The ABC TV reality show, Wife Swap, with over 5 million viewers across the nation visited Ohio-based Stockdale Family Band on a show this April 23, 2008.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the show and see the family bluegrass band… the episode is available to watch on You Tube!

Click HERE For the First Part of the Show

And you can visit the Stockdale’s Family Website Here www.StockdaleFamilyBand.com

There’s a brand new festival in the works… and we’re always glad to toot the horn of those that are working hard to make a new event for our bluegrass family!

July 18-20, 2008

Bluegrass / Old Country Music Festival

Farmlane CampGround

Grass Lake, Michigan

You can learn more at their website!

www.farmlanecampground.com

Dates: June 6-8, 2008
Place: Olivet College, Olivet, Michigan
Times: Registration opens 12 noon on Friday; Camp ends 3:30PM on Sunday
Website: www.midwestbanjocamp.com
What We’re About: At MBC, you can study old-time or bluegrass banjo with some of today’s best players and teachers in both styles. Our program features hands-on classes, demonstrations and two faculty concerts, and still leaves lots of time for jamming with your fellow banjo enthusiasts.

We’re proud to announce our instructors for 2008. Overall, this may be our strongest staff so far!

Old-time: Bob Carlin, Cathy Fink, Adam Hurt, Brad Leftwich, Michael Miles, Reed Martin, Joe Newberry, and Ken Perlman. Chris Coole will head up the Novices program.

Bluegrass: Janet Beazley, Pat Cloud, Greg Cahill, Bill Evans, Bill Keith, Jens Kruger, James McKinney, and Alan Munde. Mike Sumner will head up the Novices program.

Accompanists: Peter Knupfer (bluegrass fiddle) and Ron McKeever (bluegrass guitar) and “Chirps” Smith (old-time fiddle).

Instructor bios, more information on MBC, and registration forms are available on our website, www.midwestbanjocamp.com.

Hope to see you at MBC this year.

Cheers
Ken Perlman and Stan Werbin
Directors, Midwest Banjo Camp

NATIONAL SINGER SONGWRITER, MICHAEL JOHNATHON
TO PERFORM IN MAUMEE FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

Join us in welcoming nationally syndicated radio host, host of a PBS television show and singer songwriter, Michael Johnathon to the Maumee Indoor Theatre.  His Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour is changing the way America listens to Americana, Folk, Bluegrass and Old Time Traditional Music.  He will be bringing his own talented musical style to concert,  one night only, April 17, 2008.  Tickets are $10 available at the door.  Doors open at  6:00 p.m. and the concert begins at 7:00 p.m..

Opening the show for Michael Johnathon will be talented regional songwriters from Tedd Swartz’s Red Bird Songwriters Showcase.  These singer-songwriters entertain with their original compositions at the Maumee Indoor Theater and will open the show for this evening’s concert with an offering of their work.

Also, from the Glass City Opry, Toledo’s own bluegrass music concert series, Deepwater Bluegrass will also perform prior to Michael Johnathon.  Deepwater is a Toledo regional band that brings audiences a fresh and fun new introduction to bluegrass music with their traditional and original work.

During the Meet and Greet session from 6 to 7 p.m., join Jim Tichy, spokesman for HonorFlight.org,as he provides information about this wonderful community service dedicated to providing our military veterans free flights to visit the memorials in our nation’s capital.

This concert will be the kick-off to our new Woodsongs Coffehouse program, right here in Northwestern Ohio!  We celebrate this evening with Michael Johnathon, joined by regional singer/songwriters and a bluegrass band! This will be a night to enjoy the wonderful sounds of acoustic Americana Roots Music.

For more information, please contact Tedd Swartz at (419) 661-0404 or Sherri Chekal at (419) 250-1096 or find more information at www.TeddSwartz.com.   The Maumee Indoor Theatre is located at 601 Conant Street in Maumee, at Anthony Wayne Trail.

You can learn more about the performers at these websites:

www.Woodsongs.com
www.TeddSwartz.com
www.GlassCityOpry.com
www.DeepwaterBluegrass.com
www.HonorFlightNWO.org

This email came to us and we’d like to pass the information along…

I am writing to request that you help me spread the news.  We are having a  Bluegrass Memorial Benefit in Memory of my father Joe Haftl.  He and my mother  Debbie were residents in Longwood Gardens for more than thirty years.

Two years ago this Month my father lost a very long battle with Cancer.  He was very much a part of Bluegrass music playing the mandolin beginning in  1970 with Ted Lundy as a Southern Mountain Boy, then with Penn Central, and FretLoose.  I have been able to get Bob Paisley’s son and Ted’s sons- Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, along with four other bands all being former band mates, and we are going to raise money to donate as charity to Chester County Hospital Cancer Center.  It will be in Kennett Square, PA at  Anson B. Nixon Park on June 7, 2008 at 2 - 7p.m.  Please help me in making this a wonderful event.

We are looking for MORE bands to join us.  If you are interested, please let me know, we would be grateful for your participation.  If you need to reach me please feel free to call me, Peggy Haftl-Fanny at 302-235-8093.  Thank you in advance for anything you can do to help me.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to help out and enjoy some great bluegrass music!

Pickin’ on Cystic Fibrosis Benefit

Saturday, April 19th, 2008
Dogwood Center - 4747 W. 48th Street, Fremont MI 49412

Music from 1 to 9:45 PM

Featuring Lonesome Journey, the Kleiners, Windy Mountain, Hardline Drive, Lonesome County, Mike Adams Band and Detour.

All funds raised benefit CF Research - Promoter Jimmie Kittle (231) 255-1263

You can learn more at the website!

www.pickinoncf.com 

Don’t miss the fabulous Cherryholmes family, live at the Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo Michigan, located on the Western Michigan campus.

A dynamic, Grammy® nominated and IMBA Entertainer of the year family band embodies the blue grass dream, with all six members singing lead and showcasing their instrumental abilities. Each live show includes exceptional Irish step dancing, twin fiddles, classic country yodeling and an old time claw hammer banjo and Cherryholmes’ high-energy Nashville-style bluegrass performance.

The concert is Saturday, April 19th, at 8 p.m.

The local band, Schiltz Creek will be opening for this great bluegrass supergroup!

You can find more information at:

www.millerauditorium.com

The award winning vocal group, the Isaacs will be performing at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Saturday April 5th, 2008!

If you’re looking for something wonderful to do this weekend… this is a must attend situation!  This family group has traveled for over 30 years and performed with an unique style that fuses bluegrass and instrumentation with modern souther gospel lyrics!  This is one extremely talented bunch of people!  They have performed all over, including Carnegie Hall for a Gaither Homecoming Video!  Don’t miss them!

You can learn more at:

www.myclassiccountry.com 

If you haven’t had a chance to see the bluegrass supergroup, Mountain Heart, you better make sure you get to Ann Arbor, this Saturday, March 1st…   Mountain Heart is in town and ready to cut some sweet grass and make your March come in like a lion!

Mountain Heart is returning to the Ark for the first time since they recorded their live album at the Ark in May of 07…. It’s time to get out and support bluegrass!   Let folks know we LOVE our bluegrass music!!!

www.theark.org

Downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan

We had the fine opportunity to see Honi Deaton and Dream at the OCC Bluegrass Concert Series and let me tell you… this is a fine band and you will enjoy yourself when they come to town and you go to take a listen!

But let me tell you, Toledo! You are in for one great bluegrass show in December at the Glass City Opry!!! We just can’t wait to see these folks again!

You will love the selection of music that they play… it’s traditional, then it’s original, then it’s classic country, and then its fun bluegrass, it’s beautiful gospel then it’s a little contempory! These fine musicians will give you a bluegrass buffet!!! And you’ll be pleased as punch to spend the evening with them all!

Here’s a quick YouTube video that I shot with my camera! (It’s a little shakey because I had to hold it the WHOLE time in the air!) But it’s good music… Go and take a listen!!

And what was equally neat, was the showcase band prior to the main concert with Michigan’s own Hardline Drive! What a nice compliment for the band! Yeah!