Aug 31, 2010

This Labor Day Weekend the 39th Annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival will be held at the Salem County Fairgrounds in Salem, New Jersey. This is the 20th year the festival will be held on the rolling farmland of Southern New Jersey along US Route 40, seven miles east of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and just down the road from Cowtown Rodeo.

The Festival is presented by The Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music (BFOTM) which was founded in 1972 with the goal of helping preserve traditional American music by presenting live performances of bluegrass and old time music in Northern Delaware and the surrounding areas of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  From the outset this all volunteer non-profit organization has been encouraging local traditional musicians.

Loving Bluegrass Music and Lyrics

People have always enjoyed music, for several different reasons: to relax, have fun, communicate. The reason isn’t that important as long as the music is good and attracts listeners. The ones that listen to music as well as the ones that create music always look for something new and better to bring people together. A much appreciated genre that satisfies the demands of the public is bluegrass music. The melodies and the shows of the bands which sing bluegrass songs have always lived up to their fame as this music is a medicine for the soul.

Bluegrass songs know their beginnings around the 1940s and this music is considered to be a form of American root music, even though the English, Irish and Scottish traditional music can be considered as roots as well. The name, of the bluegrass songs comes from the founder of the genre, Bill Monroe. The name of his band was the Blue Grass Boys and that’s how their music came to be known as bluegrass music. Being mostly instrumental music, the predominant sounds are produces by traditionally accepted bluegrass instruments. Unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass songs rely mostly on acoustic string instruments (fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and sometimes the resonator guitar). On of the trademarks of bluegrass songs is the difference from old time music or classical music. While in classic music the instruments are in perfect harmony with each other or one of the instruments leads and the others just follow, in bluegrass songs all the instruments have a part of their own and almost a mind of their own. This type of music is known for its solos and the bluegrass songs’ improvisation is famous. One can hear the sound of each instrument and the talent of the man behind it in raw form, without any written notes and rehearsed shows. The soul of the player is the soul of the bluegrass songs.

According to Goldstein, bluegrass music, which was brought to the country when British, Scottish and Irish settlers moved to the mountainous regions of the south, uses instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass and occasionally a Dobro (resonator guitar) to create this unique form of music.

“The instruments make an interesting, striking sound together,” Goldstein said. “It’s very difficult to master these instruments and it’s extremely hard to play bluegrass well.”

The 39th Annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival comes to the Salem County Fairgrounds in Pilesgrove Township from Friday, Sept. 3 through Sunday, Sept. 5. For ticket prices and to purchase tickets visit www.delawarevalleybluegrass.org.

Pandora now offers bluegrass genre

 posted by John Lawless on 08.26.10 @ 9:02 am
 Tags: Bluegrass Radio

Pandora has launched a new wrinkle for its personalized online radio service. Listeners can now build a stream based on more than 100 “micro-genres,” including bluegrass.

Pandora users have always been able to create a bluegrass stream, but based on the names of favorite artists. The system would then suggest a series of tracks which you could enjoy in turn, or skip between as you see fit. The newly-revised service allows the listener to select by musical style. Bluegrass is listed in the broader folk category, along with Old Time and Americana. You can also find the bluegrass sub in the Country style.

Pandora Internet Radio is a free service, but registration is required. Check it out online

Listen to non stop bluegrass on your computer

Top bluegrass bands will descend on Lodi this week for the 13th annual Pickin’ in the Pasture extravaganza, which will be held today through Sunday. The event draws top traditional bluegrass talent and plenty of campers, and features activities for youngsters. Bluegrass Unlimited magazine recently chose it as one of the top five family bluegrass festivals among more than 500 held around the nation.

Among the performers at this year’s show: The U.S. Navy Bluegrass Band, Lost and Found, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass, Little Roy Lewis and Lizzy Long, Coal Town, Straight Drive, David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Grasstowne, Smokey Greene, The Larry Gillis Band and The James King Band.

Welcome to Music at the Mission

We are proud to present the finest in live music here in the beautiful highlands of West Milford, NJ. We are a non-profit, all volunteer run organization. We’ve presented an impressive list of performing artists.

The current 2009/2010 concert season includes: Lucy Kaplansky, Maia Sharp, Richard Shindell, Antje Duvekot, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Tony Trischka, Johnathan Edwards, Guggenheim Grotto and Janis Ian.  

Music at the Mission held its first concert at the Episcopal Mission in the Highlands in 2002. Since then we have presented monthly concerts & Open Mic Nights. Our new home as of 2004, is the West Milford Presbyterian Church.

We present our shows in an intimate coffeehouse atmosphere. We seat 160 people with general admission. Reserved seating is available for our members. We sell refreshments and observe the church’s No Alcohol Policy.

Come on out and join us at Music at the Mission for a wonderful evening of music!

By JIM FUSILLI

New York

Last year, Ricky Skaggs issued “Solo (Songs My Dad Loved),” a bluegrass album on which he played every instrument and sang all the parts. A year before that, he released “Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass.” Now comes “Mosaic” (Skaggs Family), with a Christian theme. Earlier this summer on the Upper West Side here I asked him if the new disc was part of a continuum: musical fathers, blood father, heavenly father. He replied, “All my music is for the glory of God.”

View Full Image

Getty Images

The bluegrass legend’s new album, “Mosaic,” explores his religious faith.

Mr. Skaggs has long included songs of faith in his repertoire, as have many, if not all, bluegrass artists. His recent recordings include the classic bluegrass gospel songs “Remember the Cross,” “Sinners, You Better Get Ready,” “God Holds the Future in His Hands” and “This World is Not My Home.”

“I’m mostly known as a secular artist who plays clubs, casinos and beer joints, fairs. We’re out there among the regular people,” he said from a coffee-shop booth. “But I’m a Christian and I believe the truth of the Bible. I try to live it everyday of my life. It’s not something I put on like a suit of clothes.”

McReynolds to release Grateful Dead tribute CD

 posted by John Lawless on 08.24.10 @ 11:54 am
 Tags: Jerry Garcia, Jesse McReynolds, mandolin

Jesse McReynolds is set to release a Grateful Dead tribute album.

Yes…  you read that right. Grand Ole Opry member, one half of the legendary bluegrass power duo Jim & Jesse, and pioneering crosspicking mandolinist Jesse McReynolds’ next album will pay homage to the music of the original jam band.

Jesse McReynolds & Friends Tribute to Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter – Songs of the Grateful Dead is due October 5, and will feature grassy arrangements of 13 Dead classics. But unlike similar projects, Jesse delves a bit deeper into the catalog and presents material other than the most obvious, “greatest hits” selections.

Tracks include:

Black Muddy River Ripple The Wheel Bird Song Franklin’s Tower Standing On The Moon Loser

The band I was most impressed with, was Mason Porter, a blues/folk band from West Chester. We were fortunate enough to arrive back to the Camp Stage at 1:15 after a brief break to catch their first song. If you like the Allman Brothers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Gov’t Mule, then Mason Porter is for you. If you don’t like the aforementioned then shame on you! Mason Porter features Tim Celfo on upright bass, Joe D’Amico on mandolin, and Paul Wilkinson on guitar. They are backed up by Brad Hinton (Dorbro), Kiley Ryan (violin), Pat Hughes (drums), Bob Beach (harmonica), and Isaac Stanford (pedal steel). It’s not often you see a band with so many musical talents on one stage. If you get a chance to see Mason Porter don’t miss them for the world.