The Bluegrass Music Association of Canada Newsletter-Volume 2 Issue 3-July 2008 EARL SCRUGGS at BEAN BLOSSOM-2008 We received an unexpected treat when Earl Scruggs appeared as a special guest with "Lizzy Long & Friends" on the Saturday night show on June 14th. www.bmacc.ca A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The summer months are blasting by and most of us are so busy performing or taking in Bluegrass Festivals we hardly have time to unpack the camper before we are off again. The BMACC board has been working on several projects since our last meeting and most are still a work in progress. Your board has taken the necessary first steps in the direction of achieving a Juno category for Bluegrass in Canada. If any one has cut a Bluegrass CD in the past two years please let us know. If you have done a CD it would be nice to make sure it is recognized in the BMACC Notes maybe in our next issue. We are working on a Bluegrass communications network that will span not only Central Canada but all of Canada. IBMA offers a reduced instrument insurance rate for members and it is our hope to have the same insurance company offer coverage to our members. In our constant drive to promote Bluegrass Music BMACC has booked a showcase room at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals annual conference to be held in Ottawa on October 23, 24, 25, 2008. The exposure we get at one of the largest Folk Festival Conferences, could very well lead to more Bluegrass Music being played at Folk Festivals all over Ontario and Canada. Bands interested in showcasing are responsible for their own travel and related costs. The fee for showcasing, payable to BMACC, is $100 per band for members and $150 for nonmembers. Bands wishing to apply can contact me at wuncer@xplornet.com or Phone 1-519-469-3392. More details will be posted to our web page mid August. The BMACC board has reserved the showcase room for our members at a cost of approximately $1,500. Special thanks go out to the Country Music News an Ottawa publication offering a Bluegrass section and helping promote BMACC and Bluegrass clubs and events. One more great place to get Bluegrass Music information and advertise your event or band. We look forward to hearing from our many members and friends as we continue to grow. Bluegrass is really blossoming and wouldn't it be nice to see some sold out shows. Spread the word; support your clubs, and BMACC. Help us make it happen, we do take all comments and ideas for consideration. ~iii~. 10~ Utee,,, ~. tmtAee Jammin' at Bean Blossom WHAT"S INSIDE From the Membership Chair-Page 3 Membership Form-Page 4 Rhonda Vincent Comes To Ontario - Page 5 Organizational Memberships - Page 6 Bluegrass on the Radio-Page 7 Bean Blossom Experience-Page 8 Out Among the Stars - Page 9 Bluegrass Juno-Page 11 ANN-ECDOTES- Page 12 Festivals-Page 13 GID-R-DONE at Bean Blossom-Page 14 TVBA at the Home County Folk Festival-Page 16 Bean Blossom Foundation-Page 17 Basin Bluegrass Festival-Page 17 Excerpts from MOBS "Dill Pickle Rag" - Page 18/19 Editorial-Page 22 BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 2 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President-Wayne Uncer 519-469-3392 Vice-president -Denis Chad- bourn Home: 705-776-7754 Work: 705-474-2271 Secretary -Wes Lowe 519-539-8967 Treasurer -Roland Aucoin 905-635-1818 Directors at Large Cindy deBoer-Winterbottom Karen May Snell 705-788-4362 Steve Pritchard Gord deVries 519-668-0418 Amanda-Lynn Stubley 519-642-7987 Donald Tarte 888-876-3369 Brother Brian Powley 613-374-3888 From the Membership Chair B MACC was 1 year old on March 31/08. Our membership has reached 294, including 18 Bands, 7 Clubs, 4 Festivals, and 5 Organizations. Some bands have already received work from the web-site. If there are individual members of BMACC that belong to a band or other organization, you should consider paying an additional $30 and take advantage of what BMACC can offer. Organizational Members will be entitled to: A free listing in each issue of the "BMACC Notes" A free listing in the appropriate info section of the BMACC website. *List their upcoming events in the BMACC Event Calendar. Advertise at a reduced rate in the "BMACC Notes" *Check out the web site. Current events are listed on the first page. Just click and see more details. It is important that BMACC get this information. All organizational members should submit their events to: Roland Aucoin 205 Plains Road W. Unit 84 Burlington, Ontario L7T 4H3 raucoin@cogeco,ca or call 905-635-1818 Bands, please take note. If you want to have your band picture and details included in the "BANDS" issue this fall, you must be an organizational member. ADVERTISING RATES Publicize your event, band or organization in "NOTES" or on our website. BMACC NOTES Single Issue 1/8 Page (Business Card) 1/4 Page $26.67 33.33 53.33 80.00 1/2 Page Full Page Envelope stuffing is lOC per insert 100 px X 250 pixels 200 px X 250 pixels 400 px X 250 pixels WEBSITE Quarterly $20.00 26.67 46.67 Annual $ 96.01 119.99 191.99 288.00 Annual $ 72.00 96.00 168.00 BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 3 MEMBERSHIP FORM To join BMACC, renew or upgrade your membership, please detach and fill out the form below. Benefits of Men1bership Individual Nlembers Subscription to the umvlACC Notcs 0 , a quarterly publication which \\till focus on the bluegrass scene in Central Canada, keeping us informed about the events, festivals, bands. radio shows and other topics and interviews of interest to us all. The right to attend, and cast votes at B1V1ACC general meetings. The right to be elected into the BMACC boa.rd of directors, thereby having a powerful and influential voice in steering the future activities of BMACC. Organizational ~Iembers All the benefits of individual membership plus: L A free listing in each issue of the "BMACC Notcs 0 ;£t A free listing in the appropriate info section of the BMACC website. tt<' List upcoming events in the BlVIACC Online event calendar. x Advertise in the 11 BMACC Notes*', and on the website at reduced advertising rates. Please mail the form and membership fee to: Roland Aucoin 205 Plains Road W. Unit 84 Burlington, Ontario L7T 4H3 NEW MEMBERSHIP D D Individual {$20.00) D Organization ($50.00} D D D Band Business Club Name: Organization: Address: Address: City: Province: Postal Code: Telephone: Email: Website: Member of a bluegrass band? If YES, Band Name: RENEWAL D D D Promoter Radio D D Yes No Play an Instrument? Please check all that apply. DDDDDD DD Autoharp Banjo Bass Dobro Fiddle Guitar Mandolin Harmonica Sing? Please check all that apply. D D D D lead Tenor Baritone Bass BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 4 RHONDA VINCENT COMES TO ONTARIO On May 3rd of this year Rhonda Vincent and the Rage played their first ever concert in Ontario at Centennial Hall in London. The show was sponsored by the Thames Valley Bluegrass Association (TVBA). This is another first for the TVBA. We were the first to bring Cherryholmes to Ontario back in 2005. Even though we had the date confirmed in April 2007 and publicized this event widely, attendance was half of what we expected. While the club broke even financially, it was disappointing for us to be unable to provide Rhonda and her group with the full house they deserve. They entertained us with all the fire and skill that they would have presented to an audience of 10,000. It was a hard-driving show with a lot of humour and sentimentality mixed in. They have a lot of fun up there on that stage. One of the highlights of the evening was when Rhonda wanted to do a train song and asked if anyone in the audience could do a train whistle. When a whistle sounded in the audience, she asked the whistler to join her on the stage. Turns out it was Steve Piticco from the Ottawa area. Not only does he do an awesome train whistle, which blew Rhonda away, but he is CCMA Guitar Player Of the Year among his many awards. Dwayne Friesen shouted from the audience for someone to give Steve a guitar because he's the best guitar picker in Canada. Rhonda gave him hers and he played the rest of the set with the band. Some of us got there early to help set up and so got to visit with the band members. They are all really genuine and friendly people as well as accomplished musicians on a variety of instruments. Just listening to them warming up and doing sound checks was a treat. Some TVBA members who have met Rhonda since at some of her performances in the US report that she would be delighted to return to London. I wonder if Wayne's Mom's homemade apple pies had anything to do with it? We set up a BMACC/TVBA table in the vendor area and had quite a few people pick up newsletters and membership forms. It was a fantastic night of bluegrass entertainment at its best. Check Page 8 of The June/July issue of the Country Music News for a report and other Bluegrass happenings under the Canadian Bluegrass Music Report banner compiled by Larry Delaney. fJJJJJ BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 5 ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERS Here is a list of the organizations who have become members of BMACC: Bluegrass Sundays Contact: Judy Fink 416-779-2627 bgsundays@aol.com Campbe111s Corner Music Sales Contact: Dan Campbell 519-371-5037 campbellsbreakdown@hotmail.com Morgan Multi Services Conestoga Trail Festival Contact: Gerry or Fran Morgan 519-458-4515 gerrfran@sympatico.ca http://www3.sympatico.ca/gerrfran Northern Bluegrass Committee Contact: Tony deBoer 705-758-9049 The Stringman Contact: Gord Devries 800-587-464 7 gdevries@thestringman.com FESTIVALS Norwich Family Bluegrass Festival Contact: Mike & Maryann Tirellia 518-783-3154 cabinfevertirell@aol.com www.norwichfamilybluegrass.com Palmer Rapids Twin Music Contact: Allan Schutt 613-758-2747 alschutt@nrtco.net Sand Road Sugar Camp Contact: Julie or Brian 613-538-2991 www.sandroadsugarcamp.com Tottenham Bluegrass Festival Contact: Peter Deveau 905-936-4100 1-888-258-4727 www.tottenhambluegrass.ca Valley Bluegrass Festival Contact: R. Johnston/Shiela Kirk 613-432-5000 rjohnston@cou ntyofrenfrew. on.ca Willow Park Jamboree Contact: Marvin LaForme 905-768-1448 Manitoba Oldtyme Bluegrass Society Inc. (MOBS) Contact: John Sawatzky 204-467-2182 www.manitobabluegrass.ca Nipissing Bluegrass Association Contact: Denis Chadbourn 705-776-7754 Lea@hot.net Ottawa Valley Bluegrass Association Contact: Donald Tarte 887-876-3369/613-234-1000 ddtarte@look.ca www.valleygrass.ca Queensbush Bluegrass Club Contact: Don Day 519-376-7945 www.queensbush.ca Skyway Bluegrass Club Contact: Roland Aucoin 905-635-1818 raucoin@cogeco.ca Thames Valley Bluegrass Association Sally Creek Music Festival Contact: Wayne Uncer 519-469-3392 wuncer@xplornet.com www.TVBA.ca Townships Bluegrass and Old-Tyme Music Society Contact: Gordon Cameron 450-539-0333 Acoustical Strings Contact:RogerSpense 705-432-2598 Backwoodsmen Contact: Lorne Buck 613-475-3740 C-Denny Band Contact: Dennis Chadbourn 705-776-7754 Concession 23 Contact: Nick Strachan/Sherry Philp 819-459-1089/613 -623-0779 info@concession23.com www .concession23.com Crosswind Contact: Roland Aucoin 905-635-1818 raucoin@cogeco.ca www.crosswindbluegrass.ca Foggy Hogtown Boys Contact: Chris Coale 416-516-3796 www .chriscoole.com www.foggyhogtownboys.com Foxtail Contact: Gord Devries 519-668-0418 gdevries@foxtail.ca www.foxtail.ca General Store Contact: Bill Blance 905-451-9077 billblance@yahoo.com The Generation Gap Contact : Gretchen Lamers 519-866-5910 l_love_reba@hotmail.ca Gid-R-Done Contact: Wayne Uncer 519-469-3392 wuncer@xplornet.com Grassbackwardz Contact: Lee D. Roy 705-669-1945 bluegrass@grassbackwardz.com www.grassbackwarsz.com Bobby Osborne (Continued on page 7) BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 6 (Continued from page 6) Honeygrass Contact: Karen May Snell 705-788-4362 bassladyl@hotmail.com www.honeygrass.com Keslering Ridge Contact: Ron Luxton 905-623-2828 rluxton@rogers.com Lazy John Contact: Shane Crumb 613-472-5548 lazyjohnmusic@yahoo.ca www.myspace.com/lazyjohnband Northern Sons Contact: Rory Gardiner Evenings - 613-820-6027 Days: - 613-829-2176 gardcon@on.aibn.com www .northernsons.com Jan Purcell and Pine Road Contact: Jan Purcell 819-459-3362 pineroadbluegrass@gmail.com www.pineroadbluegrass.com Silverbirch Contact: Tom Mccreight 705-228-8426 TJMcCreight@aol.com Virginia Ridge Contact: Susan Wollman 204-268-3714 okltjd@mts.net www.virginiaridge .piczo.com Bill White and White Pine Contact: Bill White 613-372-2400 billwhite@kos.net echomountain@sypmpatico.ca www .billwhiteandwhitepine.aztechdigital.ca The Young Family Band Contact: Brad Young 613-478-3356 bradyoung@reztal.net .FJJJJJ Bluegrass on the Radio Jim Marino (please note this section is included as a service to Smokin' Bluegrass members who want to listen on the radio or internet jlmarino@mountaincable.net _ subsequent issues will only list DJ's who are mem- CFMU-FM 933 bers) Linda Axman and Dan Joseph Blueridge Express CKRW-FM-98.5-Kitchener Wednesday at 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dan Bieman Bluegrass Rules AM920 CKNX-www.am920.ca dbieman@cknxradio.com 519-357-1310- ext. 446 Sundays at 1:00 p.m. David Blakeny Daybreak in Dixie CJAM-FM 91.5-www.cjam.ca daybreakindixie@cjam.ca Sunday 8:00-10:00 a.m. Howard Bonner The Catalogue Parlour CFRC- 101.9 FM-www.cfrc.ca cfrc@ams.queensu.ca Fridays - 6:00-8:00 p.m. Brother John's Sunday Morning Gospel Hour www.theislandfm.com Sunday 8:00 a.m. Don Day and Dusty Hill Bluegrass Express country93@radioowensound .com CKCY 93.7 FM-www.country93.ca 519-376-2030 Sundays at 9:00 p.m . Linda Elliott Country and Bluegrass CHIP 101.7 FM-www.chipfm.com 819-683-3155 - 888-775-3155 radiopontiac@chipfm.com Saturday- 5:00-10:00 p.m. Sunday- 6:00-10.00 p.m. Audrey Lockwood Bluegrass Program CKOL 93.7FM-ckol-radio@excite.com Friday 9:00-10:00 p.m . http://cfmu.mcmaster.ca John and Angel McNaughton with Maria Polillo The Bluegrass Show litefoot@worldchat.com CKRZ-FM 100.3-www.ckrz.com Tuesday 7:00-11:00 p.m. Ron Moores The Back40 CKCU FM 93.1-www.ckcufm.com ron.moores@back40.ca www.back40.ca Saturday Noon-1:00 p.m . Brian Powley Brother Brian's Bluegrass Show CFRC 101.9 FM-www.cfrc.ca brotherbriansbluegrass@bellnet.ca Monday 6:00-8:00 p.m. Sunday 8:00-11:00 a.m. Steve Pritchard Radio-Boogie CKLN FM 88.1-http://ckln.fm s.pritchardl@sympatico.ca Wednesday 10:00-12:00 p.m. Other sources: www.mountainechosradio.com This site plays some good stuff all the time. Live 365 Internet Radio http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/ directory.cgl ?genre=bluegrass Saturday- Noon - 1:00 p.m. BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 7 The Bean Blossom Experience P ete & Leona Friesen accompanied me to Bean Blossom again this year. They're great company and we always have lots of laughs. We got lost on the way down. I was driving, Pete was navigating and Leona was napping or reading so it was her fault. We were on 169 and suddenly we were on 194 on our way to Detroit. After some going around in circles we got it sorted out, with Leona's help and finally made it to Bean Blossom. It took us a couple of hours longer than normal to make the trip but we did get to see the effects of the massive floods they had just north of Bean Blossom . When we went through Shelbyville, IA there were huge piles of household goods and furnishings at the curb and there were high water marks halfway up the sides of the houses. There was still a lot of standing water in the fields. We did see Earl Scruggs playing and singing with Lizzy Long & Friends on the first Saturday night of the festival. It was a real treat to see Earl out there doing his thing. It gives one pause to consider how many other people, who had such a profound effect on this music, as we know it, are still with us today: Ralph Stanley, Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne to name just a few. Watch for Lizzy Long in the future. She puts on an excellent show. She plays fiddle and sings beautifully with a great deal of stage presence. She could be an up and coming Rhonda Vincent. The line-up is always top notch with a style or act to please just about every Bluegrass taste from Newgrass to Traditional. The festival goes on for so long and there are so many acts to see that it's almost impossible to take them all in. You have to decide who you want to see and try to make it down to the concert area. Get in a little parking lot jamming, check out the vendors or talk banjo although he plays guitar with the to the entertainers at their tables and group. They look us up every year and you're bound to miss something. we have a few tunes together. Knowing Some of us had a "Plate Mate" installed in our guitars by Mitchell Meadors, one of the many excellent vendors present for the week. The "Plate Mate" is a thin brass plate installed inside the guitar under the bridge to protect the wood from the strings. Mitch installed the plate and new strings for $30, a real bargain. It made my Martin J-40 a bit brighter without sacrificing the heavy bass sound I bought it for. For more information on the "Plate Mate", the banjo "Tone Ring Mate",the new "Mitch Banjo" or supplies available check out the website: www.mitchelsplatemate.com, e-mail at mplatemate@aol.com or: Mitch Meadors, 5303 Burnett Rd., Leavittsburg, OH 44430, Telephone 330-898-7438. We have met some really great folks over the last three years. The jamming is always a lot of fun especially when we reconnect with some of the young folks we met on our first trip and see how they've progressed instrumentally and vocally. Two of these young men in particular impress me. We met Josh Coffey and Aaron Williams, two of the original members of the New Old Timers in 2005. Josh was already pretty good on all the instruments we heard him play and he's certainly a pro now. Aaron was just taking up the mandolin and kept borrowing mine to practice on when he was with us. He's moved up to expert now and he still likes to play my Collings. Now if he would just leave those notes in there. Cody Hill, a newer member, was with the boys this year and did a fine job playing the these young men, they're all in their late teens, gives me confidence in the future of our music and our countries. Tommy Wade was there this year and participated in some of our jams. He also wound up jamming with a group called Glen Bonham & Southern Tradition an aboriginal group out of Oklahoma. Glen (White Cloud) invited Tommy to do a number with them on the stage the next day. Tommy did a fine job. Score one more for us Canucks! The highlight for me each year is the Youth Bluegrass Boot Camp. The kids start learning on Tuesday morning and go through an intensive training program geared to their individual skill levels until Thursday. On Thursday, at the supper break, they are all paraded on stage in matching T-shirts to strut their stuff. The kids are separated into beginner, intermediate and senior groups, not by age but by skill level. Each group gives it their all and then they all get together for the finale. There were sixty-five kids on the stage this year. It would be wonderful to find a way to do something like this in Canada. BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 8 OUT AMONG THE STARS Random Bits of news from the world of Blue- grass <By 'Tom W.cCreigfit H ere's a new book that you might find interesting; Dirty Little Secrets of the Record Business (Why So Much Music You Hear SUCKS} by Hank Bordowitz. This little gem is a real eye opener about why the record biz is in the state that it is. It is full of quotes from people in the biz, artists, producers and even a few label execs. The book outlines why many artists actually end up owing money to the big labels yet can make a modest living with an lndie label. This book breaks down the numbers so that they make sense. Where the money comes in and all the avenues it flows out. Bob Cherry (www.cybergrass.com) says. "Get it at your book store, library or whatever and read it. You'll walk away with a totally new perspective of the entire music business." ********* C. F. Martin & Co. Commemorate 175th Anniversary Nazareth, PA-C.F. Martin & Company is celebrating its 175th Anniversary as the oldest surviving maker of guitars in the world. Currently the largest producer of acoustic guitars in the United States, the company is highly regarded for creating some of the finest instruments and introducing innovations that have become industry standards in the music products industry. The company, founded in the U.S., has been continuously family owned and operated for six generations. Currently headed by Chairman and CEO Christian Frederick Martin IV, the company has prospered as it has been handed down five times since it was started by German immigrant Christian Frederick Martin Sr. in 1833. "The 175th anniversary of our company represents a profound milestone. Our signature product and Martin's seamless tradition of quality to this day remain a significant source of pride for my family and all of those who are involved in crafting these extraordinary instruments," said Martin Guitar Chairman and CEO Christian Frederick Martin IV. ********* Linda Axman is back on air, co-hosting a Bluegrass/ Acoustic music radio show bluegrass festival promoters as they face what will inevitably prove to be a difficult couple of years ********* Working Girl Blues The Life and Music of Hazel Dickens by Hazel Dickens and Bill C. Malone Published by The University of Illinois Press, and available in Toronto from Scholarly Book Services 800-847-9736 with a new "Dan" ... Dan Awendar. The Hazel Dickens is an Appalachian singer "Blueridge Express" began on and songwriter known for her superb Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 7:30pm musicianship, feminist country songs, on CKWR 98.SFM, in Waterloo, union anthems, and blue-collar Ontario. For those of you out of the listening area, you can tune into a live feed at www.ckwr.com and click on 'Listen Live". .Linda Axman, 65 Cherry Street, Kitchener, ON N2G 2C7 ********* The 4th Annual Silverbirch Charity Concert raised $2000.00 for ArtsCan Circle. (www.artscancircle.ca). ********* New Band Burchett, Morgan and SIVESPEED ! Elmer Burchett, Jr., renowned banjo player and songwriter recently departed from Pine Mountain Railroad, and Roscoe Morgan, Jr. have, at long last, acted on a long-held desire to join forces. This new brand of Kentucky bluegrass hearkens back to the ground-breaking sounds of the mid-'70s/ early-'80s that brought laments. Growing up in a West Virginia coal mining community, she drew on the mountain music and repertoire of her family and neighbours when establishing her own vibrant and powerful vocal style that is a trademark in old-time, bluegrass, and traditional country circles. Working Girl Blues presents forty original songs that Hazel Dickens wrote about coal mining, labour issues, personal relationships, and her life and family in Appalachia. Conveying sensitivity, determination, and feistiness, Dickens comments on each of her songs, explaining how she came to write them and what they meant and continue to mean to her. Bill C. Malone's introduction traces Dickens's life, musical career, and development as a songwriter, and the book features forty-one illustrations and a detailed discography of her modern drive into bluegrass, with commercial recordings. vocal power to spare. This is bluegrass Editor's Note: with a vengeance. Visit: / bought this book from the University www.Sivespeed.com and the table at Bean Blossom. I have Sivespeed MySpace page, where you can hear the first 5 songs from the upcoming Burchett, Morgan and SIVESPEED project. ********* A Prediction and Some Thoughts for Promoters Visit Ted Lehman's blog at: www.tedlehmann.blogspot.com to read "A Prediction and Some Thoughts for Promoters." In it, he tries to address some of the issues confronting skimmed through it quickly and it is, indeed, full of useful information for the serious student of Bluegrass and Old-Time music history. I left them a couple of copies of our BMACC Notes. Wes Earl Scruggs inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. Doc Watson, the Carter Family, Tommy Jarrell, Dolly Parton, David Johnson, (Continued on page 10) BMACC Notes-July 2008 Page 9 Next >