Hello all. I had the pleasure of attending the first annual Del McCoury Bluegrass Festival “DelFest” in Cumberland, Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. The festival marked Del’s 50th year in the music business. One of the highlights of the trip for me was my newfound friendship with fellow songwriter Van Eaton. Van wrote the title cut on The Del McCoury Band’s “It’s Just the Night.” We got our acoustics out and played some of our songs for one-another, including our original versions of the songs that Del cut. Van is a very talented writer and is destined to go far in the music business. If you get the opportunity, plan to attend next years Delfest…you won’t leave disappointed. Also plan to attend the 2008 Lotus Dickey Hometown Reunion June 13th thru June 15th on Congress Square in downtown Orleans, Indiana. I will be performing along with my Band Pilot Knob Ridge on Saturday the 14th from 2:30 – 3:20 p.m. on the East Stage as well as conducting a songwriter workshop at noon on the same day. It’s a fun filled weekend of music, foods and crafts. Bring your lawn chairs and join us for a great weekend. Hope to see you there. ~Mark Mark will be performing Thursday March 20th on The Shirley Simon Show. Tune in to 89.9 WBRO from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and hear Mark perform an hour of his own compositions. Mark’s band, Pilot Knob Ridge, then joins him for the remainder of the show from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Check back regularly for some upcoming live performances by Mark in the near future. Mark And Pilot Knob Ridge will be performing a live Christmas show on Adam's Snake Oil from 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 23, 2007. Turn on and tune in to WBRO 89.9 and enjoy songs of the season. Mark Walton and Pilot Knob Ridge will be performing on the Shirley Simon show from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Thursday November 1st. You can listen in by tuning in to Crawford County’s own 89.9 WBRO. …More News as it happens ~Mark My band, Pilot Knob Ridge and I will be performing at the Orange County Pumpkin Festival in French Lick, Indiana on Friday October 5, 2007 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Come and enjoy the festivities and give us a listen. Hope to see you there!! More news as it happens… ~Mark Please make plans to attend the Orange County Homegrown Arts Lawn Chair Concert Series Thursday September 20, 2007. Its singer/songwriter night and I will be performing along with local artists Melinda Sketo, Andy Mahler and Diane Fleetwood. The concert runs from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on the French Lick Springs Resort Hotel Lawn and is free to the public. (Inclement weather location is the Senior Citizens Center). So bring along a lawn chair and enjoy a relaxing evening with us at the Resort. Hope to see you there!! Please show your support for this and all events sponsored by Orange County Homegrown. More News As It Happens… Plan to attend the 2007 Lotus Dickey Hometown Reunion on the square in Paoli, Indiana. This is a 3-day event that runs from 6/8/07 thru 6/10/07. I will be conducting a songwriter’s workshop from noon until 1:00 p.m. on the 9th. Workshop times are subject to change so check the Event’s website a few weeks prior to the start. I will also be performing along with my Band, Pilot Knob Ridge, on the East stage from 3:30 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. on Saturday the 9th. Please make it a point to join in on the festivities this year More News As It Happens... Adam’s Snake Oil is celebrating its 100th show on Sunday February 25, 2007 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. I’ll have my band, Pilot Knob Ridge, along for a full hour of live music. You can listen in by tuning to WBRO 89.9 FM and for those of you beyond the reach of the radio waves, you can listen online via their website. It should prove to be a fun time on one of the best Alt-Country shows on the planet. Give it, and all the other fine programs WBRO has to offer a listen. More News As It Happen….. Hello everyone!! I’m pleased to announce the release of my fourth cd “Where This Road Takes Me.” Thanks to Adam Pickerill for having me as a guest on his Sunday afternoon Alt-Country radio show Snake Oil on WBRO 89.9 FM. Adam played cuts from the release and I took calls and provided some insight on various aspects of the cd. Please check out Snake Oil from 5:00 p.m. EST every Sunday as well as all the other fine programs on WBRO. You can now access it over the World Wide Web right here. For more information on ‘Where This Road Takes Me' contact me through this website. Thanks for stopping in. More News As It Happens….. I'll be playing a 15 minute set at CMT's non-televised open mic "Pickin' Party" as part of the IBMA's Fan Fest on Friday September the 29th at 3:45 p.m. The annual event will take place on the corner of 5th Avenue and Commerce Street in Nashville, Tennessee, which is directly across the street from the Convention Center. Anyone attending the Fan Fest please be sure to stop by and give a listen and say hello. Hope to see you there. More News As It Happens....... Hello again everyone. I will be performing at the Orange County HomeGrown Arts Lawn Chair Concert Series on September 21st in Paoli, Indiana. The concert will run from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on the courthouse lawn. In case of rain it will be moved to the Presbyterian Church in Paoli. The continuing series showcases this area’s musicians with a wide range of musical genres. The 21st is Singer-Songwriter Night and I will share the stage with fellow songwriters Diane Fleetwood, Melinda Sketo and Andy Mahler. Orange County HomeGrown’s 2006 Events is not limited to this particular night however as there are many events taking place from now until late October. You can check out the schedule by accessing the website at: www.orangecountyhomegrown.org So bring along a lawn chair and enjoy a peaceful evening of local music in Paoli, Indiana. Hope to see you there!!! More news as it happens…. Congratulations to 2006 “Bluegrass Album of the Year” Grammy winner the Del McCoury Band. I am both elated and honored to be a part of the winning album “The Company We Keep.” My deepest gratitude goes out to Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, Jason Carter, Alan Bartram and Mike Bub. This is a most fitting and deserved award for a job and career well done. My appreciation goes out as well to Chris Harris, Rainmaker Management, all the other great writers and the people behind the scenes that played a part in making the album what it is. My added respect and congratulations also go out to the other four candidates, Blue Highway, Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, The Grascals, and Cherryholmes. It’s a special honor to be connected with such great bands and Bluegrass music. I never complain about the company I keep. : o ) More news as it happens…… Welcome to my site and 2006. I hope everyone can say that 2005 brought them some happiness in some way or another and that 2006 will be as prosperous, if not more so. Reflecting back on 2005, I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to my family and the ones who have supported my music from the start. The Del McCoury Band’s “The Company We Keep” has been nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album.” The awards will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 8, 2006. “Nothin’ Special” has climbed 3 more places and is now #5 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s monthly national chart. The release, “The Company We Keep,” has advanced one slot to #2 on the same charts. My sincere appreciation goes out to Del, Ronnie, Rob, Jason and Alan (and Mike as well) for picking my songs to take along on the ride. More news as it happens… ~Mark, December 05 Welcome back. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. In the music world, The Del McCoury Band has taken my song, “Nothin’ Special” to the #8 spot on the Bluegrass Unlimited monthly national survey chart for December 2005. The album, “The Company We Keep,” has moved up each month since entering the same charts and now sits at #3. My appreciation goes out to the Band and all the listeners. If you get the opportunity to see Del, Ronnie, Rob, Jason and Alan live in concert; do yourself a favor and go. I doubt you will be disappointed. If you happen to be in or near Nashville, Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, you can ring in 2006 with the Del McCoury Band and The Blind Boys of Alabama. For more information, click here. I have added a new section to the site that I hope you will find interesting. The “Features” section will spotlight guest articles from a variety of people from time to time, all involved in different aspects of music. Thanks for stopping in and a very happy Christmas to each and everyone. More news as it happens… ~Mark, November 05 Welcome! I hope everyone had a great October. I also hope those of you to who it applies have had a chance to get out and enjoy the fall colors. The hills of Southern Indiana are beautiful this time of year and, being there hasn’t been a lot this month to report from a music standpoint, I have taken the opportunity to just enjoy the surroundings. The scenery is something that songwriters draw inspiration from. If you live in the area, or perhaps visiting or just passing through, make a point to visit The International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. It’s a great place for Bluegrass fans of all ages and for those who aren’t familiar; to learn more about its rich heritage and those who have helped make it what it is today. They also welcome school groups and offer scavenger hunts, videos, touch-screen exhibits, hands-on instrument lessons and much more. Make plans to visit sometime soon. More news as it happens… ~Mark, October 05 Hello again and welcome to my site. As always, I appreciate you stopping in. I recently performed at a wedding at Norris Dam State Park which is located in Lake City, Tennessee, just north of Knoxville. I had the privilege and honor of playing along side pioneer Bluegrass fiddler Buddy Pendleton and his Daughter, Robin Kauffman. For those of you who may not be familiar with Buddy, he was one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys in the early 60’s. During the 1970s, Buddy held the distinction of winning the prestigious first-place fiddle award at the Union Grove Fiddlers Convention, which is commonly considered the “world championship” of fiddling, an unmatched five times. As well as his time with Monroe, Buddy played with the celebrated Greenbriar Boys, Larry Richardson and Red Barker, and the Highlanders, a Galax band featuring Bobby Patterson and Willard Gayheart. Needless to say, Buddy is an excellent fiddler but, just as impressive, quite a gentleman. His daughter, Robin, is also a talented fiddler as well as possessing a beautiful singing voice. Thanks again for visiting the site. Drop me a line sometime and say hello. More news as it happens… ~Mark, September 05 ~August News~ Welcome to my site. I appreciate you stopping by. This month I’d like to talk about a great group of people I’ve become affiliated with on the Internet. Writer’s Block was developed by Delrick Gist. Delrick is, among his other talents, a singer/songwriter from Ft. Smith, Arkansas and has become a good friend. At WB’s inception in 1991, Delrick’s vision for the site was to develop a place for writers from around the world of all ages to showcase their abilities while, at the same time, have the opportunity themselves to learn from one another by “giving back what has been given to them”. Since its start, Writer’s Block has grown to 590 at the time of this writing. The members span the globe, and the forum postings cover works and suggestions from aspiring poets, novelists, artists, musicians and songwriters. The great thing about this site is it’s for ANYONE interested, whether you are an artist yourself or just like reading the various works and conversations posted. It’s absolutely free to join. You are not required to participate if you do not desire. However, if you like or don’t like what you read, the participating members always appreciate the feedback as it’s a big part of what they are doing and where they are looking to go with it. Stop in sometime and be your own judge. www.writersblock.com In some other news, the Del McCoury Band’s latest release, “The Company We Keep”, debuted on Billboard’s Bluegrass charts at the #2 position. This is the highest position on the charts that the Band has ever recognized. Pick up a copy of “The Company We Keep” at your local record shop. Even if Bluegrass music isn’t your thing, I can almost guarantee that once you listen to this Band a few times, your foot will be tapping. That’s all for this month but don’t let that stop you from checking in now and then. The site will be constantly changing. Drop me a line sometime and say hello. More news as it happens… ~Mark, August ‘05 ~July News~ The most important thing that is news in my career at this time involves the Del McCoury Band. Check the Band’s newest Bluegrass release, “the Company We Keep”, for my songs “Nothin’ Special” and “When It Stops Hurtin’.” You can also log on to CMT.com and see the Band perform “Nothin’ Special”, along with three other songs from the new release on “Studio 330 Sessions.” I recently performed at a local “Relay for Life” event. It’s a notable cause that holds importance to me on a personal level. To close, I’ve written a number of new songs and plan to start recording soon for my next CD. More news as it happens... ~Mark, July '05