NEW RELEASES
Received (October 25-November 24)

VARIOUS
ALLSTAR JAM: LIVE AT GRAVES MOUNTAIN
Rural Rhythm Records RUR1073 (compact disc)

CALIFORNIA RAMBLERS
GOODBYE TO AN ANGEL
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

CLOVER POINT DRIFTERS
#2 UNPLUGGED
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

BOYD DEERING
BRIDGES: THE MUSIC OF BOYD DEERING WITH JIM & INGE WOOD
Marma Music MM 6841 (compact disc)

DELLA MAE
ACOUSTIC E.P.
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

JOE DIFFIE
HOMECOMING
Rounder Records 1166106492 (compact disc)

JIMMY GAUDREAU
PIECES AND BITS
Goose Creek Music, No Number (compact disc)

RICHARD D. HENRY
I HAD A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

ROSCOE HOLCOMB
THE LEGACY OF ROSCOE HOLCOMB
Shanachie Entertainment SH 621 (DVD)

LAWS
TRY LOVE
JML Music JML 0006 (compact disc)

MEL BAY PRESENTS: KYLE CREED CLAWHAMMER BANJO MASTER
BY BOB CARLIN & DAN LEVENSON
Mel Bay MB22137BCD (book/compact disc)

NOTORIOUS
THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS
Black Socks Press CD 28 (compact disc)

KARL SHIFLETT AND BIG COUNRTY SHOW
JUNE BUG & VINTAGE KARL
Cumberland Highlanders Prod., No Number (DVD)

TARNATION
BITTER SWEET
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

JOEY TIPPETT AND THE CALIFORNIA RAMBLERS
YARD SALE
No Label, TCR 0012010 (compact disc)

WILDFIRE
CRASH COURSE IN THE BLUES
Lonesome Day Records LDR 034 (compact disc)

ADDITIONAL RELEASES
By Les McIntyre

THE HONAKERS
I’LL BE WAITIN’
No Label, No Number.

The Honakers are a Virginia-based group consisting of Poncho (mandolin and vocals), Sherry (guitars and vocals), T.J. (banjo and guitar), Ryan Holder (bass) and Christy Cahill (guitar and harmony vocals). I’ll Be Waitin’ is a gospel-oriented project featuring Sherry on the majority of the lead vocals. Some may remember Sherry from her solo project several years ago (BU, June ’07). In fact, she is accredited as the composer on many of the selections featured here including “Next Train To Virginia,” “Love Will See Us Through,” “Blessed Is He” and others. T.J. contributes the instrumental, “Pinebrook Breakdown” and Poncho turns in a memorable vocal performance on “American Dream.” In summation, The Honakers have created an impressive collection of bluegrass music and I’ll Be Waitin’ is certain to win many new fans to their exciting brand of entertainment. (Poncho Honaker, 3909 Pinebrook Ct., Partlow, VA 22534, www.thehonakers.com.)

KENTUCKY 31
I SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHOT
No Label, No Number.

Despite their name, this unpretentious four-piece bluegrass group is actually based in Hamilton, Ohio. This ten-track offering consists entirely of numbers composed by various bandmembers. There are songs about love gone wrong (i.e., the title song, “Goodbye I Don’t Love You” and “You’ve Got A Gold Digger’s Heart”) along with others like “Gypsy Hollar” and the semipatriotic “Please Save America.” While the performances occasionally display an uneven quality, there is still enough fundamental bluegrass that should find favor with the friends of Kentucky 31. (Kentucky 31, c/o Bruce Clark, 3080 Nichols Rd., Hamilton, OH 45013, email: bac0929@gmail.com.)

LYKENS VALLEY BLUEGRASS BAND
NAILS & GLUE
Green Valley Recording G170V0610.

Lykens Valley Bluegrass has been active in the central Pennsylvania area for over thirty years. Their current lineup includes Ron Etzweiler (mandolin and vocals), Jason Etzweiler (guitar and vocals), Eric Troutman (bass and vocals), Steve Shelhamer (banjo) and Laura Orshaw (fiddle and vocals). Some may remember Laura from her two solo albums several years ago (BU, Nov. ’03 and June ’05). Nails & Glue is an adeptly-crafted 14-song package presenting a blend of material extracted from various sources. Ron is the group’s prime songwriter having contributed such numbers as “A Mother’s Only Son,” “And I’ll Get Over You” and “Lykens Valley.” Other entries include “The Leaves Mustn’t Fall,” Peter Rowan’s “Wild Geese Fly Again” and the Don Reno banjo instrumental, “Tennessee Cut-up Breakdown.” Various members of the group take turns on the lead vocals thereby imparting a strong sense of variety to the proceedings. Nails & Glue is outstanding regional bluegrass at its finest and is an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with the music of Lykens Valley Bluegrass. (Ron Etzweiler, 427 Miller Rd., Millersburg, PA 17061, www.lvbb.com.)

BILL TRIPP
NON FICTON
Main Tripp Records, No Number.

This latest collection from North Carolina’s Bill Tripp is an all-gospel collection featuring ten selections from a myriad of sources. Assisting Bill are Teresa Hatley Love (harmony vocals) and Greg Luck (various instruments and vocals). Bill contributes a pair of his own compositions, “Find Yourself A Rock” and “Rest Awaiting Me.” Other selections include “Cradle, To Cross, To Crown,” “Little Mountain Church House” and Dee Gaskin’s “I Couldn’t Make It Without Him.” Non Fiction is dynamic down home gospel music that should find favor with those who enjoy the music of Bill Tripp. (Main Tripp Records, Inc., 1250 S. Carbonton Rd., Sanford, NC 27330, email: maintripp@centurylink.net.)

SKIP KELLEY & ED DODSON
HOPPED THAT TRAIN AND…GONE
Granite Productions GPI6160.

Hopped That Train And…Gone is the third recording project from longtime picking buddies Skip Kelley (mandolin and vocals) and Ed Dodson (guitar and vocals). Some may be familiar with Ed as a member of the bluegrass band Wood and Steel (BU, July ’07). The 15 selections are a pleasant blending of traditional favorites and adeptly-crafted originals including the title song, “Wrong So Long” and “Saved By His Grace.” Also featured are well thought out renditions of “Mother’s Only Sleeping,” “Colleen Malone” and the pop music standard “Charmaine.” Instrumentally, the duo excels on “Bluegrass Stomp,” “Saint Anne’s Reel” and “Red Wing.” Skip Kelley and Ed Dodson have created a first-rate collection of vocal duets and instrumentals that imparts a burning desire to hear more from this dynamic duo. (Doggone Good Bluegrass, 8211 Hunting Cog Rd., Oak Ridge, NC 27310, www.woodandsteelband.com.)

HIGHRISE LONESOME
ONE WAY STREET
No Label, No Number.

Highrise Lonesome is a contemporary-flavored bluegrass band from Vancouver, BC, and One Way Street is their latest compact disc comprised mostly of nicely-constructed original numbers like “Dragonfly,” “Use It Or Lose It,” “Big Black Eye”, “The Salish Sea” and the gospel piece “Walk On, Brother.” Also featured is Sue Malcom’s treatment of Bill Monroe’s “Rocky Road Blues” along with the Cowboy Jack Clement country classic “Just Someone I Used To Know.” Highrise Lonesome has been described as a group of city dwellers steeped in the classic sounds of bluegrass, and the contents of One Way Street certainly bears this out. (Paul Norton, 314 1422 E. 3 Ave., Vancouver, BC, V5N 5R5, Canada, www.highriselonesome.com.)

RED WHITE & BLUEGRASS
EXIT HERE
No Label, No Number.

Red White & Bluegrass is a family-oriented band based in Conway, S.C., that has been playing a unique brand of down-home bluegrass for a number of years. Currently, the group consists of Red White, Jr., (mandolin and vocals), Gwen White (guitar and vocals), Barbara White (bass and vocals), Chris Holmes (resonator guitar and vocals) and Randy Smith (banjo and vocals). For this latest allgospel project, they are joined by several guest pickers including Greg Luck (fiddle, guitar and bass vocals), Frank Poindexter (resonator guitar), Alan Perdue (mandolin), and Billy Gee (bass). The 12 songs are mostly gospel standards like “Are You Afraid To Die,” “He Said If I Be Lifted Up” and an instrumental version of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.” Other notable entries include “You Take One Step (He’ll Take Two)” and “White Knuckles.” Exit Here is bluegrass gospel music at its finest and should be welcomed by anyone who enjoys hard-charging bluegrass music. (Red White & Bluegrass, 3565 Hwy. 378, Conway, SC 29527, www.redwhitebluegrass.com.)

SIDETRACK
ROWDY TO REVERENT
No Label, No Number.

Rowdy To Reverent is the debut recording of a group of distinctive North Carolina musicians including LeRoy Savage (guitar and vocals), Gene Knight (banjo), Joe Newberry (guitar and vocals), Bobb Head (bass and vocals), Mike Aldridge (mandolin and vocals) and Dewey Brown (fiddle and vocals). Also featured is Mike Craver performing the lead vocals on “Will You Miss Me.” LeRoy and Gene are former members of the New Deal String Band while the other musicians have been associated with various North Carolina bands like the Bass Mountain Boys, Al Batten and others. The 15 selections are a blending of bluegrass and country standards, the lone exception being Joe Newberry’s “I Know Whose Tears.” Other noted performances include “Friend Of The Devil,” the Bill Monroe instrumental “Shenandoah Breakdown” And Stonewall Jackson’s “Don’t Be Angry.” Rowdy To Reverent is a superbly-crafted collection of mainstream bluegrass with a contemporary edge, and anyone who has followed these pickers over the years will find much to savor in its contents. (Gene Knight. 1513 Old Lawyers Rd., Marshville, NC 28103, www.bluegrasswidowmusic.com.)

THE HIGH 48s
THE GOSPEL ALBUM
No Label, No Number.

This latest compact disc from Minnesota’s The High 48s is a somewhat laid-back gospel consisting mostly of renderings of favorite gospel numbers like “Take Me In Your Lifeboat,” “Why Me Lord?” and an instrumental version of “Amazing Grace.” Other highlights include renditions of “Gospel Plow,” Townes Van Zandt’s “Two Hands” and the Hazel Dickens classic “Won’t You Come And Sing For Me?.” The Gospel Album is inspirational gospel bluegrass and another landmark in the musical journey of The High 48s. (High 48s, 701 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102, www.thehigh48s.com.)

ON THE EDGE

GYPSY WIND
DIFFERENT ROADS
No Label, No Number.

Gypsy Wind is known as “Florida’s premiere acoustic newgrass, swing and gypsy grass ensemble,” and the contents of this latest compact disc certainly bear this out. The ten selections include three band originals, “Still Need You,” “Hawk Has No Home” and the instrumental “Spike’s Blues.” Other selections span the musical gamut from the traditional (“Nine Pound Hammer” and “Children Go Where I Send Thee”) to the contemporary (“Morning Sky” and George Gershwin’s immortal “Lady Be Good.” One particular highlight is the band’s version of the late Kate Wolf’s “The Great Divide.” While the presence of a flute on some tracks places the performances into the “On The Edge” category, “Different Roads” still offers a wide range of contemporary music transporting the listener all the way from the hills of Kentucky to the gypsy sounds of Django Reinhardt. (Rob Williams, e-mail: gypsywindband@gmail.com, www.gypsywindband.com.)

COMPILATIONS AND REISSUES

DAVID HOLT WITH DOC & MERLE WATSON FEATURING JERRY DOUGLAS
REEL & ROCK
High Windy Audio HW1253.

Twelve songs originally released in 1985. This was Merle Watson’s last recording. Songs include “Sail Away,” “Forked Deer,” “Preacher And The Bear,” and “The Coo Coo.” (High Windy Audio, P.O. Box 553, Fairview, NC 28730, www.davidholt.com.)

JIM AND VALERIE GABEHART
No Label, JVG8597.

Eleven songs originally released in 1985. Guests include Jerry Douglas, Blaine Sprouse, and Rick Allred. Songs include “Waiting For A Train,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” and “Roses In The Snow.” (James Gabehart, 292 Trace Creek Rd., Hamlin, WV 25523, www.jimandvaleriegabehart.com.)

LOST AND FOUND
DOWN ON SAWMILL ROAD
Rebel REBCD7524.

Fourteen songs taken from various Rebel Records albums from 1985-2009. Musicians include Allen Mills, Gene Parker, Dempsey Young, Scottie Sparks, and Steve Wilson. Songs include “If Today Was The Last Day,” “A Daisy A Day,” and “Sun’s Gonna Shine In My Back Door Some Day.” (Rebel Records, P.O. Box 7405, Charlottesville, VA 22906, www.rebelrecords.com.)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
BLUEGRASS NUMBER ONE HITS
Rounder 1166106532.

Twelve songs from Rounder artists which reached number one on the bluegrass radio charts. Includes “Kentucky Borderline” by Rhonda Vincent, “Train Long Gone” by Claire Lynch, and “Me and John and Paul” by the Grascals. Also songs by Alison Krauss, J.D. Crowe, and Dailey & Vincent. (Concord Music Group, 100 N. Crescent Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210, www.rounder.com.)