dasspunk.com » Bluegrass

Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe Tribute Show

dasspunk — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:38:41 +0000

I have the honor to be playing with two Bluegrass Boys on these upcoming tribute shows. We’ll be playing the entire Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe record start to finish. Shows are Friday, Nov 6th at Mother Fools Coffee Shop, Madison, WI, 8pm, and Saturday, the 7th at the Richland Center City Auditorium in Richland Center, WI. Now excuse me, I have to practice…

Mike Compton & David Grier In Madison!

dasspunk — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:13:18 +0000

Mike and David are coming to Madison this Saturday at the Wil-Mar Center on the near-east side. These boys are the real deal and as good as it gets. If you’re anywhere near MadTown, do yourself a favor and check them out.

You may have seen a post or two here about my adventures with Mike in Australia. Or perhaps you caught him on tour with Elvis Costello and the Sugar Canes? John Hartford? Maybe you heard his mandolin playing while watching the movie O Brother Where Art Thou. Either way, here’s a chance to see him with David Grier–another monster player and three time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year–in an intimate setting. Oh, and you’ll get a chance to taste the greatest brownie on the planet.

Mike Compton & David Grier
Saturday, October 3rd @ 7pm
The Wil-Mar Center
953 Jenifer St, Madison, WI
Tickets $14.99 in advance, $20 at the door

(This is the) Squirrel Hunters – Inaugural Bluegrass Ball

dasspunk — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:39:55 +0000

The boys (and Lorie) celebrated our new President by playing an Inaugural Bluegrass Ball at the Roxbury Tavern. The place was PACKED with folks toasting in a new era. A fantastic time was had by all.

John Duffy For President

dasspunk — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:07:16 +0000

The nausea I feel after being berated by the presidential party conventions has been soothed a bit by my discovery of the following movie on YouTube. John Duffy is one of my musical heroes and if he were alive today, I’d like to have seen him run for president. This country could use a chain smoking, shop teacher with bad pants and a butch cut in charge. In a post-911 world, now more than ever, we need Duffy around. He’s the kind of guy you could (and I did) have a beer with (or 12).

Mr. Duffy… you are sorely missed.

Bluegrass Boy Reunion w/Mike Compton

dasspunk — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:58:19 +0000

Attendees at this year’s Sugar Maple Festival were treated to a Bluegrass Boy Reunion show featuring Mike Compton on mandolin. Bluegrass Boys Bob Black, Tom Ewing, Mark Hembree were joined by Mike Compton on mandolin, Paul Kienitz on fiddle and Seth Forester on guitar/vocals. Their show was the highlight of the festival and was a fantastic performance by the boys. The tent was rockin’!

(This is the) Squirrel Hunters – Now in HD

dasspunk — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:31:30 +0000

I recently bought a Canon VIXIA HV30 HD camera and schlepped it along to our TITSH show this past weekeind. Long story short, the difference in quality compared to my last camera is HUGE. The differences can’t be as easily detected after YouTube butchers them but the QuickTime files tell the tale…

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

TITSH plays the 4th Annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Festival

dasspunk — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:51:50 +0000

This past Saturday, (This is the) Squirrel Hunters played our second show at the 4th Annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Festival. The 3rd incarnation of the fest had seen heavy rain on Friday night… and so, not to be outdone, the weather this year decided to take it up a notch and include Tornado conditions. The tornado alarm went off during our opening tune! I myself, having been feeling rather funky all week, and apparently not wanting to be outdone by a little silly weather, decided to have a panic attack during the second song of the set, and nearly provide the audience with a face plant from stage.

But the show must go on… or as Sean would say… “What would Duffy do?”. I managed to remain vertical, hit the tenor parts and with hands shaking, bang out a few solos. Actually, it sounds far better than it had seemed from stage… yeesh.

You can find more TITSH clips on YouTube.

(This is the) Squirrel Hunters

dasspunk — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:28:33 +0000

Okay, I have been slacking… but only in regards to updating my blog (and buying a dresser for the lump of cloths on by bedroom floor). I’ve actually been quite busy with my new band (This is the) Squirrel Hunters.

For some time I have known that in order to get my playing to the next level, I need more reps and to be forced into sweating every detail. In other words, I need a band. As luck would have it, I have some good friends who’s playing I enjoy and who all have similar interest in improvement. Thus was born (This is the) Squirrel Hunters.

We recently had our debut… our maiden voyage… our, if you will, debutant ball (oh, and I will)…. The event took place at one of my favorite bars, the Roxbury Tavern. Tom, the owner/proprietor of the Roxbury, showed his TITSH colors by cooking up a fantastic squirrel stew in honor of the occasion!

It was a fine time to be sure. There’s work ‘o plenty still to do but it was a fine beginning. You’re welcome to see for yourself. There are a few videos up on YouTube, as well as a photo sideshow on the band site. Our next show is this weekend at the Brooklyn Bluegrass Festival in Brooklyn, WI.

Flatt & Scruggs TV Show DVD

dasspunk — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:42:21 +0000

Even if you’re not that into Bluegrass, I would think you’d find the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show DVD pretty cool. If you are even remotely into Bluegrass, then this DVD series is absolutely essential! I don’t think I can hype these DVDs too much… just go buy one and see for yourself. In addition to the many, many great tunes, they also included some of the original Martha White commercials… which are priceless!

New Pioneers – Crawdad Song

dasspunk — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:13:08 +0000

I had the pleasure of filling in for the missing Bruce King at a recent New Pioneers show. Here's some footage from the show... and even more footage if you're crazy like that... or on YouTube if that's your thing.

The show turned out to be a bit of a Bluegrass-smack-upside-the-head. It reminded me that I've been spending a lot of time in the Old-Time world and neglecting the 'Grass. Message received.

Click image to play
QuickTime 7 required.

And please note, because Internet Explorer totally sucks, I can't embed quicktime safely any more. Please stop using Microsoft products where possible. I'd appreciate it.