Alison stays busy

[turbo]

Here is a copy of an article I just found:

Concert spotlights youthful talent
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Harman Family show celebrates 31 years
January 4, 2009 - 10:34 PM
By DAN BRANNAN
The Telegraph
Each year, tickets for the annual Harman Family & Friends show at Lewis and Clark Community College are a hot commodity.

The show, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Hatheway Hall is no different. About 200 tickets remain for the event, but they are going fast, said Mike Harman, the leader of the Harman Family Band. This year marks the 31st anniversary of the Harman show in January at Lewis and Clark Community College.

"We will try to present a fresh show with fresh talent," he said. "We do have 200 tickets left and we do normally sell out. Two-thirds of the tickets sold immediately. This will be the first press we have had, so if people want to attend, they might want to call us."

Tickets for the Harman show are $14 and can be purchased by calling [phone]; [phone]; [phone], or at Halpin Music, [phone].

The Harman family will have its new CD, "Timeless and True," with a feature cut that has Alison Krauss on vocals. Krauss is the Nashville country and bluegrass star originally from Champaign.

"The song ‘Timeless and True' is somewhat of a ballad about how someone's love can be true to the end," Mike Harman said. "It's a good song. The vocals on it seem to stand out. We have been getting good airplay on bluegrass stations on all our cuts."

Mark, Jeff, John and Stacy Harman join Mike Harman in the Harman Family Band. Corina Logston and Cecil Tinnin will play fiddle and mandolin respectively with the group at the LCCC show. The Harmans will have a gospel CD for sale, along with its first released CDs.

New Found Road, an award-winning band from Franklin, Ohio, will join the Harmans in the show.

"We have had so many requests to have New Found Road back," Mike Harman said.

The Little Trio, featuring John Harman and Maria and Jared Bensman, will do a bluegrass segment at the show. Savannah Brannan will briefly accompany the Harmans on fiddle.

Mike Harman said he loves showcasing young talent.

"I have always put young talent on stage to promote not only the music, but to help their incentive to play," he said.

Krauss was one of the young talents he once put on stage at LCCC and in other locations.
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Also found this review of a 1998 Vince Gill Album:

Vince Gill’s The Key (1998)
This sounds like country music through and through. It’s almost a duets album with guests like Patty Loveless, Alison Krauss and Shelby Lynne lending their harmonies.

Doesn't that girl ever take a vacation??!

[turbo]

Here's a link to a place that sells that Harman Family CD:

www.countysales.com/php-bin/ecomm4/products.php?product_id=5560&prev_id=&next_id=

Unfortunately this CD is not on Itunes, but I'm sure if Alison is involved then the whole CD is good, so I am going to order me up a copy. Ditto for the Vince Gill one, although it appears that Alison only plays fiddle on it.

[eilleen333]

Thanks for the info! Can we listen to samples anywhere?

[nascarholly]

There was a guy named Mark Harman in Union Station when the Two Highways album was made. If this is the same guy, Alison being there for him does not surprise me.

God bless you and him and Alison always!!!

[dubz4akus]

Do you know if Alison will be there?Last year she just showed up and surprised them.But that was because it was their 30th anniversary.Let me know, I will be going if I can still get tickets. Thanks for the heads up. If I get tickets I will let everyone know how great it was.

Dubz

[Doug]

Yea, Alison sang harmony on an earlier CD of theirs, "Garden in My Life", a song, I believe, about how the father tends his garden which is actually caring for his wife and family. I haven't listened to it in a long time, so I'll have to dig it up. Mike Harmon played banjo on "Two Highways" CD. I think the Harmans are a Bluegrass family from Illinois that have been around for a long time and I'm sure became acquainted with the Krauss family going to Bluegrass Festivals in Alison's early years. That's a guess, though.

[Doug]

Here's a link to the Harmans MySpace page www.myspace.com/156723454 Also information on the band.

You can listen to "Garden in My Life" - just like I remembered, Alison sings harmony in the end, but not terribly distinguishable.

[dubz4akus]

The Harman Family are right outside of Alton, Illinois. I used to work with someone who lived next to them and used to play with them for fun. He told me that one of the Harman guys used to play with AKUS.But he never told me which one exactly.

[turbo]

Doug, what year is that Garden In My Life recording from?

[turbo]

Doug, never mind, it says 2006 on their myspace page. And, Doug and dubz4akus, Mike Harman (not Harmon) is the guy on the Two Highways album, see this paste from their myspace page:

About The Harman Family
The Harman Family has been playing bluegrass music throughout the country for two generations. They are immensely popular as befits this incredibly talented musical family. Today, the band consists of Mike Harman, his wife Stacy and their sons, Mark, Jeff and John. The original family band started in 1975 with Mike, brother Bull and sister Lori. The brother's wives, Stacy and Tammy soon joined them. They continued to play into the mid 1980's. In 1986 Mike joined Alison Krauss and Union Station playing banjo. The group recorded the album, "Two Highways" in 1989 which was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Recording. Mike and his family now spend most of their time operating the Harman Auction in Shipman, Illinois. In their free time they dedicate their efforts to getting better and better in their bluegrass vocals and instruments, improving on their family tradition. As Del McCoury said, "There's nothing like playing with your sons. Kin folk think alike. You can read each others minds." All three sons show their inherited talent playing numerous instruments and singing traditional bluegrass tunes as well as adapting some pop/rock songs to the bluegrass style. "The future of traditional bluegrass music has no worries with the Harmans behind the wheel", said Alison Krauss. Alison also joined Mark in singing "Garden In My Life" on their CD named the same.

[turbo]

Here's YET ANOTHER project that Alison is involved with this year:

Source: David Schulhof of Evergreen Copyrights:

There will be a Bill Monroe tribute CD and possibly a DVD coming out this year; artists on it will include The Dixie Chicks, Alison Krauss, and Dave Matthews, and a spin-off bluegrass tour will also take place. (That's all the information I have, but it sounds pretty exciting! Got this from a Google News Alert.)

If anyone can dig up a little more info on this, please post it here. Thanks!!

[nascarholly]

^^^ Thanks for the awesome news! Does our girl EVER sleep?

God bless you and her always!!!

[turbo]

Here's another blurb today, from GAC:

Jan. 22, 2009 — A bundle of Country Music Hall of Famers are in the headlines.......

Developments of note among Hall of Famers include:......

......• Plans are in the works for a tribute album to late bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, according to BBC News. Among the acts expected to participate are Alison Krauss, the Dixie Chicks and rocker Dave Matthews.

[turbo]

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Singers Amy Grant and Vince Gill will host an eveningof music at the Kennedy Center in Washington June 8 to honor wounded military personnel.

Also scheduled to perform are Michael McDonald, Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker, Melinda Doolittle and Mac McAnally. Author Stephen Mansfield also is to appear.

The event will signal the start of the nationwide Challenge America initiative, which will work with communities to support recreational and occupational programs for returning injured military and their families.

Challenge America is an outgrowth of Challenge Aspen, a non-profit organization that has provided recreation for people with disabilities since 1995. Grant and Gill, who are husband and wife, have been active in Challenge Aspen.

[turbo]

Alison is a guest singer on a new CD by Irish/American singer Maura O'Connell. I'm interested to see how this board will re-do the word, so I am going to go ahead and type it in to see what happens. The name of the CD is "Naked With Friends".

I heard a couple of clips, not enough to determine which one Alison is on. Not too impressed with O'Connell's singing, frankly. Has anyone else gotten this CD? If so, any commentary on the track or tracks that Alison is part of?

Wow, as of right now it let the word stand!