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It's all about the music! Things are jumpin' at the Collierville Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) each Friday night! So much music--so little time! And what's this?

For 2008 folkjam.org is giving support to the Jubilee of Acoustic Music, a teaching festival in the Kansas City area. On May 30th and 31st, 2008 the Jubilee will combine concerts and workshops in traditional music for Banjo, Fiddle, Penny Whistle, Guitar, Autoharp, Bodhran, Hammered dulcimer, Mountain dulcimer and more.

The festival committee is getting the 2008 festival organized and is looking for performers who love to teach. Contact us if you are interested.

Psssst! May I tell you? It was Friday night (Nov. 2) and jammers were feelin' all right! Ready to pick, they were! We finally conceded that it is indeed November, we caved in to Mother Nature, and we went indoors to the Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) in Collierville, TN.

The top tier of bluegrass bands/artists is pretty clear to me, although each of us would probably question it at times. Regional and local would follow, I suppose. Is there something in between any of those rankings? Who determines what tier? Would a band move from one tier up or down to another?

What are your top picks in each tier? Let us hear it!

Pick away!

Is there bluegrass 'provenance,' that quality which enhances the value of a particular musician because of his/her experience, the bands in which the performer has played, or perhaps just the performer's reputation?

Following the IBMA World of Bluegrass 2007, there was the usual shuffling of performers--out of and into a variety of bands. That goes on year-'round, but it was particularly noticeable this year around the IBMA.

Can't make it to the Collierville Historic Town Square Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Jam? Too fur and snakey? How about this? Third annual FREE Biscuits and Bluegrass event at Loveless Cafe on Highway 100 in Nashville, TN!

It's Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, and it runs from 10 AM to 6 PM CDT. Featured...other than those famous Loveless Cafe biscuits made by "The Biscuit Lady," are Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, Special Consensus, and the Mark Newton Band.

The Collierville (TN) Historic Town Square is jumpin' every Friday night to the sounds of bluegrass music! On Sept. 28, 2007, there were at least five good-sized groups of musicians and fans by the score! Restaurants were open, strolling families and curious onlookers were everywhere. The weather was cool, with a tinge of fall in the air! Ahhhh! How good is this?

IBMA in Nashville, TN: October 1-7, 2007 (www.ibma.org) is "the" event of the year! Awards, showcases, and rubbin' elbows with who's who in bluegrass. Catch the Grand Ole Opry Signature Show, too. Oh, and some grand FREE entertainment over at Ernest Tubb Record Shop! Your favorite performers will likely be there, and many are candidates for the top prizes in each category.

A similar event, but one which is more jammer-friendly is the SPBGMA Awards Show during the first weekend of February, 2008. It is held at the Airport Sheraton Hotel in Nashville, TN. (www.spbgma.com)

Blue Highway filled the Lucy Opry on Sept. 22, 2007! The band and its superb musicians are who 'other' musicians come to see! Sharp young players do that from time to time...get out to see the top bands and try to figure out what makes them that way. From Jason Burleson (banjo) right on down through Rob Ickes on Dobro...with Shawn Lane (mando, fiddle, guitar), Tim Stafford (guitar) and Wayne Taylor (bass) in the middle...this band is top flight!

Blue Highway is on their way to town! We're thrilled and hope to have a great turnout for this band. They're one of the finest bands working today. Watch for Blue Highway: Tim Stafford, Shawn Lane, Jason Burleson, Wayne Taylor (the one who's actually with Blue Highway) and Rob Ickes. They're songwriters; they're exquisite vocalists; and they're far and above most bands in the instrumental category! Besides all that, they're nice folks!

Beyond that, in October, we're looking for Alecia Nugent...and the Lucy Opry season 2007 closes out in November with the Steep Canyon Rangers.