Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!
I just got off the phone with my dad and my father-in-law.
We had a great tour through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario
over the past ten days or so. Here are some of my favorite moments:
Val and Bobby got into a knock-down, drag-out mud wrestling match in Loganton,
Pa., at the Smoked Country Jam. The mud had to be a foot deep and the rain
kept coming down in torrents, but that didn't stop the folks from dancing in
front of the stage. It was a wild time!
We performed a garage concert at the Ludgates' home just outside Ithaca, Ny.
(How Greg ever got our bus parked in their narrow driveway, I will never know.
He's just that good.) The next morning, I awoke to a clang outside the
bus; it sounded like someone messing with our hubcaps. I thought, "Greg
must be checking the air on the tires. I better get up and get going."
But the front door was still locked. "Hmm..." I peered out the window just
in time to see a gigantic rooster strutting around the yard. Evidently he
had been attacking his reflection in our hubcaps.
The rhubarb dessert at the Methodist church in Hawley, Pa. Mmm!
Frolicking with the Kellish Farms llamas and miniature horses amongst the
daisies and buttercups in Manlius, Ny.
Turning cartwheels with Josie and tossing grass into the air with little Liam at
the Tughill Bluegrass Festival.
Chasing wild kitty cats and eating Judy's
wonderful cooking in Kingston, Ontario.
Jeff and I got married on May 2! This was my first long tour away since
then and
though it has gone very, very well, I'm anxious to get home.
Below are a few pictures from the wedding. It was a lovely day. God
even stopped the rain long enough for us to take a few pictures outside.
We are humbled and so thankful for all our dear friends and family who made this
day possible. We are so very blessed because of you!
Come see us at the River of Music Party in
Owensboro, Ky., Sat., June. 27 at 2 p.m.! More info at:
ValerieSmithOnline.com.
Much love,
Becky
04/20/09
A great big CONGRATULATIONS to Kelsey Wells
for taking 3rd place in the "18 Years and Under" Fiddle category at the
Old-time Bluegrass & Fiddlers' Jamboree this past Saturday. I'm so very proud
of you!
In other news, we had great shows over the
weekend. We did some school shows in the the Kendallville, Ind., area before
heading up to Oakland Community College in Royal Oaks, Mich. (Thanks for the
roses, Chuck. It was very nice to meet Noel!)
Stopped in at
Elderly Instruments to
pick a bit on our way back down to Fort Wayne, Ind., for a house concert with
the Wingers, who let us play Scrabble and air hockey in their basement.
(Thanks for the candelabra, Linda!) Had a great old-timey jam there, too.
It's been a wild and wooly day in Middle
Tennessee. At least one tornado went through the northern part of
Murfreesboro. Bobby Davis, our bass player, and Brandon Bostic, our former
guitar picker, were out driving around in the mess (those silly boys!) They
actually watched the tornado form and touch down. This photo is courtesy of
Brandon.
My instruments and I were cowering behind our
couch. I had a baking stone and a blanket over my head with the weather radio
nearby and the TV blasting. When things calmed down some, the Liberty Pike
storm chasers came by to check on me...bless their hearts!
Jeff road the storm out at the military show
in Franklin. Val, Josie, J. Gregory, Ernie & Debi Evans and the entire cast of
the murder mystery dinner theater show happening in Bell Buckle this weekend
hunkered down at the Methodist church. We had to chuckle when we heard about
that because last time a tornado came through the Buckle, everyone in the church
basement got a concert. The band had been practicing at the banquet hall when
the siren went off. This time, the folks got a show! Apparently the actors
were all in costume and everything! The play is set in the wild west.
So, by the grace of God, we're all "Okee-dokee,
Margie!" However, there are many, many families in Murfreesboro and throughout
Middle Tennessee without homes tonight. Please keep them in your prayers.
A very, very blessed Easter to you all. See
you soon.
Becky
03/23/09
Hey, everybody!
It's been forever and a day since I've
updated this front page and I apologize sincerely. Thank you for stopping by
again!
The biggest news right now is that we got to
hold baby alligators this morning at
International Market
World in Auburndale, Fla. One cannot fathom the exciting, completely random
things we get to do as traveling Bluegrass musicians.
Val hosted the Bluegrass and Clogging festival in Auburndale this past weekend
under the big top circus tent. And we had a great turn out and a fun line up
which included:
I'll be posting pictures from the Auburndale
show very soon, so please check back.
In other news (and almost as exciting as
getting to hold a baby alligator,) I'm getting married in May! My fiancée's
name is Jeff Haley. Kraig (Val's husband) introduced us. I'm so very blessed
to get to spend my life with him and to be part of his wonderful family.
Ok, ok...getting married is MUCH more exciting than holding baby alligators with
their mouths taped shut.
Hope to see you all down the road sometime
soon. We're playing in Missouri and Minnesota over the weekend. We're calling
it our VSLP "Trail of the Jesse James Gang" Tour 2009 because we start the
weekend in Kearny, Missouri, and ends in Northfield, Minnesota, where they got
busted. Check out our
Schedule
Page for more details.
Over and out!
Becky
10/10/08
Howdy!
We’re driving through
Mountain Home, Id., on our way to a gig in Star. The landscape is a study in
gold and brown, gashed here and there with brilliant green. Mountains loom off
to the right, dark and brooding along the horizon.
It’s just started to
snow again. We hit quite a bit of it last night on the border between Montana
and Idaho. Leave it to me to book gigs in Idaho this time of year! And none of
us packed correctly; when we left Nashville, it was over 80 degrees!! I sure
could use a pair of mittens and some long johns. Of course, the band makes fun
of me because I’m from Minnesota and am supposed to be resistant to cold. I
point out that I’ve lived in Tennessee for over ten years now, plenty of time
for my skin to completely switch out.
Let’s see…where have we
been since I last checked in?
Sept. 13 and 14 we were
in Flagstaff for the Pickin’ in the Pines festival a way up on the mountain.
There were some great groups there including the
Del McCoury Band,
the
Nashville Bluegrass Band and the
Carolina
Chocolate Drops. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and cool.
J. Gregory, Val and I
went over to Williams,
Az., to visit our friends at the
Wild West Junction.
You will never leave the junction hungry and you’ll always be entertained. We
played there a couple years ago and it was very nice to see how much it has
grown and changed in such a short time.
Afterwards, we all rode
the roller coasters and screamed ourselves hoarse. The new mine ride was
insane! It pulls you straight up then plunges you down and round and sideways
and slantways and any other which way one can think of. You have to try it.
Sept. 26 and 27 we were
down in Perry, Fl., for another
Pickin’ In The Pines
fest! Our good friend Ernie Evans was there with his group
Southern Lite along
with several other fine groups. I especially enjoyed the Tallahassee Fiddlers,
a group of young folks who are doing some great things with Bluegrass and
acoustic music.
The next four days,
Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, we were in Nashville for IBMA’s
“World of Bluegrass” weeklong convention. Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike
showcased on the main stage Tuesday night. Later that night, Valerie and I
performed with the Daughters of Bluegrass for Good Home Grown Music’s showcase.
The best part of the whole week was Kristin Scott Benson winning “Banjo Player
of the Year.” We’re all so proud of you, Kristin!
At about 3:30 a.m. on
Oct. 3, I crawled into my bunk on the bus in Bell Buckle. Around 7 a.m., we
pulled out for Fairview, Ohio, and the
Pennyroyal Opera
House, but I don’t’ think I woke up until we were somewhere in Kentucky.
Once again, Lenna Lockhart outdid herself with fabulous homemade pie. She sent
us down the road we both an apple pie and a peach/rhubarb. Mmmm!
After the Pennyroyal, we
drove late into the night toward Goshen, Ind., for a show at
LVDs Concert Hall at the Old
Bag Factory. Elvie remembered that I collect tiles and found three really neat
ones for me, all antiques.
In Goshen, we picked up
Rockin’ Ray Yoder to help us drive overnight to St. James, Minn., my hometown.
We performed a community concert at Armstrong Middle School on Sunday
afternoon. On Monday, we performed Intro To Bluegrass programs for all three
schools.
Tuesday night, we headed
on down the road toward Idaho, making stops at
Mount Rushmore,
Deadwood and the
Little Bighorn Battlefield
along the way. Ray taught us how to play golf with Skip-bo cards as well as
Rook Lucky 7s.
And that brings us to
the present, which finds us at a Flying J in Boise not far from our destination.
Oh! I do need to
mention that our recently recorded XM Satellite Radio interview with Kyle
Cantrell is now airing on
Track 14 “Bluegrass Junction.” You’ll be able to hear it from 10/10 to
10/16. For a complete schedule of when it will air, visit
KyleCantrell.com.
As always, thanks for
stopping by!
Becky
09/09/08
Hey everybody!
Thanks so much for tuning in today at
WSMOnline.com or
650-AM. We had a great time with Bill Cody and Charlie Mattos this morning.
The album is now out and available at
ValerieSmithOnline.com! We've got sound samples there as well. If you like
what you're hearing, please call your favorite Bluegrass/Americana DJs to
request us.
We're off to Flagstaff, AZ, on Friday morning for
Pickin' In The Pines.
Hope to see you there. Thanks for stopping by!
Becky
08/18/08
Howdy again!
We’re back on the road
in Virginia on our way home from Maine.
Bluegrass at Stonehedge
has a wonderful location. I think they said they’re going to start having local
groups play in the barn behind the stage on Wednesday nights. We ended up doing
our evening set in the barn Saturday night because of rain. Everybody had a
great time, though.
An extra special great
big “THANK YOU!!” to Chuck and Joyce Carter who fed us fresh lobsters, sweet
corn and blueberry pie. Mmm! Tasty!
Come see us in Arcola,
Ill., at
Rockhome Gardens this weekend! We’ll perform Sunday in the early afternoon.
Have a great week!
Becky
08/15/08
Howdy from somewhere in
Virginia on good ol’ I-81!
What a week! We got in
at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday after traveling for over 24 hours to get home from
Germany. We had the rest of Tuesday to sleep, do laundry and pay bills. I
felt the need to watch “Breakfast at Tiffanys”as I unpacked. I find it a
wonderful movie to unwind to.
Wednesday it was off to
Nashvegas for a live studio performance on
XM
Satellite Radio’s “Bluegrass Junction” with Kyle Cantrell, which will be
airing the third week of September.
On Thursday Valerie, J.
Gregory and I went to the IBMA
award nominees’ announcements at the
Country Music
Hall of Fame, also in Nashville. Alas and alack!, we weren’t up for any
this year, but thank you to all who did vote for us. We’re very excited for the
folks who made the finals this year. A complete list of
this year’s nominees can be found on the IBMA website.
I haven’t told you
anything about our German adventures, have I? We flew into Frankfurt from
London on July 31 and performed at the
SudhausBiergarten in Tuebingen on Aug. 1. The Sudhaus seems to be some sort
of artist enclave, with several different performance areas, teaching rooms, art
studios, etc. Again, the show was sold out!
The next day, Aug. 2, we
traveled to Friedrichshafen on the Bodensee for the
Kulturfer
Festival, which is in the downtown area, yet on the shores of the lake.
It’s a big tourist town. We were able to see the Austrian and Italian Alps
swathed in mist across the lake. Our show was held in a large circus tent at
the festival and we were one of two acts that night. This show was also sold
out.
Sunday, Aug. 3, we made
our way to Nurnberg for the
Bardentreffen Festival,
which attracts 200,000 people over the course of the weekend. J. Gregory
figures there were about 8,000 folks watching our performance! Click
here for some great photographs from that day.
Finally, Monday, Aug. 4,
we performed at the home of Anne Frank’s great-grandfather in Landau, which has
been turned into an arts center, part of the
AltesKaufhaus. The rain that had threatened all day finally left for good
and were able to play in the courtyard as planned. It was completely enclosed,
save for a ceiling, with three balcony levels above on all four sides. (I
swannee to goodness I saw Shawn Connery on the second level balcony off to my
right. I wonder if he listens to Bluegrass?) The entire courtyard was full of
people—the entrance level and all the balconies. It was rather strange to look
up behind us and see people hanging over the railings looking back at us.
From Tuesday until
Sunday we stayed with our friend Karl-Heinz and Anneli in Sachsenheim. We got
in a little rest and practiced a bit on the new album material. A few of us
went to Stuttgart to see the state museum of Baden-Wurttenburg.
On Saturday, Bobby and I
went to Ludwigsburg to visit Heike, an opera singer friend of Karl-Heinz and
Anneli who invited us over to show us the beautiful Baroque castle in the
downtown. It was designed about 300 years ago by an Italian architect and
modeled after Versailles. Part of the extensive gardens included a fairytale
land where we were able to ask Rupunzel to let down her hair (and she did!) and
disturb a giant (who stood up behind the castle wall and yelled at us) and
listen to the singing mushrooms! (Well, they were more like music box
mushrooms, really.)
In the photos, you will
notice I am carrying a purse that looks like German leather britches. This was
sent to me by Wally Murphy, who is German but married and moved to my hometown
many, many years ago. She asked that I take photos with the purse and send them
back to her so she would feel like she had been home. I got lots of compliments
on that purse, Wally!
I don’t have all of my photos posted yet, but
I’ll let you know as soon as they are available.
Have a great day!
Becky
07/30/08
'Ello again!
I'm writing to you from the lovely backyard garden of our friends the Halletts,
our gracious hosts for the last 13 days. This tour has been so wonderful!
The band has been a joy to travel with and we've had all sell-out crowds!
Wednesday night we were in Bristol at
St. Bonaventure's Social Club.
Thursday it was a return visit to
High Barn in Essex.
We were pleasantly surprised to see former Liberty Pike banjo picker Randall
Conn in the audience. He was in the UK on business.
Friday, we went to Devon to the
Plough Arts Center.
Much to Josie's disappointment, we did not see the "Beast of Blackmoor" while en
route to the venue. Saturday we took a ferry from Wales to Ireland to play
at the Phil Murphy Weekend in Carrig-on-Bannow. The
Sullivan Brothers and
Gary Ferguson were there as well, along with our friend formerly from New
York, Mr. Tom Hanway.
We played the festival on Sunday as well. Monday morning early we were on
the ferry again headed toward a gig in Narberth, Wales, at the
Queen's Hall.
And last night we were in Nottingham to perform at the Comfort Inn where Charles
Dickens once stayed. (I don't think it was a Comfort Inn then, though.)
Tomorrow we're off to Germany for a few gigs. If you're in the area, look
us up! Visit our schedule online at:
ValerieSmithOnline.com.
Becky
07/22/08
'Ello from South Hampton, England!
We made it over the pond safe and sound. Our first show was performed
Sunday, July 20, to an over capacity crowd at the Memorial Hall in Freshwater on
the Isle of Wight just off
the south coast of England. They actually turned people away!! The
show was filmed for the
UK
Entertainment Channel and will be aired in a few weeks.
Our second show was last night, July 21, in Maidstone, Kent at the Zebra Bar.
We played there was the main sponsor of our tour,
Maverick Magazine.
Maverick is the #1 source for Country, Americana, Roots and Bluegrass music in
the UK and we thank them so much for bringing us over.
Today most of us went to Stratford-upon-Avon to pay homage to the "Immortal
Bard" himself, Mr. William Shakespeare! We saw his birthplace, his
mother's birthplace, his wife's house, his primary school, etc. It was all
very exciting. I got some pictures and postcards, Val got a snow globe and
Josie got two stuffed animal bunny rabbits whom she named "Rose." It has
been a lifelong dream of Kraig's (Val's husband, who is traveling with us a for
a couple weeks as well) to see the birthplace of Shakespeare. He says the
next dream he wants to fulfill is going to Australia and New Zealand. (I
hope they can book a tour for the band around that!)
Today we're traveling down I-81 toward home in the Liberty Pike short bus. Val and Eric are asleep. Chad's driving, Bobby's sipping apple juice out of rocket-shaped cup from a Denny's happy meal and we're listening to Livewire's "Good-bye, Marie."
We spent the glorious 4th in beautiful Orkney Springs, Va., at the Bishop's Bluegrass Festival. Orkney Springs is a tiny town dominated by a gigantic old hotel/resort with floor to ceiling windows of settled, warbley glass. It's called Shrine Mont and was built by the Episcopalians in the 1850s or so.
Though it rained on and off all day, we had a good turn out. We got to share the stage with No Speed Limit from Southwest Virginia. It was great to see Stevie Barr and Josh Pickett again, NSL's banjo and guitar pickers. Harwell-Grice Band, also from Southwest Virginia, was there as well. Both bands were wonderful.
Our duet record is at the duplicator! We will have copies ready to send out in August with an official release date of September 9. It was a great experience getting to produce a record for the first time and I certainly learned a lot. I really appreciate the faith Val puts in me. I'm so blessed to be with these folks!
We're headed off to Europe in about two weeks. Come with us if you care to, but make sure you pack your long woolen woolies (that's Yorkshiren for "knee-high socks") and your Wellingtons (English for "rubber rain boots") because it can be cold and damp over there compared to the summers we're used to in the States. We'll be in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Germany this time. Our complete schedule is online at ValerieSmithOnline.com.
Hope you had a lovely 4th of July. Please keep praying for our nation and our world.
Peace!
Becky
05/22/08
Hey and howdy from the 'Boro!
It was great to see so many of you while we were hanging out in the Midwest last week. I'll have pictures up very soon, so please check back.
We started out in Jacksonville, Ill., at Illinois College at their annual alumni picnic. Then it was off to Altamont, Ill., and the Little Ryman Opry. They hold the show in a renovated Presbyterian church, so the acoustics are killer. We loved the gathered red curtain, too.
We stopped in at KDHX in St. Louis to visit with Walter and Willa Volz. They may have the show archived on their website, if you're interested. After some picking and singing and a round of Ted Drewe's frozen custard and Gus' Pretzels (Mmmm!!), we headed over to Willa's mom's vintage clothes shop and had a high old time. Chad got another killer houndstooth plaid suit. J. Gregory laughed at my acquisition--a lacy, fawn colored '50s prom dress.
Then it was over to Silver Dollar City for three days in the Riverfront Playhouse Theatre. In between we were able to ride some of the coasters and things. The new Barn Swing ride wasn't quite my cup of tea, but I love Wildfire, Powder Keg and Thunderation. There were so many great Bluegrass groups there. Their Bluegrass & BBQ festival runs for a week or so yet.
And our final stop was the Arcadia Valley Mountain Music Festival in Ironton, Mo., last Saturday, which was a very fun family event on and around the courthouse lawn.
There was a gentleman in Ironton demonstrating an instrument the developed called the "Wheel Harp." It was inspired by the hurdy gurdy. To hear what the Wheel Harp sounds like, visit OddMusic.com.
Today, I'm back in the studio to finish up the mixes for our duet record. Actually, Tim is working on the last song as I type!
As Memorial Day approaches, I'd like to thank all of our past and present military personnel. Thank you for your service to our country and the many sacrifices you make. I pray that God will bring you home safely.
Hey there from lovely Pegram, Tenn. I'm back in the studio today mixing our duet record. Well, Tim (our engineer) is mixing. I'm writing to you while I wait or him to call me up that way for a listen.
Just read about something really cool in my MBOTMA newsletter and wanted to share it with you. It's called Operation Happy Note and has supplied our soldiers deployed throughout the world with over 2000 instruments and instructional CDs since it's inception in 2005.
Steve and Barb Baker started Operation Happy Note when their son was deployed to Iraq. Even though their son is now home with his family, the Bakers are continuing the program because requests for instruments keep coming in.
For more information about Operation Happy Note and how you can become a part of bringing musical joy to our men and women in uniform, visit their website: OpeartionHappyNote.com.
See you down the road!
Becky
04/25/08
Hey and howdy!
Spring is in full swing down in these parts. We have an amazing patch of purple and white lacy irises in our front yard which are protected, of course, by a garden gnome.
Val and I finished up the last few bits of recording on our new album yesterday. (No, I can't believe it either.) We conned Mike Compton and Alan O'Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band into guesting with us at the last minute. I have been a huge fan of their group for about as long as I can remember.
Now it's on to the mixing process. I'll keep you posted on our progress.
If you're in the area tonight, stop in at the Bell Buckle Cafe for some great food and Bluegrass with the Friday Night Orphan Brigade. (That's my honey's band!)
Have a great weekend!
Becky
04/17/08
Hey and howdy, all your fine friends and neighbors!
Thought I'd give ya'll a shout before we head out for Maryland this morning to the Arcadia Bluegrass Festival.
EI-YI-YI-YI-YI!!!!!!!!
(That was the shout. Corny, I know. I haven't had my coffee yet.)
Val and I had a busy week. Monday and Tuesday were spent singing and picking on our new duet record. We've got one more recording session next week and then we're into the mixing. Yea!! Thunderous applause...as my mother would say.
Yesterday, we were up at Tom. T & Miss Dixie Hall's studio in Franklin to work on the next Daughters of Bluegrass album. Val did a beautiful job on an original Tom T. & Miss Dixie tune which I got to do some funky fiddle things with. They let me play my new guitar on it, too...it's first foray into recording! I also added fiddle and vocals to another couple tunes. All in all, it was a fun day and such an honor to work with the legendary Halls and producer/engineer Paula.
Well, the bus has arrived outside Val's door so I'd better get this sent off to you. Have a great weekend!
Becky
P.S. Here are some great pictures of VSLP and Moi from my friend Mike Morbeck up in the great north woods. Hope you enjoy them!
