Hey Everybody. Thanks as always for stopping by the Range. I had a few things to tell you about this week. You all know how much I love Gospel Music. I’ve spent most of my life playing it, and the rest of it listening to it. I wanted to let you know about a couple of Gospel events coming up for Balsam Range.
First, we want to invite our friends in the Knoxville area to come be with us this coming Sunday morning at 11 AM at Fellowship Baptist Church in Lenoir City, Tennessee. The music minister there, Clifton Posey, is a great friend of Balsam Range, and a great personal friend of mine. I have played in his church several times on my own, but this the band’s first time there. It’s always a great service there, and I would make the trip just to hear the church choir. They sing the old songs out of the old red book! I’m really looking forward to this service! Check our concert page for details and directions.
Speaking of Bluegrass Gospel, I really hope you will come see us for the last performance in our Winter Concert Series for this year. Our guest will be David Johnson. He’s not a household name, but if you’ve heard a Gospel song of any kind in the last 20 years, then there’s a good chance that you’ve heard him. He is one of the most in-demand session players in the country. The amazing thing about David is that he plays every instrument you can think of with master skill. Guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, dobro, bass, piano, steel guitar, cello, drums, are some of the things I’ve seen him play in the studio and on stage. One of my favorite musical memories is a show that I was on in Raleigh a few years ago. Tony Rice called me to play a show with him and Bryan Sutton. He asked me who we should get to play mandolin and fiddle, and I immediately thought of David. He blew us away that night. Rice told me, he may be the best musician I know.
We had David with us at our Trains I Missed cd release concert, some of you will remember. If you were there you probably thought the same thing we did. He is Overqualified for this gig!
The great thing about David is that he is as good a man as he is talented. He is heavily involved in his church, as youth minister and teacher. Even though he’s been voted Studio Musician of the Year several times, he is amazingly humble. I had the great honor of being invited to induct him into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame a few years ago.
I hope you will be there in Canton, NC on April 7. David will be joining Balsam Range for an all Gospel night to celebrate the Easter holiday. It’s going to be a great night of Bluegrass Gospel, with new songs and old favorites as well. I am really looking forward to this one!
From deep in the Appalachians where the Great Smoky Mountains meet the Blue Ridge comes the Balsam Range band, creatively blending Bluegrass, Folk, Gospel and Jazz into a new American acoustic music experience.
Notes from the Range
Great Gospel Events.
Hey Everybody. Thanks as always for stopping by the Range. I had a few things to tell...see all of Tim's posts
Legends Coming To Canton NC!! We can’t wait to perform with them!!
I called my buddy Carl who I worked with years ago in Nashville and pulled a favor. ...see all of Darren's posts
Had a good practice last night (01/18)
BR had a fun practice last night in Caleb’s guitar shop. Not only did we get to...see all of Marc's posts
The Harris Brothers at The Colonial February 4……
Thanks to all who have made our 2nd annual Winter Concert Series another great succes...see all of Caleb's posts
THANK YOU!
What a great way to start of the Season of Giving! Balsam Range couldn’t be m...see all of Buddy's posts
Trains I Missed song video
Here is a little personal video by Jennifer Nicholson. Thank you all for the support ...see all of Crossroads's posts
Author Archive for Tim Surrett
Great Gospel Events.
The Harris Brothers Return!
Only a few days left until the next show in our Winter Concert Series. We’re so excited to bring The Harris Brothers back to the Colonial Theatre in Canton, N.C. this coming Saturday night. You folks that saw them last year can attest to their astounding talent. Great singing, virtuoso musicianship, they have it all. When you hear as much music as we do, it’s hard to hear anything that just blows you away. These guys do it. They might play a Delta Blues tune, then turn around and play Conway Twitty! They are amazing.
As for Balsam Range, We’re thinking about trying some new material out on our home folks. We’re working on a new cd, so we thought we might run a new song up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes!
This show sold out last year, so get your tickets now. Click on the Winter Concert Series Icon on this page to get yours! Don’t miss this night. You WILL have a great time, guaranteed.
Big Show Tomorrow.
Hey everybody. We’ve been having a ball this summer playing some great shows all over the country. The great thing about this band is that we all live in Haywood County, NC., so we also get to play some great ones without having to travel very far from home. Western NC is a hotbed for music in general, and bluegrass in particular.
One I’d like to mention is tomorrow night in Franklin, NC at the Smoky Mtn. Center For The Performing Arts. Balsam Range and The Boxcars!
We had those guys at our winter concert series, and it was a magical evening. They are unbelievable musicians and singers. Former members of bands like Alison Krauss and Union Station, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and J.D. Crowe and The New South make up this truly all-star band. You will not be disappointed!
We also like to do a few songs together, so you never know what’s going to happen when we’re all out the together.
I hope you can make it to this show. I’m excited about it!
We love you all. Thank you for being a part of the BR family!
Tim
Harlow Guitars and a big weekend!
Hey Everybody. Man, was Darren right about this past weekend! Three big festivals and all were great.
We were at the Red, White, and Bluegrass Festival on Friday in Morganton, NC. What A Crowd! They made us feel like the Beatles out there. One of the most fun sets of bluegrass I have ever been part of. Thanks especially to our buddy Big Mike Ramsey for making it so good for us. Thanks also to another long time BR friend, Dennis Jones from WNCW, The bluegrass radio source in our part of the world.
Saturday we were at the Cashiers Mountain Bluegrass Festival with our pal Kelly Donaldson. Incredible setting for an incredible variety of music that came off of that stage. Sunday, Buddy and Darren stayed over and did a couple of special sets. Buddy, with the Songs Of Jackson County Band, and Darren with his own country/rock/bluegrass outfit, the Darren Nicholson Band.
Monday we were back out at Franklin, NC for an all Gospel afternoon with my old friends the Inspirations. I’ve been playing on programs with those guys for 30 years!
In Morganton this past Friday, I had 3 or 4 guys ask me about my resonator guitar after our set. I actually told them to hang around and play it after we finished at our merchandise table. I didn’t expect to be there over an hour and a half, which was a great surprise!!! I just wanted to say sorry to those guys that we didn’t get to talk more about my guitar. It was built by my friend Frank Harlow. It really has an amazing sound. It is the third one he has built for me, and I have no need for any others! I have played it on all of our band recordings. Check it out on “Trains I Missed.”
Frank’s website is harlowresonatorguitars.com
Tell him that Tim sent you!
Tim Surrett
Good Festivals!
Hey Everybody. We had a blast this past Saturday in Sevierville, Tn. at the Bloomin’ BBQ and Bluegrass Festival. It was so good to see a bunch of East Tn. friends. I wanted to officially say how great it was to hear Larry Sparks, Jr. Sisk and Rambler’s Choice, and The Sam Bush Band. I tell you, Larry Sparks just gets better with age, if that’s possible. A few times he had me, Caleb, and Jr. Sisk shouting like we were at a campmeeting! Also, it was great to hang out with the folks from WDVX in Knoxville. Freddy Smith and the whole staff are great friends to Bluegrass music, and to Balsam Range.
If you are looking for some good places to hear some music this coming weekend, we’re going to be at some good ones. Friday 5/27/11 we will be at the Lil’ John’s Bluegrass Festival in Snow Camp, NC.
Saturday we will be up in Bakersville, NC with our friends The Harris Brothers. Check out the concert section of our site for details/directions. Come see us!
God Bless You All!
Tim
Great Weekend!
Hey Everybody! Man what a time we had this past weekend at the Top Of Georgia Bluegrass Festival in Dillard, Georgia. This festival has it all. Incredible scenery, great facility, and an unbelievable line-up. The Dillard House food is worth the trip by itself!
It was really good to visit with a lot of my long time bluegrass friends, as well. The Boxcars, Blue Highway, The Crowe Brothers, The Gibson Brothers, Newfound Road, The Snyder Family, Curtis Blackwell, and many others. We even coaxed our old friend Gene Daniell out from behind the soundboard to play a little upright bass with Balsam Range!
Thanks to Jane and all the staff for treating us so kindly. They have already invited us for both days again next year! You should really check this one out. Thanks especially to the crowd for their incredible response. You wore us out!
God Bless, and we’ll see you folks in Florida and Alabama this week!
Just a word of thanks
Hey Everybody. I just wanted to say a brief word of thanks to all our friends out there who have been so good to us in the short history of our band. This band started as a jam session at Darren’s house, and I think we still have that mentality. Still, things have progressed so much further than we could have imagined. That is completely due to you folks.
Our songs are reaching the top of the Bluegrass charts, and shows are selling out, and I am smart enough to know that without friends, we’re still just pickin’ in somebody’s basement. Our local friends keep coming to our programs, and we’re making new friends all over the world. It is a humbling thing. Radio is wearing our songs out, figuratively I hope, and to you folks we say God bless you!
Thank you for your friendship and support. You truly are the best part of playing music. Tim
How Many Christmas Trees?
Merry Christmas Everybody! I hope you’re having a great Holiday Season. We’re officially in shop/panic mode at our house. My wife has four trees up and decorated so far. How many do you guys end up with?
I hope you will be spending part of your Holiday with us at the Colonial Theater in Canton, NC on December 17. Tony Rice and Bobby Hicks are coming to have a Christmas party with us. This is going to be an amazing night with two of my personal heroes. Please be a part of it!
Thanks for being part of the Balsam Range family. We love you all!
Tim