Homegrown Kickoff Issue - Minnesota Bluegrass & Old

Transcription

Homegrown Kickoff Issue
May 2015
May 2015
Vol. 41
No. 4
Newsstand: $3
Subscription: $35
MBOTMA Hot Line
(to subscribe and for other information)
612-285-9133 or 800-635-3037
info@minnesotabluegrass.org
P.O. Box 16408, Mpls, MN 55416
www.minnesotabluegrass.org
Twitter: @mnbluegrass Facebook: minnesotabluegrass
MBOTMA Board of Directors
President: Peter Albrecht, henrypeteralbrecht@gmail.com
Vice President: Jana Metge, 952-996-6490,
singdancesavetheworld@gmail.com
Treasurer: Sandi Pidel
Secretary: Mary DuShane
Board Members:
Term expires 2015: Marilyn Bergum, Gary Germond,
Greg Landkamer, Quillan Roe
Term expires 2016: Alan Jesperson, Philip Nusbaum,
David Smith
Youth Representatives: Sarah Cagley, Catie Jo Pidel
For meeting minutes and other Board business, go to:
minnesotabluegrass.org/as_Board
MBOTMA Staff
Executive Director: Jed Malischke, 715-635-2479
Administrative Assistant: Bea Flaming, 612-285-9133
Minnesota Bluegrass
Editor: JoAnne Makela, editor@minnesotabluegrass.org
Contributors: Tony Anthonisen, Bob Bovee, Katryn Conlin,
Ann Iijima, Matt Johnson, Ross Johnson, Jed Malischke, Phil
Nusbaum
Coming Up: Loretta Simonet, Rick Swanson
Y’All Come: Bill Lindroos
Wordmark: Katryn Conlin
Photography: Steve Chollar, Martin Chvatal, Katryn Conlin,
Scott Stebbins, Kelly Vanderpool
Cover image: Originals album cover, courtesy No Grass Limit
Submit content or request advertising guidelines at:
editor@minnesotabluegrass.org.
Minnesota Bluegrass is published monthly by The Minnesota
Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association™, a Minnesota
nonprofit corporation, P.O. Box 16408, Mpls, MN 55416. No part
of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for the loss or return of unsolicited photos, recordings, or
manuscripts. ©2015 Minnesota Bluegrass. All rights reserved.
ISBN 0891-0537.
Thank you, MBOTMA members
Membership as of April 1, 2015: 1,003
Patrons:
David Johnson
Howie & Maggie Jorgenson
Linda Kjerland
Russell Lane
Maxine Larson
Richard Luckeroth
Rolf & Lisa Lund
Rodger McBride & Mabel Houle
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David & Betty Pfeiffer
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David Tousley &
Margaret Brandes
Donna Velasco
Steve Vincent & Jill Weese
Rebecca Wagner &
Dan Forsythe
Tim Wankel
Jane & Dobson West
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John Wilcox
Sustaining:
Donald Jacques
Chris Juettner
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Matthew Kaster
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Lloyd & Beverly LaPlant
David Lee
James Lee
Steve & Elaine LeVasseur
Bob Lundeen
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R. & Elizabeth Vaughan
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Peter Albrecht
Tony & Barbie Andreason
Tony & Ann Anthonisen
Mary Arntson
Lenny & Colleen Baltus
Gary & Karen Bartig
Ron & Kathy Blade
Kenneth Bloch
Ann & Barry Brooks
Doug Chasar
Paul Christianson
Gary & Janet Cobus
Katryn Conlin
Laura Cooper
Bob & Marilyn Dodd
Brian Etling &
Rebecca Lautenschlager
William Fancher
Jerry Frank
Darrell & Marilyn Fuhr
Tom Furrer
Jon & Sharon Garon
Gary & Jae Germond
David Glatt
Dale & Diane E. Gruber
Michael & Paula Hildebrandt
Rod & Barb Anderson
Paul Ashworth
Fred Boyer
Mark & Erdyne Briere
Bill & Ann Bushnell
Susan Christensen-Wichmann
Dan & Marilyn Cook
Brian Cornell
Bob & Vicki Dalager
Hal Davis
Doug Duncan
Mary DuShane
Matt Edwards
Garry & Linda Elfstrand
Jennifer Faulkner
Mark & Kathleen Fisher
Nathan Fjeld
Jim Franczyk
Warren Gumeson
Timothy & Ginger Haaland
Mary & Fred Harms
James Helig
Thomas Hollenhorst &
Karin Kraemer
David Holm
Dick & Sue Hopperstad
Ann Iijima & Myles Bakke
Help Wanted
Minnesota Bluegrass is looking for a few
web searchers to help Coming Up editor
Loretta Simonet gather gig, concert
and event information from some of
our favorite venues for the Coming Up
Calendar.
Coming Up is the one feature almost
all MB readers go to each month to
find out where and when they can hear
MBOTMA member bands, as well as
touring national bluegrass, old-time and
acoustic music in the Twin Cities and
throughout the Midwest.
There are more and more frequent
opportunities to hear acoustic music.
In just a few hours per month your web
searching savvy will help keep your
fellow music lovers up to date on what’s
happening. We will take a lot of the
guess work out of the process for you, by
assigning a list of venues we know are
likely to feature this music. And we welcome your initiative to find new venues
we don’t yet know about.
Whether you’d like to jump right in,
or find out more about this opportunity,
contact Minnesota Bluegrass editor,
JoAnne Makela, editor@minnesotabluegrass.org.
The
7th
Annual
Minnesota Bluegrass
July 2015
Articles, Ads, Coming Up,
and News Clips
Deadline: June 1, 2015
Send to:
editor@minnesotabluegrass.org
Funding for MBOTMA
provided in part by a grant
from the Minnesota State Arts
Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State
Legislature, a grant from the
National Endowment for the
Arts, and private donors.
Musicians Wanted: The Gloryland
Gospel band seeks female soprano
& alto, and bass guitar or lead
guitar. We are an all-volunteer
Music Ministry band that performs
2–3 times per month. Rehearsals
Mondays, 6:30–7:30pm, in Eden
Prairie. Check our website www.
glorylandgospelband.com. Respond
to glorylandgb@gmail.com.
Inside:
No Grass Limit 5 |
No Man’s String Band 8 |
KICKOFF! 10 |
Brand New Strings: SETech 17 |
Bluff Country Gathering 18 |
Phil Nusbaum 19 | MBOTMA
Calendar 28 | Coming Up 29
KAKABEKA FALLS BLUEGRASS & OLD TYME FESTIVAL
(14 mi west of Thunder Bay, ON, Canada)
JUNE 26, 27, 28, 2015

Featuring

THE HIGH 48’s, THE ROE FAMILY SINGERS,
PORCUPINE CREEK, GIBSON MARTIN & I,
SHADES OF GREY, HIGHGRASS HOPPERS
MinnesotaBluegrass.org
plus many more local musicians…
Held rain or shine in a rustic building. Camping & food concessions on site. Motels, shops,
restaurants & provincial park within 1 mile. Visit our beautiful “Niagara of the North”, Old
Fort William & “the Sleeping Giant”!
For more info contact: Eddy Van Ramshorst
email: gemvan@tbaytel.net
Toll free: 1-888-688-9582
www.kakabekafallsbluegrassfestival.weebly.com
May 2015
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The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association presents…
THE MINNESOTA HOMEGROWN
KICKOFF MUSIC FESTIVAL
May 29 - 31, 2015
El Rancho Mañana Campground
Richmond, MN
30 Min W of St Cloud MN, From I-94 take exit #153
(Avon), then S on County 9 and E on Mañana Rd
Roe Family Singers
No Grass Limit
Froemming Family
Sawtooth Brothers
Blue Groove
Moss Piglets
Mark Kreitzer Band
Curtis & Loretta
Platte Valley Boys
Pushing Chain
Purdy River Band
No Man’s Stringband
The Long Shots
Pickin’ Up Steam
Split-Shot Sinkers
Timbre Junction
Mother Banjo
Singleton Street
Bob & Lynn Dixon
Crooked Grass
Get Two Festivals In One!
The Great Minnesota Uke Gathering
Workshops, Jams, Sing-Alongs
Same Weekend, Same Place
Same Ticket
Main Stage Showtimes: & Ticket Prices:
Friday - 6 PM to 11 PM, Saturday - 12 PM to 11 PM, Sunday - 11 AM to 4 PM.
One Day Ticket (no camping): $20 advance, $15 MBOTMA member advance, gate is $20 Fri, $25 Sat, $10 Sun.
Saturday & Sunday Ticket (w/Sat camping): $45 advance, $36 MBOTMA members in advance, $50 gate.
Weekend Ticket (all 3 days w/Fri & Sat camping): $52 advance, $42 MBOTMA members in advance, $60 gate.
Teens $5 any or all days. Children 12 & under free with paid adult.
Bring lawn chairs of blankets. No display of alcohol allowed in concert area.
Call: 800-635-3037 or 612-285-9133
Visit: www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an
appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
PLUS
Workshops
Jam With the Bands
Ranch House Live
The Gathering Place
Cover
Springing Up: No Grass Limit
By Ann Iijima
May 2015
Mandolin Performer of the Year (Chuck
Millar), Banjo Performer of the Year
(Mike Hedding), Bluegrass Band of the
Year (Contemporary), and Vocal Group
of the Year. Clint Birtzer subsequently
was nominated for Guitar Performer of
the Year for SPGMA’s National Bluegrass
Music Awards.
However, like a prairie, which hides
more than 75 percent of its biomass
underground, one secret to the string of
NGL’s successes is the broad and deep
experience the band members bring
to this enterprise. This is no secret, of
course, to the many MBOTMA members
familiar with the musical backgrounds
of the players.
Before Chuck and Sandi Millar
co-founded NGL, they had extensive
experience as musicians, playing all over
the country and winning many competitions. Chuck was 11 when he started
his violin studies with Jeff Menten. Since
then, he’s won numerous fiddle and
trick fiddle competitions and has taken
up the guitar, mandolin, and bass. He
has played with a number of excellent
bands, including Tangled Roots. Sandi
started playing guitar when she was
16, and brings her picking skills and
vocal talents to the band. NGL already
is well known for its sweet harmonies,
many performed by Sandi and Chuck,
who sang for 10 years as an award-winning duo before co-founding the band.
They also worked in harmony to create
Lesson Pros, a group of talented teachers
who offer music lessons at the Lesson
Pros studios, online, and at locations
throughout the United States.
When Clint Birtzer was nine, he
found a guitar and book in his parents’
basement and tried to teach himself to
play. Soon thereafter, a family friend
showed him and other family members
how to play a little bluegrass, and the
whole family played at his aunt’s wedding (with a little help from Monroe
Crossing). When his mother quit playing
the mandolin, Jesse Moravec joined the
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Like the prairie grasses that burst forth
in late spring, No Grass Limit (NGL)
seemed to come out of nowhere, quickly
racking up an impressive string of
accomplishments. Formed in June 2011,
they won the Race for a Place competition four months later at MBOTMA’s
Harvest Jam. Last spring, a successful
Kickstarter campaign enabled them
to travel to Nashville to record their
first all-original CD, No Grass Limit−
Originals, with Grammy-award winning
engineer, Randy Kohrs.
As reported in the December issue of
Minnesota Bluegrass, this album “made
it to the #2 slot for most radio downloads in October 2014, [and] their single,
‘Good Ole Days of Bill Monroe,’ made
it to #1.” NGL then received 13 nominations for the SPBGMA Bluegrass Music
Awards Mid-West Convention, and won
seven of them: Bluegrass Songwriter
of the Year (Sandi Millar), Bluegrass
Album of the Year (Originals), Guitar
Performer of the Year (Clint Birtzer),
group and they formed the Sawtooth
Bluegrass Band with their brothers. Clint
continues to perform with this band,
now known as the Sawtooth Brothers,
as well as with NGL. Clint won the
Minnesota State Flatpicking Guitar competition in 2009, 2011, and 2013, as well
as the 2011 Duet Singing Championship
with Jesse. Although Clint already knew
Chuck slightly, their relationship deepened in 2012 when Clint, feeling over his
head preparing for a festival workshop,
grabbed Chuck to help. A couple of
weeks later, Chuck invited Clint to join
NGL.
Vaughn Asselstine started playing the
piano when she was eight, then began
singing and playing the accordion. She
later played for theater productions,
playing piano indoors and accordion
outdoors. Five years ago, she went to
the 331 Club for a jam and was inspired
to take up the guitar. The friend she
was with suggested she take up the bass
instead, which immediately resonated
with her strong interest in the rhythmic
aspects of music. Previously (and to this
day), she had expressed this interest
through dance, primarily rhythm tap
and jazz tap. Alongside these numerous musical interests, Vaughn obtained
a nursing degree and studied music
theory and computer science, eventually
ending up as a programmer, designing systems. We talked about whether
there’s something about a knack for
pattern processing that causes so many
bass players to go into programming,
and quickly listed Pete Mathison, David
Tousley, Ron Weise, and Mark Anderson
as other members of the bass/computer
club. Besides NGL, Vaughn is a member
of the DL Cajun Band and King Wilkie’s
Dream.
Mike Hedding played some guitar
growing up, but was more into soccer
than music. He didn’t really get rolling
with his music until he began playing
mandolin and banjo in college, devoting
many hours to practicing and foregoing other activities. He still practices a
couple of hours a day on each instrument; he doesn’t find it to be a chore,
but rather “fun and effortless.” Within
a few years of settling into this practice,
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he started playing with a series of bands,
including Blue Wolf and Tangled Roots
(where he met Chuck), and with the
High 48s, with whom he still plays. Mike
says that playing with NGL is really fun;
since Chuck and Sandi run the show,
he’s able to sit back and focus on the
music. Chuck’s songs don’t fit into the
Scruggs style, and it’s been challenging
and interesting for Mike to work them
up on his banjo and has encouraged
him to grow. While Mike still considers
himself a student, currently taking fiddle
lessons from Eric Christopher and mandolin via Skype from Mike Compton,
he has started teaching as well through
Lesson Pros and through his own website, Mikeheddingmusic.com. He’s looking for small, not miraculous changes
and tells music students to “keep it up;
you’ll get there.”
Besides the thousands of hours the
band members spent honing their musical skills, their recent accomplishments
also were preceded by extensive preparation. Although most of the band members already had been involved in other
recording projects, recording No Grass
Limit−Originals took them to Randy
Kohrs’ Slack Key Studio in Nashville.
They connected with Kohrs through
a network of musician friends: Marty
Marrone to Heath Loy to Becky Schlegel
to Kohrs. Kohrs heard some of their
work and agreed to produce, record, and
play on the album. It wasn’t just Kohrs’
work that produced such a fine CD, of
course. Before going to Nashville, NGL
preplanned the songs and recorded a
practice CD in the Millar’s own studio,
so the band members could practice on
their own with that CD.
Much of the album’s preparation
involved raising the funds to cover
travel, recording, and production costs,
which the band accomplished primarily through a Kickstarter campaign.
Sandi and Chuck outlined some of the
steps they took, starting with building a
strong support base. One of their main
methods for building this base was
using the Facebook community. They
made extensive use of their personal
Facebook pages as well as NGL business
and fan pages, connecting them with
over 4,000 fans. Having this support,
they designed a unique, creative campaign to grab and hold the community’s
interest. On April 1, 2014, they posted
a video announcing their Kickstarter
campaign. Then, throughout April, they
worked nearly full-time promoting the
campaign, thanking people, and creating
daily graphics to count down the days
left in the campaign. By the end of the
month, they had raised $16,000 from
149 backers. (Sandi and Chuck suggest
that you ask advice from someone who’s
been there before starting your own
Kickstarter campaign; they’d be glad to
coach other MBOTMA bands. Recently,
they helped with the Sawtooth Brothers’
successful Kickstarter campaign.)
No Grass Limit−Originals showcased Chuck’s and Sandi’s writing
chops, which they have in abundance.
Sandi started writing in her early twenties, but really got a fire lit under her
after connecting with Jon Weisberger,
IBMA’s first Songwriter of the Year, at
the 2012 Minnesota Bluegrass & OldTime Music Festival, where she spent
the week hanging out with Jon and with
Chris Jones and the Night Drivers. A
few months later, in Iowa, she gained
additional inspiration from Donna
Ulisse. Although Sandi usually writes
the lyrics first and adds the melody later,
she sometimes does both simultaneously.
With a lyric library of almost 400 completed and 200 in progress, and looking
for co-writers to help with melody, she
joined the Minnesota Association of
Songwriters. She has since connected
with and co-written with other members, including association president
Wayne Hamilton.
Chuck and Sandi often write
together, with Sandi as the lyricist and
Chuck writing the melody. Unlike
Sandi’s usual lyrics-first approach,
Chuck generally starts with a melodic
idea, which he plays over and over,
until a story emerges. When they write
together, as they often do, they generally
work in different rooms, passing the
song back and forth. Chuck said he had
a take-it-or-leave-it approach to writing
until he took a class from Mark “Brink”
Brinkman last October, after which he
May 2015
May 2015
band practices and performs, creating a
“band of friends,” an “extended family.”
Vaughn, Clint, and Mike observed that
Sandi and Chuck work well together, are
fun to be around, and have a great sense
of humor. The band has rules for their
practices (mostly fake/fun, but with an
element of truth): 1) have fun; 2) shut up
and play. Their rule for performances is
no complaining afterward; only positive
comments are allowed.
As their band mates have pointed
out, Chuck and Sandi are a real team.
Besides writing, practicing, and teaching, they’ve divided up the many essential business tasks. Chuck is the webmaster and in charge of graphics, including
the design of their album cover. Sandi is
in charge of their bookings and public
relations, including communications and
their Facebook presence. When asked
whether living and working together in
NGL and Lesson Pros creates problems,
both agreed that, on the contrary, being
together so much is “kinda awesome.
. . . We are really lucky to be able to
do music full time and do it together.”
Chuck added, “My life is better, every
second Sandi’s in it.”
Vaughn called me back a few minutes after we had finished our telephone
interview, saying she forgot to mention
the most important thing: She owed a
huge debt of gratitude to people with
whom she’s played and from whom she
has learned so much. “You don’t do this
alone, at all. The whole magic is the
people you play with.” From talking with
the other members of No Grass Limit,
I’m certain she was speaking for them
all.
You can hear No Grass Limit at the
Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff on
Saturday, May 30, at 12:20 and 9:30 p.m.
at El Rancho Mañana, Richmond, MN.
For more on the festival, go to www.
minnesotabluegrass.org. To order a No
Grass Limit CD, schedule bookings, or
learn more about the band, check out
their website at www.nograsslimit.com,
or contact Sandi Millar at sandi@lessonpros.com. If you are interested in music
lessons, go to www.lessonpros.com or
send an email to info@lessonpros.com.
Cover photo and image in this article courtesy of No Grass Limit.
went “all in.” That class changed his style
and his understanding of what makes
a good song good. He now follows the
80/20 rule. A songwriter generally starts
with a great idea, the “hook,” and then
writes the first verse and/or chorus.
That’s the 20 percent. The remaining
80 percent of the time needs to be spent
making the rest of the song just as good
as the first 20 percent, using imagery,
order, and feeling.
The other band members have written as well, and plan to continue doing
so. Mike said that he has no exact process and that he mostly writes mandolin
tunes. When he writes songs, sometimes
the melody comes first, and sometimes
the theme. Like Chuck, he had a writing
mentor; in his case, it was Mark Kreitzer.
Mark taught him that you need to write
every day: keep building that “muscle”
and don’t be too critical. If you get too
much into your head, it can stop you
from putting pen to paper. Mike said it’s
similar to practice−you just have to do it;
you can’t wait for lightening to strike.
Clint does some writing, but doesn’t
consider himself an accomplished
songwriter, just a guitar player who
happens to write an occasional song. He
doesn’t really have a process and doesn’t
sit down to write anything−it’s more
random. He may get an idea for a line
while driving and start singing it, or one
will come to him at night, and he won’t
be able to get to sleep until he has written it down. He does have more of a process when he writes with Jesse. There’s
more accountability then: “you have
to come up with something.” Clint has
studied linguistics and has written some
lyrics, but primarily does the melody
and chord progressions. Jesse, on the
other hand, is more poetic and the more
accomplished lyricist.
With so many of the band members
having skills on multiple instruments,
on vocals, and with songwriting and
arranging, it’s difficult to pigeonhole
them into specific roles. The band members agree, however, that Sandi and
Chuck form the core of the group, not
just because they are the founding members, but because they create and sustain
the positive environment in which the
7
Review
No Man’s String Band: Following a winding
road to their bluegrass home
By Ross Johnson
If you’re part of the bluegrass and
acoustic music scene in Minnesota, you
know that the music genre borders have
blurred considerably here, especially in
the last four or five years. For my part, I
think it is a most wonderful thing.
No Man’s String Band (NMSB) is a
prime example of what happens when
you toss youthful enthusiasm, varied
music backgrounds, and lots of talent
into the “Bluegrass” mixing bowl.
Runners up of the Race for a Place at the
2014 Harvest Jam, NMSB will be playing at the spring Kickoff at El Rancho
Mañana, bringing their spin on bluegrass to the Main Stage, Saturday, May
30, at 6:10 p.m. The band added fiddler
Lindsey Bordner shortly after the Race
for a Place competition. The now fivepiece group was organized in 2011, and
they’ve become a regular fixture at Twin
Cities’ venues and MBOTMA festivals.
NMSB is notable for its varied entry
points into the bluegrass camp, the musical sensibilities they possess, and some
things distinctly different about their
musical approach. Those distinctions are
a good place to start.
You won’t find a banjo on the NMSB
platform, nor a Dobro, or a heavy focus
on a “verse/chorus/break/break/verse/
chorus” song pattern—three mainstays of traditional bluegrass bands.
No Man’s energy comes from clever
arrangements of their original material
and unique adaptations of covers from
inside and outside the bluegrass songbook. NMSB songs are catchy, pulling
you in with a rhythmic or note pattern
hook that brings you along for the ride.
Punctuation typically delivered by the
banjo in many bluegrass outfits comes
instead from interplay between the mandolin, guitar and bass, with accordion
adding the “sonic bed” in many songs.
Once your brain processes the unusual
instrumentation, it’s a fun romp to listen
to the mando bump off the guitar and
the guitar play off the accordion. NMSB
8
arrangements
deliver a blend of
the instruments
and vocals, so
long “hot licks”
breaks are infrequent, replaced
by mando, guitar,
and accordion
variations on the
core musical line.
What WILL
you find in
NMSB? Tight
Photo: Kelly Vanderpool
arrangement is a
key element to their music. A theme
time? . . .” interactions), and the very act
often passes like a hacky sack between
of scribing the arrangement internalizes
instruments and vocals. This places
the song better in their brains. For the
responsibility on each member to be
formally trained members, scores are
synchronized into their piece of the song
important to see the musical line on the
in a much more integral way rather than
page. Much different than swagging it
just “chopping” through chords and
“by ear” alone as many of us seat-of-theruns. Clean, strong vocal harmonies, and
pants players do.
using vocals to enforce a rhythm or the
Many new bands in the MBOTMA
hook is common too. Melissa’s accordion
community are comprised primarily
work is subtle but always there in the
of young people who cut their teeth on
mix, giving a unique chord foundation
bluegrass by listening and playing with
to many songs. This leaves room for Nic
their parents, grandparents and extended
and Justin to pepper string elements on
families. Not so with No Man’s String
top for a complex sound. With the addiBand. All, save one, came into the bluetion of Lindsey’s fiddle, an instrument
grass camp through personal discovery
that can provide both linear and rhythof the music as adults. Each has a differmic punch, one can predict their sound
ent path into the music.
is going to continue to expand in that
Nic Hentges (mandolin and vocals):
direction.
“I don’t know if my parents would
Something else you’ll find at a NMSB
be offended by this, but I don’t think
practice are charts—not just chords or
they really listened to music. None of
a chunk of tablature scribbled above
my relatives play—I’m the only one.
the lyrics, but real honest to goodness
I do remember my mom got my dad
charts with staffs, musical notations,
a greatest hits collection of the Doors
and arrangement notes in the margins.
and the Guess Who, which was a huge
About half the group has classical or
eye opener that my dad listened to rock
some “formal” music training, and the
music! I took guitar lessons in seventh
other half have learned the value of the
and eighth grades but all I wanted to
music composition toolbox to write,
do was play the “Dookie” record (Green
arrange, notate, and visually log their
Day) from cover to cover. After that I
songs to the page. Scores or charts help
quit.”
them make progress at each practice
(with fewer “what did we decide last
May 2015
May 2015
things and I learned that bluegrass and
country were two separate genres! At a
music therapy internship in Cleveland,
I found an accordion and I started
learning that—it was really fun! When I
got home I got one and we put it in our
band. It added something new into No
Man’s String Band, and we didn’t have
a fiddle player then, so it sonically filled
that space. Now it’s just a part of our
sound!”
Pat Loftus (bass): “My dad always
played guitar and my family was very
musical, but ALL guitars! Mostly they
were playing country, but my dad and
I really liked bluegrass. My mom and
sisters were allergic to bluegrass! When
Bluegrass Saturday Morning came on
each weekend, my dad and I were exiled
to the garage. I took up the electric bass
when I got into high school and became
more serious about music. Of course
I played rock and folk stuff but not
really bluegrass until my mid-twenties.
I started standup bass and focused on
classical training and went to college for
music. After college though, I moved to
New York City and bluegrass was huge!
As a bass player, I got lots of chances to
play. It was great. When I got back here,
I was pretty much hooked into bluegrass.
Now Justin and I listen five days a week,
eight hours a day at work. For me, bluegrass is fun because I can relax and lay
back some, and listen to what the other
players are doing.”
Lindsey Bordner (fiddle): “I come
from a very musical family. Playing an
instrument in my family was a given.
My dad was principal trumpet player
in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
and he just retired recently from there. I
was maybe seven, and in North Dakota,
where my family is from, I heard some
fiddle music riding in the car. I LOVED
it, and we found two old fiddles in our
family’s farmhouse. So I chose violin.
My dad of course had contacts to a really
good violin teacher—classical violin and
I learned the Suzuki method.” Lindsey
is a recent postgraduate in music and
she is a violinist in area orchestras and
chamber ensembles; she also teaches.
“The ear training style in Suzuki has
been very useful to me learning the
improvisational ‘bluegrass fiddle’ style
playing.” After taking the hard left turn
into classical music that is her violinist
occupation, Lindsey is now satisfying the
itch that started with that North Dakota
car ride when she was a kid.
Not hearing bluegrass music when
they were in diapers, like so many bluegrassers have, has had some advantages
for No Man’s sound. It’s much easier to
break out of the basic bluegrass song
form when your brain isn’t hardwired
into it. Bringing “traditional” tunes
into their repertoire, the options are
wide open in terms of arrangement and
adaptation. Conversely, covering songs
outside of the bluegrass idiom feels natural too. “Let’s try ‘Faith’ from George
Michael . . .” are not words heard often at
bluegrass rehearsals. You’ll be surprised
how cool all the songs sound on the
traditional bluegrass weapons and, yes,
accordion! There is something for everyone in No Man’s String Band.
LaPlant Instruments
maker of fine
mandolins & guitars
Buy - Trade
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(stringed instruments)
Nic went on to play bass and sing
in high school bands; heavy metal/
punk-type stuff in high school, and had
a teacher in an Americana band that
occasionally needed a bass player. Nic
went to college for audio production,
took on recording for Traveled Ground,
and was hooked. “People would ask me
‘Why are you listening to all this sad
music?’ but I loved the stuff. Clark, the
leader of Traveled Ground, suggested I
should try the mandolin. Not long after,
I bought one and was onstage with his
band that night. They put a mic in front
of me-barely turned up-but I really
liked it!” Eventually he found his way to
bluegrass.
Justin Rosckes (guitars and vocals):
“I had my heart set on saxophone when
I was a little kid, but my parents said
no! My older sisters tried lots of instruments and my folks were worried about
me sticking with one . . . so my mom
bought me a starter guitar, and I said
‘okay’. I took classical lessons and took
up rock and blues stuff in high school.
My dad listened to country, but NEVER
bluegrass music. The shift came for me
in college. I listened to and played more
acoustic, folk things that were going on
there. Now I listen to bluegrass a lot at
work with Pat (a coworker). It was sort
of like relearning the guitar, putting
down the electric and going acoustic
again when I started playing this kind of
music.” Nic and Justin have led the path
into bluegrass territory for NMSB.
Melissa Hentges (accordion and
vocals): “I grew up in a pretty musical
family. My dad played trumpet and
piano, my mom played a little piano
and sang in church choirs. My parents
listened to jazz, big band, classic rock,
rock and roll, a little of everything, but
no bluegrass there! I’ve been in choirs
since I was three years old. I went to college for music therapy and listened to all
of the popular music of the time; Spice
Girls, boy bands, EMO, alt rock, all that.
For music therapy I had to learn the guitar—a lot of folky guitar stuff—but I was
mostly a singer. I met Nic and he needed
a singer in a band he was starting up, so
I sang but didn’t play any instruments.
We got into some sort of bluegrass-y
218-326-4456
31751 LaPlant Road
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
9
KICKOFF! Everything you need to know to
navigate 3 days of acoustic music mania
The Committee!
After a very wet festival last year, we’re
looking forward to a great time at
the Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff,
May 29–31, at El Rancho Mañana.
MBOTMA’s Kickoff committee has been
preparing for a year now and they have
some new tricks up their sleeves to make
the 2015 Kickoff unique and exciting.
The committee is composed of Gary
Germond (setup), Larry Seldon (booths),
Ann Iijima (workshops), Matt Johnson
(chair), Gene Johnson and Dale Gruber
(reserved camping), Mike Larson (sanitation), Roger Jorgenson (transport), Earl
Jarosh (communications), Peggy Karsten
(Gathering Place), Doug Chaser (Ranch
House), Bill Lindroos (camping), and
Tony Anthonisen (Uke Gathering).
—Jed Malischke
The Workshops!
The Kickoff will offer a broad range of
workshops on Saturday, most taking
place in the Workshop Tent. Please check
your schedules when you get to the festival for the exact locations and for any
schedule changes (life happens).
—Ann Iijima
11:00 AM. Songwriters Round Robin
with Paul Schulte. This is an opportunity
for songwriters to share their original
music in an acoustic, non-amplified
setting. Participants will have the option
to give a 1- to 2-minute introduction and
then play one song before the next songwriter takes a turn.
1:00 PM. Intermediate Bluegrass
Flatpicking Guitar Workshop with Carl
Sones and Sophie Galep of The Long
Shots. Join two Minnesota Flatpicking
Championship finalists for tips and
tricks on building solos, lead and
rhythm techniques.
2:00 PM. Mandolin Tips, Tricks, Tunes,
and Techniques with Nic Hentges and
Justin Rosckes of No Man’s String
Band. This workshop will focus on
10
fundamentals and will be ideal for
beginning and intermediate players.
3:00 PM. Fiddle Workshop with Tom
Schaefer. Tom plays bluegrass, swing,
and Irish music with a number of
groups, including the Mark Kreitzer
Band, Cousin Dad, and the Tune Jerks.
He will share fiddle techniques and practice tips that would benefit fiddlers at all
levels of expertise.
4:00 PM. Beginning/Intermediate Banjo
Workshop with Mark Kreitzer (Mark
Kreitzer Band). Mark plays bluegrass,
country-swing, rockabilly, and gypsy
jazz with a number of bands, switching instruments as needed. Bring your
banjos (old-time or bluegrass) and questions and be ready to play!
5:00 PM. Playing Up the Neck,
i.e. Cheating on Guitar with Lew
Tousignant. This intermediate-level
workshop will focus on chords, including chord progressions, alternative
chords, and moveable shapes. With any
luck at all, Lew will bring his ever-popular handout!
The Jams!
Get in a circle with MBOTMA bands!
This is a great way to learn a few tricks
and schmooze with the players. Most of
us have gained skills by simply playing
in informal sessions, and it’s a great
way to blend your instrument and voice
into an ensemble. This year, we’re again
mixing it up and giving you a chance to
jam with some of MBOTMA’s favorite
old-time, Cajun, and bluegrass bands.
All these jams will be held at The
Gathering Place, but as you walk or ride
one of the free Kickoff shuttles around
the festival campground, bluegrass and
old-time musicians will be keeping the
campfires burning with jamming around
the clock.—Ann Iijima
6:00 PM, Friday, the Eelpout Stringers
will take the lead on some old-time
tunes. The ‘Pouts are mostly “Old
Fogies” who love playing old-time string
band music. The group is comprised
of Nick “Fin” Rowse (fiddle), Craig
“Bullhead” Evans (banjo), Loyd “Keeper”
Mitchell (guitar), and Karl “Gill” Burke
(bass). They enjoy playing the music
that gets your toes a-tappin’, or singing
ballads that please your heart and touch
your soul. You can see, hear, learn lots
more about them, and buy their CDs
Rockin’ the Boat and the just-released
Waterbound at www.eelpoutstringers.
com.
11:00 AM, Saturday, Beginner’s
Slo-Jam at The Gathering Place. Both
the beginner and the later 3 p.m. intermediate level slo-jam will be led by jam
master extraordinaire Bill Cagley, and
both will be at The Gathering Place.
1:00 PM, Saturday, DL Cajun Band
will join the jamming circle! Ask the
band how to get ’em and keep ’em dancing. The DL Cajun Band plays Cajun
music from the prairies and bayous of
Southwest Louisiana: two steps, waltzes,
blues with Cajun accordion, fiddle,
guitar, triangle, snare, bass, and French
vocals. The group draws from the time
when the Saturday night dance was the
community’s main form of entertainment and socialization. Before electricity
and amplification, the acoustic instruments and voice were the only way of
making music. www.dlcajunband.com.
2:00 PM, Saturday, stick around for a
bluegrass jam with the Platte Valley Boys,
the first bluegrass band to be inducted
into the Minnesota Rock & Country Hall
of Fame! The Platte Valley Boys formed
in 1975, and this year they are celebrating
40 years playing some of the best bluegrass music in the Upper Midwest. Their
hard-driving, traditional bluegrass style
and tight vocal harmonies will keep the
Gathering Place hopping. You’re sure to
have a great time when Ron Colby, Scott
Stebbins, Tony Andreason, Tom Schaefer,
and Ross Willits are in the house!
May 2015
The Great Minnesota Ukulele
Gathering!
The annual Minnesota ukulele weekend
celebration, a get-together for all ukulele
players (or want-to-be players), will be
held this year in conjunction with the
Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff at El
Rancho Mañana with workshops, jams,
and sing-alongs for all skill levels, plus
food, camping, and lots of free ukerelated giveaways!
The Kickoff has a rich history of
playing ukuleles, uke jams and uke
workshops. Together, the Kickoff and
the Ukulele Gathering give beginner to
advanced uke players a venue with topnotch facilities. In addition to the main
stage band performances at the Kickoff,
there will be ukulele workshops in a
dedicated Uke Tent, organized uke jam
sessions in a number of other locations,
and a uke open mic in the Ranch House
on Saturday afternoon.
So, whether you are a ukulele, banjo,
guitar, mandolin, bass, fiddle, or other
acoustic player, the Kickoff is a musician’s dream! —Tony Anthonisen
May 2015
Twenty bands are scheduled to perform
on the Main Stage of the Minnesota
Homegrown Kickoff. Show times are 6
to 11 p.m. Friday, 12 to 11 p.m. Saturday,
and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The list
of bands for 2015 includes The Roe
Family Singers, Pushing Chain, The
Long Shots, The Moss Piglets, The SplitShot Sinkers, Mother Banjo, Timbre
Junction, Bob & Lynn Dixon, Singleton
Street, The Sawtooth Brothers, No Man’s
Stringband, Pickin’ Up Steam, The
Froemming Family, Platte Valley Boys,
The Mark Kreitzer Band, Purdy River
Band, Curtis & Loretta, Crooked Grass,
and Blue Groove.
Our cover story on local-bandmakes-good No Grass Limit begins on
page 5.
Don’t forget to bring your lawn
chairs. And remember there is no display
of alcohol allowed in the concert area.
—Matt Johnson
Blue Groove draws material from
a number of past and current bluegrass artists. The Blue Groove sound
leans towards a more contemporary or
progressive sound, while maintaining
ties to traditional bluegrass.
The band, based in Minneapolis/
Saint Paul, is made up of veteran players
and singers, as well as some new faces in
the local bluegrass scene. Members are
Adelle Hyrkas, lead vocals and rhythm
guitar; Jim Krans, bass and vocals; David
Smith, banjo and vocals; Mike Keyes,
lead guitar, harmonica, and vocals; and
Brent Fuqua, mandolin and vocals.
Find them at www.
Bluegroovebluegrass.com;
Facebook: bluegroovemusic; Twitter:
bluegroovegrass
Bob & Lynn Dixon’s music draws heavily from the early days of American
recording: The Carter Family, the
Delmore brothers, Charlie Poole, Ernest
Stoneman, and the like—old songs that
never grow old. Along with their sweet
duet harmonies, Bob plays guitar and
mandolin, Lynn the fiddle and guitar.
Both Bob and Lynn were fully
immersed in the ’60s folk boom when
they met in a college music theory class.
More and more of their time is spent
playing and exploring old-time songs
and fiddle tunes. Known for doing “the
best Carter Family in town” they keep
finding more Carter Family songs to
sing. From Tommy Jarrell and others,
they have lately been learning some
hard-driving, fiddle-centric songs.
Scandinavian immigrant tunes are
making their way into the Bob and Lynn
show. Involvement with Clawhammer
Mike’s “Minnesota Fiddle Tunes Project”
to revive tunes of Upper Midwestern
fiddlers provides a treasure trove of great
dance tunes. And musician friends have
been feeding Swedish and other Nordic
tunes to Lynn over the years.
They have taught workshops in
duet-singing, old-time guitar, and
Nordic fiddle tunes. They also play in
dance bands for contradance, English
country dance, and family dances.
Their CD, Blue-Eyed Boatman, was
released in 2009. Find them at www.
bobandlynndixon.com; facebook:
BobAndLynnDixon.
Crooked Grass is a Minneapolis based
string band made up of Laura Triplett
on vocals and guitar, Matt Johnson on
mandolin, Peter Ashley on guitar, Jim
Eller on bass, and Dustin Pascoe on
11
Uke Gathering schedule:
7:30 PM, Friday, The Gathering
Place: Bluegrass & Yellow Book Jam
with Tony Anthonisen (for all skill
levels with help for beginners)
9:00 AM, Saturday, The Gathering
Place: Old-Time Uke “Learn & Play”
with Peter Albrecht (for all skill
11:00 AM, Saturday, Uke Tent:
Playing Unique Parts In A Tune
workshop with Emily Wright (for
advanced and beginner+)
1:00 PM, Saturday, Uke Tent: Western
Swing Uke workshop with Brian
Barnes (for advanced and beginner+)
2:15–4:30 PM, Saturday, Ranch
House: Ukulele Open Mic with Emily
and Doug Wright (for all skill levels)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Uke Tent:
Making A Uke Song Your Own
workshop with David Reminger aka
Ukester Brown (for all skill levels)
Saturday, 5:30 p.m., The Gathering
Place: Yellow & Blue Book Ukulele
Jam with Brian Knilans (for all skill
The Bands!
Music Association’s Race for a Place
Band Competition. Combining skillful
instrumentation, inspiring song selection, creative arrangements and clever
audience interaction, The Long Shots
will surely get your toes tapping and put
a smile on your face.
the banjo. This group brings an upbeat
energy to crafty originals and creates
their own take on classic bluegrass songs.
Catch them every second Friday at the
Driftwood Char Bar in Minneapolis and
at other locations.
Curtis & Loretta’s music comes straight
from the heart. Named “Best Acoustic
Performer of the Twin Cities” by City
Pages, the Minneapolis husband and
wife duo’s extraordinary harmonies
and proficiency on a parade of stringed
instruments create an alluring frame
for their poignant original songs and
carefully chosen traditional pieces from
the British Isles, America, and beyond.
Their current instrumental menagerie
includes mandocello, guitar, clawhammer banjo, folk harp, ukulele, plus a
bit of kazoo, harmonica, and shakers.
Curtis’ down-home sense of humor and
Loretta’s theater background engage the
audience in an experience that runs the
gamut of rolling with laughter to holding
back tears, with plenty of side-trips in
between.
Rick Mason wrote in the Minneapolis
City Pages A-List, “Curtis and Loretta
are in many ways the quintessential folk
duo: finely honed vocal harmonies of
multidimensional intrigue, abundant
talent on an array of stringed instruments, deep traditional roots, great originals, and equally strong strains of gravity and playful irreverence.” They perform across the country and have made
eight recordings. They’ve received two
grants from the Minnesota State Arts
Board; an Arts Tour Minnesota grant
in 2010, and an Artist Initiative grant
in 2015. This year’s grant project will
culminate with a CD of all new songs
written by Loretta. They are also on the
South Dakota Arts Council Touring Arts
roster.
12
The Froemming Family Gospel &
Bluegrass Band has been playing music
for the last six years and have two CD's
with many original songs: Willing Heart
(2012) and Blind From Looking (2014).
The band includes Anna (Mom) on
bass. Ruth 20, plays the mandolin and
guitar and is a lead vocalist. She is currently pursuing a music degree from St.
Cloud State University. Faith, 17, plays
fiddle and guitar. She shares lead vocals
with Ruth and is the band’s song writer.
Elsie, 15, sings and plays banjo, and Carl,
12, plays bass, guitar and sings as well.
The family lives on a little acreage
outside of Eden Valley, Minnesota near
Manannah. www.froemmingfamily.com
The Long Shots’ repertoire ranges from
originals and traditional bluegrass to
alternative newgrass, which reflects the
band members’ childhoods steeped in
bluegrass music. Sophie Galep (mandolin), Carl Sones (guitar), Jacob Ashworth
(banjo), and Gaby Regnier (bass)
barnstormed venues across Minnesota
and Wisconsin, and were selected by
management of Grammy-winning band
The Steep Canyon Rangers as an opening act, all while infecting their audiences with high-energy and irrepressible
drive onstage.
Galep and Sones are award-winning
musicians, both placing in the top five at
the 2013 Minnesota Guitar Flatpicking
Championships. In November of 2013,
the band also placed second in the
Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time
The Mark Kreitzer Band brings
together exceptional musicians who,
combined, can play at least a dozen
instruments. Their take-no-prisoners
bluegrass will get your feet tapping and
hearts pounding, from the traditional
sounds of the Stanley Brothers and Flatt
and Scruggs, to original songs that draw
on influences from Bill Monroe to the
Beatles.
Mark Kreitzer (guitar, banjo, fiddle,
bass, mandolin, mandocello, mandola,
Dobro, ukulele), is a prolific songwriter and recipient of MBOTMA’s first
Favorite Bluegrass Songwriter award.
Mark has recorded two CDs of his originals: Pages and The Mark Kreitzer Band.
Anthony Ihrig (banjo, dobro, guitar,
vocals), a former rock and roll drummer,
has spent the last ten years making a
name for himself in the Upper Midwest’s
booming acoustic music scene. In 2006,
he cofounded The High 48s, one of the
premier traditional bluegrass bands in
the region and winners of the prestigious
RockyGrass Bluegrass Band Competition
in Lyons, Colorado.
Chuck Kreitzer’s (bass, vocals)
brother Mark led him and his classically
trained bass astray, and Chuck joined
Mark first in the Middle Spunk Creek
Boys, and now in the Mark Kreitzer
Band. Chuck played for a number of
years with the St. Paul Civic Orchestra,
Bloomington Symphony, and the
Metropolitan Orchestra, and has been
teaching strings (violin, cello, bass, and
viola) in Hopkins public schools for 30
years.
May 2015
“Doctor Tom” Schaefer (fiddle)
started medical school in 1975, and, not
having enough to do, started learning
to fiddle, quickly becoming the South
Dakota State Fiddle Champion and
North Dakota State Fiddle Champion.
He often sits in with other local groups,
including seven at the 2012 MBOTMA
Winter Bluegrass Weekend, possibly
setting a festival record! Tom’s fiddling
has been recorded on more than 60
CD’s, and he has performed with many
notable performers, including Country
Music Hall of Famers Hank Thompson
and Jethro Burns, Grammy winners
Riders in the Sky and Clay Hess, Texas
Playboy alumni Tiny Moore and Eldon
Shamblin, and Bluegrass Boy alumnus
Bob Black.
May 2015
No Man’s String Band
Influenced by the classics and
inspired by the modern, the No Man’s
String Band play their own concoction of a familiar sound. In 2013 the
band released their debut album, Let
The Truth Be Told, which has enjoyed
regular airplay on 88.5 FM Bluegrass
Saturday Morning, and highlights the
musical breadth of these young musicians through hard driving songs,
inspirational stories, and inventive
instrumentals. In 2014 the band was
awarded “First Runner Up” in the
Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time
Music Association Race For A Place
band contest.
Pickin up Steam plays high-energy
bluegrass with blazing solos, crisp
harmonies, and thoughtful, unique
arrangements. Each artist brings to
the group a wide variety of influences,
including rock, jazz, blues, folk, country
and traditional bluegrass. The group
also places great emphasis on the vocal
aspect of its performance singing in wellblended three-part harmony.
Pickin’ up Steam is Barry St. Mane
(banjo), Lincoln Potter (guitar, harmonica and vocals), Pete Brooks (bass and
vocals), and Dale Martell (mandolin,
guitar and vocals).
Platte Valley Boys have existed in
many forms over their 40 years since
forming in 1975 in Jim Stebbins' home
in Bloomington, Minnesota. Jim, Ron
Colby, Jerry Lee, and Howard Pine were
the original band.
Over the years, many of the area’s
finest musicians have been Platte
13
The Moss Piglets have a unique,
high-energy, modern take on old-time/
bluegrass, along with hints of blues,
rock, country, and reggae, featuring
creative original music and tasty cover
tunes. The band typically uses the retro
style single mic technique with purely
acoustic instruments. This arrangement
provides an honest sound and dynamic
stage show, from house party to stadium.
The Moss Piglets are Ian Gamble on
banjo and guitar, Brin Peterson on
mandolin, John Barcay on melodica,
hurdy gurdy and saw, John Goolsby on
guitar, and George Payne on bass.
As of March 2015, the Piglets are in
the final mixing stages of their fourth
disc. The project is being recorded at
Arcata studios with Ric Lee. There will
be 16.5 songs in the project, including
both rootsy “live in the studio” recordings, as well as unabashed ‘use the studio
as an instrument’ songs that will cement
the Piglets’ status in the MBOTMA
“related” category. Watch for the CD
sometime this summer, available at
www.mosspiglets.com.
Mother Banjo, features Ellen Stanley,
a New England-raised, Minneapolisbased songwriter on banjo and vocals.
Called “an outstanding poet” (Inside
Bluegrass), she was a Midwest Finalist
for the prestigious Mountain Stage New
Song Contest and has been featured
nationally on SiriusXM Radio and CMT.
com. Her latest album, The Devil Hasn’t
Won, is an Americana gospel collection
recorded with her all-star 5-piece band
and produced by Steve Kaul (The Brass
Kings). Hailed for its “finely wrought,
earthy arrangements” (City Pages), it
was released with a sold-out show at the
Dakota Jazz Club. Returning by popular
demand to the Minnesota Homegrown
Kickoff, the Mother Banjo Band is
known for its grassy groove, soulful
vocals and engaging live performances.
Contact: 612-281-1364.
Comprised of guitar player Justin
Rosckes, accordionist Melissa Hentges,
mandolinist Nic Hentges, Lindsey
Bordner on fiddle, and Pat Loftus on
bass, the No Man's String Band hits the
road hard to bring you the best of the
American bluegrass tradition.
(See review, p. 8)
Valley Boys and Girls; they could fill a
Who’s Who of Minnesota Bluegrass. In
2007, The Platte Valley Boys were the
first Bluegrass Band inducted into the
Minnesota Rock & Country Music Hall
of Fame. The tradition continues with
hard driving instrumentation and tight
harmony vocals and, what some have
called, “bluegrass soul.”
Today, the band includes Ron Colby
(banjo), Scott Stebbins (mandolin),
Tony Andreason (guitar), Catie Jo Pidel
(fiddle), and Ross Willits (bass).
While Catie Jo is off to Europe following her career path (she’ll be back),
the superb fiddler, Tom Schaefer, will be
filling in with the boys, as he has done
many times in the past.
Boyd’s originals have been winning
songwriting awards (2012 Big Top
Chautauqua and 2014 River Falls Roots
& Bluegrass Upper Midwest Songwriter
of the Year). Pushing Chain plays
original songs, covers of classic artists
like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Nina
Simone, and some fresh new takes on old
folk songs. The duo also features tight
harmonies and keep performances fresh
and exciting, even if you’ve seen them
before.
night since 2005. They’ve shared the
stage with Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley,
Mike Seeger, Del McCoury, the Grascals,
and Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur.
In 2011 the band was awarded the
prestigious McKnight Fellowship for
Performing Musicians; they won the title
of “World’s Best Jug Band” twice, in 2010
& 2012 at the annual Battle of the Jug
Bands; and, in 2012, won the Minnesota
Duet Contest at the MN State Fair.
The Roe Family Singers mix original
music and contemporary takes on oldtime, traditional, and gospel tunes into
one roiling and rollicking river of fresh
yet familiar American music. Every performance raises a ruckus.
www.roefamilysingers.com; facebook:
roefamilysingers; pappyroe@yahoo.com
Pushing Chain isn’t afraid to invite
others up to the stage. This has led to
some great evenings featuring such
friends as drummers J.T. Bates and
Robin Anders, accordionist Radislav
Lorkovic, mandolin player Chris Silver,
and guitarists Jef Cerniak and Dean
McGraw, along with many, many more.
Find out more at www.pushingchain.
com.
Sawtooth Brothers
The Purdy River Band
Formed in 2013, The Purdy River
Band performs primarily original music
in the traditional and contemporary
style of bluegrass along with classic standards, instrumentals, and gospel. The
members are Chuck Lahr from northeast
Iowa, founding member of the group;
Dave and Beth Anderson from southeast
Minnesota; and Jon Anderson from the
Minneapolis area. The members are
diverse in their musical talents, bringing
together many years of experience. A CD
of Chuck’s originals was released in 2014
with a second CD of originals due for
release in early summer 2015.
Pushing Chain was formed in 2012 by
Boyd Blomberg and Adam Moe who
have been performing together since
1997. They play roots and Americana
music, featuring Boyd on guitar and
Adam on the fiddle. Their folky-tonk
sound has been winning them fans
throughout the Midwest, including an
invitation to sing the National Anthem
at the Twins/White Sox game, and
14
The Roe Family Singers are a goodtime, old-time Hillbilly band from the
tiny community of Kirkwood Hollow,
Minnesota. Led by wife and husband
Kim Roe (Best Female Vocalist, City
Pages/Village Voice) and Quillan Roe
(Accident Clearinghouse), the band
marries old-time sounds from barndances, fiddle pulls, and county fairs
with the rock & roll passion of youth.
Featuring banjo, autoharp, guitar,
and Appalachian clogging, the band and
family of fans have been regularly filling
Minneapolis’ 331 Club every Monday
Dazzling audiences with precision
picking and sharp harmonies developed
over eight years of playing, performing,
and growing up together as the Sawtooth
Bluegrass Band, Clint, Ethan, Jesse,
and Luke have created a strong musical rapport with one another, which is
now channeled through their infectious
original material under a new name, the
Sawtooth Brothers.
Their sound is rooted in traditional
bluegrass instrumental and harmony
work and is influenced by the modern
acoustic sounds of Nickel Creek, the
Punch Brothers, and the Steep Canyon
Rangers. Further influence comes from
the eclectic listening habits of the band
members, which range from Frank
Sinatra to Eric Church, and The Who to
The 1975.
During a live performance by the
Sawtooth Brothers, audiences can expect
creative original songs, hard driving
bluegrass, classic country, gospel, and
May 2015
classic rock. Tying it all together is the
band’s ability to put on a good show.
The Sawtooth Brothers have gained
a reputation as sincere and hardworking
professionals. They’ve shared the stage
with Garrison Keillor and Dr. Ralph
Stanley, and are the winners of the 2008
MBOTMA Race for a Place. Guitarist
Clint Birtzer is a three-time Minnesota
Flatpicking Guitar Champion, as well
as the 2015 SPBGMA Midwest Guitar
Performer of the Year. He and Jesse
Moravec also won the 2011 Minnesota
Duet Championship. Fiddle player Luke
Birtzer is winner of the 2010 Bluegrass
Idol competition.
Singleton Street plays bluegrass,
old-time, Celtic, and Americana music
with tight harmonies, energetic arrangements, and a fun, friendly stage presence. They’ve been playing throughout
Minnesota and Wisconsin for over a
decade. Singleton Street includes Sherri
Leyda on guitar and lead vocals, Jimmy
Newkirk on bass and vocals, and Chuck
Leyda on mandolin, octave mandolin,
guitar and vocals.
A typical Singleton Street performance might include some gospel and
few murder ballads, some songs of love
and some highway of regret, a little
Saturday night and a little Sunday morning but always a good time had by all!
www.singletonstreet.com.
May 2015
Timbre Junction has been together
for about 12 years and consists of Mike
Regouski on banjo, guitar and Dobro,
Stan Chew on guitar, mandolin and
vocals, Amy Ferman on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, and Karen Radford on
upright bass and vocals. Although the
instrumentation is bluegrass, they mix it
up with a variety of bluegrass, old time,
classic country, and folk tunes.
Mike is a self-taught Scrugg’s-style
banjo player and he gives the group
its definitive bluegrass sound. He also
enjoys working up many of the instrumental arrangements for the group.
Amy has been playing music for
nearly 30 years and in addition to fiddle,
she plays banjo, guitar and bass. She has
played in various bluegrass and country
bands over the years.
Stan is originally from Maryland and
his relaxed and fun approach to making
music reflects Timbre Junction's style.
His contributions range from bluegrass
to folk, blues and western swing.
Karen played the bass in elementary through senior high school and
thought she’d never play again after
graduation. What a surprise when her
uncle called her about an opportunity
to play in a band about 15 years ago and
she accepted! Even though Karen’s bass
holds the beat of the music, she really
enjoys singing. The variety of music the
group plays allows her to try on many
different vocal styles from country
crooning to driving bluegrass to the
cowboy yodel.
Timbre Junction’s enthusiasm for
making music lets the audience feel the
energy in each song.
See the Main Stage lineup on page
16. And check back with minnesotabluegrass.org for updates to the schedule.
Congratulations to The Platte Valley Boys who celebrate 40 years as a band in 2015!
The original members of PVB (l-r): Jerry Lee, Ron Colby, Jim Stebbins, and Howard
Pine. Photo: Scott Stebbins (aged 12; 1975)
15
The Split-Shot Sinkers play roots,
bluegrass, old-time and original music
in the Twin Cities. Influenced by eclectic
artists ranging from The Grateful Dead
to Pink Floyd to Doc Watson, the
Split-Shot Sinkers inject an enjoyable,
laid-back groove into traditional music.
Members include two-thirds of the
legendary power trio TresMoto: Bob
Doe (guitar) and Chris Boone (mandolin). This latest project introduces Leif
Sjostrom on bass.
www.splitshotsinkers.com.
2015 Kickoff Tentative
Entertainment Schedule
MAIN STAGE FRIDAY MC: 6:10 Roe Family Singers 7:00 Pushing Chain 7:50 Long Shots MC: 8:40 Moss Piglets 9:30 Split-‐Shot Sinkers 10:20 Roe Family Singers SATURDAY MC: 12:20 No Grass Limit 1:10 Mother Banjo 2:00 Timbre Junction MC: 2:50 Bob & Lynn Dixon 3:40 Singleton Street 4:30 Sawtooth Brothers MC: 6:10 No Man’s Stringband 7:00 Pickin’ Up Steam 7:50 Froemming Family 8:30 Volunteer Prize Drawings MC: 8:40 Platte Valley Boys 9:30 No Grass Limit 10:20 Mark Kreitzer Band SUNDAY MC: 10:50 Sawtooth Brothers 11:40 Purdy River Band 12:30 Curtis & Loretta MC: 1:20 Crooked Grass 2:10 Blue Groove 3:00 Froemming Family For More Information:
RANCH HOUSE LIVE FRIDAY Open Mic: 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, & 11:30 SATURDAY 2:15-‐4:30 PM Ukulele Open Mic with Emily and Doug Wright. Open Mic: 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, & 11:30 WORKSHOP TENT SATURDAY 11:00 Songwriters Round Robin 1:00 Flatpicking Guitar with Sophie Galep & Carl Sones 2:00 Mandolin Tips with Nic Hentges & Justin Rosckes 3:00 Fiddle w/Tom Schaefer 4:00 Banjo with Mark Kreitzer 5:00 Guitar Up The Neck with Lew Tousignant GATHERING PLACE FRIDAY 6:00 Jam With The Band with The Eelpout Stringers 7:30 Bluegrass & Yellow Book Uke Jam SATURDAY 9:00 Old-‐Time Uke “Learn & Play” Jam 11:00 Beginner’s Slow Jam with Bill Cagley 1:00 Jam With The Band with DL Cajun Band 2:00 Jam With The Band with The Platte Valley Boys 3:00 Intermediate Level Slow Jam with Bill Cagley 5:00 Yellow & Blue Book Ukulele Jam GREAT MN UKE GATHERING FRIDAY 7:30-‐9:00 PM (Gathering Place) Bluegrass & Yellow Book Uke Jam with Tony Anthonisen. For all skill levels with help for beginners. SATURDAY 9:00-‐10:30 AM (Gathering Place) Old-‐Time Uke “Learn & Play” with Peter Albrecht. For all skill levels with help for beginners. 11:00-‐12:00 PM (Uke Tent). Playing Unique Parts In A Tune with Emily Wright. For advanced and beginner+. 1:00-‐2:00 PM (Uke Tent). Western Swing Uke Workshop with Brian Barnes. For advanced and beginner+. 2:15-‐4:30 PM (Ranch House). Ukulele Open Mic with Emily and Doug Wright. For all skill levels. 2:15-‐3:15 (Uke Tent). TBA. For all skill levels. 3:30-‐4:30 PM (Uke Tent). Making A Uke Song Your Own with David Reminger (Ukester brown). For all skill levels. 5:00-‐6:30 PM (Gathering Place). Yellow & Blue Book Ukulele Jam with Brian Knilans. For all skill levels with help for beginners. SUNDAY 9:30 Non-‐Denominational Service with Jack Trosen www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org
info@minnesotabluegrass.org
800-635-3037
Brand New Strings: At Southeast Technical’s
Student Guitar Show, newly-built instruments
will be played, displayed
By Katryn Conlin
May 2015
SETech luthierie student Justin Ness preps his OM-style guitar for the upcoming
show. Photo: Katryn Conlin
“We always have an amazing range
of instruments,” says guitar program
instructor David Vincent. “The work
the students do is very high quality.
People who love guitars and any stringed
instrument will enjoy seeing the new
instruments on display and hearing
them played for the first time on stage by
professional musicians.”
Justin Ness is a first year student in
the program. He built a Larson-braced
OM-style guitar with Sitka spruce top,
Honduras mahogany back and sides,
and ebony fingerboard. Adding to the
challenge, he crafted a slotted headstock,
a traditional pyramid-style bridge, and
inlaid the fingerboard with a traditional
diamonds and dots pattern. He also took
the electric guitar course and built a
bass.
“Before coming here, I had built cigar
box guitars that could be tuned, but
nothing like the guitars I am working
on at Southeast Technical. My grandfather was a carpenter so I spent my
childhood in his workshop; I had done
woodworking but never to this extent,”
Justin relates. “I thought I knew the
basics of setting up a guitar since I had
always worked on my own equipment,
but I have found out so much more here.
I feel confident that I can do a task in a
professional way now.”
Justin says he is really looking forward to the Student Guitar Show. “We all
went through the guitar build together
and helped each other out along the
way. It will be extremely rewarding to
hear all of the instruments played and
to finally play everyone else’s guitars. It’s
like going guitar shopping but nothing’s
for sale!”
The Student Guitar Show is on
Tuesday, May 12, 2015, from 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m., Minnesota State College –
Southeast Technical, 308 Pioneer Road,
Red Wing, Minnesota. Admission is free
and the public is welcome to attend.
17
Talk about brand-new old-time! Michael
Opp, a student in the second-year guitar
program at Minnesota State College –
Southeast Technical, is at work building
an acoustic hurdy-gurdy and getting it
ready to play at this year’s Student Guitar
Show.
The Student Guitar Show takes place
on Tuesday, May 12, from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m., on the college’s Red Wing campus.
Almost 80 new musical instruments will
be exhibited and played in concert by
Bill Cagley, Sarah Cagley, Mike Cramer,
and Phil Heywood.
In the case of Michael Opp’s hurdygurdy, he’ll have to play it himself. After
all, he’s one of the few hurdy-gurdy
virtuosos in the region. The medieval
French instrument contains a rosined
wheel that scrapes against interior
strings when cranked. The player turns
the crank with the right hand while
pressing keys with the left. Because there
are drone strings, the resulting sound is
something like a cross between a fiddle
and a bagpipe.
Despite the hurdy-gurdy’s medieval
origin, you might find Michael playing
common tunes like “St. Anne’s Reel”
and “Red Haired Boy” in bluegrass jam
sessions on campus. Somehow he makes
it fit in among the sounds of mandolin, fiddle, guitar and banjo played by
students, faculty and staff in lunchtime
jams held most Thursdays.
Of course the hurdy-gurdy is an
exception at the Student Guitar Show.
Most of the instruments on display will
be guitars. Every student in the first year
program builds a flat-top guitar and has
the option to build an electric guitar.
Second year students build at least at
least one archtop guitar or mandolin,
and design and build a project instrument of their choice. Violin repair program students have the option to build
a violin.
The fiddlers are coming! to Bluff Country
By Bob Bovee
For one weekend every year since 1999,
Lanesboro, Minnesota has become the
Midwest’s epicenter of old-time fiddle
music. The 17th Annual Bluff Country
Gathering, a celebration of American
traditional music and dance, will be
held May 14–17, 2015. And it’s not just
fiddlers, but guitarists, banjo pickers,
mandolin players, singers, clog dancers
and square dance callers who assemble
for two days of workshops, concerts, and
a big barn dance. For many old-time
musicians across the country, as well as
for local residents who enjoy the music
and dance, this has become a not-to-bemissed event.
Friday and Saturday daytime hours
are filled with instructional workshops
and showcase sessions that are for registered students only. The sessions include
such tantalizing titles as Singing with
the Banjo, Mandomazing (an advanced
mandolin class), Missouri Valley Fiddle,
Banjo Tunes of Western North Carolina,
Fingerstyle Guitar, and Fiddling with
Drive and Funkiness. There are workshop levels from beginning to advanced
and showcases where the fiddle and
banjo players on staff get to display some
of their favorite tunes. Full registration
for students is $225 and includes workshops, the concert and dance, a special
Thursday evening staff concert, and
lunches. The Thursday show gives students a chance to hear all the workshop
instructors and get an idea what sessions
they might like to attend. Although the
workshops are only open to registered
students, anyone can come and enjoy
the great music and dancing at the two
public events.
The Concert is Friday, May 15, at the
Lanesboro Community Center at 8 p.m.
Admission is $12 for an exciting evening
of music by Roger Cooper and Scott
Miller, Sheila Kay Adams, Dwight Lamb
and Kim Lansford, Joseph Decosimo and
Gail Gillespie, and Erynn Marshall and
Carl Jones. Saturday, May 16, is the Barn
Dance, also at the Community Center at
8 p.m. Admission for the dance is $8 and
18
music is provided by the same musicians
as the concert with Twin Cities’ favorite
Pop Wagner calling the figures.
A seventh-generation ballad singer,
storyteller, and
claw-hammer
banjo player,
Sheila Kay
Adams was
born and raised
in the Sodom
Laurel community of Madison
County, North
Carolina. In
2013 she received
the National Heritage Fellowship from
the National Endowment for the Arts.
Roger Cooper is one of only a handful of Lewis County, Kentucky fiddlers
of his generation to grow up performing
the region’s distinctive style of local
fiddling, learned from many notable
Kentucky fiddlers, including Buddy
Thomas. He is also a master artist teaching through the Kentucky Arts Councils’
Folk Arts Apprenticeship program. Scott
Miller, also from Kentucky, will be playing backup guitar and fiddle.
Raised in southeast Tennessee, Joseph
Decosimo is a traditional musician and
folklorist with a deep respect and love
for the older
music of the
South. In 2007,
he won the
National OldTime Banjo
Championship
at Uncle
Dave Macon
Days, and
his fiddling has earned him blue ribbons at prestigious contests including
the Appalachian Stringband Festival
(Clifftop) and the Tennessee Valley
Fiddlers Convention in Athens,
Alabama. Gail Gillespie, a master of
older, local styles of finger-picking banjo
and an exceptional guitar accompanist
will be performing with Decosimo.
Dwight
Lamb of
Onawa, Iowa
is returning for his
third time
as a master
at the Bluff
Country
Gathering.
Dwight’s
grandfather, Chris Jerup, played traditional Danish melodies and Americanstyle fiddle tunes on a single-row button
accordion and his father, Clarence
Lamb, played the fiddle. Dwight has
mastered both of these instruments.
Accompanying Lamb will be Kim
Lansford, the favorite back-up guitarist
of many an old-time fiddler and a compelling traditional singer.
Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones of
Galax, Virginia are old-time musicians
and inspired tunesmiths whose Southern
song-duets and soaring fiddle, guitar,
mandolin,
and banjo
tunes comprise their
diverse concert sets.
Erynn’s
awards
include a prestigious first place in fiddle
at the Appalachian Stringband Festival
(Clifftop) in West Virginia.
Well-known Twin City musician Pop
Wagner is also a nationally recognized
square dance caller focusing on the
traditional style square and big circle
dances.
For more information on the Bluff
Country Gathering, contact Bob Bovee,
bobngail@springgrove.coop, or check
www.boveeheil.com.
May 2015
Bluegrass Saturday Morning
By Phil Nusbaum
The Fund Drive
Thanks to the musicians who participated in the most recent
KBEM fund drive, featured on Bluegrass Saturday Morning on
March 21 and 28. They must have had the attention of listeners
because very few phone calls came in during live performance
segments, but the phones started ringing right after!
Steve Howard came over on March 21 to join me in a duet.
Then Marty Marrone and Eric Christopher of the High 48s, on
their way to a show in Minneapolis, came by that same day to
play and sing some hard driving bluegrass. On the 28th, Adam
Kiesling came over with his fretless banjo with the 12-inch rim,
followed by Kim and Quillan Roe of the Roe Family Singers.
Kim and Quillan were en route to a performance later in the
day at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul.
The first week of the fund drive on the show yielded about
55 pledges for over $6,000 and the second Saturday attracted
about 65 pledges for over $5,000. The total donations raised for
the two Saturdays were over $12,000. On-air fund-raising totals
are lower than, say, ten years ago, but KBEM-FM has been successfully asking for renewals via email and direct mail. Though
any pledge is accepted during on-air fund drives, these efforts
are targeted toward new members to the station. So, all in all, it
was a good showing for the program.
We have a crew of dedicated volunteers who answer the
phones. Some of the folks have been doing it for years. Every
task has ins and outs, and they certainly know the ins and outs
of KBEM fund raising. Hats off to them!
Business Support
Bluegrass Review supporters
• Cooperstands instrument stands, www.cooperstand.com
• Hoffman Guitars www.hoffmanguitars.com (hand crafted
Hoffman guitars, authorized Martin repairs)
• John Waddle Violins www.waddleviolins.com (dealer of
international & domestic, new & old violins, bows, cases)
• Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association
www.minnesotabluegrass.org (membership organization
supporting bluegrass experiences)
Weekly Playlists
Bluegrass Review playlists are located at www.bluegrassreview.
com. Just use the “playlists” link you’ll find at the top of the
page. Then click on “archives.”
Bluegrass Saturday Morning playlists are located at
www.jazz88fm.com.
The Bluegrass Review is made possible in part by a grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Bluegrass Review in Minnesota
Check www.bluegrassreview.com for a complete station list.
Station
Day
Time
KLQP-FM, 92.1 Madison
Monday
8 PM
KMSU-FM, 89.7 Mankato; 91.3 Austin
Sunday
10 AM
KBEM-FM, 88.5 Minneapolis
Saturday
11 AM
KSRQ-FM, 90.1 Thief River Falls
Sunday
11 AM
KQAL-FM, 89.5 Winona
Saturday
9 AM
KDDG-FM, 105.5 Albany
Saturday
9 PM
WTIP-FM, 90.7 Grand Marais
Thursday
10 PM
To promote your business locally, statewide, or nationally
through the Bluegrass Review, contact Phil Nusbaum: 651-2451527, pnusbaum@bitstream.net. For promotion through
Bluegrass Saturday Morning, your contact is Kevin Barnes:
612-668-1735, kbar264@aol.com.
KUMD-FM, 103.3 Duluth
Saturday
4 PM
KRWC-AM, 1360 Buffalo
Sunday
5 PM
And . . . back to programming
KOJB-FM, 90.1 Cass Lake
Sunday
6 PM
I’m oh-so-grateful to those who choose to support our kind of
community radio. But the great thing about fund raising is that
it ends and then it is back to normal. On the Bluegrass Review,
we’ll be investigating connections between Scandinavian folk
music and old-time music and bluegrass. Those segments will
be mixed in with all the others as the programs progress. As
ever, thanks for listening to both Bluegrass Saturday Morning
and the Bluegrass Review. This bluegrass outpost is really
quite a story. KBEM-FM delivers five hours of bluegrass every
week, much more than the typical station that carries bluegrass
programming. I am proud to be part of it.
KSCR-FM, 93.5 Benson
Sunday
6 AM
Attention All Bands
If you want to sell your music,
you need a good band.
If you want to sell your band,
you need good smiles!
Lloyd “Doc” Wallin, D.D.S. Cosmetic Dentistry
Burnsville, MN 55337 952-892-5050
(Free Consultation for MBOTMA Members)
May 2015
19
Catie Jo
Fest!
Your last chance to hear Catie Jo Pidel
“MBOTMA’s Favorite Fiddler” in 2015!
607 W Lake St Minneapolis MN
612.827.1726
May
FRI 8 –
Tommy Bentz Band
SAT 9 – Parisota Hot Club
FRI 15 –
Blue Groove
(New bluegrass band!)
SAT 16 –
Sundae & Mr. Goessl
(Jazz duo from Seattle)
FRI 22 –
Daddy Squeeze Band
FRI 29 –
The Barley Jacks
w/ Brian Wicklund
FRI 12 –
Becky Schlegel
June
SAT 13 – Bill Giese & The Pedestrians
FRI 19 –
Pat Donohue & Dan Newton
SAT 20 –
Chris Silver &
The Good Intentions
FRI 26 –
Mississippi Hot Club
SAT 27 –
Jon Garon & Assisted Picking
Music starts at 8pm
Find updates on Facebook
www.dulonospizza.com
20
Sat. May 2,
7:00pm
At SteppingStone Theatre
55 Victoria St. Saint Paul
Three Great Bands!
Jumpin’ Jo
& The
Catie Cats,
Switched
at Birth
AND
The Platte
Valley Boys
Produced by The Platte Valley Boys
Sponsored in part by the Minnesota Bluegrass
& Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA)
Tickets $10 in advance/ $12 at door
www.rdwillits.com | 612-964-7892
May 2015
8th Annual Northwoods Bluegrass Festival
June 12 & 13, 2015
Join us at the Rusk County Fairgrounds in Ladysmith WI
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE*
Friday, June 12, 2015
6 pm - 10 pm
Saturday, June 13, 2015
9 am - 9 pm
Ticket Prices:
Advance Sales: Fri. & Sat. $20.00
Gate Prices: Fri. only $10.00 * Sat. only $15.00
Age 15 & under FREE with paid adult admission





Bluegrass Instrument Workshops Sat.
Open mic on Saturday
Rusk County Historical Society events and Dairy
Breakfast on Saturday
This is a family friendly, no alcohol event
Camping on the fairgrounds Fri. & Sat.
Band Lineup includes:
Art Stevenson & High Water
The WoodPicks
Roller Mills String Band
Porcupine Creek
The Fish Heads
Northern Crossroads
Blue Wolf
www.northwoodsbluegrassfestival.com
Presented by the Greater Ladysmith Area Chamber of Commerce & Rusk County Tourism.
For more information call 715-532-7328.
Email: manager@ladysmithchamber.com or www.ladysmithchamber.com.
22
May 2015
23
May 2015
Four Time IBMA Event Of The Year Nominee!
August 6th-9th, 2015 - El Rancho Mañana
Richmond MN, 30 Minutes W of St Cloud (I-94 Exit #153 at Avon, 9 mi S on County 9)
A HOT RIZE REUNION featuring RED KNUCKLES & THE TRAILBLAZERS
and IBMA’s Entertainers Of The Year and Vocal Group Of The Year BALSAM RANGE
plus Red Molly, Eddie & Martha Adcock with Tom Gray, The Jumpsteady Boys,
Bucking Mules, The Bootlickers, Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, New Riverside Ramblers, Fish Heads, Bernie
King & The Guilty Pleasures, High 48s, The Good Intentions, Borderstone, Ivory Bridge, Porcupine Creek
Beautiful Main Stage  Shaded Seating Area  35 Hours of Concerts  Nightly Dances  Instrument Showcases
Children’s Activities  Over 20 Workshops  Plenty of Campground Jam Sessions  30 Merchant & Food Booths
Campground with Showers & Beach  Shuttle Transportation  A Welcome & Safe Environment  Kids Are Free!
Come for the Day – Camp for the Weekend – Call for Brochure
Thu-Sun Camping Package (per person)
Admission Thu thru Sun plus unimproved camping Thu, Fri, & Sat nights, $95 Gate, $85 Adv, $75 Member Adv
Single Day Tickets (per person)
Admission one day, no camping, $20 Thu or Sun Gate, $30 Fri or Sat Gate, $25 Adv (any day) $20 Member Adv (any day)
800-635-3037
www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org
Presented by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association and made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a
Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
August
27-30,
2015
ual
n
n
A
10th
Pine River, MN
Cass County
Fairgrounds
Featuring the Best in National & Regional Bluegrass Bands!
Plus camping, jamming, workshops, food & more!
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Celebrating 10 Year s!
Becky Buller
Festival Schedule
Gates Open Tues., 3pm
Wed. Night Old Time Dance
Main Stage
Thu. 5 - 11pm
Fri. & Sat. 11am - 11pm
Sun. 10am - 2pm
9 Time IBMA Fiddler of the Year!
Winner of 2 IBMA Awards in ‘14!
Nominated for IBMA
Songwriter of the Year ‘14!
Workshops
Fri. & Sat. 10am -5pm
Ticket Information & Purchase
Available Online
g:
layin
P
o
s
Al
Shaffers Lost 40
The Berge Family
Porcupine Creek
No Grass Limit
Sarah Mae & the Birkeland Boys
Special Consensus
Nightflyer
The Sawtooth Brothers
The Platte Valley Boys
Tommy Brown & County Line Grass
The Lonesome Tradition
800-728-6926
Lakesbluegrassfestival@gmail.com
www.LakesBluegrassFestival.com
MBOTMA
Calendar of Events
Concerts and events presented or supported by the Minnesota Bluegrass
& Old-Time Music Association
The following events are presented by the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA)
or supported in part by MBOTMA, and made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a
Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and
cultural heritage fund.
Presented by MBOTMA
Supported by MBOTMA
Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff Music Festival,
May 29–31, 2015, El Rancho Mañana, Richmond, MN. Threeday outdoor music and camping festival with 20 regional
groups performing bluegrass, old-time stringband, and related
forms of acoustic music. Advance tickets: $52 for the weekend including camping ($42 for members) or $20 daily ($15
member). Gate price: $60 for the weekend, including camping;
$20 Friday; $25 Saturday; and $10 Sunday. Teens are $5 and
kids are free. 800-635-3037 or www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org.
Catie Jo Fest, Saturday, May 2, 2015, 7 p.m., Stepping Stone
Theater, 55 Victoria St. N., Saint Paul. A concert celebration for
Catie Jo Pidel as she leaves for Europe for a year, featuring The
Platte Valley Boys, Switched At Birth, and Jumpin’ Jo & The
Catie Cats. Admission $10 advance/$12 door. For more information 612-964-7892 or www.rdwillits.com. Produced by The
Platte Valley Boys and supported in part by MBOTMA.
Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival,
August 6–9, 2015, El Rancho Mañana, Richmond, MN. Fourday outdoor music and camping festival with stage shows,
dances, workshops, showcases, children’s shows, demonstrations, crafts, and good food in five stage areas. 2015 performers
will include a Hot Rize Reunion with Red Knuckles & The
Trailblazers, Entertainers & Vocal Group of the Year Balsam
Range, Eddie & Martha Adcock with Tom Gray, Red Molly, The
Jumpsteady Boys, The Bucking Mules, and many more. $20 to
$30 daily at the gate or $85 for all four days in advance including camping ($79 before March 1). Additional discounts for
MBOTMA members. For information or tickets call 800-6353037 or visit www.MinnesotaBluegrass.org.
RecFest Bluegrass Festival, July 23–26, 2015, Recreation Park,
2nd St. NW, Milaca, MN. The 6th annual festival, with Shaffer’s
Lost 40, The Long Shots, Pride Of The Prairie, Barton’s Hollow,
Biscuit Boys, Northern Lights, Mathison Family Fiddlers,
Sarah Mae & The Birkeland Boys, and The Halvorson Family.
Admission $25 weekend + $30 per camping unit. 320-237-2657
or www.milacarecfest.com. Produced by Milaca Parks & Rec
and supported in part by MBOTMA.
Caponi Art Park Bluegrass Festival, Sunday, September
13, 2015, 12–6 p.m., Theater In The Woods, Caponi Art Park,
1220 Diffley Rd., Eagan, MN. A community celebration featuring music, clogging, children’s activities, and food trucks in
a beautiful outdoor venue. Adults $20; Age 6-12 $5; Under 5
free. For more information: 651-454-9412, www.caponiartpark.
org. Produced by the Caponi Art Park & Learning Center and
supported in part by MBOTMA.
Harvest Jam Acoustic Music Experience, November 20–22,
2015, Marriott Minneapolis West Hotel, 9960 Wayzata Blvd,
St. Louis Park. 10th annual event will feature stage shows
Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. The Race
For A Place Band Contest on Saturday, the Saturday Banquet
Dinner, Kip’s Live Open Mic in Kip’s Irish Pub throughout
the weekend, workshops, musical exhibitors, Sunday morning
gospel show, and lots of jam sessions. 800-635-3037 or www.
MinnesotaBluegrass.org. Lodging: Marriott, 952-544-4400, ask
for the special Minnesota Bluegrass rate.
Scott County Fair Bluegrass Festival, Sunday, July 26, 2015,
10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Scott County Fairgrounds, 7151 190th St.
W., Jordan, MN. Church service with music by Mary Lou &
The Rusty Strings at 10:30 a.m. followed by The High 48s,
Blue Drifters Duet, and The Roe Family Singers. Admission
$10 for parking. For more information 952-492-2436 or www.
scottcountyfair.com. Supported in part by MBOTMA.
28
May 2015
Coming Up
Venue abbreviations
331C: 331 Club, 331 13th Ave NE, Mpls, 612-331-1746,
www.331.mn
3Cr: Three Crows Cafe, 225 N River St, Delano, 763-972-3399,
www.thethreecrows.com
ACA: Acadia Cafe, 329 Cedar Ave, Mpls, 612-874-8702, www.
acadiacafe.com
AGr: Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe, 394 S Lake Ave, Duluth,
218-723-0075, www.amazinggraceduluth.com
APHC: “A Prairie Home Companion,” Minnesota Public Radio
AST: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main St, Mpls, 612-379-3138, www.
astercafe.com
BTC: Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield, WI,
888-244-8368, www.bigtop.org
BoDD: BoDiddley’s Pub and Deli, 129 25th Ave S, St. Cloud,
320-252-9475
CED: Cedar Cultural Center, 415 Cedar Ave S, Mpls, 612-3382674, www.thecedar.org
CJ: Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave, St Paul, 651-330-4685, www.
thecelticjunction.com
CrH: Creek House Concerts, New Brighton, 651-633-5353, www.
creekhouseconcerts.com
DAK: Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Mall, Mpls, 612-332-1010, www.
dakotacooks.com
DUL: 607 W Lake St, Mpls, 612-827-1726, www.dulonos.com
DuG: Dunn Brothers on Grand, 1569 Grand Ave, St. Paul
EAG: Eagles Club, 2507 E 25th St, Mpls, 612-729-4469, www.
Mplseagles34.org
FITZ: Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E Exchange St, St Paul, 651-2901200, www.fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org
GINK: Ginkgo Coffeehouse, 721 N Snelling Ave, St Paul,
651-645-2647, www.ginkgocoffee.com
GKb: Grand Kabaret, 210 N Minnesota St, New Ulm, 507-3599222, www.thegrandnewulm.com
HB: Harriet Brewing, 3036 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis
HOB: The Loft at Hobgoblin Music, 920 State Hwy 19, Red
Wing, 877-866-3936, www.stoneyend.com
HOPK: Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins,
952-979-1111, www.hopkinsartscenter.com
KIP: Kieran’s Irish Pub, 85 6th St N, Mpls, 612-339-4499, www.
kierans.com
KRAM: Kramarczuk’s Deli, 215 E Hennepin Ave, Mpls,
612-379-3018, www.kramarczuks.com
OAK: Oak Center General Store, 67011 Hwy 63, Lake City,
507-753-2080, www.oakcentergeneralstore.com
ROCK: Rockwoods, 9100 Quaday Ave NE, Elk River, 763-2224353, www.nograsslimit.com/RockwoodsCalendar.html
SHL: Sheldon Theatre, 443 W 3rd St, Red Wing, 800-899-5759,
www.sheldontheatre.org
TAP: Tapestry Folkdance Center, 3748 Minnehaha Ave S, Mpls,
612-722-2914, www.tapestryfolkdance.org
UMC: Underground Music Café, 1579 Hamline Ave N, Falcon
Hts, 651-644-9959, undergroundmusiccafe.com
ZUM: Crossings at Carnegie, 320 East Ave, Zumbrota, 507-7327616, www.crossingsatcarnegie.com
To post gigs and events to this calendar, request the link to our online submission form to editor@minnesotabluegrass.org
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
May 8
The High 48s, 3rd Annual Americana
Music Concert, University of St
Thomas, O’Shaughnessy Education
Center Auditorium, 2115 Summit Ave,
St Paul, featuring Robbie Fulks and Don
Stiernberg, 7pm (See page 23)
May 1—Friday
May 2015
June 7
Greenwood Tree, Shepherd’s Harvest
Sheep and Wool Festival, Washington
County Fairgrounds, Lake Elmo, 10am
http://shepherdsharvestfestival.org/
The Fish Heads, Beaner’s Central, 324
N Central Ave, Duluth, 218-624-5957,
Pete Fest, multiple bands, great food,
great folks and you get to meet PETE!
www.bigfishtunes.com, 5pm
• Prairiegrass, Blackwater Cafe, Maple
Plain, MN, 7pm
• Sweet Rhubarb, UMC, 7pm
• Curtis & Loretta, Paris-Belle Concert,
Williamsville, IL
• Mary Chapin Carpenter, State Theatre,
805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis,
800-982-2787, 7:30pm
• Mother Banjo, HON, 6pm
• Pushing Chain, Lutsen Resort, 5700
W. Hwy 61, Lutsen, MN, 218-663-7212,
7pm
May 2—Saturday
• Alternate Route, Black Sheep Coffee
Cafe, 705 Southview Blvd., South St.
Paul, MN, 651-554-0155, 10am
• The Barley Jacks, The Station Pub,
White Bear Lake, MN, 9pm
• Cheryl Wheeler, CED, 8pm
29
• Cheryl Wheeler, BoDD, 7:30pm
• Dick Kimmel and Jerilyn Kjellberg,
GKb, 8pm
• The Barley Jacks, Junior’s Bar and
Restaurant, River Falls, WI, 8pm
• The Flemming Fold, Evening of
Bluegrass/Gospel Music, Dassel-Cokato
Performing Arts Center, 4852 Reardon
Ave SW, Cokato, 320-286-4120,
Multiple bands, 7pm
May 16
May 2—Saturday
• Sawtooth Brothers, Ashland Folk
Festival, Northland College, 1411 Ellis
Ave S, Ashland, WI, 5pm
• Timbre Junction, UMC, 7pm
May 3—Sunday
May 13—Wednesday
• Monroe Crossing, Bluegrass and BBQ,
Branson, MO
• Monroe Crossing, Bluegrass Mass,
North Harford High School, Pylesville,
MD, 4pm
May 14—Thursday
• Roe Family Singers, 331C, 9pm
May 15—Friday
May 4—Monday
May 5—Tuesday
• Bob Bovee, Maplewood Library,
Maplewood, MN, 7pm
May 6—Wednesday
• Pushing Chain, Bent Paddle Brewing,
1912 W Michigan St, Duluth, MN, (218)
279-2722, 6pm
May 7—Thursday
• Curtis & Loretta, Robert Trail Library,
14395 S Robert Trail, Rosemount,
651-480-1200, 11am and 1pm
• Pert Near Sandstone, Reggies, Chicago
• Swamp Poppas, EAG, 7:30pm
May 8—Friday
• The Gated Community w/ Church of
Cash, Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Ave S,
Minneapolis, 612-276-6523, 9th anniversary and CD release $6 advance; $8
door, facebook.com/thegatedcommunityband, 11pm
• The High 48s, 3rd Annual Americana
Music Concert, University of St
Thomas, O’Shaughnessy Education
Center Auditorium, 2115 Summit Ave,
St Paul, featuring Robbie Fulks and
Don Stiernberg, 7pm (See page 23)
• No Man’s String Band, 318 Cafe,
318 Water St, Excelsior, MN, $10,
Reservations recommended, 612-3870196, 8pm
• Pert Near Sandstone, Madison Live,
Covington, KY, 8pm
• Pushing Chain, Lutsen Resort, 5700 W.
Hwy 61, Lutsen, MN, 218-663-7212
• Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder,
APHC, Nashville, TN, 4:45pm
• Pickin’ up Steam, Neumanns Bar &
Grill, 2531 E 7th Ave, North St. Paul,
7pm
May 11—Monday
• New Riverside Ramblers, EAG, 7:30pm
May 12—Tuesday
• Monroe Crossing, Bluegrass and BBQ,
Branson, MO
30
• Celtic Music Showcase with Paul
Garding, UMC, 7pm
• Southside Aces, EAG, 8pm
• Dan Preston and Deanna Paulzine,
BoDD, 7:30pm
• Blue Groove, DUL, 8pm
May 16—Saturday
• Brooks Williams, CrH, 7pm
• Greenwood Tree, Shepherd’s Harvest
Sheep and Wool Festival, Washington
County Fairgrounds, Lake Elmo, 10am
• The Flemming Fold, Central Square
Cultural and Civic Center, 105 2nd Ave
NE, Glenwood, MN, 7:30pm
• Pushing Chain, Excelsior Brewing, 421
3rd St, Excelsior, MN, 952-474-7837,
8pm
• Contra Dance with Pat O’Loughlin &
Friends, TAP, 7:30pm
May 17—Sunday
• Brooks Williams Workshop, CrH
• Monroe Crossing, House of Hope
Presbyterian Church, St Paul, MN, 2pm
• The Flemming Fold, St. Peter Lutheran
Church, 3030 Navajo Ave, Watertown,
MN, Outdoor German heritage festival
• Pushing Chain, Excelsior Brewing,
421 3rd St, Excelsior, MN 55331, (952)
474-7837, 8pm
• Swing Brunch with Patty and the
Buttons, AST, 11am
May 18—Monday
May 19—Tuesday
• Roots Music Showcase with Bill Cagley,
UMC, 7pm
May 20—Wednesday
• Country Music Showcase with Bill
Travers and Laura Moe, UMC, 7pm
May 21—Thursday
• Pickin’ up Steam, Bristol Ridge
Golf Course, 1978 County Road C,
Somerset, WI, 7:30pm
• Roe Family Singers, Rosemount
Community Center, 13885 S Robert
Trail, Rosemount, MN, $7 at the door
or at www.rosemountarts.com, 7pm
• Roots Music Showcase with Bill Cagley,
UMC, 7pm
• Mr. Rowles, EAG, 8pm
May 22—Friday
• Daddy Squeeze Dan Newton w/ Mark
Kreitzer, DUL, 8pm
May 23—Saturday
• Alan Munde Trio (with Dick Kimmel
& Adam Granger), Willisau 16th
Spring Bluegrass Festival, Willisau,
Switzerland
• Patty and The Buttons featuring
Connie Evingson, AST, 9pm
• Contra Dance with Greenwood Tree &
Judith Eisner, TAP, 7:30pm
• Jug Band Battle, AGr, 7pm
May 24—Sunday
& Adam Granger), Toogenblik,
Brussels, Belgium
Buttons, AST, 11am
• Jug Band Battle, AGr, 7pm
• Bob Bovee, Harkin Store Historical Site,
New Ulm, MN, 1pm
May 25—Monday
& Adam Granger), Big Bear Festival,
Zuidlaren, Holland
• Curtis & Loretta, Salo Park
Amphitheater, 39th Ave NE, St
Anthony Village, 7pm
May 26—Tuesday
& Adam Granger), Prague, Czech
Republic
• Bluegrass Showcase with Sarah Cagley,
UMC, 7pm
• Pickin’ up Steam, Neumanns Bar &
Grill, 2531 E 7th Ave, N St. Paul, 7pm
• The Fish Heads, Lighthouse at Emily’s,
218 Scenic Dr, Knife River, MN. No
cover, just great music and ambiance
on the Knife River, www.bigfishtunes.
com, 6pm
May 27—Wednesday
& Adam Granger), Partycentrum,
Wadway, Holland
May 2015
May 28—Thursday
June 4—Thursday
& Adam Granger), Het Blauwe Huis,
Harpel, Holland
• Rockin’ Pinecones, EAG, 7:30pm
• Claudia Schmidt’s Birthday Bash with
Dean Magraw, GINK
• Mark Kreitzer, International Fiddle
Camp, International Peace Garden,
10834 Peace Garden Drive, ND
• Pushing Chain, ROCK, 7:30pm
• Swamp Poppas, EAG, 7:30pm
May 29—Friday
& Adam Granger), Copenhagen,
Denmark
• The Barley Jacks, DUL, 8pm
• Chris Silver and The Good Intentions,
Junior’s Bar, River Falls, WI, 8pm
• Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff
Music Festival, El Rancho Mañana,
Richmond, Presented by MBOTMA,
May 29–31. See full schedule starting
on page 10.
• Monroe Crossing, Great River Arts
Center, Little Falls, MN, 7:30pm
May 30—Saturday
• The Skally Line, GKb
• Joe & Vicki Price, Falconer Vineyards,
3572 Old Tyler Rd, Red Wing, 651-3888849, 6pm
May 31—Sunday
• Alan Munde Trio (with Dick Kimmel &
Adam Granger), Combined Masters of
Bluegrass concert with Mark Johnson
and Emory Lester, Liestal, Switzerland
• The Flemming Fold, Glewwe’s Castle
Brewery, Prior Lake, MN, Open House/
Tasting Event
• Monroe Crossing, Mount Olivet
Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, 9am,
10am & 11am
• Pushing Chain, Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet
Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 612-276-6523,
11am
• Sawtooth Brothers, Flint Hills
International Children’s Fest, Rice Park,
St. Paul, MN, 3:15pm
Buttons, AST, 11am
• The Weepies w/ Kristina Train, FITZ,
7:30pm
June 2—Tuesday
June 3—Wednesday
• Monroe Crossing, Way Station
Concerts, Unitarian Church of Lincoln,
Lincoln NE
May 2015
• Mark Kreitzer, International Fiddle
Camp, International Peace Garden,
10834 Peace Garden Drive, ND
• Kris Delmhorst, Bryant Lake Bowl
Theater, 10pm, Presented by CED
• Monroe Crossing, Tallgrass Music
Festival, Skiatook OK
June 6—Saturday
• Contra Dance with Pig’s Eye Landing,
TAP, 7:30pm
• Monroe Crossing, Tallgrass Music
Festival, Skiatook OK
June 7—Sunday
• The Fish Heads, Beaner’s Central, 324
N Central Ave, Duluth, 218-624-5957,
Pete Fest, multiple bands, great food,
great folks and you get to meet PETE!
www.bigfishtunes.com, 5pm
• Summer Concert for Kids, featuring
Bunny Clogs, Clementown, Roe Family
Singers, CED, Benefit for Southside
Family Nurturing Center, 11:30am
June 9—Tuesday
• Sawtooth Brothers, Centerville Music
in Park, Hidden Spring Park, 1601
LaMotte Dr, Centerville, MN, 6:30pm
June 10—Wednesday
• Dick Kimmel & Jerilyn Kjellberg,
Gaylord, MN, Music on Main, 5pm
• Bob Bovee & Pop Wagner, Spring
Grove Park, Spring Grove, MN, 6pm
June 11—Thursday
• The Pine Hill Project: Lucy Kaplansky
& Richard Shindell, CED, 7:30pm
• Southside Aces, EAG, 8pm
• Monroe Crossing, Northwoods Friends
of the Arts Concerts, Saint Mary’s
Catholic Church, 124 Fifth Street SE,
Cook, MN
June 11–13
June 12—Friday
• Chris Silver Band, Day Block Brewery,
1105 S Washington Ave, Mpls, 9pm
• Porcupine Creek, Northwoods
Bluegrass Festival, Rusk County
Fairgrounds, Ladysmith, WI, www.
northwoodsbluegrassfestival.com, 7pm
• The Barley Jacks, Heritage Square Park,
Wabasha, MN, 7pm
• The Gated Community w/Church of
Cash, HB, $6 cover, 7pm
June 13—Saturday
• Bob Bovee & Pop Wagner, CrH, Creek
House concert by reservation only, 7pm
• Jon Vezner Songwriting Workshop,
Schmitt Music Recital Hall, 2906 W
66th St, Edina, mnsongwriters.org, 1pm
• The Barley Jacks, Somerset
Amphitheater, Somerset, WI, 9pm
• The Fish Heads, Northwoods Bluegrass
Festival, Rusk County Fairgrounds,
Ladysmith, WI, www.northwoodsbluegrassfestivall.com, 11am
• The Good Intentions, Loring Park
Music Festival, Loring Park, Mpls,
5:45pm
• Pushing Chain, Great Northern Radio
Show, Grand Marais, Venue & time
for live show TBA, listen at KAXE &
KBXE (Northern Community Radio):
Grand Rapids at 91.7 FM, Bagley at 90.5
FM, Brainerd at 89.9 FM, and Ely at
103.9 FM
• Contra Dance with Pat O’Loughlin &
Friends, TAP, 7:30pm
June 14—Sunday
• Blue Groove, Excelsior Art on the Lake,
Excelsior MN, 12pm, The ExcelsiorLake Minnetonka Chamber will host
its 35th annual Art on the Lake on June
13 & 14. Free parking & shuttle from
Mtka. High School, more info at excelsior-lakeminnetonkachamber.com/
art-on-the-lake
• Blue Ox Music Fest, Hosted by Pert
Near Sandstone. 3 Days of music near
Eau Claire, WI featuring: Yonder
Mountain String Band, Del McCoury
Band, Sam Bush Band, Greensky
Bluegrass, Infamous Stringdusters,
31
• Monroe Crossing, Bluegrass Tuesdays,
Warren County Courthouse Square,
Indianola IA
June 5—Friday
Pokey LaFarge, Hackensaw Boys, and
many more. Various ticket packages
available from www.blueoxmusicfestival.com
Grass Clippings
Bluegrass crowd-favorites Lorraine
Jordan & Carolina Road along with
Grammy award-winning The Kentucky
Headhunters have joined forces to
record and release “Runnin’ Water,” a
collaboration that can be found on the
forthcoming Country Grass, which will
be released by Pinecastle Records on
June 9. The music video for “Runnin’
Water,” premiered exclusively on The
Boot, and is available on iTunes. Radio
can download the new single via
AirplayDirect.
“We had so much fun making this
video, and I think it really shows,” says
Lorraine Jordan. “This is just a sample
of what's to come on this upcoming
project.”
The video was shot on location
in Kentucky where The Kentucky
Headhunters hit singles have been
recorded. In addition to The Kentucky
Headhunters, country music hit-makers T.G. Sheppard, Crystal Gayle, John
Conlee, Lee Greenwood, Lynn Anderson,
Eddy Raven, Jim Ed Brown, Kelly Lang
and Jesse Keith Whitley all serve up a
little classic country with a bluegrass
twist.
Learn more about Lorraine Jordan
& Carolina Road at www.carolinaroadband.com
In November, 2012, the International
Bluegrass Music Museum embarked
on the most exciting and challenging
project in its 23-year history—to build
a new International Bluegrass Music
Center. The center will house an exciting
new museum, as well as the International
Bluegrass Hall of Fame, a 500-seat stateof-the-art concert hall, an international
hall, teaching rooms, a research library,
and a rooftop restaurant overlooking the
Ohio River.
The City of Owensboro, Kentucky
is providing a free 99-year lease to the
museum for the riverfront property
upon which the new center will be built,
as well as contributing $3 million to the
project. The property comprises a city
block in the downtown area, and is adjacent to a convention center, hotels, and a
waterfront park.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear
announced in April that the state
of Kentucky will provide an additional $5 million towards the center.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for later
this summer, with completion expected
in 2017.
“The board is very grateful to the
state of Kentucky, in particular, the
governor and elected representatives,
for their tremendous support of our
New location!
4151 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis
(612) 767-2800 podiumguitars@gmail.com
-Bourgeois
-Breedlove
-Carmel
-Fairbanks
-Goodall
-Hoffman
-Huss&Dalton
-Hill
organization and the realization of bluegrass music as Kentucky’s gift to the
world,” said Rosemary Conder, chair of
the IBMC design committee.
The $13.5 million project will allow
the museum to house the world’s foremost collection of bluegrass artifacts,
memorabilia, and music recordings in
a safe environment for generations to
come.
For more information, contact Katie
Keller, Marketing Director IBMM,
Katie@bluegrassmuseum.org.
The 19th Annual Podunk
Bluegrass Music Festival is
sponsoring a songwriting contest. Winners receive cash prizes
and other amenities, including the
opportunity to appear on stage
during the August 6–9 Festival held
in Hebron, Connecticut. The contest
entry deadline is May 1, 2015. Rules
plus an entry form can be found
at www.podunkbluegrass.com.
-Kakos
-Kennedy
-Kopp
-Kronbauer
-Morris
-Santa Cruz
-Walden
-Walker
Premium Guitars, Amplifiers, and Repair
32
May 2015
Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical
Student Guitar Show
Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 11 am to 1 pm
308 Pioneer Road, Red Wing, MN
Admission: Free
Almost 80 extraordinary new flattops, archtops,
acoustic, electrics, mandolins, violins, ukeleles,
a hurdy gurdy... and more!
PLUS Raffle for a hand-made dreadnought
guitar built by David Vincent.
Raffle tickets only $5. Proceeds benefit the
Roger Benedict Memorial Scholarship fund.
More info: www.southeastmn.edu
redwingmusicrepair.org
redwingguitar.blogspot.com
May 2015
33
ARMADILLO
SOUND & DESIGN
Serving MBOTMA for over 25 years.
Complete production
services, sound and lights.
Custom speaker cabinets,
road cases, amp racks.
Complete studio
and live multi-track
recording with
Protools©.
You know Doug’s attention to
detail in the live concert…
Let him help you craft your next
recording project.
612-306-3490
douglohman@aol.com
34
AUTHORIZED
WARRANTY SERVICE
for
QUALITY
REPAIRS & ACCESSORIES
For All Fretted Instruments
C.F. Martin
Sigma
Gibson
Epiphone
CHARLES A. HOFFMAN, INC.
2219 East Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612–338–1079
May 2015
Concerts & Events Coming Up
Sunday, April 26
3 pm
The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass
with Minnesota Center Chorale
Paramount Theatre, 913 West St. Germain
St. Cloud, MN
320-257-0603
Sunday, May 3
4 pm
The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass
with Deer Creek Chorale
North Harford High School Theater, 211 Pylesville Road
Pylesville, MD
n/a
Branson, MO
800-475-9370
Tuesday, May 12
Wed, May 13
10:15 am,
12:30 &
2:45 pm Bluegrass & BBQ
Riverfront Playhouse, Silver Dollar City
10:15 am, 399 Indian Point Road
12:30 &
2:45 pm
House of Hope Sunday Series
House of Hope Presbyterian Church
797 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN
651-227-6311
Friday, May 29
7:30 pm
Great River Arts Association Concert
Great River Arts Center
122 First Street SE
Little Falls , MN
320-632-0960
Sunday, May 31
9, 10, &
11am
Volunteer Sunday
Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
5025 Knox Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
612-767-2263
Check out our new CD
2 pm
Sunday, May 17
“Because you asked ”
at monroecrossing.com
Go to www.MonroeCrossing.com for detailed information on all our concerts!
Booking: Art Blackburn, 844-monroeX or 763-213-1349, art@monroecrossing.com
May 2015
35
noun, often attributive 1: A pattern of parallel lines
where any two adjacent rows slope in opposite directions.
2:a; An inlayed trim feature (purfling) on Martin guitars
that signifies hand scalloped braces for greater projection.
2:b; Cuts through banjos without breaking a sweat.
Martin Guitars
Seemingly Recession-Proof since 1833
New
•
Used
•
Vintage
(651) 699-1913
Google Us!
36
May 2015
38
May 2015
39
May 2015
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit 343
MINNESOTA BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIME MUSIC ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 16408
Mpls, MN 55416
TIME VALUE DATA
Michael Opp builds an old-school hurdy-gurdy at Southeast Tech. The Student Guitar Show is May 12. See the story, page 17.
Photo and story: Katryn Conlin

Homegrown Kickoff Issue - Minnesota Bluegrass & Old

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