The Del McCoury Band will release “Moneyland,” a multi-artist CD which features classic material along side the new on June 24th.

Google “money” and instantly flashing on your 21-inch LCD monitor are more ways to become a high roller than you can imagine. Do the same search for “moneyland” and you get pretty much the same results — with one very notable exception.

One search result that pops up mentions McCoury Records. Surely, Del McCoury, the label’s patriarch, isn’t pitching some get-rich-quick scheme, is he?

Not to worry. This “Moneyland” is a new CD, described as “a collection of songs dealing with issues facing Rural America.” It will be released on the McCoury label on June 24.

Although the label is only now releasing advance publicity on the project, it’s sketchy background, more than a year old, touches on presidential politics. On April 23, 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported that the John Edwards Democratic presidential campaign was giving away the “Moneyland” CD to contributors who gave $50 or more. The cover of the CD being offered back then looks like a clone of the new CD that’s headed to retailers.

Fast forward a year from when the Edwards campaign was still on its feet, and McCoury has evidentally taken partisan politics out of the project. (Well, not entirely. McCoury gets a word in about the election in remarks below.) Del McCoury himself is leading the promotional campaign for the multi-artist CD, which includes some classic material and a new tune or two. He describes the project as “a timely … collection that offers a hard-hitting look at economic injustice through songs old and new.”

The CD begins and ends with excerpts from two of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Depression-era “fireside chats.”

It includes the Depression-era tune, “Breadline Blues,” recorded in 1931 by Bernard “Slim” Smith, and “Breadline Blues 2008,” a reworking by the McCoury clan that also features Mac Wiseman, Tim O’Brien, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

Familiar names and songs abound. Merle Haggard lends his support to the project with his 1973 classic “If We Make It Through December” and the more recent “What Happened?,” which appeared on his McCoury Music bluegrass debut last year. Haggard gets a third plug on the CD with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell offering their take of his classic, “Mama’s Hungry Eyes.” And, yes, a fourth shot for the Hag — this time, his “Farmer’s Blues” with Marty Stuart.

Dan Tyminski’s “”Carry Me Across the Mountain,”based on a true Depression-era story, and Chris Knight’s “A Train Not Running,” are contemporary components to the project as is the title, “Moneyland,” which could be described as a bluegrass rap about the god-like role of the almighty dollar in today’s society.

In advance publicity about the upcoming CD release, bluegrass veteran Mac Wiseman, another contributor to the “Moneyland” CD, and McCoury talk about the changed face of America.

“I grew up on a farm myself, back during the late ’40s, and we raised everything,” McCoury said. “We raised hogs and chickens, had dairy cows, we shipped milk. Times were good for the farmer in those days, but now the farmers are just hanging on by their fingernails.

“It’s sad to me that country kids can’t stay in their hometowns any more. There’s no opportunity, there are no jobs, there’s just nothing. And at the other end of life, there are a lot of people losing the pensions they worked for. That happened to my wife, Jean — and there are more people relying on Social Security than ever.

“You know, we have a little fun on this album with that Beatles song, ‘When I’m 64,’ but really, it’s no joke. It used to seem like 60 was really old, but nowadays, it feels more like middle age, and to have a lot of years ahead of you without being sure that what you spent a lifetime working for, like a pension or Social Security, is going to be there, well, that just doesn’t seem right.”

“… in my travels, I get the feeling that we’re sliding back to the days of the breadlines, and more and more people are getting the short end of the stick — and a lot of it just seems to come down to greed.”

Wiseman,who grew up during the Great Depression, echoes McCoury’s thoughts.

“It’s very obvious to me that politics is running hand in hand with the big money these days,” Wiseman said. “There’s nothing wrong with a big house and a fine car and having plenty for the family. That’s good. But the greed we see now, that’s something else altogether.”

McCoury and his manager, Stan Strickland, shares executive producer credits. Strickland and Rob and Ronnie McCoury are listed as producers.

“I’m in a position where I can make good choices,” McCoury said. “And aside from just doing what I do musically, I can help others do the same themselves, and get a message out that people need to hear and think about — and, especially in an election year, take action on. This isn’t about party politics, it’s about doing what’s best for our country and everyone in it, not just a lucky few.

“That hillbilly boy in Appalachia and that farm boy in the Midwest and that black kid in the inner city, they’re all looking for the same thing: a way out and up. One of these days, those kids are going to start working together on their common problems-and when they do, they’ll fix them.”

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The Dan Tyminski Band will release their much anticipated CD, “Wheels,” on the Rounder Label June 17.

Don’t think for a minute that Dan Tyminski is spending time in the rocking chair these days just because his long-time boss Alison Krauss is crisscrossing the country doing concerts with Robert Plant.

Tyminski, a key player in Krauss’ Union Station, has re-organized his own band , is performing at concerts and festivals and is waiting for the release of his long-awaited second solo album, “Wheels.” The CD will be released by Rounder Records on June 17.

Tyminski and his band will take to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry that evening to promote the CD.

The Dan Tyminski Band, which provides backing on the project, includes Union Station’s Barry Bales on bass and former AKUS mandolin player Adam Steffey, who has been touring and recording with Mountain Heart for the past few years.

Other members of the group are Ron Stewart on fiddle and banjo and Justin Moses on fiddle and Dobro.

Guest artists popping up on the CD are Vince Gill, Cheryl and Sharon White of The Whites and Ron Block, banjo player and guitarist with Krauss’ band.

Tyminski first rose to national prominence on the bluegrass circuit as a member of The Lonesome River Band. He’s been with Union Station since 1994, featured on guitar and mandolin and soulful tenor harmonies.

In 2000, Tyminski stepped further into the spotlight as the singing voice of George Clooney in the Coen Brothers’ movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” In addition to being a pivotal element in the plot of the film, his powerful rendition of the Stanley Brothers’ version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” became a surprise hit single, winning the County Music Association’s Single of the Year award, an IBMA award for Song of the Year (the album was also named the Album of the Year), and a Grammy award for Country Collaboration with Vocals.

The album also received the Grammy for Album of the Year – a rare achievement for a soundtrack project.

That year also marked the release of Tyminski’s first solo album, Carry Me Across the Mountain, and some of the first dates performed by the Dan Tyminski Band. He has also toured as part of Vince Gill’s band and with Jerry Douglas. He was invited by Eric Clapton to participate in Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004 and as a part of Union Station in 2007.

A Vermont native,Tyminski now lives near Nashville, Tenn. Tyminski is an avid golfer and has participated in a number of celebrity golf tournaments.

His new CD can be pre-ordered at www.rounder.com.

The track listing includes:

1. Wheels
2. Whose Shoulder Will You Cry On
3. Making Hay
4. Who Showed Who
5. It All Comes Down to You
6. How Long Is This Train
7. I Ain’t Taking You Back No More
8. Heads You Win Tails I Lose
9. How Many Times
10. The One You Lean On
11. Knock Knock! 01:52
12. Some Early Morning

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The Duhks will release “Fast Paced World” on the Sugar Hill label August, 12, 2008. Photo by Laura Crosta.

Nashville, TN — Hailed by the New York Times as one of the artists at the forefront of the neo-folk movement, the Duhks continue the evolution with their fourth album, “Fast Paced World,” set for an August 12, 2008 release on Sugar Hill Records. “We traveled from Winnipeg, locked ourselves in a Nashville basement, pooled our ideas together and invented a new sound,” says new frontwoman and bilingual, budding soul queen, Sarah Dugas (she replaced Jessee Havey in 2007).

Produced by Jay Joyce, who joins an impressive line of producers (Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien) before him, the Duhks have created their most energetic, fully realized, unearthly album to date. Seriously. “Jay’s basement studio was like something out of the Star Trek Enterprise,” adds founder and clawhammer banjoist, Leonard Podolak, who, in the past, “traditionally stuck close to the acoustic sound of our instruments. This record is a beautiful mosaic of different ideas and soundscapes.”

Leonard, Sarah, Tania Elizabeth (fiddle, mandolin), guitarist Jordan McConnell and new worldbeat drummer Christian Dugas (Sarah’s brother) have melded French lounge pop (”Toujours Vouloir”) and scratchy soul meditations on the Galveston flood in 1900 (”Mighty Storm”) and sleeping (”Sleepin’ Is All I Wanna Do”) with the soundtrack of the weirdest 1930s Marlene Dietrich movie you never saw (”This Fall”), and beyond. “We’re all proud of this record and can’t wait to release it to the world,” adds Sarah.

In the space between the Grammy-nominated ‘Migrations’ (2006, Sugar Hill Records) and now, the Juno-winning band has gained critical love (”overall virtuosity that could make them stars” - Boston Globe), toured the world and earned a solid fan base - no doubt due to their manic, spirited live shows. (Check YouTube for John Paul Jones joining the band for “Whole Lotta Love”).

Environmental issues have always been a passion for the band, inspiring them to launch The Duhks Sustainability Project (www.greenduhks.com). The goal is to “tour as sustainably as possible - Biodiesel, local organic farmers, sustainable eco-conscious clothing,” says Tania, who was invited by Bonnaroo to speak about sustainability during the festival on June 13th. In addition, Bonnaroo has chosen the Duhks to perform on the Solar Stage on June 14th.

The Duhks on tour

• Jun 6 — Bamajam Festival - Enterprise, AL
• Jun 7 — Freebird Live - Jacksonville Beach, FL
• Jun 8 — Skipper’s Smokehouse - Tampa, FL
• Jun 13 — Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN
• Jun 21 — Fly Me to the Moon Saloon - Telluride, CO
• Jun 22 — Telluride Bluegrass Festival - Telluride, CO

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The Grascals “Keep on Walkin’” (Rounder) will be released July 15, 2008.

Nashville, Tenn. — The Grascals, one of the most critically-acclaimed and dynamic groups in bluegrass music today, and the reigning IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Entertainers of the Year for the last two years, will release their third studio album for Rounder Records, Keep On Walkin’, on July 15. The 12-song, self-produced album is the group’s first release in two years. It crystallizes the sound introduced and developed on the band’s first two Grammy®-nominated releases—traditional bluegrass and country music, both original and classic songs, all delivered with vocal and instrumental intensity and virtuosity. Timely and timeless, The Grascals’ music is entirely relevant to the here and now, yet based on a deeply-seeded knowledge of and admiration for the music’s founding fathers.

“After five years of singing together, and especially the last three years of extensive touring, we think we’ve really been able to define our sound on this record. The whole process of doing this album, from finding songs, to arranging them, recording and mixing—was relaxed and fun. We took our time so we could do things the way we wanted and treat each song with the care it deserved.” Jamie Johnson, Grascals vocalist and guitarist .

The album kicks into high gear with the lead track, “Feeling Blue,” written by well-known bluegrass tunesmith Aubrey Holt, who first met Jamie Johnson when they were in the Boys From Indiana. Holt has become one of the band’s favorite writers, contributing three songs to this album. In addition to “Feeling Blue,” which is an original song with the feel of an old Jimmy Martin tune, Holt wrote “Sad Wind Sighs.” A classic lament disguised in an uptempo tune, the song features the incomparable voice of special guest Vince Gill. Holt also explores the lighter side of life in “Happy Go Lucky,” the song that The Grascals performed to open the 2007 IBMA Awards and have included in their live shows ever since.

Jamie Johnson also displays his songwriting skills on two songs—the moving title track about life’s journeys, which he co-wrote with veteran songwriter Charley Stefl; and “Indiana,” which he co-wrote with another of the band’s favorite writers, Harley Allen. The song perfectly captures the bittersweet yearning for the home of one’s youth. Allen, who has written songs on all three of The Grascals’ albums, including the 2005 IBMA Song of the Year, “Me and John and Paul,” continues to strike an emotional chord with “Remembering,” about the lingering effects of war.

Sprinkled throughout the album and shining like the gems they are, some country and bluegrass classics each get a refreshing and respectful turn from The Grascals. First, they put a new twist on Waylon Jennings’ “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line,” before Terry Eldredge sings a heart-rending lead on “Choices,” a hit for his musical hero, George Jones. The Grascals’ version of the song was #1 in March and April on XM Bluegrass Junction Top 30 Tracks, and it has spent multiple weeks on the Count Down Yonder Weekly Top 17 Songs of SIRIUS Bluegrass. Also included are some of the songs that the band regularly performs during their live shows—“Today I Started Loving You Again,” “Can’t You Hear That Whistle Blow” (featuring lead vocals and slap-bass playing by Terry Smith) and “Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms.” As with their previous albums, the band took this one to play for Earl Scruggs, and they were delighted to see the smile on his face as “Rollin’” began. Following their tradition, The Grascals include a gospel number on this album, selecting “Farther Along” as the final track. It features Danny Roberts’ vocal debut singing bass in the four-part harmony.

In addition to Jamie Johnson on guitar and vocals, Terry Eldredge on guitar and vocals, Terry Smith on bass and vocals, and Danny Roberts on mandolin, Keep on Walkin’ features Aaron McDaris playing banjo on his first album with The Grascals, and Jimmy Mattingly on fiddle. Guest musicians on selected tracks include Nashville session ace Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano and Andy Hall (of the Infamous Stringdusters) on dobro.

Jamie Johnson is featured in the May edition of Bluegrass Now, which can be viewed at http://www.bluegrassnow.com.

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Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass “The Room Over Mine” (Rounder) lands June 24.

Burlington, MA - The bluegrass world is excited about The Room Over Mine, the forthcoming Rounder album from bluegrass veterans Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass.

Raised to the strains of classic bluegrass, Danny 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. The Room Over Mine is due in stores June 24.

“This is so good I don’t know how to deal with it! Bluegrass music has been waiting for a record like this for a long, long time.” Alison Krauss

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