R
E C O R D I N G !
You've
Been A Friend To Me
It's
here! It's here! It's here!
Craver Hicks Watson
Newberry made one full recording as a group
For years, fans have only found bootlegs or scattered recordings on other
CDs. Now a whole CD of your favorites is available at live shows,
Mike's
store, and directly from Jim Watson (132 Justice St., Chapel Hill,
NC 27516 with check for $17).
"in
terms of elan and verve and all those other words that point to the all-important
spirit, You've Been a Friend to Me ranks right near the top." ...Bill Wagner,
The
Old Time Herald (full review)
"gloriously
revives the spirit and sound of the Ramblers’ early years" ... Jack Bernhardt,
Raleigh News & Observer (full
review)
"There
is great singing, great fiddling, great banjo playing, and great everything
else. Have you figured out yet that I give my highest recommendation to
this recording? If you like old-time music, if you like music period, find
this recording and play it over and over again, and you will see what I
mean." ...Bluegrass Unlimited. Full
review
"if
the kids ever ask, What was old time music like?-- give 'em this."
...Randy Pitts (full review)
A winter of planning.
A spring of recording.
A summer of music.
MORE OF THE LAST
SHOWS - CHECK THE PICS/VIDS LINKS!
House
concert - Joan Fenton & Albie Tabackman, Charlottesville VA - PICS/VIDS
Hiawatha
Folk Festival, Marquette, MI - PICS
The
ArtsCenter 2013, Carrboro, NC - PICS/VIDS
The
Blue Note Grill 2014, Durham NC - PICS/VIDS
Appalachian
State University - Please share any pics or vids with us!
Rappahannock
Americana Music Festival - Washington, VA - PICS/VIDS
The
Cary Theater/Six String Presents - Cary, NC - PICS/VIDS
Home
Craft Days Festival 2014, Big Stone Gap VA.- PICS/VIDS
Brandywine Friends of
Old Time Music -Newark DE
Front Hall House Concert
- Bryn Athyn PA
Susquehanna Folk Music
Society - Harrisburg PA
PICS/VIDEOS
from all three shows
Blue Note Grill 2015
- Durham NC - PICS/VIDS
Pick
'n' Bow - Durham, NC
Spotlight by Starlight
Concert Series - Annandale VA - PICS/VIDS
"Happy
Wheatlands" by Bill Hicks! It
was a real treat to return to Wheatlands, where we all had many fond memories
from our visits there in the late '70s with the band that shall not be
named. In the intervening generations the old site has more or less
grown up in woods, like an abandoned field or a famous battle site that
didn't turn into a national shrine. In its place we found a wonderful
main stage with magically good acoustics, sited on a hill facing a wide
field where fans in the thousands ... (more)
Our
annual Rick Cornell quote: Like a large family
whose grown children have left the fold and made lives for themselves,
Mike Craver, Bill Hicks, Jim Watson and Joe Newberry stay busy with solo
projects and a variety of collaborations. But if the bonds are strong enough,
a family always makes a point to be together at Thanksgiving, that most
familial holiday. Thus, we have this quartet's traditional circa-Turkey
Time gathering. And when this foursome—agile musicians and ace storytellers
all—congregates, you have, oh, about 75% of the Great American Songbook
covered. —Rick Cornell
