Del McCoury Band "Family Circle" (McCoury Music)

Nashville, Tenn., –For the remainder of February, the Del McCoury Band’s latest album, “Family Circle,” will be available for download at Amazon’s mp3 store for only $5 as part of their popular 50 albums for $5 program. For the month of February, the editors at Amazon have chosen 100 titles to be part of this program.

Released to great acclaim in May 2009, the epic “Celebrating 50 Years Of Del McCoury” boxed set might have appeared to be the summary and crowning achievement of a fabled career. But with the release of “Family Circle” last October, the Del McCoury Band serves notice that the final chapter of the bluegrass patriarch’s story has yet to be written—and that there are still a few surprises left, too.

Recorded over the summer of 2009 at sessions sandwiched between appearances at some of the country’s most popular and prestigious festivals—Merlefest, Bonnaroo, Grey Fox, and McCoury’s own mind-bending Delfest, “Family Circle” is a potent blend of old and new that finds Del and the boys (sons Ronnie and Rob, fiddler Jason Carter and bass player Alan Bartram) ranging more widely than ever for songs and arrangements.

The Del McCoury Band is the most awarded act in the history of Bluegrass music with more than three dozen combined IBMA awards, including an unprecedented 9 Entertainer of the Year trophies. Del McCoury recently celebrated 50 years as a professional musician, and he and the band continue to tour and record non-stop.

Related Links

• Del McCoury Band
• Del McCoury Band’s “Family Circle” on Amazon Mp3
• McCoury Music

TuneCore has announced the addition of Steven Rosenberg to their staff as SVP, Business Development.

Prior to joining the TuneCore, Rosenberg held senior level roles at top-tier information technology companies, digital content providers, and media organizations leading business development, sales, and, strategy focusing on the distribution and acquisition of digital content, intelligent information, and solutions. Over the course of his career, Rosenberg has worked and consulted for companies developing new and innovative growth strategies by leveraging content via leading alternative platforms and application providers, content licensing and valuation, strategic partner funding, and developing partnerships between leading media organizations, information technology, and web 2.0 companies.

Most recently, Rosenberg held the position of VP, Head of Americas Business Development & Strategic Alliances for Thomson Reuters, where he led partnership strategy and the business development team. Rosenberg joined Thomson in 2006 as Head of Content Licensing and the Third Party Redistribution group focusing on leading the strategy and business.

Rosenberg also served as Senior Manager, Strategic Planning and Sales at Reuters & Bridge Information within the Enterprise Information Group leading content redistribution and new business development. He honed his skills in leveraging the value of content and data as a senior executive in the investment banking industry, including stints at CIBC Oppenheimer and various investment banking boutiques, where he successfully identified, funded and brought public multiple offerings within the information technology vertical.

About TuneCore

TuneCore is the largest distributor and has one of the highest revenue-generating music catalogs in the world: In 2009 alone, more then one song per second sells by a TuneCore artist on iTunes. TuneCore is a low, flat fee service that distributes music to iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and many other major download and streaming sites while taking no rights and no revenue from the sale of the music. Artists are building careers, selling significant volumes of music and generating revenue through TuneCore. Since its launch in 2006, TuneCore has distributed tens of thousands of albums and millions of songs to iTunes and other digital stores by Grammy winners and unsigned artists alike. TuneCore artists include Drake, Beck, Jay-Z, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Ricky Skaggs, Paul Westerberg, MGM Studios, Warren G, Bjork, Moby, High School Musical cast members, Ali Lohan, Cirque Du Soleil, Starbucks and tens of thousands more.

More music is released in one day via TuneCore than any major record label over a year. TuneCore also distributes full-length films, TV shows, live concerts, documentaries, etc to iTunes and more.

Related Links

TuneCore

O'Connor, Thile, Vignola, Sutton, Burr, House "Jam-Session" (OMAC Records)

The result: a “jam band” for the ages comparable in its rhythmic intoxication and stratospheric solos with the Grateful Dead’s ‘Live/ Dead’ or the Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie/Bud Powell/ Charles Mingus/ Max Roach ‘Jazz at Massey Hall.’ Perhaps no better jam recordings have been captured on acoustic string instruments in recent memory. Tracks include “Gypsy Fantastic,” reminiscent of O’Connor’s mentor Stephane Grappelli; the bossa nova-tinged “Soft Gyrations”; and the country swing of “Don’t Let The Deal Go Down.”

A standout track, the slow, sly “In The Cluster Blues,” features Chris Thile in what O’Connor calls “the greatest improvised mandolin solo of all time,” two spectacular guitar solos and O’Connor’s soaring and masterful blues violin improvisation.

“Sometimes improvisational exchanges between musicians can escalate to a fever pitch,” O’Connor says in the liner notes. “A spontaneous conversation between the players can become an art form.” That’s exactly what happens on ‘Jam Session.’

Many of the melodies on ‘Jam Session‘ bring to mind those showcased in his ‘O’Connor Violin Method Vol. I and Vol. II‘, released this past fall, the first of its kind to use America’s classical, jazz and folk music to educate the next generation of musicians so they can feel comfortable playing music in many idioms for a lifetime. Along with a busy concert schedule, O’Connor will be conducting teacher training seminars for the O’Connor Violin Method throughout the spring. Click here for Mark O’Connor’ss complete schedule:
markoconnor.com/index.php?page=calendar

The tracks on ‘Jam Session‘, which O’Connor produced, are live concert recordings from Merkin Hall, New York City; Blair School of Music, Nashville; South Street Theatre, Morristown, NJ; and the Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival, Lyons, CO.

Meanwhile, O’Connor has officially relaunched his YouTube channel:
youtube.com/user/MarkOConnor

It contains exhaustive clips from all periods of O’Connor’s distinguished career.

‘Jam Session‘ Track Listing

1. Granny White Special – 4:29
2. Gypsy Fantastic – 5:22
3. Macedonia – 6:11
4. Swingin’ On The “Ville – 6:03
5. Soft Gyrations – 12:09
6. Pickles On The Elbow – 7:53
7. Don’t Let The Deal Go Down – 7:05
8. In The Cluster Blues – 15:56
9. Minor Swing – 6:03

Related Links

• Mark O’Connor
• Mark O’Connor on YouTube
• Chris Thile
• Bryan Sutton
• Frank Vignola

WASHINGTON, DC, — SoundExchange, the nonprofit performance rights organization that collects and distributes digital performance royalties, has confirmed plans to attend many of the first quarter’s most anticipated music industry events including South by Southwest Conference and the 22nd International Folk Alliance Conference.

After successes at MIDEM and New Music Seminar, representatives from the organization will be on-site at more events to spread the word about performance rights, and encourage eligible artists and copyright owners to register to receive accrued and future royalties.

SoundExchange will be represented at the following:

• February 17-21 – 22^nd International Folk Alliance Conference – Memphis, TN
• February 24-25 – Digital Music Forum: East – New York, NY
• February 19-20 – Millennium Music Conference – Harrisburg, PA
• March 14-16 – Spring National College Media Convention – New York, NY
• March 17-21 – South By Southwest Music + Media Conference (SXSW) – Austin, TX

More confirmations are in the works.

“With money held for artists representing all genres and levels of celebrity, our schedule of conferences, workshops and award shows will utilize these locations to register and educate musicians and labels on the royalties to which they are entitled,” said Bryan Calhoun, SoundExchange’s Vice President of External Affairs. “Supporting and empowering creators of music by making sure they get paid for their work is our core mission.”

SoundExchange is also registering artists online at: http://www.soundexchange.com

About SoundExchange

SoundExchange is the non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio, internet radio, cable TV music channels and other services that stream sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board, which was created by Congress, has entrusted SoundExchange as the only entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties for featured recording artists and master rights owners. SoundExchange currently represents over 5,500 record labels, over 44,000 featured artists, and has paid out more than $360 million in royalties since its creation in 2003.

Related Links

• SoundExchange

This Tuesday February 9 at 6 p.m. EST, World Wide Bluegrass’ DJ Uncle Billy Dunbar will countdown Bluegrass Music Profiles magazine’s monthly Top 30 Hot Singles. The show can be heard by logging on to worldwidebluegrass.com.

Each month a different World Wide Bluegrass DJ will count down Bluegrass Music Profiles’ Top 30 Hot Singles national chart. Specific show times will be available on the home page at worldwidebluegrass.com and bluegrassmusicprofiles.com.

The Bluegrass Music Profiles countdown shows will also be promoted on the DJs’ Facebook and Myspace pages. Bluegrass Music Profiles’ Monthly Top 30 Hot Singles chart can also be viewed in each print issue of Bluegrass Music Profiles and on the BMP website.

“We are excited to work with WorldWideBluegrass.com and bring this countdown show to their loyal listeners,” said Bluegrass Music Profiles Publisher Kevin Kerfoot. “The monthly chart reflects the hottest 30 bluegrass songs based on the compiled playlists of 80 bluegrass DJs across the United States and several foreign countries. The result is a timely list of what bluegrass radio is playing at the moment.”

Bluegrass Music Profiles is a bimonthly national print magazine best recognized for its in-depth personal interviews with bluegrass music artists. Each issue includes personal interviews, bluegrass news, Bluegrass Favorites, Shop Talk, BMP Top 30 Hot Singles and Top 10 Albums, record reviews, and festival listings, Songwriter Profile, DJ Profile, and Promoter Profile. Visit bluegrassmusicprofiles.com.

Related Links

• Bluegrass Music Profiles
• World Wide Bluegrass

The Infamous Stringdusters "Things That Fly" (Sugar Hill Records)

Nashville, Tenn., — About the most important question a young bluegrass band faces right out of the gate is whether they can play. The Infamous Stringdusters wasted no time in providing their answer… an emphatic “yes,” winning IBMA Album, Song and Emerging Artist of the Year the very same year they released their debut, “Fork In the Road.” On “Things That Fly,” their third album, due out April 20, 2010 on Sugar Hill, they venture into virtually uncharted territory for an acoustic group: a sonically and thematically expansive album that lends itself to absorbed listening from start to finish, much like the great rock albums do.

Holed up in the Charlottesville, Virginia studio Haunted Hollow, with significant preproduction under their belts and Gary Paczosa (Nickel Creek, Dixie Chicks, Tim O’Brien) on board as engineer and co-producer, the ‘Dusters did things they’d never done before: guitarist Andy Falco put his hidden keyboard talents to use on smoldering organ parts; voices and instruments alike were splashed with reverb; and, though the band has no shortage of quality lead singers in fiddler Jeremy Garrett, dobro player Andy Hall and upright bassist Travis Book, a few fine-singing friends—country standout Dierks Bentley, Americana songwriter-chanteuse Sarah Siskind and Crooked Still frontwoman Aoife O’Donovan added novel tones. All this, and more, much more makes for a lush, new Infamous Stringdusters experience.

The Infamous Stringdusters (Credit: Johnny St. Ours)

Says Book, “I think string bands have a tendency to feel like when they go to record, doing anything that they can’t necessarily replicate 100 percent live is off-limits. Instead of saying ‘This is how it sounds when the six of us play it standing around in a circle, so we’re just going to put mics up and capture it and that’s going to be it,’ we really got deeper in the production aspect.”

Factor in that every member of the band—rounded out by de facto tour videographer Chris Pandolfi (banjo) and Jesse Cobb (mandolin)—is a stylish, consummate picker with a hardly strictly bluegrass background, as well as a skilled songwriter, and you see that this band is genuinely built for breadth. “We wanted to make sure everyone had writing input on the record,” Hall relates. “We’d never done that before, and it’s a lot of why we started the band.”

Speaking of formidable rock albums, The Infamous Stringdusters drew the second track on “Things That Fly” from U2’s Joshua Tree. Not only did they transform “In God’s Country” into their own propulsive, virtuosic vehicle, they wrote transcendent anthems in a similar spirit: “Taking a Chance on the Truth” and “Love One Another.” Surprising covers, unusual arrangements and other departures from the expected make “Things That Fly” something different – namely a sign that they’ve elevated their sound and set their sights higher than ever before.

The Infamous Stringdusters on the Road

• Feb. 8 – Ames, IA
• Feb. 10 – Billings, MT
• Feb. 12+13 – Big Sky, MT
• Feb. 16+17 – Steamboat Springs, CO
• Feb. 19 – Logan, UT
• Feb. 20 – Salt Lake City, UT
• Feb. 21 – Park City, UT
• Feb. 25 – Eugene, OR
• Feb. 26 – Tacoma, WA
• Feb. 27 – Tacoma, WA
• Mar. 17 – Tuolumne, CA
• Mar. 18 – Crystal Bay, NV
• Mar. 19 – Grass Valley, CA
• Mar. 20 – Felton, CA
• Mar. 21 – Berkeley, CA
• Mar. 22 – West Hollywood, CA
• Mar. 24 – Albuquerque, NM
• Mar. 25 – Durango, CO
• Mar. 26 – Telluride, CO
• Mar. 27 – Glenwood Springs, CO
• Mar. 28 – Denver, CO

Dailey & Vincent "Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers" (Cracker Barrel Country Stores)

Shame on me, but I find myself listening less these days to WSM’s Eddie Stubbs, the deejay who’s the walking reference book for all things classic country and bluegrass.

But, I’m tickled I turned on Stubbs’ evening show about a week ago when Jamie Dailey and Darin Vincent were his guests, on the air to promote their new CD, “Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers.” Following his normal routine, Stubbs altered between interviewing these two bluegrass hot properties and playing cuts off the new CD.

His take? “You don’t out-Statler the Statler Brothers,” quipped Stubbs to Dailey & Vincent’s agreement, but, he added (and I obviously paraphrase here), WOW!

I was hooked and enticed by the radio cuts– to the point I told my wife I was headed down the street the next day to the Cracker Barrel to pick up a copy of this gem. (Cracker Barrel, by the way, is the only sales outlet for the CD.) I confess, I shuddered at the thought of walking into Cracker Barrel, since I’m about a month into this new low-fat, high-fiber diet my doctor is recommending, hopefully to keep me off the daily cholesterol pills. Can I enter this place where the aroma of everything that’s cholesterol-laden wafts through the air? My wife spared me the temptation. She surprised me and had the CD on the kitchen counter the next day when I came for lunch (low-fat turkey and oatmeal-flax seed bread).

Since then, I’ve had the Statlers tribute CD in my car player and have shared it with a couple of friends. We’re all taken aback a bit (a lot?) by how much the Dailey & Vincent crew can sound like the real deal here. It’s like, that simply can’t be the young, slender Joe Dean singing all those incredible bass parts; it’s gotta be Harold Reid. It’s just gotta be!

Not so. Harold, Don, Jimmy and Phil, they aren’t on this wonderful tribute, at least not in voice. But the group’s spirit has never been more alive than it is on this tribute. And, according to Stubbs, members of the Statlers give the project a hearty, but humble thumbs up.

The Statlers walked on to the national stage in the early 1960s with the hit, “Counting Flowers on the Wall,” and quickly became part of Johnny Cash’s road show. They continued to record hit after hit after hit until retiring at the end of a 2002 farewell tour.

If you’ve caught Dailey & Vincent out on the road during the past several months, you know how well they do the Statler Brothers songs on stage. Well, they do them very well on this CD as well.

A favorite or two? Forget it, every cut is a gem and every cut conjures memories of the Statlers’ long and well-deserved rein on country radio. The Statlers were masters of bringing traditional gospel four-part harmonies into mainstream country. Nobody’s done it as well since they come on the scene, but Dailey & Vincent come close.

Besides the regular band lineup, Dailey & Vincent bring some guests on board for this noteworthy project — and none more notable than guitarist Pete Wade and piano ace Hargis “Pig” Robbins. I’d bet both Wade and Robbins, old hats around the Nashville studio scene, are on plenty of band credits on Statler studio projects. It’s definitely a nice touch to have them on this CD.

My prediction is this: Dailey & Vincent will see sales of this CD skyrocket. Word’s going to get around fast — and there’s a sizeable fan base out there for Dailey & Vincent, but there’s a veritable sea of Statler Brothers fans who are still around. This has to be a major seller, despite it being an exclusive at Cracker Barrel.

Back to Eddie Stubbs’ assessment. Does this CD “out-Statler” the Statlers? No, but Dailey & Vincent come as close as anyone ever will.

Nashville, Tenn., — Virginia based bluegrass band Nothin’ Fancy were winners for the third year in a row of SPBGMA’s (Society For The Preservation Of Bluegrass Music Of America) Entertaining Group of the Year award. The 36th annual awards ceremony was held February 7th in Nashville, Tennessee with winners selected by the association’s members. Always entertaining in everything they do, the band delighted the audience during their acceptance speech while sparring with the award ceremony’s hosts and good friends, Rarely Herd. Nothin’ Fancy continued to thank the promoters, fans and the Nothin’ Fancy “team” for their success.

Nothin’ Fancy was formed as a bluegrass band in September of 1994 with the sole purpose of competing in the East Coast Bluegrass Championship in Crimora, Virginia. After winning their auspicious debut, they have grown in popularity, released 8 full length albums and one CD single, played the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the Lincoln Center in New York City, and the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. They have successfully hosted the Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival annually since 2001 in Buena Vista, Virginia.

Related Links

Nothin’ Fancy
SPBGMA

Del McCoury Band onstage at Delfest. Credit: Roli Breitenecker

Nashville, Tenn., — For the second consecutive year, Delfest 2010 will be preceded by a Bluegrass Academy featuring some of the most accomplished musicians on the planet. Delfest Academy 2010 will take place May 25-27, 2010 with the festival beginning on the 27th and ending on the 30th.

The Delfest Academy 2010 will consist of a friendly, encouraging, and intensive three-day learning experience with a group of some of the finest musicians in bluegrass: mandolinist Ronnie McCoury, banjo player Rob McCoury, fiddler Jason Carter, bassist Alan Bartram, the, and Ronnie Bowman on guitar.

As members of the Del McCoury Band, Rob, Ronnie, Alan and Jason have won IBMA’s Entertainer of the Year award nine times. Oxford American called them “The best Bluegrass band in the world. Period.” Ronnie Bowman’s bluegrass and songwriting credentials would fill up a notebook from his stint with the Lonesome River Band, leading his own band and writing two #1 country radio hits. With sterling credentials as celebrated performers, plus years of experience teaching at various workshops and festival academies such as Rockygrass and Wintergrass, these enormously gifted musicians will create an environment for learning unlike any other.

A Meet & Greet for students, their guests, and instructors will kick off the academic week on Monday evening. Bluegrass Karaoke on Thursday afternoon where the students get to front the Del McCoury Band, as well as a special wrap party that night will conclude the academy.

In intimate classes led by these world-class bluegrass professionals, students will receive instruction targeted to their individual needs, with plenty of opportunity for one-on-one interaction with their instructors. The overall direction of each class will ultimately be determined by the students’ goals and needs. Students may expect to learn how to lead jams and receive tips on practicing, technique, and accompaniment, and benefit from direct interaction with instructors who can help them achieve their musical objectives.

Also, for the first time this year, Delfest is offering a Lay-a-way option to purchase Academy and festival 3 and 4 day passes. Many of you have already taken advantage of this offer. If you have not, and would like to spread your payments out, please note that the lay-a-way option goes away after February 12th.

Delfest 2010, set to kick off on May 27th offers a fantastic lineup for it’s third year, headlined by the Del McCoury Band (of course), The Avett Brothers, Yonder Mountain String Band, the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, Railroad Earth and more. A celebration of the musical heritage of Del McCoury, Delfest is a family-friendly event and takes place at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD. Personally chosen by Del, this site is nestled along the Potomac River in the scenic Appalachian Mountains, and it is the perfect location for Delfest.

A very limited number of spots are available for the Delfest Academy 2010 — in fact the mandolin class is filling up fast. Ample tent and RV camping is available onsite; there’s plentiful lodging nearby. The area also offers many additional recreational options, including swimming, fishing, hiking, and biking. For all festival details, www.delfest.com

Related Links

Delfest Academy
Delfest

Missy Werner "Drifting and Dreaming"

Hailing from the Southwest corner of Ohio, Missy Werner has released her national debut CD “Drifting and Dreaming.” The new album features Werner and an ace team of bluegrass musicians on a dozen cuts from various writers including Dolly Parton, Harley Allen and Sarah Siskind.

“Drifting and Dreaming” according to Jon Weisberger, “features a compelling mix of new songs with under-appreciated gems.” Weisberger goes on to say, “The title song showcases her plaintive vocals with subtle, sympathetic backing from an all-star crew of McCall’s closest colleagues.”

“Drifting and Dreaming” was produced by Dwight McCall and includes musicians Alan Bibey, Randy Kohrs, Harold Nixon, Tim Stafford, Ron Stewart Rickey Wasson and Artie Werner on the project.

You can sample a couple of songs from “Drifting and Dreaming” on Werner’s MySpace page (myspace.com/missywerner1).

“Drifting and Dreaming” can be purchased from Warner at her concert appearances or via Ebay. “Drifting and Dreaming” is also available at County Sales, Music Shed and Old Homestead Records.

“Drifting and Dreaming” track list

1. Living in Trouble Times
2. Drifting and Dreaming
3. Early Morning Breeze
4. The Rope
5. Bridge
6. Gypsy, Joe and Me
7. Goodbye
8. All I Want Is You
9. In Memory
10. Morning Train
11. Plant Some Flowers
12. Snowbird

Missy Werner appearances

• Feb. 13 — Benefit for Phyllis Mays at Mustang Sally’s (5:00 pm)
• Feb. 27 — Harvest Time Restaurant – Connersville, IN (7:00 pm)
• Apr. 2 — Diabetes Association Festival – Radford High School, Radford, VA (7:00 pm)
• Apr. 10 — Harvest Time Restaurant – Connersville, IN (7:00 pm)

Related Links

• Missy Werner
• Missy Werner’s “Drifting and Dreaming” on Ebay
• Missy Werner on Facebook
• Missy Werner on MySpace