AUSTIN’S WOOD & WIRE RELEASES DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM

String quartet plays shows with Yonder Mountain String Band
AUSTIN, TX — Wood & Wire, Austin’s own four-piece bluegrass and Americana band, will release its debut self-titled studio album on Feb. 5, 2013.

The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by award-winning engineer Erick Jaskowiack, whose discography includes work with The Chieftains, The Gibson Brothers and Colin Hay. WOOD & WIRE includes original compositions written by the band, showcasing the group’s tight-fitting arrangements and rich musicianship. It also features special guest Brittany Haas (Crooked Still) on fiddle.

Founded in 2010 by guitarist Tony Kamel and mandolin player Matt Slusher, who honed their acoustic skills playing with acts like Graham Wilkinson, South Austin Jug Band and Rodney Hayden, Wood & Wire began to take form when bassist Dom Fisher joined Matt and Tony’s jam sessions. Last spring, the trio officially added Trevor Smith (Green Mountain Grass) on banjo and started making a name for itself on the Austin music scene.

Wood & Wire has been performing select shows with Yonder Mountain String Band and will be touring this summer. The band’s CD release show will be held at the Cactus Café in Austin on Feb. 8.

For more information, see www.woodandwireband.com

Review copies and interviews available upon request

Upcoming tour dates include:
Feb. 7 Waterloo In-Store, Austin
Feb. 8, Cactus Café, Austin
Feb. 9, Old Quarter Acoustic Café, Galveston
Feb. 16, McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, Houston
Feb. 21, Blue Light Live, Lubbock
March 1, Granada Theater, Dallas
March 2, Stubb’s, Austin
March 8, Poor David's Pub, Dallas

Media contact:
Heidi Labensart, McGuckin Entertainment PR, 512.698.2621 heidi@mcguckinpr.com

The Gibson Brothers Win Entertainer of the Year at 2012 International Bluegrass Music Awards

The Gibson Brothers Win “Entertainer of the Year” at the 23rd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards

Star-filled tribute to Earl Scruggs – featuring Steve Martin and the top musicians in today’s bluegrass music – caps a night of stellar performances and special moments.
The Gibson Brothers took home the “Entertainer of the Year” Award at the 23rd annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Thursday night, September 27 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Brothers Eric and Leigh Gibson, along with their band (Mike Barber, Clayton Campbell and Joe Walsh) also picked up an award for “Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year” for “Singing As We Rise.”

Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice was another big winner of the night, winning “Album of the Year” (The Heart of a Song) and “Single of the Year“ (“A Far Cry From Lester & Earl”). Russell Moore (of Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out) and Dale Ann Bradley were male and female vocalists of the year, respectively, and Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers were the recipients of the prestigious Emerging Artist award. A full listing of all this year’s winners and award recipients appears below.

Doyle Lawson and the late Ralph Rinzler were the 2012 Hall of Fame inductees.

As always, some of the best musicians in bluegrass delivered a night filled with amazing performances. Hosts Del McCoury and Laurie Lewis joined an ensemble called “the Masters of Bluegrass” -- J.D. Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Jerry McCoury and Bobby Osborne -- to get the show off to a rousing start.

Other standout performances included Dailey & Vincent’s stirring a cappella rendition of “When The Roll is Called Up Yonder,” which brought the audience to its feet; Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen’s bluegrass interpretation of The Box Tops’ classic “The Letter;” and Hall of Fame inductee Doyle Lawson’s performance, with his band Quicksilver, of “Dixie Home.”

A stunning all-star finale, led by last year’s “Entertainer of the Year” recipient Steve Martin, filled the Ryman stage with some of bluegrass music’s top banjo players and musicians, in a tribute to late banjo legend Earl Scruggs, who died earlier this year. Participants in the Scruggs tribute included Tom Adams, Eddie Adcock, Jessie Baker, Terry Baucom, Sam Bush, Kristin Scott Benson, Alison Brown, Jason Burleson, Greg Cahill, Jason Carter, J.D.Crowe, Jason Davis, Joe Dean, Steve Dilling, Glenn Gibson, Eric Gibson, Mark Johnson, Doyle Lawson, Laurie Lewis, Del McCoury, Rob McCoury, Lynn Morris, Joe Mullins, Mike Munford, Chris Pandolfi, Graham Sharp, Sammy Shelor, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys (Jonny, Robbie & Tommy Mizzone), Ron Stewart, Mike Sumner, Tony Trischka, Scott Vestal, Pete Wernick, and Roland White.

The International Bluegrass Music Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the trade association for the bluegrass music industry. The IBMA Awards Show is the centerpiece of the World of Bluegrass Week, which also includes the IBMA Business Conference and Bluegrass Fan Fest.

For the first time ever, the 2012 IBMA Awards Show was broadcast live from the Ryman as streaming video on BluegrassNation.org and BluegrassToday.com. The Awards Show was also broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction, Channel 14), on 650 WSM AM, and will be syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks, thanks to sponsors Compass Records, ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass, Deering Banjos, BMI, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, BluegrassToday.com, Boston Bluegrass Union, VisitRaleigh.com, and 650 WSM AM. Program directors and station managers may register as affiliates by calling 888-GET-IBMA or 615-256-3222.

For more information on World of Bluegrass week, go to www.worldofbluegrass.org, join us on Facebook, or call 615-256-3222 (1-888-GET-IBMA).

The 2012 International Bluegrass Awards

Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees: Doyle Lawson, Ralph Rinzler
Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients: Byron Berline, Joe & Lil Cornett, Orin Friesen, Pee Wee Lambert, Kitsy Kuykendall
Entertainer of the Year: The Gibson Brothers
Vocal Group of the Year: Blue Highway
Instrumental Group of the Year: The Boxcars
Emerging Artists of the Year: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
Male Vocalist of the Year: Russell Moore
Female Vocalist of the Year: Dale Ann Bradley
Song of the Year: “A Far Cry From Lester & Earl” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
Album of the Year: Heart Of A Song, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
Gospel Recorded Event of the Year: “Singing As We Rise” by the Gibson Brothers w/Ricky Skaggs
Instrumental Performance of the Year: “Angeline The Baker” by Lonesome River Band
Recorded Event of the Year: “Life Goes On” by Carl Jackson, Ronnie Bowman, Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley, Rickey Wasson, Randy Kohrs, D.A. Adkins, Garnet Bowman, Lynn Butler, Ashley Kohrs, Gary Payne, Dale Pyatt, Clay Hess, Alan Bibey, Jay Weaver, Ron Stewart & Jim VanCleve (artists); Jerry Salley, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Jim Van Cleve & Randy Kohrs (producers); Rural Rhythm Records
Banjo Player of the Year: Sammy Shelor
Bass Player of the Year: Marshall Wilborn
Fiddle Player of the Year: Stuart Duncan
Dobro Player of the Year: Rob Ickes
Guitar Player of the Year: Doc Watson
Mandolinist of the Year: Adam Steffey
Broadcaster of the Year: Kyle Cantrell
Bluegrass Event of the Year: ROMP, produced by the International Bluegrass Music Museum; Owensboro, KY
Print Media Person of the Year: Marty Godbey, author of Crowe on the Banjo: The Music Life of J.D. Crowe (Univ. of Illinois Press)
Best Graphic Design - Bedrock Manufacturing (designer) for Nobody Knows You, by the Steep Canyon Rangers (Rounder Records)
Best Liner Notes: Marian Leighton Levy (liner notes), for Tony Rice: The Bill Monroe Collection, by Tony Rice (Rounder Records)
Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Jon Weisberger

Earlier this week, IBMA’s new Momentum Awards, designed to recognize promising new talent, were presented. This year’s recipients of the Momentum Awards – which focus on artists and business people in the early years of their careers in bluegrass music – are:

Band of the Year: Monroeville
Vocalist of the Year: Emily Bankester (performs with The Bankesters)
Instrumentalists of the Year: bassist Samson Grisman (son of legendary mandolinist David “Dawg” Grisman, performs with The Deadly Gentlemen), fiddler Alex Hargreaves (performs with Sarah Jarosz), and fiddler Christian Ward (performs with Sierra Hull)
Event/Venue of the Year: Appalachian Uprising, produced by Steve Cielic (new festival in Scottown, Ohio)
Industry Achievement: Crash Avenue publicist Emilee Warner
Mentor of the Year: Five-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year and producer Mike Bub

Initial Slate of Performers/Presenters announced for 9/27 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Initial slate of performers and presenters announced for International Bluegrass Music Awards September 27

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Gibson Brothers and Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out among many confirmed performers and presenters


Nashville, Tenn. (Sept. 5, 2012) — An initial list of performers and presenters for IBMA’s 23rd International Bluegrass Music Awards has been confirmed for the event, which kicks off at 7:30 PM CST on Thursday, September 27. The Awards Show, held at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, will feature performances and award presentations from some of the genre’s brightest stars, including Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, The Gibson Brothers and Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Awards Show hosts Del McCoury and Laurie Lewis will also be joined onstage by Eddie & Martha Adcock, Terry Baucom, Kristin Scott Benson, Byron Berline, Blue Highway, The Boxcars, Jason Burleson, Dale Ann Bradley, Alison Brown, Sam Bush, Martino Coppo, J.D. Crowe, Dailey & Vincent, Della Mae, Steve Dilling, Jeremy Garrett, Chris Jones, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Jens Kruger, Kitsy Kuykendall, Rob McCoury, Joe Mullins, Mike Munford, Chris Pandolfi, Junior Sisk, Graham Sharp, Sammy Shelor, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Special Consensus, Pam Tillis, Tony Trischka, Josh Williams, and many others. A finalized lineup of performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

“This year, as we give recognition to those musical heroes we have lost, but also focus on all of the great talent that we have, we celebrate our bluegrass family and community,” said Stephen Ruffo, who is co-producing the Awards Show with Claire Armbruster. “Working with Claire once again to co-produce this great event for the IBMA -- gathering all of the parts -- is just so great.”

“The Awards show is one of the highlights of IBMA's World of Bluegrass,” said Armbruster. “It is an honor to be working with Stephen again, as well as with this wonderful slate of award nominees.”

The International Bluegrass Music Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the trade association for the bluegrass music industry. The IBMA Awards Show is the centerpiece of the World of Bluegrass Week, September 24 – 30 in Nashville, Tenn., which also includes the IBMA Business Conference and Bluegrass Fan Fest.

For the first time ever, the 2012 IBMA Awards Show will be broadcast live from the Ryman as streaming video on BluegrassNation.org and BluegrassToday.com. The Awards Show will also be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction, Channel 14) and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks, thanks to sponsors Compass Records, ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass, Deering Banjos, BMI, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, BluegrassToday.com, Boston Bluegrass Union, VisitRaleigh.com, and 650 WSM AM. Program directors and station managers may register as affiliates by calling 888-GET-IBMA or 615-256-3222.

For more information on World of Bluegrass week, including tickets to the International Bluegrass Music Awards, go to www.worldofbluegrass.org, join us on Facebook, or call 615-256-3222 (1-888-GET-IBMA).

A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, and the recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award can be found at http://ibmaawards.org/node/222.