Greetings from Atlanta,
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for us here at
Dust-to-Digital. In mid-May, April and I traveled across the country
to Seattle for our first ARSC conference where we got to hear many
incredible presentations. We saw some old friends and made some new
ones. Overall, it was a great experience.
On the trip, I used whatever down time I had to work on a
presentation of my own, which I was set to deliver in Nashville three
days after our return. The paper, entitled "Standing in the Presence
of the Past: Dust-to-Digital and the Preservation of Old Time Music,"
served as the keynote presentation for the International Country
Music Conference. With the assistance of Belmont University and the
Country Music Hall of Fame, we were able to get the Roan Mountain
Hilltoppers to perform throughout the presentation to illustrate some
of the songs I discussed. The presentation went well, and I hope to
get some excerpts on the DTD website at some point in the future.
When the ICMC ended, I joined company with blues journalist and
country music discographer Tony Russell. He and I conducted several
research trips in Kentucky and north Georgia. We talked to relatives
and acquaintances of musicians and were able to learn a great deal of
information about some biographical ciphers. Tony stayed with us for
a week then headed back to London.
That brings us to the present. We are working on several
compilations that we hope to have out before the end of the year. The
largest of which is a three CD anthology of the standup bass
appropriately titled "Basses Loaded" by its producer Dick Spottswood.
There are a couple of foreign language releases we are preparing for
reissue, as well.
Our most recent release Fonotone Records: Frederick, Maryland
1956-1969 has been featured in several press outlets over the past
month. Bill Meyer called the box set "a packaging geek's dream" in his
review for the Chicago Reader. Whitney Strub described the Fonotone
basement as "a giddy vortex of tooting jugs and clanging tablespoons,
hyperactive banjos and restless mandolins" in his article for Pop
Matters. The positive response to Fonotone has resonated with the
label's founder Joe Bussard. Never one to sit still for too long, Joe
has been talking about a possible Fonotone Records resurrection. Stay
tuned for more info...
Speaking of Joe, last Friday we celebrated the 100th episode of his
"Country Classics" radio show on WREK. Further news from the world of
radio, a new online station and two new shows have been getting a lot
of play in the DTD offices. First, there is Venerable Music's virtual
jukebox, which operates 24/7 and even plays requests. The station
showcases many of the CDs that Venerable Music carries. Second, there
is "Theme Time Radio" with host Bob Dylan on XM Radio. So far, there
has been a show on Baseball, Coffee, Jail, and Weather. Who knows what
to expect next? Third, Greg Vandy's "The Roadhouse" on KEXP in Seattle
features three hours of American blues and roots music every
Wednesday. Each show is archived for a week, and the webpage even
lists cocktail menus to mix for your listening pleasure.
Finally, I leave you with a recent delve into 78 rpm folklore. The
PBS show "History Detectives" set its sights on Grafton, Wisconsin
last week in search for master recordings that Paramount Records is
rumored to have dumped in the Milwaukee River. I spoke to Dick
Spottswood who was flown up for the show to see whether any records
were recovered. He said the scuba diving excursion was to take place
last Friday, and we'll have to watch the show in August to see.
Best wishes for summer,
Lance Ledbetter
Dust-to-Digital
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