RYAN CAVANAUGH TO PERFORM AT IBMA

THE FOLLOWING WAS JUST RECEIVED FROM THE IBMA:

Message from your IBMA Membership Committee Chair below:

Greetings IBMA members!  Thank you for being members of our great organization!  World of Bluegrass 2014 In Raleigh, NC is upon us!  You are cordially invited to attend an exclusive performance and enjoy light refreshments!

    The IBMA membership committee is proud to present multi-instrumentalists and banjo virtuosos Ryan Cavanaugh and Rex McGee.  They will be performing:
Friday, October 3, 2014
Time: 1-2 PM
Location: the Flatt Room (304) RCC​ First Floor

for your enjoyment!

Please make time to drop by, enjoy the music, and catch up with fellow IBMA members!

NOTE:  Ryan Cavanaugh lived in Billings with his father when he was about 14-15. They came to several YBA jams at the Lincoln building then.  He was extremely talented on the banjo even at that age. He than moved back with his mother in North Carolina where his interest in bluegrass banjo had begun. Mark O'Conner played in some Montana fiddle events when he was 15, but he lived in Washington state at that time.  We have had a lot of very good pickers in this state, but not too many other well known or famous old time and bluegrass musicians have been this connected to Montana. 

RED LODGE: A CHALLENGING BLUEGRASS CAMPOUT

I am writing this post on Friday, September 26, 2014 and the planned bluegrass campout south of  Red Lodge starts today with tomorrow being the main day. It will be challenging for sure. The weather forecast calls for 80% chance of rain and a high of 50 degrees  for Saturday.  That is not surprising for this time of year as this campground is located along the base of the famed Cooke City highway which Charles Kuralt termed the most scenic in all of the U.S. The campground elevation will be about 5600 ft. The boys who came up with this event have planned well. David Nelson reports they will have several canopies and propane heaters to protect pickers from the weather. He is also grilling two 15 lb. turkeys. Several of the rest of us will bring side dishes. I doubt that I will break out my fiddle under these conditions, but will take my bass along as well. Besides, Tom Finnicum, a very fine fiddler and one of the planners of this event, will be there. I wouldn't miss the Saturday festivities for the world. I just want to experience this very unique bluegrass campout. Will you be there, too?

ICONIC BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL IS THIS WEEKEND

40th Annual Bill Monroe Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival

Bean Blossom, IN  -  The 40th Annual Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival will be held September 24-27, 2014 at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Music Park & Campground in Brown County, Indiana. The 4-day event includes a stellar line-up of over 30 bluegrass bands, instrument and vocal workshops, jam sessions, camping, food, vendors, and fellowship.  Tickets can be purchased by phone(800) 414-4677 or at billmonroemusicpark.com.

The Bean Blossom Hall of Fame committee reflects a minimum of 50 people who have an intimate knowledge of the bluegrass genre. This year they have selected Dwight Dillman as this year’s Hall of Fame Inductee. Dillman, from Peru, Indiana, worked as one of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in 1974 playing banjo. In 1998, he purchased the Brown County Jamboree Park from James Monroe and renamed it Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park and Campground. Since then, he has made significant improvements to the park that plays host to numerous festivals and events every year. One of those major events is the the Annual Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival - recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) Bluegrass Event of the Year Awards in 2000 and 2013. Dillman has received other recognitions throughout his career, including being named Bluegrass Promoter of the Year by SPBGMA.

This year’s line-up for the 40th Annual Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival includes some of the top names in bluegrass music:

THE RED LODGE BLUEGRASS CAMPOUT IS A DEFINITE GO!

Following is the latest from Edd Trembly.  Be sure to contact him if you are planning to attend. Barbecued turkey sounds delicious, but he and Dave Nelson need numbers to decide how much to prepare.

We'll be having a bluegrass campout in Red Lodge this weekend Sept
26-28 at the Parkside camp ground 12 miles south of RL on Hwy 212. It's
a beautiful spot and should be a lot of fun. Dave Nelson is going to
barbecue turkey so please let me know if you are going to attend. This
will probably be the last hurrah of the summer so come on down.

Edd Tremblay

Eddorci@aol.com
406-446-1490

THE LATEST ON THE RED LODGE BLUEGRASS CAMPOUT

This is the latest on the Red Lodge Musician's Rendezvous from Edd Tremblay:

Roger,

Will decide later in the week. It's a group decision depending on 
weather and bear activity. Will check with forest service on Tuesday.

Edd

Roger's Note: I hadn't considered bears as a potential problem before. That would be important for sure. 

RED LODGE RENDEZVOUS IS COMING UP

This is a reminder that Edd Tremblay's Red Lodge campout is coming up next weekend.  The current long range weather forecast looks very good for it's start. For any early birds this is beginning a day early on Thursday September 25:
                                            High    Low
 9-25-2014      Sunny             73       49
 9-26-2014      Sunny             65        44
 9-27-2014  Scat. T-Storms   55        37
 9-28-2014    Showers           49        39  

Take these predictions with the proverbial grain of salt as the weather forecasters can be wrong for sure.
If you do not have an RV and don't want to tent camp there are nice motels in Red Lodge and even commuting from Billings and the surrounding area is not out of the question. At any rate seriously consider attending this last outdoor picking event of 2014.

MILES CITY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

The Miles City Bluegrass Festival is taking place as I write this post from my  home in Billings. There are some very good bands this year including Gregg Cahill and "Special Consensus." They are up for two awards at the 2014 IBMA World of Bluegrass  next weekend.   Nevertheless  I am sure our Montana groups will give a good accounting of themselves.  "Milestown" the local group is back as is "Bluegrass For Breakfast" from Billings. They are a good band with a rather silly name (in my opinion.)

MARTHA SCANLAN'S NEW VENTURE

Martha Scanlan is a singer songwriter who lives along the Tongue River in southeastern Montana. Many area music fans have not heard her talents. She has performed gigs in Billings and Red Lodge and has been involved with a bluegrassy band "The Reeltime Travelers" in the past. She has a new recording project entitled, "The Shape Of Things Gone Missing, The Shape Of Things To Come." You can check out her performances on U-Tube. It will be worth your time for sure. Thanks to Ed Kemmick's "Last Best News" website for this information. You should check into his work as well. 

YBA ANNOUNCES BLUEGRASS WORKSHOP

The YBA is sponsoring a music workshop on Saturday, Oct 4th, starting at  2 PM,  at the Unitarian Fellowship Hallon Central Ave in Billings, MT.

     Steve Smith and Hardroad Trio band will be the instructors, and offer classes in:

           Banjo

           Guitar

           Mandolin

           Vocal

           Bass

       And whatever!
     

     This is a free workshop for all YBA members,  so take advantage of this!!   They had an excellent workshop here a couple of years ago.

Mark your calendars for this one and plan for a couple of hours

ANOTHER COUNTRY MUSICIAN IS GONE

Rest in Peace, wonderful George.

George Hamilton IV

pry® Legend George Hamilton IV "The International Ambassador of Country Music" passed away late this afternoon at Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital (Nashville,TN) with his Family by his side.
"George IV" suffered a serious heart attack on Saturday and had been in critical condition from that time.
The Hamilton Family Greatly Appreciates Everyone's Prayers!

WHAT BLUEGRASS IS ALL ABOUT!

This is from the IBMA on Facebook. Hey! It doesn't get any better these two!

Roger Koch and International Bluegrass Music Associationshared a link.

"Tallahassee" | Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan

See Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan at World of Bluegrass 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina |www.ibma.org/world-of-bluegrass |http://bit.ly/wob2014-lineup

WWW.YOUTUBE.COM

NEW MUSIC PUB AT OLD BUS STATION OPENS WITH BLUEGRASS

Lil' Smokies bluegrass band will open  the latest music venue in Billings. The renovated greyhound bus station is scheduled to have it's first show on December

12, 2014.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12TH

THE PUB STATION  (2502 1^st Ave North Billings, MT)

Doors at 8:00 / Show at 9:00   ALL AGES

No Cover / Free show

Hailing from the utopian garden city of Missoula, MT, The Lil’ Smokies exploded onto the progressive bluegrass scene in the winter of 2009 and haven’t shown any signs of fatigue since. Sharing the stage with heavyweights like Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Keller Williams, Greensky Bluegrass, The Emmit-Nershi Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Travellin’ McCourys, Sam Bush Band, Fruition, Infamous Stringdusters, Bradford Lee Folk and The Bluegrass Playboys, and dozens of others, The Lil’ Smokies have no problem captivating large audiences. With a unique blend of traditional bluegrass, newgrass, unique original compositions, and sheer raw energy, The Lil’ Smokies weave seamlessly through genres, leaving something for everyone. The Smokies have played the Trap Bar at Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival (2011), the Bozeman Bluegrass Fest (2011), Sandpoint Summer Fest (2013), Wintergrass (2014), River City Roots Festival (2011, 2013, 2014), Northwest Folklife Festival (2014), the Northwest String Summit’s Further Stage and Main Stage (2013, 2014). This six-piece bluegrass ensemble features, Pete Barrett (guitar), Andy Dunnigan (dobro), Scott Parker (upright bass), Matt Cornette (banjo), Cameron Wilson (mandolin), and Jesse Brown (Fiddle).

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