Van Heffer

I hadn't seen this in a while.

Thanksgiving

I'm thankful that just about all my pals are musicians and I play more music than is good for healthy family life or the nurturing of ambitious career goals, and Christine is on board all the way.

Anybody around today?

What Happened?

Hadn't seen any news about the jam. I got back into town yesterday evening and checked on it first thing. Somebody give me some info.!!!!

I guess Ralph is out next week. I'll work with whoever he left in charge and try to keep it going until he returns.

How bout we do the carol thing on the 15th? That and the party will be a good time for all.

Looking forward to getting back in playing shape...........

Doyle Lawson Gives JBs-esque Performance

He was indeed awesome. Local boy Joey Cox on the banjo. I've seen him around and remember him playing with Blue Ridge. Doyle's band was totally new, and still as fun and tight as ever.

Particularly enjoyed the opener, That's How I Can Count on You, Rawhide, East Tennessee Blues, Pike County Breakdown (as a dobro showcase), Misry River, and all the groovy acapella. Also notable was Doyle's AWESOME maroon and green jacket.

Know what I didn't like? The bad ol' boy sittin' behind us who lacked the sense to leave his spoons at home. Good Lord...
The fella did have some sense though, he knew that Doyle had the best bus in the business, and the 2nd best honors go to that black feller from the O Brother album. How these rankings are derived, I do not know. He had also heard of the great Ralph Berrier.

Doyle basically played to big sets. It was cold as the bejeebus outside, and we thank M. Wheeler for his Designated Driver service last night.
I'm pretty sure he closed with his new big hit, Sadie's Got her New Dress On.




We had a good ol' time and learned thing or two about our young banjo playing squire.

Cold night, hot tunes

OK, so that's a cliched headline.
But it's accurate!
Usual group of pickin' suspects last night -- minus one certain, John Denver-singing guitarist and mandolinist who, we have heard, is in jail. Good selection of tunes. Weird lineups! Joe on guitar? (Somebody's angling for a Side Door set, I believe.) Sandra on the fiddle? Ralph on the doublebassoon? Chris on dope? Yes, all true!
A fairly full house heard a number of old faves, fiddle tunes (when Sandra rosined up the bow, we had 4 fiddlers -- Sandra, Sloane, Richard and RBjr) and new cuts.
Casey showed up late and led us through "Cattle in the Cane," and he and Joe swapped solos on "Cold, Frosty Morning" and "Old Dangerfield." Joe was serenadin' a fair young maiden (I'm a poet and didn't know it) with "Friend of the Devil" when I dashed through the snow. Should've played "Footprints in the Snow," but that one makes me cry.
A lovely evening, indeed.

Perhaps I should extend my remarks...

I'm realizing that there was a whole lot going on. So much that I barely got to talk to anybody. [Wilson, call me!]

Ralph kicked us off with a perfect set for the Side Door - a set that you can't do anywhere else round here. He played real good for free and threw down some serious acoustic tunes and commanded the audience's rapt attention. What more can you ask? He also did it with his upside down left-handed technique on the right-handed guitar.
The Free Range Possums were somewhat reorganized, but they put on a sweet set. Bailey's fiddling is getting better all the time, and she was backed up the the Steele family and Fritz, and Jason Wheeler on the banjo, too. I may meander over memories in due time, but aside from the clean clear fiddle in the band, Tom's guitar playing was cookin', and Jason is developing a massive hammer tone. I'll try and post up their 99 Years and show yuz.

Fred and Jon Benfield, aka American Roots delivered a seriously laid-back set of guitar duo-dom that was just plain fine. They busted out a Beaumont Rag that reminded me that we should start playing that one. They'd did a Doc and Merle style Deep River Blues, a swingin' Route 66, and a bunch more. The crowd dug it and I think Jon and Fred dug it, too.

The last act was Wayne Frye and Scott Fore. I felt a little bad that I made everyone wait for these guys, but they made it worth it. Again, their set of John Denver tunes was a one of a kind thing that we've been lucky to hear at the Sessions.

Call me a sap, but I dug the Country Roads--we had the most seriously in-tune sing along ever. Scott and Wayne got a really special tthing going with their guitar playing--their two guitars sounded like a single 12 string. Sweet. Wayne charmed the pants of all the ladies showing his sensitive side. FCS-- That, uh...feller can sing!

Thanks to Ralph for playing and his usual help; thanks to Wayne for helping set up and his cool set. Thanks also to Jason and Todd for great sound, Joe for assistance, Laurie for helping with the door, my brother Mike for checking it out, and all the folks for making the show.

Ka - bam.

Side Door last night was pretty dang awesome.

Only 17 days until Wayne Frye is released from captivity and returns to the jam.

That's the thing I've always hated about Wayne -- his dedication to work and family. Come on, man! Where are your priorities?!!!

The irony is that, the day Wayne comes back -- December 1 -- I won't be there! Waaaaahhhhh!!!

See everybody at the Side Door Saturday night. Mark your calendars -- Jam Christmas party is Dec. 15. We need to decide if we wanna do Bluegrass Christmas Caroling again. Don't necessarily have to do it on a Monday. Could do it later in the week when more people are out.

Who Wants Chowder?

Fired up. Ready to go.

Hallelujah.
They forget to give Cody Kilby a guitar break, but it's still good.


Get Up, Juan! Bobby Hicks still fiddlin' on this one, Bryan Sutton's still there too. Kick ass.

Doyle Lawson's Coming to Town!

I bet some of the four of you who come to this blog thought I'd never post any bluegrass. Well here you go.

The JBs should do this one.


Here's another great one. (Even Ricky Scaggs can't spoil it!)

It's one long train wreck without Wayne

Well, not quite, but he was missed. Chris introduced his own train wrecks with Doin' my time......... and with This here Bottle.
Richard and Doug and Ralph did the triple Lindy on the fiddle which is gettin' better and better. In the collaboration column, Young Master Jason took Chris' "Song Book" and pulled out "Don't Get Above Yer Raisin!" with Ralph singing lead. Love me a song about raisins!
That actually turned out pretty good. Jason also pulled out the Bugle Call Rag, and unlike Timmy, Jason's copy of the Earl Scruggs songbook has the ending of that song in it, so we only played it for 7 minutes instead of the usual 35.

Mmmm...What else? Apparently Pulaski is gouging the citizens with new property taxes. Rise up people! Stick it to the man.

My Zappa Phase

Wayne told me he'd never listened to any Frank Zappa. That's ok, I never got into Alabama, though I did enjoy me some John Denver along the way.

I'm always a little taken aback when people say they don't like Bill Monroe's singing, or Bob Dylan's for that matter. It's the same with Zappa. Nobody else sounds like his bands. For my money, he was hardest drivin' band leader since Bill Monroe.



Christine got me a DVD for my birthday that successfully started a full on phase. I'm diggin' up all my old stuff.

If you've got nothin' but time. Listen to both versions of this tune. Totally different band. Reminds me of Doyle Lawson, contantly shufflin' bands, but setting a standard so you know, when you go see Doyle - like we're gonna next 11/21, you know you're gonna get a kick A band.

Punch Brothers

Chris Thile and his band of young all stars..

They're playing up in Roanoke on Sunday and we should go.



That was bluegrass, but I suspect most of the show will be like this...



Let's go, youzez!

Tuesday morning jam report and public flogging of Christopher "Rip Van Winkle" Burgoyne

Jam was good (see Wayne's comments below). Good crowd, new tunes. We played "Walking in My Sleep," which leads me to ...
One person was conspicuous by their absence: A certain mandolin-carrying, scruffy-faced, Yuengling-swilling dude named Chris Bergoon ... Bergeron ... Bubbagump ... or something like that.
"Working for the man..." my bass fiddle.
"Sleeping on the job is more like it."

Following Sunday's late-night exploits, which dude was a no-show at the jam:
Doug -- up at 5 a.m.
Ralph -- up at 6
Wayne -- up at 7:30
Joe -- up at 7:30
Chris -- up at ???? 8? 9? 10? STILL asleep???


Somebody buy that boy an espresso!

Fired up. Ready to go.

Just like the JBs!



This guy has about half the stage presence of Wayne Frye.

Obama has clearly stolen my methodology for taking over the world, except instead of winning room after room over with a crack bluegrass band, he's giving a lot of speeches and running for President.

JBs should offer to play the inauguration. (For our usual fee, of course.)

Get out and VOTE, y'all!

Deep thought: If you think big corporations have been good for music, then let them run everything else as well.

I got to see Ms. Frye's smiling face at my polling place this morning. Everyone seemed in good spirits (no doubt because they were greeted by the aforementioned Ms. Frye) and the line was not long.

I don't know what it'll be like where you vote, but you ought to vote no matter what. It gives you your complainin' rights!

How was the jam?

I was workin' for the man, and couldn't get down there.

(I'm still wore out from last night.)

Java Brothers Kill at Lantern

Its true! Though there was only a handful of lucky folks there, they will remember always the night the JBs took the stage at the Lantern. Thanks to Dan the soundman and our own natural and cultivated talents, the JB's ne'er sounded better.

Remember people the next Side Door is in 2 weeks...November 15th.

Most importantly, watch this video about a fat cat (not Lester)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.