Bad. Nationwide.

Take me with ya, Jesus!

Fun times in Floyd

Chris, Wayne, Susan, Joe, and Dale had a good ol' time in Floyd tonight. We picked a bunch a tunes! Christine, Isabella, and Chris' brother Lou hung out for most of the set, though Isabella conked out at about 9:30. Scott Patrick dropped in for a few tunes at the end. Boy, that kid can pick!

Everybody wants to know who's playing the Side Door on 1/19/2008. Other than Asenath, the lineup is pretty wide open. If you have any ideas for music, let me know.

Today is the first day of winter, the shortest day and the longest night of the year...so look forward to Spring!

I think we should mark our calendars.

Bluegrass master Del McCoury offered up a holiday gift to music fans today with the announcement that he’ll be hosting a world-class music festival over Memorial Day weekend in 2008. Produced in association with High Sierra Music, Delfest will build on McCoury's record in presenting a popular New Year’s Eve concert, Del McCouiry and Friends Celebrate New Years at the Ryman at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, his success with his own McCoury Music label—and, of course, his reputation as a legendary artist whose appeal crosses generations and genres—to offer a festival experience stamped with the unique McCoury touch.

Personally chosen by Del, Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD is a perfect location, nestled along the Potomac River in the scenic Appalachian Mountains yet convenient to four major airports and easily reached by rail or road, with ample tent and RV camping on site as well as plentiful lodging nearby. Those who venture into the surrounding area will find a range of recreational options, including swimming, fishing, hiking, and biking. Finally, VIP packages will be available for those who want to take their Delfest experience to the ultimate level.

JBs* at the Blackwater Loft Cafe in Floyd

If any of y'all get cabin fever or become overwhelmed with family and festivities, the JBs* will be playing music out in Floyd on Friday night. We'll be at the Blackwater Loft Cafe coffee shop. The Loft is upstairs across from the Country Store in Floyd. This engagement will feature selected available Java Brothers, Wayne Frye, Chris Burgoyne, Joe Abercrombie, and Dale Cash, and our bass-playin' Java Sistah Susan Gaskins. Wayne's gonna play a whole lotta mando, so watch out.

Should be a blast kickin' out the jams on the longest night of the year.

Come on out, y'all!

If you CAN'T make it to Floyd, and I understand, but you are in the Radford area, check out the pathway in Wildwood Park, they're going to have the path lit with luminaria (sp?) and I think there'll be a fire and a pot luck at the outdoor classroom. If I wasn't committed to being somewhere else, that's where I'd be!

Public Record of Christmas Cheer

Check it out, yo...

The Coffee Mill Carolers got some ink (and pixels online) on their Monday Christmas-song-related outreach work.


Coincidentally, every one of these establishments was robbed on the same evening! And at Christmastime no less! Doesn't anybody know the meaning of Christmas??!!?

Fa la la la la ( la la la la....)

Merry Christmas!
That's the holiday that does the most for me. I guess I still have to buy a tree!
Anyhoo, Ralph, Susan, Frankie, and I trudged out into the cold cold cold yesterday to spread (or generate) some holiday cheer. We went to the ladies clothing store. We played Jingle Bells. We went to the health food store and sang Christmas Time's A-Comin'. We hit most of the stores along the street. The knick knack shop, the Mexican restaurant--Feliz Navidad! We hit the jewelry store where they put a parrot on Frankie! We went to the barber shop. We went to the bar! We went to the music store! We went to the tattoo parlor, which honestly, was my favorite. There was a kid in there with a Santa cap with Naughty written on it in green glitter. He did some serious flat-footing for us.
We played Silent Night. We played a tune with Kendall when he caught up with us. We played What Child is This? (aka Greensleeves)
We attracted a few extra carolers. It was groovy. Merry Christmas!
I was surprised that the Vintage Cellar was closed--it's a week before Christmas!!! Prime $$$ time!

We had a camera crew with us, so maybe the video will turn up somewhere.

Bluegrass Caroling on Dec. 17

Be tuned-up and ready to leave The Coffee Mill at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 17, as we embark upon the incredible yuletide crusade. We'll stop in a few stores and regale them with a couple of tunes (which is all we know).
We did this last year at the behest of Frank Fitzgerald and had fun. Radford's downtown isn't the most hopping place on Monday nights, but the shopkeepers enjoyed us!
The last jam of the year follows at 7.

Coffee Mill Christmas Jam

Ho ho ho, y'all! Big props to Jam master Ralph and the team over at the Coffee Mill for putting on a fat spread for this year's Christmas party. There was a great turnout.
GeorgeRalphChrisWilsonWayneDougDaleJasonBillNewDobroGuyNancyBrianVernonSloaneMikeBonnie...Everybody!

Some good ol' Christmas carols. Turkey! Pork! Mac n Cheese! Potatoes! Tons of coffee! Cake! Cookies!

People, we're livin' right!

Heap Big Jam Last Night

I had to sit out last night on baby sitting duty, but the crew down at the Mill didn't miss me a bit. Wayne was driving Vernon on the mandolin, two fiddles, a bunch of banjos, and a positive HERD of guitars made quite a racket. And don't take this the wrong way, but for so many folks jammin' away, it sounded surprisingly good.

Kudos to you-o's!


Mark you calendars:
December 21st -- JBs* at the Blackwater Loft Cafe in Floyd, VA
January 19th -- Side Door #3 in Radford, VA.

Go Hokies!

JBs* at the Blackwater Loft Cafe in Floyd Dec 21.

A bunch of JBs folks are playing a pre-Christmas show in Floyd. Our bass player doug can't make it, and Ralph maybe out, too. That's why we're calling it the JBs*, with an asterisk. If youz wanna have a good time, come out and watch us whip up a mostly new show!

JBs* Wow Em at the Mechanical Engineering Dept

Those were some lucky folks out there who got to here Java Bros, Joe, Ralph, Casey, and Chris, and Java Sistah Susan Gaskins over at the Skelton Center.
We blasted them hard with some fiddle tunes and some straight bluegrass. Honestly, I think it might have been too much for their uptight, slide rule, button-down minds to take.

I forgot who was going to be there and who wasn't so the setlist I made was way off base, but the JBs don't need no stinkin' setlists. No sir.

Also worthy of note, was that we got to eat for FREE, had some d#mn good pie, and got paid a couple shekels.

Merry Christmas to all, indeed!

Thanks to Susan for setting us up with the sweet gig!

Tunes from Side Door #2, plus a tour of Radford, VA.

I went out for a walk on Saturday morning and took a bunch of pictures.
I figured these images are just as good as any to show while you listen to some of our recordings. Tunes in question are Rider and Midnight Moonlight. We're not hippies, I swear.

So here you go, the Java Brothers from Side Door Session #2 on November 10th.

Radford is a fine ol' town.

Mark Cosgrove

Mark Cosgrove and I are "friends." We've reconnected via facebook, and just before Christmas...[sniff] Anyway, here he is pickin with Steve Kaufman and local boy Steve Kilby.



The tune is Bye Bye Blues. We all know it, we just got to re-remember it!

Go Eagles!

I'm choosing to believe they can win!
That first INT for a TD was painful, but they came back with a nice drive on the leagues best team.

Go Birds!

Acoustic Review at Side Door

Side Door Sessions was a big success, in no small part due to the contributions of these guys. Hope they'll come back for more.

Acoustic Review plays Cold Frosty Morn

Look Down That Lonesome Road

Another hit from Tim O'Brien

(Blind) Alfred Reid

I never heard of this guy, but I have heard some of his songs.
Click here and learn something!

Desert Island Music

I asked before what your desert island bluegrass albums were, but most of us listen to lots of other stuff.
My desert island list off the top of my head (which ought to be the only way):
Steely Dan -Aja
The Who -Who's Next
Jerry Garcia Band - Live
Bob Dylan - Blood On the Tracks
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Honorable Mention:
Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage
Thelonious Monk - Essential


Updated: A better link!
Click here for the Senor version I love the best.

Side Door 2 is in the books!

It was a good one, people! Thanks for coming out! Special thanks to Brian Muller and Scott Patrick of Acoustic Review for elevating our show with their fine musicianship.
We had some new folks out last night, and some good old times.
The Java Brothers, Wilson, Dale, Casey, and Jason all lent their pickin' fingers to the show as well, for that we humbly thank younz.

Mark you calendars--January 19th for Side Door #3.

See y'all at the Mill.

--PS...The After-Session Jam was mighty fine, too!

It's just about time!

Got to be da Guvna!

Who says nothin' ever happens around here?
Former Gov Mark Warner and present Gov Tim Kaine showed up at the Floyd Country Store to get Jiggy and remind everyone to vote on Tuesday.

Backed by the NRV's own Jugbusters, it looked like a good old time. (A good old-time time!)

Mainlining the Banjo

Warning--graphic content!

That many banjos in one place is obscene.

Banjo Alert! Banjo Player Bill Evans in Roanoke

Some of our local heroes of the banjo might could be interested in this...

November 14: Roanoke, VA: The Secrets of Great Bluegrass Banjo Back-up Workshop, Fret Mill Music Company, 7 to 10 p.m., 21 Salem Avenue, 24011, on Roanoke's Historic City Market. See workshop description above. $40 in advance / $45 at the door. Advance registration required by contacting the Fret Mill at 540-982-6686. Visit www.fretmill.com for more info.

Side Door Sessions #2 - Sat Nov 10th, 7:00 PM

Travelin' Down the Lonesome Road

How far have you traveled for Bluegrass?

I just got an email about the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. I'm not sayin' I'm goin', but I do love Colorado, and I do love Bluegrass, so it sounds like a winner trip to me.
I've done some far flung festivals over the years, but they tend to be in Carolina and Virginia, my back yard at this point.
I've been curious about Rockygrass and Telluride, and San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is also really appealing. Anybody ever go on one of those Bluegrass Cruises?
I still like that I've got so many festivals close by--Merlefest, Ralph Stanley's Festival, Graves Mountain, Floyd Fest, and on and on. But I get itchy feet, and musical vacations are my favoritest kind.

Squirrel Hunters

This is a fine tune I heard John Hartford do.
This band features his last guitar player, Chris Sharp.

Side Door Session #2 Coming Soon

Side Door Sessions
Where: The Side Door, 3rd and Grove in Radford
When: Saturday, November 10th, 7:00-10:00 PM
Why: It is absolutely the place to be, and the price can't be beat.


Mark your calendars friends and neighbors!


The next session is November 10th.
Our main attraction will be the Acoustic Review, featuring old pal Scott Patrick and new pal Brian Muller.


Expect some great songs from local troubadours, coffee and snacks, and a real good time.

Fred Eaglesmith

I always dug this song. Why? It's totally depressing, of course!

Fred Eaglesmith "30 Years of Farming"

30 Years of Farming

Good jammin' tonight.

Radford Fiddle and Banjo Jam, tonight, 7 p.m.!
Been getting good crowds lately. S'posed to be chilly tonight ... so the time's right for a froo-frooey drink or hot chocolate.
We've added new tunes to the Monday nite repertoire, so come ready to get down at the hoedown.
We've even heard a rumor that Chris Bur-gurney will make his long-awaited return.

Love me some Vassar

Lonesome Fiddle Blues. A jam tune among jam tunes.

What a Jam!

Last night's efforts at the Mill were pretty darned good. Ralph, our fearless leader kept things moving as usual, and as always provided some right good fiddlin'. Joe, Jason, and Tim had the banjos rockin', and we had enough guitars to start up an instrument store. Brain came back and wowed us some more on the mando. I personally put mine away when he came in. Don't need to compete with that! It was absolutely great to have Doug back in the fold after a 2 week absence. Of everyone that comes, I think Doug is missed the most when he isn't there. That bass work keeps it all together! Speaking of missing, we all missed the fine playing and singing of Chris. Duty called and he answered. Just hope he is back next week.

Bill Adams made an appearance and provided his usual high quality of dobro work. With Asenath, Ralph, Dale, Brian, and that Wayne guy providing the vocals, it was a good time! We had a good turnout of listeners, with a good mix of regulars and several newcomers. As usual, the jam was the place to be in Radford on Monday night.

I won't be around next week. Got a conference in Newport News, and then a side trip to Myrtle Beach. I'll be back on the 5th for the jam, and will help Chris with Side Door #2 on the 10th. I hear there is such a desire by other talented folks to play that the JB's and the others will have to wait to take the stage in #3. That's cool! Gives us a good chance to work up some new stuff!
Asenath and I have already started!

Catch everyone on the 5th.....

More Side Door

Steep Canyon Rangers Show Boffo

We saw Steep Canyon Rangers at 202 Market last night. The were tight as a preacher's daughter the night before prom night. Joe, Casey, Casey's Picker friend John, Casey's BBQ friend Sarah, and me took in the show and were really impressed. Well, me and Joe were, and I think the others were too. A fun show, good new originals, a couple fired-up classics. Not exactly 1 mike, but they did share mikes and it made for dynamic stage show. They were all good, but the fiddler scored a lot of points with me, he was constantly spurring the band on. I'm looking for a clip of them, but till I find that, take a look at this. The last show I saw at 202 Market was Chatham County Line, and they also have a band where the musicians are good enough to play tight, but they all hang loose. Casey and I were trying to explain their stage show to Joe, who's never seen em. Joe this is them... (CCL, that is, not SCR!)


Update: Here's video on Steep Canyon Rangers:

Due South Jam

Hey Y'all! They was pickin' for sure over at Due South. (It was Thursday after all.)

The regulars, Casey, Mike and Bonnie, Wilson, Dale, and Jason--apparently Joe's a regular, too! Who knew?

In other news, Dale got a mandolin. Watch out, world!

Check 'em all out at Due South, home of the glowing pink pig!

Muddy Water

Here's one! Check out Wayne Frye and the Java Brothers doing "Muddy Water."


This is from Saturday night at the Side Door.

Steep Canyon Rangers in Roanoke

Let's Go! I just got tipped to this show. Steep Canyon Rangers are one of the few bands out today that I get even remotely excited about. With them, I get the feeling that every time they play their tunes, they play 'em a little different. That's what bluegrass is all about for me, playing the break as you hear right at that moment.

Plus, they have some good originals and they play SUPER fast. Check em out here.

They're playing at 202 Market down on the Square in Roanoke on Friday night October 19th. Good times!

At $10, it's a bah-gain!

What's the Last Bluegrass Album you Bought?

There's been a lot of chatter since the "Oh Brother" boom (now almost 8 years ago) that Bluegrass was movin' on up as a popular art form. I want that to be true, but I don't know.

Are there a lot of albums coming out to capitalize on this?

I just bought the newest Seldom Scene record (Scenechronized) and it's pretty good. Not earth-shattering, but pretty good. What else is out there?

Who is at the top? Scaggs put out a record with Bruce Hornsby, and while it might be interesting, it doesn't count in my book as straight up bluegrass.

Discuss.

Side Door Sessions #2 is November 10

Mark your calendars!

Wow!

Side Door Sessions - Session #1 is in the books!
I'm worn out from all the preparing, partying, and playing, but I'll say thanks to everybody who helped out. [Wayne, Jim, Ralph, Wilson, Dale, Christine, Dr. Hansen, Asenath, Casey, Doug, Keith, Laurie...and anyone and everyone else I missed.]

We had some good music from Doublenaught Jethro, Asenath, Due South*, and the Java Brothers.

Thanks everybody for a great night.

Holy Smokes!

This is it! We're just about to hit it with this thing!


Side Door Sessions Tonight

• 7:30 Doublenaught Jethro [That's Wayne, Chris, and Casey - a tight acoustic unit!]
• 8:10 Wayne and Aseneth [Angelic harmony]
• 8:50 Wilson Rankin and Dale Cash [Old School Country]
• 9:10 The Java Brothers [Straight up Bluegrass]

Come on out people!
3rd and Grove in Radford - Upstairs at the Side Door!

Tomorrow's the Night!

Storm a brewin'!

Jim's Recording of the New, New, New, Doublenaught Jethro

Casey was never thrilled with the name (tho I LOVE it!), so maybe we could be the "Brown-Haired Beckys!"




The sound got compressed in the movie making process--it sounds a lot better in the source file.
It'll be great for what we want to do.
--Update--
I tried it again using the .wav file as the source instead of the MP3. I'm not sure how much improved it is. The source file is pretty clean, but it sounds pretty squashed after mixing it into the film.

I'll keep workin' on it.

Desert Island Bluegrass

If I was on a desert island and got to take only 5 bluegrass cds with me (to play in my coconut milk-powered cd player) I'd bring:

1. Hot Rize (first album, aka "The Biscuit Album")
2. Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass
3. Seldom Scene - 20th Anniversary Concert (I always liked the lineup with Lou Reid on guitar)
4. The Original David Grisman Quintet Album (The one the kicks off with EMD)
5. Bill Monroe Box Set (I guess that's cheating...but if I had to pick one, I'd pick disc 3, which goes from the late 50's through the 60's)

What would y'all bring?
I'm already lamenting that I have no Garcia-Grisman with me, nor any Doyle Lawson. C'est la vie on the desert island.

Great Jam tonight

We had what I thought was a great, great jam tonight. We had our normal crop of good pickers, but the man who put us over was the great, great mandolin player named Brian. (Bryan?) He wasn't even on fire till the end, he was just freakin' good as anybody I ever heard.

He was yawning while he was blowing our doors off. [Kudos to you, sir!]
We got a groove on and worked through this one...


At the end Casey and me got to pick some triple mando with him. We thought we knew Old Dangerfield but Brian set us straight.

If he don't come back on his own, we'll hunt him down, tie him up and drag him back for some more mando lessons.

Update:
In other notable news, Miss Lucy is following in the big footsteps of other jam fans small enough to dance in the middle of the circle without throwing things off! Isabella and Harlo, you're time is done! Meet the new boss! Younger than the old boss!

Bill scorched up Cripple Creek and every other traditional tune we could throw at him with his funky 8-string.
We had a fine dobro player who's name I missed (Sorry, buddy!); we dusted off Rebecca when Asenath dusted off her banjo, we had no bass player for a while, but eventually Casey got there and picked up Timmy's Fender Jazz bass and Jaco-ized the joint. Ask him to play Donna Lee next time!

Brrrr..

Another good 'un to lurn!

Lurn, dang you!

If I Lose

This is how we did it.

Key of B!

Late For the Mill

Here's an early version...we still have to teach it to Joe.

It's sure to sweep the greater New River Valley...
It's in the key of A, it follows the form AABA.

If I Lose

Here's a version for learnin!

YYZ

We'll get this one by the end of next year! Bill Monroe woulda done it if he'd thought of it.


Somebody figure out the goofy time signature.

Squeal for Neil

Powderfinger is one of my all-time favorite tunes, and that's reason enough to post it here:

Del and the Boys

Love me some Del...

Powered by AOL Video

Hide And Seek

Somebody tell Bill to learn this...


I'm sure the rest of us can play it without even thinking about it.
;]

Gospel Set...I'm Ready

Here's the kind I like...

Where the Soul Never Dies

Ralph mentioned Gordo Lightfoot in the comments and though I remember his radio hits from my childhood, it was an album Tony Rice did of all Lightfoot tunes that turned me on to him for real.
Anyhoo, I was looking for some video of Rice playing Lightfoot and found none. However, I did find this one from Scaggs and Rice that I've always loved.

Wayne, this is the one we were kicking around, and this is the verison I know.

Autumn Leaves and Men in Dresses

Hey! Is that a kilt you're wearing or did you forget to change out of your nightgown?

The Highlanders Festival happens Oct. 12-13th. No big name Celtic rock bands this year, but local folks the Celtibillies and Beggars Circus play. Really big dudes toss telephone poles around for fun, too.
Down in Mount Airy, the Autum Leaves Festival features a slew of Blue Ridge Mountain legends like Benton Flippen, the Slate Mountain Ramblers and a bunch of great music. I might go Friday and seek out the WPAQ stage.

You should really listen to PAQ if you can pick it up -- 740 AM. Nothing but bluegrass, old-time and preaching -- most of it local. Every Saturday 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., they have a live show called the Merry-Go-Round on which I've had the privilege to play several times.

The Fest peaks, of course, with the Side Door Sessions at 7:00.
[Side Door, 3rd and Grove in Radford!]

Good Jammin' Last Night

Mistah George Smith was out on the town again last night. He and our boy Jason held down the banjo chairs in the absence of J. Abercrombie. I gotta learn that Matterhorn, George has it down pat.

This is not the classic lineup, but it is the right tune.


This is Charlie Waller's son Randy leading the group either this year or last.

Go See Butch Robins Tonight!

BUTCH ROBINS & THE WORLD INTERNATIONAL BLUE GRASS BAND

Butch Robins and The World International Blue Grass Band will appear in the New River Valley at Rockwood-Manor Event Center, Dublin VA, on Wednesday, September 26^th. A Mix & Mingle with International world-class musical artists will be hosted from 6:00 – 6:45 pm with their debut performance from 7:00-8:30 pm. Tickets are $15 Advance, $20 Door. Students $10 Advance $15 Door. The Rockwood venue will be hosted in Rockwood’s Historic Barn Loft. Concessions will be provided by Floyd’s Over the Moon Café. This entertainment is presented by B Natural Productions in conjunction with The Fine Arts Center of the New River Valley.

Legendary banjoist, Butch Robins is joined by a collective of stellar acoustic string band musicians from around the planet who will be brought together in performance of music in the style of Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys. Butch met these band members during his international travels as a solo artist. These multi-instrumentalists from around the world are brought together in performance of ‘folk music in overdrive’ that has become an art for the common man worldwide. Their…Blowing the Cobbwebbs Out of Blue Grass… mini-tour in Southwest VA is a prelude to their appearances at the World of Bluegrass 2007 Business Conference & FanFest.

The band members include…

• Kazuhiro Inaba Japan Guitar & Vocals
• Arnold Lasseur Holland Mandolin & Vocals (The Bluegrass Boogiemen)
• Sean McKerr Ireland Bass & Vocals (The Tennessee Hennessees)
• Hamish Davidson Australia Fiddle & Vocals (The Davidson Brothers Band)
• Jan Johansson Sweden Fiddle & Vocals (Johansson’s Acoustic Music School)
• Butch Robins USA Banjo & MC
  

Butch Robins, Southwest Virginia’s own, has solid Blue Grass credentials as an alumni Blue Grass Boy and as a member of The New Grass Revival. He has performed in varied venues such as The Grand Olde Opry, Austin City Limits, The Lincoln Center, The Frontier in Las Vegas, The Ford Theater and The White House accompanying such musical giants as Bill Monroe, Harry James and Leon Russell.

The World International Blue Grass Band will be featured at FanFest at the 2007 World of Bluegrass Conference and Tradeshow hosted by The International Bluegrass Music Association in Nashville TN, October 1-5. As they make their way to Nashville, The World International Blue Grass Band will also be performing for The Richland’s Area Citizens for the Arts, Richland’s VA, on Sunday, September 30^th. A PBS recording of the band will be made as part of The Song Of The Mountains at The Historic Lincoln Center in Marion VA on Saturday, October 6^th.

Join Butch Robins & The World International Blue Grass Band for an evening of unique entertainment & musical history at Rockwood-Manor Event Center in Dublin VA on Wednesday, September 26^th. Rockwood is located 5 minutes from I 81, exit 98 onto Route 100 N.

For Tickets, Contact: The Fine Arts Center for the NRV at 540-980-7363 or www.facnrv.org.

Tickets will be sold at the door. A Rain or Shine Event.

Miss McLeod's Reel

Remember that show McCloud? I do! I'm not as young as I look!
Well, last night Ralph pulled out Miss McLeod's Reel (pronounced McCloud) . It's a tune I love and learned years ago, but it's among those tunes I never pull out because I figure no one knows it and it'll be a train wreck and everyone will hate me and a crowd will burn my house down.

Ralph knows better, and the jammers got on it last night.

If you are at all worried that you can't handle it, check out these kids!

If they can do it you can.

They play (according to the notes) Turkey in the Straw, Miss McLeod's Reel, and Hopak.

All of which begs the eternal question that only I seem to ask, which is, what did Miss McLeod do to inspire somebody to write her a reel?

JB's Cry Holy Unto the Lord

The JB's testified down at Radford Christian Church this morning.


Chris was having trouble remembering the words and locating his pick before playing, but it all worked out.
Ralph and Joe and Doug and Wayne were great as usual.

What did we play?
My memory is failing me already...

• Little White Church
• The Old Crossroads
• Cryin' Holy Unto the Lord
• Workin' on a Building
• I'll Fly Away

I suggested we play Rawhide people walked out, but nobody was with me.

Before I Get Old

Roger Daltrey must've had to take a leak or something. This is probably how this song is supposed to be played.

This is basically what I hear in my head when the JB's play Wheel Hoss.

One for the Jam

One for Clay in Texas

Paradise

John Prine's great song. This is the original artist, backed by the fine Nashville Bluegrass Band with Peter Rowan to boot.

Daddy won't you take me back to old Radford City!

Heckuva Fine Jam

All the dudes was out and jammin' last night. Joe seemed exceptionally inspired, pulling out Crossing the Cumberlands, and jacking 1952 Vincent Black Lightning up to its Del McCoury key of C. Chris tried to teach everybody I Hope You've Learned, but the group wasn't feeling learny.

Chris and Joe got to have an interesting banjo/mando session after ten. Once the whole crowd was gone, they had a little room to try out Old Dangerfield and Jerusalem Ridge, and the St. James Infirmary. Good times!!!
Here's some kid who's nowhere near as good as Joe. (And that's no knock on the kid...)

JB's Rock Dublin

We didn't need no stinkin' microphones.
The JB's contributed their ample talents to a worthy cause, namely the New River Land Trust.
Skip Slocum opened the show with some groovy old time music, and through in some delta blues for good measure. The beautiful people of the NRV were out in force and gave the JBs their best audiencing. The event was out at Rockwood Manor in Dublin. They've done incredible work on the building and it's got a great vibe. I want to live there, but I'm pretty sure they won't let me.

The JB's for reasons not worth describing here, played without amplification. I recorded the show as I normally do--just to see how the recording jibes with my memories of how the show went. The recordings usually sound better than I expect them to, and this one was no exception.

We sounded good, and projected well. What more can you ask for? We also got free drinks.
Put that all together and you have one more musical triumph for the Java Brothers.

I don't want to brag, but if I don't pump us up, who will?

The Java Brothers were From Stage Right to Stage Left:
Joe Abercrombie-banjo
Wayne Frye- guitar and C above middle C vocals
Doug Capobianco-upright bass
Chris Burgoyne- mandolin
Ralph Berrier-fiddle
Bill Adams- dobro, extra good karma for playing Salt Creek.

Happy Birthday, Bill!

I haven't managed it yet, but someday Bill Monroe's Birthday will be a national holiday!
On this day in 1911, Mr. Bill dropped in.

I was looking for stuff about his birthday and came across this from the page of Winnie Winston. He's a great banjo player who I'm familiar with from David Grisman's "Early Dawg" cd.

I guess this is probably Bill's "one thing" - that 1 thing that if you had to choose, would represent them in the encyclopedia that you sent to space to explain the world to aliens.

Mark your calendars! We're having a party October 13th

The inaugural flight of the Side Door Sessions is happening on Saturday October 13th, from 7 till at least 10. In this environment the music will be revered, respected, and enjoyed as best we're able.
Radford is home to tons of great musicians, and we're hoping to give them a chance to strut their stuff for the good people of our community.

Come out and support live music, won't you?

A donation of $5 to the music appreciation society is encouraged.

Side Door Sessions

Just a little plug for Chris Burgoyne's Jammin' Java Jump and Jive Jitters coming up. Several familiar faces will be playing at the Side Door at the corner of Third and Grove Avenues. New tunes, mash-ups and flub-ups expected. Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. A $5 courtesy is requested to cover costs of the room.

Bluegrass Boys

They don't come by often, but every once in a while, we get somebody at the jam who's seen it all, and been everywhere.
Tonight we had a visit from Butch Robins, who spent some time with Bill Monroe. I got to talk to Butch at some length and he has a lot of stories to share.
Check him out here:


Butch is the only Bluegrass Boy I ever picked with. We didn't play tonight, but he sat in with us at the jam about 2 years ago.

Then check out his website here.
Be his friend here.
And find more here.

Oh, and the regular Coffee Mill crew was there and rockin, and we had some new guys, too. Who was the dobro player? He was smokin'.

Gold Rush

One of my all time favorite tunes. One of the first ones I learned to play.
When I played with Bill and Olen Gardner two weeks ago. One of them had the idea to start with Goldrush. I had a brain fart and couldn't remember the tune and it was very troubling to me--like I'd forgotten my own phone number or something.


Here it is:


Robert Bowlin, the fiddler here, is another one of those guys who is annoying for the very reason that they're so good. He won the Winfield Flatpicking Championship. [Ho-hum, just another day...] He gets the fiddle gig with Bill Monroe. [Yawn...]
He can probably play any instrument you stick in front of him.

Bela with DMB

No, not the Del McCoury Band, the other DMB.

Concert for Virginia Tech

I didn't make it out to the Due South BBQ jam last night as I was at the Concert for Virginia Tech. I actively skipped Phil Vassar, missed NAS, and got in there just in time for John Mayer. He was good. I wasn't that familiar with his work, but he is a pretty wicked guitar player. I was most impressed that his band was a bunch of old guys! They made the JBs look young.

Dave Matthews was good, too. Surprisingly light on radio hits for a benefit show at a college, but I think most of the crowd was more familiar with his catalog than me. I kind of lost track of him after the first two albums. But he didn't play anything from the first album until 2 hours into the show.
He had a full horn section, which sounded really good to me.

Thought I spotted Ms. Babylon up in section 16, but I wasn't 100% sure. I turned around again and she was gone. Was Mr. Berrier interviewing the stars last night?

Check the Roanoke Times and find out!

Watch em set up the stadium in seconds!

These guys got a good fiddler!

Black Twigs

First Monday in Sept.

It was a beautiful Monday night at the jam. Most of the usual suspects were present. There were a couple of new folks out as well! We missed Joe and Chris greatly! However, we had two players from Roanoke, and their wives sang beautifully. We also had a guest appearance from Wayne Eastridge on the dobro. It made for an interesting evening. We only had one banjo player, and three basses at one point. Only two played at a time, but there was certainly a bottom end to the sound. We also had two visitors from the UK. They indicated they had been in US before and heard some bluegrass on the radio. They decided to come back for a musical experience. They actually picked the jam as a place they wanted to come. They were impressed! (Think what it would have been like with Joe and Chris on site!)

Ralph says that the Mill is going to start staying open until 11pm. Some of us may need to get permission to stay out later! Either way it goes, the jam is still the mental health break that I need each week. If I have to miss, I feel it!

Hope to see EVERYONE back next week!!

Girl from the Greenbriar Shore

A good old tune!
Click here!

By Request...

Senor Lester! Respect!

Greatest Cat Evah! Lestah!
Music by Best Radford Band Evah! Javah! Bruthahs!

Get your pick on!

Got to get me to one of these pickin' camps...
The guy on the right is my old guitar teacher MarkCosgrove, from Doylestown, PA -my last known address before moving to the NRV.

He got tired of teaching chumps like me and signed on with Jerry Douglas for a couple tours. The guy is a machine.

Another Golden Evening of Beautiful Song

Good jammin' last night! Kudos to Mistah Ralph for bustin' out some new songs. Well I guess none of em are new at this point--some fresh songs, anyway.
Cold Wind and Can't You Hear me Calling. Jason is the new banjo sensation. ("New" again a funny word because he's been hanging around about 2 years, I think.) He's been practicin'!

Aseneth is gettin there on the banjo, Wayne is moving to the front of the line on the mando, Casey's movin to Nashville, I think, and I'm movin' outside.

We made our first public, semi-formal announcement of the Side Door Sessions to the Jamfolk.

Pass the word:
7-10, Saturday October 13th at the Side Door. $5 Per person!
It's at 3rd and Grove. The entrance is the "side door" on Grove St, facing the big parking lot and the office supply store.


I'd like to get the thing sold out ahead of time, so if you know who's coming with you now, get with me, gimme the $5 apiece and I'll print you a groovy ticket.
We're trying to cap it at 35 people, and judging by the response so far, it's gonna be a hot ticket.

Sept.23rd

Thought you may want to add our gig on Sept. 23rd to the list of upcoming JB sightings. I think the folks at the Radford Christian Church would love to have some visitors that have come to hear the JB gospel set. The church is at Second and Carter Sts. in Radford. The service starts at 11am. Should be a good time!

Olen Gardner and the Zippiatoes!

I got a call from Bill Adams last week asking for Dale's number. He said he needed a guitar player to play to with him and Olen Gardner in Christiansburg. I gave him Dale's number and I guess Bill felt kinda guilty so he asked me to play, too. Well, we all showed up to play at Christiansburg this morning at the Heritage Days festival. It was local legend Olen, and Bill, the great young picker Abe Gorsky and his pals, and local legend Jack Hinshelwood of the Celtibillies. Java Brother Doug Capobianco was our Bassman. We had about a dozen pickers.
It worked out good, though.
At a break Olen mentioned he was on the U-Tube. I found it here:

It was a fun gig! We got to see a real transformer blow up and everything.
I'll tell you the whole story some time.

PS--We were not officially called the Zippiattoes--Olen certainly had nothing to do with it! I like to play tunes at the pace of "zippy," which in italian musical terminology translates roughly to "zippiatto."

Bile 'Em Dirty Hippies Down!

Check this out. Clarence White, Rowan, Grisman, Richard Greene, and oh yeah...Bill Keith! Since Clarence's brother Roland replaced Rowan with Bill Monroe, I count that as 3.5 Bluegrass Boys on this show.

New Camptown Races and Dark Holler.

Show Off

Mark O'connor is too good.
He is the greatest fiddler of his generation, and picks great guitar and mandolin just to be annoying.

Here he is in Strength in Numbers, which is him and a bunch of other slackers.

Muddy Water

It's always flooding somewhere.

The Home of the Radford Scene

Well another jam has done come and gone, and I got to go to this one!
Mistah George was out again playing that Country Gentleman style banjo. (Not to be confused with the Country Gentlemen style banjo.) The students were back and we gave em a little sampler of the old and the new. It's funny to us that our "progressive" tunes are 30-plus years old. [Honkytonk Women and I Know You Rider are, I guess, what I'm thinking of.] Anybody made any good pop music in the last 10 years that we can appropriate? I'm open to suggestions.

We had a 2nd jam outside last night, which is always nice in the summertime. We were running through the old school songbook. Then Joe came out and we worked on our "Crossing the Cumberlands." Even got a chance to bang out a Pretty Polly, which is hard to do with the big jam. The timing always gets whacky. [You've got to come to an agreement about how it's going to go ahead of time.]

So the Mill is the current hub of the Radford music scene, as far as I can tell. I even met a guy in Blacksburg, who lives in Radford, and even though I'd never met him before, when I told him I played Bluegrass, he rightly assumed that I'd been playing at the store. It's what musicians do around here.

Here's to the grand daddy of Bluegrass joints.

If you ever get to Nashville, don't you dare skip the Station Inn!

Del is the King

With apologies to Richard Thompson, this version is 500 times better than any Richard Thompson version of this Richard Thompson song.

The 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Steve Earle and Del McCoury

This is from the era of Steve's collaboration with Del. They made an album called "The Mountain" which I still feel is SE's best.

They fell out fairly publicly.
The Police got back together, why not Del and Steve?

Love me some Norman Blake

Ralph Stanley is good, too.

And Mike Compton is pretty good, also...

Max Roach

Another one done gone on...
Our boy Wayne is a drummer, so he'll feel this one. Best drummer evah, Max Roach passed away.

Check him out.

I Heart David Grier

Here he's playing Bill Monroe's "Roanoke" with local hero Herschel Sizemore, the author of jam favorite "Rebecca."


Apparently the lucky Mr. Grier got to sit in with Hot Rize and play at Steve Martin's wedding.

I think the JBs have to cultivate some more high-profile acquaintences.

Missed the Monday Jam

Howdy friends,
I missed the Jam Monday as I was working up in NYC. [Any of y'all ever seen Midnight Cowboy?]
Anyway, hope somebody will let me know how it went. I'll bet it sounded something like this...


I ran into Lisa, one of the ladies who booked us earlier this year for the two "Hoedown for a Cure" shows we did and she said they're looking to do it again bigger and better next year, so look out for that. I ran into her while CB and I were visiting Norris Hall, where all the shooting was. All the folks there are working extra hard to get the ESM department back on its feet. For lots of people it's out of the news and faded into history, but something like that doesn't really go away for the people who were affected, so keep em in your thoughts.

Lisa is all for moving forward, and as I am of a like mind, who's up for the Due South Jam tomorrow night?

I wanna do this tune...

Lester and Earl

No, not my cats...but almost as good.

Few people know that the "Randy Lynn Rag" was originally called the "Horny Lynn Rag" but the Martha White people made 'em change it.



How about that Paul Warren on the fiddle?

Old Dangerfield

This is a great late era Bill Monroe. 3 parts.




It came out on Master of Bluegrass, which I believe is out of print. WUVT had it on vinyl when I was there, but someone stole it. David Grier plays a great version.

Galax

I haven't made it so far. I went back in '98 and had a good time. I didn't know anybody. Now I'll know a heap o people and I'll do some savage pickin'. Or, I would, if I went. But it's sooooooooooooooo hot. Have there been any deaths yet? I can't believe there haven't been some emergencies.

I can't decide if this video makes me want to go or not. I guess it kind of does.



But then again, it's soooooooo hot!

EMD

Interesting lineup. Best jammin' tune evah.

iBuenos Dias!

The Dawg plays El Cumbanchero!





J'aime beaucoup le Dawg!

Next Gig

JB's are tentatively confirmed to play in Dublin on Sunday September 16th at Rockwood Manor out in Dublin. It's for the Land Trust's annual Land and River Revel. Local banjo ace (clawhammer), and Floyd resident, Skip Slocum is reported to be playing too, so guests are guaranteed at least SOME good music. Look out for us at Lefty's in Blacksburg, too. Dates to follow.


Till then, enjoy:

Cheyenne

Maybe this will be all Bill Monroe all the time. Well, probably not, but I wouldn't mind if it was. Let's play this one--if you know Old Home Place, you already know half of it.

Roanoke

JD Crowe with the mighty Mike Compton!
They do it just like us! :)

Tony Rules

Another Tuesday Morning...

'Sup homies? The kids were cookin' at the Mill last night. I had to cut out early, but I don't think it hurt anybody. Wayne was pounding his mandolin into submission, Aseneth was breakin' in her fiddle, and Ralph was leading the crew as usual. In my short time there, I heard some good choppin': Cripple Creek, Fire on the Mountain, what else? Hmmm...maybe I wasn't there that long! No Joe Abercrombie last night. What's up with that? He's almost as unreliable as Chris Burgoyne!

Watch out for the hot new banjo player on the scene. Things are progressing nicely, I'd say.

Any of y'all goin' to Galax this week? I'm thinking about heading down Thursday night. Who's with me?

Seldom Scene

This is actually my favorite lineup of the Seldom Scene. Fast and tight.

Another try...

Southern Flavah!

Here's the maestro...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBjCN2EGrIw

Another fine Jam at the MIll

A bunch of the JB's -- most of us...except Wayne...and Bill. And Casey...
Were out at the Mill last night tearin' it up. I was pretty tired, and a Ralph looked pretty ragged too, but there was hope in the air, as there were some younger kids pickin' with us last night, and they were gettin' things done.

Got to see Mistah George, and he played some good old Country Gentleman chestnuts, like "Matterhorn" and "Two Little Boys." I tried Copper Kettle, and taught the guys "I Hope You've Learned."

Ralph wants to play, "That's How I got to Memphis" but I don't know it. Somebody get the record!

One of the younger fellas whipped out Sourwood Mountain, which I learned most of a decade ago. It's a good one, and way underplayed in the Bluegrass community.

Welcome to the Java Brothers' Blog Space

'Sup Bluegrassers? This virtual space exists to allow discussion between members of the JB's community. This includes the band, our friends, our families, and our 6 fans. This is a perfect time to start the blog because we have NO (count 'em, zero) gigs scheduled. As it happens all our news is either old, or too distant in the future for even us to know about it.

The Java Brothers (most or all of 'em anyway) can be tried out for free just about every Monday night at the Coffee Mill in Radford, VA. This is a sweet venue, and it's an open jam, so if you have even the vaguest notion of playing bluegrass (or old time or newgrass, or neofolkie whatever...) come on down!