All posts tagged: Acoustic Music

Few things are better than the sound of acoustic instruments

Eighth of January

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For all who love great old-time fiddle tunes, here’s a little luncheon treat. One of my favorites among the old-time tunes is the Eighth of January, which many will remember from the old Johnny Horton country hit The Battle of New Orleans. (The date of the battle was January 8, 1815, and Jimmy Driftwood, an Arkansas school principal who wrote the words to the song to interest children in history, used the fiddle tune for the music.)  The Eighth of January is a sweet little melody that’s relatively easy to play but has lots of possibilities for variations. I found this video by Roland White with a nice short mandolin version.  I wrote about Roland and his brother Clarence back in March 2009 when they were featured in the Fretboard Journal. So, on January 8, 2010, enjoy the Eighth of January in a more timeless mode. More to come… DJB

A Jerry Christmas: Some coal mixed in with the goodies

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Last evening several friends (old and new)  joined me as we caught the last show on the short “Jerry Christmas” tour featuring Dobro master Jerry Douglas along with John Oates and Irish singer Maura O’Connell.  This was my first trip to the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, and while the room has much to recommend it (especially an intimacy that connects performer and audience), the sound mix wasn’t great and O’Connell’s mic was especially bad, with a buzzing and poor sound quality that should have been fixed after the first song. That sound mix was a bother, but it didn’t stop the musicianship of Douglas and his band from coming through.  The music alternated between seasonal music and “palate cleansers” as Douglas described his regular tunes.  The best of the former was a beautiful In the Bleak Midwinter.  There was a tie for weirdest of the former – between a “spooky” Santa Claus is Coming to Town and a well-named Do You Hear What I Hear where Douglas, after announcing that Christmas melodies were sacrosanct, …

Bush and Skaggs: Coming home, coming full circle

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Two recent releases by Sam Bush and Ricky Skaggs — two superstars of Americana, roots, and bluegrass music — show both artists coming home in ways that bring them full circle with their own artistic travels. Bush’s Circles Around Me is a return to the bluegrass and early progressive newgrass of his youth in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  The album opens with the title track, a tune that celebrates “being thankful that you’re here” according to Bush.  His terrific road band — Byron House on bass, Chris Brown on drums, the amazing Scott Vestal on banjo and Stephen Mougin on guitar — plays on the majority of the 14 tracks, stretching out their musical chops on tunes such as the instrumental Blue Mountain and the old New Grass Revival song Souvenir Bottles. This latter tune, along with Whisper My Name written by original NGR bassist Ebo Walker and featured on their very first album, brings Bush back to the band where he made his name and helped shape a whole new genre of music — Newgrass. …

It’s the fearless who love…

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…and the loveless who fear. Wisdom from The Flatlanders. New York City is not the place where you’d expect to hear great country music, but on a Tuesday night in Gotham, in the middle of Times Square, B.B. King’s was filled with the music and wisdom of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock:  The Flatlanders. A business colleague, her college friend and I ventured out on a beautiful night in the city to catch the Zen Cowboy and his companions play a rollicking set of Texas country music.  The tunes were great with all three stars taking turns showcasing their work.  As they neared the end of the show, The Flatlanders worked in Gilmore’s Dallas – a wonderful song – and then rocked it out with the Townes Van Zandt tune White Freightliner before closing the show with Pay the Alligator. A night full of energy and great music. More to come… DJB

A little Bach on the mandolin

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The Fretboard Journal just posted this wonderful video on their Facebook page.  It features mandolin phenom Chris Thile playing the Bach E Major Prelude on his Dudenbostel mandolin.  I found the video compelling not only for the beautiful music but also because of the way it highlights Thile’s amazing right hand pick techniques. The guy is incredible.  Enjoy. More to come… DJB

John Gorka Preview

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I mentioned a week ago that singer/songwriter John Gorka was playing at the historic Avalon Theater in Easton, Maryland on November 20th. Gorka has a way with words and a melody.  One of my favorite John Gorka songs  is Love is Our Cross to Bear. It’s from me, it’s to you For your eyes It’s a weight, a wonder that is wise I am here, you are there Love is our cross to bear I found this really sweet video of Gorka singing Love is Our Cross to Bear from a recent concert in The Netherlands. Let me know if you make it to Easton for the concert.  In any event, enjoy. More to come… DJB

Ralph Stanley Memoir: The Man of Constant Sorrow

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An American treasure – Dr. Ralph Stanley – has just released a memoir entitled Man of Constant Sorrow:  My Life and Times. Many people came to know Stanley through his haunting rendition of O Death in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?.  But longtime bluegrass and old-time music fans know of Stanley from his days with his late brother Carter when they performed some of the most moving music ever heard from the mountains of Virginia. Mother Jones online has a good review of the book.  Here’s an excerpt of Stanley talking about his childhood: “There were no books I can recall, save for the family Bible,” he says of the home place. “There wasn’t much in the way of toys and playthings like children have today. My parents wouldn’t allow even a deck of playing cards in the house, because it could lead to gambling and all kinds of trouble. For Christmas, we’d get an orange, one for Carter and one for me, and a handful of rock candy. Maybe a cap-gun, too. …

Terrific roots music coming to Washington this fall

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We’re into fall here in the Washington region and that means that the acoustic music scene is busy pointing toward those holiday concerts.  But before December arrives, there are a few highlights for lovers of bluegrass, Americana, and roots music in the District of Columbia. This Monday, the Blue Moon Cowgirls and flatpicking champion Orrin Star are featured at the Institute of Musical Traditions concert in Rockville.  I’ve heard Star before, and he’s a treat for those who like the old flat top. Country singer extraordinaire Patty Loveless will be at the Birchmere on November 1st.  She’ll no doubt be featuring tunes from  her new album, Mountain Soul II. The original Mountain Soul was a terrific album, and the follow-up begins with a great version of that old country classic, Busted. (Well the bills are all due and the babies need shoes, we’re busted…) Sure to be a great show. For those who don’t mind a bit of a drive, folksinger John Gorka is playing on November 20th at the historic Avalon Theatre in beautiful …

Don’t Give Up Your Day Job

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We’re back to reality following the National Preservation Conference last week in Nashville. As you saw in earlier posts, I spent some time playing a little old-time and bluegrass music with friends and colleagues.  At one venue,  the playing was captured on video. So click below to see yours truly playing a couple of fiddle tunes.  We picked the key for ease of playing, so the singing’s a little low.  These tunes were performed at the Patrons’ Dinner for the conference sponsors and all seemed to have a good time. Enjoy. More to come… DJB

Sitting In With Off the Wagon

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Earlier this week, fellow preservationist and bluegrass lover David Price came up at the National Preservation Conference and invited me to sit in with his band, Off the Wagon, when they played the Southern Regional Reception on Thursday evening. I jumped on the wagon! Off the Wagon is a good young bluegrass band in Nashville (the next night they were playing at the world-famous Station Inn).  So as you can see from the photos, I enjoyed the chance to sing and play Sitting On Top of the World. Twas in the spring, one sunny day, My good gal left me, Lord, she went away, And now she’s gone, but I don’t worry, “Cause I’m sitting on top of the world. The band helped cover my mistakes (and my lapses in memory) and I had a great time.  Lots of friends and colleagues from our Southern Regional Office and beyond had a chance to enjoy it as well. I’ve inserted a video of Off the Wagon – without the interloper – playing New Camptown Races. Enjoy. …