Learning a New Tune From the New Guy

Ah yes... another week started off with a great Monday night at Yo Burrito, followed by an interesting night tightening up my chops with Cletus.

Last Night, I had the pleasure of having the new picker, Jason Schorr, over for some flatpick'n. We started off by warming up with the Dixie Hoedown, then he showed me an old-time number, Maydelle's Reel, picked out of "E." The key of "E" is a key most bluegrassers stray from playing open. This is a really cool tune that will give me a work out in open "E."

Here is a clip of Jason playing with the "nome" at 60 clicks:


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Really Cool!!! He played it BBAABB form, for learning sake, but the tune is traditionally done AABB.

Here is the tune a little faster with me trying to figure the rhythm out:

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Yep it's going to be a keeper in the arsenal. Thanks Jason for sharing a new tune!

Sandy

Pick'n with Cletus on a Cold Winter Night

Well after a fun night at Yo Burrito, I spent my Tuesday evening visiting Ole Cletus. It was freezing cold over on the Mountain they call Pleasant, but the fiery temperament of Cletus was more then enough to forget about the cold and focus on my guitar pick'n.

We started off playing the Dixie Hoedown then moved on to the Red Haired Boy, then to Cuckoo's Nest. As a guitar player I struggle with playing melodies in time. Ole Cletus has much to correct me on this night and I captured some great moments in this "lesson".

Here is me falling off the melody of Cuckoo's Nest and Cletus's response:

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Yes funny stuff! After we spent a good half hour on Cuckoo's Nest we went on to Angeline the Baker and Over the Waterfall medley. Here is a clip of why any picker should turn there phone off when pick'n:

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Ole Cletus is a character, but in all seriousness it was a great night we spent cleaning up some tunes I am struggling to pick. Thank goodness for a dedicated southern banjo picker!

Sandy

YO Monday

Yet another Monday night at Yo Burrito (downtown) has come and gone for the Bluestone Ramblers.  Somehow i think that we will remember this past one for a while.  From time to time we have guest pickers join us for a few tunes on the illustrious recycled rug that some say is the source of Sandy's strumming power.  Local legends such as Chris Robinson, Banjo Ben, and Cletus have joined us on the colorful rug (i think it needs a nickname, but more on that later). 

This time we were joined by Jason Schorr, a talented picker who only just recently moved to town.  He played some banjo and guitar with us, but I hear he is quite capable of pickin' the doggy-doo out of just about anything with strings on it.  We had a blast.  It just goes to 

show that you can't judge an evening by the amount of dollars that end up in the tip jar (in our case, the fiddle case).  Perhaps a better measure would be the amount of beer that ends up in the beer bucket.  It looks like it was a good night!  

Thanks Jason for coming out.  

Here's Dixie Hoedown from on top of the recycled rug at Yo Burrito (Keith-mandolin, Sandy-guitar, Jacob on bass, Gary-dobro, Jason-banjo).

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Keith

SEWE 2009 (Southeastern Wildlife Expo)

This is the third year that The Bluestone Ramblers have provided foot-stomping, baby-tossing bluegrass for the Southeastern Wildlife Expo. We definitely got a workout for our fingers and fortitude. It's tough to play bluegrass when it's chilly!

Saturday's cold and wet weather forced us to take breaks to cover our equipment, yet Gary (Pheelno) Payne still managed to fiddle (yes fiddle) with the dobro onstage during a break. Gary is a man of many talents, and we are lucky to have him! His dobro pickin never fails to draw a crowd.

The crowd at the Expo was great. Thousands of people visited Brittlebank Park for the festivities. As great as the people were, I must say that the dogs were my favorite. The Dock Dogs provided endless entertainment with jumping competitions, and countless owners brought their dogs to the park. We saw everything from a 220 pound Newfoundland to one of those little pocket ponies peeking out of a purse. Now while this sounds like a doggy paradise, with dogs everywhere jumping and playing to the tune of Sittin' On Top Of The World, don't forget that dogs will be dogs, and every dog must mark its territory.  I do believe that more than one of us barely escaped having pee stains on our cases.  Gary got the worst of it though. Surely it's no surprise to anyone that the banjo was a natural target. I mean, who wouldn't want to pee on a banjo?

Here's a clip of The Bluestone Ramblers (Sandy on guitar, Keith on mandolin, Gary on banjo, and Jacob on bass) playing Stoney Creek at SEWE 2009.

Keith

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Yo!

Another Monday Night at Yo Burrito! Tonight The Bluestone Ramblers played as a trio, Jacob, Keith and myself. Gary was visiting family in Tennessee.

It was packed and hard to hear ourselves pick, but we made do. 

Here is a clip of Cherokee Shuffle:

Sandy

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Saturday Night Pick'n Party

Once in a Blue Moon there is a gathering of some local Bluegrass pickers in the form of a pick'n party. It's hard to schedule or attend such event due to the local pickers gigging schedules, but Saturday's was an exception.

FB DelPorto from Southern Flavor Bluegrass Band, hosted a killer party with oysters and great beer! In attendance were FB's band mates Anthony DelPorto and Jared Fisher, the great flatpicker Gill Robins, Brook and William sick local jazz players, and Keith and myself from The Bluestone Ramblers. Another rarity of the evening is that there were no banjo pickers to be found. "The" Col. George was on his winter snowbird retreat to the everglades fishing.

Here is a clip of Ragtime Annie featuring Gill on Guitar, Keith on Mandolin, Jared on Mandolin, and myself on Guitar.

Enjoy!

Sandy 

Cletus and The Story of the Fiddle Left Behind

The other night Cletus left in such a hurry, nothing but a cloud of smoke remained where he once stood. After the dust settled I find myself scratching my head pondering how such a dedicated Southern banjo picker could leave his fiddle behind. What am I to do with this old fiddle and bow?

Tonight was a cold bitter evening and instead of making Cletus brave through the cold to reclaim his prized fiddle, I figured I pay him a visit...

Here is a clip of The Canadian Waltz:

Sandy

Monday Night Bluegrass at Yo Burrito Downtown

Tonight we played at Yo Burrito Downtown. This has been a great experience for the past 2 & 1/2 years. Every Monday night "Yo" cooks up some tasty tacos, creating taco madness and we, The Bluestone Ramblers pick.

See y'all at Yo Burrito next Monday.

Sandy

Learning a New Tune with Cletus

Today I was surprised by a local musician, Cletus, dropping by with only a fiddle and a moped. I was thoroughly entertained by his antics and musical talent. 

Cletus is a Southern Gentleman and Banjo Player, who is known to be a legend in his own mind. He can be spotted round town inspiring young musicians to play melodies in time with proper feel. "Timing is everything," "I can't fit my roll in," or "you gotta set the click to that one" are common Cletus Phrases. This Southern Banjo picker has many entertaining stories that will be shared on this blog along with their Bluegrass ties.

Below is a tune Cletus seems to think is called "Road to Durham." Cletus has been around for many years and can pull songs from thin air, but the titles seem to escape him. Whatever the tune is, please let me know.

Sandy