I saw my first robin of the year today in Altoona, and that's my usual first sign that spring may actually get here. I'm ready to get out of the house.
The bluegrass scene seems to be warming up for the season. The Fox Hunt, an excellent BG band from Charlotteville VA, is at Over The Mountain near Rockton on Saturday. We met them at Mayhem On The Mountain last year, and they're one of those bands who practice every waking moment. Worth the drive from Altoona.
We're working on a Hillbilly Gypsies show for early April... we're working on a venue, and hope to make it for-sure in a week or so. I saw them a month ago, and they were jaw-dropping. They were just blazingly fast, and aggressive, and executed flawlessly... yet they're old-timey and pleasant. Mama Corn will open.
Speaking of MC, we have some really cool gigs coming this summer. We'll be playing with Rhonda Vincent in July, and The Doerfels and the Gibson Bros. in June. The festivals appear to be the place to be this summer... they're a cheap weekend of camping and entertainment, so with the economy, it's a good thing.
Anybody know of anything else popping?--->JMS
Bluegrass starting to come out of hibernation...
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nakedtwister
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HurricaneBob
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Great news JMS, I haven't seen a robin yet, but the chippies are out of hibernation.
I had a chance last week to see "Cabinet" from Wilkes Barre. Very entertaining and the guys had great chops. Do you know these guys Johnny?
They have a myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/cabinetwax Check 'em out. Not pure BG (they have a drummer) but good nonetheless.
I had a chance last week to see "Cabinet" from Wilkes Barre. Very entertaining and the guys had great chops. Do you know these guys Johnny?
They have a myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/cabinetwax Check 'em out. Not pure BG (they have a drummer) but good nonetheless.
... and then the wheel fell off.
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BloodyFingers
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Ron wrote:Great news JMS, I haven't seen a robin yet, but the chippies are out of hibernation.
I had a chance last week to see "Cabinet" from Wilkes Barre. Very entertaining and the guys had great chops. Do you know these guys Johnny?
They have a myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/cabinetwax Check 'em out. Not pure BG (they have a drummer) but good nonetheless.
I like them, sound great !!!
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Colton
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You'd be suprised how many bluegrass players I know/jam with. The timing still fucks with me.... 7's and... ugh. great music. over my head...
if its not 1/5/4, i get lost. thanks felix.
(oh, and thanks pat for the slang-n-ology)
if its not 1/5/4, i get lost. thanks felix.
(oh, and thanks pat for the slang-n-ology)
Laugh if you want to, really is kinda funny, 'cause the world is a car and you're the crash test dummy.
Jeez, I really have to check out Cabinet, I keep hearing the name over and over... that's an AWESOME thing to have your band being discussed so much.
This just in:
Hillbilly Gypsies w/ Mama Corn at the Ramada Inn in Altoona, April 11th! It's official, finally. The last several shows were sold out in a week, so it's become one of those shows people go to out of sheer curiousity. I know I go on and on about the Gypsies, but just ask anyone who's seen them... they're just freaking amazing at what they do. The banjo-player is the West Virginia Banjo champ, which is sort of like being the Mississippi blues guitar champ... he's among the best from a place where they take it very seriously. The guy is a killing machine, some sort of sick freak who's the best at everything he does. Kind of like a hillbilly Randy Rutherford. In addition, he's artistic and very intelligent, and a very nice guy. The rest of the band are excellent, too, and their personalities fit nicely with the locals here, which explains why they're probably more popular here than in their hometown.
We've even negotiated a 25% room discount for ticket-holders. We get a lot of folks in from out of town for these shows, and it's nice to know you can have a cheap room instead of driving home that night. That's important when you see how much alcohol is consumed at these things. John Law can kiss our asses, the drunk-checks will be no problem for us, and the PLCB won't shut down a hotel.
I think we have a 400-person capacity, up a hundred from last year, but we probably turned away a hundred, so buy your tix before they sell out. I should have them in Music Emporium by weeks-end, and we'll announce more places to get them soon.
I'm so psyched that anybody even responded to this thread. I just assumed it'd drop to the bottom of the page unanswered. Colton, don't fall into that "I can't play that" trap. That's what I thought, too, until I tried it, and found it to be easier to learn yet challenging to play. It's all about patterns, just like blues. When in doubt, follow the vocal melody. Our new bassist, Kelly Montgomery, has zero prior bluegrass experience. He's a rock player, tried and true, and while reluctant at first, he seems to have caught the BG bug (it sneaks up on you). I look over at him at rehearsal, and he's bobbing his head and thumping along on the bass, and you can tell he digs it. Plus, all those older people who sort of look down on you for playing rock... they have a different view of roots music. I have old guys in overalls slapping me on the back, where they used to give me that no-account-loser look. (Note: I'm still a no-account loser)
On an unrelated note: Anybody here going to DelFest, in Cumberland MD? It's not just BG, it's a big hippie jam-band show, too, like Bonnaroo. Look it up, the lineup is awesome.--->JMS
This just in:
Hillbilly Gypsies w/ Mama Corn at the Ramada Inn in Altoona, April 11th! It's official, finally. The last several shows were sold out in a week, so it's become one of those shows people go to out of sheer curiousity. I know I go on and on about the Gypsies, but just ask anyone who's seen them... they're just freaking amazing at what they do. The banjo-player is the West Virginia Banjo champ, which is sort of like being the Mississippi blues guitar champ... he's among the best from a place where they take it very seriously. The guy is a killing machine, some sort of sick freak who's the best at everything he does. Kind of like a hillbilly Randy Rutherford. In addition, he's artistic and very intelligent, and a very nice guy. The rest of the band are excellent, too, and their personalities fit nicely with the locals here, which explains why they're probably more popular here than in their hometown.
We've even negotiated a 25% room discount for ticket-holders. We get a lot of folks in from out of town for these shows, and it's nice to know you can have a cheap room instead of driving home that night. That's important when you see how much alcohol is consumed at these things. John Law can kiss our asses, the drunk-checks will be no problem for us, and the PLCB won't shut down a hotel.
I think we have a 400-person capacity, up a hundred from last year, but we probably turned away a hundred, so buy your tix before they sell out. I should have them in Music Emporium by weeks-end, and we'll announce more places to get them soon.
I'm so psyched that anybody even responded to this thread. I just assumed it'd drop to the bottom of the page unanswered. Colton, don't fall into that "I can't play that" trap. That's what I thought, too, until I tried it, and found it to be easier to learn yet challenging to play. It's all about patterns, just like blues. When in doubt, follow the vocal melody. Our new bassist, Kelly Montgomery, has zero prior bluegrass experience. He's a rock player, tried and true, and while reluctant at first, he seems to have caught the BG bug (it sneaks up on you). I look over at him at rehearsal, and he's bobbing his head and thumping along on the bass, and you can tell he digs it. Plus, all those older people who sort of look down on you for playing rock... they have a different view of roots music. I have old guys in overalls slapping me on the back, where they used to give me that no-account-loser look. (Note: I'm still a no-account loser)
On an unrelated note: Anybody here going to DelFest, in Cumberland MD? It's not just BG, it's a big hippie jam-band show, too, like Bonnaroo. Look it up, the lineup is awesome.--->JMS