"It is the time so well we love,
The time of all the year;
When winter calls with chilling breath,
For fireside and good cheer."

From Jean Ritchie's Winter Grace

Happy New Year!

Wow, isn't it weird to write "2012" and have it actually be a number of a year that we're living in? Having been raised in the '60s and '70s (I'm dating myself here) this kind of over the 2000 mark year is a little unbelievable!

But here we are! The Los Angeles weather has been spring-like and even though the days are short and the sun is low in the sky, we've been enjoying the early winter blue skies. We've also revved up the machine once again from our holiday hiatus and hibernation and are now busy planning for the upcoming year. There are some exciting things going on! We begin the year with the trio playing at the NAMM music industry convention in Anaheim for our friends at Shubb Capos. The rest of January will be a wood-shedding month as we prepare new songs and polish the act for a busy wintertime. February will find us returning to Ernest Troost’s “Juke Joint Gang” songwriter’s show at the Talking Stick in Venice and on the bill once again at the San Francisco Bluegrass and Old Time Festival, this time sharing the stage at the Freight & Salvage with the wonderful Kathy Kallick band as well as sharing a bill at the Palms Playhouse and Studio 55 Marin earlier that weekend with Houston Jones. Later that month we scurry off to Memphis for the International Folk Alliance Conference and some site seeing to Graceland and awesome barbeque! I can't wait to see the ducks at the famous Peabody hotel and visit Sun Records!

Other great things coming for 2012 include a possible short tour for me and Steve to the UK in April (we're working on it!), as well as a new band album we'll record this summer. We'll be presenting 4 new songs from Rob Carlson, along with works from Ernest Troost, Steve Earle, James Taylor and Jean Ritchie. And for those of you who've been waiting patiently, we're finally going to record Fred's great song "Rockin' In Your Grand Daddy's Chair" along with other surprises. We hope for a new CD release right around this time next year.

Thanks to our friend Pattie Van Over on the camera and our own Mark Indictor as editor, we have five brand new videos on our YouTube channel from our show in December at the Grand Annex with Fur Dixon and Steve Werner. See them at www.youtube.com/susieglaze And also check out a very cool article published in late December in Pasadena's The Rose Magazine written by our friend Michelle Mills called "Fiddling Around in Space" about Mark.

And if you didn't catch it, our friend Carl Gage did a great review of our last release "Live At The Freight & Salvage" in No Depression in September: Check it out at No Depression Review of "Live" CD by Carl Gage

So please stay tuned for more good news! Make sure you visit our website, drop us a line on Facebook, and plan to come see us at a show.

We send you all love, and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year. To that end I'd like to quote Mark's New Year prayer: "May we all know the joys and sorrows of all living things as our own, and may our 2012 be filled with love, kindness, compassion, health, abundance, peace and blessings. Amen."

I couldn't say it any better.

Susie and The Hilonesome Band
Rob Carlson, Steve Rankin, Mark Indictor and Fred Sanders

January and February Shows

Saturday, January 21, the NAMM ShowSusie and the Hilonesome Trio play at The Shubb Capos booth at 4:00 p.m.  Anaheim Convention Center http://www.nammshow.org/ Check out Shubb capos at http://www.shubb.com/

Saturday, February 4th, The Juke Joint Gang at the Talking Stick Coffee LoungeErnest Troost's monthly gathering of songwriters at the Talking Stick.   1411 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291. FREE. Shows begins at 8:00. (310) 450-6052 http://www.thetalkingstick.net/

Saturday, February 11th, Live on KDVS 90.3fm radio show The Saturday Morning Folk Show" from 9am - 12noon. With Houston Jones. Listen live at http://www.kdvs.org/

Saturday, February 11th, The Palms Playhouse, Winters, CA
On a double bill with Houston Jones. Show time 8pm.  Doors open at 7:30.
13 Main St., Winters, CA 95694.   http://www.palmsplayhouse.com/

San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival Shows:

Sunday, Feb. 12 Studio 55 MarinWith Houston Jones 1455 East Francisco Blvd., San Rafael, California http://www.studio55marin.com/

Monday, Feb. 13 Freight & Salvage Coffee House

With the Kathy Kallick Band. 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $20.50 in advance and $22.50 at the door (half price for 18 and under, seniors and Freight members get $1 discount).  2020 Addison St., Berkeley, CA 94704. (510) 548-1761. http://www.thefreight.org/ Info on tickets: http://www.freightandsalvage.org/ticket-information

Greetings Friends ~

I've been remiss in getting this letter out to you ~ my time has been taken up with new website renovation and other promotional duties for the band as well as a bunch of shows in August and September, so forgive me!  The good news is that you can now go to our website and check out all the great new content there, including our fantastic new band photography from Andy Sheng of Otis & Lucy Photography on the Contact/Press Kit page, our Summer tour pictures on the Photo Gallery page, a new "About" section with bios on the guys (they are very interestingly cool people!), and watch the photo scroll on the Home page with tour photography by our own Pattie Van Over.  We'll be sharing new video with you also very soon of our show at the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, provided by Brandon Rose of beekerstudios.com.

Our travel is beginning to wind down now after a whirlwind summer, and our shows for the rest of this year will be close to home, although this weekend takes us to beautiful Julian California for the Julian Music Festival.  We're starting to plan for a new CD project next year, including four new songs from Rob Carlson, our composer in residence, as well as songs from Ernest Troost and Steve Werner.

Our upcoming shows are below, and we look forward to seeing you at one or all of them.  Make sure to check out the new Live album and come say hey when you're at a show!

We send you love, and thanks for visiting our site!

Susie and The Hilonesome Band ~ Steve, Rob, Fred and Mark, too!

Sunday, September 18^th, 41^st Annual Julian Back Country Music Jamboree
Frank Lane Park, Julian CA.  Tickets: $35 for both days.  Children under 16 free with paid adult.  Individual tickets $20 per day at the gate/$15 if purchased before September 1, 2011.
Our stage time is at 4:00 p.m..  http://www.julianbanjofiddle.com/

September 24^th, Noble House Concerts

Sherman Oaks, CA  8:00 p.m. Suggested Donation: $15 per person (all proceeds go to the musicians) RSVP to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (818) 780-5979 (Directions given upon RSVP)  Contributions to the appetizer/dessert buffet appreciated.  http://www.jrp-graphics.com/noblehouse

Just added!  Saturday, October 8, Underwood Farms Folk Festival

3370 Sunset Valley Road, Moorpark, CA 93021.  Stage time is 2:00 p.m.

http://www.underwoodfamilyfarms.com

http://www.underwoodfamilyfarms.com/Folk_Festival_Weekend_0MXA.html

Friday, October 28, Coffee Gallery Backstage

Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band on a double-bill with Western songwriters Fur Dixon and Steve Werner.  2029 North Lake Blvd., Altadena, CA 91001. Showtime:  8:00 p.m.  Tickets $20.00.  Contact:  (626) 798-6236  Website:  www.coffeegallery.com

Saturday, December 3, The Grand Annex at the Warner Grand
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band in concert at Live at the Grand Annex Concert Series in San Pedro's Harbor area along with songwriters Fur Dixon and Steve Werner.  http://www.grandvision.org/default.asp The Grand Annex, 434 W. 6th St. San Pedro, CA 90731, Tickets $15.00 advance/$20.00 at the door, doors open at 7:30, concert at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 10th, Claremont Folk Music Center
In Old Town Claremont, California.  Doors open at 7:00.  Showtime 7:30 p.m.  Tickets:  $12.00.  220 North Yale Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-4773. Call for information (909) 624-2928 or visit www.folkmusiccenter.com.

Happy Dog Days Friends ~   

Hope Summer is treating you well and you're having a fun time with family and friends, whether traveling or staying around home, and that you're enjoying some great music along the way.

We had the good fortune to catch Ernest Troost live at Westside Music here in Los Angeles on July 23^rd, with his fine band.  And we just published a review of his great new CD, Ernest Troost Live at McCabe's on Folkworks.  Read it Here:  http://www.folkworks.org/reviews/cd-reviews

There's new band photography coming up with Andy Sheng of Otis & Lucy Photography.  Andy is known mainly for great animal photography, but we like his work with musicians also, so we're headed in with our brushes and combs and powder for some new snapshots of the band.  Check out Andy's work Here:  http://www.otisandlucy.com/  I think it's probably safe to predict that our Megs will end up in the shots. 

Our July tour was FANTASTIC, and we have lots of people to thank ~ Rick Nagle at the Westside Theatre in Newman, Alan Molho of Landfall House concerts in the lovely Watsonville, Houston Jones with whom we shared an awesome night at Don Quixote's in Felton near Santa Cruz, Mike Russell at KKUP in San Jose, Michael Hall of the Northern California Bluegrass Society for his great interview, Lois Kellerman for her great interview and playing our music at KZSU at Stanford University, Steve Baker and Brian Walker at the Freight & Salvage, the great Bill Evans for sharing an awesome night of music with us there, Evangeline Elston, Kim Rogers at KVMR in Nevada City, Steve and Donna Friedman at Mama Llama's in Weaverville and finally Don Murphy and Gene Bach for bringing us back to the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival for the second year in a row.  We especially thank Don and Sandra Murphy for opening their lovely ranch house to us for bunking and rehearsals!  We send special thanks also to our photographers on the road, Pattie Van Over who traveled with us and took video as well as marvelous shots of the venues and us, Mike Melnyk in Berkeley, and Charles Nelson in Etna in Scott Valley.  Their great work will go with us on the road for years to come.  We also give a shout out to Devon Leger for his promo work for us on the tour, Lisa at the Daily Staple in Berkeley for the posters, and Kathy Pomianek for helping with the booking at Don Quixote's.  And last but definitely not least, we're so grateful to Lisa Burns and Rick Glaze for use of their homes in the Bay area.  Everyone helped us so much along the way ~ thank you to our friends, old and new!  It was a trip we won't ever forget!

Our August will take us on the road for only one weekend, on August 12^th when we join the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival near Hollister, California.  We're looking forward to this one!  Later this month we're playing for our first time at the lovely Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena, and a show with Brad Colerick at his songwriter's concert series, also in Pasadena, called Wine & Song.  And we need EVERYONE to come out for our FAR-West fundraiser at the Coffee Gallery in Altadena on August 27^th, on a great lineup with Merlin Snider and Border Radio.  All proceeds will go to benefit the Folk Alliance Regional (FAR-West), so plan to come out for a great evening of music on August 27^th! and help this great music organization.

We hope you'll visit our Music page and check out the new album Live at the Freight & Salvage.  In the meantime, happy trails! and we want to see you at a show this month! 

Love,
Susie

Friday, August 12, Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival
Wednesday, August 17,  Wine and Song Songwriter's Series
Tuesday, August 23, Levitt Pavilion, Pasadena
Saturday, August 27, Coffee Gallery Backstage

Out and About - July Tour!

As I write, the band and I are eagerly preparing to leave Los Angeles in just about a week's time for destinations North!  We have a marvelous Summer 2011 Hilonesome Band Tour planned, and we're "scratchin' gravel" to get goin'!  We're excited about seeing friends old and new, playing some of our favorite places from last summer, and just getting out on the road together and having adventures!

The whole tour schedule is below and we hope that if you are in the areas of our shows you will come out and see us, and if you're not, please let your friends and family in those areas know that we're on the way and we have fantastic new music!  This year we're debuting four new songs from our own Rob Carlson, and one each from our So. Cal. buds Ernest Troost and Steve Werner.  We've also dusted off some of our oldies from the first solo album "Home On The Hill," (including the title cut from that album by our good friend Dan Jenkins), songs from Jean Ritchie's brilliant catalogue of mountain ballads and original writing, along with songs from our faves Steve Earle, Gillian Welch and the late great Hazel Dickens.  I'm particularly excited to be working with the great Bay area banjoist Bill Evans on his guest feature with us at Berkeley's Freight & Salvage on July 13^th.  We'll be doing some banjo/voice material that is profound and beautiful.  We hope you can join us there!  We'll also have our new album "Live at The Freight & Salvage" with us on the road from last year's concert there.  You've gotta get your copy!

Please see our schedule below, and we really want to see 'yall out on the road! 

Here's to a great summer, and thanks for reading!

With love,
Susie

SUMMER TOUR

Friday, July 8, West Side Theatre
Saturday, July 9, Landfall House Concerts
Sunday, July 10^th, KPIG Live In Studio with John Sandidge on "Please Stand By"
Sunday, July 10^th, Don Quixote's International Music Hall
Monday, July 11, Live on KKUP's Monday Nite Bluegrass with Mike Russell
Tuesday, July 12, Stanford Radio KZSU 90.1 FM with Sarah Bellum
Wednesday July 13, Freight & Salvage Coffee House
Thursday, July 14^th, KVMR, Nevada City, CA
Thursday, July 14^th, Evangeline's Café
Friday, July 15^th, Mama Llama's Coffee House
July 16-17, Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival

Drinking In the Draught of June

From the New York Times on Sunday, June 5:

"If we could bottle a few days to uncork later in the year - when the wind has got us by the neck and the curbs are full of taxi-slush - these would be the ones: early June, the days of peony and iris. Conifers still wear the green tips of new growth, and a few of the hardwoods, hickories especially, still show a last vestige of May. Otherwise, the trees have cast their pollen and fledged completely. Now come the deep, dark shadows of late summer.

In the city, the pigeons have passed the stage of courtship and settled into a beak-to-beak domesticity full of gratified cooing. The subway platforms are still temperate. In the country, the cool, dry nights are completely silent, none of August's night-rasp. At twilight, the swallows go off watch, and on come the bats. In the dimness you can still make out bumblebees flying bottom-heavy from blossom to blossom. The fireflies have not yet lit up.

Best of all, the day is still growing in length, the solstice still a couple of weeks away. This is the particular poignancy of June. So much has gone by already - fruit blossoms, daffodils, tulips and lilacs - and yet everything feels so young, even as we come to the turning point in the calendar of light, the moment when the year starts waning again. It feels absurdly unsynchronized, and yet it is synchronicity itself.

It would be nice to decant some early June whenever you needed to, when the sun hasn't shone in days, when the temperature reaches triple digits, whenever the weather or anything else gets you down. But all we can do is drink in June while the month is upon us, while the peonies are coming into bloom."

____________________________________________

We're excited to be in partnership with two new companies, Hearth Music and Unbound Booking. 

Hearth Music is a fantastic promotional company in the Pacific Northwest focusing on Roots and Americana artists throughout North America and Canada.  Check them out below!

 Hearth Music's Blog

 http://www.hearthmusic.com/blog/index.html

Songs We Can't Stop Listening To: Winter 2011

We get a lot of music at Hearth Music HQ, and are currently working on a stack of about 30 CDs up for review. We listen to everything we get, of course, and we've been blessed to have received so much great music recently. Still, some songs stand out. Way out. These are the songs we keep listening to over and over. We keep coming back to them for more. It's not always something we can describe, but this music hits deep and stays in our mind for days, weeks, sometimes months.

Thanks to a miserable Winter/Spring (we'd call this blog post "Spring 2011" except we never got a Spring) in the Northwest, we've been listening to lots of dark Celtic and old-time music, so that's seeped into this list for sure. It's now mid-May and still feels like deep winter. Dive into these old, eerie ballads that have been keeping us awake at night.

Susie Glaze: Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender

The high lonesome sound is rarely used to describe women in bluegrass and old-time music, but it's there. It's not as raw and keening as Roscoe Holcomb, but it's a sound that flies over the tops of our heads and nestles in the high rafters of our music halls. Susie Glaze has this sound in her voice, and she knows how to use it.We found this gorgeous cover of the old Childe ballad, "Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender," on Susie's tribute album to the music of Jean Ritchie. Ritchie, a seminal bard of the Appalachian mountains, is known for singing unaccompanied ballads. These epic songs are melodically difficult to pull off, especially since tradition forbids the cushioning use of vibrato. So the fact that Susie Glaze would approach this song in the spirit of Ritchie, who grew up deeply immersed in the tradition, is impressive. We love Susie's voice on this song. It's as delicate as a crystal goblet, immaculately shaped and conceived, but too pure to survive anything but the most perfect of moments. There's something magical about her singing here, especially when you consider the deep heartbreak in these ancient words.

NOTE: You can hear more from Susie Glaze in Hearth Music's Online Listening Lounge!

http://www.hearthmusic.com/listening_lounge.html

Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band

The high lonesome sound is rarely used to describe women in bluegrass and old-time music, but it's there. It's not as raw and keening as Roscoe Holcomb, but it's a sound that flies over the tops of our heads and nestles in the high rafters of our music halls. Susie Glaze has this sound in her voice, and she knows how to use it. She lives for the ache of a good bluegrass song, and when joined by her ace band of instrumentalists, the Hilonesome Band, her music is an immediately accessible blend of bluegrass, old-time Appalachian, and Americana influences. Joined by veteran folk songwriter, Rob Carlson, Susie incorporates Rob's songs, the Hilonesome Band's rock-solid bluegrass, and a wide selection of traditional songs into her signature sound. In a fantastically innovative musical landscape, it’s sometimes refreshing to harken back to some pure roots —not reinvented roots, but the real thing. Susie Glaze takes us there. She is Dolly Parton without makeup or glitz, soaring on the high notes like a mountain bluebird.

With five CDs released in the past 10 years, Susie's a prolific recording artist and clearly draws a lot of inspiration both from the California bluegrass scene, and from traditional artists across the US. Her newest album, Live at the Freight & Salvage, is a joyous live recording of her music with the Hilonesome Band. She tears through some of the favorite numbers from her repertoire, pausing to tell funny stories and to laugh about the good times. Her previous album, Green Kentucky Blues, was produced by Laurie Lewis and featured a host of hot pickers like Tom Rozum, Patrick and Tom Sauber, and Herb Pederson. Her tribute CD to Appalachian bard Jean Ritchie, Singin' the Moon Up, garnered praise from Ritchie herself: "Her true pitch and the simple honesty of her 'telling the story' with the song is the mark of a real folksinger..." We couldn't agree more! Susie Glaze is a real folksinger and she proves it at every turn.

We're happy to have just signed with Unbound Booking for nation-wide library appearances.  Steve and I will present "From Appalachia to Bluegrass" as a touring duo!  Get in touch with Jessica at Unbound Booking and visit their website to find out more:  

http://www.unboundbooking.com/UnboundBooking/Home.html

"May Day Day" From Jean Ritchie:

Cold and dark the winter, in March it snows again

Through the rains of April, spring comes stealin' in

Smilin' 'oer the meadow in the risin' light of day

Beauty is reborn again every first of May!

For when I'm walkin' with my darlin' on a May day day,

Walkin' with my darlin' on a May day day,

Oh there's nothin' much a doin' and little for to say,

But oh my heart is happy on a May day day!

Folks are cold and distant, the world's about to freeze

Never has the world known harder times than these

Suffering world forgive me and grant me just a day

I cannot help but hope again, every first of May!

For when I'm walkin' with my darlin' on a May day day,

Walkin' with my darlin' on a May day day,

Oh there's nothin' much a doin' and little for to say,

But oh my heart is happy on a May day day!

Happy May Day Friends!

April was a fantastic month ~ there was only one show for us, but it was a doozie!  Our concert at CalTech's Folk Society at the Beckman Institute Auditorium on April 16th was a near sell-out, thanks to some wonderful press from the Pasadena press:  Bliss Bowen of the Pasadena Weekly and Michelle Mills of The Pasadena Star-News (and "Scene" Magazine) produced two very nice feature stories on us and the public responded!  Thanks to Michelle and Bliss!  It turned into a glorious night for us and we also thank Nick Smith and the Folk Society for the invitation to play for a great concert series!  Here is a great photograph (from our sound check) by Eric Rice of "Scene" Magazine. 

New Review for "Live at The Freight & Salvage"

Our new album "Live From the Freight & Salvage: Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band" is now released!  It's gaining airplay in U.S. and Canada: 

KOPN 89.5 FM - Columbia, MO, Host: Steve Jerrett

CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal, "Folk Directions" hosted and produced by Gerry Goodfriend, streamed and archived on the web at www.ckutfolk.com and is a Sing Out! Radio Partner.

KCSB 91.9 FM, Santa Barbara, CA, host Andy Doerr

CIUT/Toronto/Radio Boogie, Toronto Ontario, Canada, www.ciut.fm

KPFK Los Angeles, "Alive and Picking" with Mary Katherine Alden

WTMD 89.7 FM, Towson/Baltimore, MD, Paul Hartman on "Detour"

WRFL 88.1 Lexington, KY, Bob Gregory "Hard Travelin' Revue"

WVGN, Virgin Islands

KCBL, Sacramento, CA, "Backroads Bluegrass"

And from Brenda Hough of the California Bluegrass Association's "Breakdown": 

"With her band the Hilonesome, her strong heartfelt voice makes each song an engaging story worthy of listening and savoring.  This concert recording captures the intimacy and powerful connections that can be made when an audience is in synch with the artist .. The band weaves an intricate web around Susie's vocals and the powerful stories are matched with Rob's dobro and Mark's fiddle.  Rob Carlson's instrumental skills on guitar and dobro are powerful propellants in the band's sound but he is also a talented songwriter with an ability to capture vignettes of time and place.  Susie Glaze and HiLonesome may be based in California, but this album shows they're ready to take over the country!"

Hello Dear Friends,

The band and I have had a most remarkable last few weeks, with shows all up and down the California coast, including the lovely Atascadero and Sonoma County (with a surprise radio set on KRCB's "Our Roots Are Showing" (KRCB Radio 91FM) with host Robin Pressman after our set at the festival.  Little did we know, our radio show was streamed into the festival between band sets.  How cool is that?  We played Sonoma twice that day!  Thanks Robin and everyone at KRCB!  And thanks to Mark Hogan, the California Bluegrass Association and The Sonoma County Folk Society for producing such a great festival!  We were proud to be a part of it.  Also kudos to our pal Lisa Burns who played a blistering great standup bass! 

We came home to play mid-month at The Bluegrass Association of Southern California's new venue at the Viva Fresh Cantina.  It was a great turnout at a great venue.  

We've also been debuting some new material during these shows this past month.  Rob Carlson has been writing and has new and wonderful musical stories.  We've also been showcasing a song from the great Ernest Troost and one from our pal, Steve Werner of the country duo Fur & Steve (www.furandsteve.com)  Our show at CalTech in April will be a showcase of new songs!

New Live CD Is Here!

Our new album "Live From the Freight & Salvage: Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band."  is now released!  It's gaining airplay in U.S. and Canada already and has a review just posted at the end of March:

"Glaze and her high octane traditional music fits right in at the Berkeley muso club house where the mostly organic programs delight adults that can take the BART right to the front door. Obviously a super star of traditional folk, Glaze and her crew are so on the money it's frightening. Not doing the dusty, moldy fig stuff, she's probably a rocker in her heart but wisely chose to use her clear soprano for it's best purpose. A winning set that'll just knock you off your pins, particularly if you re an old, back-to-the-land hippie. Killer stuff."   Chris Spector, Midwest Record www.midwestrecord.com

Recorded on July 15th, 2010 at The Freight & Salvage Coffee House, Berkeley, California, the album features ten tracks, with five originals from lead guitarist Rob Carlson, as well as traditional mountain songs from the Jean Ritchie collection and the great Steve Earle.  Bill Evans was our banjo guest for the set.

The album is available on Amazon, CD Baby and DigStation.

Hilonesome Music announces the release of "Live At The Freight & Salvage: Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band" March 1, 2011.

Recorded live on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at The Freight & Salvage Coffee House, Berkeley, California by Brian Walker, Articulate Audio, the album features band originals from lead guitarist Rob Carlson such as "Old Dirt Road"  and "Maggie Bailey" (with guest Bill Evans on banjo), audience favorites "The River Road" and "Albuquerque," along with Jean Ritchie original and traditional selections such as "Go Dig My Grave" and "One More Mile."  Mandolinist Steve Rankin finishes out the evening with Steve Earle's great song "Pilgrim."  Players:  Susie Glaze, lead vocals, guitar and mountain dulcimer; Rob Carlson, lead guitar, dobro and harmony vocals; Steve Rankin, mandolin, guitar, lead and harmony vocals; Fred Sanders, bass, harmony vocals; Mark Indictor, fiddle; Bill Evans, banjo guest on "Old Dirt Road" and "Maggie Bailey."  Album will be available for sale on Amazon, CD Baby and DigStation. 
Now on Sale!  Find the Album on CDBaby Today!  Get your copy and write a review for us there on the CDBaby website! 

Wintergrace From Jean Ritchie: 

 "Ice and snow mean hardship to city people, as I learned when I came to New York and had my first taste of 'rush hour' during a January storm. How different on our Kentucky mountainside farm! Here, the cold months mean a needed breathing space -- the land, the animals, people all rest and gather strength of body and spirit to begin the growing cycle again, in the spring...I wanted to sing about this feeling of winter grace and peace. There was no old song for it, so I made this one."

 Wintergrace (Jean Ritchie)

It is the time so well we love,
The time of all the year;
When winter calls with chilling breath,
For fireside and good cheer.

A time for man and beast to stand
And feel the season turn;
To watch the stars for secret signs,
And God's true lessons learn.

For the time when the corn is all into the barn,
The old cow's breath's a frosty wine,
When the morn along the fallow field
Doth silver shine.

And when cold morning's radiant star
Shines over hill and plain;
We know anew that little babe
Is born to us again.

And man and beast and bird in tree,
Each one in his own place;
We bow our hearts and thank our God
For winter rest and grace.

For the time when the corn is all into the barn,
The old cow's breath's a frosty wine,
When the morn along the fallow field
Doth silver shine.

Hello Dear Friends,

This winter has been a quiet time of "hibernation" for us since the holidays.  The band and I have been getting into our back rooms and working on new songs for the upcoming year of shows and hopefully a new record project.  Rob's been writing (in fact we've been developing some of these for quite a while now), and we've also collected some marvelous new works from our friends Ernest Troost and Steve Werner.  I'm happy to be bringing all of these into the light of day for our upcoming show year beginning in early March. 

Here is one of my recent blessings, my last fall visit with my good friend Jean Ritchie at her home in New York.  Jean has been uppermost in our minds since her stroke in December of 2009.  Jean also recently lost her dear husband George Pickow.  To tell you about George, I include excerpts below of an article which appeared in The New York Times:

"George Pickow, a photographer best known for the thousands of album covers in which he captured the titans of folk, jazz and pop music — including Theodore Bikel, Louis Armstrong and Lena Horne — in their midcentury prime, died on Dec. 10 in Roslyn, N.Y. He was 88 and lived in Port Washington, on Long Island.   Working quietly behind the scenes, Mr. Pickow documented the bubbling cultural ferment of New York City, and in particular Greenwich Village, where he and Ms. Ritchie lived after their marriage in 1950.

For Elektra Records and other labels, he photographed folk singers like Josh White, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins and, of course, Ms. Ritchie, as well as jazz and pop artists like Little Richard, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Nina Simone and Louis Jordan.

Mr. Pickow, who helped his wife collect traditional songs from singers in Appalachia and Britain, contributed photographs to many of her books, among them “The Swapping Song Book” (Oxford University, 1952), a volume of songs from the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky.

Also an independent filmmaker, he was a cinematographer on “Festival” (1967), a documentary film about the Newport Folk Festival, directed by Murray Lerner.

From the late 1970s until shortly before his death, Mr. Pickow ran a small record label, Greenhays Recordings, which produced several of Ms. Ritchie’s albums, including “Mountain Born,” “High Hills and Mountains” and “The Most Dulcimer.” Greenhays also recorded folk artists like John McCutcheon, Mike Seeger, Alice Gerrard and Lily May Ledford.

George Pickow was born on Feb. 11, 1922, in Los Angeles and reared in Brooklyn. He studied painting at the Cooper Union and during World War II made training films for the Navy. In 1948 in New York, Mr. Pickow met Ms. Ritchie, who was not yet widely known, at a square dance at the Henry Street Settlement, where she was a social worker. The next day, for their first date, he took her along on a photo shoot at the Fulton Fish Market. The result — Ms. Ritchie perched on the hood of a truck, holding a rather large lobster — was published in a trucking-industry magazine.

Perhaps more impressive to Ms. Ritchie was the Appalachian dulcimer Mr. Pickow made for her, a copy of the traditional one she had brought from Kentucky. It proved so successful that for about a decade, starting in the early 1960s, he ran a small family dulcimer-making business, located on the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge and presided over by his uncle, a millwright and cabinetmaker.

Neither Mr. Pickow nor his uncle was especially musical, so Ms. Ritchie painstakingly marked each nascent dulcimer to indicate the placement of the frets.  

While Ms. Ritchie was born to folk music, Mr. Pickow came to it by degrees. “I was mainly into old jazz and blues then,” he told The New York Times in 1980, recalling their meeting, “and thought nothing was any good unless it was down and dirty. She wasn’t Bessie Smith.”

But, he added, “I’ve learned a lot since then.""

I was honored to be friends with George and to share in his wonderful work.  He was a great artist and friend.  We will miss him a lot. 

__________________________________________

New CD Coming in March!

We're excited to be releasing our new album in March, "Live From the Freight & Salvage: Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band." 

Recorded on July 15th, 2010 at The Freight & Salvage Coffee House, Berkeley, California, the album features ten tracks, with five originals from lead guitarist Rob Carlson, as well as traditional mountain songs from the Jean Ritchie collection and the great Steve Earle.  Bill Evans was our banjo guest for the set.

The album will be available on Amazon, CD Baby and DigStation.


Joe Craven Festival Weekend at Coffee Gallery – February 19 & 20th

Make plans to catch Joe Craven on at least one of his three, yes three! shows at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, Saturday and Sunday (with matinees!), February 19^th and 20^th.  He always fills the place, so call to reserve your seats! Reservations/Information: (626) 794-2424 www.coffeegallery.com.  Address:  2029 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, CA 91001.

Upcoming Shows

Saturday, March 5^th Musica del Rio House Concerts
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band Quartet.  Atascadero, CA.  Sharon and Fred Munroe are the hosts in their living room filled with Música Del Río, "music of the river" in Atascadero, their town in the upper Salinas River Valley of California.  Showtime:  8:00 p.m.  Tickets are a suggested donation.  Contact:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Website:  http://www.musicadelrio.org/

Saturday, March 12^th, Sonoma County Bluegrass & Folk Festival
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band with guest Lisa Burns on bass. Sonoma County Folk Society, Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St, Sebastopol, CA 95472.  Showtime: 2:00 p.m.  Tickets:  $28 advance, $33 door.  Contact: (707) 823-1511  (707) 829-8012, (707) 542-3798   http://cbaontheweb.org/cba_news.asp?newsid=6132

Tuesday, March 15^th, Bluegrass Association of Southern California at Viva Cantina!
Susie Glaze & The BIG Hilonesome Band.  900 Riverside Dr., Burbank, Ca. 91506. Phone: 818-515-4444, 818-845-2425, or Harley at 818-221-4680.  Bluegrass Night is now held at Viva Fresh Cantina, 900 Riverside Drive in Burbank. Free parking across the street at the bowling alley. You can order off the menu which includes some of the best Mexican food in town.  Admission is free, but tips are welcome!  Showtime: 8:00 p.m. Contact BASC at (818) 221-4680  Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Visit http://www.socalbluegrass.org/bascnite.html

Saturday, March 19 Butler's Coffee
Susie Glaze & The BIG Hilonesome Band.  40125 10th St .West, Suite I, Palmdale, California, 93551.  Showtime:  7:00 p.m.  Contact:  661-272-9530.  661-273-7703.  Visit http://www.butlerscoffee.com 

Saturday, April 16^th, Caltech Folk Music Society
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band are delighted to return to the  Beckman Institute Auditorium, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.  Showtime: 8:00 p.m. Tickets:  Admission: $18, with $5 for Caltech students and children.  Tickets may be obtained from the http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html  For information, call (626) 395-4652. or write the Folk Music Society at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    Website: http://folkmusic.caltech.edu/  Phone: (626) 395-4652, Fax: (626) 395-1721, TDD: (626) 395-3700

Sunday, May 15^th, Topanga Banjo And Fiddle Contest
Susie Glaze presents Mountain Songs on the Railroad Stage.  Paramount Ranch near Agoura Hills, California in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area. Showtime: 3:30 Tickets: Adults: $15.00 - Teens/Seniors: $10.  Contact: Telephone hotline:  (818) 382-4819.  E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Website: www.topangabanjofiddle.org.

Sunday, May 22^nd, Desert Song House Concerts
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band at the Slater-Lunsford Pavilion, 2804 Kenwood Court, Lancaster, CA 93536-4756.  2:00 p.m.  Call 661-478-9039.  $20.00 suggested donation.  www.desertsong.net

Friday, June 10, Fireside Concert Series
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band joins the lineup at the Borchard Community Center, 190 Reino, Newbury Park, corner of Borchard and Reino, Newbury Park - Fireside Room. Showtime: 8:00 p.m.  Tickets:  $7.00.  Contact: (805) 499-3511 or write Bob Kroll at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sunday, June 12, Songwriter Sanctum Concert Series
Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band joins the great Songwriter Sanctum acoustic music series at the Church in Ocean Park, Santa Monica, California.  The concert is free with a suggested donation.  Featuring the best of Los Angeles folk artists, Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m.  235 Hill Street, Santa Monica, CA  90405.  Phone: 310-399-1631 www.churchop.org

More coming in the summer with a repeat tour to Northern California.  Stay tuned for that and keep singing!

Love,
Susie

Well, friends, as I write, the summer seems to be winding down, and I don't feel like we got enough summer at all.  Perhaps I feel this way because when we were kids the summers seemed to stretch out in front of us like years, like oceans of time, like entire eras in our lives.  Now, as grown ups, it's a whisper of time….we mark it off as a series of events, maybe a trip or two and bang, it's Fall before we know where all the time went. 

This summer, though, has been full of adventure, joy and profit for us, in music, community and spirit.  Steve and I began the summer visiting two great California music festivals, the Strawberry Music Festival near Yosemite Valley and the Live Oak at Lake Cachuma, North of Santa Barbara.  We had friends at both places who made us feel at home and showed us the ropes.  At Strawberry, late night on Thursday, it actually snowed and wowie, were we glad to be in our snug little RV that night!  Before it snowed, however, it had been raining and it was definitely cold.  Larry Carlin asked us to play on the late night Hog Radio show, so heck, it was a gig!  We snagged buddies Rodger Phillips on banjo and Lisa Burns on bass, rehearsed a few songs really quickly in the warm RV, and plunged into the rain and cold, cold, dark for our debut on the Hog Radio show!  We splooshed through the muddy meadow in the rain with our instruments in their gig bags.  Waking up the next morning we looked out the window to see the trees covered in white!  

It was astonishing to see Camp Mather transform itself so quickly from winter to gorgeous mountain spring.  By Saturday morning it was a sunny and warm early spring paradise.  We played again on the Hog Radio that weekend, thanks again to new friend Larry Carlin, at the "Breakfast Club" with the same crew, this time adding our pal Dan Sankey from San Diego on fiddle.

We then began on our July adventures with excitement about travel in our heads.  Our Northern California tour began on July 12, with the trio appearing on CalPublic Radio in Sacramento with Jeffrey Callison on his show "Insight."  We then headed further North in our lovely little van to Nevada City and Colfax where we did shows at The Crazy Horse Inn and Evangeline's.  We loved getting to know Evangeline and her lovely venue (and great food!) and swimming in the beautiful and cold American River on a hot day before our show.  It was the peak of the stunning Sierra summer for us.  We also loved playing for Che Greenwood on KVMR in Nevada City on his show "Folk Say."  Che shares with me a love of the folk music masters, especially Jean Ritchie.  In the afternoon we were joined by our Fred Sanders on bass and Mark Indictor on fiddle for our triumphant show at Evangeline's. We had a great time there!  What a great crowd and E's was packed!  

The next day we left the wide open spaces and found ourselves in Berkeley playing on a triple-bill at the Freight & Salvage Coffee House.  Our new friend Bill Evans joined us on stage and played his great banjo on two songs he apparently learned in a matter of minutes while we drove into town!  And he was great!

The next day we said a reluctant goodbye to Mark and his wife Pattie (who had taken video for us) and picked up Rodger Phillips on banjo for our further caravan North!  We got to the beautiful Klamath River Valley in the late afternoon, traveling through the Mt. Shasta area, to join in the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival.  It was one of the most beautiful parts of California I had never seen.  We had a great time with new friends there and garnered an offer to return for next year's festival.  Gene Bach's hospitality and the warmth of the audiences there were just unmatched!

All along the way, we were in the midst of family, whether our actual family (my two brothers, Rob's brother James, Fred's nephew) or those who just felt like family, old and new.  It was an enormously enriching trip and I am still unwinding all my memories and good wishes from all those in our audiences. 

Now in August, we have some time finally to work on Rob's new songs for a new album project I hope to get started later this year.  We're all excited to get the songs off the ground at last.  We'll also be including on this CD project other tunes from great songwriter friends of ours, Ernest Troost, Steve Werner and Jeni Hankins, along with songs from Gillian Welch, Steve Earl and Jean Ritchie.

Now I'm squeezing every bit of summer I can out of August, my true time off, and it feels great to relax and slow down, with good friends around us, and good fortune to have them.  And fine memories of a great summer and plans for the future.  We feel really blessed.
 

Enjoy the rest of your summer!  Fall will be here in the blink of an eye!

With love,

Susie

Hey Friends,

Steve and I have had a great time in June getting around to music festivals in California and enjoying the new friends we've made there.  The Live Oak and Strawberry Music festivals were such fun and I recommend them both to you if you haven't been.  A wonderful family feeling invests both of these events and it's so great to experience live music outdoors in California's golden spring!  We've seen some wonderful artists ~ so inspiring!

As I write, we're excitedly preparing for our July tour to the wilds of Northern California mid-month.  We also have a couple of shows here in So-Cal in July, both return trips to great venues we know and love.  On the 10th we're back at the Fret House in Covina, California, then on the 12th we embark on our travels.  The crown-jewel of the tour is our show at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on July 15th in their beautiful new location.  We hope to be filming that show, so if you're in the area or you have friends who are, please come see us and land in our DVD!

That weekend we'll be driving up to the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival in beautiful Etna, California near the Klamath National Forest, and then at the end of the month we return to old stomping grounds at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Pasadena with our good friend Ernest Troost opening the show for us.  If you don't know Ernest, he was the Kerrville New Folk winner last year and is a truly gifted songwriter of new Piedmont blues -inspired songs.  That should be a great show for all of you in the greater LA area. 

We look forward to seeing you all out there on the road!

Happy Summer Trails,

Love,

Susie

Hey Everybody!

Our show at the Topanga Festival last month was really fun and so many people made it out to the Paramount Ranch this year! We visited with old friends and met new ones and basically had a great day - and got to sing with Fur and Steve just by happy accident!  Right is a photo of Steve and me on the Railroad Stage, captured by new friend Patricia Van Over.

We meet up with June having just come back from our very first trip to the Strawberry Music Festival near Yosemite.  It was an amazing adventure, full of the beauty of the Sierra Nevada in Spring, and great music with a stellar lineup of artists.   I was really excited to meet the great Lisa Burns (Visit Lisa Burns' Website) and play two short sets with her on the Strawberry Hog Radio, along with our friends Rodger Phillips and Dan Sankey.  Lisa rocks! and I have a new girl buddy in music!  This was the best part of Strawberry for me this year.  Here's a picture of Lisa playing her bass.

Back home now, we're getting ready to play again at the Talking Stick in Venice, this time with our newest member, Mark Indictor on fiddle (here's a photo of Mark at Topanga, also by Pattie).  I so enjoyed meeting Mark last January at the Benefit for Haiti in Culver City I invited him to work with the Hilonesome Band.  He'll be joining us on tour to Northern California in mid-July as well (more about that in a minute), and will be with us at the Coffee Gallery on July 30th. 

Another very cool thing coming in June is the AMAZING Joe Craven will be visiting Southern California for two shows and I want you all to do everything possible to make it to at least one of them (that's Joe below with his banjo).  This is a world-class artist in our midst folks, and you owe it to yourself to experience the great Joe!  He's had an amazing career, including his long-running association with the David Grisman Band.  From Joe's website: 

"Joe is a musical madman with anything that has strings attached; violin, mandolin, tin can, bedpan, cookie tin, tenor guitar, mouth bow, banjo, berimbau, balalaika, boot 'n lace, animal bones, squeeze toys, cake pans, waste cans, umbrella stands, martini shakers and; himself.  Educator, former museum curator, visual artist, actor/storyteller and festival emcee,  Joe has made music with folks ranging from jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli to Grateful Dead Guitarist Jerry Garcia to The Persuasions. An advocate of the folk arts, Joe's educational mission is to empower individuals to take possession of what they already have and tell their stories by 'demystifying' art through self-expression as a daily ritual.  No matter who he's connecting with; a community workshop in Costa Rica, a university lecture demonstration in California, or on stage in front of thousands of school kids in Scotland, he's at home and loving every minute. 'Everything Joe touches turns to music,' says David Grisman, who Joe played with for almost 17 years.  No one who saw Joe wring a percussion concerto from his garbage-bag raincoat during a downpour at the Strawberry Music Festival could disagree."

Joe's appearances in Southern California are rare so I urge you to check out his shows and plan to treat yourself to a master, virtuoso, and the best student of music and art I've ever seen.  Joe will be at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena on June 25th and on June 26th at Russ & Julie's House Concerts in Oak Park.  Visit Joe's website and his schedule and read about his brilliant work at Joe Craven's Website.

We'll be spending the rest of June getting ready for our July tour to Northern California and are totally jazzed that we'll be playing the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley for the first time! Incidentally, we hope to be filming that show, so if you're in the area or you have friends who are, please be in the audience and probably in our DVD!  We start in Sacramento on Jeffrey Callison's radio show "Insight" on Capital Public Radio. We then head up to beautiful Colfax and Nevada City near Grass Valley to meet up with KVMR and sit in on Che Greenwood's radio show.  That night we play at the lovely Evangeline's Cafe in Colfax, then it's on to THE FREIGHT & SALVAGE in Berkeley. That weekend we'll be part of the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival in Etna before coming back home.  All the details are below, so we hope to see you or friends you know in July up north!  I'll remind you about all the tour stuff in next month's newsletter, so stay tuned!

Happy June (No Gloom) Summer, Friends!  Make sure to get outside and play with your dog or dig in the dirt, plant some flowers and vegetables and wear sunscreen!  We look forward to seeing you out there! 

Big Love and Blessings to all,

Susie

Just got the news that Rob's song "Albuquerque" (from our "Green Kentucky Blues" CD) has just been made a finalist in the Great American Song Contest (Country category)!  Congratulations, Rob!!  Check it out at The Great American Song Contest Website 

Fab February and Martin Family

Our February was amazing - we were on the road for a music-filled President's Day/Valentines Day weekend.  We debuted everywhere we went, first at the Fireside Concerts in Newbury Park, and the triumphant San Francisco Bluegrass and Old Time Festival on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The fans in SF were great and loved the band!  Kudos to my brother Rick Glaze who chauffeured us around all weekend and let us stay at his lovely home and to Laurie Lewis who so generously lent us her beautiful Eminence bass.  It was beautiful and Fred had a blast playing it.  It was great to feel the glow from the new and growing fan base in Northern Cal, and we're looking forward to getting back there!  A big surprise was that my brother Rick sent me home with another Martin guitar he gifted me from his collection, one that I borrowed to play the shows with - a beautiful OMC which is Orchestra Model Cutaway.  The photo below is of our entire Martin family!

March Shows
This month I'm excited to be sharing the stage with someone I'm a fan of, Shaun Cromwell.  He's opening for us at the Coffee Gallery Backstage on Friday, March 12th and I hope you'll all come out!  We've got a rousing group joining us and new songs, and you've got to hear the great Shaun. We're headed down to San Diego later in the month to join the San Diego IndieFest and our great friend fiddler Dan Sankey will guest with the trio.

Radio Airplay
"Green Kentucky Blues" as well as our earlier title "Blue Eyed Darlin'" have picked up airplay on roots radio in the U.S. and Canada:

KGLT/Americana Backroads - Bozeman MT
WMMT/Art Menius - Whitesburg KY
KVMR/Four Strong Winds - Nevada City CA
WNEC/Out of the Woods - Henniker NH
WYEP/An American Sampler
WRFL/Hard Travelin' Revue - Lexington KY
WEFT - From the Joshua Tree Inn - Champaign IL
WVGN - Virgin Islands
CIUT - Radio Boogie - Toronto
KBOO - Saturday Morning Gumbo
KCSN - Bluegrass Etc., Northridge, CA

Thanks to press agent Teresa Conboy for her good and creative work!

Spring!
In LA we're just starting to see the first hints of Spring.  It's always a new joy every year when it rolls around.

More than the little extra light, more than even the faint aromas, there is a new presence in the world, in the air around me.  I feel it clearly, though it is tiny and timid:  it's opening my eyes and ears and heart, and re-lighting that little bit of hope I thought had been buried in the dark.

You have no idea how closed in you've been until the first bright rays of sun find you in your dark room.

Here's a quote for Spring Faith and Spring Hope:

"Listen to your life.

See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.

In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness:

touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it

because in the last analysis all moments are key moments,

and life itself is grace."    -- Fred Buechner

Love and Blessings for a hopeful Spring and Revival of the Presence!

Susie