Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative
Ken Wheeler hired BlueBilly in 2009.
Hi Mark,
I just wanted to tell you what a great job you all did on Better Mornings this mornings! The segment was fantastic and I know it generated a lot of interest in the festival! J If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, here is a link to it online: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/23145509/index.html.
I will be sending you the details for tomorrow’s 11Alive segment shortly.
Best – Inga Marone Pineapple Public Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2010
Georgia Supergroup of Country, Bluegrass and Christian Artists to Record Hurricane Shoals Song
Jefferson, GA – Hurricane Shoals Park is a North Georgia landmark for the people in and around Jackson, Banks and Madison Counties and beyond. For decades, parents and children alike have trekked to the unique spot where the cold waters of the North Oconee River run fast and shallow over vast expanses of exposed granite.The park is also home to the historic Heritage Village, a working grist mill, one of the few remaining covered bridges in the state, the annual Art in the Park festival, an outdoor amphitheatre and a variety of picnic and play areas available for play, relaxation and special events like weddings, parties and family reunions. It’s no secret to the music loving public and industry, that North Georgia has always been a hotbed of musical talent. Countless award-winning artists have emerged from the foothills of the North GA mountains area, dozens continuing on the become staples and even legends in popular music. It is that well-known and respected, collective pool of musical talent that is responsible for the Down By the Waters Edge fund raising project, aimed at raising funds for the park’s never-ending laundry list of additions, upkeep, maintenance, repairs and day to day activities. In true small-town, Southern fashion, a veritable Supergroup of successful musicians from the Country, Bluegrass and Christian genres, and all who hail from the North Georgia area, are joining artistic forces this Summer, to record a song that they will donate to the Hurricane Shoals Park. “Down By the Water’s Edge”, a song written specifically for the project by Christian Folk artist and songwriter Ricky Fitzpatrick, will be recorded this Spring and made available for sale to the public, this Fall. The song will feature guest vocals and instrumental work from an All-Star artist roster that is slated to include Fitzpatrick, Mark Garrison & the members of Bluebilly Grit, Wayne Baird, Dustin Wilkes, T. Graham Brown and John Berry. And according to Fitzpatrick, who is also organizing the entire project, “We have other artists on the list who just haven’t thrown-in yet, so I expect a couple more surprise additions before it’s all said and done.” The recording expertise and studio time is also being donated by producer and studio owner Lee Davis at Lee Davis Studios in Maysville, GA. Davis who has produced more than 50 independent albums and worked with everyone from Corey Smith and John Berry to Joe Diffie and Billy Dean, will be recording and producing the project. The song will be debuted September 17 at the annual Art in the Park festival, held in the Hurricane Shoals Park. At that time, Fitzpatrick will officially present the members of the Tumbling Waters Society (the non-profit fund raising arm for the park) with the song, and with 100% of its publishing rights, so they may collect royalties on its sale and use “in perpetuity”, he says. “We want every penny of the money raised by this song to go directly to the park and its activities.” “Down By the Water’s Edge” will be available September 10, 2010 as a digital download via iTunes, Amazon.com and other reputable digital retailers. Information on the song or on other means of purchasing the song, can be found on the Down By the Water’s Edge Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Down-By-the-Waters-Edge-A-Song-for-Hurricane-Shoals/120342641310994.
What a weekend! On July 3rd & 4th, Packway Handle Band & The Melting Point presented the Classic City July 4th American Music Festival.
Thanks to Brad at Skaggs Family Records, Stacy Claude at Breaking Booking & Production & John Everhart of Keith Case & Associates for all their help! The media responded to us more than ever imagined and you were right there with everything we needed, from demo CD's to helping us schedule 5 interviews.
Thanks to Melanie Jackson of WMOQ's Sunday Night Bluegrass for interviewing Cherryholmes AND having BlueBilly Grit on the air just in time for the festival. And the 50 other ways you support live bluegrass!. (streaming live @ http://wmoqfm.com/, 7 - 10 pm every Sunday)
Thanks to Jack Ritchie of WUOG's, Bluegrass Junction for the great interview with a not so great interviewee (me). (streaming live @ http://wuog.org/ Sundays at 4 pm and archived online, Join Jack's facebook group for the show: http://www.facebook.com/al
Thanks to John Harry of WUOG's Live in the Lobby for having Art Rosenbaum & Beverly Smith! What a GREAT show that was! (streaming live @ http://wuog.org/, Tuesdays at 8 pm)
Thanks to Robb Holmes & Steve Bell of WUGA's "It's Friday" for having Lera Lynn and Her Lady Friends and High Strung String Band perform. Thanks also for interviewing Halleigh Amsden and allowing her to get her feet wet! (When she signed up as an intern, did she know she would be on live TV?) (streaming live, audio & video, @ http://wuga.org/ & simulcast on Athens cable TV 15 every Friday at 4 pm, then rebroadcast later in the week at 7 pm select evenings on WNEG TV.)
Thanks to Tim Bryant of WGAU's Newsmakers for letting me be a part of HIS favorite hour of the broadcast day! Listen to the interview here, (there's a 30 second commercial, 90 seconds of show into then 6 minutes with me on the festival: http://1340wgau.com/Player
Thanks to Mark Gaffney of WSGC Elberton for taking time to interview Cherryholmes on a busy weekday morning! (streaming live @ http://elbertonradio.com/)
Thanks to Jan Hickle, Karen Graham & Jeff Hill of Fox 5 TV Atlanta's Good Day Xtra for having Betsy Franck live on the air to share her music with your viewers! Videos here, check both, the interview & performance: http://myfoxatlanta.com/dp
Thanks to Alec Wooden of Flagpole Magazine for this terrific article:
http://flagpole.com/Weekly
Thanks to Joe VanHoose of Athens Banner Herald & Onlineathens.com for terrific writing:
http://www.onlineathens.co
Thanks to Zack Taylor of The Red & Black for putting so much into the piece you wrote about Shannon Whitworth: http://redandblack.com/201
Thanks to Rhiannon & Eddie of Eddie's Attic for your support with letting your patrons know about the event! http://eddiesattic.com/
Thanks to Scott Woody for dusting off the famous Atlanta Bluegrass Happenings e-mail newsletter, 1 more time!
Thanks to David Blackmon & Curley Maple for use of their recording of "Forked Deer" for 4 commercials and a video! http://curleymaple.net/
I ESPECIALLY want to thank all the performers who gave up their holiday weekend to entertain music lovers:
Thanks to Jere, Sandy, Cia, Skip, B.J. & Molly Cherryholmes for coming all this way to play AND for being so generous with their time for pre-event interviews. Congratulations on Cherryholmes IV: Common Threads debuting at # 1! Your performance was amazing! No one knew what they were in for! (Well, some of us did!) http://cherryholmes.com/
Thanks to Shannon Whitworth AND you band for also coming a long way to share your music with us and being generous with your time for an interview. (& thanks Megan G. for a wonderful quote!) http://shannonwhitworth.ne
Highway, welcome to the Melting Point, you were terrific! Looking forward to great things to come! http://myspace.com/theband
Art & Beverly - wow, what an honor! The radio show was above and beyond! http://artrosenbaum.org/ & http://smithnjones.net/
Driftwood, the new CD is terrific! And you've got mad facebook skills! http://driftwoodband.net/
BlueBilly Grit - Mark & Co, you never disappoint! Going to WMOQ for 3 hours (plus a 1 hour commute each way) ... WOW! http://bluebillygrit.com/
Exception To The Rule - I could think of no one better to have gone on before Cherryholmes! Love the new website, can't wait to hear to new CD's! http://exceptiontotheruleb
Betsy Franck & The BareKnuckle Band! I WAS able to catch some of your set from my hotel room and LOVED IT! And Big C is amazing! My 10 year old enjoyed every minute!
As if that weren't enough, Betsy gets a call from me WEDNESDAY afternoon, "Can you do Fox 5 Atl tomorrow? EARLY?" She didn't even mention her gig that night ... just an instant YES! http://myfoxatlanta.com/dp
String Theory, you bring so much! And so many! Thanks for playing both last year AND this year! http://www.string-theory.n
Dave, Noel, Christian & Chris! Another band willing 2 years in a row! Dave had a gig in Hattiesburg Saturday night! Still made it out! What a treasure to have one of the best fiddlers in the state right here in Athens! http://curleymaple.net/
Lera, yours was the set I wanted to hear most (tied with TWG) and I HATED missing it! So did Marion! Thanks for doing WUGA and to Karolyn, too and any other Lady Friends in attendance. We finally broke text silence, but still haven't met. There may be a place for us in Guinness World Records, after all. http://www.myspace.com/ler
The Whiskey Gentry! Hated missing what I've been calling "Chesley's Triumphant Return to Athens!" Marion reported back it was a great show and Jimmy danced his tush off! http://myspace.com/thewhis
John, Rubing, George, John and Ben ... Thanks for taking off work to do It's Friday. You sounded great and I can't wait for the reruns this week! http://myspace.com/highstr
Most important ... thanks to the patrons who came out! I hope is was everything you dreamed! (OK so "dreamed" sounds a bit too ... Disney) We hope you had a blast!
I'm sure I forgot someone important ... but it's ... late. I hope bands heard other bands they liked! I'm jealous!
I'm gonna chill and listen to nothing but '70's, European Progressive Rock with a little MM&W thrown in for a while. Until next time ...
