"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 12/18/2011

'Tis the week before Christmas, and you can bet that a pretty healthy dosage of BG Christmas music made it to the airwaves at WHUS today.  We didn't totally forsake the non-Christmas music, though, so I'm hopeful the mix was enjoyable for our listeners.

It's pretty safe to say that 2011 has been a pretty decent year for BG.  In addition to the music gaining a whole bunch of exposure through Steve Martin's super-successful Rounder release (and concert tour) with the Steep Canyon Rangers, there has been a BG star born on YouTube:  a now 9-year-old banjo picker named Jonny Mizzone.  With his two older brothers, Robbie and Tommy (ages 12 and 14), the three have performed as the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys on several national TV shows this year, including "Late Show With David Letterman" and "The Mike Huckabee Show."  These young men are pretty amazing, and the fact that they're from the BG hamlet of New Jersey gives them even more notoriety, I suppose.  The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys have a new CD available now called, "America's Music," and we played a couple of songs from the recording on today's show.  Doubtless, we'll be hearing a lot from these talented kids in the months (and perhaps years) to come.  If you've not seen these boys in action, check out their website.  There, you can see video clips of some of their TV and YouTube appearances, and read more about the Mizzone brothers.

Monadnock's debut CD is called "House Upon The Hill"

We also shared a couple of songs from the debut CD of a mostly New Hampshire-based band called Monadnock.  Their new recording is called "House Upon The Hill," and it includes some band originals, as well as some BG standards.  I look forward to hearing more from the disc in future weeks at WHUS.  You can learn more about this band, and see some video clips, by clicking here.  


So, if Christmas is just a week away, that means 2012 is only two weeks away. Where the heck did the year go?  Already, I've seen a couple of different listings of the "Top 10" BG CDs released in 2011, and for the most part, I can't argue with the choices I've seen on either list.  Of course, all of these Top 10 lists are so subjective that it's almost pointless to put them together.  The fact is that each person likes something different.  Still, when I join you again on the airwaves at WHUS on January 1st, I'll be sure to play music from some of my favorite BG recordings received at WHUS over the past 12 months.  I don't think I'll be making any ranked lists of favorites, but I'm sure I'll have no problem finding plenty of great music to share when I'm next on the air.  


Thanks to all of you for your continued support of our programming at WHUS. Best wishes to you for a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!


Amy






REQUESTS ARE RED.

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• Christmas Time Back Home / Country Gentlemen / Christmas Time Back Home / Rebel
• Christmas Doll / Reno & Smiley / The True Meaning Of Christmas / Gusto
• Frosty The Snowman / Raymond Fairchild / Smoky Mountain Christmas / Rural Rhythm
• Bluegrass Christmas / Ronnie & Rob McCoury / Christmas Time's A-Comin' / Time Life
• That White Christmas Song / Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers / Sugar Plums / Sugar Hill
• Age / Bluegrass Gospel Project / The Blue Morpho / Self-Produced
• Blame It On The Bluegrass / Valerie Smith / Blame It On The Bluegrass / Bell Buckle Records
• To Warm And Comfort You / Gail & Gordon Pike / Hard Words / Self-Produced
• Tidwell Pike / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces & Bits / Goose Creek Music
• Stonewall / Hylo Brown / In Concert / Copper Creek
• You Better Wake Up / Volume Five / Children Of The Mountain / Mountain Fever Records
• White Christmas / Heather Berry / Have A Merry Berry Christmas / Mountain Fever Records
• Crying My Heart Out Over You / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Cuts, 1955-1959 / JSP Records
• Used To These Old Blues / Special Consensus / 35 / Compass Records
• I Wouldn't Change You If I Could / Ricky Skaggs / Country Hits Bluegrass Style / Skaggs Family Records
• My Little Silver Bells / Bill Grant & Delia Bell / O Christmas Tree / Rounder
• The Story Of The Lawson Family / Stanley Brothers / An Evening Long Ago / Copper Creek
• Footprints In The Snow / Lonesome River Band / Rural Rhythm Records Salutes Bill Monroe:  Live At Bean Blossom / Rural Rhythm
• Molly / Larry Cordle / Pud Marcum's Hangin' / Mighty Cord Records
• It Gets Better All The Time / Nothin' Fancy / Nothin' Fancy / Virginia Dreams Records
• Six Feet Under The Ground / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Rural Rhythm Records Salutes Bill Monroe:  Live At Bean Blossom / Rural Rhythm
• Dark Hollow / Monadnock / House Upon The Hill / Self-Produced
• Home In The Heart Of Maine / Maranacook String Band / Bear In The Barn / Self-Produced
• Back Up And Push / Monadnock / House Upon The Hill / Self-Produced
• Bugle Call Rag / Sleepy Man Banjo Boys / America's Bluegrass / Self-Produced
• Jingle Bells / Sleepy Man Banjo Boys / America's Bluegrass / Self-Produced
• Carolina Dreams / Edgar Loudermilk / Roads Travelled / Mountain Fever Records
• String, Eraser And Blotter / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / The Heart Of A Song / Rebel
• Many A Mile / Eddie & Martha Adcock with Tom Gray / Many A Mile / Patuxent Music
• Red Wicked Wine / Charlie Sizemore with Ralph Stanley / Heartache Looking For A Home / Rounder
• Walking West To Memphis / Gibson Brothers / Help My Brother / Compass Records
• Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven / Bluegrass Gospel Project / The Blue Morpho / Self-Produced
• Gitup The Banjo Man / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
• Lake Champlain / BearTracks / Rough Edges / Self-Produced
• This Morning At Nine / Gelina & Pike's Mainly Grass / Rustic Little Cabin / Self-Produced
• AppleJack / Pam Gadd with Dolly Parton / Benefit Of Doubt / Home Sweet Highway Productions
• Christmas Time's A-Comin' / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Christmas Time's A-Comin' / Time Life
• Christmas In Virginia / Lost & Found / Christmas In The Mountains / Rebel
• Christmas At The Old Home Place / David Parmley & Continental Divide / A Pinecastle Christmas Gatherin' / Pinecastle
• Precious Child / Tony Trischka with Dudley Connell & James King / Glory Shone Around / Rounder
• You Cannot Stay Here / Donna Ulisse / single / Hadley Music Group
• Christmas Lullaby / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House / SSK 
• Light Of The Stable / The Whites / A Skaggs Family Christmas, Volume Two / Skaggs Family Records
• Christmas Story / Nashville Bluegrass Band / Tinsel Tunes / Sugar Hill
• Follow The Star / Rick Lang & Friends / The Season Of My Heart / Haley Anna Music
• Silent Night / Seldom Scene / Sugar Plums / Sugar Hill
• Joy To The World / Reno & Smiley / The True Meaning Of Christmas / Gusto
• Jingle Bells / Reno & Smiley / The True Meaning Of Christmas / Gusto