More detached notes

Dark Shadow Recordings announce that Chicago's Henhouse Prowlers/ Bluegrass Ambassadors (veterans of several tours in Ireland) released yesterday (7 July) 'Subscription to loneliness', the third single from their coming album Lead and iron, due out in September. For the 1950s-style country feel, the band is augmented by the twin fiddles of Becky Buller and Laura Orshaw. More details are on the Dark Shadow press release.

Update 14 July: See also John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today, where you can hear an audio track of the song.

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Ronnie McCoury, eight times IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, first played over here as a member of his father Del's band nearly thirty years ago. He talks at length about the experience of playing as a family, both in the Del McCoury Band and in the Travelin' McCourys, in an excellent interview with Lee Zimmerman on Bluegrass Today.

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Another perspective on playing music in a family context: Bluegrass Unlimited's Weekly Newsletter no. 139 continues the promised series of archive articles on the Osborne Brothers with this July 1984 article by Glenna Fisher, with ample, frank, and revealing contributions from both Bobby and Sonny, in their own words. Other good things in the newsletter include a link to Podcast 142 with Dale Ann Bradley.

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Ashby Frank, former mandolin player with the Special Consensus and now a respected songwriter and session musician, has released his version of the Tom Paxton song 'Where I'm bound' as a new single from his album Leaving is believing, with vocal guests John Cowan and Ronnie Bowman. More details are on Bluegrass Today, where you can hear an audio track. Audio CDs can be ordered direct from Ashby.

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Turnberry Records announce the release of a new recording of the David Stewart song 'Tennessee rain' by Greg Blake (over here six months ago with Special Consensus), Rebekah Speer, and Jeff Brown. More details are on the Turnberry press release.

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Intriguing news for banjo players - the Gold Tone Music Group announce two new resonator 5-string banjo models, both with a 24-fret fingerboard, giving a range of three full octaves. This is achieved not by extending the fingerboard over the head (as on the Deering 'Julia Belle' played by Alison Brown or Noam Pikelny's top-tension banjo) but by combining the scale length with a bridge position almost in the centre of the head, with a corresponding effect on the tone produced. The Mastertone™ OB-3EF sells for $1849.99 and the OB-150EF Orange Blossom for $1149.99.

© Richard Hawkins