BLUE PRINTS DCBU Newsletter of the D.C. Bluegrass Union Fall 2015 ! 2nd Annual Hazel Dickens Song Contest Open for Entries! Honor the legacy of one of bluegrass music’s most beloved songwriters. Cash prizes for top three songs! Expert judges. Entry fee $30 per song. All proceeds help fund the DC Bluegrass Union. Find more information on submission guidelines and rules at www.dcbu.org " The Magic Touch He comes by it honestly. Born to a deeply musical family in the Shenandoah The irst thing you notice Valley of Virginia, Danny’s about Danny Knicely’s mu- father, Glen, plays bass and sicianship is the effort- banjo. His mother, Darlena, lessness. He has the ability sings “and she dances and to make playing look ar- plays a little of everything,” restingly easy though your he says. ears will tell you other- wise. Whether on man- Danny’s grandfather, A.O. dolin, guitar or iddle, Knicely, continues to play Knicely lays down a groove play %iddle – at the age of and never lets up. 97. Blue Prints Fall 2015 BLUE PRINTS FALL 2013 The household was always vals, including Galax, and moonshine and you’ve got full of musicians when soon formed the group, your answer. (And don’t Danny was growing up. “I McGraw Gap, with guitarist forget to drink up.) played a lot with my par- Larry Keel in 1995. They ents friends,” he recalls. played local shows and Still, the farthest reaches They were great players, won the band contest at of the globe beckoned. “I and they had good instru- the Telluride Bluegrass got a bug for travel and ments. “That gets you in- Festival that year. Knicely world music,” he says. That spired.” also won the mandolin led to several trips to contest and Keel grabbed Nepal starting in 2004 and Danny’s %irst instrument the blue ribbon in guitar. a keen interest in the in- was bass. He played in the digenous music of that re- family band, Heartland, gion. Thus was born the and sang baritone. They Mountain Music Project, performed Carter family an investigation of the songs, country material striking similarities be- and some gospel. tween Himalayan and Ap- palachian string styles. By the time he hit his * teens, Danny started play- “I went to town ing classic rock with some high school buddies, which and found a pearl- led him inevitably to an white Les Paul stu- interest in electric guitar. But he didn’t own one. dio model and Danny lobbied his school talked the school to get one for the pep Everybody noticed. into buying it.” band. * The group recorded a CD “I met these guys that I went to town and found a played the music and I re- pearl-white Les Paul stu- and started touring as the warm-up band for Leftover ally related to them,” dio model and talked the Knicely says. He wanted to school into buying it. Salmon on a string of western dates. For the next record the local Nepalese few years they played pri- players but needed money But traditional music nev- to do it. After some inves- er really receded to the marily rock and jam-grass venues and toured in Chi- tigating, his partner in the background. After high project, Tara Linhardt, school, Danny picked up na in 1998 and 1999 be- fore disbanding in 2000. found there weren’t any the mandolin – and started grant dollars available for experimenting with the audio recording. But there %iddle. “Some people will Along about that time, Knicely starting perform- was for video. “So we de- tell you that’s not the best cided to make a video idea,” he says wryly. ing with David Via and his group, Corn Tornado. about making a recording,” Knicely explains. Danny’s natural talent was Wonder where that name obvious. He jammed and comes from? Swirl a ma- son jar half illed with The inal project includes networked at area festi- musical cameos by Tim Bl O’Brien, Mike Seeger, rest of the board and the sat- Bluegrass Calendar Sammy Shelor, Curtis isfaction of helping out a Burch and iddler Buddy good cause. October 24, 2015 - Saturday Pendleton, among others. If you have interest, please The video is well worth The Hillbilly Gypsies watching and can be pur- contact Randy Barrett at Barns of Rose Hill chased at Mountainmu- 703-405-6230, or mrbar- 95 Chalmers Court, Berryville, [email protected] Va. 22611 sicproject.com. Phone: 540-955-2004, Email: [email protected] Knicely stays very busy *** Time: 8:00 PM, Tickets: $15 in these days working with a advance | $20 at the door varied coterie of musicians Renew your mem- Bluegrass For Hospice including old-time player/ Featuring: Joe Mullins & The composer James Leva, bership today at Radio Ramblers, Junior Sisk & David Via, manolinist Bud- Ramblers Choice, and Hall of www.dcbu.org Fame Bluegrass Extravaganza dy Dunlap, Tim O’Brien, featuring Joe Mullins & Junior and Malian musician Che- *** Sisk ick Hamala Diabate. Danny Flat Iron Farm is part of the Virginia Folk- Highway To Heaven Ln., Great Mills, MD 20634 life apprenticeship pro- New Venue in DC! Time: 12:00 pm, Tickets: $25 gram mentoring younger advance/$30 Gate players. He also continues Thursday is bluegrass night Contact: Phone: 301-737-3004, to travel, and recently %in- at Mr. Henry’s on Capitol Email: [email protected] ished tours in France and Hill. The restaurant is locat- Charles Frazier and Virginia Russia. ed at 601 Pennsylvania Ave, Ramblers SE. Music runs 8pm to Lucketts Community Center Danny just released a new Lucketts Rd, Leesburg, VA 11pm. No cover, two item Time: Doors 6:30, Concert album with Dunlap called minimum. Support local 7:00PM Chop, Shred and Split. Next bluegrass! Tickets: $15.00 up, Knicely is working on a CD with guitarist Wyatt Flower Hill String Band Phone: 301-802-7453, Email: Rice and bassist Mark DCBU Fall Pick-Nic [email protected] Schatz. A Big Success Butler's Orchard --Randy Barrett 22200 Davis Mill Road , Ger- mantown MD 20876 It was a great time at the Phone: 301-972-3299 Time: 12:00 Seeking New Takoma Park VFW on Oc- tober 10. The weather was Josh Grigsby and County Line Treasurer perfect and the hamburgers Phone: 540-376-2512, Email: [email protected] and hotdogs were plentiful. Sumerduck Ruritan Bluegrass DCBU is in search of a new A good crowd of pickers Fest board member to handle the gathered, made hillbilly mu- 11326 James Madison Hwy, book keeping of the organi- sic noises and drank beer. Bealeton VA zation. If you’re a numbers Phone: 540-219-4985 person who likes to be in- What more could you want? Time: 1:00, Tickets: $20.00 volved in bluegrass, this is The fall Pick-nic is hereby a the perfect gig. It pays a DCBU tradition. hearty handshake from the Blue Prints Fall 2015 BLUE PRINTS FALL 2013 Orrin Star Ashley Monroe The Kevin Prater Band House Concert Sixth & I Historic Synagogue Phone: 606-477-4759, Email: Boyds, MD 600 I Street, NW , Washington, [email protected] Email: [email protected] DC 20001 The Old 97 Restaurant Time: 7:30 Phone: 202.408.3100 4154 S. Amherst Hwy, Madison Email for address and reserva- Time: 8:00 PM, Tickets: Heights, VA tions. $22ADV/$25DAY Phone: 434-473-0173 Time: 8:00 October 28, 2015 - Wednesday Crazy After Midnight Mr. Henry's October 31, 2015 - Saturday Davis Bradley w/Tom Gray 601 PA. AVE. SE, WASH.,D,C, Ashland Coffee and Tea 20003 Dark Hollow Ashland, VA Time: 8-11PM Lucketts Community Center Time: 7:00PM Lucketts Rd, Leesburg, VA Contact: 804-798-1702 October 30, 2015 - Friday Time: Doors 6:30, Concert October 29, 2015 - Thursday 7:00PM Tim O'Brien and Old Man Tickets: $15.00 The Kevin Prater Band Luedecke Phone: 740-641-7884, Email: The Hamilton November 1, 8, 15, 22, 2015 [email protected] 600 14th St NW , Washington, Wernick Method bluegrass jam- The Coffeepot Roadhouse DC, 20005 ming class / Taught by Ira Gitlin 2902 Brambleton Ave, SE, Phone: 202.787.1000 ([email protected]) Roanoke, VA Time: 8:00pm, Tickets: $17.00 - Private home, Olney, MD; ad- Phone: 540-774-8256 $25.00 dress will be given out upon reg- Time: 8:00 istration. No Cover Charge DCBU 1429 Martha Custis Drive Alexandria, VA 22302 .