End of Year Catchup -- IBMA Awards Memories

Well, it's my last "official" post of 2006, and I'm cleaning house. I've gone through my notes and tried to figure out what I've left out this year. Well, thanks to Stacy, I remembered I had never given you an account of my Nashville trip to see the IBMA Awards. Let me give you a brief rundown.

The Awards Ceremony
For those of you just tuning in, the IBMA is the International Bluegrass Music Association. It's the body of folks who help promote Bluegrass music and its associated businesses. They give an award ceremony once a year similar to the Country Music Awards (CMAs) and Americana Music Association (AMA) awards.

The awards were amazing! It's like being at a rootsier Grammy awards ceremony. Everyone's wearing suit and ties, pretty dresses, and the musicians are mostly in black-tie tuxedos and finery. The ceremony has taken place in several venues before this, but in 2006 it was held at the Gaylord Opry House, where the Grand Ole Opry is held today. It was my first trip to the Opry, and it was pretty darn impressive. Although Country Music is pretty commercial today, and the Opry has its share of "hat acts," you can still feel a lot of tradition and respect for tradition at the Opry House. (This isn't the old Opry House, which is now referred to as it's original name, the Ryman Auditorium.) Nashville is a strange place, full of tradition and yet full of sell-outs, but nothing ties all that together as well as the Opry House. (Hmm, maybe the Country Music Hall of Fame, but I'll getting to that some other day.) You can feel both the money and heart when you're in the Grand Ole Opry, and let me tell you friends, it takes both to keep something like that alive.

The awards felt small and friendly, although the Opry House was full to near capacity. There was a feeling of being in the "in crowd" there, full of music executives, promoters, and musicians sitting right along the fans, mixed in willy-nilly. I kept looking for a roped-off area where the musicians would sit, but when the winners were announced folks would get up from all over! It was wonderful!

The best part of the IBMA music awards, though, to my mind, was the price. It's a very affordable and open affair, only $50 per ticket for the middle range seats I got. The nicer seats weren't much more expensive. I might splurge next year! This gave the entire affair an openness. Although we were surrounded by industry veterans, we were also right at home with all the other fans too. The older couple next to us had been to the awards several years in a row, and they talked about the musicians like old friends. I feel that way too. It reminded me a lot of Merlefest in that way.

Now, like I said, it was only $50 to get in the door. That's not cheap, but let me tell you, with the quality of entertainment I saw that night -- even the cheapest HickoryWinder would agree they got their money's worth! It was my first time seeing the Cherryholmes family, and good God! They are fantastic entertainers! Marty Stuart was the emcee and he did a terrific job! We saw everyone and their brother at this thing, and it all ended with a great gospel number by Marty Stuart and Bobby Osborne that took my breath away. The whole night was a ton of fun! I have no idea what kind of money it takes to get into the Country Music Awards, but I'll wager it's a tad higher than $50 a seat.

Del's After-Party
The other coolest part of the awards night wasn't part of the ceremony at all, it was the Del McCoury Band's after-party at the Gibson showcase in the Opry Mall right across from the Opry House. We walked over there on a strangely chilly night to drink booze and hobnob with the stars.

We got in to see a young band on stage playing the hell out of some Bluegrass. I asked the guy next to me who they were, and he said, "The Infamous Stringdusters." I can't wait for their album to come out early next year. (I think it's February? From Sugar Hill Records...) My date told me, "Um Larry, you almost asked Jerry Douglas who the band was." Yep, the guy right next to the guy I asked was none other than the greatest Dobro player the world has ever known, Jerry D.

I looked around. Oh wait, there's Tim O'Brien at the bar, and the Steep Canyon Rangers two tables over. Who was that who just walked past our table? Oh, it was Sam Bush, going to drink with Tim O'Brien. "Holy Shit," I thought, and I quickly bought a rum and coke.

The Stringdusters finished up their crazy good set, and the McCourys got on stage. They tore it up for a few minutes and then started calling out folks in the crowd to come play with them. Sam Bush about knocked a few folks over running so quickly to the stage! Then Tim O'Brien, and it just went on and on. I saw tons of Bluegrass stars, big and small, and quite literally as some of the best Bluegrassers are a bit on the portly side. (I keed, I keed! We love ya!) Over all, that was some of the coolest couple of hours I think I've ever spent.

And the party was free. It was just, "Hey, you're at the award ceremony? You oughtta come over." It was amazing. It felt like being part of a community, which is exactly what Bluegrass is supposed to be about. I'm definitely going to go back as soon as I can.

The Navy Incident
Okay, maybe you've been following the controversy where David Crow, the president of the IBMA, stepped down from his office because of the Navy Bluegrass Band's performance at the show? Maybe you haven't. It's such a tangled web of he-saids and she-saids that I've been actively ignoring it. I think that controversy is another reason I've been subconsciously avoiding writing this post. Do I have an opinion on this matter? Yes. Is it political? Yes. Will I share it here? No, I don't think so. It doesn't help anyone, so why stir shit up? I'll say only this -- I enjoyed the Navy Bluegrass Band; it was Rhonda Vincent's "pageant" I had more issue with. Nuff said.

Alright, well, on that deliberately ambiguous note, I'm going to tell y'all to have a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and I'll see y'all soon. Be sure to check out the new weekly podcasts I'm doing! I'll have the next one out the morning of the 26th -- Boxing Day to you Aussies and Brits.