The Bluegrass Music Association of Central Canada Newsletter-Volume 4 Issue 3 July/August, 2010 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnr-nn~nnnnnnnnnn n · n n n n MONROE CROSSING n n n D Winter Concert Series-April 25, .2010-Elks Club North Bay I; D hosted by The Northern Bluegrass Committee . D D D n n n . · Pa~ nnnnnnnnnnrJDDnnnnDnnnnnnnnnnnndn PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE . Hello bluegrass friends. Summe(20.1 O has already been a busy, yet productive,· time, and · I can't believe it's time for another issue ... I've been so bus~'. travelling up and down the high- ways doing the music thing, I've been negtect- ing my duties as the president of .BMACC.: It has been an adventure for the band and I, re- leasing singles to radio, doing radio tours, and plucking away at music festivals ... it's all good experience! Some .annual festivals have al..: ready gone by; Tott~nham, Orono, Sally Creek ... a few reviews of same can be found in this publication. If you have an opportunity to snap some pie's this summer, · send them into us along with a paragraph or two. (no epic novels, si vous plait) ·we're always looking for content for the next issue of BMACC Notes. Speaking of which, how do you like the · new look of the publication? Pretty snazzy huh? Thanks to the efforts of the new BMACC Sec- retary.<. keep up the good work Leann! Leann is also the Director of Advertisingi and the Edi- ·torof this publicatkm. When she gets involved, · there is nothing left half done; we may have .to double her pay. So, how many of you are planning to attend the IBMA World of Bluegrass 27 Sept. - 3 Oct. in Nashville? How many of you have been in- terested. in going, but never have? Do yourself - a favour, quit procrastinating and register now! You have no idea how much you are missing. Warning: Once -you've -gone, you'll have re~· .. · grets ... regrets that you did not do it sooner. · Page 2 To get more informat1on or to register, go to www.ibma .org Well, I've been d.riving all night. .. just played the North of 49 Festival, and man am I beat. . I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. .. need to recharge my batteries for another go round. Heading out to Newfoundland in a week. If we don't see you at a festival or two during the summer, then we'll catch ya at IBMA or Deerhurst in the fall. Until then, stay well! Oh, and pick up your copy of the North to Ontario 2010 cd, now out. It is a handy resource to re- fer to when filling out your ballot for the blue- grass awards. Warm regards, Denis Chadbourn .Maximize Your Membership If there are individual members ofBMACC that belong to a band or other organization, you should consider paying an additional $30 to · 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" All organizational members should submit their events to : Roland Auco in · 205 Plains Road W. , Unit 84 Burlington, ON L7T4HJ raucoin@cogeco. caor call 905-635-1818 .BOARD OF DJRECTORS President - Denis Chadbourn Home: 705 .. 776-7754 Work: 705-47 4-2271 Vice-president - Donald Tarte 877-876-3369 WHA T"S INSIDE President's Message-Page 2 Basic Info-Page 3 Omo Bluegrass & Country Jamboree Review-Page 4 River Valley Festival Review-Page 5 On the Bluegrass Trail with Karen May-Pg. 6 Secretary - Leann Chadbourn 705-776-7754 ANN-ECDOTES-Sally Creek Festival Review-Page 7 Treasurer - Roland Aucoin 905-635-1818 Reviews on Bluegrass in the Country, Bluegrass Heaven and Valley Bluegrass Festival Pg. 8 Fun Page-11 Directors at Large Gord deVries 519-668-0418 Karen May 705-788-4362 Larry Johnston 519-576-9768 *Murray Hale *Gloria Hansen *Lee Roy Memberships- Page 12, 13 & 14 New Release-North to Ontario Pg 14 Out Among the Stars-Pg. 16 A Newbie's Perspective- Pg. 17 The Next Generation-Pg 18 Editor's Message & Errors & Omissions-Pg 19 ADVERTISING RATES Publicize your_event, batid or organization in "NOTES" or on our website. . - BMACCNOTES 1/8 Page (Business Card) 1/4 Page 1/2 Page Full Page Single Issue $25.00 35.00 55.00 80.00 Envelope stuffing is I 0¢ per insert 100 px X 250 pixels 200 px X 250 pixels 400 px X 250 pixels Full Page WEBSITE Quarterly $20.00 30.00 35.00 50.00 Annual $ 90.00 126.00 198.00 288 .00 Annual $ 72.00 108.00 180.00 252.00 COM.BO NEWSLETTER+ WEBSITE BEST VALUE 100 px X 250 pixels 200 px X 250 pixels 400 px X 250 pixels Full Page Quarterly $35.00 50.00 75.00 115.00 Annual $126.00 180.00 270.00 414.00 Organizational Members receive 25% discount off the above rates. Page 3 Review of the Orono Bluegrass and Old Tyme Country Jamboree Written by Afurray Hale Review of the Orono Bluegrass and Old Tyme Country Jambo- ree I had the pleasure of once again attending the Orono Bluegrass Festival this year. I arrived at 11: 15 pm and found the original entrance closed, but a friendly camper saw me pull up and ran out to the gate to inform me of the new entrance. When I ar- rived around the fairgrounds at the other gate, I was pleasantly surprised to find a gentleman and his wife still manning the the music was all Canadian with mostly local Ontario bands , it was top notch entertainment and the MC's were a hoot. Being more of a picker than an observ- er, I quickly met friends and joined in the jamming. j\fost of Saturday involved jamming with several trips to the concert area to see my favorite groups and especially the ones I had never seen pe1form before. I was im- pressed with the variety and quality of stage shows and I have been watching and playing Bluegrass.for over 30 years. gate and handing out wrist-This was definitely a pickers bands. He also met my close paradise as the concerts were friend who followed me by a half completed by 9-9: 30pm leaving hour and patient(v showed us to lots (~[ time for jamming. This our spots. The festival was full sort of follows a pattern that I this year and as a result we were have noticed developing at the shown to overflow camping Festivals in Florida that I at- which was ve,y nicely grassed, tended during the winter. My quiet and still not to far from the personal view is that it is a good concert area. We were pleased. thing. The quality of the jams There was lots of jamming going was also good and groups were on but we decided to rest and generally quite open to new ta/- prepare for the following days ent. Special note must be made concerts and jamming after our of the indoor picking facilities long drive. for jamming which is always a plus when the weather is cooler. The following day was beautifitl- (Not this year) The open mic ly sunny and warm and after stage went over well on Satur- some exercise and breaifast, I day evening and lots of Jim was checked out the concert area, had by the audience as well as and concessions. Even though the performers and MC This Page4 was another great idea to devel- op newcomers and give them a chance to perform. Sunday gave me a chance to ex- plore Orono a little and !found it to be a cute little town with some real pretty spots to vis it and a trail to walk alongside a little river and pond at the south end of town. I met some bikers as I walked andjogged along the south end of town and I no- ticed a cute little cafe on the main street along with a pizza joint and other shops. Once again I found the jamming to be good late Sunday afternoon and as a result ended up stay ing the night with a few other hard core bluegrassers. I believe I heard Jim Heyward say that this was the best turnout ever for his Festival and this fes- tival is bound to continue grow- ing. I'm already lookingforward to next year. Note from Editor-Afurray Hale is one of our newest board mem- bers and a welcomed addition to BAfACC FESTIVAL REVIEWS CONTINUED River Valley Bluegrass and Country Gathering July 1 to July 4/2010 The first people you meet at this long- time bluegrass festival in River Valley ....... are the friendly gate people, all old friends by the time you attend more than one event here . Then you hear the music being piped across the entire acreage of trailers, motor homes and tents. And oh what music! Every year a new mess of groups mingle in with past performers. I usually walk away with a new 'favorite all time band' playing songs over and over in my mind for weeks after leaving Tony DeBoer's little corner of paradise. The . T emagami River meanders its way right through the campground, adding to the lush beauty of this outdoor blue- grass shangrila. This year's first of three summer festivals there gave us stellar line-ups of bands, among them the driving precision of Hard Ryde (where was 'Weak in the Knees, Doug???) , Jan Purcell, the sweet sound of Honeygrass, the Ducharme Family, Whiskey Farmer, Possum and the Bedard Family to name a few. Thursday July 1st saw local Bluegrass bands taking the stage to celebrate Canada Day. Manitoulin Island and Elliot Lake's own Scattered Grass kicked off the evening's entertainment, along with ED'N'SONS' Bluegrass Band, The Rivets, River Valley Grass and others. Of course, as soon as the last band presented its finale, the jam- ming started in the campgrounds. Most of us jammed the nights away, and get to meet so many friends, old and new! Fingers are sore, shoulders are aching as we greet the morning, but we don't care. We do it again, night after night until the festival is over. Jamming is an addiction that many of us feed all through the summer at these festivals. Most of us , once we have started this jamming stuff, will jam to our last breath. We learn new jam songs all winter and hone them up for the summer festivals, especially River Valley's events. The venue cries for jammers. We are fortunate often to · jam with the bands who come off · stage, some very big in music circles, yet they take time to share a few tunes with the masses. That is very · special to us , hob-knobbing with the 'BIG GUYS'. Actually, most of them are very humble and ordinary, and ~ seem to enjoy the 'locals'. This July, the weatherman smiled down on Tony, and he didn't have to run for plastic covers for the sound equipment. It was gorgeous and warm and sunny. It is always a joy to see the little kids as Bucky the Beaver keeps them entertained. Where was he when I needed the perfect babysitter in those years of working shiftwork at the hospital? The nights at this year's first event presented a few mosquitos, but we northerners can ignore them if the fire is going and the music is good! This past festival has simply whetted the appetite for more of the same for the August long weekend, this time all bluegrass lineup. We'll see you there! Visit the website at northern blue- grasscomittee.com for details on these wonderful events. Enjoy these few pictures we captured from the July River Valley Gathering: Note from Editor: Gloria Hansen is also a new board member whom ,ve welcome and thank. Page 5 FESTIVAL REVIEWS CONTINUED On the Bluegrass Trail After a long winter of waiting in anticipation, another festival season is thankfully upon us! It always feels great to pull the camping gear out of storage and get organized for a sum- mer of bluegrass fun! Every year I look for- ward to seeing people I haven't seen in months, and to making new friends along the way. As a member of an active bluegrass band (HoneyGrass) I have a wonderful oppor- tunity to perform at numerous festivals around the area. It is a privilege to be part of such a vibrant bluegrass community! Our season started off at the Tottenham Blue- grass Festival. Peter Deveau and the team of dedicated volunteers always put together an excellent programme, and this year was no exception. This year's line-up included the always excellent Lonesome River Band, the comedic antics of Nothin' Fancy, Canada's first "Daughter of Bluegrass" Janet McGarry, and the solid sounds of The Gary Waldrep Band, along with a great selection of regional talent. The highlight of the festival for me was the first ever performance in Canada of "The Daughters of Bluegrass". It was my privilege as the second Canadian Daughter of Blue- grass to sing and play bass in the Daughters of Bluegrass show on Saturday night. The defining moment for me came at the end of the performance when Lorraine Jordan invited all the female pickers in the audience to join us on stage for a finale of "Will the Circle be Unbroken". I am sure she could not have an- ticipated the response - there must have been over 50 women on that stage, all smiling from ear to ear and singing their hearts out! The stage floor was bouncing under our collective weight and I remember thinking "Oh my gosh - what if the stage collapses?! This is going to hurt!" Thankfully all went well - the stage held up and the audience joined us for what for me was one of the most spiritual moments of my musical journey. I have since received won- derful feedback from others of both genders who were there, both on the stage and in the audience. It seems mine was not the only spirit touched that night. Our next stop on the bluegrass trail took us up to River Valley on Canada Day, July 1 51 • Tony DeBoer lined up a great mix of Ontario bands to play on Canada Day, in addition to the weekend performances which included Jerry Butler and the Blu J's. If you recall, Jerry used to play in Lorraine Jordan's band, Carolina Road, until he struck out on his own last year and recorded his first project with his new band . Tony is great at finding excellent new acts and introducing them to the Canadian Page 6 audience. I sure wish we could have stuck around to see more of the show! We finished our set Thursday night and struck out for the Sally Creek Music Festival, hosted by Gord Devries et al. After driving all night and arriv- ing at 4:00 am we slept a few hours and then prepared for our morning set. The drive was well worthwhile - the Sally Creek team put together a stellar line-up including JD Crowe, Claire Lynch, Michael Cleveland , Wildfire , Charlie Sizemore, Don Rigsby and the Spin- ney Brothers. On a personal note, a wonderful coincidence occurred at Sally Creek. In a late night jam session two talented young brothers were playing guitar when one happened to mention that he was from Arnprior. I noted that I had taught elementary school for a very brief time in Arnprior many years ago. It turns out that this young man was a grade 5 student of mine! At that time I had not yet discovered bluegrass and have since changed my name, so to make this discovery at a bluegrass festi- val 6 hours drive away and 22 years later was a very strange coincidence indeed! The next weekend (July 9 - 11) found us in Renfrew at the Valley Bluegrass Festival. Bob Johnston's farm was decked out beautifully - it looked like Christmas in July! He and his team always put on a great show. This year's line-up included Gold Heart, Nothin' Fancy, Larry Stephenson , Grasstowne , and the Dick Smith/Mike O'Reilly Band . While in Renfrew we had an opportunity to do a one hour live broadcast for "The Kitchen Party Live" pro- gram on Valley Heritage Rad io CJHR 98.7 FM. What a great experience! All this and the summer is only half over (or already half over, depending on whether your cup is Yi empty or Yz full!) We are looking for- ward to more great bluegrass at River Valley (http:/lwww.northernb!u0gr2ss.c,.0rnJ , Sand Road (hitp:!twww.sandroadsugarcsrnp.com/ BGF2008.htm) , a couple of stops in Upstate New York, and finally "Railfest", which is a new Country and Bluegrass festival Aug 27 /28 receive a ballot. Hope to see you somewhere along the blue- grass trail! Karen May ·1n Cookstown Ont ('"''"'"' ···:.;ir::.·~f ('·:::t) • I wish it were physic~II; ;~~~i;1:''ft attend all the great bluegrass festivals and events going on across the province this summer! Since it is not, I hope others will report on some of the other gatherings our wonderful bluegrass community has to offer. BMACC is always looking for input for our "Notes". Whether you are a fan, a "jammer" a band member, a pro- moter or a DJ, we want to hear from you! Now is the time to start thinking about the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards . Get out to the many great festivals and shows and see as many Central Canadian bands perform as you can , so that you can make an informed decision come voting time. Be sure to get your name on the Northern Bluegrass Committee voter's list as soon as possible so that you Festival Reviews Continued ANN-ECDOTES Written by Ann Smith SALLY CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL -July 1,2,3,4, 2010 \Vhat a great weekend we had( Four days of Bluegrass and friends. The Dorchester Fairgrounds is a super place for a Bluegrass Festival. The grounds were really well kept and we walked on clover all week- end. The lots were a nice size with no hills and dales to get to the con- cert area. It was especially nice to have real washroom facilities with showers and real toilets. The tent at the rear of the concert area is an excellent idea. The weather was hot so we sat under the "Big Top" most of the weekend There were lots of good greasy food vendors and interesting jewellery and purses, wallets, T-shirts etc. to buy. Campbell's Corner and The Stringman were there to provide CD's, instructional material, music accessories and even instruments. The Dorchester Community Church put on a big breakfast in the Hall on Friday and Saturday morning and the North Dorchester Optimist Club put on a breakfast on Sunday morning. We went Sunday morning and enjoyed it very much. There were workshops on Friday and Saturday from 1 :00 to 4:00 on mandolin, banjo, dobro, guitar, fiddle, bass, hambone, clawhammer banjo, songwriting,.vocal harmony and performing with a single mic. went to the harmony workshop and really enjoyed it. It was put on by the Spinney Brothers from Nova Scotia. I really enjoyed their music on stage too. Seems any band I've heard from the East Coast of Cana- da is always very good. Nice to see our Canadian Bluegrass is so ex- cellent. Always enjoy Concession 23 and so admire Sherry Philp on the banjo. They have the song ''Walter and Alice'' on ''North to Ontar- io 20 l O" CD which I really like. The rest of the Canadian contingent was made up of The Canucky Bluegrass Boys who put on their usual high energy performance and are always a crowd pleaser and the Traditionally Wound Bluegrass Band from Owen Sound are excellent musicians and easy to listen to. I had never heard of Claire Lynch before but her sound was a refresh- ing change from all the traditional bands that were there. Traditionally Wound The Charlie Sizemore Band, Don Rigsby & Midnight Call, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, J. D. Crowe & The New South, Wildfire are all great traditional bluegrass bands and each band has their own unique sound and appeal to the lis- tener. There were four showcase bands; Grassfyre from Owen Sound area, Honeygrass (only 2 honeys now) from Northern Ontario, Bluegrass Revelation and Randy Morrison & The Flatt River Band from Southern Ontario. They're all good bands and I'm glad this was not a contest where we had to judge them and have to pick one winner. The pocket size programs were a real good idea and hope you keep them up. Goodjob Wayne, Jane, Wes, Gord, Pete and all the club and family members. Keep Pickin', Ann Smith The Canucky Bluegrass Boys ( " s p ·-:;-~------~.-:;.~a l -'4 N N E y i s R 0 T H E R s Page 7 More Festival Reviews Written by Leann Chadbourn New Bluegrass Festival a Huge Success BLUEGRASS IN THE COUNTRY - Sponsored by 100.7 The Island, this was one of the first festivals of the season, held on beautiful Manitoulin Island, Saturday June 12th. The venue was held at the fairgrounds in Providence Bay with all proceeds being donated toward the Manitoulin Special Olympics. Bluegrass in the Country featured The Canucky Bluegrass Boys, The C- Denny Band, Ben Lentir with Scattered Grass, Ed n Sons, Down Yonder, Jim Beech, and Tyler Marshall and Friends. Initially, the perfonnances were to be held outside but due to inclement weather, they moved the perfomrnnce indoors. This did not hinder the sound whatsoever and the fans were able to ,,..,,.-,,,,,c---·--:-=-..,.,=- stay dry. Once they got started the weather cleared up and we ended up having a beautiful sun- ny day. BLUEGRASS HEAVEN-Written by Leann Chadbourn The Elliot Lake Bluegrass Jammers presented Bluegrass Heaven on June 20th at the Gentle Shepherd Church. Fans were treated to performances by Tyler Marshall and Friends, Scattered Grass, Loose Change, Tammi & Jam- ming, Ed'nson's Bluegrass, The King's Highway, Debbie French, Ducharme Family and the C-Denny Band. This was one full day of great music starting at 12:30 in the af- ternoon and ending around 9 pm .. The Ducharme Fami- ly's addition of Ray Winterstein on banjo added a level of comedy to their performance, while all other performances were musically intriguing. They couldn't have had nicer weather as it was one of the warmest days of summer. Unfortunately, the warm weather may have kept fans at the beach rather than in the seats. However, the people that did make it out were quite enthusiastic and enjoyed their day. The musicians certainly had a good time sharing their music and meeting new friends. VALLEY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL-Written by Donald & Dorothy Tarte Fans of bluegrass music braved the soaring heat to be part of the Valley Bluegrass Festival held in Renfrew July 9 to July 12th at Bob Johnson's Farm Those people w ith motor homes arrived the Sunday night before the festival began to reserve their turf and be ready for the activities. On the Thursday night there is an informal stage show in which any talented musician can partici- pate. Although the festival formally begins on Friday and runs Saturday all day and into late Sunday afternoon, a lot of fun is had beforehand jamming and renewing acquaintances. Page 8 Tony DeBoer manned the sound and, as usual did a fantastic job. As all musicians know, the soundman contributes a great deal to every performance. This festival was well supported by not only die hard bluegrass fans but also the local residence of the island; many of whom had not listened to the Bluegrass genre before but admitted that they were pleasantly surprised. Not only was the music a highlight, but the surrounding sights of the island were phenomenal. Just three minutes down the road from where the venue was held, was a beautiful beach overlook- ing Lake Huron. Brother John is to be commended for a job well done and many are hoping it will become an annual event. In four shows, headliner band Larry Stephenson kept things humming with many of his long time favourites and songs from his new gospel album. One fan expressed her delighy by saying "he sings like a bird and I could listen to him all night" . Other US bluegrass bands included Nothing Fancy, GrassTown and the all female band Gold Heart. Canadian bands were Tradi- tionally Wound, Dick Smith Mike O'Reilly Band, Bytown Blue- grass, Concession 23, Honey Grass and White Pine who brought along the young Tedworth Brothers ages 5 and 7 with whom all fans fell in love. A hot weekend it sure was in Renfrew! Funds raised at the Festival are donated to the Renfrew Hospice which is the only rural hospice in Ontario - a very worthy cause. La1Ty Stephenson Band Tedworth Brothers Page 9 Next >