The Bluegrass Truthwith Hamish & Lachlan Davidson

The Bluegrass Truth

Let us start by tipping our hat to the late Earl Scruggs (1924-2012), possibly the most imitated musician in the world. In 1945, Scruggs’ banjo playing was the catalyst that transformed what Bill Monroe was doing into the full blown genre of music that we know as Bluegrass music.

� e most exciting thing we’ve heard about lately, is that a Hollywood fi lm is being made based on the life of Bill Monroe called ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’. With an all-star cast boasting names such as Michael Shannon (playing Bill Monroe), Olivia Wilde, Tim Blake Nelson (playing Lester Flatt), Ed Helms (playing Earl Scruggs), John C. Reilly (playing Charlie Monroe), Sam Shepherd and Ashley Judd, the world is set to receive another huge bluegrass music wave similar to ‘O Brother’. � e fi lm is based on Richard Smith’s biography on Monroe, ‘Can’t You Hear Me Calling’. Writer/director Finn Taylor and Academy Award winner Callie Khouri co-wrote the screenplay. � e soundtrack is being produced by Ronnie McCoury and T Bone Burnett and features some of our favourite bluegrassers: Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Keb Mo, Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury, Old Crow Medicine Show, Chris � ile, Jim Lauderdale, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Peter Rowan and more!Back in Australia, Sydney based string band, Bellyache Ben & � e Steamgrass Boys sold out two ‘Oh Brother Where Art � ou?’ tribute shows at � e Vanguard in April. � ey released a self titled EP back in November 2011, showcasing Bellyache’s brand of original Australian folk music, tales of hard livin’, sour women’, pickin’ and singin’ with banjo’s ringin’. Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Bellyache Ben

on a new studio album. � ey are busy writing furiously and have been getting a lot of interest from some internationally renowned producers. Good news is, ahead

of the album release they will be revealing a single and video for the tune ‘Madeline’. By the time you read this you will be able to visit YouTube and check it out or request it on CMC.Long time bluegrass supporter Mike Kear reached a milestone on the 4th of May when he broadcasted his 500th Music From Foggy Hollow radio show for the legendary WAMU’s Bluegrass Country. WAMU is a mainstay of bluegrass broadcasting and has a very large audience from across the globe. Mike has a strong following in the US and around the world. Mike says that he was asked about 10 years ago to produce a show for them for 3 months, but after the fi rst month, they asked him to continue on an ongoing basis, and the show is still going strong. Tune in to bluegrasscountry.org� ree time Golden Guitar winners the Davidson Brothers and the legendary Hamilton County Bluegrass Band from New Zealand will be headlining the 18th annual Redlands Bluegrass Festival this year. � e festival will run 13-15 July, just outside of Brisbane in Queensland.New York’s Punch Brothers featuring Chris � ile and his band of elite bluegrass musicians will make their fi rst trip to

takes country, Appalachian, bluegrass, twisted gospel and junkyard folk forging them together to create the musical road

train that they call ‘Steamgrass’.� e Mid North hail from Bellingen NSW and play mostly original Bluegrass and Americana music. � ey have just released their debut album, You Were Right About the Stars. It features Mick Albeck on fi ddle, Jenny Shimmin on banjo, Pete Fidler on Dobro, Nick Dear on mandolin, Kat Mear on fi ddle, Ross Nickerson, Mark Miracle, Peter McLaughlin and more.Members of � e

our continent this year. � ey will be performing at the Melbourne Recital Centre August 6th and the Adelaide International Guitar Festival on August

10th.� e 4th Gold Coast Acoustic Music Festival will be held at Broadwater Parklands on the Gold Coast in Queensland on 22-23 September. Berkley graduate and fi ddle champion Hanneke Cassel (USA) will headline this event before teaming up with Chris Stone, George Jackson, Karen and Jacko Jackson to host the Sunshine Coast Fiddle Camp in Alexandra Headlands, Queensland on September 28th to October 1st. � e advanced class will focus on performance, composition, arranging and improvisation and a separate class will be run for those who wish to learn at a slower pace. � ere will also be a kids’ class and a beginners’ class.� e 24th Harrietville Bluegrass Convention will run 15-18 November. Set in the beautiful high country of Victoria, this year’s featured US bluegrass act is Audie Blaylock and Redline who fi rst appeared at the festival in 2006. Audie hit the road at the age of 19, spending nine years learning the craft with fi rst-generation bluegrass great, Jimmy Martin and � e Sunny Mountain Boys. He has toured with Rhonda Vincent & � e Rage as well as Michael Cleveland

Mid North ran a successful bluegrass workshop in Bellingen back in April, running through things like what bluegrass is, where it came from, the rules, the rhythms and the harmonies. � ey split up attendees into instrument groups and broke things down into chords, licks, passing notes and instrument specifi c backup techniques. It sounds like the event was a success and they have intentions of doing it again in the near future.� e latest on the 2012 Australian Youth Bluegrass Scholarship winner George Jackson is that he is off to the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in New York. He has also been in Pacifi c International Music’s Hervey Bay studio recording an album with his progressive band, � e Company.Melbourne based ‘neo-bluegrass’ band Mustered Courage are currently working

& Flamekeeper when they were awarded 2007 IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year.Peter Nahuysen is putting on the 5th

Australian Bluegrass Conference and Banjo Conference at the Tranquil Park Resort in Maleny 6-9 December. � e event started humbly, but has grown into a major undertaking that this year will attempt to cater to a range of bluegrass instruments guitar, mandolin, fi ddle, bass and the 5-string banjo.Further ahead, 19 Feb to 9 Mar 2013, John Howie and Travelrite International are hosting the fi rst ever Bluegrass Music Cruise of New Zealand and Southern Australia. � e luxurious Voyager of the Seas will

depart from Sydney and cruise around New Zealand, Tasmania, and along Australia’s spectacular southern coast, and make a number of stops along the way. You can expect concerts and workshops featuring artists such as the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band (NZ), Bluegrass Parkway, Mike Compton (US), Karen Lynne, Coolgrass, Hardrive and Trev Warner.

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Earl Scruggs & Hamish Davidson - 1997

Bellyache Ben & the Steamgrass Boys

� e Company featuring George Jackson

Mustered Courage

Audie Blaylock & Redline