WAMU’s Bluegrass Country’s signal reaches ’round the world and now so do our eyes and ears. 2010 will be the year of “special correspondents” — people who will blog and cover events far and wide on behalf of BluegrassCountry.org!
Our first reporter is also a foreign correspondent, Aussie Kym Warner of The Greencards, who will cover the 52nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on January 31st, 2010. The Greencards’ ‘The Crystal Merchant’, from their ‘Fascination’ album has been nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Country Instrumental’. Kym and Todd Lombardo wrote the tune, which features Jedd Hughes on guitar. This is the band’s second Grammy nomination.
Monday, 01 Feb 2010 12:43pm ET
It’s the last morning in LA, and I’m sad to leave. Once again, it’s the most glorious weather you could imagine, and we’re taking some great memories with us.
We spent a lot of time with Sarah and Gary Jarosz who are such wonderful people, and we are so proud to have shared in Sarah’s first (of many) Grammy nominations. Also, having our long time mate Gary Paczosa out here made it a weekend that’ll be hard to beat. Congrats to Steve Wariner who won the category we were all in. A wonderful bloke and fantastic musician. I downloaded his track when the nominations came in, and I really loved his playing.
Kinda exhausted now from being on our feet since THURSDAY. The Grammy show last night was really amazing. Beyonce, PINK, Mary J Blige w/ Andrea Bocelli and Waddy Wadtell were the highlights for me. Thanks to all at WAMU for doing this with us and for all of you who have been keeping tabs. I hope we’ll see you at a Greencards show somewhere down the line. Now its back to Nashville (The New Arctic)…..
Cheers,
Kym
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 7:04pm ET
Kym and Carol arriving at the Staples Center for the televised portion of the award show.
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 5:53pm ET
Text Message from Kym: Great day. Steve Wariner won and we congratulated him. Going to grab food and then off to the Staples Center.
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 4:20pm ET
Text Message from Kym: Neil Young is in the house.
The view from our seats at the pre-telecast awards.
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 3:36pm ET
Text Message from Kym: A Shawn Colvin sighting. Sweet!
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 3:28pm ET
Text Message from Kym: Walking the red carpet!
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 2:39pm ET
Text Message from Kym: Short walk to the shuttle. Carol is walking the streets of LA barefooted… Coffs Harbour style.
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 2:21pm ET
Text Message from Kym: All dressed up and headed to the Grammy Awards.
Fellow nominee Sarah Jarosz, Kym, and fellow Greencard Carol
It looks like striped socks were the winner. Nice.
Sunday, 31 Jan 2010 12:38pm ET
January 31st, 2010 – 52nd Grammy Awards Day has arrived, and as per usual the weather is stunning this morning here in LA.
We had a fantastic time at the nominee’s party last night where we all got our medallions and photos taken. It was extra special to be amongst our friends Gary P & Erika, Sarah and Gary Jarosz, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. We also made many new friends at the festivities. A couple of really interesting ones- John Billings who actually makes the Grammy awards, and has done so for 34 years, and a Brit named Nick Davis who is nominated for Best Surround Sound for his work on the Genesis box set. Pretty good stuff! The atmosphere was really electric, people all in amazing spirits. Sarah and I got a photo with Weird Al Yankovic- sweet guy and as funny as you’d imagine.
A bunch of us continued on to the Edendale Grill to help celebrate our friend Ed Helms’ Birthday. Great to catch up with Sean Watkins there and to see some LA actors hanging out. A really great night!
As I write this we are about 2hrs from heading to the awards presentation. We will be meeting Sarah and Gary and making our way to the big show. It’s such an honour to have this nomination, and we are enjoying every second of it. – Kym
Saturday, 30 Jan 2010 9:08pm ET
Text Message from Kym: We just got our Grammy medallions and some cocktails. Shaping up to be one of those great nights.
Saturday, 30 Jan 2010 6:12pm ET
Hanging with Carol and fellow nominee Sarah Jarosz in our new favorite bistro, Louie!
The view from our hotel room.
Saturday, 30 Jan 2010 12:28pm ET
Sliced mango and croissant for breakfast– a last ditch effort to squeeze into my Grammy pants. It’s a waste of time really when I think of the 2 party’s, multiple meals, beverages and hors d’oeuvres that we are about to intake today. Speaking of food, we had one of, if not the best meals since we’ve lived in the U.S. last night at an Italian/European bistro called Bottega Louie in downtown LA. I had eggplant parmesan that possibly rivaled the great Falco family’s from Long Island, NY (Jack and Francis, parent’s to Stringduster Andy Falco). And the portobello fries were out of this world.
Carol has some personal maintenance stuff planned today so I’m going to try and finish the tune I was writing yesterday.
Big day ahead… more to come! – Kym
Saturday, 30 Jan 2010 11:27am ET
Text Message from Kym: Glorious morning in LA. Shorts and t-shirt. Nashville looking more like Russia. Vodka anyone?
Friday, 29 Jan 2010 9:39pm ET
Today we went to the Convention Center to get all of our passes and credentials for the next couple of days. About a 20min walk from the hotel. We had plans to get fish ‘n chips or bangers & mash from the Irish pub on the way, but we came across Big Wangs. How could we say NO!?!
I didn’t bring my mandolin with me to Los Angeles. I thought that I could go for 4 days without it… I was wrong. Especially after watching a performance like Thile’s last night, I ALWAYS head home and want to practice – not easy when you don’t have a mandolin with you. So this morning I set out to find the nearest music store. My plan was to pretend that I wanted to buy a mandolin so that I could drop in and play for an hour or 2. Luckily my mate Ed has a mando and graciously let me grab it for a couple of days. A 30 minute cab ride later and I’m back at the hotel tinkering away.
I’m so glad he did because I wrote 2 parts to a new tune this arvo! – Kym
Friday, 29 Jan 2010 12:14pm ET
I was up pretty early this morning. I guess the weather here and the excitement of this trip is conducive to that. Walked around the city for about an hour looking for a breakfast place with WIFI – couldn’t find one, but I’m wearing shorts for the first time in months and it’s awesome!
Had a great first night in the city. We went to Largo to watch Chris Thile. The taxi drive from the hotel nearly gave Carol a heart attack! I think the driver is in training for the new NASCAR season. Despite the $14 Vodka at the bar next door, it was a totally memorable night. Bela Fleck and Sean Watkins got up and played with him. It was an incredible show. I didn’t think it was possible for Chris to get any better than when i saw him last… he is though…. a lot better. So scary and totally unacceptable for us mere mortals.
There was a really great hang afterward: Benmont Tench, Fiona Apple, Glen Phillips, Bela, Sean, Jeff Coffin, Ed Helms, Gary Paczosa, and Carol & I. Gonna be hard to beat that! – Kym
Thursday, 28 Jan 2010 11:59pm ET
Photo: Kym arrives at LAX baggage claim. Our adventure begins.
Thursday, 28 Jan 2010 9:34pm ET
Text Message from Kym: Landing in LA at night is incredible. Carol (Carol Young, Kym’s Greencards bandmate) says even more so listening to Darkside of the Moon.
Thursday, 28 Jan 2010 2:20pm ET
Text Message from Kym: Last second flight change. Nashville airport possibly closed tomorrow. So got packed in 1 hour and already at airport security.
Thursday, 28 Jan 2010 11:56am ET
A little slow to rise this morning, and the Honey Smacks have run out!
Our Grammy partying week is well underway. The Station Inn last night was privy to an EPIC Jam with some of Nashville’s top musicians dropping buy to pick a few with The Infamous Stringdusters. John Cowan, Sarah Siskind & Julie Lee, Cassey Driessen, Chad Cobb, Clay Hess, Cory Walker, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen and The Greencards got up and jammed. David Mayfield’s (Cadillac Sky) beat box solo was possibly a Station Inn first.
Once we were asked to “get the hell out” of the ‘Station’, the jamming (and beverage intake) continued at the 5 Spot in East Nashville, quite possibly the worlds smokiest bar. It’s also crazy loud in there, too much so for a very soft, some might say ‘”wussy” mandolin player like me getting “crushed” between the powers that be Jesse Cobb and Frank Solivan. I should take an amplifier next time!
I also ran into my mate Ryan Wariner, son of fellow Grammy nominee Steve Wariner. I’m hoping we’ll be able to have a beer or 2 with Steve when we get out to LA tomorrow night.
I can’t believe we are going to another GRAMMY AWARDS. I can believe even less that tomorrow that I’ll be traveling with only 1 suitcase and a small carry on……… Sweet!
I’m off to the gym. – Kym
Visit the Kym Warner carry-on poll.
Wednesday, 27 Jan 2010 10:25am ET
Had a superb dinner at Cafe Nonna with Carol and Jedd Hughes last night as a sort of celebration for the week. Jedd played guitar on “The Crystal Merchant” so we wanted to say thanks….. and any excuse for lamb shanks and a heap of good red wine. Spent much of yesterday writing with John Cowan which was pretty silly. To think, I’d be songwriting with one of my New Grass heroes. He told me that New Grass Revival were nominated twice (also in the Best Country Instrumental category) and didn’t win either time. Maybe The Greencards will match one achievement of my all-time favourite acoustic band?
I’m glad to see that the ‘Striped Socks’ are winning the poll. I was beginning to think about what type of Band Aids i’d need if I have to go sockless. – Kym
Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010 09:05am ET
Had a nice chat with Katy (Daley) on air and she invited me to keep everyone posted on our every move leading up to and including the 52nd GRAMMY Awards held out in LA this weekend. I had Honey Smacks for breakfast and have been to the gym this morning. Was quite excited last night to find that I still fit into my GRAMMY outfits. I’m just not sure what colour socks I should wear though. I mean, is black or white too obvious, too boring, or absolutely expected? I’m kinda into striped socks at the moment…… will anyone other than me actually care what colour my bloody socks are? Maybe I’ll ask John Cowan for his advice? We are writing together today and i’m pretty stoked about that! – Kym
