Vince Gill @ Mountain Stage,about new CD

Vince plays and talks about his hot new CD "Guitar Slinger", in my opinion, one of this years best.

Joan Osborne Singing The Blues

Next year, Joan will be sharing some great new blues, watch for it as She brings it on home.

Grascals Featured in GACTV'S 12 Days of Country Cookies

Nashville, TN (December 12, 2011) -- The Grascals head in to the holiday season full of good cheer and, well, pie. "We're just full of it," laughs the group co-founder Jamie Johnson. "El's wife, Catherine Lundy-Eldredge, makes a mean Upside Down Apple Pie, and we've been doing some serious taste-testing!" The dish is so delightful that GACTV.com is including the recipe in their 12 Days of Country Cookies (& Treats) feature, and fans can grab the recipe for this down-home dessert at www.gactv.com/gac/pac_ctnt/text/0,,GAC_26058_104272,00.html or from http://www.grascals.com/.



Grascalites who want to see more of their favorite band can catch The Grascals' November 7 performance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3b1qbrIHGg) on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON. The audience loved the group's version of "Louisiana Saturday Night," and it's the perfect Christmas Eve entertainment for Bluegrass lovers since December 24 falls on a Saturday this year.





Learn more about these engaging entertainers at http://www.grascals.com/

Europe 72 - May 3, Olympia Theatre, Paris France

  

The Grateful Dead never sounded better than this night, this is a show that I ordered separately from the Huge box set. It is like listening to the original Europe 72 for the first time, The review below tells the story, great sound quality, what a band, this could be their best concert on CD.

Jerry and Bobby playing their 2 iconic guitars that you will most likely only hear on this show, Weir kept up with the Gibson for awhile, but the natural Strat would be replaced by the Irwin Wolf soon. The Strat tones really shine on this recording.

Highly Recommend.

"Pryme Tyme" - Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out - a Review

This group plays traditional bluegrass music. They mix in a little swing on couple of tunes. Russell Moore takes care of guitar and lead vocal on most songs. Steve Dilling plays banjo and sings harmony. Wayne Benson plays stellar mandolin through out the album. Justin Haynes plays fiddle and sings harmony. Edgar Loudermilk plays upright bass and sings harmony vocals and lead vocals on track #9.

   This sounds like a live recording, real sweet recording with great tonal characteristics. Greg Luck does a great job of engineering and also mastering.

   Great selection of material. Songs bring images of Montana to mind to love songs and songs about life. I love "Goodbye Old Missoula", "Hooverville", "Moon Magic", and "Whippoorwill." My favorite song is the last, "What's the World Coming To", a slow paced, emotion filled song about life as we know it.

   By the way, it is good to see Rural Rhytmn Records in Tennessee "where they belong". Visit IIIrd Tyme Out @

       www.iiirdtymeout.com

Welcome to the Country, country pedals

Country music that is. Compressors are big in the country scene.

Part 3 or Discs 3 + 4 of Europe 72 Olympia ,Paris Show - Review by Steve Seachrist

Disc Three

1. Truckin'

Bob repeats the Number-One-in-Turlock bit and the band plays like they are playing a

hit single. It’s a typical daydream in most ways. It’s nice that the verses and choruses

are remembered, lyric-wise. It helps with the credibility. I’m buying this version. We

arrive at the last verse unscathed but for Jerry’s awesome and unpredictable fills. Bones

are patched and we are on our way home. Jer winds up and bursts into a series of rock

figures before heading out on a more esoteric excursion. Pig backs him up admirably

with good jams on the Hammond. Before 7:30 we are certainly setting up for that repriseof the last verse, and that happens from a whisper to a scream within its short lifetime.The jam after this is short and rocky. It is fully flavored with the taste of the main song rather than any other side trip. This very suddenly drops into something that promises to

become…

2. The Other One

Why on Earth the top of this CD track did not rate the “Jam” title (like 4/16 did) is way

beyond my pay scale. We basically land here on a desolate other world, dust our only

friend. This could make you cry if you did not know that rescue was imminent. Each of

the principals (minus Pigpen) carry on making all manner of rackets for several minutes.I really love these nebulous jams where searching is more important than finding. Jerry bows out near 4:45 and the others carry on beautifully without him. Bob strikes some really odd chords here. Jer comes tweedling back in a minute later, then he pushes out some volume-knob swells. This soon gets more aggressive, sparking Keith to make his own noise for a bit. At around 6:45 Phil makes several runs at the opening, but no one takes him up on any of them. More than a minute later, he pokes at it again and ever-so slowly everyone gets on board, but not all at once. In fact, they back off again, teasing us mercilessly with the entrance to the song proper. Phil rumbles through variations on his opening, now obviously just toying with it as the jam turns unpredictable corners again and again. The way this version blossoms is completely amazing. By 11:30 there is still tension even though a very high near-climax is reached. They back off yet again, setting up a little jam that Bob leads, again sans Jerry. Pig chimes in on organ and everyone except Jer comes to the table with the theme. Still no Garcia, they build it to its true structure and then the lead guitar finally warbles back into existence. Here the song has come around to its freakish form. It wails and wails here, all hands very much on deck. Parisian minds are being cracked open like oeufs. There is a slight cooling before Weir comes in with the verse. Pigpen is very active here and the backing vocals sound amazing. Piano leads the way out. Very quickly, the band leaves, and the only sound to be heard comes from the…

3. Drums

Billy displays his plentiful talents by knocking around on the trap kit for a few minutes.

It sounds like he has the snares turned off as he moves around the various three drums at hand. His right foot doesn’t do much but his left taps quietly on the high-hat pedal. His rolls are impeccable. A couple of minutes in, we can hear where this might go. Bill does a cool thing by pushing down on a drum head with one stick while hitting the drum with the other, then slowly releasing the hold, forming a change in tone kind of like a talking drum. We hear Phil warming up the bass as the track marker clicks over to one called…

4. The Other One

The top of this is a bass and drum solo, so I don’t know why it did not get a separate

title. Phil is front-and-center for almost two minutes before he plays the actual riff and

the band joins all at once. Jerry leads the jam into areas one would expect here but Bob

gets in some really tasty and unusual chording around 3:30. Soon after that both the hot

and cool dynamics of the song are displayed in turn. As space allows, more piano comes forward. The mood swings from bright to cloudy near 6:15 and it seems we will arrive at a verse soon. Before that can happen, a complete breakdown is called and Garcia works reverbed figures over slow, growling chords by Lesh. Next, Jerry clicks on the wah and dials it way back to a muted tone as he mimics demons. Phil and Bob are two ends of  the accompanying spectrum – one rumbling deep and the other strumming bright and squealing feedback. Jerry gets a grip on some pinch harmonics and lets them wail loudly. This is a fantastic little space jam. As its fruits dry on the vine, Bobby takes a chance on strumming the entrance to…

5. Me and Bobby McGee

Great song placement! As the cowboy ballads have been appearing in the midst of the

big jams, this one works just as well. It feels like relief. Groove, vocal harmonies, and a

catchy melody all come together as an antidote to the preceding madness. Pigpen warms the underpinning with organ as Jerry plays a perfect solo. The following verse is the one where Bobby McGee gets away and our singer wistfully regrets losing her. Wow, this is wonderful. The song builds to the wordless last verse and all cylinders are firing perfectly. Hear the guitar fills and piano embellishments. The cute last chord changes land kind of unexpectedly back on the still-unfinished…

6. The Other One

Oh, yes. We will hear a second verse soon, I can feel it right at the top as Garcia makes

no bones about playing the theme. The momentum is undeniable and the song moves

forward with that goal in mind. In less than two minutes, we are set up and Bob sings the one about Cowboy Neal. Note that it is Weir who plays those final guitar figures ending it and leaving an opening for Garcia to start…

7. Wharf Rat

I’ve really been enjoying the versions of this song from this tour. On this one, Weir rings some chiming chords in the first verse. Garcia sings it mildly at first, without as much conviction as I expected. He sounds a tad distracted, maybe. I think I detect some out of- tuneness in the guitar department and perhaps this is killing him. The song breaks down into its bridge and it becomes ever so delicate here. Bad things could happen. They don’t – the protagonist proclaims he will get up and fly away, and the song follows this sentiment. It lifts off and sails on. But it is still a bit of a struggle here. Nothing awful occurs, it’s just that the stars are not quite aligned. More barely off-color tones emanate from Weir at times when he could have been brought down somewhat in the mix to minimize this. Garcia decides to make the best of it and he gets busy with some colorful guitar work. The band jams out the ending only for a minute or so and lets the greater jam finally die here.

Disc Four

1.Jack Straw

I am dying to hear this. All previous versions have had Weir singing the verses instead

of alternating with Garcia as he had on the original

Europe ’72 album. So, was the

alternating idea something that came about in the field, or back at the ranch during

overdubbing sessions? Now we will find out (maybe).

Yup, the opening sounds precisely like the official version from all those years ago. But

then again so do these vocals, so I am guessing these are the overdubbed ones. Do I hear a ghost Weir voice during the Garcia parts? Maybe. We’ll know more after we hear the version from the next show. I’m really tempted to go straight there now, but I’ll wait. Even so, I’m pretty sure we just have a re-mix of the parts you’ve already heard a million times. It’s drier and more live sounding, for sure. It wraps up exactly like you knew it would. Great version. Weir says he wants to hear a pin drop and a crowd member yells something in English about California.

2. Sugar Magnolia

The band responds with this. It is a picture-perfect version, sung expertly by an audibly

hoarse Bob Weir. The verses are tight and rocking. Once they are dispensed with, Weir

quietly requests “rock-n-roll” and the band obliges. They set up the song-ending groove

and Garcia lets the changes go around a few times before chiming in with a lead. And

what a lead it is. He quotes familiar riffs and also goes somewhat sideways with these.

Unfortunately the false ending is a premature little wreck. Oh, well. They burst into

the coda with such force that the transgression is instantly forgotten and this is where

Weir earns his keep. The end is a scream fest and Garcia is so turned on that he begins

cranking immediately on…

3. Not Fade Away

Jerry’s gonna tell us how it’s gonna be. He sets a fast pace, Pigpen and the others climb

aboard and the song rocks hard. And by hard I mean very hard. The singing is yelling

and the playing is wailing. Stuff cools nicely after two choruses and Garcia takes the

opportunity to play some nice patterns. I am halfway expecting a familiar melody to

come forward (like “Mountain Jam” or something) but that does not occur. Instead, the

band jams on that one chord for a good while and Jer delights in playing over it. When it mellows sufficiently he begins working the riff for…

4. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

As the singing starts, Donna is onstage and the boys share vocal duties with her. Check

out Pigpen’s swirling Hammond here. Nice addition. The first guitar solo is fantastic in

its studied restraint. Donna lets out a yelp to celebrate and Jerry busts right into the next

verse with audible joy in his voice. Dig this! Another solo, why not? This one pushes

harder and includes some of the fastest little licks I’ve ever heard Garcia pull off. Don’t

miss this. Back to choruses and they of course build and build, with the not-bashful

Donna Godchaux adding interpretive screams. The breakdown lands on the “Bid You

Goodnight” changes which Jerry decides to double up on at the last split-second. Then

those quiet two chords are but a fakeout as we of course explode back into…

5.Not Fade Away

Hear Keith at the top of this, adding bluesy greatness. Then Pig gives us a taste too

before he jumps forward to join Bob on the vocal tradeoffs. This ending segment is one

for the ages. It cements my opinion that this whole show is near the top of the list for the tour.

6. One More Saturday Night

As the two guitars play the intro in harmony, Bob somehow also manages to mention

that this song is the new single and he suggests that the French audience go out and buy

it. Could they find it? Who knows? At least they got to hear it live. The version has a

lot of charm but it is not as together as some. Jerry makes up for some of that by playing fantastic, noisy licks near the end of the first solo. Bob comes back strong with a couple more verses. His voice is ragged and also right. More harmony guitar leads to the fun key changes in the bridge, which of course climb right back to the final choruses. It’s a raucous way to end a show that will remain one of my favorites from any time. The last chord is beaten to a bloody pulp and the crowd goes bonkers.

Part 2 or Disc 2 of Steve Seachrist Grateful Dead Review May 3,1972

Disc Two

1. Tennessee Jed

Having played this song dozens of times previously, and many times on this tour already, the Dead finally nail it for posterity here. They had lots of versions to choose from for the album and this one certainly deserved its place in history. And, yup, when

you hear those first riffs it’s pretty obvious that this is the same groove and ambience

from   

Europe ’72. But right there in the first verse, it becomes clear that this is the

 original vocal and not the overdubbed one when Jerry sings, “Listen to the whistle of

the 

passing train.” I’ve never heard him sing that before. Otherwise, the lead vocal and

 the backing vocals in the chorus are pretty close to the final version. Jerry is a bit more

exuberant here, with some raw emotion cutting through from time to time. He muffs

the line about “a few winks” which may have been the deciding factor in overdubbing

it. When the middle instrumental segment arrives, it is the same series of licks and this

was definitely used on the album. No wonder! It is as hot as this ever got. I love it.

Listen especially to what Weir does just under Garcia’s ripping lead. His interjections

are legendary here. The return to the final chorus and ending are utterly perfect, as you

probably already know. One aside: there is very little organ in this mix and absolutely

none in the original album mix.

2. Good Lovin'

Phil rather tentatively begins this and first Jerry, then the others, join in and build it

to a giant platform for Pigpen to ride atop. He sounds fully engaged and the band

plays loud and just edgily enough to keep it very real. The second chorus deflates and

immediately puffs back into a frantic jam led by Garcia playing fantastic, ripping guitar.

It calms suddenly and Pig comes back in with his improv segment. Lesh somehow gets

crossways and plays in a disharmonious key for a few bars, then returns to the planet

the rest of the guys are on. The rap is similar to others in most ways but it certainly

improvised word by word. I get chills as he hollers, “Come on daddy! See about me!”

By 7:00 the band calms and Pigpen decides to come home from his four-day drunk. A

substantial amount of hell breaks loose after this, with the guys veering off into a spacedout rock jam that temporarily quiets our narrator. They get quieter and quieter and Pig must re-enter almost at a whisper. I’ve never heard him this gentle sounding. He needs a little greasin’ and teasin’ and pleasin’, he says. The jam builds as the sex presumably commences, although Pigpen is never totally explicit. He wants to shift on up into overdrive and keep your transmission alive. Soon, Phil and Bobby are playing odd harmony versions of the theme and Jerry finds an even odder harmony to throw into the mix. They shift slowly to the melody and the song reprises. This one is supremely hot, too. Jer even throws in some of the rapidfire licks he would use on much later versions.

3. Sing Me Back Home

Here we have the first version on the tour of what would end up being a long string of

takes. Maybe they were considering it for the album. Pig is back on organ, lending a

funereal tone to this sad death march. Donna chimes in on the chorus, sweetly. The song is a lengthy dirge and if you are in the mood for that, this version is really beautiful. By the third chorus, Donna embellishes the “come alive” line with nice muscle. Then Jerry lights into his solo and just kills it as Phil goes a few unexpected places. It all works perfectly. This makes the next verse sound that much more poignant. By the time the last chorus arrives, I’d have to say I’ve never heard a better version. Sure, it has its little glitches here and there but overall it kills. The ending is enormous. Love it.

4. Casey Jones

And now for something completely different, as Monty Python used to say. It’s time

once again for that tragic train ballad. Oops, Jerry gets confused coming into the verse.

He doesn’t let this stop him from chugging forward with great steam. In fact, this version is just full of all the right electricity. I wouldn’t be surprised if this song and this take in particular was in consideration for the album. The solo section is off the rails. Weir does some spectacular things just after that. The repeat choruses come up and Billy adds speed. Watch it! The song travels perhaps one bit past it as Jerry wants to end but gets carried by the rest of the guys into one more round. Intermission is called and we hear the Parisians calling out for more music.

5. Greatest Story Ever Told

Presumably the crowd stuck around. Bob introduces Donna and Phil introduces Keith.

The band kicks into this with tons of energy. Jerry and Keith especially grind into their

parts hard. Donna sweetens the first chorus and Bob adds that cool little lick to turn it

back toward a verse. Fantastic. Hear Keith just after the second chorus as he rocks the

keys. Then Jer takes over with a furious run on the wah-pedaled guitar. The changes

in the middle are again suggested rather than explicitly played at first, then they slowly

come into focus until the jam boils over into the return chorus. This is not subtle, it’s

great in every way. The wrap is noisy and sublime all at once.

Ramble On Rose

This thing stumbles a few times before righting itself and coasting into the first verse.

The groove is good by then, though. Jerry sings it in his best 1972 voice and the band

nails all of the accents. Pig heats up the first bridge with whistling organ and the other

guys create a mess of more percussive sounds. The little solo after that has a small hole

in it but once fixed it squeaks like the best of them. This version has enough tiny loose

ends that you can hear why it wasn’t selected for the album, but it’s a nice alternative.

The second bridge is perhaps just a bit more mellow than the first but it ends big. That

leads the energy coming into the last verse and the Paris crowd gets a dose of good

rocking here.

6. Hurts Me Too

Jerry very soulfully leads this in with a metallic slide solo. Pig is slightly flat in his

singing, and this was often the case on this tune. The first verses coast by, full of blues.

“Yes it does,” Pigpen intones quietly just before giving us a taste harmonica. He quits

that after one round and Garcia picks up the slide again and wails. His second time

through is pretty insane yet in tune (compare to later Weir slide solos for contrast) and

Godchaux helps land it with a cluster of chords. Back to Pig for a verse. High marks for

playing, kind of low for singing. The ending is trashy fun.

A review of May 3 Olympia ,Paris Show by Steve Seachrist,

Part 1

Steve Seachrist is a Deadhead, musician and a very good reviewer of Dead music, He writes in Musicians and Deadheads language, He has reviewed every Live CD that the Dead have released, Which is quite alot. I am priviledged to have Steve share his review of one of the concerts from the new Europe 72 Box Set. This is a show that I have ordered. Enjoy.

Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings – Paris, France 5/3/72

Overview

Thus begins a two-night stay at the venerated Olympia Theatre in Paris. Please do read

the liner notes to this one, again written by the highly enlightened Steve Silberman. And again his insight gives me license to just let him provide all of the context. That makes me very happy. But here’s a bit about the music played this night: first and foremost, no fewer than four songs were selected from this very gig for the original

Europe ’72 album: “China

 Cat Sunflower”, “I Know You Rider”, “Tennessee Jed”, and “Jack Straw”. These are

centerpieces of that album and became the definitive versions for the vast majority of

Dead fans for a long time. Am I overstating this? I don’t think so. Taping became a
huge phenomenon later, but for a while, these were the ultimate in live versions. In my
mind, this is still pretty much true. I love other versions, but these are to me the pinnacle of what was possible. There are good reasons these were selected for overdubbing and subsequent release. They’re just incredibly hot, even next to versions played either side of this date. Go ahead, argue with me. I want to debate it.

The sound quality has taken a noticeable turn for the better over the past couple of shows, although it is still perhaps one notch inferior to earlier releases from the tour, like

Rockin’

the Rhein 

or Steppin’ Out. Here’s hoping whatever was plaguing the sound has been

 improved from this show on out.

Disc One

1. Bertha

The Paris crowd is already rowdy at the top, clapping in rhythm and cheering loudly.

The band warms up only for a second, then lights into this contender for tightest “Bertha” of the tour. This song had recently (in 1971) been released as a live version so there was little chance it would appear on the live album being recorded on this tour. Maybe that allowed them to loosen up a bit and just pummel it. Pigpen adds nice organ colors, Keith is a god of piano fills, and Jerry hits this out of the park in terms of singing and playing. Oh, sure, the other guys are all over it too. When the guitar solo hits, it is fantastic. I thought the one on  

Skull and Roses was the monster (and it is) but this one is every bit as

 hot and I never thought I’d say that.

2. Me and My Uncle

Another refugee from 

Skull and Roses comes up here. Before it does, a woman speaks

 some French to the audience. Weir chimes in in German. Prankster! The song comes to

life full of the same flavors that “Bertha” enjoyed only moments before. It is a very hot

version from the top to the tail. The solo is completely without peer. I do not know how

a band can get lit up to this extent, I really don’t. But here they are supernaturally great.

Every single note and nuance is as good (probably better) than you have ever heard it.

3. Mr. Charlie

This grooves so deeply I am having a hard time understanding how any version could

beat it. Jerry’s solo is certainly better than the official version. It is scary and thrilling in

ways that cannot be explained. The return to the verses is full of electricity and I rate this absolutely essential in the annals of “Mr. Charlie”. Wow!!

4. Sugaree

This easily could have been a contender for the original album. It is so solid and confidently played that it must have been on the short list. It is interesting that this tune

and the next one appeared on the live album from two years later, the universally-reviled

Steal Your Face

 I don’t hate that album as much as most folks, and I do see it as another

noble attempt to present previously-unreleased live songs, a lot like

Europe ’72. But

 back to this: the song is so completely full of the vibrancy you want that it is utterly

undeniable in its ascendancy to the top of the Europe heap. It’s the best so far.

5. Black Throated Wind There are so many great versions of this on the tour already, I didn’t know if this one could possibly beat them. Sound quality alone could give this an edge. It is played magically, too. Typically, Jerry’s lines make the biggest impact, but Bob’s singing and Phil’s contributions are killer and Keith and Billy nail their respective parts. Just when you thought you’d heard the best one, here comes this! Dig it. It is superlative, and I don’t use that term loosely.

6. Chinatown Shuffle

This version is perfect in its context here. The sound rocks, the playing is hot, and

Pigpen has never been in better form. If I had to nit-pick with a gun to my head, I’d say

Jerry may have nailed the guitar parts a little better on other versions but I am certainly

not going to complain. This is worthy of all the love you could invest in it. It is also a

necessary Pigpen interlude to the next tunes, which happen to be the ones selected for the

Europe ’72   

album.

7. China Cat Sunflower

I’m really excited to hear this, since every nuance of the official version is burned deeply into my brain. Jerry gets the riff straight quietly then snaps to for real. That groove is undeniable – it is the one. To my ears, the vocal we are hearing here is the original one and the more familiar one was overdubbed. They are so close, I could be wrong. When “diamond eye jack” is sung, I know I am right. The instruments do precisely what you remember but they sound huge here. The instrumental bridge is like a Technicolor version of what you know. The last verse is again just different enough that you know there was a later revision. As the jam develops, it is that totally familiar sequence of  sublime playing. And, yes, there are very good reasons why this concise little version was the one selected. It gives me chills to hear it like this. Jerry comes to the fore more so than other versions before the quick set-up to…

8. I Know You Rider

This sounds exactly like the vocals we know. Either they got it perfect live, or we are

now hearing overdubs. I’m going to guess the latter – it is too good. After the “wild

geese” verse, Jerry plays that exact solo we have imprinted in our brains. The next

chorus is that sweetened stuff you’ve heard so many times. Ditto the Jerry “train” verse

and the following chorus. Then the solo blows the roof off. Is it overdubbed? We don’t

know for sure but it sure is inspired. This is what Grateful Dead dreams are made of.

Whether live or contrived, it is pure magic. The crowd goes for it.

9. Beat It On Down The Line

“How many?” someone, probably Jerry, asks. Answer: nine. The version is as hot as

anything preceding it at this show. Every nuance is in place and the full-on Grateful

Dead X-Factor is on display. I don’t want to disparage the earlier shows but we have

serious lift-off here. There is no contest, even though earlier versions were great. This

one is better. We have finally reached our happy, happy home.

Weir mumbles some faux Francais at the end.

10. He's Gone

You’ll notice right away that the opening riff is that static one from earlier versions but it switches halfway through to the one we all know and love. That aside, there are tuning issues and the song is oddly grooveless. I can’t explain this any better than anyone else could. The air has somehow escaped the balloon. The efforts here all sound less than half-hearted. How did this band suddenly become nonchalant after so much magic? That is the eternal Grateful Dead quandary, and the reason we keep digging for the gems. This is certainly not one of them. As of the previous show the arrangement includes an instrumental bridge, a guitar solo that is only the verse part, and then the vocal bridge. That’s what we have here. The final verses are still undercooked and the ending just self fades unceremoniously. This version is easily my least favorite on the tour so far, even given the unfinished arrangements of some earlier ones. A lot of crowd cacophony and tuning precede the next number, but no one in the band says anything.

11. Next Time You See Me

Pig to the rescue again. There is no way to play this song without some level of commitment. The band comes back to life and pushes the blues buttons. After the first

quick verses the harp solo takes over for two rounds and Jerry is then given the stage.

He plays a couple of verses of moderately hot blues licks and hands it back off to Mr.

McKernan for more harmonica blowing. It’s fine and all, but not the definitive version

you may have been hoping for. It does include two verses at the end instead one, which I think is one too many.

12. Playing in the Band

No introduction of Donna precedes this but she is there on the first chorus, mixed

pleasantly low. The verses are powerful and relatively in-tune. When the time comes,

a reasonable bellow emits from Ms. Godchaux. One more chorus gets us to the jammy

zone and it goes to the watery depths immediately. After a minute, the heat is up there

with the best of these short versions and redemption is nigh. It is hard to deny the powers of any of these versions of this song. The X-Factor is on tap at all times. Before 7:00, strains of the return theme can already be heard, but do not let that get you down. Jerry works on the tease a bit more and then does get to it more explicitly. As concise as it is, this version satisfies. The drop to the actual theme is less dramatic than some on the tour, but once it arrives, the fanfare into the chorus is pretty big. Donna screams us in well and the final rounds are full of hot energy. Overall, not my favorite, but most of the many versions on the tour are very solid, including this one.

"Skaggs Family Christmas" - Vol 2 - a review

 This concert on CD and DVD is a real bluegrass ,Christmas treat, recorded live at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. A very relaxed concert featuring The Whites and Ricky Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder.

   What a treat to watch and hear the very talented Cody Kilby playing guitar, I mean (lead bluegrass guitar), missing alot in bluegrass today.

   There is something for everyone if you are a country or bluegrass fan. The traditional Christmas songs are just plain beautiful with the accompaniment of the Nashville Strings.

  A very special combination of original songs and traditional Christmas material is performed.

   "What Songs Were Sung" is a song that one of the Skaggs girls sang. It is just a very sweet, melodic tune. Following that, Luke Skaggs, (son of Ricky) plays lead guitar on a very upbeat song called "Flight To Egypt" which is very progressive. Luke Skaggs is a refreshing young, talented man who looks like he will carry on his Dad's tradition.

    There is a CD which has a lot of the songs which were on the DVD in the set.

   www.Skaggsfamilyrecords.com 

"The Dead In 1976" - Road Trips 4.5 - A Review

The Grateful Dead of 1976 was one of my favorite configurations. Back from a time off in 1975, the members went their own ways for awhile. They sounded refreshed and ready to play.

  I am listening to the Dead's last Road Trip's Series which is my first one, it is the releases which followed Dick's Picks(Latvala), and now will make way for Dave's Picks (Lemieux). This is their Third show back of the small theater tour they did. They would play usually multiple nights at a smaller than huge venue. In Boston and Philly , they did 4 night stands. Tickets were available by mail order to Deadheads first. I got the best seats ever for a Dead show, two third row seats. The Tower Theatre in Philly seats about 2,000. The vibe of these shows is mellow and intimate. Donna's singing is coming into her own, and sort of has to, as Phil is not singing at this point. Mixed in with recent Dead material,they were playing some Jerry Garcia Band songs and Kingfish songs(a group that Weir played in during 75, a country rock type group, they put out one album, a good one, in my opinion, I saw them ,the previous year.

    They played the two songs "Lazy Lightning" and "Supplication" by Kingfish on the Road Trips disc and from the JGB, "They Love Each Other" and "Mission In the Rain" from "Reflections" by the JGB.

   A beautiful version of "Crazy Fingers" is on the Road Trips disc. Garcia is playing a white Travis Bean guitar, which he played for about a year. It tonally gave him some great tone, though it took a while for him to get it dialed in, after playing the heavily tricked out Irvin "Wolf" guitar which he was used to. The sound quality of this record is like a good Dick's Picks and it contains a caveat on it about how it is a snapshot of history, not a modern professional recording. The quality is good enough, not to need a caveat, but I think there had been some complaints about the quality of a former recording, I guess that they wanted to give themselves a way out. For the most part, I really like the sound quality. Garcia's vocals are low in a lot of the mix, depending on song. They are getting away from the Wall Of Sound which they had used on their last tour to a down sized system that they rented for a trial of shows.

   It is fun to hear them start out the second set with "St Stephen", a song which I do not think had been played in a while. Sounds like some of the beginning is lost or it was part of a segway from another song. Very good version of "Eyes Of The World " next, both on the mellow side. Next, they play a part of the Weather Report trilogy "Let It Grow", which is different, but good. A lot of songs on this Road Trips, I heard a few weeks later in Philly which was a more upbeat show, with a lot more reverb. I had heard an interview with Jeffrey Norman about mixing the Dead, He mastered this CD set. He said that Garcia always liked too much reverb on his guitar, so he would take it out in the mastering process. I don't know about this, you are trying to present the music the way that the group liked it, but you change it to your own tastes? A little more reverb would have been nice to warm up the mix. Jerry plays one of his best solos on " Ship Of Fools", He was not really jamming alot this night or playing lots of extended leads.

     Weir was playing a custom Ibanez instead of his Gibson 335 which he had been using and it changed his tone, The Gibson was a hollow body. Nice booklet by Blair Jackson describing the show with some nice pics. To fill out the space on Disc 3, they added some songs from June 12 to the CD. The Original Show ends with a raucous "Round and Round" which at first I thoght was a gliche, but it wasn't, towards the end of the song, they actually gallup into double speed, quite a feat, Jerry playing almost mandolin style. All in all, a good show, they were still working themselves back into shape after being off for awhile. The songs from June 12 were really nice. A Sugar Magnolia with a US Blues in the middle of it. I think that I had heard them do that once before.

www.dead.net

"In Overdrive" - Aaron Tippin - a review

                                
 This CD by Aaron Tippin is a tribute The great Jerry Reed, guitarist,singer and actor. This great selection of well known trucking songs, performed by Tippin and his band of Nashville studio musicians is the right CD to put in your Car for a long ride. I like the retro Reed sound and great guitar picking by Brent Mason and Pat Buchanon.

   The CD starts out with Reed's "Eastbound and Down" from Smoky and the Bandit. This is really flat out nailed,as Tippin does some great Jerry Reed style singing. This band keeps it country, in the Reed Time period. If this doesn't get your toes tappin, I don't know what will. Great selection of songs on well produced CD.

   Some other songs I recommend are "Drill Here, Drill Now" which has a CDB type sound and a message to it. "Drivin' Fool" is a country rocker ballad with good lyrics and even better pedal steel by Mike Johnson. Finally, for a laugh, well, maybe not, if you are this truck driver, "Chicken Truck".

   www.aarontippin.com 

DeadViDs- All Dead

"Europe 72" - Volume Two - Review

I have had this set for about a week and I go back and forth on it. I loved "Europe 72" ,it turned me on to the Dead, back in the day. I have the '03 Rhino remastering of it, as I have gone from 2 sets of LPs in the Seventies, to a Cassette version, then to 2 versions on Compact Disc, the original in '91 and also the remaster by Rhino (which is done in HDCD),which I love , both CD versions are very good, but Rhinos' really opens it up and you can just hear everything in the recording,also,it is tonally exquisite.

  This Volume Two was a great idea, but I find the sound quality a bit disappointing at times, especially for Rhino, but most people who are used to mp3s will not notice anything, Digital recording has set new standards for what and how folk listen to stuff. There is some distortion in places, I find listening to it on a regular CD Deck as opposed to a HDCD deck makes it sound better. There are some very good performances on here, a great version of "Greatest Story Ever Told", an inspiring "Sing Me Back Home" (Haggard) with some pretty harmonies on it, even Donna Jean sounds good on this song. I find that Disc Two has a deeper tonal quality to it. Also it ends with a very good rendering of "Not Fade Away- Going Down the Road Feeling Bad". This is a good companion for the original Europe 72, no songs repeated. It is culled from the 73 disc remix/remaster of the whole Spring Grateful Dead Tour, which covers 22 shows, in 73 Discs. I have not heard any of those, so hopefully there are no sound problems with that box set which you can still get from dead.net for $450.  

www.dead.net

Time Life Building Strong Marketing Campaign For Hank Williams: The Legend Begins That Releases Sept. 13, 2011

Coverage Will Include National TV Shows WGN Midday News And Daytime Along With Coverage From Blurt Magazine, Hits Magazine, Billboard.com, Blogcritics.org, Country Weekly And Chicago Tribune

Fairfax, VA (September 12, 2011) -- The highly anticipated Hank Williams: The Legend Begins releases tomorrow, September 13th, through Time Life and the Estate of Hank Williams. Already there is critical acclaim for the project with coverage from such major media outlets as national television programs, WGN Midday News (September 20) and Daytime (September 27); magazines such as Blurt, Vintage Guitar, Goldmine, Hits and Country Weekly; high-profile newspapers like Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Tennessean and Arkansas Democrat Gazette; and online webzines, Billboard.com and Blogcritics.org.  Williams’ daughter, Jett, is also doing a three day satellite radio tour that includes over forty radio stations and syndicated outlets that service 100+ stations.  In conjunction with the radio interviews, close to eight-hundred radio stations are doing promotional giveaways during street week and over the weekend. In addition, there will be national and focused online marketing initiatives (e.g. contests, social networking, and email blasts to extensive related data bases etc.)
The 3-CD box set offers Williams’ first recordings at fifteen and seventeen years old, which have never been heard before, along with his first radio series, Health & Happiness.  The recordings have been restored with the highly acclaimed technology that was used for the Grammy nominated project last year, The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings….Plus!.   Hank Williams: The Legend Begins will be available online at Amazon.com, along with other digital and retail outlets.
"I am very proud that these recordings have been made available to everyone,” says Hank Williams, Jr.  “It was great to hear of their discovery, and then to share the treasure of daddy's music is wonderful!  It really takes you back to a time when family meant something, where we would all circle around that radio and listen to those legendary shows.  It is a rare find indeed and I'm so glad people will now have the chance to hear that part of history."
 "This might be the most rewarding component of this entire multi-year project," adds Jett Williams."  I am just so pleased that I was able to obtain and preserve these early recordings of my dad.  To think of him at 14 or 15 sitting at a kitchen table, in a garage or wherever, singing songs that would end up being a part of his legacy is truly remarkable."

The music will take you back to 1938 when Williams was a 15-year-old teenager performing his first recordings of Fan It and Alexander’s Ragtime Band.  Then fast forward to 1940, and the rare home recordings show how much Williams’ voice had matured in two years when he rocks out to four classics of American music; Freight Train Blues, New San Antonio Rose, St. Louis Blues, and Greenback Dollar.  In 1949, Williams recorded his first syndicated radio series, The Health And Happiness Show.  Forty-nine songs from the show have been restored on Hank Williams: The Legend Begins which gives superior quality to these historic CDs.
 

Interview With Dennis McNally, About New Europe 72 Box Set

 This is a short interview I did through an e-mail conversation with Dennis McNally, longtime publicist and historian for the Grateful Dead, some info from his view about the highly anticipated release of the Europe 72 Box Set, which is easily the Group's biggest undertaking, containing 22 full shows performed on the Europe 72 Tour, in a format of 73 HDCD CDs, with the first 7,200 versions in a fancy trunk with extras and personalization's and the rest after that are music only, the 73 CDs in Digipak packaging. Also, there is being released a Europe 72 -Part 2, which contains songs not on the original Album.


1. Dennis,your book about the Grateful Dead is the one I go to when I want to find something out, it's like the
textbook of The Grateful Dead, you were there, as publicist alot and also as Historian, moreover, you were there, from the beginning. How excited are you about this release of the Whole Europe 72 Tour, Twenty Two Shows, Seventy Three CDs?

It's unquestionably, overall, the best tour in the band's history.  And of course it was recorded in 16 track, so now what you're going to hear is the best possible version... so yes, I'm excited/impressed/very pleased that Rhino pulled the trigger on this.

2. This original 3 record set of "Europe 72" turned myself and many others on to the Grateful Dead. Back Then, Did the Organization think that this recording which they had put so much into would turn out to be as big and influential as it  was?

  By the time of Europe '72, the band had already put out six albums.  Though Workingman's Dead and American Beauty had done well, their overall experience with the record business had been mostly a little disappointing, even though they recognized that Warner Bros. had actually treated them pretty well.  So, no, I doubt very much that they had any wild expectations of the results of Europe '72.

3. Just to keep this short, any special memory of the tour, that you would like to share?

 I'm lazy - I'm going to give you the story as I wrote it in the book....


"It was during their second and last night in Paris that the most hilarious adventure of the tour began.  A young Frenchman approached the band at the theater and began arguing about their lack of political consciousness.  To Kreutzmann, it seemed "obvious he wanted free tickets."  They put him off, and he moved his harangue to Cutler and Rex Jackson, getting no satisfaction.  When everyone returned to the hotel, he took up a position in front, bracing every member of the tour party as they came in or out. He was wearing a velvet jacket, which caught their eye, and when they eventually concluded he'd become a bore, Rex dumped ice cream on the jacket he was so proud of, and the Dead all had a good laugh and went to bed.  While they slept, Monsieur la Politiquehad his revenge, introducing a foreign substance into the equipment truck's gas tank.
         The next day they were scheduled to play Lille, a very political college town.  The buses and one truck arrived, their equipment truck did not.  No amps,no show.  The promoter was not able to offer instant refunds -- according to some memories, he was unable to offer refunds at all.  Sensing trouble,the streetwise Garcia decided that honor did not require going to the hall, and along with Kreutzmann, elected to stay at the hotel.  "You guys are nuts" was his analysis.  Phil and Bobby went out on the stage and talked to the audience, but "Pasde musique" was about the best they could muster, even after Weir's five years of high school French. "It quickly became my job to explain to a crowd of irate Frenchmen just exactly this -- no show tonight, sorry about that.  I got three or four sentences off before the crowd became very surly."
         Ushered offstage into the dressing room, Lesh, Weir, Rosie, and a few others suddenly realized they were in deep shit. The audience was furious, convinced of American perfidy, and though no one was thinking in terms of death, Weir thought "they woulda thumped us good and proper."   The door to the dressing room had a window, and they covered it with newspapers and considered their options.  Other than being thumped, there was only one: climb down the drainpipe to the top of the truck, jump down on the hood,then to the ground, and run run run for the bus, which was waiting with the engine idling.  The furious Frenchmen began to pound on the door, and as the hinges started to creak, Dead family members began going out the window.  A gentleman to the end, Weir's main worry, as he thought about it later, was getting the interpreter, Rosie McGee, and photographer,Mary Ann Mayer, down the drainpipe. That accomplished, he turned to the promoter, promised they'd make up the show, dropped a rose on the sill, and scooted down the pipe like the part monkey he was.  He was on the roof of the truck when he heard the door give way, and he hit the ground running for "what physicists called the absolute elsewhere, in a big hurry."  A couple of hours later, after wrapping themselves around some good Bordeaux, it was all pretty funny, but it had been a near thing." 

From Dennis McNally's Book "A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of The Grateful Dead"
(available on Amazon and where fine books are sold"

www.Dead.net

"V" -Kenny Vaughn - A Review

I heard this CD for the first time last night, this is a heads up, great CD, one of those that really caught me saying, like , this is great, Kenny has done so much under the radar, known as guitarist for Marty Stuart's Fabulous Superlatives, He is a rare guitarist who is truly as good on acoustic as he is on electric, like Brent Mason and Bryan Sutton in one. TONE,TONe,TOne,Tone,tone. From "Country Music got a hold on me" to "Don't Leave Home Without Jesus", Kenny sparkles with the Superlatives as his backup band and Marty Stuart as his other guitarist.



Kenny has done lots of stuff in his musical career, even a dip in punk music. I first heard Him in a Mindy Smith CD from 04 called "One Moment More". He has done lots of studio work. He spent some time in Lucinda Williams band. He took lessons from Bill Frisell, and went on from there. This record has a lot of flavor of swing in it and even a touch of surf style sound. His guitar playing is sensational in his own way. You really get to hear what he can do, when he is let free. "Wagon Ride" is a mid tempo instrumental that shows Kenny playing at his best, yet doing things in his own style, lots of reverb, real country rock. The lyrics to "The Things I Do" are down to earth and the song sort of shows his style of music. Him and Marty Stuart play very well together. Not many guests on this CD, just the Superlatives and Chris Scruggs, Oak Ridge Boys, Charles Treadway and Jeffrey Clemens.



The last song on the disc, "Don't Leave Home Without Jesus" is a sincere tune about Christ. The overall sound quality is top notch, produced by Gary Paczosa, an icon of Nashville producers. The guy knows how to make an artist sound good. I mean, if you want to hear one of today's best in his own element, This is a CD to get.
 
       http://www.sugarhillrecords.com/

My Review of IRT Deadliest Roads Season 1 DVD SET

Originally submitted at AETN

IRT: DEADLIEST ROADS sends today''s toughest drivers to navigate the world''s most dangerous roads as they haul their way through India''s Himalayan highways, some of the most historic and lethal on the planet. From the crowded streets of Delhi, to treacherously steep, narro...

IRT Deadliest Roads Season 1 DVD SET

Real Dangerous Roads

By guit30 from Abington,Pa on 8/29/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Engaging Characters, Informative, Entertaining, Great Cinematography

Best Uses: Worth more than one view

Describe Yourself: Casual Viewer

Excellent camera work, not one camera worker seen, in newer shows, they are getting sloppy with their camera folk. Beautiful vistas.

(legalese)

"Little Bird" - Kasey Chambers - a review

                                                  
Kasey Chambers sounds a bit more mainstream on the production of her new CD, well, it has been out for awhile in Australia. Now, Sugar Hill Records is releasing it here in the states. The title track "Little Bird" is a real catchy song, bouncy melody with real melodic feel. She still has that bit of nasally sound to her vocals, but her voice sounds stronger than ever.




"Somewhere" is a very beautiful love ballad. It is done very well, Sort of a sparse delivery, but very delightful. Some nice guitar fades,too. The lyrics are thought provoking.



Bottom Line, This is a good CD, that has proven itself, it seems to try to please both alt/country and mainstream country fans by it's variety of material. I love the textures the sound quality produces, American version mastered by a top notch engineer who usually doesn't master a lot of country, but this works well.

Enjoy



http://www.kaseychambers.com/

"To Terrapin" - Grateful Dead- HDCD

On May 28,1977, the Grateful Deadtook the stage and put out possibly the best sounding and tightest show that the band has ever done.This was not a multi-track recording. 1977 and 1972 were my 2 favorite years of Dead Music. "To Terrapin" was released in '09 as was their June 77,box set from Winterland which covered 3 full shows, June 7,8 and 9. I also have 2 great Dick's Picks from 77, DP 10 "Winterland,Dec 29" and DP 15 "Live From Englishtown ,NJ, an outdoors festival with the MTB. (I was at that one).






"To Terrapin", was done way after last Dick's Pick, #36(I was at that one too, Philly, 72) the untimely death of Dick, led to other outlets from the vault ,like Road Trips and special shows ,like "To Terrapin". This concert was a bargain ,selling for around 15 bucks for 3 Discs in a Cardboard sleeve. The artwork, along with the music is beautiful. This is a Betty Cantor recording, like Dick would used for a Dick's Pick, but technology had picked up and also Rhino Records were in charge of Dead releases, so the sound quality was shining, it was mastered by Jeffrey Norman.



Garcia is playing his Travis Bean guitar on this show, which had a different timbre than the Wolfe,his custom guitar, built by Irwin Guitars. I really loved the tones he got out of this instrument which had an aluminum frame. There is a very well done "Estimated Prophet" on Disc 3, which is off of their newest CD , "Terrapin Station". A very good "Playing in The Band", with some unusual jamming for this version. Keith Godchaux plays great on this disc. On the first CD, there are very good versions of "Jack Straw" and "Row Jimmy", overall, a very good setlist. This summer, I have been taking a bit of a break from bluegrass, and there haven't been any stellar releases that I have heard, except Ricky Skaggs latest, recently. I have been delving into the vault of Grateful Dead music, something only a Deadhead would understand. See you next time.



http://www.dead.net/  -Coming soon, Europe 72 Box Set

"Wrapped Up Good" - The McClymonts - A Review

This Three Lady Country group from Australia has put out a very good and hot country CD reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks back in the "Wide Open Spaces" era. They released the CD in Australia in last year with very good results. They released the first four songs on the CD as singles and each was a single #1 on the Aussie Country Charts. I really love their sound. They write most all of the songs and Nathan Chapman and Adam Anders produce different songs on the CD. This is their second CD.




They start out rockin with "Kick It Up", a country, dance number. Lots of nice hooks and they sing well together. It looks like they play some of their own instruments when performing. I found a YouTube for this song, and each gal was playing an instrument, bass, guitar and mandolin. "Wrapped Up Good" is another well done upbeat country song, with some great guitar work. These gals can really sing well together, the 3 part harmonies are something to behold.



"He Used To Love Me" is a masterpiece of a ballad , It has a great emotional melody. This CD is very well produced, by Adam Anders and Nathan Chapman. Both of these guys are great. "Boy Who Cried Love" is another upbeat country song. These gals are great songwriters too. Overall, these girls are a step above what you hear on country radio, not everything, but their music is every bit as good or better than what is on country radio. They have a debut at the Grand Ole Opry. This should give them well deserved exposure. Last fall, they opened for country "bad boy" Jason Aldean, that must have been a great show.



"Take It Back" is a mid tempo song sang by Samantha, Brooke sings most of The leads. Samantha has a different timbre to her voice, a bit more melodic, where Brooke tends to rock out more. "Rock The Boat" -Talk about rocking out, Brook rocks out on this song, which has a great guitar solo. You know, there is just not a bad song on this CD. This is real talent. I would be surprised if they don't get picked up by a major label, or at least get a major distribution deal.



http://www.themcclymonts.net/

JUDDS RECEIVE HIGH HONORS AS #15 OF BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S TOP 25 COUNTRY ARTISTS, 1985-2011

                                      
THE JUDDS RECEIVE HIGH HONORS AS #15 OF


BILLBOARD MAGAZINE’S TOP 25 COUNTRY ARTISTS, 1985-2011



Nashville, TN (August 12, 2011) – The Judds, one of the most successful Country music duos of all time, have been named #15 of Billboard Magazine’s Top 25 Country Artists from 1985-2011. Earlier this summer, Billboard ranked the top 25 country artists of the last twenty-five years, combing their Country Songs and Country Album charts since 1985.



Kentucky natives, The Judds became country music’s sole successful mother-daughter duo and practically owned the country charts during the ‘80s. Naomi and Wynonna shot to stardom with a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Had a Dream (For the Heart)” in 1983, followed by heartfelt ballads such as “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days).” After launching their career with Curb/RCA Records, The Judds sold 20 million albums in just six short years. All but two of The Judds’ 16 radio singles between 1984-1989 topped Billboard’s Country Songs chart. By 1989, The Judds were one of the top-grossing and most popular touring acts in America, earning more than 60 industry awards, including multiple CMA, ACM and GRAMMY awards.



Sadly, at the height of their career, Naomi Judd announced her impending retirement at the end of 1991 due to health complications. Their subsequent tour sold more concert tickets than any artist that year except for The Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones. The pair reunited on Dec. 31, 1999, for a New Year’s Eve show, prompting a successful reunion tour, multi-media partnership and CBS Special in 2000 sponsored by Kmart. Then, ten years later, after a performance at the 2009 CMA Music Festival, and with encouragement from their fans, the duo decided to tour another time for their 2010 tour, The Judds: The Last Encore. During this significant time, they invited the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) to document their journey.. In April 2011, their six-episode docu-series, “The Judds,” debuted with the highest rated premiere outside of OWN’s launch week. Viewers tuned in every Sunday night to watch the moving exploration of Wynonna and Naomi’s mother-daughter bond weaved throughout the backdrop of this momentous concert tour.



How This Chart Was Created

The Top Country Artists 1985-2011 ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Country Songs and Country Albums charts dated Jan. 5, 1985 – June 4, 2011. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at the lower end of the chart earning the least.



Prior to the Country Songs chart’s implementation in January 1990 of monitored radio airplay by Nielsen BDS and the Country Albums list’s incorporation of point-of-purchase sales date from Nielsen SoundScan in May 1991, titles on those lists had shorter reigns at No. 1 and shorter chart lives. To ensure equitable representation from all 25-plus years, earlier time frames were each weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years and the turnover rates that have occurred since the advent of Nielsen music data. (Used by permission)







Media Contact:

Kirt Webster

615-777-6995 x230

kirt@websterpr.com

Europe 72 -Part 2 - Grateful Dead

              

I'm sure that you have heard of the huge project Jeffrey Norman and David Glasser of Airshow Mastering have been working on. They are remixing and remastering every song from the Europe 72 Grateful Dead Tour which consisted of 23 concerts. They will release this in 72 HDCD Discs in a special fancy boxed set for the first 7,200 orders and after that you can get the discs only in digipak for the same $450.00




I am happy that they also decided to release a Europe 72 -part 2 , which will contain songs from the tour that did not make it on the original Europe 72.





http://www.dead.net/

Grateful Dead Road Trips Vol4 , #4

This Grateful Dead 82 Concert at The Spectrum in Philly sounds awesome. The Recording is excellent and contains 3 Discs of great songs. Garcia's vocals are great, the recording is just splendid,unlike most Road trips CDs, this is a full concert ,like a Dick's Picks,but the Sound Quality is almost unbelievable, especially Garcia, both vocals and guitar!!!

Get it @

http://www.dead.net/

"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