides mut-ing the strings with the fingers of yourleft hand, you can also quack on two-finger chords or double stops. Be sureto use chords positions that use atleast two fingers, rather than playingopen strings. To tell you the truth,muted strings produce a good quackand get the job done without bother-ing to play chords at all.

So have fun quaking away on yourfiddle.

Wayne Erbsen has been writing, teaching,performing, recording, and broadcastingbluegrass music since 1962. Write or callfor a free catalog of bluegrass instructionbooks for bluegrass and clawhammerbanjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar as wellas bluegrass and gospel songbooks, andrecordings from his company, NativeGround Books & Music, 109 Bell Road,Asheville, NC 28805, (828) 299-7031,e m a i l : ba n jo @ n a t i v e g rou n d . c o mwww.nativeground.com

You can listen to Wayne’s radio show,“Country Roots,” Sunday afternoons,Eastern Standard Time time from 7:00-9:00 PM by logging on to www.wcqs.org.Now in its 28th year, “Country Roots” fea-tures traditional bluegrass and old-timemusic.

December 2015

17www.AmericanaRhythm.com

Sugar Lime Blue packs a strong Americana punch withtheir CD, Move That Earth. Led by sultry vocalistAshley Beth, the quintet from Lebanon, TN is makingstrong end roads in the Americana/Roots music sceneall across the region.

Ashley is joinedby, David Beth onlead guitar, RussDean on vocals,Eric Campbell ondrums, and JohnSimpson on steelguitar. TiffanyDaniels, of TheD r u n k e nW e r e w o l fc o m m e n t e d

recently, “The sultry lick of guitar and Ashley Beth’svocal on the new Sugar Lime Blue track “Move ThatEarth” will suck you into a world of salty earth,country music and mystifyingly goodinstrumentation.”

The band draws from three main Americana styles ofmusic including Jazz, Blues and Country, to craft theiruniquely catchy sound. Whether you like ClassicRock, Traditional Country, or something in between,you’ll likely find yourself digging the tunes from SugarLime Blue, which not only include well thought outoriginals, but interestingly arranged covers of someof your favorite classics from folks like Otis Redding,Al Green and Bill Withers.

Their jam band style is reminiscent of groups likeLittle Feat and the Grateful Dead. In 2011 JessicaDrake of the Murfreesboro Pulse wrote, “Sugar LimeBlue has been praised heavily … most often for anauthentic, blues-heavy song craft and Ashley Beth’sfull-bodied bluesy lilt to match.” Jayson Kohl “TheEggman”, of radio station WSCA said, “Ashley Bethwould make Edie Brickell drool, (and) Dave’s guitarlicks often resemble the bluesier Clapton or the less-Latin Santana, with a slight possession by the ghostof Jerry Garcia.”

One catchy practice to make note of; the band hadbeen getting together on Sunday afternoons

recently to make a “shout out” to a specialfriend or fan. They jam on a familiar tuneby recording it on video, and sending itout to one of their lucky followers. It’s agreat way to catch them “unplugged,” upclose, and personal.

To find out more, visit www.sugarlimeblue.com

Sugar Lime BlueBooneville, KY is home to the up and coming blue-grass group Shotgun Holler. Their debut album,Loaded, leaves no doubt, they are five guys bent ongentlemenship as well as musical mastery.

With anappear-ance onC M T ,a n dq u i c kairplaya t t e n -tion tot h e i rearly re-lease, version of the Guy Clark/Darrell Scott tune“Out in the Parkin’ Lot,” Shotgun Holler has evengarnered a Track by Track feature on SirusXM withprogram director, Kyle Cantrell. “Shotgun Holler isbringing bluegrass a freshness I haven’t heard in along time,” Cantrell said. “This is the sound thatwill help take the music to the next level.”

Their unique spin on Miley Cyrus’ hit song, “Wreck-ing Ball” earned them that appearance on CMT’sThe Josh Wolf Show. Americana artists cover hitsongs all the time, but it’s a brave move to grab onefrom the Top-40 charts while it’s still in play. And totheir credit, Shotgun Holler did it fine justice forsure. It’s fun and playful while showing off nicelythe fine talents of Matt Jones (Guitar, Vocals), ShawnBrock (Mandolin, Vocals), Nathan Treadway(Banjo), Rod Lunger (Bass, Vocals) and Alex Benefiel(fiddle).

You can’t go wrong with a producer like Jim VanCleve either, and he shows his talent for helpinggreat musicians sound that way with his work ontheir inaugural project, Loaded. Matt Jones pennedthree originals for the project, along with eight othercarefully selected cuts, including their own versionof the classic, “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It.”

“We don’t really fit the typical bluegrass mold oftoday,” Shawn Brock said. “Instrumentally we arepretty recognizable as bluegrass. We’re using thetraditional bluegrass instruments (but) where we tendto cross into other areas with the material that wechoose, which can be very non-traditional.” That’sokay. Fans seem to like it that way.

To find out more, visitwww.shotgunholler.com

Shotgun Holler

Listen to the expanded interviews at www.spreaker.com/show/americana-music-profiles, or search Americana Music Profiles in iTunes!

Brian “Husky”B u r n e t t e ’ s“preaches” hisbrand of musicwith a gritty, soul-ful, groove that’ssouthern, low-down, and raw.Hailing fromChattanooga, TN,Husky comes

from a long line of musical genes, including thenoted rockabilly kings Johnny and Dorsey Burnette.

He’s been playing guitar for 26 years but musicreally got serious for Husky he said, “by chance,by being at the right place at the right time.” Hewas dating Roger Allen Wade’s daughter. Roger isa folk/country artist, also from Chattanooga, TN,and invited Husky to play lead guitar for him. “Thatwas my first real paying gig,” he recalled. “Thatreally opened up for me the possibility of playingmusic for a living.”

“My uncle got me into the blues, but all my bud-dies were either into metal or rock and roll,” hesaid, “anything but the blues. So I would comehome from school and play the blues in my bed-room. I did a lot of playing along with the radio.The local college, UTC, had a radio station andevery Wednesday they would feature the blues, soI did a lot of playing along to that.”

The fruit of that today has been called hill countryblues with rock and roll. “I don’t even know whatI do,” he laughed. “It’s just amped up blues. I’vegot rock and roll in my blood. That’s the way Iwas brought up. It’s just in me, and I’ve go to getthat out.”

He has toured with such greats as Roger Alan Wade,and Hank Williams III. And he has shared the stagewith many others including a highlight moment withthe one and only Leon Russell. “I could have endedmy career right there and been fine,” he remem-bered.

Husky gets all that pent up rock and roll out oncurrent project, Tales From East End Blvd. Thealbum features guest appearances fromShooter Jennings and Grammy nomineesBilly Don Burns and Aaron Rodgers, amongothers.

To find out more, vivitwww.huskyburnett.net

Husky Burnette

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Butchers BlindA Place In Americawww.butchersblind.com

NY’s Butchers Blind, withtheir Americana roots sound,is back with number four; APlace In America. They arethe definition of authenticAmericana with their solid lyr-ics and folk/rock rhythms.Treat yourself to listen.

Darin & Brooke AldridgeSnapshots

www.darinandbrookealdridge.com

Joe ElyPanhandle Rambler

www.ely.com

This chart topping and awardwinning husband and wifeduo have made a fast namefor themselves in the Ameri-cana circut. Their latest,Snapshot, is proving to beanother obvious success forthe young pair.

Big Virginia SkyBig Virginia Sky

www.bigvirginiasky.com

Flatt LonesomeRunaway Train

www.flattlonesome.com

Wow! We could stop there.While musical talent is criti-cal for success, vocalmarksmenship is paramount.And the gang from Flatt Lone-some have some of the topvocals in bluegrass right now- in our opinion. This new CDis game on.

Ash BreezeThe Road’s Not Easywww.ashbreezeband.com

A collaboration of musical tal-ent from various groups in-cluding vocalist Noah Wall(Bearfoot Movement) gatheraround one mic for this supurbcollection of traditional Appa-lachian string music. If youlike that, you’ll dig this.

From The Mountain TopOf The AppalachiansThe New Appalachians

www.chesky.com This family band fromFayetteville, North Carolinastarted out pursuing classicalmusic. We’re sure glad theymade the switch. Led by thestrong vocals of sister NellyGrace, the Smith family’s fu-ture looks bright indeed.

Donna UlisseHard Cry Moon

www.donnaulisse.comFounded in 2012, this blue-grass infused Americanaband is making a fast namefor themselves. Pushing thegrass boundries, and addinga little precussion is the mixfor this hot group. Their selftitled debut is chocked full ofgreat music..

Tim O’BrienPompadour

www.timobrien.net

Shawn MullinsMy Stupid Heart

www.shawnmullins.comCo-writer of the Zac Brownhit, “Toes,” Shawn Mulllinsbrings years of music and lifeto his latest project, My Stu-pid Heart. As much a biog-raphy as any other of hisworks, this latest is quite thelisten. We like it alot.

Rhonda VincentChristmas Time

www.rhondavincent.com

Pickers and singers from thehills of West Virginia, BudsCollective caused many of usto take notice at the 2015IBMA. From originals, to cov-ers of hits from Kenny Rogersand Doc Watson, their spinmakes it super saucy.

Buds CollectiveBuds Collective

www.budscollective.com

What’s Christmas without anew Christmas CD to add toyour collection. And why notone from the queen of blue-grass, Rhonda Vincent. Thisset of covers and originals willcertainly warm your holidayspirit..

Low LilyLow Lily

www.lowlily.comAfter undergoing a namechange (formally Annalivia),Low Lily is back with their lat-est self titled EP. The trio hasa unique folk/roots flavorthat’s sure to capture yourattention. Hear influencesfrom Celtic to Old Time, andmore..

Songwriter Tim O’Brien is afestival fave for many - andO’Brien fans will be pleasedwith the latest from this multi-award winning bluegrass-folk-singer-songwriter. Pom-padour is Tim’s first solorecord in four years; worththe wait though. Good stuff.

You can send new Americana CD releases for consideration to PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812

Iconic “Roadhouse Rocker”Joe Ely returns with his firststudio album in over fouryears. Another fine exampleof authentic Americana, Texasstyle. Ely was recently dubbed2016 Texas State Musician.Go Joe!.

The Lonesome AceStringbandOld Time

www.lonesomeace.comAppalachian folk songs andfiddle/banjo tunes are therecipe for the three fellas thatmake up The Lonesome AceString band. Old Time, istheir debut (recorded live).It’s mighty good guys!

December 2015

Music From Your Neighbors Music From The National Scene

welcome to another editionof SPINS! Feast your ears onall this ear candy! (in no spe-cial order) - This collectionwill keep you busy for a while- Wow! Grab your iPad orSmart Phone and dial upsome of these fine folks. Webet you’ii love them all likewe do! The end of the yearis upon us, but it’s not theend of great music for sure.Enjoy!

www.AmericanaRhythm.com.

Uncle Woody,The Spin Doctor

PO Box 45Bridgewater, VA 22812

Veteran Nashville songwriterDonna Ulissee’s new CD,Hard Cry Moon, is makingwaves fast, and it’s easy tosee why. Strong vocals, andcreative storytelling, backedby solid musicians makes thislatest CD one to add to yourcollection for sure.

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December 2015

www.AmericanaRhythm.com

We’d love to show up in your mail box six times a year!The rich culture of Americana music is the

fastest growing music today! Let’s stay in touchsubscription to Americana Rhythm. It’s only $16.

Send us your name and address along with your check ormoney order for $16 made out to Americana Rhythm, to POBox 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812. (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)You can also subscribe Via PayPal on line at www.AmericanaRhythm.com

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Entertainer of the Year:The Earls of Leicester

Female Vocalist of the Year:Rhonda Vincent

Male Vocalist of the Year:Shawn Camp

Vocal Group of the Year:Balsam Range

Instrumental Group of the Year:The Earls of Leicester

Song of the Year:“Moon Over Memphis,”

Balsam RangeAlbum of the Year:

The Earls of Leicester,The Earls of Leicester

Emerging Artist of the Year:Becky Buller

Banjo Player of the Year:Rob McCoury

Bass Player of the Year:Tim Surrett

Dobro Player of the Year:Jerry Douglas

Fiddle Player of the Year:Michael Cleveland

Guitar Player of the Year:Bryan Sutton

Mandolin Player of the Year:Jesse Brock

2015 Bluegrass Hall Of Fame:Bill Keith and Larry Sparks

Source: www.IBMA.org

2015

Album of the Year:Down Where The Spirit

Meets The Bone,Lucinda Williams

Artist of the Year:Sturgill Simpson

Duo Group of the Year:The Mavericks

Song of the Year:“Turtles All The Way Down”Written by Sturgill Simpson

Emerging Artist of the Year: Shakey Graves

Instrumentalist of the Year:John Leventhal

Lifetime AchievementAward, Trailblazer:

Don HenleyThe Lifetime Achievement

Award, Songwriting:Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Lifetime AchievementAward, Instrumentalist:

Ricky SkaggsLifetime AchievementAward, Performance:

Los LobosPresident’s Award:

BB KingSource, www.americanamusic.org

2015