July 2015

Hi Folks!

What a wonderful year this has been! There has been a lot going on with tour dates, our upcoming CD, a new band-mate and more. Please see below for the latest news!

Here is a road pic of Jennifer at Al’s Chickenette in Hays, Kansas, where we stopped on a recent trip!

Come to a Show!

Jamestown Rotary Bluegrass Festival
Saturday, July 18
Fentress County Fairgrounds, 641 Fairgrounds Rd, Jamestown, TN 38556

The Fentress County community has hosted a horse show for 58 years, and is ready to begin a new tradition of presenting a bluegrass festival! We are excited to be helping to kick off this 1^st annual event.

43rd Annual - Lucketts Fair
Sunday, August 16
42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg, Virginia 20176

This 43rd annual fair will have bluegrass all day on Sunday, August 16. The fair is associated with the Lucketts Community Center, which has sponsored a bluegrass concert series since 1974.

26th Annual Buddy Smith's Youth Ranch Fundraiser
Saturday, September 12 @ 6:30 PM
Blountstown High School Auditorium, 17586 Main St N, Blountstown, FL 32424

Blountstown, FL is in the Florida panhandle near the Apalachicola National Forest. The Rivertown Group will open the evening, then we will do two 45 minute sets. The Lewis Family played this show, which supports the Florida Boys Youth Ranch program, for many years.

36th Annual Fall Homecoming Festival
Sunday, October 11
Five Outdoor Stages, 2819 Anderson Hwy, Clinton, TN 37716

We will be performing as part of the McLain Family Band. There will be music all weekend at this 36th annual festival at the Museum of Appalachia. Also appearing will be Doyle Lawson, JD Crowe, Del McCoury, The Boxcars, and many more.

Mid-South Barbecue Festival
Friday, October 16
Downtown Mount Pleasant, 109 N Main Street, Mount Pleasant, TN 38474

Not only does this festival have a Classic Car Cruise-In, but is also a Barbecue Competition with the winner eligible to enter the Jack Daniels Competition the following week. We have one show at 7 pm, and are ready for some barbeque eating!

Friday Night Bluegrass at the Shepherdsville Music Barn
Friday, January 22, 2016 @ 8:00 PM
Shepherdsville Music Barn, 1833 Hwy 44 West, Shepherdsville, KY 40165

We are excited to be part of this bluegrass series in Shepherdsville, KY! Gary Brewer & the Kentucky Ramblers will open the show, then we'll do a 45 min. set, after a short intermission, we'll do it again. Come on out and join us!

Evening Concert
Saturday, January 23, 2016 @ 7:00 PM
Mitchell Opera House, 355 N 7th St, Mitchell, IN 47446

This will be an evening concert in the historic Mitchell Opera House. The venue recently underwent a historical renovation and hosts a range of events. We hope to see you there!

Our Project featuring Dan Kelly

Our buddy, Dan Kelly, came by and finished up some fiddle tracks on our new CD. Dan played fiddle and mandocello on the project. Thanks, Dan! Here is a picture of him with his 1920’s Gibson mandocello.

We are very thankful to have had Dan on the road with us at many shows this year including the PBS show, Song of the Mountains. The program was taped at the historic Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA in front of a live audience. It airs on over 180 Public Television outlets across the United States. Please check you local listings for broadcast times. We shared the evening with bluegrass pioneer, Ralph Stanley.

Bandzoogle Features our Website

Recently, we heard from the folks at Bandzoogle that they chose our “Michael and Jennifer McLain & the Banjocats” website as a featured example. Thanks Bandzoogle! Click here to see their examples page (we’re #10).

Click below to visit our website! Here you can see photos (check out the early picture of the McLain Family Band with Michael on the left!), previous newsletters, tour schedule, booking information and more.

A New Band-Mate!

We are excited to have a new band-mate! Kori Caswell, from Hannibal, Missouri, will be with us on upright bass and harmony vocals this year. She is finishing up her bachelor's degree in Commercial Bass performance as a senior at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. We love to hear her solo on songs such as Lady of Spain! Here is Kori at a recent event we played in Boulder, CO.

Thanks for letting us share our latest news with you!

We so much appreciate your support, & are very grateful to be able to do what we love! Hopefully, we’ll see you down the road!

All the best,

Michael and Jennifer & the Banjocats

www.banjocats.com