Herald Angels a success

Thanks to all who have supported our efforts to bring the music of some of our performing 

friends to Floyd.  We enjoy helping to present a quality program rooted in the traditional music that we find ourselves carrying on in this day and age.  We were able  through generous donations to  support the Zion Lutheran Church. The church has several members  whose enthusiasm for our cause is well appreciated. 

 We consider such events (formerly held in our home) a win - win  situation.  The community of supporters get a great intimate performance,  the performers have a great audience to perfom for,  the musicians benefit from the  donations are all  for the musicians who have worked to develop their styles and repetoire to a such high level, and we get a chance to visit more closely with our friends who we don't see except during the summer if then.  As everyone knows life is short so we should live every day fully as possible.  Some days get lived better than others and life goes on.  

A new recording  of me (Mac) with fiddler Shay Garriock is on the horizon.  It will be mainly banjo and fiddle duets and songs.  The CD to be entitled 'Turkey in the Mountain'  has a few numbers with Jenny on  guitar  to give a contrast to the drone and rhythm oriented music that was the norm for this region 100 years ago.  The tunes selected are in tribute to  'our unsung heroes',  the old- -timers who were visited and recorded by us and others from the Floyd to Bristol region of Southwest Virginia during the 1970's, 80's and 90's. 

  Over the years,  the fiddle and banjo traditions of other areas of the country have been focused on by the folklore establishment and others and have elevated to a highlighted status.  For example, West Virginia and the 'Round Peak'  area of North Carolina have received a lot of national attention.  We hope our recording may help elevate the banjo/fiddle tradition of Southwest Virginia to a  higher level. 

  Our friend and noted banjo player/ NPR announcer Paul Brown has agreed to write a set of liner notes.  The finished product will  likely have a 2nd grader drawn   image of a Turkey with mountains in the background  for the  front.  Great job and a literal view of what 'mountain style linguistics can conjour up if you don't know the dialect.    All this will be available  for sale through all the local outlets as well as through the website of our local recording studio label  mountainfeverstudios.com  hopefully by the end of April. 

  There is also our website for this macandshaycd.homestead.com   

 Here  we have several clips of  sample tracks. We hope to have more info and photos as we gather them about the old guys who we were inspired by originally.  

Check it out!! 

 

2009 is upon us

As 2009 comes on   we are not playing much as a duo.  Our daughter Hanna has taken up the clawhammer banjo since August.  She has been impressing everybody with the tunes I have taught her so far.  Of course there are high expectations for her and she seems to be very interested in playing and jamming.  I am thrilled to have someone who I can teach the versions of the  mountain standards  that I like to play on the fiddle.  I hope we can play together often as possible and maybe eventually play for a dance or at a fiddler's convention together. 

Jenny and I are planning to again sponsor a house concert this  year.  We have set  Saturday night February 14th as the night to feature our friends  the Herald Angels .  Members are Alice Gerrard, Kay Justice and Gail Gillespie.  These three are highly respected in the field of old-time country and traditional playing and singing.   We have  been accumulating email addresses to let  folks know the details.   Let me know if you want more info.

  Instead, of our house this time we are going to use a 'sacred space' ie, the old-timey feeling Burk's Fork Church of the Bretheren .  This 100+ year old structure  has all wood interior with padded benches and twin woodstoves for heat.   It has great acoustics and should be a fine venue for listening to the music.

As for ourselves  our Gig of the Year will be as a part of the traditional stage at Merlefest in April.  We plan to include our buddy Shay Garriock on fiddle.  Shay has been someone we have worked with on many occasions for serious programs as well as for flatfooters  at the Floyd Country Store on Friday nights occasionally.  He is featured on a couple of numbers on our CD 'Never Grow Old'  on the Mountain Fever label.

  Shay and I have been working on a recording  of banjo & fiddle  duets and songs to be released by April.  We have been into the same sources for years so our playing tend to be very tight.  We intend for it to showcase some versions from Virginia old-timers that we have learned from.  Check out   macandshaycd.homestead.com  for some samples.

There will be more to say later but check our calendar and come see us.