Bradley Laird's Grass Talk Radio - Bluegrass – Details, episodes & analysis

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 203

Curtis Jones Interview

Curtis Jones is a supremely diverse musician and a world-class acoustic guitarist. Down to earth, humble and amazingly gifted. I know you will enjoy meeting my friend Curtis Jones. If you want your mind blown, go see him play live.

His interview is another in my series to try to convince the listeners that Georgia has produced an amazing number of fine bluegrass musicians. Sometimes many people tend to think that great bluegrass simply must come from Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia or Tennessee. Curtis is one more great example in favor of Georgia born musicians.

The segue music you hear at the start of the interview is from Curtis' CD "Blue As I" (1998) and is a bit of his original instrumental "Pistol Pete". The outro music is his song "Better Days" from the same recording.

Both tunes feature Curtis on guitar, Alison Brown on banjo, Dan Tyminski on mandolin and Missy Raines on bass. "Better Days" features Curtis singing lead with Shawn Lane singing tenor.

Enjoy the show.

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If you like my podcast I hope you will keep this show going and growing by joining "the club" over on my Patreon page. Thank you, patrons!

You can also support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.  I love you all!

My full website is located at http://www.bradleylaird.com. There you will find free lessons, free videos, jam tracks, full descriptions of all of my books, video lessons and courses... plenty to keep you busy.

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 202

Jim "Duck" Adkins Interview

Duck is many things: musician, banjo player, singer, band leader, teacher. He has been playing and entertaining crowds for fifty years and is a well-known figure in the Atlanta and N. Georgia area. Sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversation with this one-of-a-kind bluegrass personality.

The segue music you hear at the start of the interview is Jim Adkins and Cedar Hill kicking off "Runaway" on their 1984 album "Mama Don't Allow". The outro music is the "Duck" singing "Your Cheating Heart" from Cedar Hill's 1982 recording "Ruff N Ready".

Note: We could have talked for 100 hours. This interview barely scratches the surface of what this guy has been up to for half a century. Get to know him. You will be better for it.

Enjoy the show.

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If you like my podcast I hope you will keep this show going and growing by joining "the club" over on my Patreon page. Thank you, patrons!

You can also support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.  I love you all!

My full website is located at http://www.bradleylaird.com. There you will find free lessons, free videos, jam tracks, full descriptions of all of my books, video lessons and courses... plenty to keep you busy.

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 193

They Said It Couldn't Be Done

Bill Monroe only made one minor mistake in the creation of Blue Grass music. That is the trying, and later elimination, of the accordion in his ensemble. Well, if you listen all the way to end of this podcast, you will hear some of the greatest music ever put on wax. Had Bill met Dominic Frontiere there is a good chance we would all have accordions in our bluegrass groups today! I challenge the whippersnapper upstart Chris Thile to play THAT! 

Aside from that monstrous revelation, I also talk about whether one should joke with government employees, growing mushroooms, divine intervention, "breakthrough" miracles, patience, the sub-conscious mind, and all those other good things which turn average "pickers" into self-surprising musicians.

If you want proof of my three bullseyes go to the show notes for this episode right here. With Jackson as my witness, miracles do happen!

No! Not the chair!

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If you like my podcast I hope you will keep this show going and growing by joining "the club" over on my Patreon page. Thank you, patrons! Without you I would have quit a long time ago!

You can also support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

My full website is located at http://www.bradleylaird.com. There you will find free lessons, free videos, jam tracks, full descriptions of all of my books, video lessons and courses... plenty to keep you busy.

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 111

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

Mankind, along with many other creatures, is a planner. But often these plans go awry just like the poor mouse in Robert Burns' poem. How can you devise, tweak and implement plans which actually work and bring about positive results?

Plans do work! They can also fail miserably. Come along for this discussion of "plan versus no plan" and the art of attempting to actually follow plans--all related to learning to become a better bluegrass musician.

Here are some of the plans I have customized for you:

Mandolin: The Mandolin Treasure Chest

Bluegrass Banjo: The Banjo Learning System

Clawhammer Banjo: Clawhammer Banjo Lessons 1-6

Bluegrass Bass: Bass Instruction Course

You can help keep this show going and growing by becoming a GrassTalkRadio Supporter.

If you enjoy the show you can also support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

Additional information about the podcast is always found here on the episode show notes page: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-111-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who love planning bluegrass "stuff" such as planning to learn an instrument, to go to a festival, to start a band, to write a song, start a podcast, write an instruction book, invite some pickers over for a jam. Some of those plans work out and make the world a better place.

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 110

Let's Get Picky - The pick. That's where it starts. You can have a hundred grand tied up in a glorious instrument but if your pick is crummy, or if you use it in a crummy way, you might as well be playing that $99 Amazon deal-of-the day instrument.

Conversely, you could be starting out with that $99 special and take a little care with pick choice–find one that really sounds good and suits you–and make much better music!

All right. Let's talk picks...

You can help keep this show going and growing by becoming a GrassTalkRadio Supporter.

If you enjoy the show you can also support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

Additional information about the podcast is always found here on the episode show notes page: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-110-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who love making music with wooden boxes, strung with wire and plunked with bits of plastic or other semi-flexible materials... and let's not forget that high, lonesome wailing. Yeah!

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 109

Don't Do Like I Did - When I got home from the jam session last night I had one of those forehead slapping, Homer Simpson "Doh!" moments. I hope you enjoy this little short episode describing something you should never do at a gig or a jam session.

The number of listeners to this podcast has risen over the last months (which is a great thing) but the donations, purchases or other financial support has not risen accordingly. Due to technical bandwidth limitations with my current podcast hosting plan (Yes, it costs me to put these out.) I was forced to squeeze this episode down to the bare minimum in terms of length and file size. I would really like to move up to the "unlimited plan" with my hosting service but, frankly, that all depends on you.

You can help keep this show going and growing by becoming a GrassTalkRadio Supporter.

If you enjoy the show you can also support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

Additional information about the podcast is always found here on the episode show notes page: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-109-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who love bluegrass music and get a thrill participating and contributing to the scene.

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 108

Listener Questions - By request, I begin this episode by telling the story of how I helped rob a bank!

After that I clear my email inbox and answer some listener questions and comments. I decided to do this "on air" because you might have the same question. It's sort of a "kill two birds with one stone" effort.

I think you will learn a few things and enjoy hearing what other people are saying and thinking. If you have written to me recently I may be replying to you!

If you enjoy the show you can support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

For additional goodies, be sure to scope out the show notes here: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-108-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who have discovered bluegrass music and want to learn to play it too!

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 107

Gold Nuggets - Sometimes, if you back up and take a second look at things, you will discover some gold nuggets which you missed in your headlong rush the first time!

In this episode I explain my "how to ace college" method, guaranteed to bring you up at least 2 letter grades, and the value of note taking and how to challenge your mind. That is a very important topic if you are attempting to improve your musicianship!

Near the end of the episode I talk about my inspiration for a song I wrote entitled "Harvey Johnson" and close the show out with the entire song. I hope you like it and please record and perform it. And if you have any pull with Del McCoury, just once in my life, I'd love to hear him sing it! (I have a couple of other people in mind too.)

If you enjoy the show you can support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

For additional goodies, be sure to scope out the show notes here: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-107-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who have the courage to play and enjoy the kind of music they like, regardless of what the mainstream media is pouring out as "acceptable" and "trendy"!

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 106

In and Out - You are either on the outside looking in or the inside looking out. Learning how to earn access to the musical circles is key to growth and personal satisfaction.

In this episode I discuss the concept of "being in" and how to get "in". I conclude this episode with some sure-fire ways to be "out!" too. Enjoy the show.

If you enjoy the show you can support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

For additional goodies, be sure to scope out the show notes here: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-106-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who play or are learning to play bluegrass music--a realm of interlocking and overlapping circles!

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 105

How To Pick With Grisman - Would your wildest dreams come true if you could sit and jam with David Grisman for hours on end? Or maybe Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Jerry Garcia, or any of your musical heros? You'd be surprised at how easily this can be done. And guess what? You will become a better player at the same time.

I also give a quick update on the progress of the Apricot Ale I brewed during Episode 104.

If you enjoy the show you can support what I am doing by visiting my online store at http://www.payhip.com/bradleylaird.

For additional goodies, be sure to scope out the show notes here: http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/episode-105-show-notes.html

GrassTalkRadio is a show for people who play or are learning to play bluegrass--one of the rare styles in which you can easily meet and possibly jam with the biggest "stars" in the genre!