Good news is never too late to share. One hot story that has been kept under the radar way too long is the reunion shows from the Bluegrass Patriots.
The Patriots disbanded in 2011 but a surprise listing on a current festival flyer prompted us to look up their website and subsequently contact them for clarification.
Bear Acker sent us a nice note and photo following last weekend’s 20 year Reunion of Billings Gap.
“Last Saturday there was a four band show, where we headlined with the 6th edition of my old band Billings Gap, after 20+ years of not being together (there were 7 editions altogether). It was a great set, and we got an encore, and standing ovation. Nice for the guys, who had traveled considerable distances for the reunion.”
Alton "Bear" Acker, Executive Director, ASIA
Editor, Guitarmaker
There is some special news on the horizon for 2013! The 4th Annual Berkshire Bluegrass WinterFest & Jam will proudly feature a reunion of Bear Acker & Billings Gap!
By some accounts, it may be at least 24 years since some of the boys all played together.
Bear told us that when the band began to break up due to various members wanting to join other bands he decided it would be best not to fill their positions with lesser talent just to keep the band playing occasional jobs. And looking back at where his former band mates have gone, he says he’s proud of his decision but even more proud of the boys he used to play with.
A ground-breaking bluegrass group – Bluegrass 45 will celebrate the 45th anniversary of forming the band. The Bluegrass 45 was formed in a small coffee shop called ‘Lost City’ in downtown Kobe, Japan in 1967. In 1970 they were ‘discovered’ by Dick Freeland who owned Rebel Records at that time, and with his invitation they toured the States and Canada in 1971 and ‘72.
FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS!
Saturday, February 16, 2013 a special reunion of one of the greatest bands in the history of bluegrass music: THE BLUEGRASS ALBUM BAND, will happen thanks to Ashville, North Carolina’s Bluegrass First Class.
WASHINGTON, Va., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If the ace mechanic who kept Hazzard County rolling is correct, a weekend in August in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia is going to be a turbo-charged delight for the faithful fans of "The Dukes of Hazzard."
Ben Jones, the former Congressman who played "Cooter" on the ever-popular family show is putting together another "Hazzard Homecoming" extravaganza on the weekend of August 11th and 12th in picturesque Rappahannock County, Virginia, and according to him, "Hazzard Nation is rising again!"
..."The most fun we ever had was puttin' on these Barn Dances!"...
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| Summerdog's Chip Curry |
Change of Venue for This Weekend’s Herschel & Joyce Sizemore Benefit Festival
This concert is to benefit both Herschel and Joyce Sizemore with mounting medical bills after both were diagnosed with cancer.
Due to the incredible demand for seats at this event, the show will be moving from the Scottish Rite theater into the Roanoke Civic Center Auditorium! Over 2000 comfortable seats, premium sound by Dewey Peters and Wayne Weikel of Catawba Sound, and the second floor mezzanine grille & bar WILL BE OPEN for food, drinks, and ABC! So come early, plan to spend the day, and help us to raise a ton for Herschel & Joyce!
Yes, for the first time in 30 years the members of Tucson, Arizona’s Summerdog bluegrass band will all be together in the same place.