Whew!! We have been booking it this summer. We’ve been so busy. We’re grateful and appreciate all the cool things we’ve been fortunate to be a part of. That’s what happens when you surround yourself with good friends like you. Thank YOU.

Words cannot describe the great time we had with super-talent John Driskell Hopkins (Zac Brown Band) this past Friday. Great, fun show and we’re lucky he heard us on the radio all those years ago…because we can all say now “He is my friend!” He is truly a great guy. And he’s shown much interest in bringing that same show to WNC. Also great catching up with JD Crowe in Lexington and the gorgeous Grandfather Mountain experience on Sunday. We played with our pal JD and University of Kentucky for a great ECO fundraiser… He and his band are also a top shelf guys.

Well this week is a big one for us and we want YOU to join us. If you can’t be at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville TN this Thursday you can listen online, or via radio. 7:30pm Central. It will be broadcast live on Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction), AM Radio (650 WSM ), and on the web at www.wsmonline.com. And more show info at www.ibma.org. So you have no excuse to not join in on all the fun. J

We’ve been asked to perform Trains I Missed on the IBMA Awards show along side the likes of Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Steve Martin and many more legendary performers. What an honor. That song is up for IBMA Song of the Year. The album is up for Album of the Year. And the band is nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year. To be nominated by your peers for three awards is truly humbling and a huge honor for a bunch of WNC boys whose only prior talents basically included collecting firewood. Even though I’ve always dreamed of moving to Pakistan or India and becoming a cab driver.

Also wanted to give a shout-out and congratulate our record label, Mountain Home. They have several artists nominated this year at IBMA. These include our label mates: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and the Boxcars. Congrats guys and gals!!

We play FanFest Friday afternoon at 1:55pm. Check out the lineup. 40 top acts including Alison Krauss. More info at www.ibma.org.

Last but not least …we can’t wait for you to see our tuxedos we’ve rented for the awards show!!!! Thanks to Larry at Men’s Warehouse in Asheville NC. He’s a miracle worker…who else could find 4 hot pink tuxedos with those cake-frosting shirts? Thanks Larry. And I say four because Caleb has to be different. He has a bright, electric blue suit with a LOOOONG coat. Looks like MC Hammer circa 1990. hahahahaha Kidding aside…we did get new suits but they’re gray. Not kidding that Caleb owns that blue suit I just described. J

If you’ve never been to IBMA then you must experience it sometime. AMAZING is about all I can say. Please learn more or become a voting member at www.ibma.org.

Hope you tune in Thursday night! Whether we win or not …we’re truly honored to be nominated.

And if you’re in NC this Saturday come to a live show!! Join us this Saturday, October 1^st, in Pineville NC. We’re playing the Harrison Methodist Church Fall Festival. We play at 7pm. Bring the family and come on for all the festivities and fun!!!