Ashby Frank
Mandolinist, Singer, Songwriter

Like many others here in Middle Tennessee, my home was flooded after the record rains this past weekend. In my neighborhood we had 18-20 inches of rain in the first two days of May, making it the wettest May in recorded history… only in the first two days.
My sister who was in town while I was out on the road playing with Alecia Nugent managed to save all of my instruments, PC and vital records. Thanks Jennie!

I had 6 inches of water in my house, and 2 feet in my garage. I lost a good bit of “stuff”, and there’s some structural problems that will take me a long time to fix and pay for, but the main thing is that I’m safe, my sister’s safe, my roommate Thomas Wywrot is safe, and my dog Cricket is safe! I’m very lucky. Just one street down (towards the Harpeth River) from me looks like a war zone or worse. I have been told that my house was one of the last ones in this direction to get any water, and that this was a thousand year flood. Glad to know I won’t be around for the next one!

I am lucky enough to have great friends that have helped me clean up, and many more that have offered help even when I had a full house of people helping already. I have water, electricity, food, and just got my internet back today. In fact, the great AT&T technician that came to my house today to replace my damaged equipment told me that he doesn’t have water, phone, or internet at his house in rural Hickman County to the South of here. On top of all of that, the bridge that was on his way home from work collapsed last night.

There are quite a few people here in Nashville that lost everything, and some people even lost their lives. I cannot describe to you what Bellevue, the usually beautiful and peaceful suburb I live in looks like right now. I will post some pictures later, but it’s really mind blowing. The national news and federal government have had bigger things on their plate that have kept them from making a huge deal out of what’s happened to Nashville, but it is catastrophic.

The Opry House, Opry Mills, and the Opryland Hotel (the largest non-casino hotel in the world) are still under water as I type this two days after the storm. The Country Music Hall of Fame, our new Symphony Hall, Bridgestone Arena ( Home of the NHL Predators), LP Field (Titans Stadium), Meto Government Center, numerous malls, businesses, churches, and homes all took on various amounts of water.

I’m asking you as my friends to  please donate whatever you can to the Nashville Red Cross. People were being rescued BY BOAT  just several miles from me just yesterday. There are people without places to stay, and without food to eat. They need your help.

By the way, the good people of Logan’s Roadhouse (which is Nashville based), have set up a food trailer in my neighborhood to feed the volunteers and victims. If there’s one in your area, please patronize them and thank them for all they’re doing here in town.

Also, go ahead and make plans to visit Nashville a few months from now. We’re going to need your tourist money! (and would it hurt so bad to consider the Mashville Brigade for your festival next year, or give Thomas Wywrot’s new CD “Every Time I Walk This Road” a spin at your radio station?) Only half-way kidding….

In all seriousness, thanks for all the well wishes and offers of help that I’ve received. I’m doing as well as could be expected. PLEASE remember to donate to the Nashville Red Cross!

I’ll update again ASAP.

Well, considering I participated in a seminar at IBMA about blogging, I really have fallen behind during this busy month.

After two days at Silver Dollar City, we had a all night, no sleep, drive to Denton, NC. We made it to the show with about an hour to spare before our first set. Cutting it close.

My mom out-did herself once again in bringing food for all the performers at the festival. She’s becoming more famous for her food then I am for my picking. hehe. Just fine with me. The crowd wasn’t as big as expected at Denton, but it was a fun show and a lot of my family came down to listen. That always makes me feel good.

I was pretty beat down after the all-nighter, but we got up and drove to Nashville the next day. The driving never seems to end. This should be called Ashby Frank’s driving and riding blog.

Once I made it home, being a glutton for punishment and for good music, I met some of my friends at the Station Inn for the annual Ronnie Bowman IBMA Week Kickoff Concert. It didn’t disappoint. Ronnie’s one of the greatest singers of country and bluegrass music, and I know from the little bit of time I spent on the road with him that he’s an equally great guy. First late night of the week… more to come.

Sunday was a day to kind-of relax. I did some quick graphics work, printed up some cards at Kinko’s, then I picked up one of my friends at the airport. We went to meet some more out-of-town musician buds at a restaurant to watch some football and eat some wings. We stayed up kinda late, but that’s the theme of the week.

Monday I went down and did some old fashioned networking and howdys. After that was a rehearsal with the new Special C w/ Ryan Roberts, then 3 after hours showcases (which start at 11PM and end at 2:15ish). Hung around with all my friends afterwards, and got to bed around 5am.

Tuesday, I got to participate as a panelist in a Blogging seminar (apparently people actually read what I write here!) and much fun was had. Heard a lot of good ideas and hopefully someone got something from me. After that was the 3rd annual, totally unofficial and unsanctioned, IBMA poker game (I lost). Then it was off to the Station Inn for a practice for a later showcase, and then Mashville.

Mashville was awesome! Everyone was on their game, and the crowd came to listen from far and wide. We got to debut the Mashville road crew with Terry Baucom, too!

After that, I dashed down to the Station Inn to play that showcase I had practiced earlier for with my buddy Brandon Rickman. Brandon has an awesome new CD out, and is one of the great undiscovered song writers here in town. Anytime he wants to sing and pick, I’ll be there if I can!

I got done with that by around 2:30, then I got to jam some with The Chapmans, Kenny and Amanda Smith, and Thomas Wywrot.  Good times. I think I got to sleep that night some time after 6.

Wednesday, more talking and rewiring my bluegrass networking, then 2 showcases with Special C and a Mashville guest spot at the Mountain Heart 10th Anniversary Concert. Sleep time…4AMish.

Thursday, went and shopped for a new tie then headed on down to the Awards Show reception. Gathered my date (who got me an awesome 4th row ticket) and then headed down to the Ryman. The Awards are always fun, and this one was no exception. I was especially pleased that Jesse Brock won Mando player of the year. He totally deserves it.

After the awards, Mashville played at the big McCoury Music Afterparty at BB Kings on 2nd Ave. The sound was kinda rough at first since there was no time for a soundcheck, but after all that got straightened out it was a blast! I greatly appreciate the McCoury Clan having us down there.

So I got out of there around 2:30, and went back down to the hotel for no real reason. Like I said, I’m a glutton for music… and punishment. Listened and jammed, and got to sleep around 6.

FRIDAY, had to get up way too early to go play our FanFest set at 11:50. Now that doesn’t sound way too early, but consider that I got in bed roughly 6 hours before I was supposed to be on stage.

Special C set over, and then it was time to practice for sitting in with Alecia Nugent for her FanFest set at 3:30…but only for a short while, because Special C had to go and give a workshop on  teaching bluegrass. After that was over, I ran back to the stage and did the set with Alecia. Shew! Bed time…for three hours! I took a nap, and then it was time to go back to the hotel to do a set with Terry Baucom at the Deering Banjo Showcase at 11:30. I jammed for awhile after that, then I went home around 4.

Saturday I got up and was a fan for awhile… watched some FanFest, then it was time for another workshop. This time for the Mando with Alan Bibey, Andy Ball, and Sierra Hull… three of the best players around. It was a huge honor to sit on the same stage as these “guys”… fun too.

When the workshop it was over, it was time to drive north of town to meet the Turtle Top and ride to Chicago. We made it up there, and played the next day downtown at the Chicago Country Music Festival. Awesome day, good crowd. Yep. Ryan and I wrote a good song after the gig, too. Productive day.

Today we had to wait around for 4-5 hours later than we thought because the bus was once again in the shop, but we left out from Chi-town and made it home for me to type this from my own bed tonight.

I’ve got a case of the confused mental clock/exhausted/allergy body aches, but I’m sure I’ll be ready to pick tomorrow night at Mashville.

WOW. What a long trip. Even though I was in my own bed for a portion of it, that was pretty much 3 1/2 weeks straight of work. I’m going to start making the rounds and calls to some of my favorite festivals to try and get some new gigs for Mashville starting tomorrow, but I’m going to set aside some time for the gym and for sleep. I need both very badly right now! I don’t regret one bit of it, though! IBMA week is so much fun for me.

Until next time…

Weekend before last, we played at the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival in Central California. We shared the stage with John Reichsman and the Jaybirds, Sawmill Road, Kathy Kallick, Chris Stuart and Backcountry, and some other fine groups.
Parkfield has a population of 18 (I was later informed by the waitress at the Cafe that there are now 24 people there, but they haven’t changed the sign), and it sits on the San Andreas Fault Line. It’s considered the “Earthquake Capitol of the World,” but I didn’t feel any tremors. What a pity!
Apart from the yearly Bluegrass Festival, the main source of tourism for the little town comes from their local Wild Boar population, and the hunters that chase them.
It’s a nice little town, with a few houses, a school, a library, a great cafe, and no AT&T Cell Service! The latter feature of Parkfield kinda got me down for awhile, but it was a nice place to visit and I hope I can come back some day!

Under the Cafe Water Tower!

Parkfield Inn

Welcome to Parkfield!

Parkfield School

Parkfield Library

Bluegrass takes over the town!

Inside the Parkfield Cafe!

Congrats to Junior Sisk and Rambler’s Choice! Blue Side Of the Blue Ridge is now the #1 Bluegrass Album on Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Radio Chart!
This is my first involvement with anything hitting the top of the charts, and I’m very grateful that they saw fit to include one of my songs on this fantastic album. If you don’t have a copy yet, be sure to order one today at http://juniorsiskandramblerschoice.com/merchandise!

Junior Sisk and Rambler’s Choice’s album Blue Side of the Blue Ridge, featuring a song written by yours truly entitled “I Did The Leaving for You”, has made its way all to #3 on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey Album Chart for the month of February. Pretty cool!

Speaking of radio and charts, we need your help! Signs from Special C should be at your favorite Bluegrass radio station by now, so help us by going ahead and making those requests! We really appreciate it!

After 23 days, 21 shows, and hours and hours in mini-vans, city buses, ferries, and planes, I’m back home! We had a great time with everyone over in Ireland, Scotland, and England, but it’s nice to be back. I must admit it felt strange to be on the RIGHT side of the road again.

Our last few gigs went very well, mostly sold out, but we did get blasted by one of the largest snow storms to hit Ireland and Britain in the last 20 years. It didn’t keep many people away, though.

The last two nights we spent in the town of Kilworth, which is in County Cork in the far South of the Republic of Ireland. I guess it’s a good indicator for us that we were sold out of the new CD Signs long before we made it down to Kilworth,  and on the last night we sold completely out of everything the band brought. I guess some people, and we all know who you are, just can’t enough Bluegrass.

Yesterday was kind of crazy because we had to get up at 4:45 AM (10:45 PM Nashville Time) to drive back to Dublin to catch our flight. Talk about a long day! It was nice to get back to Nashville before too late. By the end of the trip we had been in transit for something like 16 hours. That’s a long day.

Now that I’m home, I have a chance to wind down a little and catch up on shredding the considerable pile of junk mail that had accumulated. It’s rediculous!

I must say that I’m overwhelmed by the response and interest that everyone has shown in this series of posts! Special thanks to the TheBluegrassBlog.com for setting all of this up! If for some strange reason you’re interested in reading more about me or my travels, even after all of this you’ve already read, come on back to AshbyFrank.com and see what I’m up to!

Last night I went to the Del McCoury Band New Year’s Eve Show at the Ryman, and a good time was had!

Me and Del

I got to see my buddies the Infamous Stringdusters perform and the whole McCoury clan was there in full force of course. I hope everyone else had a great New Year’s Eve, too… wherever you may be.

Tomorrow I’ll be leaving for Indiana for the weekend. So if you’re around Valpo or Chi-town, come see us the Special C.

For everyone that can make it, remember that the Station Inn Christmas Party is tonight at 8! There’ll be some food and Mashville music! The party starts at 8 (a little bit earlier than we’re used to), so don’t be late!

Cya there!

Mashville was a lot of fun last night! Thanks to all that came (Including the wild English Dancers)

I have a few days off for the first time in a while. After the last two weeks, I think I deserve a little break! So I probably won’t have much to post here.

Oh, one bit of news. Tonight I went to Publix and bought all the stuff to make a pumpkin pie! They had pre-made pies on sale for $5, but I would rather spend $15 and make it myself. hehehe. I love pumpkin pie, and I usually make the “traditional” kind, but this time I used a recipe from Paula Dean and the Food Network that has cream chesse in it. Just from the little piece I already ate, I can tell it’s going to be great!

Here’s a link for the recipe if you’d like to try it out yourself. HAPPY BAKING!

Oh and one more thing, we’re planning on a Mashville Costume Night on the Tuesday before Halloween. I’d appreciate any suggestions on my costume! Last year I was a rastafarian.

It’s Saturday night, and I’m at home! Wow.

What a long but great week! This week, I’ve played 7 showcases, 1 Mashville Show, 2 FanFest Sets, been interviewed about 10 times, and stayed up way too late… but it’s great that I get to do this as part of my job.

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass week is always a good one for me because I get to see all my Bluegrass friends that I don’t see very much and hear great new music. Yesterday I helped my buddy Keith Sewell out at 11 AM for FanFest, then had a 13 hour layover until our final showcase set at midnight. Afterwards, I got to hang out and pick some with Alecia Nugent, Barry Bales, Gena Britt, Bradley Walker, Joey and Rory Feek, Randy Graham, Jennifer Strickland, Adam Steffey and many other awesome friends and pickers, but I stayed up way too late and had to be back over there pretty early to be a part of the Mandolin Workshop. Then we had a set for the FanFest crowd at 2:30. It was a lot of fun, but thank goodness that now it’s nap time!

I hope everyone else had a great time!