Interview with David Davis
Folks - If you don't live in or near New England, click here for a more complete listing of WRB gigs.
Join David with Jim this Sunday, January 7th, won't you? I know I'll be listening....
Amy
Holiday greetings from the BBU -
We continue our 31st concert season on Saturday, January 13 with the Grascals plus special guest Bradley Walker at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. I'm a huge fan of these guys and believe this will be the hottest show that the BBU has presented in in a long, long time. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased on line or via mail. I encourage you to get your tickets early for this performance.The Grascals exploded onto the bluegrass scene in 2005, and it only took them a few months to be named IBMA 2005 Emerging Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Me And John And Paul." In 2006 they vaulted right to the top, winning the 2006 Entertainer of the Year, one of the most coveted awards in bluegrass. With their latest Rounder release, Long List of Heartaches they now have two best-selling CD’s, a recent Grammy nomination, and a huge legion of fans. Dolly Parton, who hired the Grascals not long after they formed as both her opening act and her backing band, called their debut "one of the greatest albums I’ve ever listened to."
The Grascals have new member with the addition of banjo player and vocalist Aaron McDaris. McDaris replaces David Talbot, who recently resigned from the band in order to pursue other opportunities. McDaris has played bluegrass music professionally for twelve years. He started out with Second Exit for three years, followed that with a three-year stint with New Tradition, and for the last six years has played with the Larry Stephenson Band."We're delighted that Aaron is ready to join us on this incredible journey," said Grascals vocalist/guitarist Jamie Johnson. "He's an incredible player and singer, and he's eager to be a part of our team." Visit the Grascals at www.grascals.com and visit their music page to hear what's in store for January 13th.Rising country/bluegrass vocalist Bradley Walker is making serious inroads with his debut CD, Highway of Dreams. Entertainment Weekly's editor-at-large Ken Tucker said that Bradley Walker is "One of the most striking debuts of the year...”. It is an astonishingly accomplished debut album, featuring Walker's rich, soulful baritone across a selection of new and classic songs, supported by an illustrious cast of instrumentalists and vocalists. Produced by Grammy Award-winning musician and songwriter Carl Jackson, Highway of Dreams winds skillfully between bluegrass, honky-tonk, and acoustic country music, introducing a new sound spun from classic cloth, and is an essential showcase for one of the finest new roots music vocalists to emerge in the past decade. Brian Mansfield echoed this sentiment in a 3 ½ star record review in USA Today, calling Highway of Dreams "a marvelous piece of work, by turns inspirational and heartbreaking, showcasing a voice that would make Lefty Frizzell proud." Have a listen to Bradley at www.bradleywalker.com.
Advance Tickets are $21 (BBU Members $20), or $23 at the door, and can be purchased online at www.bbu.org or by mailing a check (payable to the BBU) and self-addressed stamped envelope to Boston Bluegrass Union, PO Box 650061, West Newton, MA 02465.More info can be found at www.bbu.org. The National Heritage Museum is located at 33 Marrett Rd. (Route 2A), Lexington, MA 02421.Doors open at 6:30pm and concert begins at 7:30pm. Directions can be found at www.monh.org or call (781) 861-6559.
BBU tickets and memberships make great holiday gifts. Both can be purchased online at www.bbu.org
All the best for the Holidays,
Gerry Katz
Boston Bluegrass Union
In our earlier post about the untimely passing of Dempsey Young, I made reference to a fund being established for the benefit of his family. That fund is now in place, and contributions can be sent to:
Dempsey Young Memorial Fund c/o Franklin Community Bank
400 Old Franklin Turnpike, Suite 100
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151Dempsey is survived by his wife Lynette, daughters Stephanie and Demetra living at home, and son Christopher (USAF), stationed in Qatar. The memorial fund is to assist Lynette and the children, particularly with education expenses.
He also leaves 3 brothers, Steve, Randy and Scott all of Wirtz, VA and several extended family members. His band family consists of Allen Mills, business partner for over 33 years, Scottie Sparks and Ronald Smith.
Condolences can be sent to:
Lynette Young
3467 Bonbrook Mill Road
Boones Mill, VA 24065
OR
Lost & Found
7915 Charity Highway
Ferrum, VA 24088
e hustle and bustle that is the month of December, the Podunk Bluegrass Committee sponsored a terrific show last Friday, December 8th at the Community Cultural Center in East Hartford. First to take the stage was Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters, featuring Roger Williams on the dobro, John Urbanik on the bass, and special guest, Dave Dick, on the mandolin and banjo. This was a fine-sounding configuration, for sure, and they received a very nice response from those in attendance.
redit this fine group in any way, shape, or form. All of these guys, including original Scene-r Ben Eldridge, worked with Duffey long enough to learn a few of his showmanship "tricks," and they did not disappoint at all. While Dudley Connell joked that the audience must have "all come in one car," really, the crowd wasn't terribly small. It's always fun to see Dudley and Lou Reid sing together, and Fred Travers has to be one of the most under-rated tenors in bluegrass. Their trios are terrific, and when Ronnie Simpkins adds a bass vocal to the mix....I can't think of too many quartets in bluegrass who are better today. If you missed the East Hartford show, perhaps you got a chance to catch the Scene in their BBU show at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA on Saturday night. From what I understand, that 400-seat theater 
was nearly sold out, so I guess it's safe to say that folks in the northeast definitely are fond of the Seldom Scene.
Starting off 'round about 3:30PM, Jim & Marti will welcome Dave and his guitar, and who knows what tunes and conversation you might hear? The BG Cafe will be on for less than an hour on 11/26, as there is a UCONN Men's Basketball game starting at 5PM, so we thought we'd keep the festive holiday weekend feeling going by combining the two shows for a bit and welcoming Dave into the mix. It should be a whole lot of fun -- we hope you'll join us.
