Fall in...

My favorite season began Monday just before noon and with it comes a challenging array of musical opportunities that I hope to bring to your attention with the caveat that this journal is not comprehensive.  Again, check with the Weekly Rant for that.  Thursday night's Swingin' On The Tracks finale at the Science Museum stars the lord of the herringbone Tony Rice with a Unit of uncertain composition

although I think brother Wyatt will be on hand along with Bryn Davies on bass.  With our own Jackass Flats opening, it should be a worthy show, rain or shine. (probably rain, but they have a tented indoor space at the venue)

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Watch this space for a preview of the 2008 IBMA Awards to be handed out live from the Ryman in Nashville on October 2nd.  Like last year I'll take a stab at "should win/will win" and bring you some telling photos from the annual gathering of the clan. 

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  The following week brings our very first Richmond Folk Festival, with all the stages, scenery and sensory stimuli we enjoyed during the National's three-year stay here, but with a completely fresh slate of performers sure to have you talking amongst yourselves saying things like, "Man, I've never even heard of Vieux Farka Toure and they blew me away."  The full lineup's now been announced with stage schedules for all three days so do check out the Website and plan on taking in as much as you possibly can.  This is our city's weekend to shine.

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We got a chance to catch up with globe trotting Daniel Clarke over the weekend on a short break from his world tour as keyboardist and supporting vocalist for k.d. lang.

  With the mutton chops missing in action, we heard some savory road stories and watched some very entertaining home videos from a recent Mexican tour with pal Mandy Moore which you can see here.  And over a 12 year old bottle of Dewars we listened to two of the joyful musician's favorite CDs:  drummer Brian Blade's Perceptual (richly textured Metheny-like jazz) and Raphael Saadiq's The Way I See It (a fresh take on classic r & b).  We're always energized by Danny C's over-the-top enthusiasm for what he does.  Happy contrails....TT

And the winners are...

Daniel Clarke, Andy Garrigue and John Haddad! We had eight correct answers on our trivia question for the three pairs of tickets to see Sheryl Crow in concert at the Siegel Center on October 18th. I put each of the eight names on a piece of paper and had my beautifully blindfolded bride do the drawing. Fair & square. So congrats to you boys...hope you have a blast. And the trumpet player on "We Do What We Can" from Sheryl's Tuesday Night Music Club was indeed her dad Wendell Crow. Here's an excerpt from a story by Dale Smith that appeared in a past issue of Mizzou's (University of Missouri's) alumni magazine (father and daughter are both graduates):

“Sheryl has always performed,” Wendell remembers. “I had a just-for-kicks band with 13 members when Sheryl was little. We played Les Brown and other big band tunes. One night we met to rehearse at our house, and Sheryl came down and sat at the piano. The guy who played keyboards said to her, ‘Can you play “Traces?” ’ I’ll never forget seeing her there with her little feet hanging a foot up off the floor. She said, ‘Sure, what key do you want it in?’ ”

Thanks to all who gave it a shot...hope we can do more giveaways down the road. And of course thanks to Tom Topinka at Genworth for the tickets...you can still buy them here.

Still savoring memories of a great weekend of music just past. The Heights of Grass reunion was a a double treat as the boys rose to the occasion and delivered a generous helping of the tunes we wanted to hear. "Just like the record." Maybe better. Plus they drew a big crowd to the Chesterfield Fairgrounds filled with faces we hadn't seen in years...folks with whom we shared the band's glory days at the Opry and beyond. Kudos to VFMA honoree Sonny Mead and new Hall of Famers Ronnie & Rickie Simpkins. Wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The boys are back...Sonny, Vernon, Billy, Don and Richard

Bassman Billy sings the gospel with the Seldom Scene

HOG alum and LRB legend Sammy Shelor shows up

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And if that wasn't enough to emotionally fill a weekend, here came Saturday and the second and final stop on the Among Friends 10th anniversary tour. Heartfelt thanks to Scott Hammer and all involved at the Shady Grove Coffee House for having us back and for giving us great sound and just the right vibe for bringing out the best in all the players. Scott said it was their biggest crowd ever and for us it was about the warmest and most polished show we can remember. This was the venue's season opener. Do check all the good stuff coming up here. We love you GT. (photo composite by Charles Dunton)

This Thursday marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Isabel's ravaging of our town leaving many if not most of us without power for days and for some, weeks. Remembering what it was like to be without our creature comforts and queuing up for ice and bottled water gives us pause to imagine what all those Galvestonians are facing after being dealt a much more devastating blow. Pray for them, send some money to the Red Cross and count your blessings. And take a good long look at your 401k.

TT

Scaling the Heights...

I owe these guys so much.  Although my early bluegrass influences were Reno & Smiley on TV during high school in Staunton, George Winn & The Blue Grass Partners at my Randolph-Macon fraternity parties, and the Seldom Scene's Live at the Cellar Door double LP which I wore out shortly thereafter, it was the Heights of Grass from right here in River City who kindled a passion and cut a path that has enriched my life more than I can say.  Their friendship and inspiration was the foundation of my continuing love affair with this music and the people who make it.  I met Don Grubb, Billy Lux, Richard Ward, Vernon Hughes and Sonny Mead when I was doing mornings at now-silent 1320 WEET, a comfortable old country station on the AM dial that gave me the freedom to play all the bluegrass I wanted.  Don and I even did a weekly hour show together called "Bluegrass Spectrum." The HOG was hot back in the late 70s and early 80s...so hot that they were invited by Sonny & Bobby Osborne to guest on their segment of the Grand Ole Opry on Valentine's Day, 1981.  So we organized a bus trip at the station to make the Nashville trip with the boys and got to witness music history as we rubbed elbows with the likes of     

Roy Acuff, Kenny Baker, George Gruhn and others backstage.   The boys have all grown up now and have put away their puffy shirts, but they're still playing in various configurations.  The music and the musicians they introduced me to some thirty years ago remain a cherished gift.  Tonight at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds they'll be having a reunion concert featuring those five, plus many others who passed through the Heights corral back then including Sammy Shelor, Mark Newton and John Lawless.  And fiddlin' Sonny Mead will be honored with a special recognition.  The centerpiece for the night will be the induction of Rickie and Ronnie Simpkins into the Virginia Folk Music Association's Hall of Fame.  I guess they could have a Virginia Squires reunion while they're at it, but Rickie's on tour with Emmylou Harris in Europe and will count on brother Ronnie to accept the plaque.  All that and the Seldom Scene will perform as icing on the big cake.  But my highlight's gonna be hearing the Heights of Grass bring back "Louisiana Saturday Night," "All I Ever Loved Was You," and they'd better do "Carolina Sunshine."  And it wouldn't hurt to hear Billy bottom out once more with "Miles and Miles of Texas."  Thanks for the ride you guys...may it continue.

Coming up...Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein return to Ashland Coffee and Tea on the 20th, and the Tony Rice Unit will be in town at the Science Museum for the Swingin' On The Tracks series on September 25th.

And don't forget to reserve the entire weekend of October 10-12 and prepare to immerse yourself in the musical and cultural delights of the very first Richmond Folk Festival along the river downtown, promising virtually the same incredible experience afforded by the National for the past three years, but now it's ours.  The Website is chock full of all you need to know about what's coming up, including a 40th anniversary reunion of Larry Bland's Volunteer Choir and for something completely different: Mexico's Tezcatlipoca Voladores.  You'll be hearing lots about them...just wait.

Finally, hurry and make your reservations for our very special JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio Concert on Friday, October 24th featuring southwest Virginia's legendary luthier and picker Wayne Henderson with special guest, fiddler Helen White.  Tickets are $20 in advance and we only have room for 80 folks, so jump on it.  And we've got Bryan Bowers coming on November 7th.

More later...thanks as always for your time...TT

Pulling a Punch...

So we were out this way anyway...so how could we pass up a chance to catch the potent Punch Brothers in a funky Rocky Mountain canyon venue called Mishawaka...out in the middle of nowhere, an hour and a half north of Boulder, Eminor's new home? The place is some ninety years old and its natural beauty alongside the cascading Poudre River is complemented by a seasonal full slate of live music started by its founder Walter S. Thompson. So Friday night, in front of a couple hundred receptive patrons, it was the How To Grow A Band>>>Tensions Mountain Boys>>>Punch Brothers convening from parts unknown to do a relaxed, wide-open set, extended by a triple encore, and all without fifth brother/fiddler Gabe Witcher. Word was he missed his flight from Maui. Whatever created the vacancy, the boys played a major trump card by recruiting the very first Punch Sister to add a wonderfully feminine mystique to the evening, Crooked Still's incomparable lead singer Aoife O'Donovan. We first got to witness the chemistry between Aoife and and the boys when she guested during the band's after-hours Sheridan Opera House set at Telluride in 2007. This night, she filled out a much larger role, nailing everything from high harmony on Lester Flatt's "Little Girl In Tennessee" to dueting with Chris Thile on Bob Dylan's achingly beautiful encore "Farewell Angelina." Guitarist Chris Eldridge who admitted to a fairly high stress level before the show, given their high standards and being without as critical a cog as Witcher, rose to the challenge with spot-on lead and rhythm playing and plenty of solid three-part baritone when the times came. All in all, a memorable evening of magnificent mountain scenery and well-played music that we felt very thankful to have witnessed. And how would you like to open for an act as accomplished as these brothers Punch? An honor yes, but a daunting task. The Grant Gordy Quartet accomplished their mission with nearly an hour of strong string-band instrumentals, drawing from many genres and offering up an impressive forum for Dawg pal Gordy and young Berklee-bound mando master Dominick Leslie. Really fine stuff.

Being out here in the high country is a head-clearing privilege and we're not sure what's gonna be harder...leaving our girl behind so far from home, or departing this spectacular part of the planet. If you've been here you know. If you haven't, put it on your list.

You journal readers are a sharp bunch...I've gotten way more than three correct answers to the question posed in the previous post for free Sheryl Crow tickets. If you haven't entered, all correct answers to the question will be placed in a drawing for three pairs of tickets to her October concert at VCU. Go for it...deadline: September 15th.

Thank the Lord for our Richmond rain and for keeping a muzzle on Gustav.

TT