Studio Insider #105 October, 2006
Conferences and organizations of interest
I’m just back in the office, basking in the afterglow of a magnificent weekend of music and
friends up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where a close friend hosts an annual private
music retreat/picking session/food fest. Byron Berline was guest of honor this year, and if he
goes back home to Oklahoma with any skin left on his fingertips, I’ll be surprised. In addition to
Byron’s great playing, we were treated to a wealth of stories from his long and eventful musical
life. The stories came from his early days when he learned from Eck Robertson (the first
American fiddler known to be recorded commercially) to his travels and sessions with Bill
Monroe and then his years in California, during the beginnings of the country-rock scene. I think
we all had as much fun visiting and laughing with Byron as we did playing music together, and I
know that we all had too much fun playing.
In this and next month’s “Insider,” I’ll pass along the names of some organizations and
conferences that I’ve found helpful, both with studio concerns and with bluegrass/music history
interests. If any of these seem interesting to you, then look them up on the internet and learn
more about them. First, some music-oriented organizations...
IBMA (T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l B l u e g r a s s M u s i c A s s o c i a t i o n )
The IBMA is probably best known to bluegrass fans as the sponsor of the annual concert, trade show and awards presentations formerly held in Louisville, KY, and now held in Nashville, TN. This year's IBMA Business Conference will be held at the Nashville Convention Center/Renaissance Hotel from September 25 - 28. The event will include an exhibit hall with more than 100 booths, professional development seminars, member constituency meetings, one-on-one networking, and more. The International Bluegrass Music Awards Show will be held on September 28. For more information, and to see the organization's mission statement, go to http://www.ibma.org/.
CMF (Country Music Foundation and Hall of Fame
Located in Nashville, TN, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum maintain exhibits and
archives that feature important figures in the history and development of various types of country
music, including some bluegrass musicians. The CMF also sponsors an artist-in-residence and
various music shows throughout the year, and sends members a newsletter. For more
information, go to http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/
National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest and Festival
Fiddling is an integral part of bluegrass music, and many fiddlers who go to the annual national
contests in Weiser, ID also play bluegrass music. Quoting from the contest and festival web site,“Since 1953, during a week long musical celebration, Weiser, Idaho has played host
to fiddlers and friends from around the World. Dedicated to preserving and perpetuating fiddle
music for generations to come, this annual festival offers many opportunities to listen and learn
from some of the best musicians in the country. “ Next year’s contests and festival will be held
from June 18th through 23rd, 2007. The festival and contest web site is at
http://www.fiddlecontest.com/
CBMR (The Center for Black Music Research)
The contributions of black musicians and African-American culture to vernacular American
music remain poorly documented and understood, especially in the fields of rural string band and
old-time music. If you’re interested in learning more about this field, check out the “Center for
Black Music Research” (CBMR) at Columbia College Chicago. Their mission statement says
that “The CBMR documents, collects, preserves, and disseminates information about black
music in all parts of the world and promotes understanding of the common roots of the music,
musicians, and composers of the global African diaspora...” You can learn more by visiting
http://www.cbmr.org/
Folk Alliance (Oh, no... not the “f” term
If you leave behind your conception of “folk” music as referring to a mass-marketed and slickly-
packaged glitz from the 1960’s (referred to by some as the “folk scare”) and instead understand“folk” music” as referring to grass-roots expressions of art in a musical context, then bluegrass
and its related and component music certainly fall into that broad category. The folk alliance
holds an annual conference that benefits artists, record companies, publishers, presenters,
agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers, and enthusiasts. The 2007
International Folk Alliance Conference will be held February 21-25, 2007 at the Marriott Hotel
and Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, TN. Wednesday, February 21 will be a
pre-conference day featuring special advanced workshops in songwriting, recording techniques,
internet opportunities and more. For more information, visit http://www.folkalliance.org/
NARAS (The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that
awards Grammies)
If you are active in the music business, you can join NARAS in one of several categories, some
of which include voting rights for the Grammy awards. In this way, you can have a direct
influence on the awarding of some very prestigious music awards in the fields of music that
mean the most to you. The NARAS web site explains its activities, which encompass advocacies
for musicians, publication of important news events on the web and in their newsletter, and
running a non-profit organization, MusiCares, which provides a “safety net of critical assistance
for music people in times of need. MusiCares’ services and resources cover a wide range of
financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and
confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on
human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community.” (from
the NARAS web site, which is at http://www.grammy.com/). NARAS also includes the P& E
(producers and engineers) wing, which will be of interest to those whose participation in the
industry is in that field.
South by southwest (SXSW)
Held annually during March in Austin, TX, the South by Southwest Music and Media
Conference lights up Austin and its environs as thousands of bands and their support staffs
gather to say ”Me, too” to the assembled promoters, agents, A&R people, and music fans. It’s
geared mostly towards country music, but good bluegrass bands might find it beneficial in many
ways, as important industry people are conveniently gathered in one great city. SXSW also
features an accompanying trade show, panel discussions, and more. Learn more at
http://2007.sxsw.com/
Audio techniques/studio stuff
In next month’s column I’ll give a list of organizations such as the AES (Audio Engineering
Society) that exist primarily to benefit the audio recording industry. I’ll be posting these lists on
my web site, joeweed.com, so surf on by for a visit. (note: the AES convention will be held in
San Francisco on October 6 – 8, 2006).
Joe Weed records acoustic music at his Highland Studios near Los Gatos, California. He has
released six albums of his own, produced many projects for independent labels, and does sound
tracks for film, TV and museums. His latest production, for Appleseed Recordings, is “Spain in
My Heart,” featuring Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Laurie Lewis, Norton Buffalo, Lila Downs, and
many other great artists. You can reach Joe by calling (408)353-3353, by email at joe@highlandpublishing.com or via the internet, at www.joeweed.com.
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