Grascals Celebrate #1 Billboard Status

The Grascals' Keep On Walkin' has now spent five consecutive weeks at the number one position on the Billboard online bluegrass chart after debuting at the top on August 30.

In celebration of that fact, the boys held a number one party at the Music Row SESAC offices this afternoon and presented Bluegrass Junction (among others) a nice plaque commemorating their success with this CD. As you may remember, we premiered the album on XM on July 1.

Congratulations, Grascals--we're proud of you!

A Series Within the Series

As you know, our Studio Special series is the program where we feature a different artist each week performing live in our studio.

This week, in anticipation of the IBMA Awards coming up on October 2 (which we're broadcasting live on Bluegrass Junction), instead of presenting the same show all week as we usually do, we'll be featuring a different band in each Studio Special show which has 1) Appeared on the program during 2008 and 2) Been nominated for an award this year.

Our first show features Blue Highway, who are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. It airs tomorrow morning at 8 AM ET.

The full week's schedule goes like this:

Friday, 8 AM ET: Blue Highway
Saturday, 11 AM ET: The Steeldrivers
Sunday, 6 PM ET: Paul Williams & The Victory Trio
Monday, 8 PM ET: The Grascals
Tuesday, Midnight ET: The Infamous Stringdusters
Thursday, 3 PM ET: Dailey & Vincent

These are all terrific shows, so be sure and tune in and celebrate IBMA week right along with us!

The Studio Special Presents the Grascals

It's back to new shows this week as we present a never aired program featuring the Grascals. It premieres Friday morning at 8:00 ET.

I emphasize "never aired" because you may be tempted to think this is a re-run. There are a couple of reasons you might arrive at this conclusion: 1) This is the Grascals' third appearance on Studio Special--which means they've done the show more than any other band, and 2) By rights, this show should have aired before now.

Let me explain. We originally recorded this show back in March. Our original plan was for it to air shortly thereafter, but the day we recorded the show we began talking about the new CD and the guys generously gave us permission to air the World Premiere of the new CD on XM which, as you may remember, took place on July 1. At the time, it seemed better to hold off on broadcasting the Studio Special until after the World Premiere ran.

All this makes for an interesting show. First of all, since March, Jimmy Mattingly has left the Grascals (replaced by Jeremy Abshire) and, since Jimmy plays on this show, this is one of his last public appearances with the group. Secondly, at the time this show was done, I hadn't heard most of the songs they did, which would be included on the new CD. You'll hear me comment on the fact that most of the songs are new to me and we talk about the upcoming release of the new album.

With all that said, this is a superb show. I hope you'll tune in for some fine music from the reigning IBMA Entertainers of the Year.

For a complete listing of Studio Special broadcast times, check out this post: Studio Special Air Times.

Jamie Johnson's Latest Release

The Bluegrass Blog is reporting the birth of Jackson Cole Johnson, son of Grascal Jamie Johnson and his wife, Suzanne. The new arrival came Saturday the 12th.

Mother and baby are apparently fine and, as you can see from the photo to the left, little "Cole Train" (weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 1/2 ounces) is a fine looking young man.

I bet he has a great singing voice, too.

Congratulations, Jamie and Suzanne!

Keep On Walkin' Released

Keep On Walkin' by the Grascals, which premiered on XM July 1, hits the streets Tuesday.

In celebration of that, we'll be airing our World Premiere broadcast one more time--Tuesday at 9:00 AM Eastern. If you've missed one of the previous broadcasts, this is another chance for you to hear the entire CD, track-by-track, along with commentary from Aaron McDaris, Terry Eldredge, and Terry Smith.

Bluegrass Junction would like to congratulate the guys on an outstanding release. You've done bluegrass proud.

T. G. I. (almost) Friday

I know it's only Thursday, but it's OK to start talking about the Friday early, isn't it?

Friday's going to be a great day here at the Junction. For starters, our Studio Special with the Dixie Bee Liners premieres 8 AM ET. You can also hear it Saturday at 11 AM ET and Sunday at 6 PM ET. The complete listing of times is posted under "Studio Special Air Times."


Friday afternoon, Grassroots airs at 3 ET. As always, there's a heavy dose of the legends of bluegrass, as well as some old-time pioneers as well (Uncle Dave Macon among them, the guy in the picture--I love his music!). You can also hear Grassroots on Saturday nights at 10 ET, if you can't listen on Friday.

Wichita Rutherford's Grand Old Time Machine airs at 5 PM ET Friday, with his usual blend of the old, the new, and the in-between--delivered as only Wichita can do it.

Finally, we cap off the day Friday with another rebroadcast of the Grascals World Premiere, which originally aired on July 1. This is the chance for you night owls to hear the Grascals' new CD, Keep on Walkin', in its entirety, along with some insight from guests Terry Eldredge, Aaron McDaris, and Terry Smith. That show airs at Midnight Eastern.

Now, if I can just make it through Thursday...

"Walkin'" with the Grascals

Again tonight (at 8 PM ET), we'll replay the World Premiere of the Grascals' new CD, Keep On Walkin', which originally aired July 1.

Aaron McDaris, Terry Eldredge, and Terry Smith (shown in this dashing photo, along with your reporter) joined me in studio as we played through all the tracks from the CD.

If you've been listening at all to Bluegrass Junction, I'm sure you've heard at least a track or two from the new disc, but this is a great chance to hear the entire CD in one sitting. It's worth the effort, because this is a great project. The show runs just over an hour.

Release day for the Keep On Walkin' is July 15. More info is on the Grascals and Rounder Records websites.

Grascals Rebroadcast Today

If you missed the World Premiere of Keep On Walkin' by the Grascals earlier this week, you can hear it today at Noon Eastern on Bluegrass Junction.

Terry Eldredge, Aaron McDaris, and Terry Smith joined me in studio when we played the new album for the first time on radio this past Tuesday afternoon. It's a superb project and I know you'll enjoy hearing it. The new CD is to be released on July 15.

A complete list of broadcast times for this special show can be found in my earlier post.

Grascals Album Premieres Today

Today's the day--and we're excited here at XM to present the world premiere of the new CD by the Grascals, Keep On Walkin'.

Be sure to tune in to Bluegrass Junction/14 this afternoon at 4:00 PM ET when we'll be playing through the entire CD and visiting with Terry Eldredge, Aaron McDaris, and Terry Smith, who (as you might expect!) have some interesting insights about the new album.

If you can't make it today, you'll find a complete listing of rebroadcast times in my earlier post.

Grascals World Premiere Times Set

As I mentioned in my earlier post, XM is pleased to get to present the World Premiere of the Grascals' new CD, Keep on Walkin', on Tuesday, July 1. Of course, the premiere will air on Bluegrass Junction/14.

We've now finalized the broadcast schedule. In addition to the premiere broadcast, there will be several rebroadcasts as well. Here's the complete schedule:

Tuesday, July 1, 4 PM (premiere)
Friday, July 4, 12 Noon
Sunday, July 6, 10 AM
Wednesday, July 9, 8 PM
Friday, July 11, 12 Midnight (technically Saturday morning)
Tuesday, July 15, 9 AM

All times are Eastern.

The album is to be released on July 15, so our final broadcast of the premiere coincides with the day you can actually go out and buy the album. And I promise you that you'll want to--it's really wonderful. Don't miss a chance to hear this special broadcast.

Grascals Set Broadcast Today

This afternoon during the 4 PM ET hour, I'll be airing the Grascals' live set from the CMA Music Festival, which we recorded Sunday.

You can read more about it in my earlier post.

Grascals at CMA Music Fest

Here's a little unfinished business from last week's CMA Music Festival. Wednesday, during the 4:00 PM ET hour, we'll bring you a performance we captured at the event by the Grascals.

You may have been listening last Thursday when we brought you a live broadcast from the Chevy Stage at CMA Music Fest. One of the highlights from that stage we didn't broadcast was Sunday's show with the Grascals. We were there, though--as the pictures in the Bluegrass Junction photo album will attest--and our recorders in the XM Master Control Room in Washington were humming. So, you get to hear it!

For this show, I got to introduce the guys, who turned in their usual outstanding performance. I was especially interested to see Jeremy Abshire, the new fiddler for the group (replacing Jimmy Mattingly, who has left the group to join Dolly Parton). While his style might be a bit different from Jimmy's, he did a teriffic job and it's certain he'll be a huge asset to this group. Also, they did a few songs from the forthcoming album Keep on Walkin', which we'll premiere on Bluegrass Junction July 1.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, bluegrass typically hasn't meant much to the CMA Music Festival, which has always been geared toward mainstream country music. However, this year's offerings, meager as they were, were long on both energy and quality. If the fans who took the time to visit the Chevy Stage weren't impressed with these performers, they're tone deaf.

Again, the Grascals were great--you don't want to miss this little slice of live bluegrass. I hope you can tune in for the replay.

Grascals World Premiere on XM!

Yesterday, Terry Eldredge, Terry Smith, and Aaron McDaris of the Grascals visited our studio to record an interview which we will play when we bring you the world premiere of their new CD, Keep on Walkin'.

That's right--I said world premiere!

The new CD is to be released on July 15, but it will air for the first time on radio--anywhere--July 1 at 4 PM ET on Bluegrass Junction.

You've got to hear this album. In my opinion--and I even say this on the show--it is their best album to date. It's solid, straight-ahead bluegrass, for the most part, and the song selection is fabulous. The title track, written by Jamie Johnson and Charley Stefl, is one of the finest songs I've ever heard, in any genre of music. Other favorites of mine (at the moment) are "Feelin' Blue," "The Sad Wind Sighs" (Vince Gill guests on that one), and "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line." You may have seen the guys do some of these on stage already, but I know you'll have to get the CD when it comes out.

It was a great visit with El, Smitty, and Boo (as they affectionately call Aaron)--as always, there was a lot of laughter, but the guys provided some great insight as well.

We're always honored to get to premiere a new CD. It's especially an honor to get to premiere one by the reigning Entertainers of the Year. Thanks to Rounder Records and the Grascals for letting this happen.

CMA Music Fest Bluegrass?

The CMA Music Festival (formerly known as Fan Fair) begins next week--June 5 to be exact. Country music fans from all around the world will come to Nashville to see the currently-hottest acts in the music perform on stage. They also come with the hope of meeting--or at least seeing up close--some of their favorites.

What does this mean for bluegrass? Not much, really. For years--indeed, for much of its history--bluegrass has been only a small part of CMA Music Fest. Back in the day when Fan Fair was held at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, there was always a bluegrass show staged--usually headlined by Bill Monroe--to kick off the festival, but it was poorly attended. I emceed several of those shows during the '80s and '90s, and remember well the great music and relatively small crowds. I always attributed that to the fact that the shows weren't promoted well, and also that there were often competing events which drew attendees away.

CMA Music Fest is now held in downtown Nashville. Although there is still very little emphasis on bluegrass, the good news is that it is still represented. In fact, it's represented well. This year's all-bluegrass show, which takes place on Thursday the 5th at 2:00 P.M., features The Steeldrivers, Mountain Heart, Dan Tyminski, and Sierra Hull. Now that's a strong lineup. If that's not enough, the Grascals will be appearing on another show (not bluegrass-only) on Sunday the 8th at 11:45 A.M.

The best part is that both of these shows are free--you don't have to be a registered CMA Music Fest participant to see them--and they'll be held on the Chevrolet-sponsored show just outside of the Sommet Center at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Just walk up and enjoy the music. And if you can't be there in person, Bluegrass Junction will be broadcasting the Thursday show live, and the Sunday show on a delayed basis.

In an age when many of country music's biggest stars eschew CMA Music Fest for more lucrative concert appearances elsewhere, it's interesting that some of the best bluegrass has to offer will be out in force. I think that's good for bluegrass and the CMA.