Posts Tagged ‘Balsam Range’
Posted on: April 29th, 2013 by Marc Pruett
We want to thank the bluegrass community for the wonderful support we’ve received over the years…and especially for the current sustain we’ve had on the NATIONAL BLUEGRASS SURVEY with our CD, PAPERTOWN!!! It has been the # 1 disc now for 4 months in a row!!! We are stunned…shocked…honored…and humbled that the bluegrass world would support our music in such a substantial way! THANK YOU!!!
BALSAM RANGE remains committed to the music we love, the communities we live in…and the wonderful places where we get to pick and sing!!! We hope all the bands and fans have a safe and productive season…and BALSAM RANGE is thankful to be part of this great music world!!! Take care…
Posted on: March 4th, 2013 by Darren Nicholson
We’re excited about playing The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville TN for the first time as band! It’s very special to me because I grew up listening to the Opry and WSM every night. I was very fortunate to start playing the Grand Ole Opry when I was 18 years old with the great Alecia Nugent. We played it regularly for about 3 years during that time and it was absolutely wonderful for a kid who loved the Opry that much.
Now this time is extra special for several reasons. We’re going for the first time as a band and of course I mean Balsam Range. And it’s with a band of the same five guys who started BR from the ground up. But also the reason we’re going this Friday is to showcase a new recording and relationship we’re extremely proud of …John Driskell Hopkins and our new collaborative album “Daylight“. John was so good to ask us to perform with him on the Grand Ole Opry and we’ll be doing songs off the new “Daylight” album. The album features John and a collection of his great original songs and one co-written by Balsam Range with BR as the full band & vocals on each track. Guests on the album include Zac Brown, Jerry Douglas, Tony Trischka, Joey+Rory, Levi Lowery, and more. The album has recieved amazing reviews all over the country and featured on many radio stations that never play bluegrass. It’s been amazing time recording and performing across the country with John. Including playing ZBB’s Southern Ground Music Fest and Zac inviting us out in the middle of ZBB’s set recently in Knoxville to perform live onstage with them. A million thanks John for being such a great friend and so supportive of our music. John really loves bluegrass/roots music and is one of the nicest guys we’ve ever met. Thanks John!
Saturday we’ll be coming back through Maryville TN at The Shed. 7:00pm. Address: 1820 W Lamar Alexander Pkwy. Venue phone: (865) 977-1669. All events listed below are hosted at The Shed located adjacent to Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville, Tennessee. Stinkers BBQ, a full-service restaurant at The Shed, serves lunch and dinner 7 days a week. John Driskell Hopkins and Balsam Range Album Release Show for Daylight. Come be with us!
Posted on: February 25th, 2013 by Marc Pruett
We are excited as “all get out” to pick and sing at the BLUEGRASS HERITAGE FESTIVAL this Friday, March 1 in Arlington, Texas. Just the thought of all the fabulous, American music that has come out of that great state overwhelms us! And…being part of such a classy event is truly an honor for the group. We’d like to invite you to come be with us and enjoy a great musical event…and hang out and pal-around with BR. *** Here are the details: Time: 8:00pm. All ages. Box office: 214-720-1623. Address: Church 5925 US Hwy 287. Venue phone: 214-720-1623.
And the web site is: http://bluegrassheritage.org/index.php
The Foundation’s web site has a wonderful explanation of their sincere effort to promote, preserve, and perpetuate Bluegrass Music. We hope you can come and be with us and the other entertainers this weekend!!!
(Ol’ Marc says, “I’ve been working off and on for a while writing a song about the Texas Panhandle…a swingy tune…and I am thrilled to get to see those plains and smell that desert wind!”)
Switchin’ gears….we’ve got to say that we are smack-down-tickled for Papertown to be at the top of The Bluegrass Unlimited NATIONAL BLUEGRASS SURVEY…and gang…it’s for the second month in a row!!! That’s just top-of-the-top for us…and we couldn’t be more thankful to all the folks involved…but most of all…to our “nation” friends who support our music and lift us with their friendship…thank you all and God Bless each of you!!!
Posted on: December 11th, 2012 by Marc Pruett
We’ve had a great time hanging out with our Balsam Nation buddies since the “nation” started…and more than that…we really, really appreciate the support you’ve given our band over the last year! It’s fun for us to get to play new music…get to see new places…but the thing we enjoy the most about our musical journey is re-connecting with old friends, making new friends…and seeing how we can all “grow” the music we love and the friendships we enjoy.
Balsam Nation has given us a cool vehicle to connect with the music world…and we thought we’d float the idea to say, “Hey…give a friend a BALSAM NATION membership for Christmas!” Just click on the links…and jump in…and we promise to give you our e-best and a great year of membership.
NOW…HOW ABOUT THIS…we have a short list of songs we want to put on the live album we are recording soon for Balsam Nation members…AND WE’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT SONGS YOU GUYS AND GALS WOULD LIKE TO HEAR US DO on the live CD! You can reply here…or jump to our Facebook page. We’ll soon be making the final list…and we want to consider your requests. We’ll do our best to make a good song list for the Nation…and thank you again for the love and friendship we’ve shared with you over this year of growing and challenges. Merry Christmas!
Posted on: November 7th, 2012 by Darren Nicholson
I am so proud to announce the 3rd Annual Winter Concert Series!!! We are bringing the best acts in music to Canton NC and these folks are at the top of their respective fields. You can’t miss a one of these folks because it is very rare you will see these performers in our region.
Get tickets now at 828-235-2760 or The Colonial Theatre.
Dec 1st 2012 – SHAWN CAMP w/ Mike Bub, Larry Atamanuik, Guthrie Trapp (Legendary musician, hit singer/songwriter performs with Nashville’s A-Team musicians)
Jan 5th 2013 - JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS (Member of the Zac Brown Band , a multi-Grammy winning, Platinum selling artist who just finised a collaborative cd with BR)
Feb 2nd 2013 – MISSY RAINES & THE NEW HIP (7 time IBMA Bass Player of the Year. Country, Soul, Jazz, Newgrass Fusion with a hot band)
Mar 2nd 2013 – LARRY CORDLE, CARL JACKSON, & JERRY SALLEY (Multi-Grammy winners. Legendary Country & Bluegrass Stars. The best trio singing you’ll ever hear.)
April 6th 2013 –
JIM HURST (IBMA Guitar Player of the Year. Phenomal guitar picking, pure vocals, and unparalled musical eclecticism)
Winter Concert Series at the Colonial Theater in Canton NC. Only seats 300 so get your tickets now!!! 
Tickets are only $15.00 each. Order by phone (visa/mastercard) 828-235-2760 to reserve your tickets now. Or pick your tickets up at the Colonial Theater (bus. hours from 9am-4pm). Season tickets and tickets for ALL shows are available now!
BR will also perform each of these nights. All showtimes are 7:30pm.
THANKS TO OUR SERIES SPONSORS:
Make dinner plans at
Sids On Main in Canton NC before each show!!
If you’re traveling from out of town then be sure to stay overnight at the gorgeous
Waynesville Inn located in Waynesville NC.
And for all of your real estate needs…see our friend and everyone elses… the amazing
Amy Spivey.
Posted on: October 14th, 2012 by Marc Pruett
Balsam Range has had the chance to meet some great folks along our musical journey…and this coming weekend, we will be in Charleston to pick and sing with our pal, John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band for a couple of special events. Friday…we will be at THE WIND JAMMER on the Isle of Palms for the evening. And Saturday, we will play in Charleston at ZAC BROWN’S SOUTHERN GROUND FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL in Charleston. If you are reading about the event here, you’re just one click-of-a-mouse away from buying tickets on the link on our “Concerts” page. We are very excited to be a part of this special weekend…and we hope you can join us for some great food and music on the SC coast!!!
Posted on: October 11th, 2012 by Marc Pruett
Balsam Range is excited to be invited to be part of the SIERRA HULL FESTIVAL this Saturday. Sierra is one of our favorite BG performers of all “mando-time!!!” If you happen to be in her part of Tennessee…come out and join the daylong fun!!! We bet there will be at least one HOT DUELING MANDOLIN SONG…imagine that…Darren and Sierra blazing something like “Bluegrass Breakdown” while the rest of us hang on for the “rake-down!!!” Big fun for everyone!!!
Here’s the link:
http://sierrahullfestival.com/
AND DON’T FORGET…BR will be at Tim Surrett’s home church…Ridgeway Baptist Church…this Sunday for a sincere and fun gospel, Bluegrass program. This is one of our favorite shows all year…and a great house of worship!!!
Here’s the link for the church:
http://www.ridgewaybaptistchurch-candler.org/
Posted on: September 25th, 2012 by Darren Nicholson
Balsam Range has been signed exclusively and is proud to announce we are newest artist to be represented by Class Act Entertainment out of Nashville TN.
We are joining such stellar acts as J.D. Crowe & The New South, Bryan Sutton, 18 South, Austin Longe Lizards, The Whites, and Mountain Home labelmates The Boxcars and more at Class Act. Mike Drudge is a super fellow and we are so glad to be working with him. The band has just grown to a place where we were really needing help with administrative and booking. We are looking forward to getting out into some new areas of the country and more. If folks are interested in getting Balsam Range to their area or for their event/festival then all you have to do is contact Mike Drudge at Class Act Entertainment!
Principal and founder Mike Drudge says: “We couldn’t be happier to welcome Balsam Range to the roster. Besides being a band with fantastic musicians and multiple strong vocalists, they have created a uniquely identifiable sound – something that is becoming a rarity in bluegrass these days.”
We’ll be getting up with Mike this week at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in Nashville TN. Really looking forward to seeing all my music buddies at IBMA. My dear friend, Carl Jackson, has us on IBMA’s FanFest again this year and we’re so glad to be a part of it. We play this Friday 9/28/12 at 6:50pm right after JD Crowe & The New South. Check out what an amazing lineup Carl has put together.
Also want to give a quick shout out and congratulations to all the IBMA nominees this year. Know about all of them as great people, extremely talented and deserving. As well as a few special friends who are nominated this year. Mr. Audie Blaylock is up for Male Vocalist of the Year and Mr. Milan Miller is up Song of the Year for IIIrd Tyme Out’s “Pretty Little Girl From Galax”. All special friends and makes me smile knowing we passed on that song for the Trains I Missed project. hahaha. That’s just how it works folks. You’re welcome Russell!!
If you can’t make Fanfest in Nashville come see us this Saturday in Cullowhee NC for Mountain Heritage Day on the campus of WCU. Great day of WNC culture, crafts, music, and more. This is a free event as well. See our concert page for more detailed information.
Hope to catch you down the road!!
Posted on: August 20th, 2012 by Marc Pruett
Hey BG friends! Marc here. This is just a quick note to thank all of our supporters for getting behind our new CD…Papertown. The label and my band mates were very accepting of my work as a writer to let me put a couple of new songs on the CD. I was so thrilled to get to work with Jerry Salley and Carl Jackson on our collaboration ANY OLD ROAD. Over the years, I’ve appreciated and collected motivational phrases that meant something to me…and this one was “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” For me, that speaks to the need for each of us to have a positive direction in life. I really hope this song conveys a good message as to that…and I had a friend tell me once that even if your life is a mess…you can start now…go from here and build good things in your life. The thought hit me once…and I laugh when I say this…the best way to get on the road is to get out of the ditch! I don’t know if there is a title there or not, but I think about stuff like that.
The other song I have on the disc is called I COULD DO YOU SOME GOOD. I know…the title does sound a little adult themed…but…I was extremely careful in writing that one to “not go there.” I just wanted a fun song to happen. (Hank did HEY GOOD LOOKIN’ you know.) I did my best to not waste a word…and just me speaking…I like songs about real people in identifiable situations that are conversational. I especially want to thank our friends at XM-Sirius and the contributors to the Bluegrass Today Chart for giving us play on the disc…and I am very honored that Balsam Range is #1 this week on the BG Today Chart with I COULD DO YOU SOME GOOD! It’s my (and our) desire that our music make you feel good emotions…inspirational…fun…nostalgic…jazzy…and yeah, some honky-tonk (swing-tonk I like to say). Quick story: When my buddy Chris Austin was alive, he pitched I COULD DO YOU SOME GOOD to Ricky Skaggs on a flight we were all on from and island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence back to Halifax. Now…it was an early version…but I can still see Skaggs bouncing as Chris sang him that. Good memories there. Anyway…I love my BR family…and come see us when you can. Ol’ Marc signing off here…have a great week there friends…
Posted on: April 6th, 2012 by Tim Surrett
Happy Easter Everybody!
We’re looking forward to a great time tomorrow night at the Colonial Theatre in Canton, NC, for the last show in our Winter Concert Series. I really hope you can come be with us. We’re going to present an all Gospel program to celebrate Easter. I’ve spent the majority of my life playing Gospel music, and I’m proud to play in a band that still respects that aspect of the bluegrass music sound. I think you’ll be blessed!
It’s shaping up to be a great night.
Our special guest is David Johnson. David is one of the few studio musicians to be elected to the Hall of Fame. During our nearly 30 years of playing sessions together, I have seen him play acoustic guitars, electric guitars, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, basses, steel guitar, cello, harmonica, and others that I can’t even remember. Tony Rice told me that David might be the best musician that he had ever seen! David is also a humle man of strong faith, very involved in his home church. He will amaze you, I guarantee it! He will be playing his own music, as well as playing with BR.
Also, our pal Eddie Rose will be there with us. Some of you have seen Eddie with us, filling in while Buddy recovers from his accident and surgery. You can attest to what an amazing singer Eddie is. He has what I call the “Shock and Awe” factor. Eddie is known around here as not only a great singer, but an incredible Bluegrass Gospel singer. He has been a great friend to this band.
Speaking of our Buddy Melton, he is going to do his best to make a short appearence tomorrow night. His recovery has been stunning to watch! The day he was released from the hospital, he was at the studio singing. We were at the studio just last night, and he was playing great fiddle on our new record! We are so thankful for you folks who have sent up thousands of prayers to make this possible.
Tickets for tomorrow night are almost gone, so jump while you can. We have so much to thank God for, and we want you to be there tomorrow night to help us celebrate all of it!
