Matt Heckler is comin back.  Last year’s show was amazing, a good example of what happens if you take a chance on the unknown.  Come again or for the first time!

MATT HECKLER is a solo multi-instrumentalist that barely fits into any ordinary musical category. He tends to keep to the darker side of Appalachian mountain music and early bluegrass but listen long enough and you’ll soon be transported to the mountains of Eastern Europe or a dimly lit bar in Ireland where they honor those who have passed with a gently swaying a cappella ballad.

After touring almost nonstop for years in support of bands like Devil Makes Three, Lost Dog Street Band, Flogging Molly, and others, HECKLER, like the rest of us, got sidelined by the ongoing global pandemic. With the newfound time off, he set to pushing creative boundaries in his home recording studio as far as his mind would allow. Each fiddle, banjo, and guitar track carefully put in place all the while retaining the grit and energy reflected in his live shows. Paired perfectly as the sequel to After The Flood, the Blood, Water, Coal album is a defining release in his career.

Blood, Water, Coal was performed and recorded by MATT HECKLER with upright bass and backing vocals provided by Jeff Loops (Lost Dog Street Band). While recording Blood, Water, Coal, MATT HECKLER released The Magnolia Sessions outdoor live set – the maiden release for the now popular series – which made it to #9 on the Bluegrass Billboard Charts. The Magnolia Sessions was still charting upon the release of Blood, Water, Coal, which debuted at #3, leaving HECKLER with two albums running on the Billboard Charts simultaneously.

With the release of his last album, “This Town Is Killin Me”, HECKLER signed off on his fourth album with a national tour. Fans filled the venues for a rowdy solo act, and he held true to the grit of his live shows reputation.

Moving forward, HECKLER has a new album in the works, which he says is his best yet. Keep your ears peeled for future recordings, videos and performances near you.

Riddy Arman is back on the bill for this show. https://www.riddyarman.com/

Have a listen to these lads, they pack a wicked sound.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA-BE3ITe_Uhttps://youtu.be/QFg1KejOPD4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5dZSsurDEUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6V84_rt_7Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COBgyU9LeKE

Jeff Plankenhorn’s songwriting, expressive vocals, and musicianship are front and center on his latest album, Alone At Sea, produced by Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Keb Mo.) New sonic territory is explored on this gem of a long player.

The title track, “Alone at Sea,” is a poignant ballad nestled between two of the album’s many up-tempo tunes.It envisions an adventurous soul who’s searching for self-awareness and learns to appreciate solitude, not unlike Plank’s experience of moving to Canada’s Vancouver Island from a 20-year stint in the landlocked confines of Austin, TX.

Plank is a highly respected musician known for his skill as a slide guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. He’s gained recognition both as a solo artist and as a sought-after session musician. Plankenhorn’s musical style encompasses elements of blues, folk, Americana, and roots music, creating a sound that’s uniquely his own.

For Jeff Plankenhorn, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of bringing people together to experience the joy music brings. He’s so good at it that he’s been recognized with Austin Music Award nominations for Musician of the Year, Best Guitarist, and a win Best Misc. Instrument – for “The Plank” a hybrid lap steel guitar Jeff designed himself. In 2016-2017, he also earned Album and Song of the Year nominations for his album, SoulSlide, and the single “Trouble Find Me.” Listeners quickly get that Plank loves a good groove, but he’s also become quite accomplished at composing ballads, as proven by two of the album’s other standouts, “Bluer Skies” and You’ll Stay.” These days, Plank happily finds himself on the road over 150 days a year. “I like the idea that people get uplifted at my shows; just one of the great ways to escape the hubbub of day-to-day living. I like the idea that everybody who walks in — I don’t care if you’re a biker or a drag queen — I want you there. Music is supposed to bring people together.” His music does exactly that — whether people come to listen or do a little dancing. Or ideally, both.

“…his distinctive voice & sparse instrumentation that’s actually layered tones that are subtle & border between the darker Bob Dylan tunes & the melodic meanderings of Tom Waits. Very likable because Plankenhorn is a careful distance from basic mainstream artists. He walks his own road & sometimes it seems he makes his own road.”
– John Apice/Americana Highways 9/28/23

 TOM CATMUL ha been hereo\ many times and we always look forward to the musicians he brings us from his songwriting workshops.  Tom is one of those guys who makes the Missoula music scene so special.

  Tom Catmull is a word enthusiast. They are the larger part of what makes his world go round. He’s spent the last twenty-five years in his adopted hometown of Missoula, MT presenting words in ways to make them as alluring as possible to people who crave such things. The tricks useful to achieving this feat include infectious melody, thoughtful arrangement, storytelling, some finger picking and a clean shirt. The last couple of decades have included seven full length albums, a few television appearances (Montana PBS 11th and Grant), a hundred theaters performances (The Wilma, The Rex, The Roxy, The Dennison, etc), dozens of festivals, countless honkytonks and two ridiculously fun national anthems. He’s been the supporting act for Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Musselwhite, Junior Brown, Asleep at the Wheel and a dozen others. There exists some confidence that his roots driven Americana songs are worthy of your time. Don’t be fooled, though. The acoustic guitar, harmonica and hat are just cheap ploys to get the words out in front of you.

John and Joanne are back at Longstaff House this summer.  John recently won Songwriter of the year and Album of the year at the International Western Music Association and the Montana Governor’s Award.

The Finley Creek band ran from 1977 o about 2000 with lots of members incliding John, Mariss, Billy, Tim, Mike, Bill A, Matt, Tom, Dale, Ellie, Dave and maybe some I forget.  We are planning a , “Fifty-ish reunion our, ne night only show where we will get together all the members we can round up for a fun night of music and reminising.

BIOGRAPHY  EAST NASH GRASS

East Nash Grass is one of the hottest young bands in Bluegrass, picking up this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Best New Artist and stacked with IBMA Best Instrumentalist winners: Grand Master Fiddle champion and AMA Instrumentalist of the year nominee Maddie Denton, Cory Walker (banjo), and Harry Clark (mandolin). Put them alongside charismatic frontman James Kee and bassist Jeff Partin (Rhonda Vincent, etc.) and you’ve got a powerhouse leader of the next generation in bluegrass excellence.

WSLR in Fogartyville calls them “a balance of undeniably hard-driving bluegrass alongside surprisingly introspective songwriting and earnest narration.”

They are far more than a group of impressive instrumental technicians. As a group that came together organically via set after set on Nashville’s East Side, playing tiny stages for the love of it between tours backing bigger acts, they have a hard-forged bond that’s reflected in their stage chemistry. Audiences freak out over how much fun these guys have.

As they work on the follow up to 2023’s “Last Chance To Win” — look for a release in the spring of 2025 — they now find themselves one of the most in-demand groups in Americana, fanning out well beyond the traditional bluegrass spots.

I left a bit of space in August and September and happened to get one of my heroes!!  He is not to be missed.

Robbie Fulks is a singer, recording artist, instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter. His current release,  Bluegrass Vacation on Compass Records, returns him to his bluegrass roots, with alarge group of  masterful musicians including Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Justin Moses, Ronnie McCoury, Alison Brown,  David Grier, Tim O’Brien, Todd Phillips, John Cowan, Brennen Leigh, Randy Kohrs, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Shad Cobb, and Chris Eldridge. Across 11 new original songs (and one freewheeling interpretation of the Delmore Brothers), Robbie covers themes like small-town blues, the endurance of  childhood memory, inebriation, love, divorce, the role of music in strengthening family bonds, losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s, and bluegrass itself.
His most recent release, 2017’s Upland Stories, earned year’s-best recognition from NPR and Rolling Stone among many others, as well as two Grammy® nominations, for folk album and American roots song (“Alabama At Night”).

Fulks was born in York, Pennsylvania, and grew up in a half-dozen small towns in southeast
Pennsylvania, the North Carolina Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge area of Virginia. He learned guitar from his dad, banjo from Earl Scruggs and John Hartford records. He attended Columbia College in New York CityIn 1983 he moved to Chicago and joined Greg Cahill’s Special Consensus Bluegrass Band. He taught music at Old Town School of Folk Music from 1984 to 1996, and worked as a staff songwriter on Music Row in Nashville from 1993 to 1998.
His early solo work — Country Love Songs (1996) and South Mouth (1997) — helped define the
“alternative country” movement of the 1990s. For most of the present century, Robbie has been playing acoustic music through microphones, which lets him give more attention to his flatpicking and banjo playing, and complements his more sepia-toned subject matter — the slings of time, the troubles of common people.

His repertory of traveling players includes folks like Shad Cobb, Missy Raines, Robbie
Gjersoe, Jenny Scheinman, Matt Flinner, Don Stiernberg, and Jesse Cobb. However, two non-acoustic recent side projects are his 2018 duo record with Linda Gail Lewis, Wild! Wild! Wild!, an NPR favorite which leans to rock-and-roll and classic country-and-western, and his double-vinyl reinterpretation of the Bob Dylan record Street-Legal, which is titled 16, is musically unbounded and is no one’s favorite.
Radio: multiple appearances on WSM’s “Grand Ole Opry”; PRI’s “Whadd’ya Know”; NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Mountain Stage,” and “World Cafe”; and the syndicated “Acoustic Cafe” and “Laura Ingraham Show.” TV: PBS’s Austin City Limits; NBC’s Today, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Later with Carson Daly, and 30 Rock. From 2004 to 2008 he hosted an hourlong performance/interview program for XM satellite radio,
“Robbie’s Secret Country.” Artists who have covered his songs include Sam Bush, Kelly Hogan, Andrew Bird, Mollie O’Brien, Rosie Flores, John Cowan, and Old 97s.
Robbie’s writing on music and life have appeared in GQ, Blender, the Chicago Reader, DaCapo
Press’s Best Music Writing anthologies for 2001 and 2004, Amplified: Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie Rock, Blues and Folk Musicians, and A Guitar and A Pen: Stories by Country Music’s Greatest Songwriters. As an instrumentalist, he has accompanied the Irish fiddle master Liz Carroll, the distinguished jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, and the New Orleans pianist Dr. John. As a producer his credits include Touch My Heart: A Tribute to Johnny Paycheck (Sugar Hill, 2004) and Big Thinkin’ by Dallas Wayne (Hightone, 2000). Theatrical credits include “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” and Harry Chapin’s “Cottonpatch Gospel.” He served twice as judge for the Winfield National Flatpicking Guitar competition. He tours yearlong with various configurations.
Besides country and bluegrass music, Robbie is fiercely fond of Charles Mingus, P.G. Wodehouse, quantum mechanics, his wife Donna, comedy in almost all forms, cooking, swimming laps, the past, Arthur Schopenhauer, Universal horror movies, his grandson and even his sons, coastal towns in the offseason, and rye whiskey, though in nothing like that order.

Two fabulous performers on the same bill….

Bill Mize … An amazing touch, killer tone and a sense of taste that can’t be beat.”
-Vintage Guitar Magazine
Music City Roots Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCt4K0caApM

***************************

Grammy-winning guitarist Bill Mize is a son of Tennessee, and a fitting representative of
his state’s rich musical heritage. His critically lauded fingerstyle compositions are fluid
and intricate and their delivery masterful. One suspects an influential teacher; “I received
most of my musical education from a cheap Zenith radio,” says Mize, who as a child
drifted off to sleep to the decidedly non-sleepy lullabyes emanating from Nashville’s
WLAC and WSM and Knoxville’s WNOX.
Bill is a past winner of the Winfield National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition, and
received a GRAMMY Award for his collaboration with musician and storyteller David
Holt on the recording Stellaluna. Popular acoustic guitar compilations “Windham Hill
Guitar Sampler” by Windham Hill Records and “Masters of the Acoustic Guitar” by
Narada Records have included his works. Bill’s music has been featured in a number of
films and documentaries, notably in Emmy-award winning Ken Burns productions
“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” and “Country Music.” ” Mel Bay
Productions transcribed Mize’s second CD, “Tender Explorations,” into a songbook.
Bill will be playing some tunes off his new cd “The Southwind” and will be joined by
special guests, Beth Bramhall and Beth Youngblood.
www.billmize.com

Cruz Contreras:

Raised between the rugged lines of Tennessee and the long shadows of Michigan, Contreras has spent nearly thirty years forging his path through the Americana musical landscape. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, bandleader, producer, and storyteller whose voice cuts through noise like a well-honed blade.

He got his start at just 15, playing guitar behind his younger brother Billy Contreras at fiddle competitions—long before Billy became a world-renowned fiddler, known for his work with George Jones, Sierra Ferrell, Ricky Skaggs. But it was a moment in 1993 that sealed Cruz’s fate: finding himself in a room with the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. That room, that sound, that presence—it lit a fire that’s never gone out.

First with Robinella and the CCstringband, then as the fire at the heart of The Black Lillies, Cruz helped carve a sound that feels as old as the hills and as wild as the road. His songs have topped the Billboard and Americana charts, picked up Independent Music Awards, and earned him a nomination from the Americana Music Association as an emerging artist — though his music suggests he was never chasing trends to begin with.

He’s stood on stages from Conan O’Brien’s late-night set to the Grand Ole Opry — the latter over 40 times — and drawn praise from Rolling Stone, NPR, American Songwriter, and Vanity Fair. Contreras has toured with Robert Earl Keen and the Turnpike Troubadours, collaborated with John Oates, and shared stages with Old Crow Medicine Show, The Travelin’ McCourys, Tyler Childers, Mavis Staples, Elizabeth Cook and more. A festival veteran, Cruz and The Black Lillies have performed at Bonnaroo, Merle Fest, Jazz Fest, Red Ants Pants, Stagecoach, High Sierra, DelFest, Pickathon, Mile Zero, Cayamo, to name a few. But he doesn’t play for headlines, but for the quiet connection — the still moment in a crowded room when a lyric hits home like a memory you forgot you had.

Now touring behind his debut solo album Cosmico, Cruz is joined once more by a band of road-tested companions under the name Cruz Contreras and The Black Lillies. Together, they bring with them a catalog of songs that stretch across time — from the familiar past to the hopeful unknown.

Maddie Cody, Megan Cody, and Will Pavilonis

The Cody Sisters

Maddie and Megan have been making music together since the ages of six and eight, respectively. Raised on the Colorado folk and bluegrass scene—with encouragement from their dad, who often played guitar around the house and was the original bass player in the band—festivals like RockyGrass were high notes amidst a lifelong musical awakening filled with live performances, songwriting, and travel.

With Maddie on banjo, Megan on mandolin, and both women trading turns on the guitar, the sisters built a following quite early for their resonant harmonies and meticulous instrumental chops.The Cody Sisters took on a new depth in 2020 when bassist Will Pavilonis became part of the band, bringing fresh dimensions to their arrangements and sound.

Yahoo, they are back again.  In case you didn’t know, read this;

Dust off your boots and gather around for some true and original modern honky tonk music. An all-star cast of master musicians backs these two soul singers of country music, Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms. These two are known to roots music fans across the globe for their soulful harmonies, driving dance tunes, classic original songs, and commitment to the raw truth of rural American music. They live in the San Juan Islands of Washington, though until recently, home was Portland, OR. They are foundational to the exceptional old-time and country music scene in the Pacific NW with the Caleb Klauder Reeb Willms Country Band and their membership in the Foghorn Stringband, of which Caleb was a founding member. Charismatic performers, they bring their unique set of talents to the stage with an eye towards good times and an ear towards the deepest songs and tunes. 

Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms both originally hail from Washington State: Caleb from the coastal islands, and Reeb from the high desert plateau. The two have come together in music and are hailed as some of the most compelling musicians making country roots music in America today. When these two sing together, their honest incantations leave us spell-bound and smiling. 

Their repertoire is made up of original songs and tunes as well as gems from American roots repertoires, and the music they make is Americana in the truest sense of the word. Music is clearly in their blood. Caleb and Reeb’s originals and interpretations of songs have been covered and recorded by many performers and their musical presence reaches into a diverse and loyal fanbase, giving credence to the impact that this duo has on their listeners. Pillars of the Northwest music scene, they carry the torch of their music around the world, and can be found touring as a duo, as well as with the Foghorn Stringband, and the Caleb Klauder Country Band. Their fans exude admiration for the timeless sound that these two produce, capturing the essence of American roots music. 

Sometimes we get so unnecessarily swept up in who’s rising and falling in music these days that the sheer joy of music is overlooked. One of the great things about Caleb and Reeb is that they are a world apart from all of that nonsense and let you immerse yourself in the melody and story of classic sounding country music until all other cares of life fade away. Country music is the music of working people who use it to pass the time and forget about the ever-present hardships in their lives. After years of touring together, Reeb and Caleb work intuitively. 

Caleb’s study and understanding of roots music is so dedicated and rich, that he can hauntingly immerse himself in the same perspective of those old primitive country composers and write as if he was right beside them. Their album Innocent Road includes a clutch of lovingly arranged Klauder originals, along with well-placed and rare covers. The pair bring the spirit of legendary country duos into their contemporary takes on country music. Trading vocals back and forth, they complement each other strikingly well in an attractive meld of honky-tonk that brushes shoulders with trad bluegrass. Caleb has penned over 50 songs many of which are standards across America in honky tonk and bluegrass jams and festivals, both on and off stage.  There is a long list of bands and singers who have recorded Caleb’s songs over the years.  

The blend of true harmonies, the sharply-written country songs, and the un-showy authenticity strike a rich vein that makes them seem like they are born and raised in Music City.  They quietly pursue a musical vision without much of a care for what’s expected or in vogue at the time. There’s a lot to admire in this singular perseverance and honesty. 

VIDEOS:

https://www.calebklauder.com/home

https://www.facebook.com/calebklauderband

https://www.instagram.com/calebklauder

Scrapetown

Scrapetown is the latest band project for brothers John and Billy Parker.

We scraped this all-star crew together for some shows this summer.  The band includes Billy on mandolin, John on upright bass, Tyler James on the 5-string, Peter McLaughlin on guitar, and Isaac Callender on fiddle.  We will do some originals written by Peter, Isaac, and Billy, some bluegrass standards, and some more obscure songs, usually on the theme of the land and the people who work it.  We are also hoping to have an original tune about the Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival!

The band has a couple hundred years of experience (but don’t hold it against us) and we are looking forward to playing with old friends in a new arrangement.

Kenen Flannery

Short Bio for Jacob Jolli
Jacob Jolliff is one of the world’s premier contemporary mandolinists. In 2011
he graduated from Berklee College of Music, having studied there on a full
scholarship. The following year, in 2012, he won the USA’s National Mandolin
Championship in Winfield, KS. A fixture of the bluegrass scene, he
performed and collaborated with Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka, Michael Daves,
Grant Gordy, Wes Corbett, and Alex Hargreaves, to name a few. Additionally,
throughout his 20s, he toured as a member of the groups Joy Kills Sorrow and
Yonder Mountain String Band. Currently, his focus is on his own ensemble, The
Jacob Jolliff Band—one of the most cutting-edge progressive bluegrass group
on the scene today. They’ve released three albums, the most recent of which,
“Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries,” dropped in May 2024. The band
plays a combination of complex original instrumental music and vocal repertoire
that spans from trad bluegrass to unlikely pop covers. Improvisation and the
ensemble interplay are at the forefront

SHOWMAN AND COOLE

SUPER-DELUXE FIDDLE, BANJO, AND SONG