Evening all,

With a bit of regret and a sense of relief, I'm announcing the end of The
Linville Ridge Band.  It's been a wonderful 6 year journey with many
opportunities.  And while a band is dis-banding, the friendship remains.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for my fellow bandmates and I'm
sure we'll keep in touch.  The newest (and shortest tenured member) is
Shannon Slaughter, a singer who is no stranger to the bluegrass community.
We've really enjoyed these last few shows with him.  Next came Barte Laney,
a quiet guy, who speaks thoughtfully and deliberately.  I'll miss hearing
his fiddle.  The emcee deluxe, tenor singing, magician David Wiseman has
been beside us for the past 4 years.  Prior to Barte coming onboard, David
was always good for a couple of fiddle tunes along with his mandolin chores.
Perry Woodie has been playing music with me for most of the past 18 years.
There was a short period at the end of 1995 through late 1999 when we
weren't playing together, but we stayed in touch.

These are the guys who have shared time, stories, rooms, trips, meals,
cigars or pipes, and music with me.  I'm a better man for the experiences
they have allowed me to share with them.  There are many people I would have
never met had I not been riding around playing music with them when the
opportunities arose.

For the past 4 years we have helped to host The Red White and Bluegrass
Festival in Morganton, NC, my hometown.  I will continue to help Gary
Leonhardt with this event in the future.  I told him early on, that even if
I wasn't able to play at the event, how could I not try to help it along,
especially since it is in my hometown?  And it is a real bluegrass festival
and we hope to try and improve upon it for the years to come.

Our last gig will be Friday, June 6th, 2008.  The Carolina BBQ in Newland,
NC will be the site and there is no cover charge.  The address is 700
Pineola Street (that will get you close anyway).  If you see McDonald's on
Pineola Street, the BBQ is just across the street.  If you can, I hope you
can come.  It will be one of the last opportunities for us to sell a few
more of these CDs we have. 

I'll never completely get away from being involved in music.  But for now,
I'll take a break.  It may be short, it may not, but there is nothing in the
plans as of this moment.  I have been involved in bands for the past 25
years.  It started the same year that my wife and I married.  She has been
wonderful to allow me the time to participate in playing music.  There's
songs to write, trout to catch, camping to do, old friendships to rekindle
and maintain and family.  There's still music to listen to or play.  I plan
on making good use of any spare time I have.

Thanks to one and all for the support you've shown or shared over the years.
It means more than you'll ever know.

Mike Ramsey

..TR> ..TABLE>

Mountain Heart's video for The Road That Never Ends is on the CMT PURE 12-PACK Countdown again this week. We'd like to see the video hit 1 on this coming Friday's (5.16.08) countdown. Voting is going on now and ends on Wednesday (5.14.08). Now, LETS GET TO NUMBER 1 BY FRIDAY! Remember, voting ends Wednesday. Here's the voting link: http://www. cmt. com/shows/dyn/cmt_pure_12_pack_countdown/series_wildcard. jhtml?wildcard=/dynamic_templates/shows/center_templates/wildcard/pure_12_pack/2008/vote_countdown_poll_main. jhtml Thanks so much for all of your support! Josh Shilling MH

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Is at

http://www.ramzeeland.wordpress.com

go check it out!

This Saturday, Feb 16th, at 7 PM, we'll be participating in a benefit show for Officer Martin Lawing, injured in the line of duty back in December of 2007.

Also appearing will be The Laurel Creek Band and The Good Old Boys.  Tix will be $8 for 3 hours of bluegrass.  There will also be a BBQ supper available onsite prior to the show at The Old Rock School from 4-7 PM.  The Old Rock School is located in Valdese, NC.

All advertising, cost of building and bands along with the BBQ are being donated so that all proceeds can go directly to Officer Lawing's family needs.

For more information go to

http://www.bluegrassattherock.com/Martin%20Lawing%20Benefit.htm

Thanks, we hope you'll attend.

Mike

Music is a major part of the Ramsey household.  There's 6 basses at home (3 slabs and 3 real basses, you know the ones that take up space) guitars, ONE banjo, mandolins, a fiddle, 2 dobros, a keyboard, well you get the picture.

It's been that way for years, even before we had young'uns, though there were fewer instruments then.  Aaron, the oldest, plays 5 instruments pretty well.  Mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass (both electric and upright) and dobro.  He played bass in band at school from the 6th grade through 12th.  In his junior year he won the mando contest at MerleFest.  Oh yeah, he also runs a digital recording studio in the cobwebs of our basement.

Katie is just as fluent.  She plays clarinet, tenor sax, bass (both), guitar and keyboards/piano.  She sings, writes songs and plays the radio and an iPod really well.  She auditioned and got into the Haynes School of Music at Appalachain State in Boone, NC playing upright bass.  She was 5th or 6th chair and had no proper lessons prior to doing so.  There were 12 basses in that orchestra.  She also like to do videography with her school buddies.

My children were never forced to play anything at our home.  If they showed interest, there was access.  They both love music.

Aaron was afforded the opportunity to play music in a band setting (bluegrass) from the time he was about 14.  That's when he began playing music with us in a gospel group called Damascus Road.  Later he played mandolin (first) and then guitar with us in The Linville Ridge Band.  He's playing guitar on the cuts on our profile page except The Door Is Always Open.  From there he played bass (first) and then mandolin with Randy Kohrs.  This was a golden opportunity form Aaron to travel, be exposed to recording on a different level and really get his feet wet in the music industry.

Since then, he has filled in a couple times with Mountain Heart.  Adam Steffey has been a dear friend and almost an uncle figure to Aaron, as well as Aaron's largest musical mandolin inspiration.  These opportunities (filling in) have helped Aaron to realize a dream of his and ours.

Me and Janee' (my wife, pronounced JUH-nay) vowed that if Aaron ever got to play on the Opry (the Grand Ole one) we would be there.  Last Tuesday night (11-27), Aaron called and asked what I was doing on Saturday night (12-1).  I said I had nothing planned and he wanted to know if I wanted to go listen to some music.  I figured it was a jam of sorts, maybe a show somewhere close by.  He then said it was in Nashville and I said "WHO?"  He then reminded me of the promise I mentioned earlier in this paragraph.  I'm glad I was sitting.

I could have had to be playing a BBQ gig (like this Friday night) which I would have had to honor.  Mike Ramsey is the type that if I say I'm going to do something, it will have to be some pretty dire circumstances for me to cancel (keep that in mind when you book us).  As it worked out, we were able to go.

This was Aaron's 2nd time attending the Opry.  And he gets to play ON the Opry!  Seeing him finally walk across that stage seemed so surreal.  Dream-like.  I had imagined I would be able to experience this event, but when it actually happened I was sort of numb.  Maybe it was thinking about fooling with a 35mm camera that I hadn't used in years that helped me to be a bit distant.  That helped me to stay in control.

Big Mike D is a big ole boy, but at times, he's a complete push over when it comes to emotional events or times.  There were a few tears that welled up, but none ran down.  I wouldn't have cared if they had.

I kept my promise.  Now, I hope to get to experience it sometime again..  I feel sure it will happen in the future, but on that FIRST time, I was there.  Aaron did his part, through hard work, to get there and I did mine to be there.

These children are like the new butterflies.  They sit, perched on the twig, waiting for their wings to dry.  The flight time is almost here.  It's exciting, sad and wonderful all in the same instant.

Hosted By: Glynn Zeigler
When: Friday Sep 28, 2007
at 3:15 PM
Where: Albino Skunk Festival
4063 Jordan Road
Greer, SC 29651
United States
Description:
Glynn Zeigler

Click Here To View Event

Morning all,

We've added a fiddler to the band, one Barte Laney.  He's a good one and fills up our band to a 5 piece unit now. 

Folks may remember Glen Laney of Knoxville Grass fame.  Glen was Barte's cousin and we discussed Barte leaving home in his Mom's car in high school to travel to Knoxville, TN, to hang out with Glen for the day and then return home, all without his Mom's permission or prior knowledge.  Scary stuff.

We're planning on recording this configuration during the late fall/early winter.

Thanks for keepig up with us,

Mike

Evening all,

Earlier this week, I got online and remembered that Alison Krauss was

playing in Charlotte, NC tonight. Both our kids were scheduled to be

gone, one to play music and one getting back to college. So I wondered

if my wife would like to go listen to Alison since the tour was winding

down.

I ask Janee' (my wife, pronounced JUH-Nay) if she want to go and she

says yes and through ticketmaster I order 2 tix. Shortly after I get

the confirmation email, I realize I have a gig in downtown Newland, NC

at a BBQ restaurant for tonight. Dummy me. I had requested the tix be

left at will call and to pick them up, I'd have to be there with ID AND

my credit card.

Any way, I brainstorm to figure out how this can work, whilst I trade

the bright lights of Charlotte and seeing Alison Krauss for the

mountains of Newland and playing a BBQ gig. I like BBQ, so it wasn't

all bad. We ask my brother's wife Anna if she like to go with Janee'.

She sez yes. BTW, Anna has never seen Alison live. I told Janee' that

she could take my driver's license and the credit card, tell the teller

that we had just blown into town and that I was gone to the bathroom,

could she pick up the tix? If they ask, she can show her driver's

license and they can match the addresses. Janee' worries what if it

don't work? I told her to be confident and it would be fine.

Then, I ask her if she'd like to see if I could get her some backstage

passes for after the show. She said sure and I call Barry Bales and

left him a message to see if they could secure her and Anna some passes

and leave them at will call. I also told him if he couldn't that would

be OK and explained my dilemma about buying the tix and remembering the

BBQ gig afterwards.

So, off they go, like Barney and Gomer headed to Raleigh (sort of). I

return home about 10 and rest a bit, and then call Janee' to see how

things worked out. Everything worked out fine and they DID get to see

the folks backstage, except for Alison. She may have been sick or

tending to her kid, but, I'm sure it was some legit excuse, because I've

seen her a few other times like this after shows, and she has always

been her own gracious, funny self.

Hearing the excitement in my wife's voice on the phone was worth the

price of the tickets. I told her that I believe I enjoyed it more for

these 2 middle aged girls than if I had attended myself. They had pics

made with Jerry, Dan and the whole crowd. Janee enjoyed getting to talk

to Ron Block. She told him how we had listened to his new CD Doorway on

the way home from the beach a couple of weeks back.

My wife teaches school. Each year, upon returning, they do something

special together as a faculty. This year they are taking a day cruise

on Lake Hickory next week. If them teachers ask what did you do for

your summer, she'll have tales to tell.

I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall.

Here's a short (hopefully) synopsis of what took place in Morganton, NC, last
week.  Conservative figures for the total 4 days are about 17,000 over 4 days.

Sunday brought folks like Jeanette Williams, Bearfoot Bluegrass, Cadillac Sky,
the Circuit Riders and Larry Cordle to the stage to an estimated crowd of about
2000.  Not bad for the first day.

Monday saw the Boohers, The Linville Ridge Band, Randy Kohrs & the Lites, Larry
Sparks and Mountain Heart to finish the show.  Attendance was about 2500.

Tuesday saw the largest crowd to ever be seen at the Catawba River Soccer
Complex.  Lorainne Jordan & Carolina Road, The Linville Ridge Band, Kenny &
Amanda Smith, IIIrd Tyme Out and Cherryholmes wowed a crowd of 4500.  There were
folks spilled out into the parking lot, sitting between parked cars.  In the
days to come there will be pics available that were taken from a 60-foot tall
tower truck to show what a crowd attended.

Wednesday everything moved about 2 miles to the dowtown site near the Collette
Street Recreation Center.  This is due to the tremendous fireworks display every
year and the drop zone afforded by the little league baseball fields nearby. 
This day the muisc was provided by Iron Station, The Linville Ridge Band, Dave
Peterson, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass and The Grascals.  The musical
crowd gathered by the time The Grascals came on at 8:30 was estimated at 8,000. 
Jimmy Mattingly told me that was the largest BG festival crowd The Grascals had
played to.

Each day we presented some of the local kids who have been participating in the
bluegrass camp for kids which precedes the festival for 3 days.  Ken Whitesides
can mash the banjo and is reminding NC folks of a young Greg Corbett.  He's
already won several contests and should win more in the years to come.

Plans are underway for next years event which will be held July 1st-4th, 2008.

Cherryholmes showed up on Sunday afternoon to play a Tuesday night set.  We
enjoyed hanging out and sharing our "little" festival with them for a couple
extra days.

Every band that has been here wants to come back in additon to many, many more
that haven't played here yet.  Free camping, free freworks, and a free bluegrass
festival equals up to large crowds.

A few pics can be seen by visiting our myspace page at:

http://www.myspace.com/linvilleridgeband

Hiro Sakayori came and stayed at my house from Tokyo, Japan.  We had him up to
play a couple tunes in the Terry Baucom style on July 4th.  We also had folks
from Switzerland visiting as part of their American vacation.

I discussed cultural interests with Hiro and shared good times with him, taking
him up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and also to visit Earl Scruggs' childhood home
in the Shelby, NC area.  He says he wants to come back.

Maybe you can make plans to vist next year as well.

Afternoon all,

Nearly a year has past since we signed up here on Myspace.  In that time, we have amassed over 1300 friends (with no software help) and had over 13,000 plays on our profile page.  Next week it will be 11 months.  That's an average of almost 1200 plays a month and about 120 friends a moth added as well!

Met lots of folks, renewed friendships that had almost been lost due to distance and time and found tons of new music!

We've gotten quite a few gigs booked in the past month or so and several more to firm up within a week or so.

We'll be back in Dollywood for the BBQ & Bluegrass FEstival Sept 14-16.  That's a ton of fun and we're excited about doing it again this year.

The Albino Skunk Festival in Greer, SC, is fun and we'll be there the same day as JD Crowe.  It will be good to catch up with Dwight McCall and Ricky Wasson.

But, before all that, is The Red White and Bluegrass Festival here in my hometown.  New this year is Third Tyme Out, Lorainne Jordan & Carolina Road, Cadillac Sky, Cherryholmes, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, Dave Peterson and Randy Kohrs & The Lites.

Now I saved that last band for a bit of emphasis.  My son plays mandolin for them and they are really beginning to cook as a band.  The ride they are experiencing at the time is due in part to the recent release of Randy's recoridn "Old Photograph."  Aaron plays bass and mandolin on a total of 4 cuts.  He's mashing the mandolin and bass on Rockwell's Gold and on Two Boys From Kentucky.  Then, he played mandolin on Lena Mae and bass on She Ain't Coming Back.  I'm proud of my boy, but don't tell him that, he'll have to buy bigger hats.

Now, in case you've been under a rock and not reading those invitations I've been sending out, the Red White and Bluegrass Festival is

FREE!

Ok, get the word to your myspace friends, and git your butts to Morganton, NC on July 1st thru the 4th of July.

We're going to have a time!