Gospel Summit...

A quick second post of the day, which I think is a first for me, just because I wanted to pass fresh kudos along to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver for their short but sweet show tonight at WEAG.  As many times as I've seen Doyle's gospel show, I was pleased to find that it continues to set the standard for soaring three- and four-part harmonies and professional musicianship.  His current lineup features a hot young banjo player named Joey Cox, a resophonic whiz who's about to break into the rare air of dobro players you've heard of, Josh Swift, the guy who's smoothly replaced Jamie Dailey in the comic slot, bassist/vocalist Clay White and the guy who strong rumor has following Jamie out the big red Prevost door, singer/guitarist Darren Beachley. The quartets were as strong as I've ever heard from this group, thanks in large measure to Swift's rich, deep bass singing delivered with a commitment and assurance that betray his young age.  Josh is a real double threat.  Not that the boss doesn't deserve props for his growing confidence and tasteful maturity on the mandolin. It's quite a  package and if you missed it, the Lord will provide...another chance late next month in Galax and on March 1 at Appomattox High School. Virginia loves the man from Bristol...he's almost one of us.  And the only rivals to DL&QS on the bluegrass gospel circuit, The Isaacs, are coming to the same spacious venue on Friday, May 8th.  A JAMinc presentation.   Watch our Website and this journal for ticket info. 

(Photo courtesy of the Isaacs)

Fresh Opportunities...

This tender new year, the Dow be damned, is off to a strong start beginning with Jesse Harper's tour de force on January 2. Be on the lookout for a look back at that memorable night of music at In Your Ear studios thanks to Bill Lohmann and Bob Brown of the Times-Dispatch. The story's due to run on Sunday, February 15th with an accompanying slide show with music on inRich.com. Three of the players who supported Jesse that night will add a fourth and reprise their globe-trotting jazz quartet Neighborliness for our next JAMinc studio concert at IYE on Friday, February 20th. Preparing for their third trip to Russia and the release of a brand new CD, John Winn, Daniel Clarke, Curtis Fye and Robby Sinclair will recreate the synergy that's turned heads and ears all over the world. Don't miss this chance to witness the latest evolution of these four ace musicians. Reservations on the JAMinc Website available now. And our next Studio A performance will feature banjo/slide guitar wizard Tony Furtado on Thursday, March 5th. More on Tony on our next post.

Along with Bill & Pam Gurley, our ticket giveaway winners, we had an engaging night of great music and tall tales last Sunday thanks to Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group (Jim Watson and Jimmy Gaudreau) and lanky raconteur Garrison Keillor. The Williamses have never sounded better IMHO with some great gospel numbers with Garrison holding down the bass line and a haunting take on "Wildwood Flower." Lake Wobegon's most famous citizen in black suit, red tie and shoes, sang sonnets, recited Poe's "Annabel Lee" and rambled on wonderfully for nearly an hour it seemed about a convoluted day on the Lake that ended with a pontoon boat full of priests and a naked man dangling from a parasail. You had to be there. And he does it all without notes or script. Remarkable. Thanks to the UofR folks for a fine night at the sold-out Landmark and a heads up for April 20th as the Modlin Center hosts The Infamous Stringdusters. Tickets already available here.

Speaking of FREE TICKETS, I've got some more to offer up thanks to Brad Wells & company at The National. On Friday, February 6th Austin singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar shredder Monte Montgomery along with equally gifted Kentuckian Darrell Scott roll into town for a potent twin-bill. Not being familiar with the former, I checked his mySpace page and you should too. Whew! And you know Darrell for his compelling solo work and duos with Tim O'Brien and John Cowan, and for his hit songwriting (Travis Tritt/"It's A Great Day to Be Alive" and Dixie Chicks/"Long Time Gone") I'll draw for a pair of tickets away from those answering the following correctly: What was the Grammy-nominated instrumental from the year 2000 Scott/O'Brien duet CD Real Time? Email your answer to mail@timtimberlake.com. We'll do the drawing on Monday, February 1st.

The National brings another world-class guitarist back to town on Sunday, February 22nd in the dynamic person of Australia's Tommy Emmanuel, C.G.P. If you've seen Tommy in concert before, you know he can do more with six strings than any one man. If you haven't, this would be your opportunity to witness guitar greatness and unbridled on-stage energy. We've got a free pair of tickets to that show too. Same deal. Question is, in what city is Timberlake Road, for which Tommy's instrumental on the album Only, is entitled? Answers again to mail@timtimberlake.com. Drawing on February 17.

For those reading this on the day of posting, don't forget the singular bluegrass gospel harmonies of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver can be heard live tonight at the West End Assembly of God at 401 North Parham Road. Tickets available at the door. And downtown at the National, you can catch the southern rock band for the new millenium, Drive By Truckers.

Enjoy January's final week and thanks always for the read. Please pass the link along to those who you think might be interested...TT

(photo credits: Jesse Harper at top by Bob Brown. The rest are from Websites except the DL&QS trio shot above which is mine.)

Hellish New Year...

When The National's Lorin Willis greeted me at will-call on New Year's Eve with "You do know this isn't bluegrass?" I knew that he knew that I was about to enter an unfamiliar realm of musical theater. And we're not talking Mamma Mia! here. On this final night of tumultuous 2008, we were about to experience, for the first time, Richmond's own shock rockers GWAR. All that I'd heard was true, especially the spewing part. Great sheets of plastic covered monitors and the full walls of the lower level of this lovely venue to protect it from the faux fluids that have apparently become the draw for hundreds of young revelers anxious to be anointed by Oderus Urungus and his malevolent minions. We watched safely from the balcony with my brother-in-law Stu, on a two-week break stateside after a challenging year in Mumbai. His 17-year-old son Chase was in tow as well, and seemed to be as intrigued with the elder generation's reaction to the spectacle as he was with the show itself. Outrageous, irreverent, unsettling, downright nasty...all apropos adjectives to describe a GWAR show, but on this night, it was a somehow satisfying way to ring in a fresh new year, having saved the most frightening for last. (thanks to Stu Castle for these photos)

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Thankfully, our first musical experience of 2009 was refreshingly and musically different as JAMinc welcomed gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist Jesse Harper and his band of hand-picked friends to In Your Ear's Studio A for a totally impressive two-set performance. Joined by a high-caliber quintet of the area's best (above L to R: John Winn, Daniel Clarke, Darrell Muller, Robby Sinclair and Trey Pollard) Jesse and his boys took us for a great ride with Old School favorites like self-penned "Run", a terrific new original "One True Thing", and a fine take on James Taylor's classic "Bartender's Blues" enhanced by Trey's crying pedal steel. The chemistry among these top-drawer players was palpable and it may well mark the first stop in spring tour...we can only hope. At least we can anticipate a partial replay of the concert on Page Wilson's OOTBRR down the road. And Times-Dispatch writer Bill Lohmann showed up with senior photographer Bob Brown to chronicle the proceedings for a future piece that will include a review of the tantalizing groaning board buffet that precedes all our IYE shows. If you missed it, don't miss the next one which looks like banjo/slide guitar master Tony Furtado on March 5th unless we squeeze one in before that. Reservations can be made on our Website soon. (these two shots are Bob's)

On that same first Friday night, bluegrass insiders tell me that perennial IBMA mandolin player of the year Adam Steffey was in town for what must've been a monster jam with a couple guys from Carrie Hassler's band and an A-list of local players that went 'til three in the morning. Moral of the story...you can sleep when you're dead. Take hold of these opportunities when they come along.

Looking ahead, tomorrow night (Jan. 7) affords a great chance to hear two killer guitarists whom you may have seen at the past few Folk Festivals here, Todd Hallawell and Robin Kessinger. Both are past Winfield winners and they'll play tunes from their forthcoming duet CD at the Hanover Arts & Activities Center on the tracks in Ashland starting at 7pm. For further info call 798-2728.

And speaking of the center of the universe, Ashland Coffee & Tea is still alive and kicking...let's help keep it that way by taking in one of their January shows listed here.

As we start our third year of this blogging thing, I truly appreciate your readership and feedback (mail@timtimberlake.com) and welcome comments or news that might be worth sharing. There's not a lot of extra cash in most of our pockets these days but there's not a better way to spend it than on quality live music...and there's a lot of it on the way. Just do it.

God bless us every one...TT