'Bed of snow' from Chris Jones & the Night Drivers

Chris Jones & the Night Drivers (right), who have had one-and-a-half tours in Ireland in 2018 and '19 (the 2018 tour was halved by snowfall) have had a video single released by the Mountain Home Music Company from their current album Make each second last.

The song, 'Bed of snow', co-written by Chris with Thomm Jutz, is about the hope that lies under the snow (which in northern Alberta, where Chris lives, is a fact of life for half the year), a metaphor for recovery after the pandemic. More details are on Bluegrass Today, where you can see the video (also on YouTube). The informal photo above shows (l-r) Chris, Marshall Wilborn, Grace van 't Hof, and Mark Stoffel.

© Richard Hawkins

News of recent visitors

The Garrett Newton Band from North Carolina were headliners at the 2017 Ardara Bluegrass Festival in Co. Donegal. Pinecastle Records announce that the band's next album, Bluegrass Barn, will be released in April 2019. The title song is now available for airplay via AirplayDirect and can also be bought and downloaded on BandCamp.

Pinecastle's YouTube channel carries this video of Garrett running through 'Charlotte breakdown', which can also be seen on the band's Facebook.

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Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, who were on tour here during the snows of March, are shown below celebrating the success of their single 'Bend in the road', which Chris calls 'our little slice of bluegrass optimism'. It will be a part of their next album, which is scheduled to appear next spring. Read more on this Mountain Home Music Company e-newsletter.

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Finally, Hot Rize and the Del McCoury Band, both of whom have been away for far too long, and the Travelin' McCourys (who have not yet travelled this far) are hoping for nomination in the 2019 Grammy awards. Read more on the Hot Rize and McCoury e-newsletters.

NTB prepare for IBMA WOB

In the week before IBMA's World of Bluegrass, Niall Toner announces on Facebook:

Good to hear from friends in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC, that the storms have passed, and it's all systems 'go' for IBMA next week! Great to know that damage was not too severe, but also, that there will be fund-raising activities during the week to help those who did suffer some losses. The Niall Toner Band will be making a contribution to this fund.

NTB will also be playing their showcase gigs on the Master's Stage on Wednesday at 4.20 p.m., and Darwin Davidson's Bluegrass Showcase in the Marriott Hotel at 10.30 p.m. that same night. We are also hoping to play at the Grey Fox and California Bluegrass Association suites, as well as playing around the Convention Centre and hotel.

We are bringing a demo of thirty original songs and tunes, which will be of interest to bands looking for new and unique material for their next album projects. Ask any member of Ireland's Niall Toner Band for a copy of these original songs! Looking forward to WOB 2018!

The NTB warmed up for IBMA last Sunday at Rahanna, Co. Louth, with Evan Lyons joining them on banjo - the photo on the left shows Dick Gladney, Evan, and Niall. More details are here. Photo at top shows (l-r) Johnny Gleeson, Niall, Gerry Madden, Dick.

New single from Chris Jones & Co. - the Irish connection (update)

When Chris Jones & the Night Drivers lost the first half of their tour in Ireland this past March, immobilised by the snowstorms, they put to good use the time they had hoped to spend playing shows. Chris and his banjo-player Gina Clowes wrote together what is now the band's latest single, 'Who you want me to be'.

Thanks to Mountain Home Music Company for this press release, with more detail and an audio link to hear the new recording. See also the track premier on Bluegrass Today.

Update 18 July: Bluegrass Today announces the release of 'What I miss the most', co-written by Jon Weisberger (bass player for the Night Drivers; on the left in the image above) and Justin Hiltner. Jon credits Ellie Hakanson, fiddler for Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, with the tenor singing.