Ashby Frank
Mandolinist, Singer, Songwriter

Fun show! It was a kinda loose night because we all haven’t been there in so long, so we were cuttin up a good bit, but I think everybody had a good time!

I found out that the new Mashville Brigade record should be out my mid-April so I’m looking forward to that. I got to hear the final mixes last night, and if you like raw traditional Bluegrass Music, you’re going to love it.

Tuesday night seems to be cursed with bad weather. It’s been hurting our crowd numbers lately, every week it’s either tornadoes or ice. It was snowing and icing a good bit by the time I left at midnight. I got on I-40 to go home (I live about 15 minutes from downtown), and after two exits traffic came to a standstill. My poor fellow Southerners freak out when it snows and they don’t know how to drive on the ice… there was a really horrible wreck a couple miles ahead of me. I sat in my car listening to satellite radio for almost 3 hours in STOPPED traffic right in front of the Nashville West shopping center that’s beside of the interstate. I finally got home about 3:15. REALLY long night.

Anyway, more cruise pictures coming tomorrow or Friday, so check back here!

Ciao!

Tonight in Nashville the Mashville Brigade will be:
Jim VanCleve
Col. Josh Williams
Aaron McDaris
Randy Barnes
and ME.

Come see us if you’re within 250 miles of the Gulch. hehe (You’ve still got time if you read this right now!)

Well I’m finally at home and settled in.
It was a pretty long trip and felt much longer than it was and I think that’s a good thing. So much packed into two and a half weeks! It’s pretty chilly here in Nashville compared to the climate I’ve been in for the last three weeks.

I experimented with the new Google My Maps tool, and put together a rough map of where I’ve been, it’s pretty amazing:

View Map (Remember to Click the Back Button to Return to My Page)
This is the second installment of my big trip recap, and I’ll go over some of the best parts of the trip and post some more pictures over the next couple days.

I covered our show in Naples and getting on the ship in another post so I’ll start after that.
The first night I pretty much just hung around the shows, played some cards in the casino, and then I made my way to the late night Karaoke.

I’ve actually recorded on quite a few karaoke background tracks that people sing with all over the world, so if you ever go to a Karaoke party and hear a real Bluegrass track, there’s a decent chance that I’m on it. On the cruise, however, the songs were a little more limited to mainstream popular pop, rock, and country music. Our host Rhonda Vincent was also looking through the books of songs when I came down and was recruited to sing, so we decided to do a duet. I think it’s safe to say that after our performance of Conway and Loretta’s “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”, the song will never be the same. It was pretty fun, even though it’s so strange to read, and sing, and pay attention to when it was my turn to be singing and when it was Rhonda’s turn.

After that, a bunch of us pickers joined in for a lovely rendition of Friends in Low Places.

We had a blast.

The next day was our first night to hit the pool and first evening of performance. The show went well, and I think Special C made some new fans and also had the chance to reconnect with some of our old friends that made the voyage with us.
Here’s a couple more pictures I’ve hijacked off of the official cruise website (bluegrasscruise.com) from the night:

It’s been a while since a post, but there’s a good reason for that…
I’ve been on the Rhonda Vincent Bluegrass Cruise in the Caribbean, and after that we’ve been locked away in secrecy and seclusion Bokeelia, FL working up material for the next Special C recording. Right now I’m in North Miami Beach, FL getting ready to play at the Everglades Bluegrass Festival tonight and tomorrow afternoon.

The cruise was GREAT!
After playing to a great crowd in Naples, we got up and drove a couple hours to Ft. Lauderdale to board the Carnival Miracle. We had a few issues parking our Turtle Top Bus, and when we found the lot that the folks with the Cruise recommended to us it was a little sketchy. Here’s what was right next to where we parked:

Then we had a long, long, line to wait in to board. Some of my friends and fellow ‘grassers stood with us there and waited to go through security and ticketing.

So we get on board and go straight for the buffet. Justin finds his designated standing place, which I thought was kind of strange, but you can’t argue with signs and instructions.

So we all got settled in to the ship, and it was really nice. After the first of many huge meals, I went down and watched the first evenings entertainment (we didn’t play until the second day), then we all joined in on the Karaoke later in the evening. A great starting night to the Cruise.

The boat was a little funky, tacky, and retro. Needless to say, I really liked it… because in Bluegrass and Country music gaudy is good. Here’s a few pictures from the night:

I’ll go over the rest of the cruise very soon, but until then, you can check out the entire gallery on my onboard pictures (some were taken by our buddy Tom Gredell…thanks Tom).

Had a great day at the beach just up the road in Fort Myers! Mid-80′s and sunny.

David had never seen the ocean before today, and I think he had a good time too. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the beach myself, and I love it.

Tomorrow it’s off to Fort Lauderdale to set sail on the Carnival Miracle where I’ll play a little music, and catch a lot of sun.
I’ll be in Caribbean for 8 nights, with stops in Saint Maarten, Saint Kitts, and Saint Something I Can’t Remember Right Now, then back in Florida for a few days off before a festival in North Miami.

Below are some pictures from today, and I promise I’ll take some during the next week. I won’t have net access for a few days, so I’m signing off for a while. Ahoy!

Left my house Friday at 11am to drive to where I met the bus in Joelton, TN. Greg’s flight from Chicago was delayed so we hung around the airport (the other side of town from me) until 1:45pm. Finally left town, and with the help of the Starbucks in Manchester we made it to Marietta, GA, about 30 minutes north of Atlanta, where I started driving.

It was kinda nice to be driving back through the places that I have driven through so many times before I started playing with Special C. I used to meet the Full Circle bunch in Stockbridge, GA a good bit and I like the drive.

So I made it down I-75 through Atlanta, Macon, and Valdosta to a little past Gainesville, FL. I stopped at around 2:30am and got some sleep at a truck stop.

Woke up in my bunk a little past Ocala, Florida. Greg had gotten up and started driving, and I was hungry. David and I ate at a chain BBQ joint called Sonny’s that I really enjoy, while the other two Special Cer’s went to the proverbial Bluegrass grub stop, Cracker Barrel.

We got to our hotel rooms in Bonita Springs, FL , and got a couple hours to rest and clean up, then it was off to Naples… just a few minutes south of here. The gig was at a bar called “Donna’s Silver Dollar”, for a regular “Bluegrass Saturday Night” series that apparently has a decent following in Naples.

It was a really fun show, and the crowd was awesome. Warm and receptive I’d say…but I’m very tired now.

This is a really beautiful area down here on the very south side of Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s in the 70′s here right now, and it’s the middle of the night. Very different from Ann Arbor or Regina. Our friends in North Dakota tell us that it’s -10f there right now… and I’m really glad I’m here.

Being down here brings back some good memories of playing in Florida and the steamy South, and makes me think about how different it is from touring the midwest. It’s fun everywhere, but during the winter you can’t beat South Florida.

We have tomorrow off and I’m looking forward to maybe hitting the beach in Ft. Myers if it’s warm enough. I think I deserve the day off after two days of not stopping. Argh…. that’s what I tell myself anyway.

Goodnight from overcast South Florida.

Thanks to everybody who came out to our shows this past weekend. I know the weather was rough, but we had a lot of fun.  I forgot my camera… so no pictures this week, but I’m for sure taking it with me next week.

After the show in Ann Arbor, I drove until about 4am, filled up in Covington, KY (South of Cincy) and then parked and rested. By the time I woke up in my bunk, we were a little bit south of Louisville, so I got a little bit of rest. Came home, went and ran and worked out a little bit, then I headed over to the Sheraton for our set at SPBGMA.

The show went really well, and it was really cool to get to watch other groups and see friends that I haven’t seen in a while. I watched a showcase in the hospitality suite for the MACC Festival  by Dan Paisley and Southern Grass that was especially great. What an awesome soul singer.

If you’ve never been to SPBGMA, I can’t really describe it to you. It’s kind of a festival, kind of an awards show, and kind of a jamfest. The lobby of the Sheraton Music City is filled up with loud jamming all day and night, the hotel rooms are crammed with pros and fans hanging out and having a good time, and the convention center side is where the performances, band contests, and awards happen. Really interesting place.

Anyway, I’ll be playing tomorrow with Mashville, and then leaving this weekend for Naples, Florida.  I’ll give yall the run  down on the trip some time this week. I’m really looking forward to it.

About to leave Chicago to go to Ann Arbor.

The show last night was fun, but the snow kept some people at home.
Our friend Annie, who I found our likes to check this page out, did brave the elements and make it to the show. True Bluegrasser.  You get the award this week!

We’re going to try to head up to Ann Arbor now. Supposedly they got around a foot of the white stuff yesterday, so this could be an adventure. But you Michiganers are used to snow, so don’t let that keep you at home ok?

Signing off from Chi-town.