$7.00 The offi cial magazine of the Bluegrass Music Association of Canada Keep in touch with Bluegrass in Canada without our news, lessons, and more! Volume 13 Issue 3 July 2019 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 42167060 bluegrasscanada.org 2019 Guide to Bluegrass BandsTable of Contents Band Guide 21 30 37 10 On the cover Rescue Junction Columns 5 President Murray Hale’s Message 7 Linda Thorburn is Out West 9 Joe Rohrer’s Run Forrest Run 50 Editor Mike Kirley’s Message Lessons 12 Mandolin with Emory Lester 14 Banjo with Dennis LePage Listings 40 Festival Listing 34 Radio on the Air 48 BMAC Organization Listings Canada V o l u m e 13 I s s u e 3 $7.00 The official magazine of the Bluegrass Music Association of Canada Exclusive lessons, reviews, tips, tricks, and now with more picks! Volume 13 Issue 3 April 2019 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 42167060 bluegrasscanada.org 2019 Guide to Bluegrass Bands JULY 2019 BLUEGRASS CANADA MAGAZINE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS If you’re a promoter looking to hire a band for a festival, an act looking at your rivals, or just an aspiring musician wanting to know the lay of the land, this is for you. Pictured above: Nomad Jones For the Love of Tony Celebrated promoter Tony De Boer explored in-depth. Get in the Groove Learn all about our new columnist Tom McCreight. Radio Ga Ga What is the fate of bluegrass on the radio? Much of it depends on your community, and its community radio.Bluegrass Music Association of Canada BMAC is a non-profi t organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of bluegrass and old-time music in Canada, and supported by the volunteer 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. Specifi cally: 1) The establishment of bluegrass categories in the Juno Awards; 2) Lobbying with other musical genres for changes in US laws to allow easier access to the US by Canadian musicians; 3) Establishing a national bluegrass awards program not in confl ict with the two existing regional awards events; 4) Sponsoring Canadian Bands to Showcase at IBMA; 5) Supporting Canadian bands efforts to play in other parts of the country; 6) Seeking grant funding to achieve these goals. V o l u m e 13 I s s u e 3 Email: membership@ bluegrasscanada.org Website: bluegrasscanada.org Publisher Gord DeVries Editor Mike Kirley SUBSCRIPTION One Year $25 / Free with Membership The Bluegrass Canada magazine is digitally published quarterly in January, April, July and October, online in the ‘Members Only’ section of the Bluegrass Canada website. For more information email membership@bluegrasscanada.org. • Individual BMAC memberships: $25/y (Includes printed / mailed copy of each issue in grayscale.) • Individual Online membership: $18/y with access to digital online colour version. • Organizational memberships: $50/y All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without the written permission from the Publisher. PRINTED IN CANADA. CANADA POST CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES PRODUCT AGREEMENT No. 42167060. Send change of addresses and underliverable notices of Canadian addresses to BMAC, c/o Gord DeVries, 22790 Amiens Road, Komoka, ON N0L 1R0, 519-719-2501 Please send articles, calendar information, 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 60 days preceding the month of publication. BMAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Murray Hale mhale@green-vision.ca 705-845-8112 Vice-President Mike Kirley mikekirley@gmail.com 519-653-4975 Secretary-Treasurer Roland Aucoin raucoin72@gmail.com Membership/Website Gord DeVries gord.devries95@gmail.com Social Media Carol Boyer carol.boyer@sympatico.ca General Wilson Moore wmoore@ns.sympatico.ca General Dave Featherstone davefeatherstone58@gmail.com General Lisa Pigeau blue-grass_jam@hotmail.com Contributors Denis LePage Emory Lester Nancy Keddy Linda Thorburn Tom Mccreight Gloria Jean Hansen Joe Rohrer Kristin Cavoukian Advertising Rates & Specs Gord DeVries 519-719-2501 Layout Mother Invention motherinvention.ca James Kerr 705-927-0994 Printing A & B Print Inc., 519-652-0321 4026 Meadowbrook Dr. #135 London ON N6L 1C8 Distribution Strictly Addressing, 519-433-4242 4-1025 Hargrieve Rd. London ON N6E 1P7 Canada BMAC is a non-profi t organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of bluegrass and old-time music in Canada, and supported by the volunteer efforts of its members. BMAC MISSION STATEMENT The BMAC mission statement as enacted in the by-laws: 4 BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF CANADA BLUEGRASSCANADA.ORG MASTHEADSend in Your Music! Greetings to everyone in the Bluegrass community. By now everyone is getting very excited about the upcoming summer festivals. The lineups in Canada this year are very impressive. The East Coast is advertising 21 festivals surpassed only by Ontario who is advertising 20 festivals within that province alone. Yes, in whatever province you happen to be in this summer, you won’t be far away from some great acoustic picking and wonderful two, three, and sometimes four part harmony. The Bluegrass Music Association of Canada can hardly keep up with the demands this art form is creating. We need your help and expertise. If you can help us, contact anyone on the Board of Directors which is listed on the inside cover of our quarterly magazine. A reminder please for bands to send in their latest recordings and especially originals to Mike Kirley and Gord DeVries. We would also like to thank all contributors to our magazine and all promoters who work tirelessly in the bluegrass industry. There is lots that needs to be done and “more hands make work easier.” Hope to see y’all at our festivals this summer. Please stop and say hello. Murray Murry Hale, president of the BMAC. By Murray HalePresident’s Report for the Summer “There is lots that needs to be done and ‘more hands make work easier’” JULY 2019 BLUEGRASS CANADA MAGAZINE 5 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEMountain Fever Bluegrass Camp It’s a twisty winding road, but a beautiful leisurely drive on Highway 99 North up the Fraser Canyon. The road takes you to the Flying U Guest Ranch, near 70 Mile House, B. C., where Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp takes place. This musical trip is an adventure that actually takes in two experiences. One is the camp experience at the Flying U itself, which is not actually a camp but a working guest ranch with many old wood-heated log cabins as your accommodation. Very cozy! It is here you will experience life on the ranch, horses, hay, real wranglers and great food served up in a dining hall. The Flying U has the largest herd of horses in the area and is one of the oldest thriving businesses in the province. Once you attend you will understand why. More pictures and info can be found on The Flying U Guest Ranch website at www.flyingu.com. The other experience, however, is the magic of the bluegrass music, with jamming and lots of one on one instruction. This is the Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp part. Attached to the dining hall is a huge room with stage for evening entertainment. Small classes with an instructor are held in different locations around the ranch during the five camp days, as this is a jamming workshop with emphasis on playing with a group. This is a great camp to get to know everyone, including your own instructor, as the enrolment has only 60 students and 10 instructors. Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp was started and is run by Tanya Guenther, Dennis Thideman, and Colin Hamilton. All are part of our mid northern B. C. bluegrass group. Meals, which are announced with the clang of a large metal triangle, are held at the other end of the main log building at long wooden tables and play a huge social part in the camp scene. You may sit wherever you can get a seat and usually talk to someone you haven’t met before. At the end of the meal various awards are given out by the ranch, and head wrangler Steve chats about the Flying U ranch activities available to guests. Evenings are full of fun activities with different types of bluegrass entertainment; for example, student concerts daily, an old time dance with caller, band scrambles etc. Much later, when the inside evening fun has ended for the night, you can go out to jam with your campmates and the instructors, if you can stay awake. The late jams are in small buildings down the roadway, and look like a livery, blacksmith shop, saloon, theatre, plus other buildings. Each is equipped with a woodstove. These jams are golden, but it is important to remember there are always classes in the morning! Thank you Tanya, Dennis and Colin for the awesome idea and vision of Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp including all your hard work. Thank you to the Flying U, for the great ranch experience and the amazing food, hayrides, horse rides, photos and memories. Looking for something to do in April in B. C.? This camp is fun. Check it out under mountainfeverbluegrasscamp. ca. Enrolment begins in December. Mountain Fever Bluegrass Camp 5947 N. Green Lake Road, 70 Mile House, B. C. V0K2K0 An April retreat to paradise By Linda Thorburn Bluegrass jammin’ 6 BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF CANADA BLUEGRASSCANADA.ORG OUT WEST Linda Thorburn is a banjo player and bluegrass community leader. Barefoot an’ Indignant The humorous antics and musings of Forrest and friends By Joe “Honest t’ Goodness” Rohrer Joe Rohre is the bassist for Rhyme N Reason I was snatched from the loving arms of blissful sleep this mornin just ‘fore daylight by the loudest, shreakinest, scariest, eeriest, wailin, howlin, brayin, gruntin, groanin, gurglein, moanin, squealinest noises that have ever echoed ‘mongst the rocks and the rills of our end of the swamp, EVER!!!!! So I sprung from the comfort (and relative safety of) my bunk, grabbed my rusty trifle from its immortal restin place on the mantle above the fireplace, raced to the kitchen, and flung open the door, ready to do battle with whatever demons was swirlin about our little cabin fold. As I was tryin to accumulate my eyesight to the dark grey light of early morning, ol’ wusername’s form come a’wobblin out of the gloom, the hem of her nightgown soaked from draggin in the early mornin dew, up the outhouse path t’ards the kitchen door. When she huffed and puffed her way up onto the porch, I said are you ok my little swamp lily, they didn’t attack ya did they?! Ol’ wusername said “wudderyou yammerin ‘bout you old fool?” I said that racket! Ol’ wusername said “oh that, I was just trottin across the yard without a light and I jammed my bare foot into a sow thistle. How come you’re standin there with that old antique musket THAT DON’T WORK?!” I said THAT NOISE, I thought coyotes was attackin the donkey and them two Chinese geese down by the shed! Uh oh This mornin’ I was sittin there, mindin my own business, sippin a hot coffee and thinkin up some new excuses when ol’ wusername come a’bare footin ‘er into the kitchen, wearin that old house coat of her’s that looks like a great coat from the BATTLE OF THE SOMME, and yawnin like a hungover sailor. I said my, but you’re a vision of loveliness this fine morning my little timber doodle, and you have renewed a stirring deep inside me not felt since our wedding night, which seems like was only yesterday! Ol’ wusername says “I’m callin Doc MaGregor!” I says whatcha callin the VET for? Ol’ wusername says “cause I’ve heard ‘nough BULL BELLOWIN for one day, so I’m gonna nip this in the bud RIGHT NOW!!!!!” Uh oh… ( musta been som’n I said!) JULY 2019 BLUEGRASS CANADA MAGAZINE 9 RUN FORREST, RUNNext >