SWBMAI member band Down From The Hills will play sets at 11 am and 1 pm this Saturday, August 21, at the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association’s annual Paddle & Pig Out.

The event includes free canoe excursions (first come, first served at 9 am, noon and 3 pm), raffle, food and refreshments
and entertainment for all ages.

The Paddle & Pig Out runs from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM at Paoli Park, Town of Montrose,  near Hwy PD & Hwy 69.
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On Saturday, August 14, The Gibson Brothers will perform at the Chestnut Avenue Center for the Arts in Marshfield.

The Gibson Brothers are the best brother duo to hit bluegrass music in years – maybe decades. Combining the high lonesome sounds of Bill & Charlie Monroe with the sweet harmonies of Phil & Don Everly, The Gibson Brothers apply great heart to the bluegrass music they so clearly love to make. Their newest album, Ring the Bell, continues their tradition of telling poignant, soulful tales of rural life.

“They have it all: lead vocals, brother-duet harmony, instrumental virtuosity, ensemble sensibilities, and great original material.” – Chris Stuart, Bluegrass Unlimited

Tickets are $15. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 show. To purchase advance tickets or for more information call 715-389-8999 or visit www.chestnutARTS.org. The Arts Center is located downtown at 208 S. Chestnut Avenue on the corner of 3rd Street and Chestnut Avenue.

Opening for The Gibson Brothers will be Forest Ridge, a favorite Central Wisconsin bluegrass band featuring Larry Finseth (guitar), Roman Stauber (mandolin), Mary Pimblett (upright bass), Bill Kroepel (banjo), and Gene Koch (fiddle).

Following the show, Forest Ridge will host an informal bluegrass jam. Everyone is invited, musicians and listeners alike. Bring your instruments!

Archie Loman’s annual bluegrass bash, ArchieFest, is back this year, even bigger than ever. The free one-day festival will feature 11 bands performing from noon until 11 pm this coming Saturday, July 10.

The festival is held at the Mondeaux Dam Lodge in the scenic Chequamegon National Forest. This year’s band lineup includes Archie, Jim & friends, Big Daddy and the Feather Pickers, The Lang Bothers, Staff Infection, Mountain Sky & Friends, Prairie Smoke, Northern Comfort, the Mad City Jug Band, and Dick, Goldie & Mark.

Admission is free (no carry ins allowed) Food and beverages will be available on site. Bring your lawn chairs.

Mondeaux Dam Lodge is located in North Central Wisconsin in the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest just 20 miles north west of Medford. The lodge offers a full lunch and dinner menu, boat, canoe, paddleboat & pontoon rentals, a shower area for campers and a small camp store.

As our primary fundraising activity this year, SWBMAI is conducting a Wisconsin Class A raffle for valuable prizes generously donated by area businesses and private individuals. Raffle tickets are available in different colors for a chance to win specific prizes:

Blue Tickets – Fiddle ($525 value, with bow and case) donated by Lane Venden (www.laneslutherie.com) plus two violin lessons with Wisconsin State Fiddle Champion, Shauncey Ali.

Yellow Tickets – Paul Woolson Guitar (www.WoolsonSoundCraft.com) – $3000 value, solid Koa body, spruce top with case – plus four guitar lessons by Bob Westphal.

Green Tickets – Your choice of: Hand-sewn quilts donated by Sharon Manion & Mary Jo Brechtl; Digital video recorder ($150 value) donated by Bruce Brechtl; Hand-braided leather mandolin strap ($100 value) donated by Debra Amesqua; or Two mandolin lessons with Simms Delaney-Pottoff. First green ticket drawn wins choice of prizes, second green ticket gets choice of remaining prizes, etc.

Raffle tickets – $5 each or five for $20 (in any combination of ticket colors) – may be purchased from members of the SWBMAI Board of Directors and key volunteers at area jams and festivals. Tickets are also available at Lane’s Lutherie (4269 W. Beltline Hwy) in Madison. The drawing will be held at 8:00 P.M. on December 6, 2010, at the Dry Bean Saloon (5264 Verona Road) in Madison during the Monday Night Jam and Open Mic. Thanks for your support and good luck in the SWBMAI Raffle!

You need not be present to win. Raffle winnings are taxable income and subject to reporting as required by law. Purchase of raffle tickets is not tax-deductible.

Tonight’s Instructor-Lead Jam is a “5th Tuesday” jam, meaning there will be a special instructor. Heading up the jam tonight will be Ellis Bauman, a veteran jammer and jam instructor.

The jam is sponsored by SWBMAI, and will take place as always at the Germania Parlor of the Up North Bar, 524 East Wilson Street in Madison. Plenty of free parking is available in the Essen Haus parking lot. The jam starts at 7:00 p.m.; a $5 donation is suggested.

By Dave Nance

Okay, let’s try again!  I missed last month’s Third Tuesday Beginner’s Bluegrass jam class, stuck in an airport after a delayed flight at the end of a trip. Ah, traveling!  So I never got a chance to try out this group of traveling songs.  But I’m still in travel mode — I will be heading off to Colorado next week — so they’re still apropos. So here’s the group of traveling songs I got together last time — with an addition (”Going To The West”) that we’ve played before.

A Lonesome Road To Travel – 3/4 time, Key of D — chords:  D   D7 G   A

(links to charts for these songs can also be found at: http://webpages.charter.net/dnance/songs/ )

The Special Consensus swings down from Door County to Dodgeville tomorrow, April 30th, for a concert at Folklore Village in Dodgeville, Wis. The show starts at 7:30 pm; door opens at 7:00.  Tickets are $15 at the door.

Come see seven-time IBMA bass player of the year, Missy Raines, and her band, the New Hip,  perform in an intimate setting, Sunday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m.  This incredible musician has surrounded herself with the best up and coming talent to form a band that creates a fusing of bluegrass virtuosity, jazz-tinged groove and a song-driven sensibility.

Robert L. Doerschuk of All Things Strings says, “Missy Raines harbors different priorities. She has chops to burn, but that’s not as important to her as finding the right note, dropping it in the pocket, and either letting it ring or clipping it short to let the silence speak in the aftermath.”

Her band on this tour includes Ethan Ballinger, a protege of Matt Flinner, Dominick Leslie, and Robert Crawford on drums. See missyraines.com for much more info about Missy and her hot band.

For reservations and directions to the concert, call Jim or Nancy Nikora at 608-233-0150 or e- mail Nancy at nancy@blue-note.com. Make your reservations now as seating is limited.

Bobby Osborne and Bill Malone will feature in a great evening of bluegrass entertainment tonight, April 9, at Madison’s Overture Center.

Bill Malone, Madison’s encyclopedia of American music, will talk on the Rotunda Stage at 6:45 about the origins and meaning of bluegrass music along with special comments about the Osborne Brothers. A few recorded selections of songs will illustrate Malone’s main points. Comments and questions from the audience are welcome.The session is free.

That’s sure to put you in the mood to head upstairs to Capitol Theater at 8:00 for the American Bluegrass Masters Tour, starring Bobby Osborne. In addition to leading a family steeped in musical legacy in its own right, Bobby is the last living person who actually performed alongside the great Bill Monroe. Come for the living history or just the foot-stompin’, knee-slappin’ rhythms.

Tickets for the Bobby Osborne concert may be purchased on line at the Overture Center web site or by calling the Overture box office at 608-258-4141.

By Jon Peik.

Here’s the info for this month’s first-Tuesday facilitated Beginner Bluegrass Jam.

Tuesday, 4/6/10 from 7:30-9:00pm at the Germania parlor area (youth friendly) of The Up North Bar, 514 E Wilson St. Madison, near the Essen Haus at the corner of Blair and Wilson streets. Plenty of free parking behind the Essen Haus.

Formal instruction and facilitation will run from approximately 7:30-8:30pm (as soon as I get there after my lessons at Spruce Tree Music). The Jam is sponsored by the Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association. A $5 donation is requested, but not required. Check out www.swbmai.org for all things bluegrass in Wisconsin!

This month we will talk a bit about “fill licks” and try to use them in our jam songs. We’ll start with the following list to get us started and also go around the circle with song suggestions from you.

Katy Daley, key of G (2 chords, G & D)
You are My Sunshine, key of A (3 chords, A, D, & E)
Foggy Mountain Top, key of G (3 chords, G, C, & D)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Key of G (3 chords, G, C, & D)
Long Journey Home, key of A (3 chords, A, D, & E)
Nine lb Hammer, key of G (3 chords, G, C, & D)
Cripple Creek, key of A, instrumental (3 chords, A, D, E)
Sitting Alone in the Moonlight -waltz, key of A (4 chords, A, Ab, D, & E)

The jam exists to encourage beginning bluegrass players and to help each
other learn. The goal is to enjoy playing music together.

Tuesday jam Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=263735051942

Hope to see you at the jam