"Wine,Women and Song" -Gretchen Peters,Matraca Berg and Suzy Bogguss

  

    Gretchen Peters, Matraca Berg and Suzy Bogguss play a show at a place called "Green's Grocery" in Leiper's Fork , Tennessee on Feb 24, 2011. There were tornado warnings out, but this great show goes on, and I am so glad that it is on DVD.


These ladies sound so good together. Wow, they are singing C,S,N's "Helpless", great harmony. Berg plays some great harmonica. You know what is cool, these gals play the same guitar for the whole show. They don't have a guitar tech handing them a new guitar every song. Gretchen has this beautiful Jumbo ,Maple Gibson. Suzy plays a gorgeous handmade guitar, the wood is exquisite. Matraca has vintage looking Gibson which is like a dreadnought size.



Peter's "You Don't Even Know Who I Am", really blew me away, always loved this song, Patty Loveless did a great version of it on a 94 Album. When the songwriter sings it, it always seems a bit more personal.


Gretchen plays some mandolin, these gals sound so good together, they really seem to love singing together. Bogguss plays some percussion on some songs.



This is a great performance, not real formal ,but it is a simple delight. There are 12 songs on the DVD. They play a couple of songs after the crowd leaves. A beautiful rendition of "Further Along". I love a tune that Peters sings ,called "Gaudelaupe", with Berg on Harmonica and Bogguss singing backup. Peter's jumbo Gibson is a sweet sounding guitar.



Another special treat is from Berg's new CD "The Dreaming Fields", is called "South Of Heaven". If you like country done unplugged by the best, you will love this.





http://www.gretchenpeters.com/

"The Life We Live" - Cumberland River - A Review

Cumberland River is a real authentic sounding bluegrass band. They write their own songs and their music has good melodies and harmonies also, but with a flair of the old time bluegrass sound prevalent in their music. The Dobro is a big part of their sound. Steve Gulley does a good job of producing the CD. I like the sound Gulley creates, not too polished, he lets the instruments come thru like they should. Banjo and mandolin sound great too, with some nice lead guitar.






James Dean plays banjo and sings, Joseph Jones plays upright bass, Dustin Middleton plays guitar and mandolin, and sings, Andy Buckner sings and plays guitar, Justin Moses plays fiddle and Dobro, and Jamie Stewart plays Dobro. Steve Gulley sings harmony on several tracks, plus Dale Ann Bradley also sings harmony vocals.



Their music appears on the TV show "Justified", Six of their original songs appeared on two different shows. I really like "Train Of Sorrow", a song that tells a sad story. "Remember Me" is a sad song that is very touching.



This is a very good bluegrass set of songs, that has an original sound in old genre.



http://www.cumberland-river.com/

"The BLU-DISC" - Nu- Blu - A review

          
This group has a smooth ,yet fundamental bluegrass sound as they play their way thru this disc. The group is Carolyn Routh on bass, Daniel Routh on guitar with Kendall Gales on mandolin and Levin Austin on banjo. Their sound is definitely their own as they play these in the bluegrass vein, yet what comes out is smooth as a mountain stream, almost with a pop sound, yet not a bad thing, their sound is great.



After a quick look at titles , I recognized several songwriters like Mark Brinkman, but I did not notice much in the way of new stuff, but what they play sounds delightful. Carolyn has a great voice for the female lead vocals, I mean, real good. I really like the instrument interaction, they are really together. It is really well produced, the tones are smooth and sweet. The lyrics of these songs are very thought provoking. The opening track "Look To You" is delightful, yet the words are challenging.


Nu-Blu is a new dimension in the bluegrass world, it is a CD to check out, I liked it immediately, it is different, but what is wrong with that. There are some more traditional driving songs mixed in.



http://www.nu-blu.com/

THE ROYS PLEDGE SUPPORT TO COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Nashville, TN (July 11, 2011) -- The reigning two-time Inspirational Country Music's Duo of the Year, The Roys, "RESPOND with Compassion" as they support COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL's newest campaign. The RESPOND with Compassion effort encourages people everywhere to sponsor a child - now.


"The development of the whole child is the foundation of Compassion International. Sponsorship enables us to work one-on-one with the child, fostering a personal relationship and transforming families and communities," says Zane King, Manager of Artist Relations for Compassion. "We are simply asking everyone to ask themselves one question: Can you offer aid to a child in need?"

One key component of the new RESPOND campaign is to offer donors three different "needs" categories, which allows for targeted contributions: Health & Medical, Disaster Relief & Stability, and Education. To learn more about how you can Respond, visit www.theroysonline.com, click on the Compassion logo, and sponsor a child today.

"It's a very unique concept," says Elaine Roy of the new campaign. "A lot of folks who donate to charity wonder where their money goes," adds her brother, Lee Roy. "This way they'll know for certain how their money is spent, and they'll rest easy knowing that Compassion is one of the top 1% of all charities in terms of stewardship."

The duo has been involved with the organization since early 2010, and last Summer, Lee and Elaine traveled to Bogota, Columbia, South America to experience first-hand how the programs are implemented. Compassion's King is happy to have The Roys on board for this new campaign. "We are just thrilled to be in partnership with them as they ask their fans to 'RESPOND with Compassion' to help those in need."

As part of their ongoing relationship with Compassion, The Roys' tour bus has been "wrapped" with RESPOND graphics, and Compassion is furnishing the duo with t-shirts and other giveaway items to help them spread the word to their fans. "We believe strongly in their mission to eradicate poverty in the lives of children," says Lee. "We want to spread the message that sponsoring a child not only changes the life of that child, but it changes the sponsor's life as well," adds Elaine.

Upcoming shows for The Roys include:

Craven Country Jamboree (Saskatchewan, Canada, 7/14 -17)

The Oak Tree Opry (Anita, IA, 7/19)

Country Thunder (Twin Lakes, WI, 7/21-24)

Blue Moon Mountain Bluegrass Festival (Prestonsburg, KY, 7/30)

Workplay Theater (Birmingham, AL, 8/4)

Chocotaw Casino with Janie Fricke (Idabel, OK, 8/6)

Dogwood Park Concert Series (Greeneville, TN, 8/21)

ABOUT THE ROYS:

These Massachusetts natives were "raised right" on country and bluegrass in New Brunswick, Canada. Their current CD, LONESOME WHISTLE (Rural Rhythm Records), debuted at #7 on BILLBOARD's Bluegrass Albums Chart. Their current single (and video) "Coal Minin' Man," is generating a storm of media attention on a national level, and rapidly expanding their ever-growing fan base. The Roys come from a unique, musical family and are known for their superb sibling harmonies, Rootsy/Bluegrass sound and compelling original songs. http://www.theroysonline.com/



ABOUT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL:

Compassion International (www.compassion.com) is the world's largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from poverty. Founded in 1952, CI successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1.2 million children in 26 of the world's poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, CI works through local churches to holistically address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children - enabling them to thrive, not just survive. CI has been awarded 10 consecutive, four-star ratings by Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator.







Media Contacts

For The Roys

Martha E. Moore / 615.746.3994

so much MOORE media

martha@somuchmoore.com

For Compassion International

Chris Tatum / 615.777.6995

Webster PR

chris@websterpr.com

THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND SETS SAIL WITH ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE THIS DECEMBER

MTB Headlines Cruise With ZZ Top, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, John Kay & Steppenwolf, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Foghat, Artimus Pyle, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter, The Edgar Winter Band, Among Others


Royal Caribbean's Liberty Of The Seas Cruise Ship Departs on Four-Day Excursion to the Bahamas December 1



Nashville, Tenn. (July 7, 2011) – This December, legendary southern rockers The Marshall Tucker Band will ‘batten down the hatches’ and take to the seas, as they co-headline the inaugural ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE, benefiting the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA).



“This is going to be one hell of a party on the Atlantic,” notes Marshall Tucker Band lead singer and founding member Doug Gray. “Hittin’ the waters with some of our best rocker pals never sounded so good. You can bet we’ll have some of these guys jammin’ with us MTB-style on more than a few of our sets!”



Departing from Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 1, The Marshall Tucker Band joins more than 18 rock bands including ZZ Top, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Kay & Steppenwolf, Dickey Best & Great Southern, Foghat, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter, The Edgar Winter Band, and The Outlaws, among others, on a four-day Bahamian cruise.


As many as 3,200 music fans, served by a crew of 1,300, will be aboard The Royal Caribbean Line’s Liberty of the Seas. The ship, one of the largest (160,000 tons / length equal to almost four football fields / 18 decks) and most luxurious passenger vessels in service today, is scheduled for stops in Bahamian cities Coco Cay and Nassau. The main attraction of the cruise is the multiple performances by the rock bands brought aboard in four different on-board venues. Liberty of the Seas also features on-board surfing thanks to its FlowRider wave generator, a boxing ring, a full-sized volleyball / basketball court, cantilevered whirlpools and a range of gourmet restaurants.



The unprecedented cruise will benefit Native American Heritage Association’s mission to provide emergency assistance and self-help programs to the Sioux Native Americans living on reservations in South Dakota. Since 1993, NAHA has worked with Lakota (Sioux) Reservations, strengthening the Native American communities and families one member at a time. The challenges are difficult as unemployment rates on the Reservations are at 80%, 70% have no transportation, the average life expectancy is 58 years of age, infant mortality is 10 times the national average and 31% of Native American children under the age of 4 are obese because of lack of proper nutrition. NAHA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in partnership with Feeding America and Gifts In Kind International, has provided food, clothing, heating assistance, personal care items and home care items to the many Native Americans in need. NAHA has a 17-year history of executing its mission in a fiscally responsible way, outperforming most other charities. Thanks to its financially sound business practices, NAHA has earned 6 consecutive 4-star rating with www.charitynavigator.org. 92.4% of all NAHA revenue goes toward its program services. For additional information, visit http://www.naha-inc.org/



This year, The Marshall Tucker Band celebrates its 40th year since forming in 1971. Last May, the band, in recognition of four decades, released The Marshall Tucker Band: Greatest Hits and lead singer Doug Gray’s lost solo recordings, Soul Of The South. The legendary southern rock band continues to tour regularly and recently returned from a five-concert tour of Iraq and Kuwait, where they entertained thousands of United States military personnel.



For ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE ticketing information, visit www.rocklegendscruise.com.



For additional information on The Marshall Tucker Band, visit http://www.marshalltucker.com/