The (legendary) Bottleneck in Lawrence

Thanks to everyone who made our summer Western tour so special! We kicked it off in Lawrence, KANSAS, where we were joined for a rousing finale by all-girl act,The Ovaries-Eez. We then did a well-rested (ha!), long drive to Colorado for our next show in the gorgeous town of Windsor…where we were thrilled to discover that the stage was BEACH-FRONT! We were more than happy to take advantage of the water on this summer day. We also had a long drive ahead of us across Wyoming: We played Oyster Ridge Music Festival the following day in Kemmerer, T’was a pleasure to meet many music lovers and flatpicking fans! Carbondale Mountain Fair was an absolute blast. The fest has been honed to perfection over 42 years! No wonder there are fire dances, magicians, high-level entertainment…and vibes.

Carbondale Mountain Fair

We were sad to move on from our beloved Carbondale, but the scenic drive through Aspen and up Independence Pass listening to Bela Fleck “Drive” helped to cheer the spirits. (Did you know all aspen in a grove are “one” tree?!) We arrived in Alamosa to a rainy sound-check and wondered if anyone would actually show up. Yes, they did, by the hundreds, for Sundays at Six Concert Series. And all sat quietly and listened to bluegrass!

“Sundays at Six Concert Series,” Alamosa

Onward to the tallest dunes in North America: the Great Sand Dune National Park. And honestly, I felt like I was in Oman or somewhere exotic in the Middle East! I highly recommend this place for a hike to the top of the dunes, or a ride on a “snowboard” or “sled” made for rides on the sand!

Great Sand Dune National Park

Great Sand Dune National Park

We departed the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Range and made it to the beautiful town of Crested Butte just in time for a live radio spot with Nate Welch on his KBUT show.

Kyle Tuttle performs with the “Dobrato”

Here in Gunnison and Crested Butte, we did some fantastic hiking and picking. We visited Castle Creek Guitars, sponsors of our concert at the I Bar Ranch. We performed with their originally designed instrument, the amazing “Dobrato.” Thanks to all the folks at the I Bar for making our Tuesday Night Burgers & Bluegrass Concert Series such a hoot.

Frisco Thursday Night Concert Series

North-ward to Frisco, where we truly loved their Thursday Night Concert Series! This historic town knows how to put on a party in their streets (complete with beer tent, stage left!) The town was dancing and hanging, festival-style.

Further northward to Avogadro’s Number, Fort Collins for AVOGRASS FESTIVAAAL! Thanks for the Grateful Dead tunes (’twas Garcia’s birthday). Thanks KRFC for having us in-studio (+ rockin’ T-shirts!) LOVE YOU, “The Fort!”

We moved on up the mountain range to a tiny historic town of Centennial, at the foot of the Snowy Mountain Range, where we performed at the Beartree Tavern…and a couple got ENGAGED as we sang our finale of “Mule Skinner Blues…” CONGRATS!!

We ended this amazing run of festivals at the awesome Beartrap Festival in Casper, Wyoming! So great to see Jalan Crossland, the Deadly Gentlemen, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and so many other talented acts in this HIGH elevation and wonderfully happy place.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this amazing tour happen!

~Album of the Year ‘When We Fall’

~Female Vocalist of the Year

~Guitar Player of the Year

~Emerging Artist of the Year

~Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year ‘Virginia Coastline’

Get involved! Join IBMA here and cast your vote BEFORE AUGUST 1! It would be great to see more women winning these awards!

Thanks so much to the town of Harrisonburg, VA, for hosting us to headline their Valley Fourth “Beers & Cheers in the Park.” And yes, this was one CHEERFUL crowd, and we were a cheerful band! Happy birthday, U.S.A! God shed his grace on thee!

Thanks to everyone at Blackberry Jam Festival in Franklin, TN, for hosting me and John Frazier! Don’t miss it in 2015, middle Tennesseans…

A “Hot” Band at Ashland Coffee & Tea  

After a smokin’ pit-stop at BoneFire Smokehouse in Southwest VA, we moved on to my hometown of Richmond. At Ashland Coffee & Tea, an old friend commented, “Rebecca, you have a HOT band!” Me: “They really are amazing musicians, aren’t they!?” She stared at me blankly. “No, they are hot guys, Rebecca!” Wait, I thought bluegrass was all about the music! :-0

The Drive Thru with Rog

Before the show, we got to stop by the Drive-Thru with Rog on WHAN in Ashland. There was a signed Hit & Run poster at the station… from 2004! Thanks for the good times and the spins, Roger Reynolds! xox

Drum & Strum

Next stop: Drum & Strum Music Center in Warrenton. We were the ceremonious LAST SHOW in this venue, and we milked it: “This is the last song of the first set of the last show EVER at this location.” THANK YOU to Pablo Teodoro for hooking us up with treats from Great Harvest Bread Co. So awesome (and every morsel was devoured!) Thanks Casey Henry of the famous Murphy Method for gracing the stage with your banjo chops, too!

Photo by Frank Baker

Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival proved itself to be a unique experience, as always. Where else does one find a crazy mix of Mid-Atlantic folks (and even Europeans!), a top-notch awesome line-up, & camping right next to the stage in the shade? It was fun to see Lou Reid, and to bump into Chris Eldridge as we  walked on stage.

Next stop was the American Roots Concert Series in Washington D.C. at the Hill Center for the Arts, where families spread out on the lawn and concert-goers are highly enthused! (One person told me he’d driven 3 hours to come to the show!) Loved our May afternoon with these intelligent music lovers.

DelFest was bigger than ever this year. It was worth every minute of the 10-hour drive to do our set. ‘Twas also fun to see John Frazier rip with Yonder Mountain String Band & Jerry Douglas right after we played. Ah!

It was a 13 hour drive to get to our 3 pm set in Alabama the next day, but thanks to the courage and goodwill of mostly Daniel and Kyle, we made it with time to spare….and again, it was worth every minute. Acoustic Cafe Festival in Haleyville is one of my true favorites. It exemplifies what a festival is supposed to be. Great people, great vibes, great music, and kindness and good spirits all around. We loved all of the tie dye decorations as we walked around the campground, which had paths named Rowan Row, Garcia Flats, and John Hartford Blvd. Sweet! Thanks so much to everyone there for giving us such a warm welcome, and thanks to Nat Keefe of Hot Buttered Rum for hopping on stage with us! It’s been way too long! Until next time, Alabamans!

It’s a little nuts what ‘grassers like to do in order to play a few festivals. Our May run gave us the pleasure of 3,476 miles in the van. Kyle figured out that we could’ve just gone ahead and driven to Alaska instead. But we think Gettysburg, DelFest, Acoustic Cafe, and the awesome venues were worth every mile! 

Like so many guitar players, I’ve used D’Addario strings for years and years. I’m proud to be an official D’Addario “artist.” Check out my D’Addario profile, here. Royal, John, Christian, and Kyle all play with D’Addarios, too! 

Our May touring season is underway! Preschool graduation Tuesday, hop into the van with Mama Wednesday. Had a great time pickin’ in Southwest Virginia last night, and looking forward to this weekend at Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Hill Center for the Arts (DC), Drum & Strum (Warrenton), & Ashland Coffee & Tea (Richmond)!

Jarrod Walker

We know that our audiences this May are looking forward to hearing the tasteful and toneful singing and picking of mandolin meistro, Jarrod Walker. Regular mando guy John Frazier is busy touring with Yonder Mountain String Band and his own FrazierBand. But we are honored to have this talented guest star onboard for our Mid-Atlantic dates and festivals this month! Jarrod’s known for his work with Missy Raines, Clay Hess, his brother Cory Walker, among others. If you read this and have something nice to say about Jarrod, please make a comment on our Facebook page under Jarrod’s picture. It won’t go unnoticed!