Volume 10 Issue 3 July 2016 The Spinney Brothers *new feature* Six Month Festival Preview ANNUAL BANDS ISSUE2 - Bluegrass Canada July 2016Bluegrass Canada July 2016 - 3 V o l u m e 10 I s s u e 3 Publisher - The Bluegrass Music Association of Canada Editor - Mike Kirley Design/Production - Gord DeVries The Bluegrass Canada magazine is published quarterly in January, April, July and October. Copies are distribut- ed to members of the organization. Individual membership fees are $25 for one year, $48 for two years or $71 for three years. Organizational memberships are $50 for one year, $98 for two years or $146 for three years. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without the written per- mission from the Publisher. PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO.42167060.RETURN UNDELIV- ERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO BMAC, c/o Gord DeVries, 22790 Amiens Road, KOMOKA ON N0L 1R0, 519-719-2501, membership@bluegrasscanada.org. Please send articles, calendar infor- mation, photos and letters to : Bluegrass Canada Mike Kirley 831 Rose Street, Cambridge ON N3H-2G2 Email: mikekirley@gmail.com Telephone: 519-653-4975 Deadline for submissions is 45 days preceding the month of pub- lication. Advertising- Contact Barb Duncan at 705-499-7656 Email barbieduncan@gmail.com for rates and information. CD Reviews: Pat Moore 612 Cortenay Ave Ottawa ON K2A 3B5 patmoore@patmoore.net Bluegrass Music Association of Canada BMAC is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and promo- tion of bluegrass and old-time music in Canada, and supported by the volun- teer efforts of its members. BMAC Mission Statement The BMAC mission statement as enacted in the by-laws: a) Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Bluegrass and Old-time music throughout Canada. Goals: b) To support individuals, groups and organizations involved in bluegrass and old-time music. c) To provide leadership and promote education among fans, clubs, bands and artists. BMAC Board of Directors President - Position currently unoccupied Vice-President - David Porter porterd@blackburnlodge.com Secretary /Treasurer - Roland Aucoin raucoin@cogeco.ca - 905-635-1818 Membership/Website - Gord DeVries gord.devries@rogers.com - 519-719-2501 Magazine Editor - Mike Kirley mikekirley@gmail.com - 519-653-4975 Advertising - Barb Duncan barbieduncan@gmail.com - 705-499-7656 General - Murray Hale murrayhale@hotmail.com - 705-474-2217 General - Wilson Moore jwmoore@ns.sympatico.ca General - Denis Chadbourn lea@thot.net - 705-776-7754 Ongoing Volunteers Gary Hubbard - (ON - Regular Column contributer) Joe Rohrer - (ON - Regular column contributer) Bryon Thompson - (BC - Regular column contributer) Ralph Gray (ON - Column contributer) Sue Malcolm (BC - Event Calendar) - sue@suemalcolm.com Jerry Murphy (NS - Event calendar Admin) - jerry@jerrysnews.com Nancy Tellier - (ON - Event Calendar Admin) - nancy.tellier069@sympatico.ca Nellie Holmes (ON - Event Calendar Admin) - thepieplates@gmail.com Pat Moore (ON - CD Reviews) - patmoore@patmoore.net Printing- A N B Print Inc. - 519-621-0321 4026 Meadowbrook Dr. #135 London ON N6L 1C8 Distribution- Strictly Addressing - 519-433-424 4-1025 Hargrieve Rd. London ON N6E 1P7 4 - Bluegrass Canada July 2016 WHAT’S BEHIND THE CURTAIN? Regular Features Editor’s Message 5 Mike Kirley In The News 6 Staff A Brief History of Canadian Bluegrass Bands 8Staff Sold Em’ All! 9Joe Rohrer New Members this Quarter 9 Staff 6 Month Festival Guide 10 Staff Bluegrass Jam Etiquette 12Mike Kirley Having a Coffee with Allan Spinney 14 Richard Thompson Bands of the East Coast16 Staff Cover bands and bluegrass 22Ted Lehemann Bands of the Central Region 24Staff Bands of the Prairies40 Staff Life’s Passages 43Staff Bands of the West Coast 44Staff Bands of the North45 Staff The Swan 38Mike Kirley Bluegrass Recipes 39 Audrey DeVries Sue Draper BMAC Organizations Listing 48 Staff Radio on the Air Listing 50Staff Top Ten - Dan Joseph50 Dan Joseph Top Ten - Pete Deachman 50Pete Deachman • MORE INTERVIEWS - NEWS ITEMS - REGULAR COLUMNS ARTICLE SUBMISSION - THE DEADLINE IS THE 15TH OF AUGUST 2016 NEXT ISSUE (OCTOBER): 10 6 month Festival Guide 14 Interview Allan Spinney Canadian B ands East Coast 16 Central Region 24 The Prairies 40 West Coast 44 The North 45Bluegrass Canada July 2016 - 5 EDITOR’S MESSAGE by MIke Kirley Greetings summer pickers! Doesn’t Bluegrass sound great outdoors? Especially in a circle around a campfire. I hope you are taking advantage of that experience. This is our “Band Issue”. We decid- ed to move it up three months so people could get used to the dif- ferent band configurations leading up to the awards shows in the fall. We’ll see how that works; maybe more people will step up to the plate and vote for their favourite musicians. We certainly hope so. What exactly is a “band” of mu- sicians? The word band is related to the words ‘bond’ and ‘bind’, and can be traced back to the twelfth century. It is found in Latin, German, French, Old Norse, Old English, and Middle English. To band is to fetter with strips to make something stronger. It can also be used to constrict, or tighten up. Peter Rowan described Bill Mon- roe’s vision of his music as a style of music that required tightening up regularly, as if one was using a wrench. One could improvise, but only within certain strict tempos and rhythms. Vocalists and fiddlers could stretch out long vowels over this tight structure in the keys of G, A, Bb, B, and C. The higher the ten- or, the more lonesome the sound. This is the reason beginning bands have to meet weekly for practices. They need to “tighten” it up and “lock it in” with the bass, mandolin, and guitar. Only then are the banjo, fiddle, or vocalist able to “deliver the goods”. The more experienced the band, the less they need to practice; but if they don’t play regu- lar gigs they will fall behind in their “tight” sound. To quote a friend of mine, Gary Glenn of Grasstic Measures, players should not be looking at each other for cues. When they do this, they lose their audience focus. Instead of thinking about the song or in- strumental, the listener is distract- ed by the process of producing the song satisfactorily. The connection is broken for that song. And lead singers really must be sin- cere. They need to take the listener where the lyrics go. Only then will the true feelings of the songwriter take hold. Too many singers are hid- ing behind perfect delivery of tone, phrasing, and pitch. The result is pretty, but meaningless. How many of us have listened to a CD once, and then put it on the shelf? One can almost imagine the singer worrying about their tax return or their car’s engine problems…any- thing but what the song is really about. I could name names here, but it is better to consider good role models. Consider the ones we lost recently: Merle Haggard and James King. These guys could really connect vocally. People listened to their songs over and over and over. As Amanda Stubley said of James, “He sang his guts out every night.” Consider how Dolly sings “Coat of Many Colours”. I heard her sing it live, and I will never forget it. Or how about Larry Sparks singing “John Deere Tractor”…..’Hey Mom- ma…here’s a letter from your son’. When I heard that in River Valley, I felt like he was writing the letter right there on stage. His mother was somewhere right behind me and he was singing to her. That’s what it felt like. So intimate….and the fiddle was sobbing….. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=N9MCId61FXE Hope you enjoy this issue. We are so proud of The Spinney Brothers, as well we all should be. They have “arrived”. Don’t miss Allan Spinney on Youtube singing a whole bucket- ful of Merle Haggard songs, espe- cially “Farmer’s Daughter”. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Y91BS1u4I0I -- Mike Kirley Bill Monroe’s MandolinNEWS RELEASE: The recipe is simple. You take the band that has been performing the bluegrass friendly songs of Mr. Canada, Stompin’ Tom Connors since 1990 (Whiskey Jack), sprin- kle in some of the outrageous (and mostly true) stories of their time on the road with him, and voila, you end up with the most entertaining bluegrass show this county has seen in quite some time. It’s called “Whiskey Jack Presents Stories & Songs of Stompin’ Tom” and it’s coming to a town near you. Tom’s bluegrass flavoured songs join the Canadian bluegrass song- book of another great Canadian songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot. Gor- don was once billed in American bluegrass circles as a great blue- grass song writer. Entire albums of his music were released under the bluegrass banner. So when Gord joined Whiskey Jack on Feb. 9th, 2016 in Toronto for Stompin’ Tom’s 80th birthday celebration, “I thanked him personally for writing so many good banjo friendly songs” said Duncan Fremlin, Whiskey Jack’s leader. “In fact, when I first met Tom in 1990, with tongue firmly in cheek, I thanked him for his banjo friendly songs also”. This show is now on tour and it’s selling out and receiving rave reviews every where they go. Whiskey Jack is fulfilling the fan’s appetite for Stompin’ Tom and the stories behind the man. Universal Music announced recent- ly that a Stompin’ Tom album re- corded with Whiskey Jack in 1993 will be re-released this summer. It’s called Dr. Stompin’ Tom... Eh? It was a “first” for Tom. He had never before collaborated in the studio CORRECTION: RE-Our interview coverage of the PEI Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival in the April 2016 issue: Only one correction which I was off base (not sure why) on one of your interview queries: Motorcy- cles! We SURE DO accept motorcycles!!! Anyone and everyone is welcome - walk, run, skip, motorcycles, bicycle, car, truck, RV, motor coach, bus, or turtle - we accept anyone who loves Bluegrass & Old Time Music!!!! And…..we also accept small planes/ helicopters ….actually one custom- er did arrive in his small helicopter for our 25th Annual Festival!!! Shirley Smedley Jay SWEETGRASS BAND : We will have a fundraiser this year but more information will be following as plans are being made. We did one 2 years ago for Hailey’s Comet Foundation and 4 bluegrass bands took part. Hailey was a young 12 year old girl fighting cancer, same type Terry Fox fought, and she set up this Foundation to help other kids, Hailey was always thinking of others. She lost her full leg at the hip in December 2015 and it seemed things were going good for her but sadly she passed away this June 1, 2016 so we would like to do this in her memory... 6 - Bluegrass Canada July 2016 or on a tour with an established band. As a result, this CD has a consistently distinct Whiskey Jack flavour supporting each song. In fact, as you listen to this CD, there’s the unmistakable banjo of Duncan Fremlin, the best fiddlin’ by the late Graham Townsend, the vocal harmonies of Bob McNiven and the exciting mandolin chops of Conrad Kipping. What’s this all mean? It’s easily the most bluegrass sounding of all of Tom’s albums. For a list of festivals and concerts where you can see this show, go to Whiskey Jack Presents Stories & Songs of Stompin’ Tom NEWS FLASH: The Bluegrass Express can now be heard through- out Dufferin County on Country 105 out of Shelburne, Ontario. The station serves the surrounding area including Orangeville, Alliston, Caledon, Dundalk and beyond and the Bluegrass Express can be heard every Sunday evening from 6:00 to 7:00pm. WHAT A GREAT IDEA! Jim Story and Darcy Whiteside (The Bixmix Boys bluegrass band from Edmonton, AB) host a “Bluegrass 101” at the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society every week Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. for an hour. They “dissect” one song - they take one song and discuss what makes it bluegrass, slow it down, speed it up, talk about the harmony (if there is harmony) and talk about potential breaks. The hope is to bring up the level of those interested in learning about and playing bluegrass. IN THE NEWSSWEETGRASS FUNDRAISER: We will have a fundraiser this year but more information will be following as plans are being made. We did one 2 years ago for Hailey’s Comet Foundation and 4 bluegrass bands took part. Hailey was a young 12 year old girl fighting cancer, same type Terry Fox fought, and she set up this Foundation to help other kids, Hailey was always thinking of others. She lost her full leg at the hip in December 2015 and it seemed things were going good for her but sadly she passed away this June 1, 2016 so we would like to do this in her memory... UPDATE ON CHEMAINUS: This year, on July 16 and 17, the main attraction will be the Spinney Brothers, We’re also pleased to present FarmStrong, specializing in wonderful vocal harmonies and the Clover Point Drifters, often regarded as Van- couver Island’s foremost blue- grass band. The host band for the festival, Bluegrass Fever, will be there again this year. There will be some great female harmonies from the Song Sisters. We’ll also feature Hamony Ridge and Friends; the duo of Boomer Boyd (guitar and vocals) and Luann Burton (bass and vocals), joined by Powell River’s Max Pagani (mandolin) and Bill Smith (ban- jo). Bluegrass enthusiasts on Vancouver Island will have seen these four jamming together from time to time, so we know that the crowd is in for a real treat.. MAPLE HILL: The news for the band is that we are back in the recording studio and we will have a new CD with several Pat Moore original compo- sitions and one by Garry Greenland later this year. SOUTH GRENVILLE UPDATE: We are thrilled to announce that the legendary Allen Mills and Lost and Found will be performing at this year’s festival. We can hard- ly believe our luck to be able to secure such a first class band so late into the festival planning year. Allen and the boy’ will be perform- ing 2 sets on Saturday August 20, 2016 and have agreed to providing us with a couple of workshops on that same morning. Ed Note: The Lost and Found stepped in to replace the James King, who as you all know, died in May, 2016. NEWS RELEASE: The Commercial Bluegrass Band has become one of Canada’s lon- gest ‘booked’ bands with a regu- larly scheduled performance every second Wednesday evening at the Commercial Tavern, in Maryhill, Ontario. The first show was on February 19, 2014. Tavern owner, Paul Weber states that “as long as the demand remains high” for this powerful bluegrass band, they will continue to enjoy his support. Bluegrass Canada July 2016 - 7 IN THE NEWS To Serve You Better As a BMAC member, you can expect prompt, courteous and comprehensive service. And that’s exactly what you’ll get each and every time you need help with your membership. That’s our promise to you. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit our online membership services - www.bluegrasscanada.org/ Members Services to fill out a membership registration form, renew your membership, or make changes to your current member- ship profile. Changes in address, email, phone number, etc. are im- portant for us to be able to contin- ue delivering services to you. Membership Expiry You will find the membership expiration date included on your Bluegrass Canada magazine mail- ing label. Please use the enclosed expiry notice letter to mail in your renewal cheque, or simply log in to your account online and pay by credit card or Paypal. You can mail a renewal cheque at any time to: Membership Co-ordinator Gord DeVries 22790 Amiens Road Komoka ON N0L 1R0 Help Us grow our membership Each magazine includes a mem- bership application form. If you like the magazine, pass the form on to a friend. Our only revenue source is through the annual membership fees and advertising. More members = more services. Bluegrass Canada is produced and managed 100% with unpaid volunteer labour, so your money will directly affect our ability to improve.8 - Bluegrass Canada July 2016 A BRIEF HISTORY OF CANADIAN BLUEGRASS BANDS 1950s-60s Bluegrass, like country music, was first heard in Canada via recordings, radio broadcasts and concert per- formances by US musicians. By the mid-1950s it was played by Canadians in the eastern and central regions of the country (eg, by Montreal mandolinist Ron Scott who, with Bobby Hill and the Rank Band, recorded “When the Bees Are in the Hive” for Sparton in 1957); and by Toronto’s York County Boys (including, at times, Al Cherny), who made the LP Blue Grass Jamboree for Arc in 1959. Other early Canadian bluegrass groups and musicians included Vic Mullen’s Birch Mountain Boys (who comprised Angus Walker and, unusual in bluegrass, two black musicians, Harry Cromwell and Brent Williams) and brothers Bill, Larry, and Ken Boutilier in Halifax; the Bluegrass Mountaineers in St John’s; the Southern Ramblers and Bob Fuller and the Mountain Strings in Montreal; and Humphrey and the Dumptrucks in Saskatoon - all active during the 1960s. 1970s-2000s Bluegrass enjoyed particular pop- ularity in Canada during the 1970s and the early 1980s. Bands of note in this period included Cody, Cross Country Grass, the Dixie Flyers, Grassworks, the Humber River Val- ley Boys, Station Road, Streets & Hills, and Whiskey Jack in southern Ontario; Bluegrass 4 and Moun- tain Meadow in Moncton; Ladies’ Choice Bluegrass Band in Halifax; and the White River Bluegrass Band in Montreal. The progressive “newgrass” style that flourished in the late 1970s was represented in Canada by Big Redd Ford of Aurora, Ont. Among the bands to emerge during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s were Acoustic Horizon (Newcastle, NB); Barley Wik (Victoria, BC); the Black- well Bluegrass Project (Ont); Blue- grass Diamonds (NB); Endless Train (Man); the Foggy Hogtown Boys (Toronto); Foxtail (Ont); Hard Ryde (Ont); Hometown Bluegrass (Ont); Hungry Hill (northwestern Canada); Jerusalem Ridge (Edmonton); Knee Deep (Sask); Leavin’ Train (Ottawa); Lone Tree Road (Sask); McDonald Bluegrass (Callander, Ont); New Cumberland (Ont); Northern Sons (Ottawa); the Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Boys (Abbotsford, BC); and Trad’badour (Quebec). Instrumentalists Individuals to enjoy renown for their skills have included the banjo players Frank Doody, Denis LePage, John Saunders, Chris Stevens, Da- vid Talbot, and Buddy Weston; the mandolinists Duck Donald and Ran- dy Hill; the guitarists Smiley Bates, Doug DeBoer, Richard Gulley, and Slavek Hanzlick; the dobro guitar- ists Guy Carpenter, Amon Savoie, Gordon DeVries, and Chris Barkley; the fiddlers Roly LaPierre, Claude LePrieur, Gordon Stobbe, and J.J. Guy; and the multi-instrumen- talists Vic Mullen (banjo, fiddle); Eddy Poirier (guitar, fiddle); and Raymond Legere (mandolin, fiddle, guitar). Legere and the harmoni- ca player Mike Stevens also have worked with groups in the US. http://www.thecanadianencyclope- dia.ca/en/article/bluegrass-emc/ Freely plagerized from the Canadian Encyclopedia on the internet by Gord Devries Author’s Notes: Although in general agreement with the list of instrumentalists, I was somewhat taken aback by the incomplete listing offered in the article. Here are some Canadian players who deserve to be noted: Bass: Chip Street, Nancy McLellan, Guy Tellier, Glenn George, Richard Koop Banjo: Ken Groomes, Larry Johnston, Glen McDonald, Larry Miller, Chris Quinn Dobro: Jim Crawford, Doug Van Den Kie- boom, Ken Robichaud, Roger Spen- ce, Bob Trembley, Gene Watson, Al Widmeyer Fiddle: John Showman, Joe White Guitar: Rocky Hill, Steve Pitico , Marc Roy, Barry Spence, Clint Street Mandolin: Andrew Collins, Giles LeClerc, Nick McDonald, *Emory Lester, Will Meadows, John Reischman Multi-Instrumentalists: *Joe Clark (mandolin, guitar, ban- jo), J.P.Cormier (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo), Wayne Ferguson (Mandolin, Fiddle). Gary Glenn (mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bass). Darrin Schott (banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) I apologize for the incompleteness of this list. I’ve compiled it through the filter of my own narrow Ontario experience and, as my age reminds me, today on my birthday, my incomplete and insufficient memory. --Gord DeVriesBluegrass Canada July 2016 - 9 road weren’t like us (they was from the city ) so I changed my sign from HAND MADE BACK SCRATCHERS ~ 3 for a dollar , to HAND MADE REDNECK SELFIE STICKS ~3 DOLLARS APIECE . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~sold ‘em all !!!!!!!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ so ol’ wusername says “ hey you old fool , this is gonna be a 1st for you , ain’t it !! I said wutchoo mean ? she said “ well here ‘tis a long weekend , you’re stuck here flat on your arse with a broken foot and ya can’t drive !! you’re gonna be nuts by monday !!!ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “ I said heck , it ain’t gonna be all that bad ,I’m gonna sit on the front porch puffin on my pipe , and make a pocket full of money witt’lin back scratchers and sellin ‘em to the tourists walkin by ! Sunday she stuck her head out the door , laughed and said ,” I see you’re makin lots o’ money ,you’re sittin in wood chips up to your armpits , TWO 5 gallon pails full of backscratchers , and not a nickle in the pot ! ha ha ha !! “ then she toddled off chucklin to herself. next day she looked out , the chips were gone , so were the back- scratchers ,and I was countin a bucket full of money !!! then she got kinda grumpy , and said “ howdya manage that you old fool ??!! “ I SAID EASY , I noticed that most of the people walkin up ‘n down the SOLD ‘EM ALL!!! By Joe ‘Honest t’ Goodness’ Rohrer Joe Rohrer is the bass player for Rhyme N Reason JOIN NOW! Becoming a member of BMAC couldn’t be easier (or less expen- sive.) If you are able to access the internet on your desktop, laptop or Mobile device, you have all you need! Simply navigate to www.bluegrasscanada.org and click on the “Register” button at the top right of the website. You’ll be taken to a simple regis- tration form which will first ask you to select the Membership Type. Let’s assume for the sake of this discussion, you wish to be an “Individual Member”. Click in that box. The next choice is whether you wish to pay by Credit Card, or ‘Offline’, which means you’ll send in a cheque. Next, you’ll need to fill in a ‘security code’ simply by copying a few distorted looking characters into an input box. (That’s for BMAC’s security, to verify that we’re dealing with a person, not a machine.) We need your Name and Address info and also ask you to select your own username and password. Note that the info fields that are identified with a red asterisk are mandatory. The next sections of the form are optional and the purpose is fully explained on the form. Once you’re done this, just Click on “Submit” at the bottom. Be assured that BMAC does not share your information with third parties. Once you’re a member, you will have access on the website (using your username/ password) for private member’s information such as magazine back issues and minutes of Direc- tor’s meetings. That’s it. Call Gord DeVries if you need help. 519-719-2501 Individuals • Kathie Darley • Harold & Marnie Noye • Ken & Shirley Eden • Jim Ironside • Maurice Juteau Organizations Presenters • Purple Hill Country Opry Festivals • St. Louis Bluegrass & Oldtime Music Festival NEW MEMBERS THIS QUARTERNext >