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.