NASHBILLE, TN. (Rounder Records) - Rounder Records bluegrass group The Grascals will perform at the Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum during this year's CMA
Music Festival in Nashville. They will join
Dolly Parton for a set on Thursday, June 9, at 8 PM which will include 'Viva Las Vegas,' their duet with the legendary Country
Music Hall of Famer. They also have a slot on the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages at Riverfront Park on Saturday, June 11, at 10 AM. Other artists performing on the riverfront that morning include
Buddy Jewell, Brian McComas, Michelle Wright, Nashville Star winner
Erika Jo and John Berry.
The Grascals will leave immediately after their Saturday morning performance and head to their next show, at the Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival in Wind Gap, PA, on June 12. Their summer touring schedule is filled with performances at every major bluegrass festival, including the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, IN (June 14), the California Bluegrass Association Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley (June 17-18), the River of Music Party - ROMP (benefiting the International
Bluegrass Music Museum) in Owensboro, KY (June 25), the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in Ancramdale, NY (July 15), the MACC Bluegrass Classic in Columbus, OH (July 29), Roanoke's Fiddlefest 2005 (July 30) and the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival (August 26). Their touring schedule is about to become even more fast-paced as they have entered into a booking agreement with Buddy Lee Attractions (www.buddyleeattractions.com), where their agent is company president Tony Conway. The band will continue to be booked by the Andrea Roberts Agency for all bluegrass festivals and bluegrass-related events (www.andrearobertsagency.com).
In connection with their performance at Roanoke's Fiddlefest 2005, The Grascals' name will be included on the side of a Mountain Dew can. The Pepsi Cola company will produce a Mountain Dew can panel for the festival, producing 1.5 million cans that will be distributed in June throughout the Carolinas, Virginia & West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, southern Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Kentucky. The cans will display information on the festival and include the names of some of the featured performers: The Grascals, The Randy Kohrs Band, Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, and Lou Reid & Carolina.
The Grascals' music can currently be heard on United Airlines' 'Authentic Sounds' in-flight audio channel, during a segment featuring five tracks from their self-titled CD and an interview with band member Jamie Johnson. The 20-minute segment, which is repeated every two hours, is airing during the months of May and June on every United Airlines plane worldwide that provides audio entertainment. The Grascals' inclusion on the audio channel, as well as in Hemispheres, United's magazine, will reach a potential audience of 14 million air travelers.
The Grascals are featured on the cover of the May issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, along with Cherryholmes. In addition, they made Country Music Today's Top 10 'Hot List' of acts to watch in 2005 (April/May issue). Their first album, The Grascals, continues to earn critical praise:
'Their self-titled debut disc is a collection of highly melodic, intensely tight bluegrass that realizes the group's collective sense of self . . . The Grascals make mincemeat of labels like traditional and contemporary.'
No Depression
'High-lonesome vocals, absolutely stellar musicianship and a respect for tradition (without being slavish to it) help make this album essential listening for bluegrass fans of any stripe.'
