Sam, It is always a pleasure to welcome you back home to Bowling Green.  I’d like to ask you about the upcoming Newgrass festival.  As one press release stated this event “will be the first of its kind in the southeast.” Since New Grass appeared in the early 1970s, it has gone from a somewhat fringe musical expression to mainstream in the world of popular music. How do you account for this evolution?

Well, we all [New Grass Revival] had a solid background in and knew the rules of bluegrass music to begin with so we knew how to present the music in a new way while staying respectful to the traditional forms.

I see that Kenny Lee is the festival director. Were you also involved in the planning?

No, but Kenny would call and ask about certain bands and I would give advice.  But, I was not a director.

Looks like some great folks are going to be there including your old band mates John Cowan and Curtis Burch. What is it like to play together again?

We will all be playing with our separate bands but I’m sure we’ll be jamming at some points in the festival. This will be the first time that John, Curtis and I have been on the same bill for quite some time.

Who else should we be watching for on the festival schedule besides you all?

I would particularly watch for the Infamous StringDusters and the Green Cards. The Green Cards bring a whole new and innovative approach to Bluegrass that I really appreciate.

I see that back in March you were honored by the Kentucky Senate in Frankfort as the founder of Newgrass. What was that like?

It was a pretty overwhelming experience for a kid who grew up on a tobacco and cattle farm near Bowling Green. I have never been in the Senate chamber before and was deeply honored by the recognition but, it was a pretty overwhelming day! (laughs)

By the way, are you working on any new music these days? New CDs on the horizon?

Yes, I have one coming out on October 20th which is incidentally my and Lynn’s 25th wedding anniversary so, a very special day for several reasons. The new CD is called “Circles around Me” and is being released by Sugarhill Records. The title song is one by Jeff Black and me. The CD is a return to a more acoustic New Grass and Bluegrass. We are also featuring an old recording of a duet between Courtney Johnson and me.

There will be vocal duets with bluegrass legend, Del McCoury and myself and an instrumental trio with Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer, both awesome musicians! Also at the festival and on the CD are my band which includes another Bowling Green boy, Byron House on bass, as well as Chris Brown on drums, Scott Vestal on banjo and Stephen Mougin on flat-top and electric guitars. “Circles Around Me” is, for me a coming back home to my musical roots.

Sam, what do you see as the next stage in the evolution of Newgrass?

I wish I had a great answer for you. I guess if you look at some of the same folks who are going to be at the festival, you’ll see the future of Newgrass. I know the great young players will take it to the next level.

Thanks Sam, hope the festival is a success and just the first of many to come.