IBMA Award Show Changes, David Crow Resigns, Jeanie & Chuck, Belle Monroe, Hardly Strictly, Wolf Mountain, Iris Dement, Four Shillings Short, Whiskey Brothers, and more bluegrass news.
Michael Hall
__________________ http://ncbs.us __________________
***** Changes To IBMA Awards Show Debated *****
- Jeanie & Chuck's NCBS First Wed. Jam, San Francisco
- NCBS "First Thursday" BG In San Mateo -- Belle Monroe
- Hardly Strictly Bluegrass This Weekend, San Francisco
- Wolf Mountain Bluegrass This Weekend, Watsonville
Plus, Iris Dement At The Mystic Theater, Petaluma
and the rest of this week's bluegrass news, below..
Always Thinkin': The IBMA Faces Limits of Provincialism;
Uncle Josh Graves, Dobro Master
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Changes To IBMA Awards Show In Nashville Debated; Key Leader Resigns
In recent years, your reporter has routinely skipped the IBMA Awards
Show on the theory that, if you have seen one such event, you have
pretty much seen them all. This theory did not apply to the Thursday,
September 28, 2006 gathering at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
The show's production committee, apparently without informing IBMA
leadership, shortened the award presentation portion of the show to
find time for what a press release described as the "Patriotic" portion
of the program. This part of the show was a flag-waving USA (only)
appeal to Americans (only) to honor US troops (only) in recent wars --
against such past wartime adversaries as Japan and certain European
nations.
Of course, this was well-received by the mostly Southern American
audience at the show. Unfortunately, the event was also attended by
many international members of the IBMA (including those from Japan and
Europe) and was designed to be distributed in recorded form for airplay
on bluegrass radio stations around the world. So, the revised award
show content had nothing to do with promoting bluegrass music and did
not meet the needs of an "international" arts organization.
The top IBMA leadership got wind of the program change before the show
and made arrangements -- so it thought -- to reduce the impact of this
Patriotic segment. Alas, these changes were not implemented and the
show went on as originally planned. David Crow, the IBMA president,
promptly resigned as a result of this incident, and IBMA members are
now engaged in a spirited debate about the debacle.
Super-patriotism has a place in American life, but clearly not at an
international event designed to honor outstanding bluegrass musicians
from around the world. IBMA members and their leaders are committed to
make sure it doesn't happen again.
Cybergrass:
http://www.cybergrass.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2352
CMT:
http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1542088/20060929/grascals.jhtml
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TONIGHT: Jeanie & Chuck's NCBS-Sponsored SF Bluegrass Country Jam
The first Wednesday night of every month means it's time for San
Francisco bluegrass fans to head for the Plough & Stars, 116 Clement
Street for Jeanie & Chuck's Bluegrass Country Jam, sponsored by NCBS.
Tonight at 8:30pm. FREE. The gathering is now five years old. The beer
flows right out of the taps! Amazing! <http://countryroundupsf.com>
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Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys In San Mateo Thursday Night
The NCBS "First Thursdays" Bluegrass Series at the Prince of Wales Pub,
106 East 25th Street, San Mateo, features Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass
Boys this Thursday, October 5, 8:00pm. FREE. Good pub food and good
beers on tap. Best bluegrass series on the Peninsula.
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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass -- A Free All-Star Weekend In Golden Gate
Park
The 2006 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival has the best line-up of any
major bluegrass/roots festival -- EVERYBODY! And it is still free.
"Hard" to see how you can't be there this Saturday & Sunday! Speedway
Meadows, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
<http://www.strictlybluegrass.com>
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Wolf Mountain Bluegrass Festival -- New: October 6-8, Watsonville
Is the exact opposite of the HSB circus the ideal bluegrass festival
for you? Dave Baker has his long-time Wolf Mountain Bluegrass Festival
tuned up and ready for you this weekend. NEW DATES: October 6-8. NEW
VENUE: Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville.
Perfect Strangers, High Plains Tradition, Cold Creek, Mighty Crows,
High Country, Keith Little & Jim Nunally, Lone Prairie, Sidesaddle and
Company, Jake Quesenberry & The McRae Brothers, Bean Creek, HeartWood,
Highway One, Page Brownton & Friends, Bluegrass Chapel by Steve
Kirtley. There will be plenty of tickets at the gate for this small,
low-key, jammer-oriented festival. The fall is very pretty on the
coast. Yup, it will be fun! <http://www.wolfmt.com>
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This Week's Bluegrass News:
- Iris Dement
- Four Shillings Short
- Stairwell Sisters
- Whiskey Brothers
- More bluegrass
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- Iris Dement, Southern singer songwriter with a streak of deep dark
genius. Saturday, Oct. 7, 8:00pm, at the classic Mystic Theater in
downtown Petaluma. $28 at the door. <http://www.mystictheatre.com>
- Four Shillings Short, Celtic and fun. Saturday, October 21, 7:00pm,
The Great Room, 24500 Miller Hill Road, Los Gatos. $15.
<http://www.TheGr8Room.com>
- The Stairwell Sisters take old-time to the new DeYoung Museum's First
Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 14 at Wilsey Court, 50
Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 12:30-2:00pm,
FREE show and the Museum is also free all day.
<http://www.stairwellsisters.com>
- The Whiskey Brothers TONIGHT at the Albatross Pub, 1822 San Pablo
Ave., Berkeley, 9:00pm. FREE. Excellent bluegrass on stage; excellent
beer on tap. <http://www.albatrosspub.com>
- There are many more Northern California bluegrass performances on the
NCBS website <http://ncbs.us> and in Bluegrass By The Bay magazine. Go
see some bluegrass this week!
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Always Thinkin' At The End: The IBMA Faces Limits Of Provincialism
The International Bluegrass Music Association is, of course, an
international organization, appropriate to the task of promoting
bluegrass, an internationally-performed and appreciated musical genre.
Bluegrass is widely available in such places as Europe and Japan, with
strong local bands in those parts leading the charge (much like the
scene here in Northern California).
But bluegrass began as a music of the Southern uplands, and the IBMA's
annual convention still retains a distinctive Southern flavor. At this
year's gathering, the old and new in bluegrass abruptly collided in a
way that will force the organization to choose either an international
or provincial path. Californians will be pleased to know that, although
the dust has not yet completely settled, the IBMA will certainly take a
broad-based international view of the music's future.
This development will make the IBMA stronger and more useful to
"outlanders" in places like the West Coast. It will also make this
accomplished form of Southern musical culture more widely recognized
and accepted around the world. The 2006 IBMA Awards show may have been
the "last hooray" by those who view bluegrass as a provincial American
music. This group has been in retreat for some time. We look forward to
the bright future of the International Bluegrass Music Association.
---
Uncle Josh Graves
Uncle Josh Graves, master Dobroist who helped define the role of the
resonator guitar in bluegrass, died at his Nashville home on September
28. He was scheduled to perform two nights later with the Bluegrass
Masters at the IBMA Fan Fest. He made many memorable appearances in
Northern California. He will be missed....mh
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Michael Hall hal...@gmail.com Discover Bluegrass!
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