Old friends...

Welcome back to the ol' journal and congrats to my long-time friend/musician/promoter Mark Newton for his tenacity and hard work that have led to a great new album Hillbilly Hemingway produced by Carl Jackson, and a couple of fine sets last Thursday at Ashland Coffee and Tea. Those who've known Mark since his Knoxville Grass or Heights of Grass or Virginia Squires days will recognize a guy who's matured musically and has gathered not only some compelling material, but some top players for his band as well. Along with tasteful banjo work by John Wheat and solid standup bass and vocals from Beth Lawrence, we were treated to virtuoso performances from Clay Hess on guitar and Randy Kohrs on Dobro. The latter two had me shaking my head in disbelief all night over how cleanly and creatively they supported the vocals and ripped their breaks. They both are solid lead vocalists as well. A select few took advantage of one-on-one workshops with Clay and Randy, arranged by JAMinc at AC&T this past Saturday. I hope we'll see a bunch of you at the 15th annual Graves Mountain Festival of Music May31-June 2. Mark, Sonny Ludlam and Jimmy Graves have built this event into one of the nation's finest small festivals. Check the potent lineup at http://gravesmountain.com/bluegrass.htm I haven't missed a one and we might see you the Wednesday night before at the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. Start fasting now.

And I have to pass along heartfelt thanks to our favorite balladeer George Turman for drawing another memorable evening of homemade music from the Among Friends well. What a treat for me and daughter Emily to share the stage with the likes of Frank Coleman, Libby Dunton, Jackie Frost, Sheryl Warner, Richard Ward and the inimitable Uncle George. Conspicuous in their absence were Daniel Clarke, Chris Fuller, Danny Hughes, Billy Lux and Jim Skelding. (Daniel was on the road with Mandy Moore, the rest were doing a Big Boss Combo/Johnson Brothers gig at a fancy Kentucky Derby party) So they were missed but the Shady Grove Coffee House crowd seemed to indicate they got their money's worth. They sure made us feel welcome at any rate. Big fun.

Just a heads up for late this year or early next...Deveron and I were treated to hard hat tour of the National Theater this morning, downtown at 7th and Broad. I haven't been as excited about something coming to our city for as long as I can remember. It is a true diamond in the rough at this stage but it promises to be an incredible music venue for audiences and artists alike when it's done. Harry Kollatz, Jr. did a great piece on the work-in-progress in this month's Richmond Magazine. Go to www.richmondmagazine.com and click on the Center Stage link.

And we just heard that Nickel Creek's farewell tour along with Fiona Apple will stop in Richmond at Innsbrook on August 3rd.

Last word...join us at Chippokes State Park this Saturday evening across the river from Jamestown, as Steve Bassett "blows the dust off' in an acoustic concert backed by bluegrassers Michelle Nixon and Drive. Rumor has it there'll be a fine jam in the campground afterwards...happy birthday America!

TT