Fields Of Bluegrass

Well friends, I’d like to say, in some highly informative manner of course, that I had some lofty purpose for featuring the music of Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys this week other than that being what I wanted to hear, but I can’t lie to you.

Earl Scruggs did indeed just celebrate his 88^th birthday on January 6^th, there is that. Yet, we know full well that if I attempted to dig up something that even the newest bluegrass fans among us doesn’t know about the most famous bluegrass band on the planet…good luck. And dwelling long and loud on the pivotal role that these gentlemen played in helping Bill Monroe to develop this uniquely American musical form…preaching to the choir.

Can tell you this, I might just ‘zig’ when you think I’m going to ‘zag’ tonight, at least. Of the 22 songs we’ll squeeze in, you’re much more likely to hear “Foggy Mountain Special” than “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” for instance. When a song has been featured in everything from Hollywood movies to an episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus…great tune, but we don’t want to wear it out, right? Some of my favorites are a bit more obscure, rest assured, and a nice gospel set from Lester & Earl will close things out tonight.

Join us at 9PM Eastern if you’re in “The Land of Bean Blossom.” You’ll find us at 88.7 on your FM dial, right smack dab in the middle of “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right, or the show will be posted on our player later this week.

Well, of course we love the old standards. That said, to keep a musical form vibrant, an influx of new material is absolutely essential. The husband and wife songwriting team of Tom T. & Dixie Hall have written so many bluegrass chart-toppers in the last decade that the scope of their recent work arguably rivals the volume of favorites that “The Storyteller” produced in the first phase of his illustrious career.

An exciting new project from Peter Cooper & Eric Brace, “I Love: Songs From Fox Hollow,” pays tribute to Tom T. by revisiting his 1974 children’s classic of the same name with the help of artists such as Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Mike Bub, Bobby Bare, and many more.
http://songsoffoxhollow.com/

And of course you can draw from many recent releases to find Tom T. & Dixie-penned selections. Michelle Nixon, Ralph Stanley II, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice have all dipped into that deep well to find material of late.

In addition, we’ll reach way back for favorites from Reno & Smiley, and Red Allen & The Kentuckians. Charlie Sizemore will explore the possibility that there are no lawyers in heaven in song. And new releases from Blue Highway, The Lonesome River Band, and Bill Emerson will be followed by a gospel set taken from the legendary “Skaggs & Rice” album.

If you’re in the greater Indianapolis area, tune in to 88.7 on your FM dial at 9PM EASTERN during “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right here, or the show will be posted on this very site later this week and will remain on our player for 7 days.

This week in a brand new installment of The Fields of Bluegrass Radio Hour it’s one for the dogs, friends. A theme show featuring bluegrass songs that pay tribute to “Man’s Best Friend.”

First, let me start out by wishing Mr. Earl Scruggs a happy birthday! That’s right, Earl Eugene Scruggs, the man that was instrumental (literally!) in helping Bill Monroe forge the template for bluegrass music and for perfecting and popularizing the 3-finger banjo-picking widely known as “Scruggs style,” turns eighty-eight on January 6th. We’ll have a couple from Lester & Earl in the program tonight to mark the occasion, you’d better know it.

Well, let’s see. Bill Monroe sings about foxhounds. The Stanley Brothers have both a rabbit in a log (but they ain’t got no dog) and a dog that’s as blind as he can be but at dinner time he can see. Norman & Nancy Blake have a dog that suffers from the same affliction.  Doc Watson shoulders up his gun and whistles up his dog. Jimmy Martin has a dog he claims is the best coon dog in the state of Tennessee. Someone stole Don Stover‘s coon dog and he wishes they’d bring him back. Leroy Troy‘s rabbit dog is gone, gone, gone…yeah, better remember to bring a hanky. I know that last couple make both me and Briscoe Darlin cry. So I guess we’d best get them Darlin Boys (aka The Dillards) to sing about “Old Blue.”

Then, to close the program, we are going to throw the water dogs (retrievers, labs, spaniels, newfies, etc.) a treat by going in a more nautical direction with good ol’ bluegrass gospel numbers from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Johnson Mountain Boys, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, and more!

Join us at 9PM Eastern if you’re in the greater Indianapolis area. You’ll find us at 88.7 on your FM dial, right smack dab in the middle of “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right, or the show will be posted on our player later this week. You are certainly welcome to drop by just as often as you’d like. Check the events calendar for concert information. See what we have planned for this week’s program. Request your favorites via email. We’re always tickled to hear from you!

Me & Jimmy

Happy New Year Friends of Bluegrass and old-time mountain music!

Boy, do we have some exciting things coming up in 2012, don’t even know where to begin. Brand NEW program this Friday, so don’t miss that puppy.  And buddy, we have all kinds of fun features, theme programs, interviews, and in-studio performances planned for 2012.

There are some world-class events coming up in the state that you’ll find on our events calendar. Bands such as The Special Consensus, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, and m0re! And be sure to check back in the weeks ahead as we begin to list festival information and such, too.
Festivals…warm weather…pickin’ out-of-doors. My, my if that don’t sound good already!

We’ve been having fun watching the line-up coming together for The 2nd Annual John Hartford Memorial Festival at Bean Blossom. This year we’re looking at a 3-day event that starts May 31st and artists such as The Hillbenders, Darol Anger, The Tillers, The Henhouse Prowlers, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, The Goldmine Pickers, and a whole lot more are already down to perform.
Get your advance tix now and save you some $$ by getting in on the ‘early bird’ special:
http://www.johnhartfordmemfest.com/

Tune in every Friday night at 9PM Eastern to The Fields of Bluegrass Radio Hour. Smack dab in the middle of “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR 88.7FM in Indianapolis, The Land of Bean Blossom!

Merry Christmas Every Buddy!

Here in The Land of Bean Blossom we’re ready to celebrate by gathering family and friends together to share some good bluegrass music to suit the occasion.
We know the days will be getting longer from here on out, and there’s nothing like ringing banjos, voices raised in high harmonies, and a solid mandolin chop to facilitate Christmas ‘warm fuzzies!’

Plenty of new releases this year from artists such as Donna Ulisse, Ricky Skaggs, and Heather Berry. A fantastic Christmas concept album called “The Gathering” that features the talents of Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, and Rhiannon Giddens of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, among others, makes it’s Fields of Bluegrass Radio Hour debut, too.

Rest assured, we plan to include many of the songs us bluegrassers grew up listening to this time of year. Holiday favorites from Ralph Stanley, The Country Gentlemen, Larry Sparks, The Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson, David Grisman, and Bill Monroe are part of the deal, too. And we won’t have to reach too awful far back into the archives for seasonal offerings from The Special Consensus, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Rhonda Vincent, and The Lost & Found.

Join us at 9PM Eastern if you’re in the greater Indianapolis area. You’ll find us at 88.7 on your FM dial, right smack dab in the middle of “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right, or the show will be posted on our player later this week. You are certainly welcome to drop by just as often as you’d like. Check the events calendar for concert information. See what we have planned for this week’s program. Request your favorites via email. You know we’ll be glad to hear from you!

Our BIG Christmas special for 2011 is scheduled for 12/23 at 9PM, but join The Ghost of Christmas Past and me this week for a re-broadcast of our 2008 Christmas broadcast.

If you’re in the greater Indianapolis area, tune in to 88.7 on your FM dial at 9PM EASTERN during “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right here, or the show will be posted on this very site later this week and will remain on our little player deal for 7 days.

On November 30th, 1835 Halley’s comet drifted across the nighttime sky and America’s great humorist and author Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born. Tonight on The Fields of Bluegrass Radio Hour we enjoy music inspired by Twain’s writing and even a song or two about the mighty Mississppi and riverboats and such, for good measure.

You’d better know we’ll work in at least one good number from another favorite riverboat captain we know of that used to play fiddle and banjo and write all these songs.
You can check the line-up for the John Hartford Memorial Festival 2012 at Bean Blossom when you have a minute. Ticket info, dates, times, bands…it’s all here:
http://www.johnhartfordmemfest.com/

2011 saw the release of Carl Jackson‘s “Mark Twain: Words & Music,” a project that includes songs by Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, Marty Raybon, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Vince Gill, and Emmylou Harris. Garrison Keillor narrates as Jimmy Buffet provides the voice of Huck Finn to Clint Eastwood‘s Twain.

Proceeds from the sale of “Mark Twain: Words & Music” go to The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri. Their mission is to promote awareness and appreciation of the life and works of Mark Twain and to demonstrate the relevance of his stories and ideas to citizens of the world.
Website: http://www.marktwainmuseum.org

So, tune in to 88.7 on your FM dial at 9PM EASTERN during “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR if you’re in the greater Indianapolis area.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right here, or the show will be posted on the website later this week. Stop back often! Check the events calendar. Request your favorites by sending us an email. See what we’ve got going this week. You know we’ll be tickled to hear from you!

As the Thanksgiving holiday turns our thoughts to family, home, great food, and warm company gathering to offer thanks, we’ll share a solid hour of good ol’ bluegrass music to help us through that obligatory four days spent with that nutty family of ours.
We promise to go easy on the murder ballads (for obvious reasons) this time around, friends.

This season does indeed represent a homecoming for many of us, and songs from Blue Moon Rising, Jim Hurst & Missy Raines, David Grisman, Hazel Dickens, Don Stover, and Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs will remind us that home is where the heart is. Conversely, The Lost & Found will consider the possibility that the man who wrote “Home Sweet Home” never was a married man, apparently.

Now, let’s get to the part I wait around all year for. Songs about turkey, cornbread, the old family table, and feasting in general from Tim O’Brien, Sammy Shelor & Ron Stewart, Jerry Douglas, and The Lewis Family will be part of the deal, too.

And lastly but not leastly, Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, and Doyle Lawson will assist us in shoring up our resolve to go forth with that all-important “attitude of gratitude” as they offer thanks in song.

If you’re in the greater Indianapolis area, tune in to 88.7 on your FM dial at 9PM EASTERN during “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right here, or the show will be posted on this very site later this week and will remain on our little player deal for 7 days.

"LIVE AT BEAN BLOSSOM"

This June at The Bill Monroe Memorial Park in Bean Blossom we celebrated the 100th birthday of “The Father of Bluegrass Music,” William Smith Monroe.

Well, I’m happy to announce that Rural Rhythm Records was on hand to record some of the very best artists in bluegrass music performing the songs of this prolific songwriter.

We’ll be featuring several tracks from this fine collection on The Fields of Bluegrass Radio Hour this week in advance of the November 22nd release date. If you’d like to know more about this, or any of the great artists on Rural Rhythm, just drop by their website: http://ruralrhythm.com

Of course we’ll have a few vintage favorites in the program and The Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Flatt & Scruggs, and Jimmy Martin will all be featured. New releases from Clay Hess, Nu-Blu, Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, The Grascals, and IIIrd Tyme Out all prove that the ‘grass just keeps on growing if you don’t rip the roots out of the ground. And a set of good ol’ bluegrass gospel featuring Dale Ann Bradley, The Boys From Indiana, Dave Evans and more will close out the program.

If you’re in Indianapolis, tune in to 88.7 on your FM dial at 9PM EASTERN during “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! The show will be posted here on the site later this week and remains on our player for 7 days.

Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother"

Songs about the life austere kept jumping out at me from every album I listened to here lately, it seems. And we’re not just talking about songs for poor folks by poor folks singing about being poor. The subject of what is truly of value in life is a common thread running through many of the songs featured in “Fields of Bluegrass” this week.

While listening to material as divergent as “Hooverville” from the new IIIrd Tyme Out “Prime Tyme” project, Merle Haggard singing “Mama’s Hungry Eyes,” and The Dry Branch Fire Squad‘s marvelous rendition of Stephen Foster‘s classic parlor song “Hard Times” first published in 1854, the plight of those less fortunate became something personal. I began recalling my own experiences, as well as depression-era family folklore of an Eastern Kentucky coal mining camp existence on one side and sending the children to gather coal that had spilled from railroad cars along Chicago railroad tracks in the depth of winter on the other.

The good men and women that work hard all their lives but remain impoverished are the subject of several songs, including Alison Krauss & Union Station‘s “Another Day, Another Dollar.” And a ‘perspective check’ from Larry Sparks entitled “City Folks Call Us Poor” will remind us that wealth may be measured by quality of life and the joy inherent in living simply, as opposed to the shallow concerns of our modern age and the false sense of security the cash in one’s bank account provides.

If you’re in Indianapolis, tune in to 88.7 on your FM dial at 9PM EASTERN during “Friday Night Folk” programming on WICR.

Not in Indy? Not a problem! You can pick up our live stream by clicking on the WICR logo on the right here, or the show will be posted on this very site later this week and will remain on our player for 7 days