Volume 38, No. 3 © Central Texas Bluegrass Association March, 2016 The Experts Were Right!

arlier this year, the experts predicted there would be bluegrass in 2016. And for once, the E experts were right. Just take a look at the display ads in this issue of the newsletter to see what’s coming up this spring. Although most of these are not in Central Texas, some are in fea- sible driving range, or some of our readers may be traveling that way and want to know about upcoming events along the route. Here’s what we know about this spring:

March 5: McDade pig roast March 6-12: RV park jam at Texarkana March 18-20: Perrin bluegrass festival March 19-26: RV park jam at Jasper March 31-April 2: Glen Rose spring bluegrass festival April 2: Brazoria bluegrass festival April 9: Bluegrass concert at Kay Theater, Rockdale April 8-9: San Angelo bluegrass festival April 22-23: Lone Star bluegrass festival, Arlington May 26-29: Memorial Day festival, Salmon Lake Park, Grapeland

Closer to home, the CTBA Board of Directors has announced proposed dates for the following events in Austin:

May 22: RayFest at Hill’s Café July 3: Annual CTBA band scramble and garage sale November 6: Annual CTBA membership meeting

Unfortunately, there will be no Bluebell and Bluegrass Festival in Llano this year. The Llano folks are hoping to promote some sort of smaller-scale event, though, so stay tuned and we’ll let you know what they come up with. Meanwhile, there are a couple of new monthly jam ses- sions to check out in Dripping Springs and Lampasas; see the jam listing at the end of this newsletter. And the Binion Creek Ramblers will be playing at the Fuel Coffeehouse in Llano on Saturday, March 5, 7-9 PM. http://fuelcoffeehouse.org/

Wires and Wood in concert at Heart’s Home Acoustics, February 20, 2016. Left to right, Patty Dy- er, David Dyer, Keith Kimbell. Photo by K. Brown

March birthdays: Norman Blake, Cleo Davis, Doug Dillard, John Duffey, Lyman Enloe, Ray- mond Fairchild, Howdy Forrester, David Grisman, David Harvey, Phil Leadbetter, Gene Libbea, Rudy Lyle, Larry Lynch, Ronnie McCoury, Tim O’Brien, Rickie Simpkins, John Starling, Don Stov- er, Doc Watson, Marshall Wilborn, Steve Wilson.

CTBA Board Meeting: Sunday, March 20, 3 PM at Hill’s Café (board meetings are open to all CTBA members).

The Central Texas Bluegrass Bulletin is published by the Central Texas Bluegrass Association, a 501(c)(3) tax- exempt Texas nonprofit corporation. Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations. Work published in this Bulletin is used by permission of the writers, artists, and photographers, who retain all copy- rights. Jamie Stubblefield, president Jason Pratt, vice president Central Texas Bluegrass Association Matt Downing, board member Box 9816 Sam Dunn, board member Austin, Texas 78766 Mike Hurlbut, membership chair Nan Hurlbut, board member www.centraltexasbluegrass.org/ Alice Moore, secretary Lenny Nichols, treasurer Jeff White, webmaster Tim Towell, board member Ken Brown, hapless newsletter editor Bob Vestal, board member

2 Heart’s Home Acoustics, Boerne

f you’ve been to Fiddler’s Green in Austin, you know what a full-service music store orient- I ed toward the acoustic music community looks like. Well, it happens that Boerne has its own version of Fiddler’s Green. It’s called Heart’s Home Acoustics, and it’s easy to find. It’s locat- ed on top of the hill on a side street just off South Main Street, the main north-south thorough- fare in Boerne, at 109 Oak Park Drive. Hours are TThF, 10-7; W, 10-6, and Saturday 10:30- 5:30. They carry guitars, banjos, fiddles (and a few other kinds of instruments such as viola and cello), strings, picks, amplifiers and the usual sorts of things you’d find in a shop of this nature. You can call them at (830) 331-9840.

They offer music lessons, too, although this isn’t really a bluegrass-oriented shop, and many of the banjos are tenor banjos rather than five-string. The shops carries guitars by Allison, Bam- burg, Blanchard, Bourgeois, Charis, Ensor, Knaggs, Lowden, McPherson, Musser, Olson, Pe- terson, Petros, Redentore, Renaissance, Robertson, Sahlstrom, Simpson, and Stonebridge.

On Saturday evening, February 20, I paid a visit to the shop to hear CTBA member band Wires and Wood (not to be confused with Wood and Wires, which is an entirely different band) play a two-hour concert in a very nice, high-ceiling listening room with good acoustics (and plenty of spare guitars on the wall, if you need one). Well worth the trip. The music was great.

3

Above, wall o’ banjos at Heart’s Home Acoustics in Boerne. Not many five-strings here. Below, Wires and Wood in concert, February 20. Photos by K. Brown.

4

Wires and Wood at Heart’s Home Acoustics. Left to right, Patty Dyer, David Dyer, Keith Kimbell. Pho- to by K. Brown. Curbfeeler’s Bluegrass Supplies Bass capos, cowbells, banjo mutes (e.g., nine-pound hammers), earplugs, lini- ment, bait, snuff, muleshoes, ostrich jerky. Instructional videos for zither, spoons, cowbell, and lawnchair.

Otis Curbfeeler, Prop. Catwater, Texas

5 And by the way...

Did you know that there are some ways you can support the Central Texas Bluegrass Associa- tion without doing anything out of your ordinary routine? If you shop at Randall's Grocery Stores or purchase on-line from Amazon.com, your purchases can help CTBA.

If you shop at Amazon.com, please sign up for the Amazon Smile program. A portion of your purchases will be donated to CTBA. Bookmark this link and use it so all your eligible shopping will benefit CTBA: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/74-2275372

If you shop at Randall's stores, make sure you get one of their Randall's Remarkable Cards. Your card can be linked to as many as three organizations. Check out http://www.randalls.com and pick up a card when you next visit your local store. Our CTBA Good Neighbor number is: 9735

If your company does matching grants to charitable organizations, your lifetime membership or other donation can qualify for a matching grant. Please consider this option when you renew your membership. Curbfeeler’s Backwoods Café Experimental cuisine next to the Emergency Clinic in Catwater, Texas Otis Curbfeeler, Prop.

Instruction for Banjo, Guitar, and mandolin Private Lessons in North and South Austin

Eddie Collins www.eddiecollins.biz 512-873-7803 6 Remembering Jake Jenkins (1970-2011)

Left to right, Jake Jenkins, Jeff Robertson (back to camera), Dennis McDaniel, Chojo Jacques (hidden) and Tom Ellis at Ricegrass in 2010. Photo by K. Brown.

arch 27 will mark five years since Jake Jenkins, along with his parents, was tragically M killed in a single-engine plane crash in Dickens County. Jake was from Rockdale, and his parents lived in Minerva, a small community just up Highway 77 from Rockdale. He gradu- ated from Rockdale High School in 1989, then from the bluegrass program at South Plains Col- lege in 1992, worked at Collings Guitars (1993-96) and then began traveling part-time with Karl Shiflett when the Big Country Show was formed in 1993. He went to a fulltime basis in 1996, but later quit to spend more time with his family. By then, he lived near Dickens, about 60 miles east of Lubbock, and was an equipment operator for the Lubbock Fire Department. In 2009, he joined east Texas bluegrass favorites Hickory Hill on banjo, on a part-time basis.

Jake can be heard on several of the Karl Shiflett recordings: Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show (Rebel 1752, 1999, with “Where the Smoke Goes Up” and 12 other cuts); In Full Color (Rebel 1772, 2002, with his instrumental “Jakebrakes”); and Worries on my Mind (Rebel 1792, 2003, with the title song written by Jake). There is also a tribute compilation CD (A Tribute to Jake

7 Jenkins) issued by Karl Shiflett and the Big Country Show, consisting of 11 cuts from the Rebel recordings along with another (“Whole Lot of Loving on My Mind”) previously unrecorded.

Jake was also a pilot, and at the time of the crash, was leaving a private airstrip near his home in Dickens, flying his1946 Stinson 108 light plane, intending to return with his parents to Rock- dale. His parents had been helping him build a log cabin for his family.

Jake also played guitar, mandolin, and bass, but banjo was his primary instrument. My own strongest impressions of Jake come from the stringbending style (whether using Scruggs tuners or just choking the strings), reminiscent of the pedal steel, that he brought to the Shiflett band. It fit well with the honky-tonk sensibility of the band. And of course, the other thing that I re- member most was his story about Mrs. Potts, the snake — a story that I think he must have told at nearly every Shiflett show. About midway through the story, when the audience started whis- pering among themselves (“Is he going to get through this unscathed?”), he’d stop and say, “Don’t worry, folks, I’m a professional.”’

And he was.

CTBA at Pearl

Several CTBA members visited Pearl for the February 6 jam, and Mike and Nan Hurlbut set up a display in the hallway as part of a drive to recruit more members. Kudos, y’all.

Board members Mike and Nan Hurlbut staff the CTBA promotion table for the February monthly jam at Pearl. Photo by Sue Knorre.

8 Book Notice: Nick DiSebastian, The Mandolin Style of Jesse Brock (2016, Built to Last Music Notes)

Just published, this compendium of 15 transcriptions of mandolin breaks/instrumentals is drawn from Jesse’s solo recording (Kickin’ Grass, 2002), from his work with Michael Cleveland and Audie Blaylock, and from YouTube videos.

I think the first time I saw Jesse play was with Lynn Morris at the Cactus Café. He’s currently with the Gibson Brothers, the latest in a string of really great mandolin pickers. It’s no wonder he was IBMA Man- dolin Player of the Year in 2009 and 2015.

Here are the tunes or songs included:

A Grandmother’s Love Billy in the Lowground Dance Around Molly Home Sweet Home Kickin’ Grass Kickin’Back Lil’ Ben Lost Indian Maine Line Maury River Blues Sally Goodin Salt Creek The Chair Two O’Clock in the Morning Whiskey Before Breakfast

The book is available at:

www.btlmusicnotes.com/catalogue in soft cover or PDF form, and you can get printed copies from Jesse at Gibson Brothers shows.

Right: Jesse Brock and Mike Barber at Farmers Branch, 2014. Photo by K. Brown.

For sale by owner: 1965 Gibson Mastertone RB-250, flathead bowtie banjo, very good condi- tion, asking $2800. For details contact George Wood, (512) 689-6068 or [email protected]

9 Fourth Annual Texas Independence Day Jam and Roast and S. Edmonson’s annual 50th Birthday!!!

Special performance by Pearl and the Polka Dots during meal.

BRING ANY INSTRUMENTS, LAWN CHAIRS, RV’s, Campers and Tents, AND A SMILE!!!!!!! March 5, 2016: Frintz Farm, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade, TX 78650 All day and into the night!!!!!!!! Food will be ready to start serving around 5:00. Free food, music and a good fam- ily environment will be provided at no cost. However, due to the expected crowd size, we will welcome donations. Plan to spend the evening around the fire, while musicians from all over the country and the great state of Texas come to- gether for this once a year production (it’s just a good excuse to have all of you come out and enjoy some good company and the down to earth lifestyle that we get to enjoy daily!!). If ya want to bring side dishes, we will have tables set up for all to enjoy.

10 Pigs will be smoked, McDade Master Grillers, free beer from Middleton Brewing, dozens of musical performers (all skill levels). Plenty of room for you to stay the night. Family friendly and everyone is WELCOME. There will be limited hook-ups for campers and RV’s.

Steve Edmonson 512-988-9231 or Steve Frintz 512-844-3699

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 CTBA Artists and Bands Cole Anderson David Diers & #910 Pine Island Station Woodstreet Blood- (Fayetteville, Arkansas) Train (512) 814-5145 Gary & Janine Carter hounds [email protected] [email protected] (936) 520-2952 (Oak Park, Illinois)

[email protected] Robert Becker (708) 714-7206 Better Late Than www.pineislandstation.com robertbecker1755 Four Fights Per Pint Never Jay Littleton (512) 848-1634 @sbcglobal.net The Piney Grove Duane Calvin (512) 835-0342 [email protected] [email protected] Ramblers Max Zimmet High Plains Jamboree Wayne Brooks (512) 699-8282 [email protected] Binion Creek Ram- Brennen Leigh 877-899-8269 (512)924-0505 blers [email protected] www.pgramblers.com

(Kempner, Texas) highplainsjamboree.com Don Douglas (512) 608-3859 The Prime Time [email protected] Hill Country Harmo- Ramblers nizers Jacob Roberts Blazing Bows [email protected] Elise Bright Cara Cooke (512) 280-9104 (817) 501-1172 James Reams & the [email protected] [email protected] Barnstormers Blue Creek Bluegrass Lone Star Swing (718) 374-1086 Gospel Band Gary Hartman (979) 378-2753 [email protected] Bing Rice (830) 253-7708 [email protected] www.jamesreams.com bluecreekbg.com [email protected] Los Bluegrass Vatos Redfire String Band Danny Santos Molly Johnson Bottom Dollar String [email protected] molly@integratedmotion- studio.com Band The Lost Pines John Ohlinger (512) 431-5150 Robertson County bottomdollarstringband Talia Bryce (512) 814-5134 @gmail.com [email protected] Line www.lostpinesband.com Jeff Robertson (512) 629-5742

David & Barbara [email protected] Missing Tradition Brown Diana & Dan Ost Shawn Spiars (361) 985-9902 (512) 850-4362 (512) 627-3921 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Carper Family Band Rod Moag & Texas The Sieker Band Jenn Miori Rolf & Beate Sieker [email protected] Grass (512) 467-6825 (512) 733-2857 Chasing Blue [email protected] www.siekerband.com [email protected] (512) 963-7515 Alan Munde Gazette [email protected] The Stray Bullets www.chasingblueband.com Bill Honker bhonk- [email protected] Bob Cartwright (512) 415-8080 Christy & the Plowboys [email protected] Out of the Blue Dan Foster (512) 452-6071 String Beans [email protected] Jamie Stubblefield (512) 923-4288 Mike Montgomery [email protected] [email protected] Eddie Collins (512) 873-7803 www.outoftheblue.ws Texas Honeybees www.eddiecollins.biz Leslie Collier (512) 328-0144 [email protected] The Pickin’ Ranch Ramblers [email protected] Concho Grass Richie Mintz Wires and Wood Randy Blackwood (325) 227- [email protected] David Dyer (210) 680-1889 2074 wiresandwood.net https://www.facebook.com/ [email protected] ConchoGrass

19 CTBA Area Jams and Events

AUSTIN AREA, CTBA HOUSTON Rd., Bldg 2; contact Leroy (210) 880-4068. Every Sunday, 3 PM-??, CTBA Sunday jam 1st Tuesday, Fuddruckers, 2040 NASA Rd SCHULENBERG at Hill’s Café, 4700 S. Congress; (512) 851- 1 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 6 PM, jam at Schu- 9300. (281) 333-1598 lenberg RV Park Community Center, 65 N. Kessler Ave. Laretta Baumgarten (979) 743- 2nd and 4th Saturday, 3-5 PM, beg./int. jam JOHNSON CITY 4388; [email protected] at Wildflower Terrace, 3801 Berkman Drive; 3rd Saturday except in December, 2-6 PM, Steve Mangold (512) 345-6155. jam at The Dome, 706 W. Main St., Hwy 290 TOMBALL W; Charlene Crump, (512) 632-5999. 4th Saturday, 4 PM, bluegrass jam at Kleb 1st and 3rd Thursday, 7-9 PM, beg./int. jam, Woods Nature Center and Preserve, 20303 Northwest Hills area; Steve Mangold (512) LAMPASAS Draper Road, Tomball. (281) 373-1777 or 345-6155. 2nd Thursday, 6-8:30 PM, jam at Country (281) 910-4396. Kitchen, 307 N. Key Ave. Acoustic instru- Every Thursday, 6-9 PM, beg./int. jam, ments only. Info: Don Douglas Texican Café, 11940 Manchaca Road; Dave [email protected] Stritzinger, (512) 689-4433. Note: this listing was last LEAGUE CITY (BABA) Every Tuesday, 8-10 PM, Texas Old Time 3rd Saturday: Jam 5 PM, Stage show 6:30 checked and verified by Bob Fiddling, Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto; PM Jan- Nov., League City Civic Center, 300 Vestal, November, 2015. (512) 474-1958. W. Walker St. (281) 636-9419. Sponsored by Bay Area Bluegrass Association. BANDERA 4th Friday of each month except Good LIBERTY HILL Friday, November, and December at Silver 4rth Saturday, 4-9 PM, jam at the Stocktank, Sage Corral – east of Bandera. Starts at 6 PM. 8950 Ranch Road 1869, Liberty Hill; For more info call (830) 796-4969 (512) 778-6878. silversagecorral.org Curbfeeler’s Sundries. LILLIAN BELLVILLE 2nd Saturday, 4 PM jam, 7 PM show, First Texas Bluegrass Music jam/show Jan. through Baptist Church, $4; contact Dale Brawner Emu jerky, live crawdads, September, 4th Sat; 4pm jam, 6:30 pm show. (972 935-4525. bear traps, jawbreakers, Coushatte Recreation Ranch, 2812 Nelius Rd. milled flooring, cane fish- (936) 697-5949 [email protected] LLANO www.TXBluegrassMusic.com 2nd Monday, 7 PM, jam at Fuel Coffee ing poles, pickled eggs, Plenty of RV camping, restrooms, showers. House, 106 East Main St.; (325) 247-5272; overalls, shotgun shells, www.fuelcoffeehouse.org sorghum molasses, lottery BLANCO First Saturday, 2-5 PM at Buggy Barn Muse- MEDINA tickets, barbed wire, um, 1915 Hwy 281 N; contact Deanna Dosser, 2nd Tuesday, all gospel jam, 6 PM at First cattle guards, beans, kero- (830) 554-0006 Baptist Church; contact Linda Barton (830) sene, outboard motor oil, 589-2486. DRIPPING SPRINGS 2nd Friday, jam at 6 PM, Masonic Lodge; inboard motor oil, harness Last Saturday of each month, 2-5 PM, jam contact Maude Arnold (830) 796-8422. and tack of all kinds, pe- at Hudsons on Mercer St.; contact Cliff at cans, chilipetins, japa- (701) 770-8962 or [email protected] PEARL 1st Saturday: Jam all day/night, stage leeno candy, gingham FAYETTEVILLE: show, 12:15 PM-6:15 PM; food and RV curtains, lag bolts, car- Texas Pickin’ Park: Jam 2nd Saturday, Apr.- hookups available. Pearl Community Center, riage bolts, gravel by the Nov. beginning at 6 PM on the courthouse on FM 183, 7 mi. south of Purmela; contact square. Acoustic instruments only. [email protected]. Check web site for cubic yard, weedeater For info: [email protected] show schedule: www.pearlbluegrass.com line, surfcasting weights, www.texaspickinpark.com flaxseed poltices. ROUND ROCK GARLAND 3rd Saturday, 2-5 PM except November and Bluegrass on the Square: Every Saturday, December, jam at Danny Ray’s Music, 12 Rufus Curbfeeler, Prop. March- November between Main and State Chisholm Trail; (512) 671-8663. Sts. At 6th, 7:30 PM to 1 AM www.dannyraysmusic.com Catwater, Texas

GLEN ROSE SAN ANTONIO 3rd Saturday, Oakdale Park, Paluxy River Every Monday, 6:30-8:30 PM, at The Barbe- Bluegrass Association, free stage show and cue Station, 1610 NE Loop 410 at Harry jam; potluck and jam Friday night before. Jim Wurzbach exit; (210) 824-9191. Chapman (469) 231-6616. Every Tuesday, 6-8 PM, show (no jam) at http://www.paluxybluegrass.com Brookdale Castle Hills, 1207 Jackson Keller

20 Membership and Advertising Rates

Join the CTBA: www.centtraltexasbluegrass.org/join.html

Newsletter online Advertising rates subscription

Individual $25 Ad size Price Band $35 Full page $30 Student $15 1/2 page $15 Family $35 1/4 page $12 Business $50 1/8 page $10 Lifetime $300

Take $5 off the advertising rates if you are already a business member. Copy deadline is the 15th of the month. Advertisers assume liability for ad content and any claims arising therefrom. Send ad copy as JPG or PDF file to [email protected] and send payment to: Merchandise

ATTN: Treasurer Compilation CD of member bands, vol 2 $10 Central Texas Bluegrass Association CTBA logo T-shirt (black, white, orange) $15 Box 9816 Earl Scruggs design T-shirt $20 Austin, Texas 78766-9816 Mona Lisa design T-shirt $20