Old Time Music

Henry Reed Fiddler

rileyh67 — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:56:37 +0000

Being as I like to bring you stories and music of fiddle players from long ago, I want to bring to you today the fiddler Henry Reed. He was born in 1884, in Peterstown, West Virginia, the youngest on eight kids born to John Marion Reed and Sophia Catherine Underwood Reed. His father came from Ireland to the US around 1845 and came from a musically inclined family. John played the banjo but also played the fiddle a little too. He didn’t learn his tunes from the radio and records but more learned them from friends and family. He played banjo earlier in life and he also played harmonica. Here is a link to Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier where you can listen to many of his tunes. Most of the information in this post was taken from the Henry Reed Memorial Site that was done by his grandson, Terry Reed. Go there and read about Henry’s life and how his fiddle tunes came to be recorded. You can also listen to Henry play at the bottom of the page.

Foghorn String Band

rileyh67 — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:55:24 +0000

Fresh from vacation, I want to talk about the last band from IFG and that band is Foghorn String Band from Portland, Oregon. Foghorn consists of Stephen “Sammy” Lind (fiddle, vocals), Caleb Klauder (mandolin, vocals), Pete Leone (banjo), Kevin Sandri (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Brian Bagdonas (bass). I have to say that Foghorn comes right in below Uncle Earl as my favorite Old Time Music bands. I have a cd of theirs called Reap What You Sow . It has become one of my favorite cds, with the title song one of my favorite songs. I also have their cd, Rattlesnake Tidal Wave. They played at IFG on Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. A older woman sang a couple of old gospel songs that they sing with them and really brought the house down! When they gather around the one mike they use, you know you are in for a great time. If they come anywhere near you, go to see them!

Old Time Country and Blues Revue

rileyh67 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:52:18 +0000

Old Time Country and Blues Revue comes from Dekalb, Illinois. They are Dave “DK” Kolars (guitar, mandolin, anything with strings) and Pete Norman ( guitar, mandolin, banjo). They played at IFG on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. They have more than 70 years playing experience between them, with Dk starting during the 60s and Pete playing with Vasser Clements, a great fiddler, in the 70′s. It seems like they might have been together for years, but they only been together since 2003. Listen to a cd of theirs at CD Baby. The CD is called “Nuff Said”.

Bahler-Graber Band

rileyh67 — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:25:21 +0000

The Bahler-Graber Band hail from Bennet Switch, Indiana just north of Kokomo, Indiana. The band members are Brad Bahler( mandolin, guitar, banjo, resonator guitar, and fiddle), Lynn Graber ( guitar), Karen Bahler (doghouse bass), and John Bahler (guitar, banjo,mandolin). They played at IFG on at the Sunday morning gospel sing like they normally do and they also played at the Sunday afternoon concert. It is neat to see a family play and see the dynamic that they have. For their various cds. just go to their website.

Wright Sisters

rileyh67 — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 05:35:10 +0000

The Wright Sisters are from Greenfield, Indiana. They played at IFG on Saturday afternoon. The Wright Sisters are Katie (mandolin, guitar, bass), Megan (fiddle), and Lindsay ( banjo, guitar, dobro). All three sing and have an awesome harmony together. Their Mom, Heidi, played the bass for them. Here is some basic info on them. Their newest cd is called On Wings Of Bluegrass. For a short article on them, look at page 1 and 2 of this magazine. Until next time…

Forge Mountain Diggers

rileyh67 — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:40:11 +0000

A group that I have come to really like is the Forge Mountain Diggers. They consist of David Bass, who plays an awesome fiddle, Allison Williams, who plays banjo and sings, and Thomas Bailey, who plays guitar and sings. I have their self titled cd, The Forge Mountain Diggers. They have such an energy, with Allison bobbing and weaving to the music and when David starts dancing at the same time he is fiddling, the croud goes crazy. They played at IFG on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. See them on You Tube. Until next time…

Nightingale

rileyh67 — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 03:08:32 +0000

The group, Nightingale, is from Vermont. It consists of Jeremiah McLane (accordion, piano), Keith Murphy (voice, guitar, mandolin, piano, foot percussion), and Becky Tracy (fiddle). Even though they met in the New England contra dance scene, they explore music outside that and a major part of their repertoire is songs of Quebec and Newfoundland. Read more about their style of music in this older review of an earlier cd. One of my favorite songs that they do is, The Black Fly Song. They played at IFG on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening. Their music always seems to lift the spirits and has so much feeling and passion. Their newest cd is called, Three.

Rhys Jones and Christina Wheeler

rileyh67 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:26:59 +0000

It was a joy to hear Rhys Jones and his partner, his wife Christina Wheeler. ( For info on Christina, after clicking scroll down to her name.) They played on Friday night and Saturday night at IFG. Both of them play fiddle and it was awesome, especially for someone who likes to hear fiddle as much as I do. I have actually seen Rhys at IFG before, but this is the first time I have seen Rhys and Christina together. Their cd is called Starry Crown, so if you love fiddle playing give it a listen. Rhys has been part of a group in the past with Jeff Miller, and Jim Nelson, called appropriately enough Jones, Miller and Nelson. This is IFG’s website of past performers. ( Just click and then scroll down until you see Jones, Miller and Nelson.) Jim Nelson played guitar, and Jeff Miller played banjo and mandolin. They did a cd together called Mississippi Square Dance, another great cd with a LOT of fiddle playing.

Indiana Fiddlers Gathering

rileyh67 — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:25:52 +0000

I wanted to share with you an online article that a local channel wrote about Indiana Fiddlers Gathering. IFG is always the last full weekend in June. Before I start talking about the performers, I will mention a personal story. The hotel I stayed in was undergoing renovations which I thought wasn’t a big deal but I actually moved my room to a different part of the hotel when I saw they had a noisy crane outside of my window doing work. Problem fixed, right? So the next morning, I awoke to the sound of a high powered pressure washer doing some cleaning right under my window! It was louder than my air conditioner and my fan I use for white noise. They would stop the washer for a little bit and start it up again about the time I was dozing off to sleep again! Oh well…live and learn. Tomorrow (actually later today) I will start talking about the different groups I saw at IFG.

Back to Blogging

rileyh67 — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:56:04 +0000

After some time off for the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering and time with family, I am back. Indiana Fiddlers Gathering was an awesome time of music, even though it rained a lot. I will talk more about it off and on over the coming days and weeks. Till tomorrow…