When life and music collide, the impact is visceral. That’s the best way to describe Nashville recording artist, Marty Falle’s recent album release, Kentucky Blue Star, which was recorded in January with an all-star lineup of musicians in the legendary confines of County Q recording studio and produced by the talented Johnathan Yudkin. After recording Virgin on the Bluegrass in 2021, Falle always assumed there’d be another album. What was unexpected, though, was the news that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer that required immediate surgery. Falle credits his wife for saving his life. “His results weren’t out of the normal range,” she recalls, “but they were elevated, and I knew Marty’s grandfather had died from prostate cancer at an early age.” She encouraged her husband to see a specialist, and a biopsy confirmed it was cancer. After recuperating from a radical prostatectomy, Falle had a serious setback – a life-threatening Lymphocele postsurgical complication – that kept him hospitalized for five days until he stabilized. After initial optimism, the cancer returned requiring eight weeks of radiation. The timing of his health challenges seemed especially cruel considering Falle had recently lost his college roommate to cancer, his brother-in-law to a heart attack, and his best friend to a heart attack. Still grieving, he wondered about his own future. Known for his tenacious work ethic (He’s a Senior Principal with a Fortune 50 Technology Company in addition to his music), his steadfast commitment to his wife and ten-year-old son Macklin, as well as his exuberant passion for writing and recording music, Falle now only had energy to face the battle in front of him. Some days he felt like a warrior; other days he wasn’t sure he’d survive. “It was a turbulent time. I didn’t want the challenges of cancer to stop me from my goals and passions,” he says. Though he sporadically wrote songs, Falle wondered if he’d ever have the chance to record again. Working his way back into shape took months. “Last December, when my bloodwork came back with good PSA results, it was both a milestone and a motivator for me to get back in the studio,” he adds. Reaching out to his team in Nashville, Falle set a date for recording. With his creative on-switch fully back on, he went into overdrive. Sometimes he heard the lyrics to a song faster than he could find a pencil, resorting to recording on his I-phone. “If there’s something gnawing at me,” Falle laughs, “I got to get it written or it’ll keep bothering me. It’s like everything I’m doing, I’m humming it … in the shower, in the car. Once I write it down, it’s out of my system.” Laying Down Tracks From the moment Falle’s team met inside the small, 1950-ish black-and-white house that is County Q, a wave of camaraderie flowed as freely as the consumption of coffee and doughnuts from the kitchen. In the control room where a single window revealed the gray clouds of a winter day, the collective vibe was electric. Ace Lutz was at the boards, while Carl Miner (Flat Picker of the Year Champion), Michael Bub (one of Nashville’s premier upright bass players), Rob Ickes (founding member of the contemporary bluegrass band Blue Highway), and Matt Menefee (Co-founder of bluegrass acoustic groups Cadillac Sky and ChessBoxer) grabbed seats on the two leather couches. Producer and musician, Yudkin (Academy of Country Music Award Fiddle Player of the Year), headed to the center of the room, while Marty strode towards the vocal booth in cowboy boots. “T racking 13 new songs over two days is the goal,” declared Falle, who also mentioned that the first three songs had been written in the past two weeks. No one looked surprised, though someone did ask, “What’s the process?” “Only cheese is processed!” quipped Yudkin, who quickly suggested they “get to work” on the first song, “Kentucky Blue Star.” Then the magic began. “You start with Marty, and we’ll come in,” Yudkin instructed the bass player, while chirping, “A little ice cream scoop there with sprinkles on top,” to Ickes on dobro. A round robin of questions and suggestions followed before everyone scattered to their sound booths. From the first notes, the room seemed to brighten. Falle’s solid vocals cut through the staccato of the banjo and the wailing dobro like an auctioneer calling everyone to the dancefloor. It was toe-tapping bluegrass at its finest. After the final notes, the sun broke through the clouds, just as Yudkin exclaimed, “That was sick!” By the third track, Falle’s boots were off. Although his stamina still wasn’t 100 percent, he clearly was enjoying himself. Thanks to what Yudkin describes as a “group consciousness” most recordings only required one take. Falle’s version is: “Talk about it; hit the button – and go!” In the end, 11 songs and one instrumental piece were put on tape, each unique and different, made even more special by the addition of backup vocals by Kim Parent (Brooks & Dunn) and Marty Slayton (George Strait). What to Expect Yudkin describes the album as “slick and contemporary but with all the elements of bluegrass,” and he commends Falle’s decision to delve further into the genre. “Marty has found his place and taken it a step further,” praises Yudkin, adding, “He embodies the spirit of bluegrass, yet he doesn’t write typical songs which brings a fresh presentation to this style of music.” Diversity defines the album. Starting with the sweet-sounding, “Kentucky Blue Star,” the tempo switches gears with “Daytona,” a double-time, rock-a-billy song about the thrill of a NASCAR race. In “Ridin’” as well as “God Help this Workin’ Man,” – both songs about life on the road – the blend of instruments echoes the roar of an 18-wheeler barreling down the highway, while “Cherokee,” a ballad that starts with a guitar rake, slowly delivers a mournful tale about the Trail of Tears. Skip to track eight, “Daddy’s Shotgun,” and you’ll be smiling. Its bluesy chords with double-time passages accompany one man’s frantic escape from a romantic interlude as he’s chased by a shotgun-wielding father. The frenetic pace became so challenging during the recording that by the end of the song every band member was grimacing and wiping their brow. Pivoting yet again, the album concludes with an instrumental jam titled, “Whiskey for Breakfast.” Blue Star Inspiration Although the album remained untitled at the close of the recording session, there was no doubt that the first track, “Kentucky Blue Star,” was special. “It was the last song I had written, and it was very prevalent in my mind,” recalls Falle, reliving his family’s trip to their farm in Eastern Kentucky that inspired the music. “We were hiking, and the fields were filled with these beautiful blue wildflowers.” Somewhere in the contrast between those simple, stunning flowers and the scarred landscape, broken by coal mining and logging industries, the pieces of a song began to emerge. Woven into every lyric were layers of meaning about falling in love, dancing despite the hardship, and appreciating the simple things that create joy. All of it reflected Falle’s own lessons of endurance and resilience learned during a dark and difficult season. The more he pondered, the clearer it became: Kentucky Blue Star was meant to be the album’s title. “When I reached out to T.J. Matousek, an award-winning Disney artist who I’ve known since childhood, about doing the cover, it took on a life of its own,” says Falle, who is gratefully embracing every note with optimism and presently cancer-free. *** To learn more about Falle’s music, go to www.martyfallemusic.com

Peter Rushefsky grew up listening to – and playing – lots of traditional music. Old time. Bluegrass. Ragtime. As time went on, he got an urge that many have felt over the years; he wanted to explore the music of his heritage more thoroughly. "At some point when you get deep into traditional music," he explained, "you start asking: What about the music of MY community?" That question led to an exploration of klezmer, a genre he described succinctly as "Jewish celebratory music." It came to the states with immigrants, primarily in the 20th century. "There's been a big revival of the music since the 1970s," he said. He began delving deep while in his 20s, attending klezmer camps. He said he was "hooked" because the music resonated. Since then, his professional work as a Klezmer musician has led to performing and/or recording with greats, including Itzhak Perlman and the Klezmer Conservatory Band. He's performed the music of his heritage at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and on-air at NPR radio. That experience of evolving in the direction of his heritage serves Rushefsky well as Executive Director for the NYC-based Center for Traditional Music and Dance, a nonprofit that allows him to support similar examination – and preservation – of the arts and culture of peoples who have immigrated to the city. It seemed he was uniquely suited to do the job since he had taken that journey of cultural exploration. "It had a lot of resonance with what I was living," he said. "I thought, wow, maybe this is a way I can use what I learned from within Jewish culture and help other cultures around the world." He said the organization is all about "reviving and revitalizing" traditions. "We have a wonderful series called Beat of the Burroughs: NYC Online," he said, explaining the initiative started during the pandemic. It features video profiles of various artists from NYC, showcasing each's music, methods and culture. These videos – uploaded several times per week to the Center's website at Ctmd.org – aim to provide a "contextualization" for each artist's work. Rushefsky implied that what happens in his city affects other parts of the American melting pot. "New York is a hub for so many different kinds of culture," he said, explaining it tends to "ripple out" from there. In this sense, his organization's work will eventually reach us all, possibly through the evolution of our greater collective culture. The Center for Traditional Music and Dance coordinates concerts; festivals; multimedia products, including documentary films; workshops; after-school classes for children; learning experiences aimed at seniors; and more. Whether it's music and dance hailing from Haiti, the Balkans, or Colombia, there's no doubt the Center has it represented somewhere in its offerings. Some current programs relate to the music and dance of immigrants from Mongolia; The Himalayas; and Sri Lanka, for which they're "working towards a large festival in the fall." Rushefsky said when visitors find themselves in NYC, "they should check out our events calendar and Facebook page" to see if anything is going on during their stay. One of the longer-standing events the Center is known for is Yiddish New York, billed as the largest Yiddish Culture festival in the United States. Taking place the last week in December, Yiddish artists, scholars, and personalities join together for six days of films; lectures; theater; Yiddish language, food, song and folk dance; visual arts; klezmer music; workshops; and more. Rushefsky said people from all backgrounds are welcome, and attendance from those outside the community is an enhancement and the purpose of the Center. "The best events," Rushefsky said, "are when half the crowd is from inside the community, and half is from outside."

Every town has one—a place where teens gather to share their interest in music. In 1966, McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Long Beach, California, was where young people gathered to talk about music, see the latest instruments, and jam. “One of the main topics of conversation was how to not have to work for a living,” recalls John McEuen. McEuen was originally from Oakland. After seeing a performance by the Dillards in 1964, he became interested in music, learning to play the banjo and, eventually, the fiddle and mandolin. He spent a lot of time at McCabe’s. That same year Jeff Hanna, also a regular at McCabe’s, attended a Bob Dylan performance at the Wilson High School auditorium in Long Beach. He attended the concert with a group of friends, including Bruce Kunkel. Jimmy Fadden was also a Dylan fan and spent hours playing Dylan’s songs with Hanna. Their common thread was a love of folk and roots music and their time at McCabe’s Guitar Shop. Surely when the young men formed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, they had no idea the band would span decades and would still put out records over twenty years into the next century. The original band included Hanna, Kunkel, Fadden, McEuen, and a guitarist/vocalist named Jackson Browne. The group started as a jug band, which was popular then. Combining that with the new folk-rock style of music, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band created a unique sound and an intriguing look, often performing in pinstriped suits and cowboy boots. Browne left the group early on to start his career as a singer-songwriter. McEuen’s brother, William McEuen, took on the role of the band’s manager and secured bookings for the band. He also produced their album, Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, in 1970. One of the songs on the album, “Mr. Bojangles,” was the band’s first hit. Written and originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker, the song rose to number nine on the Billboard “Hot 100” list in 1971 and stayed on the list for thirty-six weeks. Another popular tune on the album was a Kenny Logins song, “House on Pooh Corner.” Wanting to solidify their standing as a country band, they set out for Nashville, where they planned to record an album with country music greats Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson. “I got up the nerve to ask Earl if he would record something with us, and he not only said yes, but he also said he could bring in Doc,” says John McEuen. “The next thing we knew, Roy Acuff showed up, then Maybelle Carter, Junior Huskey, and others. I was a bit starstruck, but it all felt so natural. We sat in the studio and just started playing, with one person after another suggesting songs.” It became a platinum-selling three-album set that received two GRAMMY nominations. Over the years, members of the band came and went. The band changed its name to the Dirt Band between 1976 and 1981 before going back to the original band name. McEuen left after twenty years, only to rejoin the band in 2001 before leaving again at the end of 2017, following the band’s fiftieth-anniversary tour. Jeff Hanna and Jimmy Fadden are the only two original band members still on board. Jeff’s son, Jaime, has joined the band on guitars and vocals. In their nearly six decades as a band, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has released 24 albums, and the Will the Circle Be Unbroken LPs. One of the albums is a Christmas album released in 1997. The band’s latest release, Dirt Does Dylan, is a full-circle project for Jeff Hanna, who paid $4 to see Dylan perform in a high school gym so long ago. The album, released in 2022, contains ten of Dylan’s songs, including the iconic “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” The band is joined by Roseanne Cash, Steve Earle, Jason Isbell, and The War & Treaty. The album ends on a light note, with Dylan’s “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn).” For those who would like to see the band play live, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has tour dates that start February 10 and runs through September 2023.

Since its inception in 1973, the Augusta Heritage Center, located on the Davis & Elkins College campus in Elkins, West Virginia, has facilitated cultural education through immersive and experiential workshops in music, craft, dance, foodways, and folklore. Dedicated to bringing folk arts education to underserved communities, the Center provides access to cultural experiences to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity. Not only is it a way to preserve the past while promoting cultural heritage, but the goal is also to build community. A more inclusive and culturally rich society is established by celebrating local talent, documenting traditions, and providing a space for the community to gather and connect. The Augusta Heritage Center provides a variety of camps, conferences, workshops, and other events throughout the year—immersive events that often last for several days. Camps are held during the summer on the scenic campus of Davis & Elkins College and year-round on the road. The program's flagship summer camps, the Augusta Summer Heritage Workshops, will be held July 9 through 29. This summer will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the workshops. This year's workshops include Classic Country, Cajun and Swing Week, July 9 through 14; Bluegrass and Vocal Week, July 16 through 21; Blues and Old-Time Week, July 23 through 28; and the month will conclude with the Augusta Festival and Celebration Concert, held in Elkins City Park on July 29. Also offered are craft classes and a program for children during each week of music classes. Emily Miller serves as the artistic director for Augusta Heritage Center. She is also the String Band director for the college's Appalachian Ensemble and a professional singer and fiddle player. "I grew up coming to Augusta with my family," says Emily, who puts a lot of effort into designing kids' programs that support parents and grandparents who want to experience Augusta with their families. "Folk Arts for Kids gives children ages five to 11 a meaningful educational experience with other kids while their parents are diving into fiddle or banjo or stained glass or whatever interests them." This summer's program has been finalized, and Emily says it will be a great one. "I'm excited for the fabulous artists we have coming to teach as part of the bluegrass program this summer. Tammy King of the Steeldrivers will be with us, as well as Missy Raines, BB Bowness, Joe Newbury, Greg Blake, Tyler Grant, and so many more. As a bonus, bluegrass students can cross over to the Vocal Week classes to study with Robin & Linda Williams, Abby Washburn and other members of that great staff." Other events are held at the Center and online year-round, designed to broaden the participants' horizons, from concerts and dances to cultural sessions and more. For example, the Center offers the "Cooking in Community: Foodways Traditions from Appalachia and Beyond" series with support from Mid-Atlantic Arts' Central Appalachia Living Traditions program. Classes are taught by experienced chefs and home cooks with diverse backgrounds yet representative of Appalachia today. Another service the Center provides is an online archive of concerts, interviews, musical recordings, and oral histories. The Augusta Archive contains a wealth of cultural knowledge spanning nearly 100 years. With 943 entries, the living archive grows as the material is collected from the field and digitized. The goal is to make the material as accessible as possible, with no barriers due to cost. Seth Young serves as the executive director of the Augusta Heritage Center. Seth is a lifelong musician and performer who has spent most of his career as a music educator. He and Emily were hired on the same day, June 2, 2019. "It was exciting because we both had connections to Augusta Heritage Center as children." Seth first became involved with the Center when he took a mini class in Blues harmonica. He became more interested in music during high school and went to Augusta during his teen years to learn more about the music in his geographic region. "When Emily and I were hired, we had independent paths, but we both had a lot of ideas and passion. Our first summer here, we acted out the plan that was left for us. But the next year, we were super excited to put into action our own plan." Then, the pandemic hit. "We had to pivot quickly, and I felt like we were reinventing our program every few months for a couple of years." Seth says he is looking forward to this summer's programming. "It's our fiftieth year. For something to last that long, it was meant to be." Seth says they are looking forward to the future. "We have formed our own 501(c)(3), and we have formed a Board of Directors. A capital campaign is underway to help us acquire and renovate an old building in downtown Elkins that can be used for programming year-round. We are also partnering with state and national parks that have beautiful lodging." Tessa Dillon and Josh Wanstreet are the AmeriCorps members. Tessa is also a fiddle player who teaches college students at West Virginia University, while Josh plays old-time fiddle and guitar. Eric Armstrong is the technical director of the Center. Information on the workshops, camps and events can be found on the Augusta Heritage Center website. www.augustaartsandculture.org

Joe is a seasoned musician who has made a name for himself in the bluegrass and traditional country music scene. With his unique blend of bluegrass, traditional country, gospel, and Appalachian Mountain music, he is a natural on and off stage promoting his band and music. In an interview, Joe shared more about his career, influences, and dreams. He is joined in the Short Mountain Band by Aaron Holman, Nick Bryant, Lisa Horngren, and Billy Wise. Joe has released two Nashville-produced recorded albums for a label and seven previously recorded self-released albums. His last album, West Virginia Rail, was released in 2019. Joe’s West Virginia Rail album was recorded at Sony Studios in Nashville, and the producers were Adam Engelhardt and Glen Duncan. Some musicians who contributed to the album include Cody Kilby, Ned Luberecki, Scott Vestal, Aubrey Haynie, Dennis Crouch, and Casey Campbell. The album was released on Rural Rhythm Records, showcasing Joe’s ability to blend traditional country and bluegrass music seamlessly. Joe has eight upcoming shows and others that he is currently working on. His main goal this year is to get to some new places, broaden his reach and fan base, and meet new people. He is excited to play at new festivals this year, including the Kendallville Tri-State Bluegrass Festival, Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Festival, Grits ‘n Grass Mountain Music, and many more. Joe and his band recently remodeled a new bus and are eager to get it on the road. Joe has had several highlights throughout his career, including signing with Rural Rhythm Records, performing on stage with Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers, and meeting Bill Anderson. Joe’s unique blend of bluegrass and traditional country music has earned him a loyal following, and he is excited to continue recording and traveling with his band of great friends. In conclusion, Joe’s passion for bluegrass and traditional country music shines through in every note he plays. His ability to blend different genres seamlessly is a testament to his talent and dedication to his craft. Fans can expect to see more great music from Joe and his band. “Honestly, if I can just keep recording and traveling with a great group of friends that I have, that’s all I need. We are all looking forward to playing some new festivals for us this year. We have a new bus we just finished remodeling and can’t wait to get it on the road.” To keep up with Joe’s career and upcoming shows, contact his agent, Melanie Wilson, at Wilson Pickins Promotions. We are all looking forward to playing some new festivals for us this year like the Kendallville Tri-State Bluegrass Festival May 25-28th, 2023. See details and get tickets at https://www.bluegrassusa.net/nibga-festival/

Keith Barnacastle owns bluegrass instruments of every flavor, though he's never really picked the banjo or leaned into his custom-built upright bass. But he's making a lot of noise in bluegrass by publishing a free, in-depth magazine about the music and running a record label that uniquely serves its artists. "I want people to know about this music, to learn about it, and not have to pay to read it," Barnacastle said about The Bluegrass Standard. "And with Turnberry Records, we want to keep finding new music and helping these artists, whether they're playing traditional or newgrass." You might assume that a kid growing up in Meridian, Mississippi, whose family sang gospel music across the South as The Barnacastle Singers would have a fast track to the stage. Not quite. "My dad and my mom have beautiful singing voices, and my dad's three sisters have beautiful voices, but I didn't get the singing voice. I got the gift of gab." Steeped in traditional music as a kid, Barnacastle heard all sorts of music as a student at the University of Southwest Louisiana, including the Cajun music played by the locals. After graduating, he moved to California, working for Occidental Petroleum before satisfying a desire to become an entrepreneur and employing himself. As his in-home nursing business grew, though, he was pulled toward the music he grew up with. "I've always loved music, and I've always promoted music. And about 15 years ago, I decided to give back to the community I was raised in." His Suits, Boots, and Bluegrass concerts for charity in Meridian featured folk, Americana, and bluegrass acts. Barnacastle's experiences producing those events made him reconsider his professional life, which was tied to a business that was becoming highly regulated and complex. "I just felt like I needed to get out of the industry and do something that would allow my spirit to flow again. Then I thought, I've got all these contacts in the music industry; why don't I do something with that?" This wonderfully illustrated and beautifully executed magazine, The Bluegrass Standard, is the result of that re-orienting, providing extensive articles and interviews that feature the broad spectrum of bluegrass music, from stories about the founding fathers to profiles of musicians exploring the borders of the genre. There's no disagreement about the publisher's founding principle for the magazine. "When I say free, it truly is free," Barnacastle explained. "Everybody thinks there's a catch. But you can go to our website, or you can go to ISSUU.com, one of our publishers, and you can read the magazine every month totally free. You don't have to do anything—though we'd love for people to give us their email address so we can send a digital copy to them." As the cliché goes, one thing leads to another. Barnacastle realized his experience as an entrepreneur and publisher positioned him to create a new record company that would redefine the relationship between the artist and their label. "I wanted Turnberry Records to be more artist-based," Barnacastle explained. "When an artist brings their product to us, we want them to have full control and the opportunity to sit down and talk about where they want to go with their project.” Turnberry Records allows the artists to determine what they want, how they want it to get out there, and whom they want to get it to. "A lot of these other labels will say, 'You've got to use my studio. This is what you're gonna pay. This is what you're gonna do, and we're gonna get it out there, and you're gonna get X amount of dollars from it.' And with some labels—the bigger labels in country, the huge labels—you get about a 16 percent return. But we put it on a 50-50 basis with Turnberry." Though based in California, Turnberry Records is far from a regional label. Nu-Blu features the dynamic husband and wife duo of Daniel and Carolyn Routh of Siler City, N.C. Darren Beachley of Maryland performed with Bill Harrell and the Virginians and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver before beginning his solo career. Prairie Wildfire is three bluegrass-playing sisters from Wyoming. Greg Blake, whose music is grounded in his Appalachian roots, was an IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year nominee in 2022. "I know this is kind of crazy," Barnacastle continued, "but when I listen to a song by a certain artist, and it moves me, and I feel the music, it can make me weep and cry. That's when you feel the artist is putting every bit of their effort and soul into their music. And that's the kind of artists that we love to promote and work with." Barnacastle is incredibly excited about a project featuring Bobby Osborne performing songs he's always loved but never recorded. Other recent Turnberry innovations include Get It Played, an economical promotion and distribution service for artists of many genres, and Strings Division. This teaching program offers "bluegrass to blues" lessons that educators can easily and affordably implement. Barnacastle is not only making a lot of noise in the bluegrass world—he's known for making a spectacle of himself at the annual IBMA gathering in Raleigh, N.C. "In 2016, when we showed up in socks that were chicken legs, people were just asking, 'Who is this crazy guy?'" Each year his colorful, feather-full costumes have grown more elaborate. Barnacastle works months before the event with a designer to be sure he'll have something eye-catching to wear in the exhibit hall. "I feel like when I go to conventions or festivals, I'm going to have fun. I want people to enjoy the music and the people around them and be happy to be there. And the costumes are a way to do that. It's a branding thing for us,” said Barnacastle, dubbed the Elton John of Bluegrass. “But when it comes to the end of the day, people know we're The Bluegrass Standard and Turnberry Records. I'm having a good time, and that's what I want other people to understand. Enjoy life. Life is way too short."

GRAMMY-nominated producer and engineer Dave Maggard is living his dream come true. From his recording studio next to his home in the country, some of his bluegrass idols have come to his place to record music. “It is such a joy for me,” he says. “My ambition has always been to pursue peoples’ creative side.” Dave grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. “I actually grew up with bluegrass music because of the Gillespie family.” The Gillespie family was from Greasy Creek, Kentucky, and relocated to Louisville. “When I was 15 or 16 years old, it was not unusual for people like Bill Monroe, Keith Whitley, and Ralph Stanley to visit their home. Doug Gillespie would take all of us to bluegrass festivals. I learned to play by hanging around them. I remember they traveled in an old blue bus that broke down a lot. They called the bus ‘Blue Dammit.’” Dave recalls that music was a big deal where he was from. In 1979 Dave moved to Gatlinburg, where he played for tips in bars. “I eventually bought a farm that had a big metal building I used as a place to practice and record. I just moved the knobs to where it sounded good.” In 2014 Dave decided to get serious about the recording side of the business. "I attended RECW, an intensive five-week school in recording and engineering, located in Chillicothe, Ohio. I learned the technical side of music, and my head almost exploded. I wanted to do something with my newfound knowledge.” Dave started Sound Biscuit Productions in Sevierville, Tennessee intending to be a studio that works with songwriters. His studio is situated on his ten-acre farm. “I love the location,” he says. “Part of the success of the studio is the location and the relaxed feeling here. It’s a comfortable place to be creative.” Some of bluegrass music’s greats have done work at Sound Biscuit. Dave had the opportunity to edit, mix, and engineer Doyle Lawson’s Roundtable album. “Doyle commented on how comfortable he feels here,” says Dave. “I have also had the opportunity to work with Dolly Parton. I got a call from David Dotson at the Dollywood Foundation about Dolly doing narration for a children’s show. She was very gracious.” As time went by, Dave began thinking about how he could expand the studio. “I busted out some walls and added four isolation booths. The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys and CJ Lewandowski were the first artists on the Sound Biscuit label. We worked with the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys on God’s Love is So Divine and with CJ on his Ozark Mandolin album.” Looking back on the artists he has worked with, Dave says most of them have become good friends. “The people I’ve worked with is insane. The time we spend together in the studio is intense, and you get to know people fast.” Dave recalls the time Darrell Webb with Appalachian Road Show called asking if he would donate some recording time for a tribute to Steve Gulley, who had recently passed away, to benefit his wife, Debbie Gulley. “The day came for them to record, and Doyle Lawson came in with a Who’s Who of bluegrass artists and recorded “In the Resurrection Morning.” The song tied with Dale Ann Bradley for IBMA’s Gospel Song of the Year in 2021. Sound Biscuit had the pleasure of laying down some tracks for Billy Blue Records for the Gospel Project that was distributed to Cracker Barrel stores. When Doyle Lawson came to Sound Biscuit to record his last album, Roundtable, before retiring, he spent weeks in the studio. Dave had a front-row seat to the history of bluegrass from Doyle’s perspective. “That was priceless.” Dave is accompanied at Sound Biscuit by Shane Reman, who works at the recording studio. “Shane is irreplaceable. He is a monster, and we work in cahoots with each other. He did most of the engineering on Doyle’s album.” The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys recently did some production and engineering at the studio. “We never slow down,” says Dave. “We are a full production studio, and we will make just about anything happen.” That includes videos, which they have been doing more frequently. “I love working with young people. So many of them want to learn. And with artists like Greg Blake, Dale Ann Bradley, Jesse Brock and Corey Zink, we’ve got great role models.” Dave says his business platform is to create something people want to be a part of. “This business made its way to me. I am committed to excellence, but we want to have fun as well and have people talk about it.” Dave came up with the name Sound Biscuit after he discovered his original name for the business, Sound Farm, was already in use in Utah. “I was eating a biscuit for breakfast, and the idea of Sound Biscuit popped into my head. As it turns out, back in the old days of sound recording, the blob of ‘wax’ used to press a record was called a biscuit. As time when on, they called making a record ‘cutting a biscuit,’ so the name really works well.” After several years of working in the business, Dave still marvels at his charmed life. “I don’t have to pay to go to shows,” he laughs. “The artists come to me. I feel kind of like a cheat because I get to hear the best do their best without leaving my farm.”

When veteran music industry creative Jerry Salley was ready to launch a record label, he thought about whom he could trust and who would have the assets he needed to be successful. He reached out to Ed Leonard, president of Daywind Music Group. Daywind is home to Daywind Records and New Day Records, both Gospel labels. “I was writing for EMI in 2000, and that deal excluded my Gospel songs,” says Jerry. “So, I signed a publishing deal with Daywind for a few years exclusively for my Gospel songs and fell in love with how they do business. I got to know the family, including Dottie Leonard Miller, who founded Daywind almost forty years ago.” While the company did it all, from publishing to distribution for Gospel music, they were not applying that to the bluegrass industry. Dottie said “yes” to forming Billy Blue Records, a boutique mainstream bluegrass label under Jerry’s direction. “It’s a great partnership,” says Jerry, the label’s A & R guy and the creative director. “I basically oversee the whole label but always go to Ed for direction when a big decision needs to be made.” Billy Blue Records will celebrate five years this June. In a press release, Ed Leonard said, “with the increase in popularity of roots music, we felt it was time to launch a new division providing opportunities and guidance for the talented artists and songwriters in this genre.” The label’s name, Billy Blue Records, was a collaborative brainstorming effort between Ed and Jerry. "We wanted to build a brand. When we were thinking of names, Ed pointed out there was a huge goat craze going on at the time with things like goat yoga. Plus, they are just cute,” adds Jerry. “We combined billy goat with bluegrass and came up with Billy Blue. It just seemed to work.” Veteran graphic designer in the music industry for Daywind/Billy Blue and three-time IBMA nominee for Graphic Designer of the Year Carly Webby designed the logo. As word got out, artists began signing with the label. “The first artist we signed to the label was Appalachian Road Show,” recalls Jerry. “It’s amazing the way it’s all worked out. Soon we had added Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Donna Ulisse, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, Jason Barie, Authentic Unlimited, Kristy Cox, The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, and Marty Raybon.” Jerry produced the multi-artist Bluegrass Gospel project, Country Faith Bluegrass, which includes the Dolly Parton single of the classic hymn, “In the Sweet By and By,” featuring Jerry along with Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, and Bradley Walker. The song recently won a DOVE award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Song of the Year. In addition, it received Gospel Recording of the Year at the 2022 IBMA Awards and Collaborative Album of the Year. “It was such an honor to work with Dolly on that album,” says Jerry. “She was such a delight.” The label also produces videos for its artists. “Videos are becoming more and more popular, and we are fortunate to have great local videographers at our disposal, along with some video capabilities in-house,” says Jerry. “We have been doing interviews and song-by-song tracks for social media. And we produced Joe Mullin’s new video, “Black and White,” a nostalgic tune about the days of black and white TV. The single is on the band’s new album, Let Time Ride, released on March 17. Also recently released on Billy Blue is Jason Barie’s new album, Radioactive. The album jacket is unique in that it includes a seven-page comic book. Expanding on what is happening at Billy Blue Records, Daywind Music Group has announced the relaunch of Thoroughbred Records, which fits well with their move into bluegrass. Jerry will also serve as A & R and creative director for the Thoroughbred label, giving artists such as Chosen Road and other strictly bluegrass Gospel artists their own label home. www.billybluerecords.com

Smithsonian Folkways Preserves the “People’s Music” From current artists such as Del McCoury, Tony Trischka or Po’ Ramblin’ Boys – to late greats such as Bill Monroe and Ola Belle Reed – Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has made sure to preserve music’s present and past for future generations. As part of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, this nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution shares some similarities with commercial labels while fulfilling a unique mission: To curate the most meaningful parts of the history of music. When Smithsonian Folkways Marketing Manager Jonathan Williger talks about how the label operates, it sounds slightly different. In addition to recordings, the website explains the label also releases educational materials to “strengthen people’s engagement with their cultural heritage and enhance their awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of others.” The artist selection process isn’t exactly as it would be for many other record companies. Williger spoke of the “curatorial thrust” of the label. The Smithsonian is an institution revered by many and considered in some quarters to be our nation’s most notable repository of things that relay the full, true scope of – and myriad complexities of – the human experience. Based on that, the label’s method of evaluating content comes as no surprise. “We think of it as a collection of artifacts,” Williger explained about how artists are selected. “It’s thinking of the collection as a whole and how it affects the world of sound.” Although Williger said the number of releases is ramping up, he said Smithsonian Folkways drops “usually between 10 and 14” records each year. He said the process involves a content board that “reviews submissions of new releases.” Of course, strong voices in the process also include the label’s brand new director and decision-maker, that Williger describes as the “main curator,” ethnomusicologist Maureen Loughren. He said Jeff Place is also an essential archivist and curator at the label and is among those who play a role in these decisions. The label finds its origins as far back as 1948, with the founding of Folkway Records, by Moses Asch. In 1987, The Smithsonian acquired the company from the Asche estate, and it became the label that operates today. It held tight to Asch’s original intent to document “‘people’s music,’ spoken word, instruction, and sounds from around the world.” Today, the label re-releases archival recordings of the past while also helping today’s artists reach listeners at many points of access. “There are certain ways in which we are like other record labels, and we have a PR team,” Williger said. “We work traditional media angles…and we definitely make sure our music is distributed to libraries through our distributor.” In addition to the music from bluegrass talents of both present and yore, Smithsonian Folkways releases music from genres including jazz, Latin, gospel, classical, old time, blues…you name it. However, from whichever corner the music hails, there tends to be a common thread. Williger said the commonality amongst the artists on the label’s roster is that the curators seek voices that might not otherwise be heard; he said the focus is on “marginalized communities.” According to the Smithsonian Folkways website, the aim is to support “cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound.” The “American experience” of music is not a homogenous monolith; it’s a vast melting pot. Its full reality includes a multitude of varying paradigms, from performers with roots of origin in many backgrounds, nations, and walks of life. In Willger’s four-and-a-half years with Smithsonian Folkways, he said he personally appreciates how a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to music aids in “creating empathy” in listeners. “I think it’s important because sound and music is a key way humans express belonging,” he said. This is in addition to the more obvious “cultural” and “emotional” expression for which music is widely known. “A lot of the music that comes out of Smithsonian Folkways, we want it to say a lot about the artists and their communities,” Williger said. “It’s important for people to experience music made by people who are not like them. "

In the early 1990s, Tim Surrett and Mickey Gamble teamed up to form The Mountain Home Music Company, an imprint of Crossroads Entertainment and Marketing. “Tim plays bass and vocals for Balsam Range,” says Ty Gilpin, who handles the marketing for Mountain Home. Tim is a North Carolina native, born and raised in Canton. Music has always been a big part of his life, and he views music as a ministry. The label he and Mickey founded is now considered one of the premier labels in bluegrass, with artists including Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, The Grascals, The Lonesome River Band, The Boxcars, Crowe, Lawson, and Williams, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, and Tim’s band, Balsam Range. Ty explains that Crossroads goes back forty years or more. “We have a range of artists, from Southern Gospel to bluegrass and Americana.” The company was established in 1993 when the Horizon Music Group and Sonlite Records merged. The Crossroads Label Group operates the Mountain Home Music label, Skyland Records, Pisgah Ridge Records, Crossroads Records, and Mountain Home’s sibling imprint, Organic Records. “Organic leans more toward the Americana world,” says Ty. “Jeremy Garrett did a bluegrass record on Organic, but he also did a genre-defying album. Our motto at Organic is ‘great music, no boundaries.’ But Mountain Home Music is specifically bluegrass, from traditional to progressive.” Mountain Home Music benefits from Crossroad Distribution, Crossroads Radio Promotions, and Crossroads Recording Studios at the label headquarters and offices outside of Ashville, North Carolina, in Arden. “Artists come to use our state-of-the-art studios,” says Ty. “We update everything every two years, investing in high-end improvements in our studio equipment. Crossroads combines cutting-edge technology with creative innovation, which helps us to connect our artists’ music with their fans.” The studio has three full-time engineers and three full-time producers, one of whom is John Wiseburger, who also does A &R for Mountain Home Music and is a musician. “We also have a third studio, which we call Studio C, in Burbank, California,” Ty says. “We have a guy there who does mixing as well as work with Dolby Atmos immersive audio, which is a whole new thing we are diving into.” According to the Dolby website, “Dolby Atmos has reinvented how entertainment is created and experienced, allowing creatives everywhere to place each sound exactly where they want it to go, for a more realistic and immersive audio experience.” Over the years, Mountain Home Music Company and Organic Records have become home to a family of artists. “It seems like everybody knows everybody in the bluegrass world,” laughs Ty. The musical family at Mountain Home Music collectively creates music that forms part of the core of the operation. “Bluegrass has really expanded over the past few years. While traditional bluegrass is still as popular as ever, the genre has a more adventurous side. And there are people from different generations, geographical areas, and with different musical styles who play bluegrass.” Bluegrass at the Crossroads is a series of unique encounters between some of those artists. The collaborative efforts are a fresh take on bluegrass classics and new songs that reflect and engage with today’s world. Featured artists now on Mountain Home Music are Fireside Collective, a progressive bluegrass group from the Asheville area: Phil Leadbetter, a seasoned resonator player with an impressive career history; and The Cleverlys, a genre-bending comedy/bluegrass band from the Ozark Mountains near Cane Spur, Arkansas. The New York Times said the group was as “if Earl Scruggs, Dolly Parton, and Spinal Tap spawned a litter of puppies.” They are all accomplished musicians, and putting their unique bluegrass spin on cover songs from any genre is the faux-family band’s schtick. Recent releases include a new single by singer, songwriter, and mandolin player Darren Nicholson. “Leave It in the Hands of the Lord” recalls his experience following his departure from Balsam Ridge, the band he played with for 15 years. Carley Arrowood, a rising young bluegrass artist, recently released her debut album on Mountain Home Music, Goin’ Home Comin’ On. www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com

Les Butler has seen a lot in the 45 years he’s been in the record business. Over that time, he’s had bluegrass acts signed to his Family Music Group Bluegrass label, and others with a more spiritual orientation have released music on his Real Southern Gospel Music label. Throughout the decades, Butler has produced some of the top names in music, with a list that includes notables such as Earl Scruggs, Larry Gatlin, and The Easter Brothers. He’s also got his radio show, where he spins tunes that lift spirits. Right now, Butler is working with several bluegrass artists he’s signed to one of his labels. His acts include Heaven’s Mountain Band. The McBride Family. The Marksmen Quartet. “I get to be very picky,” Butler said. “I get to choose who I get to work with. How real are they? Is it about earning a paycheck, or does the music ooze out of them, whether they get paid for it or not?” He laughed. “But…we help them get paid for it.” Being selective is a luxury that comes with having longevity in the business; after 45 years, he can seek out artists who have “their music intertwined with their life” in ways that go beyond. He explained that he was “very broad” in his scope early on. Over time, that narrowed significantly. For instance, he’s only interested in tradition for his Real Southern Gospel label. “Contemporary” or “progressive” music doesn’t interest him much. He only gets excited about stuff that’s “very rootsy, very folksy.” Butler’s voice might be familiar to listeners across the country due to his work in broadcasting. He’s been on the radio in one way or another for years. One of his programs even won a March of Dimes Achievement in Radio (AIR) Award for “Best Locally Produced Weekend Show” in the Nashville market, beating out even notables such as the Grand Ole Opry in that category. “I have a one-hour nationally syndicated show, Les Butler & Friends,” he said. When not helping his talent put out records – or when not creating content as a DJ for both terrestrial and online radio formats – Butler is looking for new ways to serve music fans. His latest idea was a bit of music tourism, a bus tour combined with a live performance. He seems quite pleased with how gospel fans received this organized event. “I put together a tour of some of the greats of Southern Gospel music that have died,” he said. The bus tour brought participants to gravesites, and Butler shared “personal stories and personal memorabilia from people I have worked with.” He said the tour helps fans remember and understand gospel artists laid to rest in Butler’s region of Tennessee, including late performers such as Dottie Rambo, members of The Speer Family, and J.D. Sumner, who had a close relationship with Elvis Presley. Although they aren’t really part of the gospel world, the tour also briefly stopped to pay tribute to artists interred nearby, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Butler said the group sang songs on the bus. A catered meal was included, and a highlight was a live performance. “The artist that was featured is a bluegrass artist, the Primitive Quartet,” He said. “They are on their retirement tour.” His Honoring the Trailblazers of Southern Gospel Music bus tour was “a huge success,” and he plans to repeat it. While it will mainly be a Southern Gospel tour, Butler said, “there will be a bluegrass thread,” wherein he will try to include as much bluegrass as possible. “It was a huge success,” he said, excited about the prospects of doing it again and again.

Did you know that hard cider is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world? It is older than America and even accompanied the Mayflower to the New World. Hard cider’s roots are rich in American tradition. Because colonists preferred the drink over beer, wine, or liquor, apple orchards were planted all over the region to supply the demand. Remember Johnny Appleseed? John Chapman, colloquially known as Johnny Appleseed, was born in 1774 and planted apple trees throughout Appalachian Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and beyond. But it wasn’t because he was interested in apple pie or cobblers. His apples had one purpose: to make hard cider. At its core, cider is simply plucking a particular blend of apples, juicing them, and then leaving the juice out at room temperature to allow it to ferment naturally. Of course, creativity and taste play a role, as well. Hard cider fell out of favor during the late 1800s when beer became more popular with the influx of German and Eastern Europeans to the region. Coupled with Midwest expansion that provided more suitable land for growing hops and barley, beer outpaced hard cider, which was then mostly relegated to the countryside. Prohibition further pushed hard cider into the hills, away from the law. Within the last couple of decades, though, hard cider has seen a resurgence in popularity. There are a number of national brands distributing craft hard cider, as well as many in Appalachia reviving the tradition. Check out these hard cideries drawing on traditional practice to create delicious beverages rooted in history: 1. Hawk Knob Appalachian Hard Cider Lewisburg, West Virginia Taste the tradition at this Appalachian hard cidery that focuses on taste and quality. “At Hawk Knob, we hope to provide more than the cider we make; we hope to share a little bit of our culture and Appalachian heritage,” the website reads. It continues to note that hard cider has existed before, during, and after prohibition in the region and throughout much of Appalachia. “Many of these ciders were made from heritage apple varieties, wild apples, or a combination of the two. More often than not, these ciders were fermented and aged in used whiskey and bourbon barrels. While barrel aging and barrel-influenced ciders are becoming more common these days and are considered by many to be a modern trend, this style of cider-making is part of our cultural heritage. Much of what we do at Hawk Knob is an homage to the old-time cider crafters and our Appalachian roots.” Varieties include elderberry and barrel heritage. Appalachian classic and traditional. Learn more at ​​https://hawkknob.com/. 2. Flat Rock Cider Company Hendersonville, North Carolina Much like the “farm to table” moniker restaurants utilize, Flat Rock Cider Company employs the motto “Orchard to the Glass.” “We strive to support local agriculture by using fresh fruit straight from our community orchards. We love uplifting our neighbors and making great cider at the same time,” the website reads. “Our cider is made with apples from some of the oldest orchards in Henderson County — the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina.” Varieties include semi-dry apples, semi-tart blackberries, and tropical pineapple. For more information, visit https://www.flatrockcidercompany.com/. 3. Wise Bird Cider Co. Lexington, Kentucky This small, family-run business crafts ciders in a traditional style. The small-bath ciders are made with local apples from Kentucky, as well as Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Their impressive list of ciders includes: ● Pomme Pomme ● Rose Cider ● Commonwealth Gold ● Jonathan ● Holy Beez Orchard ● Browning Orchard ● Royal Red, and many more You can even enjoy hot mulled cider, which features Wise Bird cider steeped with cranberries, ginger, cinnamon, clove, and citrus (plus an optional shot of bourbon. Or, try “Tim’s Toddy,” which is mulled cider with bourbon, early grey or black tea, and lemon. Learn more at https://www.wisebirdcider.com/. 4. Appalachian Mountain Brewery Boone, North Carolina Appalachian Mountain Brewery creates both craft beer and hard cider. They even bottle their Southern Apple Hard Cider, inspired by their mountain orchards. “Southern Apple is a classic Semi-Dry cider that brings you that fresh picked experience like you’re coming right off of the orchard,” the website reads. “Crisp, clean, smooth, dry, and crafted to be incredibly sessionable, our Southern Apple cider makes for good times with friends all year round.” Other varieties include Mystic Dragon, infused with green tea, rhubarb, and strawberries; Roots, named after the company’s mountain roots and infused with turmeric and ginger; Cider, which incorporates a splash of orange juice; and Scarlet Rose, infused with cinnamon and plums. Find more information at https://www.amb.beer/.