This week, the International Bluegrass Music Association (or, IBMA) announced an "Official Sweepstakes" in which you, the
Bluegrass Cafe listener, could possibly win two tickets to the
2006 IBMA Awards Show on Thursday, September 28th, as well as two tickets to the
2006 Bluegrass Fan Fest (September 29-October 1). Included also in the Grand Prize package is
3 nights accommodations at the Hilton Downtown Nashville, as well as a
$500 travel/expense stipend. To enter, click on this link:
http://fanfest.ibma.org/fanfestsignup.aspx?artist=WHUS [disabled 9/8/2006]
The entry form asks only for basic information (name, address, email address, phone) --
there is no charge to enter, and no purchase is required. You can fill out this entry form once per household per day. The contest entry deadline is Friday, September 8, 2006.
In addition to the Grand Prize package outlined above, there are other prize packages, including
ONE second place package in which the winner will receive admission for two to the IBMA Awards Show and Bluegrass Fan Fest in Nashville, as well as IBMA-selected
World of Bluegrass merchandise. There are also THREE third place prizes, in which the winners will receive admissions for two to the IBMA Awards Show, and IBMA-selected
World of Bluegrass merchandise. [If you've never attended IBMA,
World of Bluegrass is the trade show which takes place prior to the Awards Show & Fan Fest events].
All winners will be determined in a random drawing conducted by IBMA on or about September 13, 2006, and will be drawn from all sweepstakes entrants. Keep in mind that the pool of entrants includes Bluegrass fans from all over the United States, and is not limited to the listeners of the
Bluegrass Cafe or WHUS
. The Official Sweepstakes Rules are included on the entry form in the link above -- feel free to read them carefully before you enter this contest.
Good luck!
Amy
I had the pleasure of spending this past Friday afternoon through Sunday morning at the Pickin' in the Pasture festival in Lodi, NY. This 9-year-old festival held in a little farming community in the Finger Lakes Region might just be one of the Northeast's best (and best-kept secret) BG festivals. Andy and Susan Alexander (shown here with son, Jesse, on the mandolin) open their farm and home -- literally -- every year to some of the greatest talent in Bluegrass, seemingly with an emphasis on the more traditional-sounding performers. While the weather was not the greatest -- temperatures in the upper 60s through lower 70s -- for the most part, it didn't rain during the day, and the crowd seemed to be having a wonderful time. What more could you want? While all of the performers were outstanding, the ones I saw who really seemed to draw the most crowd response were the Steep Canyon Rangers (finalists for IBMA's 2006 Emerging Act of the Year), the Grascals (winners of 2 IBMA Awards in 2005, including Emerging Act of the Year), David Peterson & 1946 (including Mike Bub on the bass and Charlie Cushman on the banjo, as well as the fun-to-watch-sing combo of Dave P. and mandolin player Mickey Boles), and, of course, the unofficial "host band," Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass. For those who like to keep score, Bob and/or Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass have played each of the 9 PIP festivals. I didn't get to see the Lewis Family or James King on Thursday, but I'm sure they were received warmly by the crowd, too.
Each year, Candi Sawyer publishes the Bluegrass Guide -- a print source for all types of BG events in New England and the Northeast. The 2006 edition of the Guide features an extensive story on the "classic" JMB, and it brought back tons of memories of those February nights in Colchester, and later, Norwich. In an interview in the Guide, JMB fiddler, Eddie Stubbs, recalled that throughout their career, Connecticut was one of two "hot spots" for the Johnson Mountain Boys. At one point, their annual winter shows at the Chestnut Lodge became so popular that the Connecticut Friends of Bluegrass had to book the Johnson Mountain Boys to play for two nights instead of just one.
Underwood on banjo, David McLaughlin on mandolin, Eddie Stubbs on fiddle, and Larry Robbins on bass. The other two photos are from the 1987 (no hats) and 1988 shows, which were held at the Masonic Temple. By that time, Richard Underwood and Larry Robbins had left the band, and were replaced by Tom Adams and Marshall Wilborn, respectively. The 1988 show was the JMBs first "farewell" show in CT -- as a gift, the CT Friends gave each of the band members a sweater with a Connecticut Friends of Bluegrass monogram.
