J.D. Crowe and the New South. Photo by Señor McGuire.

The Old Settler’s Music Festival, billed as Central Texas’ signature music event, is set to take place April 17-20 in Austin, TX. The festival will feature a variety of Roots, Bluegrass and Americana artists on 4 stages. Notable Bluegrass acts in the lineup include: David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, The Waybacks, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, JD Crowe and The New South, Peter Rowan and Friends, Infamous Stringdusters and Cadillac Sky .

With over two dozen bands, performance workshops, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, music store, youth talent competition, Thursday’s “Settle In” show and a Sunday gospel show at the campground stage and lots more, the festival offers something for the whole family.

Old Settler’s Music Festival benefits the following organizations and charities: Campfire Boys and Girls, Health Alliance for Musicians, Capital Area Food Bank a donation of canned food is appreciated

Tickets are available with the best deal being the 4 day pass (Thu-Sun) with camping for $135. A Three day pass (Fri-Sun) with Camping is $120. The festival also offers a “Platinum Pass - Friend of the Festival” package that includes 4 day pass with camping, campground electrical permit, festival t-shirt and poster, back stage hospitality area with complimentary lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday and an oppurtunity to mingle with the artists.

For more information visit Old Settler’s Music Festival online or call 888-512-7469.

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the Dan Tyminski Band

Burlington, MA – One of the most revered artists in bluegrass, Dan Tyminski, will release Wheels on Rounder Records on June 17. Marking Tyminski’s sophomore album as a solo artist and his first effort for Rounder, Wheels is the follow up to his critically acclaimed 2000 release Carry Me Across The Mountain (re-issued on Rounder Records). Rolling Stone called Tyminski “one of the genre’s biggest talents…” and went on to say that “Tyminski helps push bluegrass to the front line.”

So why did it take eight years to put together a second album? Frankly, it’s the first time in nearly a decade that Tyminski has been able to slow down enough to take the time to record it. The thirteen-time Grammy Award winner has been enchanting bluegrass enthusiasts for over fourteen years as the guitarist, lead and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station. His signature hard-edged vocal style is a favorite among critics and peers who have named Tyminski Best Male Vocalist at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards three times.

In high demand as a vocalist, Tyminski has also recorded with Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Rob Thomas, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and Joan Osborne, among others. And he became a household voice when “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” and the O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon took off. Suddenly, Tyminski was performing on the Grammy Awards and took home four trophies that year, including one for Best Country Collaboration for “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” and, in a stunning victory, one for Album Of The Year for the O Brother soundtrack. Following the sweep at the Grammys, Tyminski performed on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and countless other shows. His voice and an unlikely movie helped to bring bluegrass to the masses. People all over America now know the voice of Dan Tyminski. They were let in on a little secret, a slice of Americana. Now with the release of Wheels, those fans will have a chance to get better acquainted with their favorite bluegrass voice. With Tyminski at the helm of an all-star band and guest appearances by Ron Block, Cheryl and Sharon White and Vince Gill, it’s an album that fans will no doubt feel was well worth the wait.

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Rounder Records will continue their onslaught of bluegrass CD releases with several projects set for release between now and July 19, 2008. Bluegrass All-Star group Longview, Sierra Hull, James King, the Dan Tyminski Band, Dan Paisley & Southern Grass, The Grascals and Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper will all see new projects hit the streets over the next 4 months. To listen to Samples from these upcoming records as well as others released on the Rounder label this year visit JukeBoxAlive.com.

Longview
Deep in the Mountains
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Six years have passed since the last recording from bluegrass supergroup Longview, and Deep in the Mountains marks their much-anticipated return. Original members James King, Don Rigsby, and Marshall Wilborn are now joined by J.D. Crowe, Ron Stewart, and Lou Reid, resulting in a potent new lineup with the chops, discipline, and heart required to make the bluegrass tradition come alive. From the first note to the last, Deep in the Mountains is a striking update of the band’s long-held goal: soulful old-school bluegrass with soaring lead singing and riveting three-part harmonies.

Sierra Hull
Secrets
Release Date: May 6, 2008
16-year old Sierra Hull is a rare talent: an artist who combines youthful intensity and energy with a sense of grace and maturity well beyond her years. Secrets, her national debut, features her fluidly, inventive mandolin playing and tender, wistful singing supported by a luminous cast of bluegrass masters. From full-on newgrass instrumentals to eloquent, heart-stopping ballads to playful modern bluegrass, Secrets heralds the arrival of a fresh, important new voice onto today’s bluegrass scene.

James King
Gardens in the Sky: The Bluegrass Gospel of James King
Release Date: May 20, 2008
James King is considered among the leading voices in traditional bluegrass, summoning timeless echoes of Appalachia with a voice that is equally urgent, yearning, and tender. For that reason, this project - his first entirely gospel collection - has been eagerly awaited by his public, whose frequent requests for such an album inspired its release. King’s interpretations of bluegrass gospel classics both vintage and modern are so uniquely suited to the powerful longing and commitment that underpins every note he sings. Gardens in the Sky combines favorites from the James King catalog with performances featured on albums by Paul Williams and Longview, King’s contributions to The Stanley Gospel Tradition CD, and six previously unreleased recordings.

Dan Tyminski Band
Wheels
Release Date: June 17, 2008
One of the most revered artists in bluegrass, Dan Tyminski, will release Wheels this June, Tyminski’s sophomore album as a solo artist and his first effort for Rounder. The thirteen time GrammyÒ Award winner has been enchanting Bluegrass enthusiasts for over fourteen years as the guitarist, lead and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station. His signature hard-edged vocal style is a favorite among critics and peers who have named Tyminski Best Male Vocalist at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards three times. Rolling Stone called Tyminski “one of the genres biggest talents…” and went on to say that “Tyminski helps push bluegrass to the front line.”

Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
The Room Over Mine
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Raised to the strains of classic bluegrass, Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass learned the ropes first-hand as the sons (and eventually bandmates) of such beloved figures as Bob Paisley, Ted Lundy, and Donnie Eldreth. Honed over decades of playing festivals, honky-tonks, Legion halls, and everywhere in between, their sound proudly reflects the timeless bluegrass soul of their fathers - while imparting a razor’s edge intensity all their own. Over the course of his apprenticeship, Danny Paisley’s singing has become proud, fierce, hard-driving, spontaneous, and unafraid to take risks, and when combined with the Southern Grass’s solid base in tradition, the result is a band and an album for the ages.

The Grascals
Keep On Walkin’
Release Date: July 15, 2008
The Grascals are among the most beloved new bluegrass bands of the past five years. Their rise was meteoric: their first album was released in 2005, and in that year they won both IBMA’s Song of the Year (”Me and John and Paul”) and Emerging Artist of the Year awards. In 2006 and 2007 they won the IBMA’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year. Keep on Walkin’ is the band’s third album and includes a smart selection of classic, original, and modern songs, including songs made famous by Waylon Jennings (”Only Daddy That Will Walk the Line”) and Merle Haggard (”Today I Started Loving You Again”), along with the bluegrass standard “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” and the gospel favorite “Farther Along.” It also includes two songs from the pen of country hitmaker Harley Allen and a guest appearance from Vince Gill, who sings lead and harmony on “Sad Wind Sighs.”

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper debut album!
Release Date: July 29, 2008
The new band founded by five-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland, Flamekeeper are determined to put their own unique stamp on high-energy traditional bluegrass, while respecting and honoring the contributions of the music’s forefathers. The band features Cleveland’s fiery, inventive fiddle playing supported by John Mark Batchelor (banjo), Jesse Brock (mandolin), and Marshall Wilborn (bass), with soulful lead vocals from guitarist Todd Rakestraw.

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Darrell Scott will be performing this Friday, March 28th at Grace Chapel in Leiper’s Fork, Tenn. with Dirk Powell and Balfa Toujours along with the Orchestra Nashville String Quintet and rhythm section. The show, beginning at 8:00 PM, will conclude two seasons with Scott as Acoustic Café’s Artist in Residence and will feature a mix of Appalachian, Cajun and Darrell Scott’s amazing songs.

Grace Chapel is located at 3279 Southall Road, Franklin, TN 37064. Tickets are $25

For more information visit the Orchestra Nashville website or call 615-322-1226

Scott has also been in the studio recently recording a forthcoming record, “Modern Hymns,” that highlights some of Darrell’s favorite songwriters and features Alison Krauss, Mary Gauthier, Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, Jamie Hartford, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Danny Flowers, The Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Dirk Powell and many others. The project was recorded by Gary Paczosa. No release date has been announced at this time.

Upcoming Darrell Scott shows:

• Apr 4 — The Listening Room - Hastings, NE
  Apr 5 — The Bartlett Arboretum - Belle Plaine, KS
• Apr 11 — ASCAP - I Create Music Expo - Los Angeles, CA
• apr 18 — Stingaree Music Festival - Crystal Beach, TX
• May 29 — Back Porch Music Series - Durham, NC
• May 31 — Paramount Theater - Bristol, TN (Cowan / Scott Band)

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The Steeldrivers will appear on the Friday night Grand Ole Opry this week.

The Grand Ole Opry will feature a strong mix of bluegrass in the lineup this coming weekend. Among the artists scheduled to appear are The Steeldrivers, Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys and Dr. Ralph Stanley.

Friday, March 28

• The Steeldrivers — 8:00 - 8:30
• Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys — 8:30 - 9:00
• Dr. Ralph Stanley — 9:30 - 10:00

Saturday, March 30

• Vince Gill — 7:00 - 8:00 & 10:30 - 11:00
• The Time Jumpers — 7:00 - 8:00 & 10:30 - 11:00
• Dr. Ralph Stanley — 8:00 - 8:30 & 11:00 – 11:30
• Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press — 8:30 - 9:00

The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM 650 AM radio, online at www.WSMonline.com and on XM Satellite Radio (XM 11). All listed times are central time.

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