Sierra Hull “Secrets” (Rounder Records) will be released tomorrow, May 6, 2008

Time is ticking and May 6 is almost here. Mark it as a date in Bluegrass History.

Why the big fuss? May 6, 2008 marks the date 16 year old mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull releases “Secrets,” her first solo album on Rounder Records.

Sierra is a one of a kind, pure gem with an astounding talent for playing our beloved Bluegrass. The technical knowledge she possesses for Mandolin and Guitar is decades beyong her years.

But wait, it gets better. The girl sings with emotion, phrasing and intonation that I can only compare to the singing on Alison Krauss’ 1987 album “Too Late To Cry.” To tell the truth, I have not heard a young female in the Bluegrass genre since Alison’s ‘87 release with more promise than Miss Hull.

“Secrets” does not disappoint the hype surrounding its release. Co-Produced by Hull and Ron Block of Alison Krauss and Union Station fame, the album is incredible. Yes, “Secrets” is jam packed with great pickers. Sierra and Block recruited some help from the guys in Union Station, Tony Rice, Chris Jones, Jim VanCleve, Stuart Duncan, Rob Ickes, Jason Moore and Cory Walker, an incredible 18 year old banjo picker that also plays in Sierra’s band Highway 111.

The real story here is Sierra herself. There is not a track on this album I do not love. It’s the first album in a while where I have not found myself using the fast forward button on the old CD player. Just one listen to the songs “The Hard Way,” and You’ll fall in love with this album. The song is mature, mellow, tasteful and beautiful.

The tune “Hullarious,” written by Sierra, is a lesson in flawless mandolin picking. Another beautiful song on the album, written by Sierra and Stacey Hull is “Two Winding Rails.” It is another testament to this young lady’s seemingly endless talent.

Obviously this is an album I believe everyone should have on the shelf and in the CD player. Sierra Hull is the real deal. “Secrets” is the first stepping stone of what I believe to be a future legend.

I am so looking forward to listening and watching Sierra Hull’s career blossom.

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Crooked Still will release “Still Crooked” (Signature Sounds) on June 24th, 2008

Nashville, Tenn.— Signature Sounds recording artist Crooked Still will release their highly anticipated third album on June 24th, titled “Still Crooked.” A world tour to support the record will follow. The band, made up of founding members Aoife O’Donovan, Greg Liszt and Corey DiMario, along with two new players, presents fluidity across musical genres: old time, folk, bluegrass and world music, on all of their recordings. Journalist Greil Marcus recently recognized the worldliness of their capability in Interview Magazine, “The songs to which Crooked Still applies itself were made to capture whole countries of experience, fantasy, forgetting, revenge, guilt and escape…The band takes up the songs as if they contain knowledge far beyond any person who might sing them.”

Crooked Still is an energetic band who thrive from their collective and collaborative energies. After five years together, the departure of Rushad Eggleston forced Crooked Still to amend their ensemble. Moving from a quartet to a quintet, two new members join the group, Brittany Haas on five-string fiddle and Tristan Clarridge on cello and second fiddle. Crooked Still drew inspiration from the new, raw creative energy when recording their third record, “Still Crooked.”

The band, determined to capture the magic moments of inspiration that happen during live performance and musical exploration, recorded the album “live” in a large room together. In a world of computer-altered music, the band wanted to create a sincere album that respects the musical roots from which their sound stems. After three days of intense rehearsal, the ripening of the new Crooked Still took place. Producer Eric Merrill captured the songs on the album in one day, the fourth day of the new line-up.

Crooked Still

Major players in what is being touted as a “folk revival movement” in both No Depression and The London Times, Crooked Still is singled out as an ensemble who records songs steeped in history, sometimes with such seminal works that go all the way back to oral tradition, all the while delivering them with a modern freshness that demands attention. A testament to their abilities is repeated invitations to participate in classic American music festivals such as Newport Folk Festival, Merlefest and Telluride Folk Festival. Lauded in the foreign press and regular performers on the international festival scene, Crooked Still has a global and ever-growing audience.

The release of Still Crooked cements their reputation as a vital, young band that dances around the tenets of musical genres with acoustic instrumentation of fiddle, banjo, cello and bass. Central to the music is the haunting voice of Aoife O’Donovan, a captivating songbird whose vocal inflection taps into the pathos of the human experience. Songs on the album range from sedate to raucous. “Did You Sleep Well?” is a fast paced and sassy tune while “Captain, Captain” is an over four hundred year old song with hauntingly applicable contemporary lyrics. Every one of the thirteen tracks features virtuosic playing, insightful vocal delivery and clever rhythms.

Crooked Still merges classical, traditional and modern American styles and raises the bar of dynamic musicianship. They are a blended musical family, whose influences - ranging from iconic folk to modern hip-hop and funk - coalesce into a modern musical hybrid played on classical instruments. “We’re a groove-based band without a drummer,” O’Donovan explains. “We push the beat, staying true to the tradition while we bring old songs into the 21st century.”

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Award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper will headline the 13th annual Mayfest Bluegrass Festival at the Kent County Fairgrounds in Lowell, Mich.

The festival will be held May 16-18. Cleveland and his group will perform Saturday.

The remainder of the lineup consists of local and regional bands.

The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association, sponsors of the festival, are holding a potluck and jam session on Thursday evening, the day before the festival kicks off.

Ticket and camping information can be found on the festival pages of the association’s Web page, http://www.wmbma.org

The lineup includes:

Friday, May 16

• 6:00-6:35 Thunder Floor Cloggers
• 6:40-7:25 Just Jammin’
• 7:30-8:15 The Bluegrass Echoes
• 8:15-8:20 50/50 drawing
• 8:25-9:10 The DooDads
• 9:15-10:00 Sandi Paul & Raisin Corn

Saturday, May 17

Workshops begin at 9am.

• 12:35-1:20 Just Jammin
• 1:25-2:10 The Oat Bran Boys
• 2:15-3:00 Black Canyon
• 3:05-3:50 The Williams Family
• 3:50-3:55 50/50 drawing
• 4:00-4:45 Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
• 4:45-6:00 Supper break
• 6:00-6:35 The Thunder Floor Cloggers
• 6:40-7:25 Black Canyon
• 7:30-8:15 The Williams Family
• 8:15-8:20 50/50 drawing
• 8:25-9:10 Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
• 9:15-10:00 The Oat Bran Boys

Sunday, May 18

• 10:00-10:55 Sunday opening and For Heaven’s Sake gospel show
• 11:00 Band auditions

Drawing for $100 to be held after the audition bands

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