Hey Just Bluegrass,
Looks like your having trouble keeping players, why not bring back the Mando and Doboro brothers that use to be with the band. It made for a really good show, not to mention the doboro players voice was pretty awesome. I've seen your shows a couple of times and sorry to say bro, but they are just not what they use to be. Good luck and hope you guys get back on course, sure hate to see all that talent wasted.

Mike, sorry you feel that way. The brothers you are talking about would be Kevin and Andy. Kevin had to quit because of his job or he would still be with us. Andy only played a couple of shows with us as a guest fill in. Sorry our shows are not up to your expectations, I am just glad the promoters and people buying our cd's and t-shirts are still wanting us back to the venues we have been playing for a while now. Replacing Kevin was not an easy job but myself and the band are confident we have done everything possible to continue on with other musicians as talented as Kevin. We brought on a solid fiddle player for 2005 and are confident our shows will be as fun as they have been in the past. Thanks for your input Mike, I will address your comments with the band.
Lee Surgener

I love this band, and it's one of my wife's favorites. Can't wait to see the new lineup this year! Only about 10-11 hours down now!

Thanks Lee for the great bluegrass music!

Mark Bee
Host
Blades Of Blue

Hi Everyone!

Not that Lee needs my help in defending himself but I feel the need to chime in here. It's really tough keeping a band together. I think that Lee deserves a ton of credit. He hung in there and kept plugging away until he and Jeff put the band back together again. That's no small feat. I know Lee and he don't put no junk on the table. His new mandolin player can pick with the best of them. It's not unusual for bands to change personnel. It happens all of the time. It's the true musicians who can continue to put down some great music no matter what happens. Many bands have folded under less circumstances. The good ones survive.

gary fossaceca

Marc, Gary thanks for going to bat for me here.

I saw-and heard the Just Bluegrass Band for the first time last night at Shalersville. I thought it was a great band, if it used to be better, sorry I missed that. At first I thought the banjo player was Mick Jagger, but he can play-I bet his favorite player is Bella Fleck though. Since I don't know the players without a score card I don't know who the lead singer was-I take it that would be Lee-Anyway "A Good Womans Love" was awesome

Look forward to the next time

To all the Just Bluegrass fans -

It sounds like I need to apologize for not measuring up to everyones expectations. Kevin's shoes were hard to fill and he and his brother are great talents. I do appreciate everyone we played for and for "suffering through" the sets. I enjoyed the music we played and the people I met through the band. I'm sure the re-grouping of the band is going to be the best yet. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

Guess I should go practice, eh?

Um.......did I miss something here?

Mark, when you played with JBB, did you play with one arm tied behind your back? Or without a pick?

If any of you were lucky enough, a few weeks back there was an MP3 clip of 'Rawhide' on Doug Campbell's web site. Doug owns Little Mountain Music in Middlefield. The band was 'Johnnie Cake Ridge', featured Mark on mandolin, and was recorded live at the Willoughby Brewing Company. It was awesome! Mark's fingers flew! Double-stops, lightning runs, he really had it goin' on! I heard an Arizona state mandolin champion on that tune!

So don't be so hard on yourself Mark. You're an excellent mandolin player, one of the best I've ever heard! If you need to 'go practice', then I better just give up the mandolin completely!

If you are lucky enough to have played with Mark, like I have, then you would know what an accomplished mando player he is; he also has some awesome T-shirts too on GRASSWARE.

I have also heard Mark with JBB in Ashland. There were two other bands there as well. I would say that JBB was best Band on ground. The other bands were right-on too.

I have been in the Music business for too long and understand the dynamics of bands and personel. It is like winter, it comes and goes. Mark my words(pun intended)the JBB will hit the stage and people will be entertained!

Kirk

No Mike, you didn't miss anything. Thanks for the kind words and for buying a Grassware shirt! Them things are flying off the shelves!! WOO-HOO!!!

Hey Mark--you're welcome. Us mando players gotta stick together!

And to let people know, the shirt I got has the reproduction of the proposed Bill Monroe stamp silkscreened on the front. It also comes with a post-card to send in supporting the creation of an official Bill Monroe stamp. So you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone--get a great shirt to promote Bluegrass, and get a chance to support a great mandolin player and the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe!

Mark, I don't think that the guy that started this post meant to say anything about you. It looked as if the guy was throwing a cheap shot at me in general, he obviouisly never seen any other shows other than maybe two that Andy had played with us on, likes Andy and Kevin and wanted to put his two cents worth in. Like I had said before, we tried our best to replace Kevin and you did just that. You are with out a doubt one of the best and you did one heck of a job in bringing on a energy to JBB that only you could have done. We now have yet another mando player that does a great job for us along with a fiddle player that will surely add even more drive. GRASSWARE SHIRTS RULE!! You know yourself that pickers come and go, but the bands that continue on are the ones that win in the end.
Lee