One of the largest active Oldtime Fiddle Music associations in the USA with over 1300 total members, the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers Assoc. (OOTFA) has marked half a century of promoting, preserving and perpetuating the art of Old -Time Fiddling.
Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers’ are gearing up for their Annual State Convention to be held at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall Oregon.
The King of Cowboy Fiddlers, Woody Paul (Riders In The Sky) and Fiddler Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show) got together recently at The Fiddle House in East Nashville playing some of their favorite old time fiddle tunes.
"As old time music was eclipsed by bluegrass, the role of the violin completely changes where it's this instrumentalist role," said Secor
The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame is very excited and anticipating a huge turn-out for the annual induction ceremonies into their Music Hall of Fame. In a personal note to Prescription Bluegrass, the organization’s spokesperson revealed that part of the excitement is due to the appearance of J.E. Mainer Jr. who will be performing for the occasion. Mainer’s father, J.E. Senior will be inducted along with several others on that night.
Mainer (Sr.) the older of the Mainer Brothers (J.E. and Wade) passed away in 1971 while brother Wade was with us until just recently passing on September 12, 2011. The Mainers came from a North Carolina mountain family that resided several miles from Asheville, eventually settling near the community of Weaverville.
Prescription Bluegrass and Red Desert Violin are excited to announce an absolutely FREE beginning fiddle lesson for bluegrass fans.
“We realize that many folks may have wanted to learn a bluegrass instrument for quite some time but have been intimidated by myths about the difficulty of learning,” said Brian McNeal, host of the Prescription Bluegrass radio program.
Using the teaching model of “Make It and Take It”, Red Desert Violin's on-line instructor, Lora Staples, says with just this first 30 minute lesson, you should be able to play a respectable version of “Boil Them Cabbage Down” a well-known bluegrass and old-time standard. With her teaching style, she is confident students can just “Grab it and Go” - "Instant Gratification!"
“If you could learn that in 30 minutes, just imagine what you could learn with a little more time and practice,” says Ms Staples.
LAST CHANCE TO HELP IS NOW!
Tim White, host of the PBS series, Song of the Mountains has sent a last plea for help.
In his message, White says, “We are in our final week of our "Kickstarter" campaign and are only at 25% of our goal to help keep our concert series funded and on public television. If you have already pledged we "thank you". If you have meant to pledge and have forgotten please go to our website and click on the lime green Kickstarter logo and pledge immediately.”
Kickstarter campaign goals must be fully met in order for the project to get any of the pledges received so far. If the goal is not met or exceeded by the deadline, Kickstarter.com does not charge any of the credit cards of potential donors and the project is lost.
To help out with a donation, click here or contact Tim White at:
Tim White
Executive Coordinator & Host
Song of the Mountains
P.O. Box 750
Blountville, TN 37617
Bristol, VA- The Appalachian Cultural Music Association will release a documentary to the public on Sunday, September 30th at 3:00 pm at the ACMA Pickin’ Porch located on the upper level of the Bristol Mall in Bristol, Virginia. There will be plenty of live bluegrass and old time music at the event to celebrate the project’s release.
“Our documentary has been 18 months in the making and is a very interesting look at the history of our region’s role in the birth of country, bluegrass and old time music”, states John Necessary, president of the non-profit organization.
Marion, VA- The Award Winning Song of the Mountains Concert Series will present a fundraising concert at the historic Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia on Saturday, June 30th at 7:00 pm. “Our concert series is in our eighth season of tapings”, says Tim White the executive coordinator and host. “We are a non-profit organization and we are always searching for funding to keep our concert series on public television across America.” says White. “We receive absolutely no funding from PBS as some people might think. We really depend on the support of bluegrass, old time, gospel, classic country and Americana music fans to step forward and make donations anytime they can. We hope many will come to our exciting fundraising concert on June 30th and enjoy a wonderful show.”
According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the City of Galax will be getting some "LOVE" from the state tourism office.
The city is one of eleven locations in the Commonwealth to be chosen by the state agency to make a giant "LOVE" art to bring more families into Virginia.
More than six feet tall and 16 feet long, the artwork will feature 24 fiddles framed in boxes, in testament to old time bluegrass music.
According to the tourism corporation, the artwork will be in the center of Historic Downtown Galax, mounted on a brick wall. The unveiling will be this Saturday, June 9th, during the city’s annual Leaf & String Festival.
LeMars, Iowa.....Americas upper Midwest's longest running promoter of America's traditional and classic country, bluegrass, and folk music, is very outspoken when he talks about the future of old-time acoustic music in his part of the country.
A Smithsonian Institution recording artist, and worldwide traveler performing and promoting America's 'rural' music, Bob Everhart of Anita, Iowa, is quick to point out the discrimination by national media against Midwest lifestyle and music.
"We've become the part of America that is nothing more than a 'fly-over' zone. The media in NYC and LA don't even know we exist. They send out their programming, news, and entertainment to satisfy an audience in NYC or LA, and us.
How often to you see a performer on any of these so called 'national' programs from Iowa? Do they think there is no talent here, or do they think we do not exist. I'd call that discrimination, no matter how you look at it."
The Spring Tour will be featured in the following locations:
We are sad to inform you of the death of one of North Carolina's most celebrated old-time musicians. Award winning fiddler and Carolina Chocolate Drops mentor Joe Thompson passed away last night in Alamance County. He was 93 years old.
From the North Carolina Arts Council's Tribute:
"Among the last African American fiddle players of his generation, he received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award from the N.C. Arts Council in 1991 and a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2007.
“Probably more than anyone else, Joe was the inspiration for a national revival of stringband music among young generations of African American musicians,” said Wayne Martin, folklife director of the N.C. Arts Council. “He will be sorely missed.” In recent years, Thompson mentored the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops.
The eclectic blend of events booked for the 13th annual San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival (SFBOT) will raise up a bluegrass ruckus, create some old-time fun and guarantee some “fandango fun” through music performances, dances and workshops.
The 10-day festival runs from Feb. 10-19 and comprises more than 30 shows at numerous small clubs around the Bay Area featuring some of the most talented musicians on the Americana and Roots music scene today.
Highlights of this year’s festival includes Bay Area favorites such as The Brothers Comatose, The Crooked Jades, Earl White String Band and the Kathy Kallick Quartet.
Also featured are out-of-town bands; Foghorn Stringband, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, and making their SFBOT debut, The Deadly Gentlemen (epic folk and grasscore out of Boston!).
Thanks to the Bluegrass Ireland Blog for alerting us to this important story on two new film documentaries being produced.