News/Thoughts

Monthly Archives: December 2017

Roots Music Leaders Celebrate

Directors from three of the country’s most respected music organizations joined WoodSongs Old-Time Radio host, folksinger Michael Johnathon on Monday for an adventurous exploration of roots music. Barbara B. Newman, president and CEO of The Blues Foundation, Angus Finnan, Executive Director of Folk Alliance International and Paul Schiminger, Executive Director of the International Bluegrass Music Association and Dr. Ron Pen ...

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Before The Words

Teaching songwriting these days has opened up a whole new world for my personal songwriting. A good writer friend of mine, who travels the country teaching at workshops, told me once that if I taught too much I would stop writing songs for myself, and my catalog would starve to death. I always kept this advice in the back of ...

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Women Bluegrass Pioneers

Recently, at the International Bluegrass Music Association gathering in Raleigh, NC, the AR folks staffed a booth in the exhibit hall. Across from the AR booth was an exhibit promoting a filmmaker’s effort to honor music pioneer, Alice Gerrard. Should you not know, Alice Gerrard along with Hazel Dickens, her friend and fellow pioneering woman in bluegrass music, were among ...

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Lovin’ The Local Jam

While the masses of music lovers gather at music festivals all summer long, and congregate in renovated theaters, coffee houses, and such; the backbone, if you will, of bluegrass music, exists all over rural America in small towns and communities on any given night of the week at something called Jams. They’re often free, usually involve dinner and/or desert, lots ...

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Bluegrass Garage Band

Summer “Brooke” McMahan graduates from college in December (2017). Most young folks in that position are ready to head out to look for a job in their chosen field of study – or perhaps aren’t even sure what they will do next. Not Summer. She knew what she wanted to do before she went to college, even though she told ...

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Sweet Sweet

Jeremy Dunham and Kerrine Gifford hail from South Carolina. This musical duo brings a fresh and inviting blend of elegance and mood as they combine Kerrine’s enchanting cello with the rustic roots of Jeremy’s acoustic guitar. Add some foot driving percussion textures with the simple, yet emotionally hard hitting songs filled with heartfelt tales and whimsical Southern Charm, and you ...

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Are You Ready …

Les Bohem says he was part of the great Los Angeles music scare of the early 1980s.  We asked Les what exactly he meant by that. “Los Angeles always had trouble maintaining a live music scene – my theory is, you couldn’t be drunk and get home easily. In New York you put your hand up in the air,” he ...

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It Don’t Get Any Better

Norm Burnet is no stranger to the music business. Although It Don’t Get Better Than This! is his first studio project in a while, he’s been making professionally since the “pre Garth and Shania heyday.” The Ottawa, Canada based musician has been playing for over 30 years, notching several regional hit songs along the way. “I got the bug when ...

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