Rob Ickes
Rob Ickes on Niall Toner CD
We all know Rob is a great player, but you have to hear the new Niall Toner "Onwards and Upwards" CD. The "band" for most of the album is guitar, dobro, mando and bass. Even though the reso is almost omni-present everything Rob plays completely supports the songs and the singer and he's never in the way. It's not about hot licks - although they are ample - but about the tunes. What is amazing is that as much as he plays he never repeats himself. And every song is a winner and they're all different. The album sounds like an ensemble recording but it probably isn't. If you want to hear a lot of Rob Ickes at his best give it a listen.
Silver Threads Among the Gold
Here is the first of my son Danny Booth's video clips from the Mike Auldridge Tribute show at the Birchmere. Jerry and Rob play one of the songs from the new album with Mike, just the three of them.
Mike Auldridge Tribute Concert, Birchmere
Mike
Auldridge’s elegant musicianship forever changed the sound of the Dobro
in American roots music. With the Seldom Scene, Chesapeake and others,
he starred on hundreds of Birchmere evenings, and his death on Dec. 28,
2012 marked the passing of one of the DC area’s greatest creators, most
influential players, and most cherished friends.
Some of Auldridge’s own cherished friends will gather Wednesday, Feb. 12
at The Birchmere for a night one more unforgettable night of Mike
Auldridge music. Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, David Bromberg, Rob
Ickes, John Starling, Tom Gray, The Seldom Scene and other greats will
sing and play songs and praises.
Spanish Grass by Mike Auldridge, performed at Mike Auldridge's funeral reception on January 3rd 2013 in Silver Springs, MD
Today I was SO wishing I could be with the community of dobro players paying their respects at Mike Auldridge's funeral service and reception. Arriving by car from Alaska just in time, my son Dan represented the Booth clan in fine fashion. It was a sad day, but filled with warmth and good spirit celebrating the life of a legendary musician. Here is some of the picking that took place at the reception, led off by Rob and Jerry and ably assisted by my pals Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen. The band consists of Frank Solivan on mandolin, banjo master Mike Munford, guitar whiz kid Chris Luquette, my son Dan Booth on bass and sitting in is Dan's sweetie, champion fiddler Amanda Kerr.