Williams and Clark Expedition Photo by Wendy Connor

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage is the featured act at the 24th Midwest Convention of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.The confab will be held Jan. 11-13 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Jefferson City, Mo.

Room reservations are already being accepted at 573-635-1234.

The Williams & Clark Expedition will be hosts for the convention’s annual awards show, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. In addition, the band will give performances that day at 4 and 10 p.m.

Mark Poe will serve as master of ceremonies.

Besides Saturday evening’s awards gala, concerts will be given at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and at 10 a.m. Sunday for a gospel sing.

Vincent and the Rage will perform at 4 and 9 p.m. Friday.

Other bands on the weekend playbill are Green Valley Grass, Highway Home, Sharon Graeff & Heritage, the Martin Family, the Rowden Review, Midnight Flight, Arlington, Bull Harman & the New Bull’s Eye, Bluegrass Brigade, the Link Family, the Faris Family and Possum Trot.

Information on groups and tickets is availabale from SPBGMA, PO Box 271, Kirksville, MO, 63501 or by calling 660-665-7172.

The email address is spbgma@kvmo.net.

Information, including a flier, is available at www.spbgma.com.

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The Waybacks Photo by Jay Blakesberg

The Waybacks spent 10 days earlier this month in the Compass Sound Studio in Nashville recording tracks for their upcoming yet-to-be titled spring 2008 release on Compass Records.

The project is being produced by bassist Byron House (Sam Bush Band, Emmylou Harris, Nickel Creek) and will feature all original material and much more electric guitar and vocals typical from The Waybacks. The Greencards and The Infamous Stringdusters have also stopped in and contributed on backup vocals.

The Waybacks have a journal on their website chronicling some of the recording process.

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And stopping at points in between.

The Brigade is the annual bus tour with a final destination of the annual Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music in America convention in Music City.

The event, marking the 34th annual SPBGMA awards show and 25th annual SPBGMA convention, will be held Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2008, at the Sheraton Music City Hotel.

Reservations are now being taken for the Bluegrass Brigade, which will depart the Kansas City area at 6:15 a.m. Jan. 31 and arrive in Nashville at about 5:30 p.m. the same day, just hours away from the convention’s first concert.

Pick-up points will be at the MFA-Warrensburg junction of Interstate 70 and Missouri Highway 13, the Marshall junction on I-70, Columbia Mo., and Mount Vernon, Ill.

Round-trip rates include four nights lodging at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, bus fare and tickets to all Bluegrass shows for the weekend, starting with Friday evening’s show. Rates run from $840 for a single adult to $440 for a group of five sharing one room.

Package prices include general admission tickets; reserved seating is an additional $20 per person charge.

Deposits of $50 per person are due by Nov. 15.

Information about the brigade is available by contacting Chuck Stearman, PO Box 271, Kirksville, MO, 63501, or calling 1-660-665-7172.

A flier about the brigade as well as other fliers for SPBGMA-sponsored events and activities is available on the organization’s Web site, www.spbgma.com.

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