international

bluegrassIBSONGWRITERS

Award Nominees Announced!

The boxcarsFrank solivan

& DirTy kiTchenDeTour & More!

PoPcorn & banjos

Bluegrass film fest

Interviews with

Michael Cleveland

Front Country

WOB Special Activies for

Talent Buyers

Youth & Internationals

and

Vol. 29 no. 9 September 2014

Statement of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the writers alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers, directors, staff or members of IBMA. Portions of International Bluegrass may be reprinted provided that explicit citation of the source is made:

“Reprinted with permission from International Bluegrass, the publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association, www.ibma.org.”

Editor: Taylor Coughlintaylor@ibma.org

Designer: Erin Erdos Humannerinfaitherdos@gmail.com

Alan Bartram/Director, Artists/Composers/PublishersCindy Baucom/Vice Chair

Becky Buller/At LargeDanny Clark/At Large

Jamie Deering/Director, Merchandisers/LuthiersRegina Derzon/Director, Associations

Henri Deschamps/At LargeCraig Ferguson/Director, Event Producers

Craig Havighurst/Secretary, Print/Media/EducationCarl Jackson/Director, Artists & Composers

William Lewis/At LargeNed Luberecki/Director, Broadcast Media

Stephen Mougin/At LargeBrian Smith/Director, Agents/Managers/PublicistsBen Surratt/Director, Recording/Dist./Marketing

Tim Surrett/Director, Artists/Composers/PublishersAngelika Torrie/Director, International

Elizabeth Wightman/Treasurer, At Large

ContaCt usThe monthly emailed publication of the

International Bluegrass Music Association

608 W. Iris Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 USA615-256-3222 | 888-GET-IBMA

Fax: 615-256-0450 Email: info@ibma.org Website: www.ibma.org

info

board

STaff

nancy Cardwell Executive Director

Joe LurgioMember/Convention

Services DirectorEddie Huffman

Technology & Office Systems Manager

taylor CoughlinSpecial Projects Director

Publications Editor

IntErnatIonaL BLuEgrass(ISSN #1095-0605)

IBMA is the trade association that connects and educates bluegrass

professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide

appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Jon Weisberger/Board Chair

International BluegrassVol. 29 | No. 9 | September 2014

FeatureS

table of contents

8| ibMa award nominees26| Front country Point of view

30| keeping up with cleveland

4 | letter from the editor16| Membership news: airplay direct

18|World of bluegrass special events33|new members: august

34|Fresh sounds 36| bluegrass industry news

News4|bluegrass film festival premiere

6|Q&a with board member jamie Deering

12 |2014 hall of Fame inductees

14| Distinguished achievement awards

Departments

Cover photo courtesy of Alane Anno!

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org4

editorial

For January 2014’s issue of International Bluegrass I wrote about my New Year’s Resolutions, one of which was learning how to play a standard bluegrass tune.

I’m proud to say I have two guitar lessons under my belt and numb fingertips on my left hand to prove it! Right now I’m learning “Your Love Is Like a Flower,” “Blue Ridge Cabin Home,” and “Big Spike Hammer.” The tips of my index, middle, and ring fingers tingle to the touch after making new friends with my new D’Addario strings. I strum along with the metronome trying to get a good grasp on the bluegrass rhythm, tapping my foot and trying to keep good technique with my hands. In a matter of measures, I eventually tie myself up thinking so hard, lose rhythm and have to begin all over again.

So, it’s September. How far along are you with your New Year’s Resolutions? Were some of them related to your career? How about your health? Kicking a habit?

Lucky for you: World of Bluegrass is coming up, and I can promise you that if you haven’t started on those resolutions yet, there will be plenty of opportunities for you come September 30 if you’re in the City of Oaks with us.

Was one of your resolutions to advance in your career? Register early for the Business Conference. For one thing, you can sign up for the Gig Fair, which basically makes dream gigs a reality. I could list all the ways it could benefit your career, but it would go over my word count. If you want to be convinced, give us a call at the IBMA office and we’ll chat.

Did you want to improve your physical and/or financial health? We are holding a Health Expo this year with NARAS MusiCares and Sound Healthcare and Financial that will include dental and hearing clinics, and help navigating healthcare options, and financial advisement. Read more about the details here.

Was one of your resolutions to finally learn how to jam? It’s an understatement to say you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so; in fact, you may have a hard time not jumping in. And if you feel like you need a lesson or two on jamming, the Wernick Method Jam Class happens Friday and Saturday of WOB week for free. Sign up here.

There is a lot more where those examples came from, so visit here to see all the opportunities World of Bluegrass has to offer you. Consider how World of Bluegrass could make a dent in some of those New Year’s Resolutions before you have to start thinking of new ones.

‘Til Raleigh,

Taylor Coughlin Publications Editor/Special Projects Director

A letter from the editor

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 5

bluegrass Film Festival- to p re mie re at-

World of bluegrass 2014

Eight film projects – including two spotlighted feature films – have been selected to kick off the inaugural IBMA Film Festival, which will take place during the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass event, Sept. 30 – October 4, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Banjo Romantika” by Lee Bidgood and Anna Schwaber’s “The Porchlight Sessions” were singled out by the IBMA Film Festival Committee as projects that best represent the criteria of the film festival. The other films selected for 2014 are “At the Feed & Seed” (April Janow), “The Cricket” (Andrew Cartoun), “G2: Mind Over Matter” (David Elfgren), “Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin in B” (Rick Bowman), “The History of Future Folk” (Jeremy Walker) and “The Tao of Bluegrass: A Portrait of Peter Rowan” (Christine Funk).

“We have several goals for the film festival: to introduce the bluegrass industry to new blue-grass-related films, to promote the creation of these films, and then to provide a platform and

a showcase for our members who have created these films,” said Nancy Cardwell, Executive Director of IBMA. “We feel this will be a benefit not only to the filmmakers in our industry, but to the many bluegrass fans that attend World of Bluegrass.”

All eight films in the IBMA Film Festival will have multiple showings on October 3 and 4; those showings – inside the Raleigh Convention Center, near the Bluegrass Expo Hall – are free and open to the public. Some filmmakers will attend the screenings, participating in “Q&A” sessions with the audience about their project.

Business Conference attendees wivll have the opportunity to view “Banjo Romantika” and “The Porchlight Sessions” earlier in the week, with an introduction and Q&A session from the respective filmmakers.

More information about each film, as well as movie trailers, scheduled viewing times and location, etc. can be found here.

Banjo Romantika

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org6

iBMa Board Jamie Deering, Luthiers and Merchandisers

Give your name, occupation, bluegrass connection, position on the board, and how long you’ve been serving.

My name is Jamie Deering and I grew up working in the family business, the Deering Banjo Company, helping to make quality American made banjos. My current position is Vice Presi-dent for PR at Deering. On the IBMA board I hold the chair for Luthiers and Merchandisers, serving for 11 months so far.

shakehowdy

Getting to knowyour ibMa board&

In brief, what brought you to bluegrass music?I have been around bluegrass since I was born. It was a major part of my growing years, both in helping to build our family banjos and in attend-ing bluegrass festivals with my folks. The strong sense of community that it has is a big part of what draws me to it.

What do you hope to bring to the bluegrass community by serving on the board of directors?

Bluegrass has a special place in my heart and I am honored to be in a position to help see that it continues on into the future and finds new audiences. This is a significant part of what I would like to help with as well as seeing that the business conference portion of the IBMA yearly events is a success for all members.

How have you seen the bluegrass industry change in your time working in it?

I have seen bluegrass infiltrate other genres actually, in a way that shows how many people it truly touches. I view that as a complement rather than a threat to tradition. Even with the bands I work with who blend genres, such as punk and rock with bluegrass, when I talk to them they have a profound respect for the tradition and founding players like Earl Scruggs. As a result, you now find many in the younger generations searching out and finding bluegrass and includ-ing in the music they love along with “main-stream music.” It is not such a dividing line out in the world if you like or play bluegrass.

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 7

iBMa Board

What do you hope to see change in the in-dustry, and what do you hope to see stay the same?

I hope to see our community grow while keeping the “small town” feel that it has always had.

What is your favorite album and why?Oh man…too many to choose a favorite right now! Been enjoying these lately… Michael Cleve-land & Flamekeeper On Down the Line, Steep Canyon Rangers’ Tell The Ones I Love, Henhouse Prowlers Breaking Ground, Della Mae This World Oft Can Be.

Give us the top three best festivals you’ve attended.

The top 3 Festivals I have attended would have to be: MerleFest, Newport Folk Fest and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. There are several great ones I have not had the chance to go to yet, so if they are left out that may be the only reason why.

What is your advice to someone fresh to the bluegrass industry?

My advice to someone fresh to the bluegrass industry would be to get out and meet people! Make friends! Go to jam sessions. Contribute how you can. We are a friendly bunch and love working with each other and helping where we are able.

The boxcars

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org8

Lead the Nominations for 2014 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Nominees for the 25th annual IBMA awards were announced August 13 at a press conference in Nashville, TN with Sam

Bush and Jim Lauderdale as hosts. The Box-cars lead the pack with ten nominations for the band and their individual members. They’re followed by Blue Highway with nine nomina-tions, and The Del McCoury Band with six nominations.

Individually and as an ensemble, The Boxcars received ten nominations, including Instrumen-tal Group, Album of the Year (It’s Just A Road), two for Song of the Year (“It’s Just A Road”

and “You Took All the Ramblin’ Out of Me”), Gospel Recorded Performance (“When Sorrows Encompass Me Around”) and Instrumental Recorded Performance (“Skillet Head Derailed”). Ron Stewart received two nominations, one as Banjo Player of the Year and one as Fiddle Player of the Year. For his work with the Boxcars, band member Adam Steffey earned a nomination for Mandolin Player of the Year; as a solo artist, Steffey received a nomination for Instrumental Recorded Performance (“Johnny Don’t Get Drunk”).

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 9

Blue Highway captured nine nominations, in-cluding Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Instrumental Group, Song of the Year (“The Game”) Album of the Year (The Game), Re-corded Event of the Year and nominations for member Tim Stafford (Guitar Player of the Year, and Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year) and Rob Ickes (Dobro Player of the Year.)

The Del McCoury Band received six nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, Instrumental Group, Album of the Year (Streets of Baltimore), Recorded Event of the Year and nominations for members Del McCoury (Male Vocalist) and Jason Carter (Fiddle Player of the Year).

North Carolina’s own Balsam Range was the only other artist besides Blue Highway to be nominated in the prestigious Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group and Instrumental Group categories; band member Buddy Melton received a nomination for Male Vocalist, as well.

Awards are voted on by the professional mem-bership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the trade association for the bluegrass music industry. Results of the bal-loting will be revealed at the International Blue-grass Music Awards on Thursday, October 2, hosted by artists Lee Ann Womack and Jerry Douglas. The Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass event, to be held Sep-tember 30-October 4 in Raleigh, NC.

For tickets to the Awards Show, click here or visit IBMA.org.

Balsam Range plays with guest Adam Steffey at Music City Roots, August 1

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org10

INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS MUSIC Award Nominations2014

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEARBalsam Range Blue Highway

Dailey & Vincent The Gibson Brothers

The Del McCoury Band

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Balsam Range Blue Highway

Dailey & Vincent The Gibson Brothers

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Balsam Range Blue Highway The Boxcars

The Del McCoury Band Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

SONG OF THE YEAR“Dear Sister” -

Claire Lynch (artist)Claire Lynch and Louisa Branscomb (writers)

“Grandpa’s Way of Life”

The Spinney Brothers (artist)Mark ‘Brink’ Brinkman (writer)

“It’s Just a Road” The Boxcars (artist)

William Keith Garrett (writer)

“The Game”Blue Highway (artist)

Shawn Lane and Barry Bales (writers)

“You Took All The Ramblin’ Out of Me”The Boxcars (artist)

Jerry Hubbard (writer)

ALBUM OF THE YEARHall of Fame Bluegrass

Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins (artist)Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins (producers)

Rebel Records

It’s Just A Road The Boxcars (artist)

The Boxcars (producer)Mountain Home

Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker

Plays Bill MonroeNoam Pikelny (artist)

Gabe Witcher (producer)Compass Records

Streets of Baltimore -

The Del McCoury Band (artist), Del McCoury (producer),

McCoury Music

The GameBlue Highway (artist)

Blue Highway (producer)Rounder Records

BANJO

Jens Kruger Mike Munford Noam Pikelny Sammy Shelor Ron Stewart

BASS

Barry Bales Mike Bub

Missy Raines Mark Schatz

Darrin Vincent

FIDDLE

Jason Carter Michael Cleveland

Stuart Duncan Bobby Hicks Ron Stewart

DO BRO

Jerry Douglas Andy Hall Rob Ickes

Randy Kohrs Phil Leadbetter

GUI TAR

Tony Rice James Alan Shelton

Kenny Smith Tim Stafford Bryan Sutton

MAND OLIN

Sam Bush Sierra Hull

Frank Solivan Adam Steffey

Chris Thile

INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

“Love Does” - Darin and Brooke Aldridge (artist), Flying (album)Jamie Johnson, Susanne M. Johnson and Jenee Fleenor (writers),

Darin and Brooke Aldridge (producers), Organic Record

“The Day We Learn to Fly” - Volume Five (artist)The Day We Learn To Fly (album), Stacy Richardson and Leroy

Drumm (writers), Volume Five (producers), Mountain Fever

“Wait A Little Longer Please Jesus” - Donna Ulisse (artist), I Am a Child of God (album), Hazel Marie Houser (writer), Bryan

Sutton and Donna Ulisse (producers), Hadley Music Group

“When Sorrows Encompass Me Around” - The Boxcars (artist)It’s Just A Road (album), Paul Edgar Johnson (writer), The Boxcars

(producer), Mountain Home

“Won’t It Be Wonderful There” - Dailey & Vincent (artist)Brothers of the Highway (album), Mildred Styles Johnson (writer), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Detour Flatt Lonesome

The Spinney Brothers Town Mountain

Volume Five

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Del McCoury Buddy Melton Tim O’Brien

Frank Solivan Dan Tyminski

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Dale Ann Bradley Alison Krauss Claire Lynch

Amanda Smith Rhonda Vincent

2014 Award Nominees present at the announcement on August 13

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org12

2014 award noMinationS

“American Pickers”The Grascals with Dierks Bentley (artists)The Grascals (producer), Mountain Home

“Keepin’ It Between the Lines (Old School)”Peter Rowan with Bobby Osborne, Jesse

McReynolds, Ronnie McCoury and Del McCoury (artists), Alison Brown (producer),

Compass Records

“Martha White, Lester & Earl” Terry Baucom with Marty Raybon & Buddy Melton (artists), Terry and Cindy Baucom (producers) John Boy and Billy Records

“Wild Montana Skies”Special Consensus with Claire Lynch & Rob

Ickes (artists), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records

“Wild Mountain Honey”

Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins (artists)Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins (producers)

Rebel Records.

“Five Miles to Milan” The Grascals (artist)

When I Get My Pay (album), Danny Roberts (writer)

The Grascals (producer), Mountain Home

“Graveyard Fields”

Steep Canyon Rangers (artist)Tell The Ones I Love (album)

Mike Guggino (writer)Larry Campbell (producer)

Rounder Records

“Johnny Don’t Get Drunk”Adam Steffey (artist)

New Primitive (album)Public Domain, Adam Steffey

(producer), Organic

“Skillet Head Derailed”The Boxcars (artist)

It’s Just a Road (album)Ron Stewart (writer),

The Boxcars (producer)Mountain Home

“Thank God I’m A Country Boy” Special Consensus with Buddy Spicher, Michael Cleveland and

Alison Brown (artists),

Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver (album)John Martin Sommers (wrtier)

Alison Brown (producer Compass Records

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 13

INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS MUSIC 2014

BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR A RECORDED PROJECT

Lou Everhart (designer), Lonely Comes Easy, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Rebel Records

Josh Gibson, Keesha Dickel (designers)No More Rain, The Steel Wheels

Josh Gibson, Doug Seymour (designers), Echo Sessions, The Stray Birds

Josh Gibson, Scott Simontacchi (designers), Carnival, Nora Jane Struthers, Blue Pig Music

Lynn Weathers (designer)Flying, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Organic Records

BLUEGRASS BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

Kyle CantrellBluegrass Junction, Sirius XM

Steve Fisher, Fire on the Mountain

CKUA (Calgary, AB,Canada)

Chris JonesBluegrass Junction, Sirius XM

Al Weekly,

KRVN: musicchartsmagazine.com

Tim White, Song of the Mountains, PBS

BLUEGRASS EVENT OF THE YEAR

Bloomin’ Bluegrass Festival, Farmers Branch, Texas

Bluegrass Underground, McMinnville, Tennessee

FreshGrass 2013, North Adams, Massachusetts

Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival 2013, Tunbridge, VT

Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival

2013, Richmond, Minnesota

BEST LINER NOTES FOR A RECORDED PROJECT

David Freeman, Hall of Fame Bluegrass!Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins, Rebel Records

Fred Jasper and Derek Halsey, The Definitive

Doc Watson, Doc WatsonSugar Hill Records and Vanguard Records

Randy Pitts, Three Chords and the Truth

James King, Rounder Records.

Neil V Rosenberg, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe

Noam Pikelny, Compass Records

Dave Royko, Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver, Special Consensus & Friends,

Compass Records

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 15

INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS MUSIC

Special Awards, including the Distinguished Achievement Awards, will be presented at a luncheon on Thursday, October 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the

World of Bluegrass Business Conference in Raleigh, NC.

BLUEGRASS PRINT/MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR

Derek Halsey, writer for the Herald Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia, Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, and The

Bluegrass Situation.

Chris Jones, writer for Bluegrass Today

John Curtis Goad, writer for Bluegrass Today

Daniel Mullins, writer for Bluegrass Today

Ted Lehmann, blogger for Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books & Brainstorms

BLUEGRASS SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Becky Buller

Mark ‘Brink’ Brinkman

Jerry Salley

Tim Stafford

Donna Ulisse

special Award Nominations

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org16

iBMa Hall of faMe

The Original Seldom Scene & Neil Rosenberg

The International Bluegrass Music Association announced that the influential bluegrass band The Original Seldom Scene and bluegrass historian Neil Rosenberg will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at its Awards Show in Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday, October 2, 2014.

Ben Eldridge, John Starling, Mike Auldridge, Tom Gray and John Duffey (the latter two known for their prior work with The Country Gentlemen) formed the Seldom Scene in 1971. The band’s name referred to the fact that four of the five members had “day jobs” outside of music, and that they only played one night a week: a regular engagement at a local club, The Red Fox Inn. The intent of the band’s originators to play locally “just for the fun of it” in the Washington, DC region didn’t last long, as The Seldom Scene became a major force nationally in the bluegrass music world, emphasizing strong vocals combined with Duffey’s tongue-in-cheek, clean, adult humor, a combination that opened new doors for bluegrass with typical urban audiences.

The group drew from various sources, including rock, traditional bluegrass, country, and folk for their fresh, energetic music. A few of their many recorded songs are “Old Train,” “What Am I Doing Hanging Around?” “Wait a Minute,” “With the Small Exception of Me,” “Hello Mary Lou” and “Rider.” Between their bold willingness to explore a broad slice of American popular music, their impeccable musicianship and a stage presence that was both commanding and endearing, the Scene exemplified one strain of “progressive” bluegrass that both honored the past and led the way into the future.

The era of the original members ended in September 1977, when Starling left the group to practice medicine in Montgomery, AL. Since then, Personnel changes have been made over the years, with Ben Eldridge remaining as the single original member. But the 1971-77 line-up of The Seldom Scene in particular left an indelible imprint on bluegrass music, and the current band continues to feature vocal arrangements and instrumentals in that trademark style. Original member John Duffey died in 1996, just weeks after he and Tom Gray joined the Hall of Fame as members of the Country Gentlemen, and Mike Auldridge passed away in 2012, but the legacy of the original Seldom Scene lives on, and it is that legacy to which we pay tribute with their induction into the Hall of Fame.

ibma announces 2014 inducteesto International Bluegrass hall of Fame

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 17

iBMa Hall of faMe

Neil Rosenberg specializes in the study of contemporary folk music traditions, investigating the ways in which popular music interacts with local and regional folk music traditions, and examining processes of cultural revival. Rosenberg conducts research in Canada and the United States, focusing upon the lives and music of professional, semi-professional and amateur old-time, bluegrass, country and folk musicians. A performing musician since childhood, Rosenberg utilizes his skills and experiences in bluegrass, country, folk, jazz, classical and experimental music to gain a closer understanding of the processes he studied.

His books include Bluegrass: A History (1985), the definitive work on the genre, which was reprinted with a new preface for its20th Anniversary Edition in 2005. Other books include Transforming Tradition (1993), a collection of studies on North American folk

music revivals; and Bluegrass Odyssey: A Documentary in Pictures and Words (2001), co-authored with photographer Carl Fleischhauer of the Library of Congress. In 1996 he began working with the late Charles Wolfe on The Music of Bill Monroe, a bio-discography published in 2007 that updates and expands his long out-of-print Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys: An Illustrated Discography (1974). He has published over sixty articles and review essays. In 1981 he originated

the column “Thirty Years Ago This Month” in Bluegrass Unlimited, and wrote it until 1993.

Formerly Recorded Sound Reviews Editor of the Journal of American Folklore, he has edited and written notes for many recordings, including a contribution to the brochure for the Smithsonian/Folkways reissue of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music for which he won a 1997 Grammy Award. His most recent project is Saturday Night Jamboree on CBC Newfoundland, which he produced for Memorial University›s Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media and Place. Rosenberg is a Fellow of the American Folklore Society, and recipient of the Marius Barbeau Medal for lifetime achievement from the Folklore Studies Association of Canada. Rosenberg received IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 1986.

Founded in 1991, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, housed in the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY, is an institution devoted to the recognition of noteworthy individuals for outstanding contributions to bluegrass music. Each year a nominating committee, consisting of music industry leaders, creates a slate of 10-15 candidates. From these names, a panel of more than 200 electors in the music industry cast ballots to narrow the nominees to five finalists. The panel votes a final time to select the inductee(s) for that year. Inductees for 2014 are in the “Open” and “Non-Performing” categories.

The IBMA Awards Show will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction), streamed live at ibma.org, and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks, thanks to the sponsorship of Deering Banjos, John Pearse Strings, Compass Records, Mountain Home Music, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, YepRoc, BluegrassToday.com and Music City Roots. Program directors and station managers may sign up to be affiliates online at www.ibma.org.

about The international bluegrass hall of Fame & ibMa

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org18

diStinguiSHed acHieVeMent

Each year, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) recognizes up to five individuals for their significant contributions to bluegrass music with its highest honor outside of induction into the Hall of Fame--the Distinguished Achievement Award. This year’s recipients of IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Awards include:

Deering Banjo Company: Greg and Janet Deering started the Deering Banjo Company as a family business in 1975. In its 39-year history, the company has created more than 100,000 banjos, all built by hand in Deering’s Spring Valley, California facility. The company’s mission statement is “to champion the banjo and inspire creativity around the globe by supplying the best quality, American-made banjos to players of all abilities.” Noted Deering players are many, and include Béla Fleck, Jens Kruger and Eric Gibson.

The Delmore Brothers:

The brother-style duets of the Delmore Brothers have influenced generations of performers, but many would argue that it is their superb songwriting that cemented the duo’s stamp on bluegrass history. Artists from Vince Gill to the late Doc Watson have recorded songs from brothers Rabon and Alton Delmore’s rich catalog. “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar,” “Blues Stay Away From Me” and “Big River Blues” (also known as “Deep River Blues”) are just some of the signature songs that have left a lasting impression on bluegrass music.

European Bluegrass Music Association:

Since its inception in 1995, the European Bluegrass Music Association has worked to support bluegrass music across borders, both regional and national. The non-profit organization produces a magazine (Bluegrass Europe) for its members, promotes bluegrass festivals held throughout Europe, and holds regular gatherings, known as Bluegrass Summits, aimed at supporting and encouraging the burgeoning bluegrass scene across Europe.

ibma 2014 Distinguished Achievementaward recipients

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 19

diStinguiSHed acHieVeMent

Hillbilly at Harvard: The radio show Hillbilly at Harvard, broadcast weekly over Harvard’s student-run radio station, WHRB, has been an influence and inspiration for generations of bluegrass and country fans in New England since it debuted in 1948. Billed as “Boston’s original Saturday morning country-music jamboree,” it directly influenced the founders of Rounder Records (now in its 44th year) and the Boston Bluegrass Union, formed in 1976. The show has also had an ongoing impact on many generations of musicians in the fertile Northeastern scene, and now, via the Internet, can be heard all across the globe.

Bill Keith: Bill Keith has had a great impact on modern banjo playing, particularly in what is often termed “newgrass.” Influenced by both Earl Scruggs and Pete Seeger, Keith developed his own unique style, which became known as the melodic, chromatic or “Keith”- picking style. Keith has toured and performed with top bluegrass bands – including a brief stint with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the early 1960s - and with artists like Jonathan Edwards, Ian & Sylvia, Judy Collins, The JimKweskin Jug Band, and Muleskinner.

The IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Awards will be presented at a Special

Awards Luncheon on Thursday, October 2

during IBMA’s World of Bluegrass event. Those

who would like to attend must purchase a business

conference pass for Thursday and may do so by

registering here.

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org20

MeMBerSHip newS

Membership FocusRepublished courtesy

The Direct Buzz - March 2014

www.theDirectBuzz.com

How To Use AirPlay Direct To Make The Most Of Your Radio Promotion

AirPlay Direct is an e-based artist marketing, pro-motion and education platform that allows artists, record labels and music publishers to securely de-liver broadcast-quality music and Digital Press Kits/DPKs to music industry professionals worldwide. Our system allows radio programmers and film/TV music supervisors globally to connect to new music, create music calls, browse top downloaded artists, and im-mediately download music and related artist infor-mation.

AirPlay Direct also provides their artists and label members genre-based APD Global Radio Indicator Charts which track the download activity that the member’s music receives from their world-wide radio panel. They have a national and international reach of 9,000+ radio station and programmers in over 90 countries. AirPlay Direct is proud of the fact that they deliver more Bluegrass music to radio sta-tions globally than any other company in the world.

So, how do you use the AirPlay Direct platform to maximize your radio related promotional efforts? Get ready to spin your wheels less, while radio spins your tracks more by:

• First and foremost, have a look at your music. Many artists have more than one release, and you’ll want to create a separate page for each of these releases. Do you regularly release singles? How about creating a page dedicated for those singles?

• Talk to AirPlay Direct about organizing your songs and releases in a way that really ramps up the sparkle and shine, helps to create a profile that is more engaging, and will keep programmers on your artist pages longer, exposing them to more of your content.

• Content is king in these heady days of the in-terwebs taking over the world, and you need to make sure you’ve got yours well organized and prominently featured on your AirPlay Direct page(s) so it can deliver its promise.

It’s important to stress how vital it is to get your release pages set up correctly the first time. Once you have those songs up and running, all of your download data, etc. can’t be migrated if you decide to organize it later, so make sure to upload your albums to their own separate release pages the first time you do it (Instead of adding tracks to an existing release page), and have a separate page that houses all of your singles too.

• After you log in to AirPlay Direct, click the “Account” heading on the left, and then click “Add Release.” Go about your business as usual here, making sure to fill in as much of the information as you can. It’s important to add the info about “Influences” and “Sounds Like” because radio programmers can search for music using those criteria. Repeat this for each of your releases, and do one for your singles collection if that’s your bag.

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 21

MeMBerSHip newS

Now that you’ve got those pages all squared away, you need to make sure they are linked so program-mers can easily find all of your music on all of your separate release pages. You can tie them together using two methods: 1) the Discography page and 2) by linking them in your Biography section.

• Discography: Log into any of your release profiles and click on the Discography menu on the Left hand column, then click “Add Album.” In the window that opens, fill in the three fields for Title, Release Date, and Label, then click the right arrow on the “Linked Re-lease” field and choose any one of your other release profiles other than the one you are currently logged into. Upload the cover art for this Linked Release and then hit submit. Repeat this process for the remaining release pages in your AirPlay Direct Catalog. You will need to repeat this entire above process to create a Discography in each of your other release pages, and when you are finished, radio programmers will be able to easily link between them all, accessing all of your music.

• Linking In the Biography Section: In of each of your releases, you can post links to your other pages, creating a second location for Programmers to jump to your other albums. Here’s how you create a link:

• Click on “Edit Release Profile” then click “Edit Release Info.” Scroll down the page and in the Biography section paste the following code at the top of that box:

[b]Your Release Title

[url=http://AirPlayDirect.com/Your-FriendlyURLNameHere/]Click Here[/url]

Note you will need to write in your own infor-mation where it says “Your Release Title” & “YourFriendlyURLNameHere” for this to work. Create a link like this for each of your release pages, and make sure to post these links in the bio sections on your other release pages as well.

your music is already taking you places. let airPlay Direct take it even further.

Talent Buyers Focus at World of bluegrass

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org22

Deadline to receive online talent buyer Gig Fair registration discount is September 12.

This year at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass, a new special interest focus has been designed to connect tal-ent buyers, agents, artists, and managers. The Talent Buyer Focus will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, October 1 and 2, during the IBMA Business Conference in Raleigh, NC, offering new events to provide more networking, socializing, and business opportunities at a great rate!

Wednesday, Oct 1

Continental Breakfast Welcome and Orientation

Agents Pitch Session Showcase Luncheon

Exhibit Hall Reception

Showcases during the Bluegrass Ramble

Thursday, October 2

Presenting Bluegrass, Engaging a New Audience seminarAwards Luncheon

Gig Fair (one-on-one appointments) Exhibit Hall

Awards Show (separate ticket required) Showcases during Bluegrass Ramble

Full descriptions of each event can be found by clicking here.

The Talent buyers Focus includes the following events:

Your two day registration provides access to all the activities listed above, as well as other World of Bluegrass events on Wednesday and Thursday (with the exception of the Awards Show Thursday night, which requires a separate ticket purchase) for only $200.

As a special thank you, if you pre-register to participate in the Gig Fair, we will reduce the fee to $100 for the two days. And first time attendees get an additional 10% discount, bringing your registration to $90.

Register Now!

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 23

Songwriter Events atWorld of bluegrass

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org24

What is bluegrass without a good song? At World of Bluegrass 2014, there are a handful of events designed specifically for those who create the good songs that make bluegrass so special. Register early

for the IBMA Business Conference today to get access to these melodious events!

Wednesday: Cultivating the Craft: A Songwriters’ Focus, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cultivate your craft by taking advantage of one-on-one time with some of the best in the bluegrass songwriting/publishing world! This session is for individual songwriters or songwriters who co-write together. As in the other small-group mentoring sessions, there will be 5 different areas with one or more expert mentors at each location. Sign up for 15-minute sessions to speak with the mentors of your choice individually or in small groups, and discuss your specific questions and concerns.

The mentors and their areas will be:

1. Licensing & Royalties with Chris Jones, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Sirius/XM Radio

2. Demos with Stephen Mougin, Dark Shadow Recording, Sam Bush Band

3. Publishing with Kathy Anderson, Hadley Music Group

4. Writing, Co-writing and Editing with Lisa Aschmann, Nashville Geographic, ASCAP & Mark Simos, Devachan Music, BMI, Berkley School Of Music

5. Beyond Bluegrass with Sherrill Blackman, SBD Music Group

Song Circles are back! From 4 p.m. – 5 p.m., join moderators Rick Lang and Milan Miller as folks are welcome to sit in circles and go ‘in the round’ sharing their songs. This will be in the same room as Cultivating the Craft, so plan on sticking around for both!

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Songwriter focuS

Thursday:

Special Awards luncheon, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Raleigh Convention Center Ballroom

Come see who wins Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year! Nominees include Becky Buller, Mark ‘Brink’ Brinkman, Jerry Salley, Tim Stafford, and Donna Ulisse.

Songwriters Showcase, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Join hosts Larry Cordle, Claire Lynch, and Becky Buller as they present the ten songwriters who were chosen to showcase their tunes down at the Raleigh Convention Center Workshop Stage. Each songwriter will play their song, and the hosts will, too!

Song Demo Listening Session, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., RCC room 205

Rounder Records founder Ken Irwin, Kickin’ Grass’ Lynda Dawson, and Bluegrass Today writer and Classic Country radio host Daniel Mullins will head up this session where attendees are welcome to bring an original song on a CD, drop it in a box prior to the beginning of the session, and receive feedback on the song that will be played for everyone. Get great tips on how to craft your song for a radio hit, how to impress a record label owner, or how to get over a hump in your songwriting.

saturdaySongwriters on Songs, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., RCC room 306C

Here’s a panel of singer/songwriters that represent some the best talent in the bluegrass community. Get a feel for the various approaches to songwriting and how a song takes the journey from beginning to completion.

Along the way of course there are many choices, whether working alone or collaborating with others. Does one come up with melody or lyrics first? Do you write for your own performance of the song or for someone else? There’s no limit to creativity in songwriting and not every song makes a big splash. Why do some songs succeed and others flop? Do you write with someone in mind to interpret and present the finished song? How do you fulfill a request to write a song about a particular topic or event? These are but just a few of the questions our panel will tackle in addition to fielding the questions from the audience. Come join the fun as we explore the broad area of songwriting.

Panelists include: Donna Ulisse, Jerry Salley, Mark ‘Brink’ Brinkman, Rick Lang, Wayne Taylor and Russell Johnson.

GiG Fair siGn-uP is online! reGisTer here To siGn uP For GiG Fair aPPoinTMenTs by sePTeMber 12

The Youth Council Stage is packed with youth bands on Friday and Saturday for Wide Open Bluegrass! Make sure to catch your friends in action.

Enjoy your time at WOB. Get to know other kids who pick - some of the coolest bands have been formed by connections made at WOB, like In-famous Stringdusters and more! The more you put in, the more you will get out, and the Youth Events in Raleigh this year have a lot to give.

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woB newS

youth council happeningsat

Thursday Friday Saturday

World of bluegrassThis year the youth will have more opportunities to get involved with and be active in the bluegrass community than ever before. We hope that you will take advantage of the oppor-tunities and enjoy the week! There will be more than a few exciting things to do.

Make sure to be there for the Youth Room Kickoff Party at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. There will be lots of great jams, free food and fun as we get ready to dive into the week! Here’s a look at what else we have planned:

10 a.m. Room open to jam

2 p.m. Lonesome River Band drop-in!

10 a.m. Room open to jam 11 a.m. Field Trip to Stephen Mougin’s Live Band Coaching Session 1 p.m. All Hands On Deck with Jeremy Garrett, Kyle Triplett, Brandon Bostic, Michael Stock-ton, and more! 2 p.m. IIIrd Time Out drop in!

10 a.m. Room open to jam 12 p.m. How to Get Involved with IBMA’s Youth Council 2 p.m. Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper drop in! 3 p.m. Market Your Band Bet-ter with Daniel Mullins & John Goad from Bluegrass Today

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 27

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org28

woB newS

The first letter in “ibMa” is ours!If you’re flying to Raleigh from overseas to attend World of Bluegrass, we welcome you and are so glad you are able to join us! It is always amazing how you may not speak the same language as someone, but once musical instruments are brought out, everyone understands each other.

If you’re looking to take advantage of the Internationally-focused events happening at World of Bluegrass, here’s an introduction. Be on the lookout for an email with more information in the coming weeks, if you’re a registered international attendee. Folks from the U.S. are just as welcome! The schedule details are subject to change. Keep up on sched.org at World of Bluegrass for up-to-date information.

1. Orientation for attendees. This year the orientation for attendees also provides special information for all attendees coming from outside the US. This will be on Tuesday at noon inside the Raleigh Convention Center.

2. International programming during the Bluegrass Ramble Showcase:

Tuesday 11pm – 2am: The Architect, Thursday, 11pm – 2 am: Alumni Room, Marriott

Friday, 2pm-2am at Tir na nOg.

*Subject to change. Check sched.org for schedule.

3. International Meet and Greet – networking session. We will be holding a meet and greet session for IBMA Board members, IBMA staff, IBMA International Committee and all international WOB attendees over a short hour on Wednesday, October 1st at 3:40pm in the Raleigh Convention Center, room 306C.

Bring your questions, comments, or come just to chat and meet people. And if you can, please bring a small bag of something sweet from your home country (candy, chocolate), that you can easily fit in your luggage.

I Draw Slow - IRLNew Country Rehab - CANBluegrass Parkway - AUS

Takumi Kodera & Friends - JAPMustered Courage - AUS

Cup O ‘Joe - IRLJean Luc Leroux - New Caledonia

Kayla Hotte - CANDavidson Brothers - AUS

Jan Johansson - SEDanny Burns Band - IRL

list of performing non-u.s. bands:

Foreign affairs duringibMa World of bluegrass

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 29

editorialFrom the Executive Director’s desk

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org30

By Taylor Coughlin

Front Country made their World of Bluegrass debut last year as official Bluegrass Ramble artists, but it wasn’t the first splash they ever made: Winning both RockyGrass and

Telluride band competitions one year after another made quite the splash out west.

With the release of their new album, Sake of the Sound, the progressive band whom Infamous Stringdusters’ Chris Pandolfi claims as “the latest acoustic ambassador[s] to emerge from the California coast,” it is predictable that Front Country will establish themselves as mainstays in the progressive category of bluegrass.

With impressive lead vocals, fresh and inspiring instrumentals, and as original songwriting as ever, Front Country has earned a lot of attention already. If you’re unfamiliar, after reading this email conversation with International Bluegrass and the band, you can start to tell why.

A Q&A with the Bay Area bluegrass band

International Bluegrass You guys were showcase artists at last year’s World of Bluegrass. Catch us up on what you’ve been doing since then.

JACOB: Well [World of Bluegrass] and the IBMA were so huge for us last year. After IBMA, we went back to California and mostly played around there. Melody and I did a duo tour of the US in November and December while Leif and Adam recorded a CD with their new acoustic duo Small Town Therapy. And 2014 has been super busy mostly with festivals. We went up to Seattle for Wintergrass in February which was awesome then had a blast at the Old Settlers Festival in Austin Texas!

Front Country Point of View

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feature

By Taylor Coughlin

I should also mention that both of those festivals were booked due to the IBMA! After that we went into the studio and recorded Sake of the Sound at 25th St. studios in Oakland. May saw more California shows and a fun show opening for the Hot Club of Cowtown in San Francisco. In June we returned to Telluride after winning the competition the previ-ous year and had the most amazing weekend seeing our heroes up close and personal. This month we’ve been doing festivals in California and took our first trip to the Northwest to play in Seattle. Needless to say, it’s been a very busy year and will not slow down until November.

IB Sake of the Sound was produced by Kai Welch. How did you get connected, and what did he bring to the project?

LEIF: Kai and I have been friends since college. The idea for Kai to produce SOTS came about during morning coffee on a trip that we made to the desert of Joshua Tree, CA, in February, literally 1 month before Front Country was scheduled to go into the studio. Kai liked the Front Country songs and the arrangements and the idea of collaboration. He was the perfect fit as a producer – Kai bought a pop sensibility rooted in acoustic music through his work with Abigail Washburn, and it was a really natural process for us to make a record with him. Kai understood what we were trying to achieve in terms of new tones and textures while still being true to the basic form and rhythms of bluegrass music. He contributed ideas that felt really organic for the band and right for the songs, contributing to the music as well with backing vocals, percussion, even electric guitar (we won’t tell where…).

IB How did you approach this project differently than your EP This is Front Country?

JACOB: For this record we set out to really try and record a great record. This is Front Country was mainly a glorified demo because we needed

something to send to festivals for booking after winning RockyGrass. The whole thing was done in three days. I’m still pleased with how well it came out. For Sake of the Sound. We decided to set aside an entire 10 days just to record and spend more time after the fact mixing and mastering. The initial goal was to record one song per day even though we ended up recording 12 tracks in 10 days. Having a producer was also a huge change.

IB You said before that the song “Colorado” almost didn’t make it on. What’s the story there?

JACOB: As we were deciding on the songs to put on the record we realized that we needed one more original “singer.” Melody had this half-finished tune she had been working on about our other favorite state Colorado, but it needed work. She brought it to Kai (our producer and a great songwriter himself) who helped her finish the tune. We worked it up in the band but were not really sure that it fit the album. We’d also never done something quite this, well, some would say “Americana,” some would say cheesy, so it was tabled for a little while as “maybe we’ll get to it in the studio.” Then we ended up hav-ing time in the studio so we decided to give it a go and it’s one of my personal favorites on the record!

IB This Colorado native is sensitive to anything with “Colorado” in a title. That said, there has been a lot of Colorado love lately in songs from String Cheese Incident (“Colorado Bluebird Sky”) to The Infamous Stringdusters’ “Colorado.” Tell a little history behind the song, Melody [Walker].

MELODY: Front Country has spent a lot of time in Colorado over the past few years and it always feels like we are cheating on California. It sort of started like a “Dear John” letter to my home state. It’s also a sincere ode to Colorado, in all its natural epicness. Planet Bluegrass and the Festivarians, in particular, have shown us so much love, and Colorado has some of the best music fans around.

“Our victories helped confirm for us what we’d already suspected: that we had something special going and that we should keep at it.”

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org32

Front Country Point of Viewfeature

IB You cover a Dylan song (“Long Ago, Far Away”). Who are some of your other prominent influences?

LEIF: Front Country as a band I’d say has a very di-verse background. Some of us have formal classical and jazz performance training; some of us learned from picking at festivals and with friends. It’s always tough to pick specific influences given all the great music out there. But, here are a few: The Seldom Scene, Bill Frisell, Claude Debussy, Led Zeppelin, Bill Monroe, Peter Rowan, The Talking Heads, David Gris-man, Bob Wills.

IB Front Country has had a good showing at Rocky-Grass and Telluride, winning band competitions at both something that only three other bands have done before. What advice would you give to other bands who strive to do the same (or at least win one)? What can a band get out of competing in a band competition, even if they don’t win?

LEIF: The Planet Bluegrass band contests at Rocky-Grass and Telluride were huge for Front Country, without a doubt. Our victories helped confirm for us what we’d already suspected: that we had some-thing special going and that we should keep at it. We’ve been asked about it by many friends and oth-er bands that are interested in competing, and the main piece of advice is to just go for it! Even if you don’t end up winning, it’s an opportunity for your band to fine-tune your best material, take a more serious approach to presentation and dynamics, concentrate on listening to each other more closely, think hard about what the audience is responding best to, and grow together by learning how to keep your cool under pressure. So it’s definitely worth do-ing, even if you don’t end up taking home the prize. (But here’s a tip for the bands that are in it to win it: save some of your best materials for the final round!)

IB With music distribution changing lately, what are your methods for getting your music out there, and what would you like to vent about? (i.e. do you de-pend on your digital marketing, DIY distribution?)

JACOB: It’s so hard to get heard these days. There are so many bands trying for all the same promotion and distribution channels. Since we’re self-releasing this album, our digital distribution will be done through CD Baby. They handle getting everything on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon and all the various digital outlets. They also handle our physical online sales. Of course, live shows/festivals can be great for CD sales, but it’s all going all digital and fast. It’s also all going all streaming; even mp3’s are becom-ing obsolete. The biggest challenge for us, and any band, is staying ahead of the curve, trying to figure out what’s the next “hip” way to get your music out there. I’ve been thinking about Noisetrade lately...

IB What is your advice for bands showcasing at this year’s World of Bluegrass? (Can be professional and/or humorous!)

ADAM: Uhhh.... do your thing and have fun!!!

JACOB: Have a plan! Create a manageable wish list of the festivals/managers/radio/PR people you want to connect with and go after them. Research who they are and how to find them in advance and even reach out if you want. Try and set up a meeting. Be real and be smart about what you want to get out of the IBMA. I had three festivals that were my main focus last year and we ended up with 2/3....not bad!

LEIF: It may be a music business conference, but don’t forget that the real reason you’re there is to pick. A lot.

Front Country is: Adam Roszkiewicz, Jacob Groop-man, Jordan Klein, Leif Karlstrom, Melody Walker and Zach Sharpe. Sake of the Sound can be pur-chased here starting September 16. Front Country are titans of the road, so see when they’re coming to your area. They will be performing in various places during World of Bluegrass.

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 33

feature

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org34

feature

keeping up clevelandwithQ&A with Fiddler Michael Cleveland

There is only one Michael Cleveland: Prodigious fiddler, Bluegrass trivia knowledge junkie, and all-around inspirational and well-loved person.

When someone like that puts out a new album after three years of straight touring, people’s ears perk up and hearts anticipate fullness-by-fiddle-solos. Their first on Compass Records, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper’s, On Down the Line was highly antici-pated and is climbing the charts as we speak.

Oh, and three IBMA Award nominations for 2014 don’t hurt Michael’s recognition, either.

Having a lot to catch up with Cleveland about, IB sought out some questions over email while Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper tour to promote their new album, and prepare for Raleigh and the World of Bluegrass.

by Taylor C oughlin

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 35

feature

International Bluegrass: First of all, congratula-tions on your multiple IBMA nominations this year (Fiddle Player of the Year, “Instrumental Recorded Performance” for “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” - Special Consensus with Buddy Spicher, Michael Cleveland and Alison Brown AND “Recorded Event” for “Keepin’ It Between the Lines (Old School)” - Peter Rowan with Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReyn-olds, Ronnie McCoury, Robbie McCoury, Del Mc-Coury, Michael Cleveland and Alan Bartram.) You’re a 9-time winner at the IBMA Awards, so this isn’t your first rodeo. How does each nomination stand out, and what do the Awards mean to you, year after year?

Michael Cleveland: It is always an honor to be nominated for an award from the IBMA. It’s really humbling to think that other industry professionals think enough of anything that I do, that they would consider nominating me, or the band for anything! Each one of the IBMA awards are important and I don’t think I can say that any one stands out from any of the rest. It’s always an honor and privilege to be nominated.

IB: On Down the Line is your latest album in three years with a new band. How have you grown since Fired Up?

MC: On our last album, I think some of the mate-rial was a little bit of a shock to some of our fans, because we’re considered to be a traditional blue-grass band. Since Fired Up and with this new con-figuration of the band, the sound has changed quite a bit. On this latest record, I think that we’re finally developing our own style of playing.

IB: What was the goal for this album before you headed into the studio?

MC: My goal for this latest record was to do what I considered to be a traditional bluegrass album. Not all cover tunes, but, new tunes that could be played in a traditional way. Also, I wanted to pay tribute to some of my major musical influences.

IB: As an artist, how do you approach covering well-loved, classics songs like the barn-burner “Orange Blossom Special,” in order to make it different or…dare we say, better…than the original?

MC: When doing a song like the “Orange Blossom Special,” I think the arrangement kind of evolves over time. Even on things that I have recorded on my earlier records, I listen back to them and find that I’ve totally changed the way I play solos with-out realizing it. I think that’s also the way with playing these traditional tunes over and over again. Even though most musicians set out to play something the same way every time, it always changes a little bit. That is one of the things that I absolutely love about this music! I mean, what would be the point of going to see a live show if you thought that every solo and vocal lick would be exactly the same as it was on the record?

“what would be the point of going to see a live show if you thought that every solo and vocal lick would be exactly the

same as it was on the record?”

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org36

feature Keeping up with Cleveland

IB: On Down the Line proves your virtuosity as a fiddle player; your ability to play high lonesome tunes like “Jack O’ Diamonds” and foot-stompers like “Fiddlin’ Joe”. What helps you get into different mindsets for each song that has a different mood?

MC: I don’t know how to describe getting myself in different mindsets for each tune. I just try to play what fits the song to me at that time.

IB: Tell us a little more about how the new band members have changed the way you worked on this project.

MC: On this record, I think a lot more thought was put in to arranging each tune and trying to give each one its own sound. All of these guys are really in to trying new things and on some of these tunes, the arrangement changed a few times before we found something we were happy with. Our producer Jeff White was also a huge help with that. I don’t think this record, or any of our past albums would have been half as good, if he wasn’t a part of them.

IB: Your deep knowledge of the history of bluegrass is no secret to your fans. What is one of the most fascinating facts that people may be surprised to know?

MC: On this latest record, we did a version of Benny Martin’s tune “Me And My Fiddle.” A lot of people don’t know that Benny recorded two versions of the tune. The first one with the regular four string fiddle and the second one with the eight string fiddle. Ben-ny invented the eight string fiddle sometime in the 1950›s I think. He said he came up with the idea from hearing Bill Monroe›s mandolin in an open A tuning. Needless to say, there aren›t too many of these eight strings around. A friend of mine, Brandon Godman, who works at The Violin Shop in Nashville found one that was built to copy Benny›s and from that, he built the eight string that I played on the record.

On Down the Line is available wherever music is sold. See when Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper are coming to a town near you!

New members: August

Alexander Counts

Amy Wright

Avery Davis

Bill Conger

Brian Band

Charles Davis

Charles Wagner

Dale Pauline

Daniel Bell

David Broadwell

David Crawford

David Rose

Deirdra Ransom

Garald Wells

Gina Kay Singerhouse

Glenn Woodruff

Grant Godwin

J Gregory

J H Gosnell

James Hurster

James Van Zile

Jeffrey Hoffee

Jeffrey Ludin

Jennifer Hughes

John Green

John Peyton

Joseph Buckley

Len Cabral

Leslie Altman

Louis Body

Martin Fitzpatrick

Matt Wright

Matthew Groff

Megan Brugger

Nancy Steinberger

Nathan Morrison

Pat Flynn

Patrick Fitzsimons

Rand Smith

Ray Cardwell

Reuben Fair

Riley Mccormick

Robert Dunbar

Russell Loudermelk

Ruth Goldberg

Sandra Phillips

Stephen R. Elliott

Sue Cunningham

Theodore Connolly

Timothy Sands

Todd Phillips

Valerie Smith

William Bader

William Hopkins

Yvette Dunbar

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org38

september 2014Fresh sounDs

Mike Scott & FriendsThe Old Country ChurchRural Rhythm Records.

Haas Kowert TiceYou Got This

Junior Sisk and Ramblers ChoiceTrouble Follows Me

Rebel Records. Out September 16.

Carroll Best and the White Oak String Band, Old-time Bluegrass from the Great Smoky

Mountains, 1956 & 1959.

The Earls of LeicesterThe Earls of Leicester

Rounder Records. Out September 16.

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 39

Fresh sounDs

Steve GulleyFamily, Friends & Fellowship

Rural Rhythm Records

Crowe, Lawson & Williams Standing Tall and Tough,

Crossroads Music.

CrosspointWe’re Gonna Rise

Rural Rhythm Records.

September 2014industry neWs

on the charts as reflected at press time

International Bluegrass www.ibma.org40

Billboard: A Dotted Line by Nickel Creek at number one; The Bluegrass Album by Alan Jackson at number two; Cold Spell by Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen at number three.

Bluegrass Today Monthly Airplay: “Moon Over Memphis” by Balsam Range (written by Mark Winchester), Mountain Home at number one; “Too Blue to Have the Blues” by Detour (written by Jeff Rose, Terry Herd), Mountain Fever at number two; “Martha White Lester and Earl,” by Terry Baucom (written by Wesley C. Golding), John Boy & Billy at num-ber three.

Bluegrass Unlimited songs: “The Game” by Blue Highway (written by Shawn Lane, Barry Bales), The Game, Rounder at number one. “Busy City” by Rhonda Vincent (written by Jesse Daniel), Only Me, Upper Mgmt. at number two; “Wild Montana Skies” by Special Consensus with Claire Lynch (written by John Denver), Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver, Compass at number three.

Bluegrass Unlimited albums: The Game, Blue Highway (Rounder) at number one; Only Me, Rhonda Vincent (Upper Mgmt) at number two; The Streets of Baltimore, Del McCoury Band (McCoury Music) at number two.

Singing News: “When I Get Home” by Primitive Quartet (with Smoky Mountain Reunion) at number one; “The Devil’s Train” by James King at number two; “Stacking Up the Rocks” by Balsam Range at number three.

standing o!

Del McCoury will be honored with the American Roots Master Award from the Berklee College of Music when The Del McCoury Band plays in Boston on September 12.

Nickel Creek, the self-titled album from the acoustic trio has been certi-fied Platinum by the Recording Indus-try of America, having officially hit one million units of the record sold.

The Mast Farm Inn, owned and oper-ated by IBMA Board member Henri Deschamps, has been nominated for Four Historic Hotels of America 2014 Awards. “The venerable North Carolina High Country institution is one of only 6 hotels in the nation to be nominated for four or more of the fourteen awards. Effectively in this stellar field of 83 finalists in fourteen categories, which include The Wal-dorf-Astoria, The Plaza, The Brown

Hotel, The Willard, The Fairmont, The Lenox, The Mayflower, The Inn at the Presidio, and The Grove Park Inn.”

Steven Dowdy, guitarist and vocal-ist with The Bluegrass Brothers, was married to Christi Bryant in early August in Rocky Mount, VA. The two have known each other since the age of two, and had been childhood sweethearts. Congrats!

inDusTry neWs

For the record

www.ibma.org International Bluegrass 41

Dr. Ralph Stanley has signed to Vector Management for career management. Ken Levitan, Vector co-president and founder, welcomes Dr. Stanley saying, “We are honored to be working with such a legendary, prolific artist. He is truly a musical treasure of this generation.”

“Far Western” is a new music-fueled, character-driven documentary film about Japan’s history and obsession with American country music. IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award winners The Ozaki Brothers are fea-tured in the film. A Kickstarter Cam-paign has been started to help fund the project and help it be finished. Click here to watch the trailer and contribute to the campaign.

The legendary “Soul Man” Sam Moore, and Nu-Blu will perform their brand new George Jones-inspired single, “Jesus and Jones” on Fox News’ Huckabee show on September 20th.

IBMM’s 9th annual Mandolin Camp will take place November 14-16, 2014 t the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Ky. Return-ing for his 9th consecutive year as camp director will be bluegrass music

legend Mike Compton. Campers may learn more and register online at www.bluegrassmuseum.org or by calling the museum: (270)926-7891.

The Roys have signed an exclusive booking agreement with Buddy Lee Attractions for worldwide representa-tion.

The Acoustic Music Getaway in Kansas City, MO, November 7-9 is a weekend long event filled with work-shops, jam sessions, and concert and good times. There will be workshops for guitar, mandolin, banjo and fiddle with some of the best instructors in the country. Head to www.acousic-musicgetaway.com for details.

Blue Moon Rising has announced they will perform select tour dates with original band mem-bers Chris West (guitar), Tim Tip-ton (bass), Keith Garrett (mandolin), Randall Massengill (guitar), Justin Jenkins (banjo), plus current mem-ber Brandon Bostic (Dobro). Three Blue Moon Rising Reunion concert dates have been booked so far.

Kyle Murphy has been announced as the new fiddler with Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome.

Darrell Webb has left Sideline to focus on growing The Darrell Webb Band, and spend time with his family, while still working two jobs.

Jason Moore has left Mountain Heart after playing bass with the band for many years. Moore plays bass with Sideline and intends to pursue that project, along with other musical ventures. Moore has also joined the staff of Jordan Entertainment.

Bassist Danny Stewart has enlisted in the US Navy to play bass with Country Current, which is the Navy’s bluegrass band. Stewart was a bass player for the Larry Stephenson Band, and taught at East Tennessee State University in the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies program.

The Larry Stephenson Band has an-nounced new members: bass player Matt Wright and guitarist Kevin Rich-ardson. They will join Larry Stephen-son and Kenny Ingram in celebrating the band’s 25th Anniversary this year and their upcoming new album release, Pull Your Savior In.

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G2 will release their third album, Mind Over Matter this October. Mind Over Matter was produced by Erick Jaskowiak in Nashville.

The international lineup for the Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Fes-tival, New South Wales, Australia, October 24-26 is the biggest yet, with overseas acts Chris Henry and the Hardcore Grass (USA), Kirk Sutphin and Eddie Bond (USA), Colin O’Brien (USA), Annie Lou Band (Canada), Tattletale Saints (NZ), not to men-tion the best Australian bands from around the country too.

Radio Velvet is a free, listener-supported internet radio. Radio Velvet is committed to building a musical bridge between European and American bluegrass fans, and to give a helping hand for European bluegrass musicians to share their music. For more information about Radio Velvet, visit at www.radiovelvet.eu

Award-winning Dutch/Belgian/German bluegrass band 4Wheel Drive, featuring Jolanda Peters, released its new album

Traveling Kind on September 1.

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Dwight Worden, long time San Diego Bluegrass Society president and current board member (and former IBMA Board member), is running for City Council in the City of Del Mar, California. The election is November 4. Visit Dwight’s campaign website here. Good luck, Dwight!

The Bluegrass Music Association of Maine has welcomed a new membership secretary: Valerie Nightingale. The BMAM is currently in need of a recording secretary to attend board meetings. Email Mama Beth Revels at chair-man@mainebluegrass.org if interested.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society has issued its annual Call For Films for the Eighth Annual NCBS Blue-grass Film Festival to be held on January 25, 2015 in Redwood City, CA. The film festival is part of the week-end’s NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival. The deadline for film submissions for consideration by the festival is October 24, 2014. Submissions may be sent to:

Michael Hall, Film Festival Director

610 Island Place

Redwood City, CA 94065

Dick Freeland passed away on August 14. Freeland founded Rebel Records in 1959 with partners Bill Carroll and Sonny Compton. A celebration of his life was held August 23 in Asbury, WV.

Greg Corbett passed away August 24 of a suspected heart attack. The North Carolina banjo player was 41. Corbett played banjo in The Country Gentlemen for 14 years before mov-ing on to The Circuit Riders. He leaves behind a wife and two small children.

Ron Murphy of Wilmington, Ohio area passed away on August 25 after a short battle with kidney failure and a melanoma diagnosis, which began in June. A long-time leader of Muddy River, whom he lead with his wife Lora, Murphy was active in the bluegrass community, was an IBMA Leadership Bluegrass alumnus and at-tended World of Bluegrass each year.

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