October Fest!

I took the day off yesterday because life if to short not to! I'm amazed at folks who have built up 100's of days of leave time, but that discussion is for another day. It has been raining in Nashville forever it seems. Yesterday with fear of a downpour, Emmy and I made the long drive to a pumpkin patch in the middle of nowhere. Her pre-school was having a field trip there and we decided it was going to be a daddy/daughter day. The rain held out and we enjoyed pigs, dogs, chickens, rabbits, corn mazes, and a myriad of other activities. Emmy loved the corn maze the most and ran through the rows of corn in the mud. I loved every second!

Live Recording

A good friend here in Nashville, Steff Mahan, will be recording a live record this week. I have been asked to play fiddle and mandolin on many of the tracks. There will be a CD release party on December 4th. More info to come and maybe a few sneak peeks.

La petite Papillon!

There is a new addition to the family. For the gear heads out there I thought I'd post some pic's and features...


Larrivee Limited Edition P-03 Parlor w/ Italian Spruce and South American Mahogany

FEATURES

* Top: Solid Italian Spruce
* Back and Sides: Solid South American Mahogany
* Neck: Three Piece South American Dovetailed Neck
* Binding: Maple
* Rosette: Herringbone
* Fingerboard Material: Ebony
* Bridge: Material: Ebony
* Nut Material: TUSQ
* Saddle Material: TUSQ
* Headstock Overlay: Rosewood
* Headstock Inlay: Larrivee Logo
* Tuners: Nickel Larrivee
* Pickguard: Tortoise-Style
* Nut Width: 1 3/4"
* Scale: 24"
* Lower Bout Width: 13"
* Waist: 7 3/4"
* Upper Bout Width: 9 1/4"
* Body Length: 17 7/8"
* Depth: 4"
* Total Length: 36 3/8"

Super Sweet Contest!

Click on the link to win Kings of Leon and White Lies concert tickets at the Sommet Center in Nashville, TN.

My Crazy Music Blog

IBMA's

This past week in Nashville, TN., bluegrassers from around the world joined forces in what is likely the largest bluegrass festival in the world; the International Bluegrass Music Association's Fan Fest. With over 50 bands performing throughout the week, alongside the awards show on Thursday night fans were sure to be entertained. Held downtown at the Nashville Convention Center, pickers lined the walls jamming personal renditions of "9 lb Hammer" to "Blackberry Blossom." The jamming starts on Monday and doesn't stop until Sunday when hotel staff start making folks pack up and leave. It is actually a surreal experience at all hours of the night, and those not used to the banjo might go a tad bit crazy.

My wife and I decided to head down Saturday afternoon to enjoy the festivities. We brought our 18 month old little girl, who ended up having the best day of her life. She danced during every song and when the band stopped she would as well to offer an applause. To those around us, she might have stolen the show. (She did sleep like a dream that night.)

We spent some time in the exhibit area where Martin Guitars and others lined the walls showing off the latest in instrument workmanship and technology. I could spend hours in a place like this and foresee heaven to be such a place.

We left when Emmy had had enough and my head rung with to many G runs and banjo pickin'. We had listened to the Male and Female Vocalist of the Year and also Country great Joe Diffie among others. I was a little disheartened and felt a little out of place. I realized that though I love bluegrass, more than most, I did not fit in the crowd that had spent enormous sums of personal money to travel to Nashville for this event. I live 15 mins away and only stopped in for a few hours. Those people live and breath bluegrass; they play Tony Rice guitar solo's and Chris Thile mandolin solo's and that's it. All the pickin' parties sound the same, the harmonies are the same and the amount of HD-28's is unparalleled. Don't get me wrong, I know the Tony Rice licks and the Thile solo's but I realized as I got in my car and turned on my ipod that though my love of bluegrass music is very real, all I wanted to listen to on the way home was some Akon.

Fontana Village

Each year cloggers from around the world gather at Fontana Village in the North Carolina Smokey Mountain Range for a long weekend of instruction and entertainment. I was invited to play fiddle with the West Virgina based bluegrass band, The Grass Stains. A great group of folks and great band, it was my pleasure to sit in with them amidst the torrential down pouring of rain in the heart of the beautiful Smokies. For more information on this festival, visit: Fontana Clogging Jamboree.

Intimate Sam Concert

It doesn't get much better than Sandy Amphitheater. Beautiful venue sitting right at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Salt Lake City. The weather was perfect (all except for sound check where I pretty much melted) that night with stars, music and story telling. For those that have been to a Sam show, you know he delivers every time - I've never heard an unhappy listener and Friday was no different. It did however carry a different vibe and because of that it goes down in my book as my favorite Sam Payne concert. I'm not sure if all the stars aligned just right or the song choices matched with the stories. It was perfect. Can't give enough love to Sam's little brother Josh playing his Gibson electric out of a little 4W Vox amp. Who knew that so much sound could come out of that?! The Steve's were great, and Sam of course was perfect. It was intimate and real. There were no antics or stage tricks, no magical light shows or overdubs. Nashville or LA might have balked at such a show, but those in the audience surely didn't. It was pure music the way we play in our living rooms, but only under a blanket of stars and mountains. Thank you!

Big News

I am very excited to be playing with Sam Payne this year at the Sandy Amphitheater. If you are in the Utah County, Salt Lake County areas please come support this great musician. It will be a positively wonderful evening.

More info:
Sandy Arts
sampayne.com

New Project

It's been a few months since I've updated the blog. I thought I'd give y'all the quick rundown. I have been busy working on my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and just finished that up a few weeks ago. It kept me busy most Saturday's for the past 1 1/2 years though I did fit in a few concerts with some amazing musicians and friends. As most of you know, Lacey and I have a 1 yr old now, and we have been spending as much time as we can with her. It is amazing how fast they grow and especially how quickly they catch on. That has been a top priority in our lives.

We moved to Nashville for a reason, and that was to play music. We have been working with Jason Deere on some idea's back and forth for the past couple months. Lace and I auditioned for CMT's "Can You Duet" show made the top group, but had to bow out because of time constraints and other details. We also got an opportunity to play downtown together at the Tin Roof restaurant. A few weeks ago we finally hit the studio and recorded four tunes that are dynamite. We are not sure when the final product will be ready, but when it is we will let you know. We are very excited about this new project and thank everyone for their continual support.

One Love!

the stage

i'll be playing with Jaida Dreyer at the stage in nashville this week. come check out the show.

When: Thursday 1/22
Time: 7-10pm
Where: the stage