High Lonesome Strings Monthly Meeting

Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 2 PM

Hagan-Stone Park

Clyde Davis Memorial Stage

5920 Hagan-Stone Park Road

Pleasant Garden NC 27313

Bring instrument for jam sessions
Sponsored by Hagan-Stone Park

Featuring:

The Millstream Band is a gospel bluegrass band that has been around for quite a while. The original band consisted of the founder Jerry McClean, Ed Richardson, Jimmy Nines and Jerry Farrell. Today Jerry McClean and Jerry Farrell are the only original band members left. Today the band consists of Jerry McClean (banjo), Jerry Farrell (guitar), Wayne Smith (Mandolin) and Mike Whittington (bass). This group loves gospel and bluegrass music and enjoys practicing, and the fellowship of each other. Jerry McClean – Banjo Jerry is married and has 2 children and currently lives in McLeansville. He has been playing banjo for over 20 years. He has a great teacher in Craig Smith. He does some of the lead singing for the group and harmonies. He was the founder of Millstream and was also a member of Just Country Band. Jerry Farrell – Guitar Jerry Farrell lives in Burlington with his mother which he loves very much and is a big part of his life. He also has 2 children. He has been playing guitar since he was 17 years old. He and Jerry McClean have been playing together for years. Jerry is the lead singer and plays lead guitar. He also does harmonies for the band. Jerry has been in several other bands over the years including Occasional Grass, Blue Lightening and Southern Ramblers. Wayne Smith – Mandolin Wayne lives in Pleasant Garden and is married with 1 son. Wayne started playing later in life when he was not in good health. He discovered that he loved bluegrass and playing the banjo. Due to more health reasons he later changed to guitar and then he found his love the mandolin. He took lessons from Tim Moon for banjo and mandolin. He is currently learning the bass and takes lessons from Julie Brown. He loves all genres of music. He was also a member of the Gravel Road band and The Burrows Brothers Band. Mike Whittington – Bass Mike lives in Gibsonville. He has 2 kids. He has been playing for years. He loves gospel and bluegrass and is a great asset to the group. He has been playing around with music since he was about 7 or 8 years old. He plays guitar, mandolin, bass, can sing lead vocals or harmonies also. He has been a member of Highway 61, Crabgrass, and of course now the Millstream band.

Pickin’ in the Park 2013 FREE Bluegrass Music Festival

Saturday,  May 18, 2013 - 11AM – 6:00 PM

Hagan-Stone Park

5920 Hagan-Stone Park Road

Pleasant Garden NC 27313

High Lonesome Strings Bluegrass Association & Hagan-Stone Park present the 16th Annual Pickin’ in the Park Bluegrass Music Festival at the Clyde Davis Memorial Stage in Hagan-Stone Park. The public is invited to bring a chair or picnic blanket and come share with us a day of free music. Bring an instrument and come early to attend free bluegrass instrument workshops hosted by regional and professional musicians! Please visit the Picking in the Park page for more details. This year’s headliner are the nationally known bluegrass artists, Darin and Brooke Aldridge:

Darin and Brooke Aldridge, are from Cherryville N.C. and are one of the best duos in acoustic music these days. In 2011 the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) voted them an Emerging Artist of the year nominee two years in a row and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music (SPBGMA) voted them as gospel group, album, and song of the year nominees. Their self-titled album a year ago propelled Darin and Brooke Aldridge into the top five on Bluegrass, Americana Roots, and Gospel music charts. One of the songs from the album was still number two on the Bluegrass chart a full year after the album was released. Last summer they were the most played bluegrass artists on Sirius/XM radio. Their 2012 Tour had them traveling in almost half of the states in the U.S. thanks to support from their friends at Sun Drop citrus cola. Fans around the country have fallen in love with the “Sweethearts”.

“Married in December of 2008, Darin and Brooke make their love and faith in each other and in the Lord a cornerstone of their music. Their sincerity and talent combine to create an entertainment experience that can be enjoyed by the entire family. Their rich harmonies, supported by a first rate band, showcase two fine individual voices with a superb blend. Bluegrass Unlimited described their Gospel recording I’ll Go With You by saying that they “set a new standard of excellence in bluegrass gospel.”

High Lonesome Strings Camp n’ Pick and Monthly Meeting

Friday and Saturday,  April 19-21, 2013

Hagan-Stone Park Campground

5920 Hagan-Stone Park Road

Pleasant Garden NC 27313

Sponsored by Hagan-Stone Park.

Please call Shane Swaim at 336.656.7867 for camping reservations. The campground host at the park will be collecting the camping fee at the park for campsites C1-20 only. Look for a sign at the shelter for her campsite #. Bring your check or cash Friday evening. Make checks payable to City of Greensboro. Camping fees are:

Area C1-C20 HLS only $18 (sites around the shelter)

You will pay park personnel for these areas: Area B (woods) or C21 & up $20 or $18 seniors, Area A $15 or $13 seniors (tent sites, no water or electricity)

Friday: Jamming

Choose your pick – at the shelter or at campsites up to when the Park Manager says shut it down.

Saturday morning & afternoon: Jamming

Choose your pick – at the shelter or at campsites.

Saturday: Pot Luck at 5:30 PM

The club will provide plates and utensils; you provide a main dish, side dish or dessert and your drink.

Saturday: Performance at the shelter by New Direction at 6:30 PM

Read below for more information about New Direction

Saturday: Jamming in the shelter and campsites beginning around 7:30 PM

Until the park ranger shuts us down which is probably between 11 PM and midnight. Normal quiet hours start at 10 PM. Note that you can pick inside your camper after the start of quiet hours. Please be considerate of your neighbors.

Sunday morning: Gospel Jamming at 10:00 am in the shelter

Gospel jamming at the Sunday School (if a teacher is there) held in the campground shelter.

New Direction

Coming from different geographical and musical backgrounds, “New Direction” has found common ground playing bluegrass gospel music. The band performs old traditional gospel favorites as well as selections from the latest top bluegrass charts. Noted for their blending vocal harmonies and strong instrumentation the band can be found playing most of the local venues, churches and community events. Band members are:

Billy Mickle (guitar, vocals) was born in Winston Salem the son of a Baptist minister. He remembers hearing his father playing guitar as a small boy which set his musical path in motion. Hearing some talented pickers as a teenager he was bitten by the bluegrass bug and has been picking ever since. You may hear some “Rice” licks in his picking as he has always been a big Tony fan. Billy is a retired UPS driver and devotes his time to family and picking his D-18 Martin guitar. He and his wife Donna have 6 children 12 grandchildren and are very active in their local church family.

Greg Burriss (mandolin, vocals) has enjoyed singing and playing all kinds of gospel music all of his life and especially enjoys singing along with his wife and partner in ministry, Vicky. Greg began his bluegrass playing as a bass player and tenor singer with the Rocky River Ramblers. Greg has been playing mandolin for a few years and really enjoys picking the traditional tunes. He also greatly enjoys the camaraderie of playing with New Direction and the chance to share the gospel in music.

Charity Gales (upright bass, vocals) grew up singing alongside her mama in a small country church choir. It was also in that small church where she met the Lord and gave her life to Christ. Since then God has opened doors for her to record two solo gospel music albums in 2001 and 2005. Charity began playing and singing bluegrass 7 years ago and has loved it ever since. She enjoys the challenge of bluegrass harmony and rich tones of the acoustic instruments. She is thankful for the opportunity to share the gospel message together with her husband Bobby and the members of New Direction. Charity plays a 1956 Kay Bass.

Bobby Gales (banjo, vocals) the youngest of three children, Bobby’s brother and mother was a big influence as a youngster. He remembers his mother showing him 3 note chords on the old upright piano in the corner. Bobby played in a wide range of gospel groups as a young Christian before his interest turned to bluegrass and banjo. He would hear his favorites on Buddy Micheals’ Weekend Festival Sunday mornings before church. Some of his fondest musical memories are playing with his sons, Cameron and Kendall in their family band Gospel Grass. Born and raised in Bynum he now lives in Liberty, NC with his wife Charity, two cats and a 90lb golden retriever.

High Lonesome Strings Monthly Meeting

Sunday, February 24, 2013 @ 2 PM

Greensboro Cultural Center

Band Rehearsal Hall, bottom floor

200 N. Davie Street

Greensboro, NC 27401

Bring instrument for jam sessions
Sponsored by Music Center City Arts

Featuring:

Fret High

FRET HIGH has a sound that is all their own, that they have worked very hard to establish and set themselves apart from other mainstream bluegrass bands. Among the five members they have over 100 combined years in the music business and have racked up SPBGMA nominations, Dove Award nominations and even a Grammy nomination while playing with other groups. What sets this band apart is their own style of music though deeply rooted in the traditional ties of Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe. FRET HIGH has that tight quartet harmony tied together by smooth hard driving picking. Their shows are full of energy and you can tell from the start they have so much fun at what they do, and their respect for one another as musicians shines through. FRET HIGH loves their fans and always has time to talk and spend time with the folks that come out to see their shows. If you have not seen FRET HIGH in action, check them out next time they are in your area, you will not leave disappointed.

James Torrence (Mandolin, Lead & Harmony Vocals)

James started playing music when he was fourteen, and hasn’t stopped since. Herschel Sizemore was a member of his dad’s church in Salem VA back in the 1970′s. “In about 1978 Herschel gave me his album for Christmas, BOUNCE AWAY and man, I was hooked on bluegrass! Later that year Herschel had Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals (Herschel was playing Mandolin with him at the time) come to our church. That show fertilized the seed that Herschel’s album planted. In 1980 we moved to Kannapolis NC and I met Morris Herbert Jr. and he was learning banjo from his Dad. I was a staple in the Herbert home absorbing as much music and learning all I could from Morris and his dad (Morris Herbert Sr. was banjo player for J.E. Mainer). Morris and his dad taught me and allowed me to use their instruments to learn to play the music I loved. James has three solo bluegrass albums to his credit and has played on many recordings as a band member and studio musician. He is a skilled song writer and Guitar, Mandolin, Bass and Dobro player. Through the years James has worked in many professional bluegrass bands. James has traveled most of his life devoting as much time to music as possible. The highlight of his life was in 1990 when Bill Monroe invited him on stage in Virginia Beach to pick and sing with him. “For 3 songs I was a bluegrass boy”, James says proudly. He has also filled in with The King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin for 2 shows in the early 1990′s. James and Morris have been life long friends and he credits Morris and his dad, Morris Herbert Sr. for teaching him to play guitar and master tone, timing and rhythm. James lives in Denver NC with his wife, Tami.

Robert McIntosh (Bass, Lead & Harmony Vocals)

Robert began bass duties in 2012 when FRET HIGH was formed. Robert is a hardworking musician and singer, Robert has that high lonesome sound. When his bass is in his hands, there is no question that he was meant to play it. From rock solid timing to soulful bass singing, Robert is one ingredient FRET HIGH depends upon to round out their quartet sound. Robert has played with many big names in bluegrass on various instruments. He is a multi talented musician and singer. Robert lives in Statesville NC.

Morris Herbert (Banjo, Lead & Harmony Vocals)

Morris started playing Banjo at 13. He played with Wayne Benson now of III Tyme Out fame for about 5 years. He moved into Country music for the next 12 to 15 years playing 175 to 200 shows a year with Midnight Highway. They opened shows with a lot of big name acts like Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, David Alan Coe, Tracy Bird, Rhett Akins, George Jones, Tracy Lawrence, Kenny Chesney etc. Morris played Guitar and sang lead in the band either singing and playing Guitar or singing and playing Banjo. Morris turns heads with his strong powerful voice and rock solid banjo playing. Morris writes a lot of songs FRET HIGH sings. Morris’s motto is a band is “defined” as a never ending circle. You don’t have to be the best, you just have to stay together long enough to be able to create great music together and that just what FRET HIGH has done. Kannapolis NC is home for Morris.

Brandon Rowe (Guitar)

Brandon is a solid driving guitar player with amazing harmony and lead vocals; making him a key essential member of this quartet. Brandon started his musical journey in high school as a trumpet player. He also played two years in the Appalachian State Marching Band and graduated with a degree in building science in 2007. Brandon played for five years as banjo player for Mirror Image before joining FRET HIGH on guitar. Brandon lives in Icard NC with his beautiful wife Liz.

High Lonesome Strings Monthly Meeting

Sunday, January 27, 2012 2 PM

Greensboro Cultural Center

Band Rehearsal Hall, bottom floor

200 N. Davie Street

Greensboro, NC 27401

Bring instrument for jam sessions
Sponsored by Music Center City Arts

Featuring:

Southern Gentlemen

The Southern Gentlemen is a bluegrass & bluegrass gospel band based in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains of Virginia and the piedmont area of North Carolina. The band was founded in 2001 by Johnny Johnson and Gary Handy. Our music, we are proud to say, is up to date and down to earth with a drive and . With traditional and original material, we have been featured on Blue Highways TV’s Reno’s Old Time Music Festival with an interview and performance at High Falls, NC Fiddlers convention in March of 2009. We have also been featured on numerous television shows. The Southern Gentlemen have been headliners at several bluegrass festivals on the circuit including Wayside Bluegrass Festival in Stuart Virginia and Lil John’s Mountain Music Festival in Snow Camp North Carolina. Our motto is “Have band, will travel”. God bless and thank all of our fans for your support.

 

Johnny Johnson – founder bandleader, guitar, lead vocals

Collinsville, Virginia

Johnny or band name ” John ” has been performing bluegrass most of his life. A past master and trooper beginning his professional career as a youth playing mandolin with Smilin’ Jim Eanes & the Shenandoah Valley Boys, Johnny then became a founding member of the Classic Grass with Gordon Brown and was in the band for ten years. John is a Songwriter & owns Woodchopper Music Publishing BMI. He plays guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass. He is a 32nd degree Freemason and Shriner and a member of Coulson Church of the Bretheren in Hillsville VA.

Gary Handy – co-founder, mandolin, fiddle, harmony vocals

Reidsville, North Carolina

Gary is a true past master of bluegrass music. He grew up in a musical family. Taking to the stage at an early age he developed his own style on the mandolin. Performing in various regional groups over the years, Gary feels right at home going into his tenth year in the Southern Gentlemen. He is a member of Liberty Baptist Church in Reidsville, NC.

Bobby Whitlock – lead, tenor, baritone vocals banjo, fingerstyle guitar

Fieldale, Virginia

Bobby is truly one of the smoothest, and cleanest five string banjo players anywhere. With a style of perfection all his own, his driving banjo is very distinctive to the Southern Gentlemen sound. As with the others, Bobby started at a young age performing and co-founded the Fork Mountain Grass in the late 1970′s playing the circuit. He also played banjo with the Churchmen gospel band. Bobby also pays three finger lead guitar made popular on quartets by the great Earl Scruggs. And is also a very gifted song writer. He is a member of Valley Drive Baptist Church in Feildale, VA.

Steve Shivley – lead, tenor, baritone, bass vocals, upright bass

Bassett, Virginia

Steve Shivley is one of the best bass players and one of the smoothest singers in bluegrass music. He has a charismatic charm and heartfelt soul in his playing and singing. He like all the Southern Gentlemen is a born again Christian whom gives a great meaning and enthusiasm to a bluegrass gospel song and a bluegrass song alike. He truly rounds out the great sound that defines the Southern Gentlemen. Also he is a bluegrass promoter and one of the owners of the Wayside Bluegrass Festival in Stuart, Virginia. He is a Freemason and Shriner and a member of Stone Memorial Christian Church in Collinsville, VA.

 

High Lonesome Strings Christmas Party

Friday, December 14, 2012  6:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Tabernacle Methodist Church

Fellowship Hall

5601 Liberty Rd

Greensboro NC 27406

There will be a Pot Luck Supper. Please bring a side dish and a door prize. Don’t forget your instrument for jamming!

Kids, keep on the lookout for Santa!

Featuring:

The Snyder Family Band

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When Bud and Laine Snyder started their young kids in classical music lessons, they didn’t expect to find them on stage other than a recital here and there. Now music is a big part of life for this North Carolina family as Samantha, age thirteen, and Zeb, age seventeen, have excelled in their individual instruments and the art of entertaining. As the two youngsters began to perform more often as a duo, their music interest turned toward Bluegrass. While Samantha plays fiddle and Zeb the guitar, there seemed to be something missing. So, Dad was surprised by an upright bass on his birthday and it was only a matter of time before Bud would join them on stage. The Snyder’s show includes instrumentals as well as vocal numbers by Samantha and Zeb, with Mom, Laine, joining in occasionally to add three part harmony. Now the family enjoys evenings “circled around” the living room working on upcoming performances and simply making music together. They all look forward to the time when little brother, Owen, now seven years old, will make his musical contribution to the Snyder Family Band.

Samantha began playing classical violin at age three in the Suzuki method. By age four she was playing duets with Zeb, who was learning classical guitar. At age seven she made the transition to bluegrass by taking fiddle lessons, playing in jam sessions and competing in fiddler’s conventions. In 2007 Samantha won first place at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. The prize was a fiddle made by luthier and fiddler Jimmy Edmonds. In 2008 at age nine she became the youngest ever to win the prestigious Fiddler of the Festival award at Fiddler’s Grove in Union Grove, NC, home of the oldest fiddler’s competition in North America. Along with playing fiddle, Samantha enjoys singing lead and harmony vocals.

Zeb began classical guitar lessons at age seven and built a great musical foundation in the Suzuki method. When he broadened his interest to include bluegrass at age eleven he entered a new phase that brought him to his favorite style of playing the guitar – flatpicking. He progressed by leaps and bounds and eagerly joined in any jam session. Zeb has won many guitar competitions since he began flatpicking. In 2007, he won the top prize, a Wayne C. Henderson guitar, at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. Zeb also won the South Carolina Guitar Championship in 2011 at Renofest in Hartsville, SC. A true student of the music, Zeb enjoys watching and listening to great players and bands.

Bud’s musical training began in high school as a percussionist in the school band.  With this his only talent in music he did  not expect, at this time in his life, to learn a new instrument. It was not until his children needed a bass player for the family band that Bud stepped up to the challenge. Taking tips from Zeb and fellow players, he now contributes a smooth steady beat that adds depth to the growing talents of his children. He truly enjoys the bond that making music provides as it allows him to be a part of this family band.

Happy to sit and listen to the developing talents of her young children, you can occasionally find Laine on stage adding her voice to create three part harmony. Growing up in a family of four girls, she has a love for harmony from her days of singing with her sisters at home, in the car and in church. Laine is kept busy during performances off stage by entertaining the youngest Snyder, seven year old Owen. It is her joy to sit back and watch husband, Bud, join children, Zeb and Samantha, as they blend their God given talents.

Owen is the youngest member of the Snyder family, Owen, has had an interest in all the bluegrass instruments from the beginning. Just like his older siblings, Owen started out with classical guitar lessons in the Suzuki method. After taking two years of classical guitar he now sits under his older brother, Zeb, for flat picking instruction. He makes occasional stage appearances singing or playing guitar and loves entertaining a crowd. The rest of the family is ready for him to join the fun full time on stage.

High Lonesome Strings Monthly Meeting

 Sunday, October 28, 2012 2 PM

Note the new location!

Stonefield Cellars Winery

8220 NC Hwy 68 N

Stokesdale NC

Bring instrument for jam sessions
Sponsored by Music Center City Arts

Featuring:

Cornbread Revival

Cornbread Revival was born out of a group of bluegrass musicians pickin’ in grandma’s garage. The name is to pay homage to Flatt & Scruggs, and their connection to The Martha White Biscuit and Cornbread Time radio shows from years past. The group is comprised of the following members:

Scott Crump has had a love for many types of music for most of his life. He played trumpet in the marching band at Northwest Guilford throughout high school which gave him his musical foundation. He became interested in bluegrass during the ’90s while going to gospel concerts. He started playing bass for his church choir in 2001 and shortly thereafter purchased the upright bass he plays today. He resides in Colfax with his wife, Melanie and his two children, Watson and Lillie.

Matt Denny was born and raised on a farm in Jamestown, NC, into a family not unfamiliar with the banjo. When he was about 13 years old, his parents pulled out his Mom’s old banjo, and showed him some of the fundamentals. It wasn’t until he saw Bonnie & Clyde escape from a bank robbery, with Flatt & Scruggs as the background music, that he realized how the banjo was really supposed to sound! And the rest, as they say, is history.

Mike McCollum is a native of Guilford County, NC. His first bluegrass music memory is of watching Flatt & Scruggs perform on The Martha White Flatt & Scruggs Show in 1962. Around 1974, Mike went to his first bluegrass festival in Camp Springs, NC. From that point on, bluegrass was the only music in his world. The desire to continue learning, playing, and singing it has never wavered.

Thirty seven years of musical heritage is something Dave Osborne can claim, with stints on multiple TV and radio shows. He performed with the likes of Jim & Jesse, Faron Young, and also appeared on the Art Linkletter show. He is also proud to have performed with the 3rd United States Armed Forces Soldier shows. Dave currently owns and operates the Music Barn in Greensboro, NC, where he resides. He continues playing the fiddle with the Cornbread Revival for the sheer love and enjoyment of the music.