The Bluegrass Shack

Custom Made Banjo Fingerpicks

2009-12-05T22:14:00.001-06:00

Calling all banjo players! Here is your chance to get some custom made, high quality banjo picks. John Ellington is from Canada and has made fingerpicks for some pretty high profile banjo players, including Alison Brown (when she played for Alison Krauss). These are really nice fingerpicks and they are guaranteed. I have two sets of these and they are non-slip and sound great. Take a look at John's website at http://www.ellingtonsilverpicks.com/. You can order the picks directly from John on-line.

So why did John start making the banjo picks? This is what he wrote me: "I started learning banjo from Dave Talbot, he was Canadian national champion several years in a row. He now plays for Dolly Parton. I found the old nationals very uncomfortable and decided to make a pick that was more comfortable and made several prototypes ( 45-50) and with Dave's input arrived at the pick you see today. It is hand made, of the finest sterling silver. Pierced to flex around the finger and you can actually feel the string as you play. Secondly, they will not slip if well fitted."

Yes, John made me a set with my name engraved on them, and no, I don't get any commission. I don't recommend anything I don't like.

Support for the Troops

2009-12-05T22:05:00.000-06:00

Okay - I know this isn't bluegrass related, but I thought it was such a good idea I had to post it anyway. Xerox is sending free cards to the troops from their website at http://www.letssaythanks.com/. You can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. Kids made the cards and there are a whole bunch you can choose from. Happy sending!

Christmas Party Give-Aways!

2009-12-05T18:43:00.000-06:00

Attention boys and girls! Students of The Bluegrass Shack can sign up at the Christmas party to win one of these giant, 4-foot stockings stuffed with all kinds of goodies and topped off with a large, stuffed Christmas bear! We will also be giving away lots of attendance prizes to folks of all ages. We hope to see all our students at the party for an evening of fun, fun, fun (and food, food, food)!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas

2009-12-05T18:39:00.000-06:00

If you haven't finished up your shopping yet and you are needing some Christmas cards or ideas for the stocking, here you go!

Karen Cannon is at it again with her absolutely adorable Christmas cards! We are offering these at a substantial discount of only $12.00 per box (of 10). These retail for $16.95. Take a look at some of the cards we have in stock!

First off, how about a chinrest pad for your favorite fiddle or violin player? At only $3.00, they are a bargain!

Every guy needs just one more tie, especially when it's a musical tie!

How about a case tag? Every case should have one and they are only $2.50 - $3.50!

Music pocketbooks are the answer for many folks! Some are chord books, some are tab, some are musical notation, some are theory. All cost $1.25 - $4.50, depending upon the individual book.

Instrument magnets are sure to get a "front seat" on the refrigerator of your favorite musician. They are all $5.00 or less, too!

Need a place to store picks and capos? How about extra change? These mini saddle change purses are made of real leather and come in black and brown. At only $10.00, any cowgirl would be proud to own one!

These very detailed mini instruments make great ornaments or fan / light pulls. They are only $10.00 and will give years of joy!

We have many other items that musicians need that fit great into a stocking: strings, capos, picks, gift certificates, tuners, rosin, shoulder rests, straps, cables, microphones, lyres, polish, polishing cloths, fretboard conditioner, Simichrome polish for banjos and other metal parts, mutes, pitchpipes, pick pouches and holders, hat and lapel pins, harmonicas, jaw harps, gorilla snot, guitar grease, peg winders, drumsticks (wood & light-up!), reeds, cleaning kits, transducers & pickups, strap buttons, and much more!

Some of Our Many Ornaments

2009-12-05T18:23:00.001-06:00

I get all kinds of nice ornaments each year for Christmas and even throughout the year. Many of them are musical, but I also get many nice glass and nativity-type ornaments as well. I thought I'd share a number of the ornaments that are on the tree this year. If you don't see "yours", it was in the box that I couldn't locate after two moves this year... Never fear -- I still have it!!! It is a tradition in my family to trade ornaments each year. It is something that doesn't cost too much, and you can never have too many for the tree! When I decorate the tree every year, the ornaments make me think of students, family, and special moments. It is truly a memory tree for me.

Bluegrass Shack Christmas Tree

2009-12-05T18:11:00.000-06:00

Last year, I never did get around to even getting the tree up. This year, I vowed to get this done early. The weekend following Thanksgiving was my day to get this done. I actually love putting up the tree, and I like putting the ornaments on it even better.

2009 Bluegrass Shack Gingerbread House

2009-12-05T18:09:00.000-06:00

Aha! It's done! Thank you to my mother for this wonderful tradition we have of making gingerbread houses every year during the Christmas season. Today was the big day! Mom makes about a ton of frosting, and she also hand rolls, cuts and bakes the gingerbread -- including a banjo for my "house" every year. And my tradition is to give the gingerbread house away in a random drawing at the Bluegrass Shack Student Christmas Party. Soooo, one lucky person attending the Christmas Party will get to take this lovely and delicious house home with them. Here are some pictures of this year's house.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T19:16:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to tell everyone to have a safe and very Happy Thanksgiving!

Tribute to Bill

2009-11-13T22:09:00.000-06:00

Here are the pictures of Bill I promised. He was a gifted musician, loving husband to Marilyn, and a true friend. I sure miss him.

2009 Bluegrass Shack STUDENT Christmas Party!!!

2009-11-13T18:19:00.000-06:00

Alright, the time is here! If you are a student of the Bluegrass Shack, then this is just for you! Our annual Christmas party will be held Saturday, December 12, 2009, at the St. Agatha School Cafeteria in New Athens, IL, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. This is just a few blocks from the shop. Everyone is asked to bring something to eat, drink or paper/utensils. If you would like to supply the drinks or paper/utensils, please let me know so that we don't have too many people bringing the same thing. For food, you can bring anything you would like -- snack, dessert, chips, sandwiches, chili, etc.

I have heard that Santa Claus will be visiting again this year. There will be two giant stockings for the kids (we hold a drawing -- one for boys and one for girls), attendance prizes, and lots of great music. Bring your instrument if you want to join us for Christmas carols.

The party is open to students and their families, this also includes grandparents and siblings. St. Agatha donates the use of their building free of charge, so we would appreciate any help cleaning up afterwards. We will also have a donation jar in the food line so that you can make a donation if you would like (not required).

To get to St. Agatha's from The Bluegrass Shack, turn left out of our parking lot (towards Gary's Restaurant). Make a right at the laundromat onto Market Street. St. Agatha's is at the beginning of the 4th block right at the corner. You can enter from the back of the school through the double glass doors into the cafeteria.

The party is free, so come join us!!!!!

Pickin' Chicks Win both 1st & 3rd in Pinckneyville for their Float

2009-11-13T18:03:00.001-06:00

The Pickin' Chicks and their parents put together a float for the girls for the Marti Gras parade in Pinckneyville, IL. Pinckneyville has a nice parade there every year for the event. The Chicks won 1st Place for the float in the Farming Division, and 3rd Place Overall. Here are a few pictures.

Pickin' Chicks Win First in Springfield

2009-11-13T17:51:00.001-06:00

The Pickin' Chicks entered the Saturday morning talent contest at the 23rd Annual Greater Downstate Indoor Bluegrass Festival in Springfield, IL. They won first place! This is a clip of their last song "Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band" (Alabama remake).

The girls also got to play personally for Rhonda Vincent! Here is a picture of the girls with Rhonda.

Pictures from the October Contest

2009-11-13T16:27:00.003-06:00

Here are lots of pictures from our October contest. I hope you enjoy them!

Contest Results!

2009-11-02T10:56:00.000-06:00

I will do another post later with more details and lots of pictures, but for now, I wanted to make sure to get the results posted. By the way, this was our largest contest ever with a total of 59 contestants!!!

Junior Fiddle Ages 11 & Under
1st - Amelia Eisenhauer
2nd - Rosemary Hall
3rd - Colton Dever
4th - Emma Neumeyer
5th - Patrick Garner

Junior Fiddle Ages 12-17
1st - Emily Ryan
2nd - James Ryan
3rd - Paige Johnson
4th - Veronica Steibel
5th - Angela Winkeler

Junior Banjo 16 & under
1st - Nikki Warnecke
2nd - Emily Hall
3rd - Ben Politte
4th - Andy Eisenhauer
5th - Christi Gray

Adult Beginner Banjo
1st - Larry Reuss
2nd - Jim Nall
3rd - Jim Albers
4th - Bobby Napier
5th - Stacey Ward

Adult Beginner Fiddle
1st - Ellen Gomez
2nd - Liz Durako
3rd - Jim Simpson
4th - Lois Politte
5th - Amy Atwood

Open Fiddle
1st - Marc Rennard
2nd - Tyler Moore
3rd - Hannah Finley
4th - Brian Smyth
5th - Chelsea Perkinson

Senior Fiddle
1st - Zane Prosser
2nd/3rd (tie) - John Bell & Janice Nirscher
4th - Ron Dailey
5th - Stan Farlow

Open Banjo
1st - Dave Landreth
2nd - Zach Hardesty
3rd - Brian Smyth
4th - Terry Hill

Senior Banjo
1st - Stan Farlow
2nd - John Bell
3rd - Dick Nicolas

Bill's Visitation

2009-10-26T13:50:00.002-06:00

The visitation for Bill will be on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at Moll Funeral Home in Mascoutah, IL. The time will be 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. Funeral will be private for family only.

Thank you all for your condolences. It feels like I have lost a member of my family.

Bill's Passing

2009-10-26T09:25:00.000-06:00

Bill Barttelbort passed away Sunday, 10-25-09. His passing will be mourned by many. Bill played in The Chris Talley Trio for the past 5 years and made two CDs with us. He was one of the kindest and most talented persons that I have ever known. Bill made a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and is in Heaven.

I will post pictures and arrangements soon.

23rd Annual Greater Downstate Indoor Bluegrass Festival

2009-10-21T23:17:00.000-06:00

We don't want you to miss out on this great festival! If you have been wanting to get lessons or attend a workshop with me (Chris Talley Armstrong), this is your chance. Terry Lease has asked me to teach the fiddle & banjo workshops every year for some time now. Saturday is the day, and there will be other workshops as well taught by other folks. This is a great opportunity to learn and then put your skills to the test while jamming later on in the evening.

The Bluegrass Shack will be setup in the vendor room (they call it the "Guitar Show" even though there are all kinds of other instruments and accessories there). When you walk through the conference room where we are set up, look directly to your left and you'll see us! We will be having a sale on books & DVDs.

You can jam all night long in the jamming area, or you can watch some great entertainers in the bluegrass showroom. Come Saturday morning for the Talent Showcase/Contest and cheer on The Pickin' Chicks. The festivities start at 10:00 a.m., but since the order of performers is determined on Saturday, I can't tell you exactly what time they play. You'll get to hear lots of other good talent, too!

There will be a mandolin workshop taught by Roland White all day Friday. If you would like to take part in this, be sure to let them know you found out about it from The Bluegrass Shack. You can sign up for the workshop or get more information about the entire weekend's festival by clicking HERE. We hope to see you there! You'll have a great time!

We Will Be Closed November 6-7

2009-10-21T23:09:00.000-06:00

Just a note to let you know that The Bluegrass Shack will be closed on Friday and Saturday, November 6 & 7, 2009. We will be loading up the store to drive to Springfield, IL for the 23rd Annual Greater Downstate Indoor Bluegrass Festival. Come see us in the Guitar Show room. We will be set up there as vendors with fiddles, mandolins, banjos, guitars, harmonicas, accessories of all kinds, books, DVDs, and more! See my other post for more details!

Win a Gift Certificate or Vintage Fiddle for your Donation!

2009-10-20T11:42:00.000-06:00

In preparation for our Annual October Fiddle & Banjo Contest, we are offering a chance to win a free $100 gift certificate or 1890's vintage Neuner & Hornsteiner fiddle. For every donation of $1.00, you will get one chance to win. For $5.00, you will get six chances to win. We will hold a drawing at the contest for the winner. You do not need to be present to win. Your donations go 100% towards the cost of our contest, which is generally around $1500. This allows us to pay for the hall rental, judges, trophies, medals, and prize money.

By the way, our last fiddle winner (from July) will be entering this contest! Make sure you come to the contest and watch first-time contest player Courtney compete in the Junior Division. We just love it when our supporters decide to play music, too!

Expansion Ahead!

2009-10-18T16:59:00.000-06:00

We are happy to announce that The Bluegrass Shack will now have more parking effective immediately, and that we will eventually be able to expand our building. On Friday, we closed on our purchase of the piece of business property to the right of our current property. This was what used to be a landscaping business. You may now use this lot for additional parking! Yippee!

Pickin' Chicks Website

2009-10-12T19:40:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let you know that The Pickin' Chicks have their own website now. There will still be some updates to it, including more pictures of the girls individually and some more performance pictures. Now you can keep track of where they are playing! Just go to www.pickinchicks.com.

Bluegrass Shack Closed This Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009

2009-09-30T08:08:00.001-06:00

We want you to join us in Dubois, IL this weekend! We will close the shop on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, due to the bluegrass festival in Dubois. Come and join us at this wonderful event!

Great Bluegrass & Family Fun This Weekend!

2009-09-30T08:05:00.003-06:00

Just a reminder that the Dubois Bluegrass & Craft Fall Festival will be this Saturday and Sunday, October 3 & 4, 2009. It will be a wonderful two days packed with events for the whole family: hay rides, horse rides, bluegrass music, gospel music, gospel sing & play along, craft booths, kids area, pontoon boat rides, hay rides, quilt raffle, clowns, camping and more!

For the schedule of events and a flyer, click here.

October Fiddle & Banjo Contest

2009-09-30T07:50:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again! We are hosting our annual October Fiddle & Banjo Contest on Saturday, October 31, 2009. It starts at Noon and will be held at the same location as last year. Please note that the venue, L&B's East End, has changed ownership and will now be called Yellow Jacket's. Same place, new name!

Our popular Adult Beginner Division will be available for both the fiddle & banjo contest. This is for folks 21 years & older who have played for 4 years or less. Now you don't have to be afraid to enter! This is your chance to inspire others and gain experience in the process.

Here is the flyer. Click on it to make it larger for printing and reading.

Jerseyville Videos & Pictures

2009-09-26T16:24:00.003-06:00

It's been a couple of weeks, but we sure had a good time in Jerseyville this year! Every year, Brenda and Fred Nolan put on a fine event, and this year was no different. There was some rain, but we still carried on the tradition and played all weekend.

On Saturday, the Pickin' Chicks joined us in Jerseyville to play a couple of numbers.

Even Earl joined The Chris Talley Trio for a number!