Sunday, July 15, 2012

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 7/15/2012

While I'm afraid I sound a bit like a broken record here, what a full radio show we had today at WHUS!  The original plan called for, among other things,  playing a bit of new music from the fabulous new Balsam Range record, as well as a chat with the super-busy Rick Spinney of the Spinney Brothers, and maybe the giving away of a CD or two.  Well...I'm going with "2 out of 3 ain't bad" this time around, as I didn't accomplish the giving away of anything.  There's always next time...I hope.

Rick & Allan Spinney have had a fabulous 2012...so far!  
In honor of the fact that the Spinney Brothers -- an "overnight success" in the BG world after 20+ years as a hard-working band -- are making an appearance in eastern CT in about three weeks' time at the 17th annual Podunk Bluegrass Festival in nearby Norwich, CT, we took a few minutes to talk to the banjo-picking member of the Spinney Brothers, younger brother, Rick Spinney.  The Spinneys have had an amazingly busy 2012, so far.  In March, their debut recording on any record label, was issued by Virginia's Mountain Fever Records.  This project, "Memories," has been receiving terrific reviews, and both the title song and the album itself have been rapidly moving up both the Bluegrass Unlimited and Bluegrass Music Profiles charts.  If that's not enough, Rick (along with brother, Allan Spinney, mandolinist Gary Dalrymple, and bass player Darryl Hebb) have been recently nominated in 7 different categories on the second ballot of the IBMA Awards.  Exciting stuff!  The Spinneys will be playing at Podunk on both Saturday, August 4th and Sunday, August 5th (the shared birthday of both Allan and Rick, BTW), so be sure to get out there and see them whenever you can...but especially when they're in the area!  

We also played a tiny bit of new music from two other upcoming Podunk performers -- the Lonesome River Band (their new project on Rural Rhythm Records celebrating the band's 30th anniversary is "Chronology, Volume II") as well as a solo effort from mandolin player/singer, Jeff Parker of Dailey & Vincent.  Jeff's forthcoming solo CD is on Lonesome Day Records and is called, "Go Parker!"  

Balsam Range is a band who has also had a pretty incredible 2012, but for somewhat different reasons than the Spinneys.  After winning the IBMA Award for Song of the Year in 2011 (for "Trains I Missed"), the group appeared to really be on an upswing.  Then, in March, fiddler/tenor singer, Buddy Melton, had a fluky kind of accident which nearly ruined both Buddy and the existence of Balsam Range.  Miraculously, Buddy rallied from this accident, and within 6 weeks of the incident, he was in the recording studio with his BR bandmates making the fabulous soon-to-be released recording called, "Papertown."  It's a terrific project on Mountain Home Records, and you can bet you'll be hearing plenty of it for the next several weeks and months at WHUS.

Be sure to join Jim for next Sunday's edition of the BG Cafe, as I'm sure it'll be a dandy!  

Have a great week!

Amy 




SONG / PERFORMER / ALBUM / LABEL
  • Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
  • Every Shade Of Blue / Nu-Blu / The Blu-Disc / Pinecastle
  • The Leaves That Are Green / Country Gentlemen / The Complete Vanguard Recordings / Vanguard
  • I Got A Letter / Valerie Smith & Becky Buller / Here's A Little Song... / Bell Buckle Records
  • Must Be The Wind / Nu-Blu / The Blu-Disc / Pinecastle
  • The Sailor's Daughter / Bear Bridge Band / Bear Essentials / Open Road
  • Newton's Grove [sic] / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Hard Country / Rural Rhythm
  • Makes No Difference Now / Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show / Take Me Back / Pinecastle
  • Hooverville / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Prime Tyme / Rural Rhythm
  • Makin' A Killin' / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
  • I'm Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Cuts, 1952-1955 / JSP Records
  • City Folks Call Us Poor / Acoustic Blue / Bein' Country / Bishop Hill Records
  • Wild Mountain Flowers For Mary / Lost & Found / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
  • Let It Go / Missy Werner Band / Three Kinds Of Lonesome / Self-Produced
  • Final Farewell / Chris Jones & the Night Drivers / Lost Souls & Free Spirits / Rebel
  • Lay That Hammer Down / The Grascals / Life Finds A Way / Mountain Home
  • Memories / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
  • The Train Song / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
  • **Interview with Rick Spinney of the Spinney Brothers**
  • Gitup The Banjo Man / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
  • The Stanley Brothers / Travers Chandler & Avery County / Pardon Me... / Mountain Fever Records
  • In Despair / Dale Ann Bradley / Somewhere South Of Crazy / Compass Records
  • Somehow Tonight / Joe Diffie / Homecoming / Rounder
  • Helen / Eddie & Martha Adcock with Tom Gray / Many A Mile / Patuxent Music
  • Another Day / McCoury Brothers / The McCoury Brothers / Rounder
  • Sunny Side Of The Mountain / Jimmy Martin / Bean Blossom / MCA
  • Cash On The Barrelhead / Dreadful Snakes / Snakes Alive! / Rounder
  • Barely Beat The Daylight In / Lonesome River Band / Chronology, Volume 2 / Rural Rhythm
  • How Come You Do Me Like You Do / Jeff Parker / Go Parker! / Lonesome Day Records
  • Other Side Of The Mountain / Balsam Range / Papertown / Mountain Home
  • Papertown / Balsam Range / Papertown / Mountain Home
  • Don't You Call My Name / Johnson Mountain Boys / At The Old Schoolhouse / Rounder
  • The Hills Of Tennessee / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Day! / Self-Produced
  • The Lighthouse / Gibson Brothers / Bona Fide / Sugar Hill
  • My Eyes Shall Be On Canaan's Land / Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid, Terry Baucom / In A Groove / John Boy & Billy, Inc.
  • Lord, Don't Leave Me Here / Hagar's Mountain Boys / Forever Yours... / Mountain Fever Records
  • God's Coloring Book / Country Gentlemen / Way Down Deep In My Soul / Sugar Hill
  • Meet Him In The Clouds / Bear Minimum / Live At The Finnish Hall / no label
  • Lord Protect My Soul / Kathy Kallick Band / Count Your Blessings / Live Oak Records
  • Take Me To Heaven / Jay Armsworthy / I Couldn't Make It Without Him / Blue Circle Records
  • Heaven's Joy Awaits / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Every Time I Feel The Spirit / Sugar Hill
  • Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

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