New CD in the works

Jenny and I finally got back in the studio in late February and March and finished recording several numbers for a CD project hoping it will come to fruition this May. There's still lots to do about the information and graphics but the music is 'in the can'. It will include several songs in our newest format of Mac -guitar/ harmonica and Jenny- fingerstyle OT banjo.

We are calling the project 'Ragged But Right' as it has been our theme since we started getting into arranging and performing 'cool' sounding old songs in the late 1970's. In addition to the rowdy song of that title, we have a new version of the social commentary song from the 1920's 'All I Got's Gone' except the word's are mostly original and are for today's realities. The project as a whole seems to be contrasting sacred versus secular numbers that are from older sources. We have included 'Tell it to Me' , a lively song that recommends corn licker over cocaine, as well as the high powered evangelistic number 'Are You Afraid to Die?' from the Stanley Brothers.

Our new friend, Jackson Cunningham, lends his voice and tasteful mandolin style to a couple of old-time gospel trios; namely " I'll Not Be A Stranger" and "Going up Home to Live in Green Pastures". Our old friend, mountain fiddler Shay Garriock, leads the melody on a newer stringband type song we all learned from the repetoire of the famous Kimble Family, entitled 'Red Mountain Wine'. We also include Shay in our old-time sounding rendition of the tear jerking number from Grayson County's Fields Ward called "In Those Agonizing Cruel Slavery Days."

Of course we are including a several upbeat numbers from our main inspirations, the Delmore Brother and the Original Carter Family as well as others. So check back often as I will be including sound clips of several numbers. I will also post the day of release and how you can order copies or downloads.

Our calendar is light this year because of my Mom's terminal cancer. We believe nothing is more important than family support so we are doing all we can to be there for her as long as needed. We intend to get out more as things ease up. Such is Life.

Thanks for coming to our page and reading this. Please tell others. We welcome comments too.

A big Dose of Inspiration

WOW! 2008 is here and the busy holiday season is past finding us out of practice a bit.  Our final 07 gig at the Todd Mercantile  was a blast but left us ready for a break from performing.  We still got out for some fun though.

Just before Christmas we went to super party at guitar maker/player Wayne Henderson's.  The Saturday after Christmas  we managed

get in a few tunes with Eddie Bond and the New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters  as well as Trish Fore at a large family gathering at the Moose Lodge in Galax.  A fine potluck meal was had while visiting with

old-time stalwarts fiddler Whit Sizemore and up-side down banjoist Tom

 Norman. 

 Flatfoot dancers and fans of the local BlueRidge old-time scene of the 70's will remember their band The Shady Mountain Ramblers who played every weekend mostly at the weekly dance at the Fancy Gap for over 15 years in the late 70's and 80's.  Only fiddler Ivan Weddle of Floyd County has ever come close to such a streak of playing for flatfooters with his band the Kornkutters during that same time period.  We got aquainted with many old-timers during that time.

  We ourselves played very often  for dances and community events with friends

in the Grayson County area where we lived from 1980-84.  We also played for radio shows like WPAQ's  Merry Go  Round  and Harold Mitchell's evening show

on WBOB Galax and the Grayson-Carroll Hoedown live broadcast.  All this led to us making a LP on the Heritage label which we reissued in Spring of 07 along with our early 90's cassette now both on CD.  There was a lot

happening then and still is now.  It is hard not to get sentimental with out getting the blues but we are looking forward to 2008.  We have got a few things on the calendar now.  

 

This past Sat we hosted a house concert for our friends The Hush Puppies,  a string band specializing in old-time music from the 30's 40's and 50's rural country music legacy as preserved initially on 78 RPM records.  They also cite  old-timers from the NC Piedmont as well as the Blue Ridge mountain as sources  for a wide variety of songs and tunes.  Our Sunday afternoon jam with some of them left us

filled with a BIG dose of fresh inspiration to learn more new 'old' songs for our repetoire.  Like them and all our house concert performer friends we are JUNKIES

when it comes to this genre of music.  

 We intend to finish a new recording  before our big trip to the Bluff Country Gathering in May.  This is a prestigious music camp headed up by

Bob Bovee and Gail Heil who are a long running professional country duet from

the northern mid-west.  We'll be one of several musician and performers from the

international 'Old-time' scene to be there to teach and perform.  

So Keep checking back.  We'll  be posting new clips of our latest recording ASAP.

Thanks for your support and interest in our music life.