Interview Tyler Jackson

I sat down with a friend of mine that also plays bluegrass music and asked him on his opinions of how he thinks the Internet has impacted bluegrass music. I was not able to get a video but here is the the rundown of questions and answers that he gave.

Q1: What do you think of today's bluegrass?
Answer: "I like a lot of it because a lot of bands are sticking to the roots of bluegrass and adding just a little of their own taste to it, but not going to far out of the box. The ones that can have the traditional drive and sound with a newer feel are the bands that are the most successful."

Q2: Do you think bluegrass would be where it is without the internet?
Answer: "Honestly I don't think it would be on an international level but I do think it would be across the US still. the help of YouTube I think is huge. People around the world can share and watch other bluegrass bands around the world."

Q3: How many bands have you discovered via the internet?
Answer: "Not many since I do go to a lot of festivals and a lot of shows, but I did find some over the internet. I cannot name them off the top of my head but there were maybe three or four that I found on YouTube or Facebook that I got really interested in.

Q4: How do you use the internet to promote your own music?
Answer: "I use Facebook the most and sometimes YouTube. I use Facebook because I can invite a number of people to the shows and I can also share that my CD is available for them to buy, and have them message me if they are interested. I don't use YouTube that much just because, well because I haven't. I don't think of it that much and I feel that Facebook is better for my music."

Q5: Do you see bluegrass music becoming bigger than it is now because of the internet?
Answer: "That's hard to say because there are a lot of kids our age and younger that don't really listen to bluegrass music; they listen to what they think is bluegrass music. If is going to spread to become bigger, I do feel that internet will be the main reason. I think so because it is able to reach out to so many more people than word-of-mouth or just going to shows."

Thank you to Tyler for sitting down and doing this interview with me, also if you are interested in his CD (which is great by the way) talk to me and I can get you in touch with him and check out his band on Facebook!

Sideline "Hottest Band in Bluegrass"

Labeled that "hottest band in bluegrass" Sideline sure does live up to that name. Their shows are full of fun, energy and some of the best bluegrass music around (one of my personal favorites). They have recently just put out a new CD, Sideline: Session 2, that is is due to drop in early June. The first CD was a huge success for the band and gained a large amount of followers and Sideline fans. They are currently in Canada doing a tour, but will be back in the states soon.

Sideline consists of Steve Dilling, Brian Aldridge, Skip Cherryholmes, Daniel Aldridge and Jason Moore. These A list bluegrassers play in a band packed full of talent, playing some classic bluegrass and some newer songs as well. It's amazing to have so much talent on stage and it works just as good as you would imagine. They are heavily active on social media- Facebook and Instagram- keeping their fans up to date on what Sideline is up to. They just put out a website to help the spread of the fan base and to reach a wider range of people. They certainly rely on the internet and social media draw a crowd, even though the shear talent of the group is enough to due so.

Check these guys out on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and their website and try to make it out to a show; you will not be disappointed.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sidelinebluegrass
WEB: http://www.sidelinebg.com

IBMA

While we are on the topic of apps for bluegrass, let's talk about IBMA and the apps that they have available. IBMA, International Bluegrass Music Association, happens once a year and for the past tow years it has been held in Raleigh, NC (Website Below). When IBMA is hot and heavy, there are a multitude of bands playing at many places in downtown Raleigh and it can be hard to keep up with it. This is where IBMA stepped in to help out the people that want to make the most of the festival. There are two apps, one for the Bluegrass Ramble and one for the Wide Open Bluegrass. The Bluegrass Ramble consist of a number of bars, pubs and restaurants in downtown that host bands for live music, in the app it has a schedule for each night and the times for the venues that bands will be playing at; so you can plan your night around who you want to see. Wide Open Bluegrass consisted of stages in downtown that bands will play at all through the day, just like the Ramble app, this app has a schedule of each stage to help you plan out who you want to see during the day.  Without these you can still make your way through the festival, but the apps make it easy for you and keep you from running around like crazy to find your favorite band.

Here is a picture of what the app looks like:

https://ibma.org/

Balsam Range and their Balsam Nation

From the North Carolina Smoky Mountains comes a bluegrass band that is not only transcending bluegrass music but also the way they reach their audience. Balsam Range, the 2014 IBMA Entertainers and Vocal Group of the year, is a group that is trying to reach out to more people of all ages and in a wide s range of places. The fans and followers of Balsam Range are considered "Balsam Nation", a title that the band created for their fan base. Not only does the name make people feel more important and more involved, it also found it's way to a smartphone application. Along with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; Balsam Range has found a way to reach outside of social media and into a realm that few bands have ventured into. The app is called Balsam Range and is made for "Balsam Nation", in the app you can find videos, photos, and the discography of the band; along with a fan wall for the fans to communicate with the band. This is transcending the way that bluegrass band, and all bands, can communicate with the band and follow them with ease. Thank you Balsam Range!

http://balsamrange.com/

https://www.facebook.com/balsamrange

Sam Bush Turned 63 Yesterday

On April 13th of every year since 1952 the Birthday of a bluegrass legend is celebrated. Sam Bush, born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was exposed to bluegrass music at an early age through his dad's records and the Flatt & Scruggs television show. He bought and began to play his first mandolin at the age of 11 and hit the ground running. By the age of thirteen he had attended his first big bluegrass festival in Roanoke, VA in 1965; where his interest in the began music burn like fire. I his teen years he was a three time junior champion of the National Oldtime Fiddler's Contest in Weiser, Idaho.

Fast forward to the year 1970, when Bush was a young eighteen years old when he decided to move to Louisville, Kentucky to join the Bluegrass Alliance to play guitar at first then back to the mandolin. The original group that was the most well known during Bush's time there was the group from 1970-1971. This group consisted of Buddy Spurlock on banjo, Lonnie Peerce on fiddle, Ebo Walker on bass, Sam Bush on Mandolin and Tony Rice on Guitar. This group only lasted a year with Rice moving to J.D Crowe and the New South and Bush forming the New Grass Revival.

In the New Grass Revival, Bush was made famous for his way to go outside of the traditional bluegrass box and branch out. Though the group had many changes over the years, the notoriety of the group still stands to this day. With being a group that transcended bluegrass music into a new style, more people listened to it and more people began to follow them and other bluegrass bands. Bush and the New Grass Revival made a change in bluegrass music, some argue for the worst and others the better; but at the end of the day the man made a difference.

So here is the Sam Bush, one of the best all time and one of the pioneers of some of the music we hear today. Thank You Sam Bush and Happy Late Birthday!

Lorraine's Coffee House

This past Thursday night the band performed at Lorraine's Coffee House in Garner, North Carolina. This was our fourth time there since this past summer. It is a great family venue on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays when all kinds of live music (Jazz, Country, Southern Rock and Bluegrass) perform. It is a great place to go on the weekends to hear some very good music and also to get some killer coffee. We do enjoy playing here, the people that come out are always a great audience and I have to say it again; the coffee is amazing (eat your heart out Starbucks).

This place could honestly be booming with just it's coffee alone, but adding the live music aspect really allows for more people to come in. The number of customers that they have when live music is performed is amazing. The aspect of music draws in such a variety of people and a large crowd, but how can you reach many different people? The way that Lorraine's does that is by way of social media, mainly Facebook. They have over 2,000 likes on Facebook and regularly post about what is goin on at the coffee house. You can find everything on their Facebook page or their website, www.lorrainescoffeehouse.com.

But anyway, check out this video from this past Thursday night of the band playing a Jimmy Martin tune called "Honey You Don't Know My Mind". I'm on guitar and singing, Caleb on bass, Connor on mandolin, Jackson on banjo and Nathan on fiddle; sorry for the video quality I could not get it any clearer. Also, do not forget to like Lorraine's Coffee House on Facebook and go out sometime to enjoy good coffee and good music!

Bethesda Bluegrass

With this being my first post I figured I would give a little bit of an explanation of what you will find on this blog. Here is will post pictures and videos of the Bluegrass world, the band I play in and other bluegrass bands. Along with sharing videos and pictures, I will talk about the groups that I share, the venues that you may fins some bluegrass bands and also how social media and the internet open up big opportunities for bluegrass band and fans alike.

I figured that the first band that I should introduce to you all would be the Bethesda Bluegrass Band. This is the group that I currently play guitar and sing in. The lineup that we have now has been together for a little over nine months now, consisting of myself (Bailey Coe), Connor Hagwood, Caleb Hagwood, Jackson Hagwood and Nathan Aldridge. Nathan is the youngest at 15 and Caleb is the oldest at 21. We normally communicate to potential clients and fans through Facebook, Gig Master, or E-mail. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube play a major role in us getting our name out there and getting bookings. On Facebook we have a little over 1,300 likes from a wide range of people from various places. Social media and the internet are imperative to our success as a group and also to simple provide more people with the opportunity to listen to bluegrass music.

Check us out on Facebook and gives us a like. Our web site, www.bethesdabluegrassband.com, where you can find out more about us, where we will be and where we have been. In the mean time, enjoy this studly picture of us all. Thanks!