Joe Val Thursday

A bunch of Bluegrassers are here a day early to take advantage of the Master Classes offered on Friday before the main event kicks off at 5 p.m. with a welcoming reception. They're jamming in the lower lobby this evening. Harry Grant and crew are setting up the stage and sound system at this very moment. Things are coming together.

Getting Closer

I'm really worried about this storm headed for New England. I've got visions of being snowbound, desperately trying to dig out and finally succeeding at about the time the last act hits the stage at the Joe Val. So, for my sake let's hope it turns out to be a big nothing.

Connecticut's long time Bluegrass band, The Grass Routes Band will be showcased at the Festival this year. The group has jammed there many times in the past so now they'll be getting a closer look by a larger audience and that's good, they make great traditional music. They're fronted by Bill Reveley, vocals, fiddle, and mandolin and Marilyn Toback- Reveley harmony and rhythm guitar, also new member,veteran singer and guitarist, Dave Orlomoski, and on bass Joe DeLillo, with banjoist Joe Lemeris rounding out the band.

The Grass Routes Band

Acoustic Blue will be appearing on the main stage at Joe Val on Friday night, I've seen this band several times and they always impress me with their songwriting skills and their strong vocals and polished appearance.

T. Shaun Batho

Corey Zink

Bear Aker and Mike VanAlstyne

Joe Val in Four Days

The Gibson Brothers said they just can't wait for the Joe Val Festival to begin, me too. And it's just four days away, Yeah. I get a kick out of watching fans arrive, loaded down with instruments, carrying mini- refrigerators, hot plates, lots of food, it’s like an indoor campground. And then the "pickin" begins minutes after the folks arrive, every nook and cranny’s filled with music. For some it’s family reunion time, old friends renew that bond ,that camaraderie that the love of Bluegrass brings about. At the same time volunteers are busily setting up lighting, sound, staging, chairs and all the other chores that must get done. Stan Zdonick and Gerry Katz can be seen hustling back and forth almost at a run tending to the business that needs to be finished to keep the Festival running smoothly. It’s a very busy and exciting little camp for three days that seem to end to soon.

Leigh and Eric Gibson

Here's pics of just a few groups performing, for a complete list go tothe BBU website

Greg Cahill

Josh Williams

Dan Paisley

Michael Cleveland

Past Joe Val Workshops and Jams

One of the highlights of every Joe Val Festival is the workshop. They take place for several hours of each Saturday and Sunday and they’re always full. They are led by faculty members from local Colleges and University’s as well as some of the artists of national touring bands. Always a learning experience and often quite rewarding the classes range from musicians health to harmony vocals to lead instrumental creation, song writing, instrument setup and much more. If that isn’t worth the price of admission then how about round the clock jamming, sometimes with the stars themselves. Indeed many attendees never get to see the performances, they’re jamming all over the place and that’s just fine with them. There truly is something for everyone at Joe Val.

Michael Cleveland

Bobby Hicks

Been jamming all night, no problem, you can find relief in the downstairs lobby

Alecia Nugent

Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters

Acclaimed vocalist Amy Gallatin will team up with master resophonic guitarist Roger Williams for a Saturday evening show at the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham, Mass. Amy and Roger are known for beautiful vocal and harmony styling of folk, country and bluegrass songs. Amy's voice brings to mind Nancy Griffiths and Emmylou Harris and always captures her audience with her easy going style and repartee.
Roger is one of the top resophonic guitar players in the country and when he harmonizes with Amy the results are remarkable.

Check out Amy's site for here

fire on the mountain a bluegrass symposium

A symposium on bluegrass at Harvard University this Saturday and it's free, plus you will get to hear Alison Brown, Bobby Hicks, and Sam Bush. Click the links below for schedule, topics, and directions.

 

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fire on the mountain

a bluegrass symposium

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Thompson Room, Barker Center

12 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

Harvard University

Free and open to the public; no tickets required.

(Directions & Important Information)

Sponsored by the Committee on Degrees in Folklore & Mythology, the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA), the Office of the Provost, the Undergraduate Council, and the Harvard College American Music Association (HCAMA)

(Note: this is a draft schedule; some aspects may change, or be clarified, as the event approaches.)

10:30 am     Welcome and Coffee

10:45 am     Introductory Remarks

                          Deborah Foster & Forrest O’Connor

11:00 am     Keynote Address

Matt Glaser (Berklee School of Music, American Roots Music Program)

11:30 am     Bluegrass: Its Roots and Branches

Historians, ethnomusicologists, and academically inclined performers consider the

history of bluegrass: its diverse (and controversial) roots, its major proponents, its

evolution, and its possible future.

                         Neil Rosenberg (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

                         Jack Tottle (East Tennessee State University)

                         Michelle Kisliuk (University of Virginia)

                         Alison Brown ’84 (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)

                         Garry West (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)

                         Scott Alarik (moderator) (Folk music writer, Boston Globe)

1:00 pm      Brief Musical Interlude

1:15 pm      Light Lunch for Attendees

2:15 pm      The Instruments of Bluegrass: Craft to Sound

Renowned guitar- and mandolin-maker Lynn Dudenbostel discusses his craft (and

the ways in which it relates to bluegrass), and displays actual samples of his work.

Afterward,  Forrest O’Connor presents his undergraduate thesis on luthiery, and Sam

Bush test-drives a Dudenbostel F-5.

                         Lynn Dudenbostel (Dudenbostel Stringed Instruments)

                         Forrest O’Connor ’10 (Harvard University)

                         Sam Bush (Bluegrass musician, TG2 Artists)

3:00 pm      Coffee Break

3:30 pm      Contemporary Bluegrass: A Discussion with Musicians

Notable bluegrass musicians demonstrate (and break apart) seminal bluegrass works.

                         Alison Brown ’84 (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)

                         Sam Bush (Bluegrass musician, TG2 Artists)

                         Bobby Hicks (Bluegrass musician)

                         Jack Tottle (moderator) (East Tennessee State University)

5:00 pm      Dinner Break

7-8:30 pm  Evening Performance

                        Clint Miller ’11(Harvard University) opening

                        Alison Brown ’84 (Bluegrass musician, Compass Records)

                        Sam Bush (Bluegrass musician, TG2 Artists)

                        Bobby Hicks (Bluegrass musician)

fire on the mountain a bluegrass symposium

Bits and Pieces

It always annoys me to see folks I consider to be occasional bluegrassers nominated for awards in the Bluegrass field. Why aren't the hard working legitimate Bluegrass people nominated, the bands that work week in and week out traveling the country and playing dozens of dates. There are exceptions, Rhonda Vincent seems to be a contender quite often as well as Ricky and Del but so many really good people are overlooked. These performers have developed solid entertainment routines over the course of time through dedication and hard work and they've proven to be a good drawer for the festival producer and yet they are never nominated to the Grammy's.
I'm not questioning the skill of these sometime Bluegrass acts, they are very talented people, what I'm saying is they are not paying their dues in the Bluegrass genre and shouldn't be considered for awards in Bluegrass.

Master guitarist Jim Hurst is leaving the Claire Lynch Band to hit the road as a solo act. He just decided that after 15 years it felt like a change was right. Claire said she loves him and wishes him well and will certainly miss him.