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NEWS . . . NEWS . . . NEWS . . . NEWS . . .
December 29, 2007
Now this is big news -- The Bankester Family is pleased to announce the enagement of our oldest daughter, Melissa, to Kyle Triplett. I told Melissa a long time ago that she had to find a banjo player, and she actually did! Kyle is from Salem, Missouri. He is an outstanding banjo player (multi-instrumentalist, actually) and has played quite a bit over the last several years with Bruch Punches & Arlington, and just recently filled in on guitar with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike. We're excited for them both and you can look forward to seeing Kyle with us in future shows.
September 17, 2007
Well, after a long, long wait we've finally begun recording our new project. It's been two years since the first one and the girls' voices sure have matured! We still have a few decisions to make regarding what's going on the new CD, but for those of you who have been requesting "Bottomlands", it will definitely be on the disk along with one or two great songs by Becky Buller and at least one by Ron Block. We're considering a couple new originals as well. The goal is to have new CD's by the time we get to Springfield, Illinois in November. That's a lot of work to do in a short time!!
May 1, 2007
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers over the last few months. As many of you know, Lindsey was very ill and in the hospital a couple of times, forcing us to cancel some shows and not take future bookings due to the uncertainty surrounding her health.
God has been faithful, though, and Lindsey is out of the woods doing very well again. We played two days ago for the Southern Illinois Irish festival, our first full show in almost two months. Everything went well, and we're gearing up for a busy summer and fall. We plan to spend a good deal of June recording, and hope to have the new CD out by the end of summer.
Thanks again to all our friends that we know as well as those we haven't even met yet.
October 2, 2006
We just returned home from IBMA in Nashville and now need to catch up on some sleep!! We played a showcase late Saturday night for the California Bluegrass Association that went really well. It was great to spend time with friends we've made the last two years.
We need some help - - as we're travelling more and more, we are less able to take adequate care of all the dogs at home. We are hoping to find a couple of really good homes for a mother and son pair of Yellow labs and for a mixed breed puppy. They're all good pets and need to be with people. If you have any interest or know someone who might, please drop us an email. Thank you.
August 6, 2006
It's been a busy weekend, but a fun one. The Bankester Family took first place in the bluegrass band competition in Grayville, Illinois Friday night. There was some outstanding talent there that night, and it was quite an honor to be selected by the judges for first place. We're almost out of CDs at the moment, so it's time to order more, and get started on the next one. We're still gathering and selecting material, and plan to begin recording the first of September, in hopes of having the new one available in time for the Springfield indoor festival in November. We'll see . . . !
May 24, 2006
We're packing up to head to Branson for Memorial Day weekend. We'll play a private event Friday evening, then Saturday and Sunday we'll compete in the KSMU Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest at Silver Dollar City. Wish us luck! We had a great time there last year and made some great friends. We're looking forward to making new friends again this year.
May 5, 2006
We'll be in Lynchburg, Tennessee tomorrow morning at the Bar-B-Que Caboose Café for a live appearance on The Old Time Country Radio Show which is broadcast live from the cafe every Saturday at 10 a.m. If you're within listening distance, the show is on WLIJ 1580 AM in Shelbyville, TN. The show has featured some very famous talent and we feel honored to be on the same show. If you live within driving distance of Lynchburg, May 6 is also their Spring In the Hollow festival with a lot of great activities. We'll be playing at the gazebo, which I think is on the square, from 3-4 p.m. Come on by!
MAY 1, 2006
The Bluegrass Unlimited is out and we received a very nice review. If you haven't seen the magazine, you can read the review on our Recordings page which also contains a link to BU online.
MAY 1, 2006
Mike Kear, producer and personality for "Music From Foggy Hollow" has been playing our CD on his radio show which is broadcast in Sidney, Australia on Hawkesbury Radio 89.9FM. His show is then run on BluegrassCountry.org a couple of weeks later. His April 13th show was a Women in Bluegrass feature and he decided to put our music in that special since our band is mostly women. Anyway, he has been very kind to us and we appreciate it. Give him a listen online - I'm sure you'll enjoy his show.
April 30, 2006
We played a concert last night that featured the Lewis Family, Lonesome Road, and the Harman Family. What a treat! I walked back stage at one point while the Harman Family was playing and found Little Roy giving Alysha a guitar lesson. She'll never forget it, I'm sure.