The Shepherds Ford Records & Productions Newsletter
January 2010

Welcome to the Shepherds Ford Newsletter. Happy New Year!!!
Here's the news and whatnots for January 2010 and beyond:

2010 Watermelon Park Fest Festival Dates Announced:
September 23-25, 2010

Shepherds Ford Records NEWS!
Shepherds Ford Records Recording Artists Furnace Mountain Storm Euro Americana Chart

Everyone's talking about them as the hottest new act on the rootsy Americana scene and ever since UK radio started playing tracks from the sensational new album, Fields of Fescue in December, and Americana UK awarded the CD an 8-out-of-10 rating, describing the release as "blisteringly good", the word has spread like an out-of-control bushfire right across Europe too.

As a result, the album soared to the Number 11 slot on the Euro Americana Chart after so many contributors - mostly music journalists and radio presenters who send in returns - included it as one of their latest fave raves.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s most highly-respected music writer, Rob Adams, writing in The Herald, has described the band as “a treasure” while reviewing the album for The Herald. Awarding Fields of Fescue and 4-out-of-5 rating, he said:

“The American roots music motherlode just keeps producing treasure, none more winsome and exciting than this quartet who take their name from one of Virginia's most prominent peaks and their repertoire largely from the old-time, bluegrass and folk ballad traditions."

“Combining unadorned, honest singing with fiddle tunes that evoke both keening bagpipes and lonesome train whistles, interlaced with brilliantly audacious mandolin breaks, Furnace Mountain sound like a marriage between Be-Good Tanyas and the best bits of Nickel Creek - except with true Appalachian soil caked onto their boots."

The band will arrive in the UK for their first ever tour here in September and most of the dates (Scotland, England and Wales) have already been snapped up due to the "must book 'em" demand.

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 @ 8 pm, $15
Danny Knicely's 4th Annual Winter Concert!

Don't miss Mandolinist Danny Knicely's 4th annual winter concert on January 23 at 8:00 pm! It will be held at Franklin Park's beautiful new performing arts center located at 36441 Blueridge View Ln. Purcellville, VA 20132.

The concert will feature swing, jazz, bluegrass, old-time and more played by:

DANNY KNICELY on mandolin
NATE LEATH on fiddle
AIMEE CURL on bass & Vocals
BERT CARLSON on Guitar

And since its DJANGO REINHARDT'S 100th BIRTHDAY, there will be a tribute in his honor featuring guitarist DWAYNE BROOKE from The Woodshedders.

For this special occasion there will also be a SURPRISE SPECIAL GUEST, who is a Motown/Soul bassist that played with many popular groups in the 1950's & 60's.

Tickets are $15 adv/$17 door and are available at Franklin Park Center for the Performing Arts box office: 540-338-7973     
www.franklinparkartscenter.org

Thursday, January 28, 2010 @ 9 pm
The Woodshedders @ The BlueMoon Cafe in Shepherdstown, WV

The boys return to hot the haunt with the new old-school blend. Eat, drink, and be merry.

Saturday, January 30, 2010 @ 8 pm
The Woodshedders @ The Mockingbird Roots Music Hall in Staunton, VA

Mockingbird is a unique restaurant and live music venue in historic downtown Staunton, Virginia. The Mockingbird restaurant opened to the public on October 2 and the Roots Music Hall opened, after extensive repair from a devastating August fire, on November 14. Craftsmen have restored and renovated over 7,500 sq. feet of space to create a home for this new venture that features the bounty and rich traditions of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

Saturday, February 6, 2010 @ 4 pm
The Woodshedders @ Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, NY

Sunday, February 7, 2010 @ 7 pm
The Woodshedders @ Arlene's Grocery in NYC, NY