Dierks in NYC Day 4: Regis & Kelly and Brooklyn's South Paw - Oct 21

"Ready tenacious Dierks? Ready, dude. Kick it off, Pickles! The opening line of 'Rovin' Gambler' on the Up On The Ridge album, has Dierks all smiles as he spends his last night in The Big Apple in Brooklyn performing with The Punch Brothers, who were featured on three of the UOTR CMA nominated recording.

The day started out with DB and TPB performing on Regis and Kelly Live before moving to South Paw to pick and grin some more.



"We got up at 5 am to get in the stand-by line for Regis and Kelly. After freezing to death all morning, we didn't even get in for the show, BUT we did catch Dierks on his way out and he insisted we get a picture!"
(DB Congress Reps Beth, WA; Jayme, IL; Dierks, and Steph, MO)

CMT's Jim Allen recaps the night in this detailed article.

One of our very own DB Congress members from Delaware, Amy Shepheard, shared her personal South Paw experience with us:

"The drive to New York from my house can be unpredictable so I gave myself plenty of time to get to Southpaw in Brooklyn. I ended up getting there really early and spending a few hours with some other fan club members in line. While we were all chatting and sharing nachos from the Mexican restaurant on the corner, Dierks arrived. He waved on his way in and called us the "faithful." He smiled and said that he loved us all.

(Photo Credit: Amy Shepheard)

(Photo Credit: Beth Longanecker)

As we waited for the door to open, we could hear sound check, which was pretty neat. I had a front row spot for the show itself, which was the best show I have seen yet! The tiny venue was so intimate that it was easy for the fans to connect with Dierks. He responded to requests from the audience and even accepted drinks that were passed up from the bar.

The Punch Brothers meshed with Dierks perfectly and were equally as impressive musically. They played a lot of UOTR songs as well as acoustic versions of some of the big DB hits. The guys rounded the show out with an impromptu version of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" that was unbelievable. It was easy to see that the guys on stage were having a blast. No one was ready for the show to end!

(Noam "Pickles" Pikelny; Photo Credit: Amy Shepheard)

(Dierks and Chris Thile; Photo Credit: Amy Shepheard)

(Photo Credit: Beth Longanecker)

(Photo Credit: Stephanie Lanham)

Photo Credit: Stephanie Lanham)

After the show, I hoped to catch Dierks outside. When he came out, he smiled and waved, and thanked everyone for coming. Then he spotted "Will Ferrell" in his pickup truck blasting "What Was I Thinkin'." The bed of the truck was full of people dancing and singing along with the stereo. Dierks laughed and ran down toward the truck, sneaking up on everyone. He jumped into the truck bed and joined the party! He spent a few minutes singing with the crowd.

As he ran toward the car waiting for him, he said, "Goodbye! I'll never forget this week!" And then he was gone, letting the party continue on the busy New York street."

Thanks, Amy!

After a phenomenal performance of Pride (In The Name of Love), Dierks asked Chris Thile, "Did you have the bluegrass operation?" (to be able to sing that high). Watch Chris's reply:

Hours after the show, Dierks posted on his Facebook/Twitter:

"NYC 4am w/ the punch brothers. thx for a week I'll never forget. so much fun. look forward to the next one!"

Watch Dierks Draw Me A Map on Regis and Kelly Live!

Dierks Bentley performed live on Regis and Kelly yesterday with The Punch Brothers and he even got a little "stand up" time! Watch as they talk after he sings about writing the song, the album, his 3 CMA nominations and harmonizing with Chris Thile!

Dierks just finished a 4-night run in New York City, including a stint with The Punch Brothers at Brooklyn's South Paw.

THE THREAD FEATURES THE RIDGE

Dierks's Bentley said his radio show, 'The Thread' was special this week, "since I'm gonna be talking about ME--the whole hour! So if you don't like "me" you might want to tune out."

The radio show is called the thread and this album is called up on the ridge but it might as well be called the thread too because this album really goes back and connects me with the roots of my education in Nashville and the music that really got me excited about being in Nashville and that would be bluegrass acoustic and country music and that's what this record's is all about.

Dierks kicked off the show with the produce of the Up On The Ridge - Jon Randall Stewart. Some know him as Randy or Whispers. One of Dierks' best friends, "nobody knows more about bluegrass music, country music or whiskey and he's one of the great singers and songwriters in this town," Dierks says matter-of-factly.

The first song of the show, "Are You Teasing Me, featured Jon Randall and Patty Loveless.

I'm humbled to have my songs played this entire hour. I hope you hear something you like. He played all the songs from Up On The Ridge in the order they were recorded on the album. Dierks invited listeners to call in if they had any suggestions.

~Up On The Ridge - this song has gotten some airplay - means a lot to me, to hear Sam Bush's slide mandolin and Stuart Duncan's fiddle on the radio

~Fallin' For You - Gave it all I had to try and keep up with Chris Stapleton's powerful voice

~Senor' - I'm a Bob Dylan fan because of Tim O'Brien, and sang it with him at Telluride and recorded with Chris Thile and The Punch Brothers (along with the next song 'Rovin' Gambler'); I think we found a way to make it our own

~Draw Me A Map - one of my 12 favorite songs on this album, Alison Krauss in the background

~Bad Angel - Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson helped me on this Verlon Thompson Suzi Ragsdale tune

~Fiddlin' Around - written by Shawn Camp

~You're Dead To Me - really wanted to have a chance to write with Tim O'Brien on this record - it's a good murder ballad theme

~Pride - special song for me by U2 - only did it once live at The Ryman - hard to replicate live - picking cover songs is hard - bold and brave to take on but bringing in the musicianship of The Punch brothers and Del's voice - so much fun. Del nailed it! I'm really proud of that song.

~Love Grows Wild - One of my favorite singer/songwriters is Buddy Miller - I cut one of his songs on my first album, My Love Will Follow You; I wanted to get back to cut one of his on this album.

~Bottle To The Bottom - I am always amazed I had a chance to sing with Kris Kristofferson; hearing him sing some lines on his own song is one of the coolest thing that ever happened in my career. The song won a Grammy in 1970.

~Down In The Mine - If you're driving your car, you might want to pull over. This is a sad song. Special folks, amazing lifestyle, brave people - we'll send this song out to anyone who's lost a loved one down in the mine tragedies recently.

The podcast is available at wsmonline.com.

DIERKS BENTLEY'S UP ON THE RIDGE PREVIEW LISTENING PARTY

Apparently, a priviliged few were lucky enough to hear a few cuts from Dierks Bentley's upcoming Up on the Ridge Acoustic Album, during a March 30 listening party at Gary Paczosa's studio in Nashville.

CMT.com has the scoop!

Dierks and his producer, Jon Randall Stewart, previewed tracks from Bentley's impending country-bluegrass album, Up on the Ridge, during a Tuesday afternoon (March 30) listening party at engineer Gary Paczosa's studio in Nashville. Although the instrumentation and sensibility of the 12-song album are solidly bluegrass, the project ventures well beyond the traditional sounds of that genre. The title cut, for example, is a rap-flavored, banjo-inflected paean to rural living, which Bentley co-wrote with songwriter-producer Angelo Petraglia, best known for his works with Kings of Leon.

Besides marking a return to the music that influenced Bentley early in his career, the album features guest appearances from such bluegrass luminaries as Del McCoury (one of the artist's regular picking and recording buddies), Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Sonya Isaacs, the Punch Brothers (mandolinist Chris Thile's current group) and the SteelDrivers' Chris Stapleton.

Stewart has a distinguished bluegrass pedigree, as well, having toured and recorded as the lead guitarist in Emmylou Harris' fabled Nash Ramblers band.

Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson contribute stellar vocal performances on a lyrical exorcism called "Bad Angel," a Verlon Thompson-Suzi Ragsdale tune. Aided by McCoury and the Punch Brothers, Bentley also takes on U2's throbbing and incantatory "Pride (In the Name of Love)."

He resurrects "Rovin' Gambler," the old folk song, and creates a new one with the ancient-sounding coalfields lament, "Down in the Mine," a co-write with Stewart.

According to Esquire Magazine, the album is scheduled for release in May. That's a whole 30 days from now!

What I wouldn't give to have been a fly up on the ridge, uh, wall of that listening party! Congrats to all the DB fans who will get to see him and the Travelin' McCoury's live on the April-May bluegrass tour! Sadly, nothing is scheduled close to me. Guess I'll just have to wait for the album!

DIERKS BENTLEY NEW ALBUM, "UP ON THE RIDGE" ON SALE THIS SUMMER

New Album News: "Up On The Ridge" Posted by morgan on 08 Mar 2010 in News (http://dierks.com/news/new-album-news-ridge)

Singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has said many times that if he hadn’t discovered bluegrass, he’d never have become a country singer or landed a record deal. His love for country was kindled by the energy and artistry of bluegrass, and he’s never lost his passion for it.

Now, seven years into one of the most distinguished and critically acclaimed country careers of modern times, Bentley has plunged deeply into acoustic roots music. The results of that creative journey will come out this summer as the very special new album Up On The Ridge.

Much more than just a bluegrass concept album with guests, Up On The Ridge features Bentley working with some of the finest acoustic musicians in the world, including long-time collaborators the Del McCoury Band and a magical new musical partnership with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. The disc also features a number of vocal and instrumental contributions ranging from Alison Krauss and Miranda Lambert to Tim O’Brien and Sam Bush, among many others.

“This album won’t come as a surprise to my hard core fans,” says Bentley. “They've asked me: ‘when are you going to make a bluegrass record?’ And I was just waiting for the right time.” So with a grueling tour behind him, Bentley felt liberated to pursue the project. And for his career home, Capitol Nashville, Up On The Ridge represents a rare and exciting opportunity to capture an artist working entirely from the heart.

“I didn’t want this to be ‘Dierks Bentley and friends’ or a ‘Dierks does bluegrass’ kind of album. I wanted each song to have something special about it, and in the end I think each song really does have its own thing going on.”

Those songs came from Bentley’s proven pen, as well as some unexpected sources, such as Bob Dylan. Working with an award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Randall Stewart and world-class recording engineer Gary Paczosa, Bentley has crafted an album with rooted familiarity as well as big surprises. “It’s my version of bluegrass music,” he says. “It’s not just banjos cranked up to eleven. It throws out a big net.”

In the 1950s and 60s, bluegrass and country music overlapped, living side by side on the radio and in record bins. Even though that’s rarely the case today, Bentley sees no reason why he shouldn’t be able to pursue all the styles that influenced who he is as an American musician. He is clearly destined for a long career, and Up On The Ridge is likely to be regarded as one of its highlights.

BENTLEY RECORDS WITH A PUNCH

As we told you, Dierks Bentley is recording a new bluegrass record. Included on each of his previous albums along with the likes of the Del McCoury Band, and The Grascals, was a blugrass cut, and now an entire body of work for 2010 will apparently add at least one song recorded with The Punchbrothers!

Dierks posted the photo and caption below on Facebook/Twitter:



"recording w the @punchbrothers in Brooklyn. can see the statue of liberty from my microphone...insane. as is this band..in good way." #fb

I have long loved the bluegrass sound, and especially love Dierks' voice on the vocals, but frankly I have never followed any BG band enough to know them and their music like I have studied Dierks. So curiousity got the better of me and I had to check out The Punchbrothers.

You may remember composer-singer-mandolin player Chris Thile as a member of the Grammy Award–winning Nickel Creek. The Punchbrothers band name comes from a Mark Twain short story, Punch, Brothers, Punch! A Washington Post critic recently said Thile “may well be the most virtuosic American ever to play the mandolin.” Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, and Gabe Witcher round out the group and are among some of the most in-demand musicians/performers in the world of bluegrass.

Thanks, Dierks, for exposing us to even more bluegrass artists, and for giving us a little hint of your work on this new album! We anxiously await the final product!

~Ronna