Ashby Frank
Mandolinist, Singer, Songwriter

Well, good review anyway!
Check out the review of the new Mashville Brigade CD on the Bluegrass Journal.com!

I made it home this morning from Kendallville, Indiana. Made it back a little earlier than we thought we would actually. Still, I’m a little sleep deprived so I’m gonna take it easy today.
I had a chance to check out one of my favorite singers and bands up there, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass. If you like real hardcore and soulful bluegrass music, you need to check them out whenever they’re in your area.
It was also nice to catch up with Robin Roller. Haven’t gotten to see her in awhile.

So anyway, I hope everyone’s having a nice holiday, maybe I’ll see some of yall at Mashville tomorrow night.

Just as a reminder, there will be no Mashville Brigade tonight at the Station Inn. We’re taking a much needed break, but we’ll be back next week!

I just got back from a long weekend in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Tip for the week: if you’re ever going to La Crosse, Wisconsin and need a room, book it way in advance.

The only place left that we could find open rooms for our two nights there was one of a kind….a real winner. From the 15 thread count green see-through polyester sheets left over from the Carter Administration era, to the (as advertised) COLOR TV, and the broken thermostat guts hanging out of the wall, it’s a place I’ll always remember.

But seriously, the festival that we played at Cushion’s Peak Campground in Houston, Minnesota couldn’t be set in a nicer spot. It’s in a valley between the hills on the river, just a couple of miles outside of the nice little town of Houston. I met some very nice folks up there! Maybe we’ll be back someday, but maybe at another hotel.

I know I’ve promised pictures, but I’ve been having camera issues (it’s gettin’ pretty old) and hopefully I’ll have some more photos from my excursions soon.

This weekend we’ll be in Kendallville, Indiana for the Spring Northern Indiana Bluegrass Festival!

It sure was fun!

Awesome big crowd, and plenty of family around! If you guys want to go to a big Bluegrass Festival in the South next year, this is not one to miss. The day we played, there were also performances from Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Paul Williams and the Victory Trio, and JD Crowe and the New South. There was also a special reunion set with Mr. Lawson, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Crowe that was a lot of fun to watch.

My mom and dad came down and brought tons of chicken and dumplins, bar-b-q, and cheesecakes. The Special C guys are now a little bit wider, but happier.

Anyway, it’s off to Wisconsin and Minnesota this weekend.

I’m back home in Davidson County, NC… just ate a ton of my mom’s cooking. Hopefully I’ll see some of you guys down in Denton tomorrow!

Anyway, CMT just posted a blog about Mashville that you can find right here. Check it out.

Well there’s not much to talk about for this week. We had a fun show in Dallas at the Historic Sons of Hermann Hall on Saturday. I found out that the Hall, that’s over 90 years old, was originally a club for German immigrants that had recently settled in Texas. Over the years it’s changed a good bit and anyone can join. There are some very nice folks there, and they’ve had some great music ring through the walls of that place over the years I’m sure.

Tomorrow I’ll be on my way back home to perform at the Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver Bluegrass festival in Denton, NC. As you might have read in the article I put up there, this was the first Bluegrass Festival stage I ever performed on, so it’s very cool to be coming back there for the festival. Should be fun!

Now I sleep.

I made the local paper! Check it out! Thanks to Jill Doss-Raines and the Lexington (East Tyro) Dispatch for the press!

Click here to read the article at the-dispatch.com/

I’m bad to get a song in my head from a town that I’m driving through.

This week it’s been Dallas, and good ol’ Hank Jr.’s “This Ain’t Dallas”.

This ain’t Dallas, and this ain’t Dynasty, this is a real life, two job working family
and I ain’t JR, you ain’t Sue Ellen. We’re just a man and a woman holding this thing together.

I’ve been haunted by those lyrics for two days now, and will be until I drive into Houston on Sunday with echoes of the Gatlin Brothers ringing up in my head. Yes, I know I’m borderline crazy.

Luckily, like most of the rest of America, I have an excuse for my ills! What good can come out of a problem if you can’t blame someone else for it anyway?

I grew up in a house where music was always on, and I liked it that way. My house is still that way if I don’t have the news or some dumb TV show on in the background. I listen to CDs; my Ipod; and FM, AM, and Satellite Radio pretty much every day. I love sound, and music’s the best kind of sound. Much better than truck stop noise in Little Rock that I got to enjoy for a few hours of a nap in the bus the other night. Lots of sirens in Little Rock… Hmm.

Anyway, I’m actually in Bedford, Texas tonight and will be performing with Special C in Dallas tomorrow, and Houston on Sunday. Check out SpecialC.com for more info if you’re in the area!