Rumor has

[Scotti Adams]

..that Wayne Benson has quit IIIrd Tyme Out and has joined the John Cowan Band....Alan Purdue formerly Mountain Heart and Ramblers Choice has joined 3TO...Im not saying this is true or false but its all the buzz on another forum...maybe Wayne, if hes watching, can set the record straight. If he has moved on I say more power to him...hes been with 3TO along time and Im sure hes anxious to try something different...I will continue to like whatever and with whomever he plays with...

That will certainly change my plans if true. John Cowan has a show here (near DC) in late April that I hadn't planned to see but if Wayne is with him then I'll have to buy a ticket.

[ShaneJ]

Wayne seems to be a truly nice guy. I'd wish him well wherever he goes or stays.

[mandopete]

Hmmmm, that is interesting. #A couple of years ago when IIIrd Tyme Out was here at Wintergrass, Russell Moore made a comment about the band being more than the sum of it's parts and that "if one player left the band, they would probably disband as a group".

Shortly thereafter Mike Hartgrove left and joined The Lonseome River Band. #Now if Wayne Benson leaves, that will 2 original members gone. #Not that this is unusual, it happens all the time, I just thought it was a bit ironic given Russell's commnents.

On the other hand it sounds like a win-win situation. #I can clearly see Wayne Benson in a more progressive band such as John Cowan's and Alan Perdue would be an outstanding addition to any band!

[AlanN]

Minor correction, Wayne was not an original member of 3TO - it was Bibey, Baucom, Moore, Hartgrove and Deaton.

[mandopete]

Yes, you are absolutely correct sir!

[mandoJeremy]

And you all are correct that Wayne is leaving and he is going with John Cowan. #Alan Perdue taking his place with IIIrd Tyme Out is also correct. #Boy, news does travel fast since I learned of it Monday night and it is now only Friday.

[chirorehab]

Great move for Wayne! I would imagine more freedom on the mandolin. It should open him up to a new audience too.

I love Wayne, but I don't really care to much for IIIrd Tyme out. Just not my cup of tea...

Best of luck Wayne!

Eric

I wish Wayne the best. He is one of the greatest, but his sound was a big part of IIIrd Tyme out and I am gonna miss seing him with them

Anyone know when this change is taking place?

Eric- what is your favorite group?

[Crowder]

I hate to see him going with Cowan. He's got a great voice, but by most accounts he's kind of a mess, and he's picked a lot of (IMHO) questionnable material to lend his talents to over the last few years.

[mandoJeremy]

First of all, Wayne should be leaving in four weeks as of last Monday, so three more to go. Second, Crowder you have to realize that Wayne has many influences but one of his greatest is NGR and to play with that is a dream come true for a lot of us. He has one of the best voices ever and he has been a mess, but that doesn't mean he still is. I have been myself but I am no longer one and it very much bothers me that people hold your past against you so much. As far as material goes, if you didn't like NGR then don't listen to Cowan now because that is what made them and continues to make Nickel Creek...."questionable" material. If you want traditional and Monroe, then go see someone else or do it yourself but don't down people that have a mind that is creative.

[Crowder]

As far as material goes, if you didn't like NGR then don't listen to Cowan now because that is what made them and continues to make Nickel Creek...."questionable" material. #If you want traditional and Monroe, then go see someone else or do it yourself but don't down people that have a mind that is creative.

I don't mind NGR or Nickel Creek, but thanks for the generalization. I was thinking more about the tired soul standards and Bob Marley covers that Cowan (and Bush) seem to want to play so many of. I saw "The Sam Bush Band" with Cowan and I think it was Darrell Scott on guitar, with a drummer. It pained me to see such great players playing such mediocre, unrehearsed music--but Sammy just seemed to love doing his crazy fast chop thing on the backbeats of those reggae numbers so much that he didn't care if it got old for those of us out there listening. My impression of Cowan is that he's like a toy soldier.....you can just wind him up and he'll sing the same way on any tune, without giving much thought to it. That's not genuine music to me, it's more like Mariah Carey. JMHO, YMMV, and all the other disclaimers. Just don't put words in my mouth please.

[Scotti Adams]

..now boys..am I gonna have to seperate you two? ...just be happy...Im sure its the best move for all the people involved no matter what their issues might be....let it roll

[AlanN]

To each his own, for sure. At Merlefest one year, I was leaving at the end of the day to the sounds of Cowan hollering out Good Woman's Love. Made me glad I was walking that way...

[jjboone101]

Yes, to each his own. That Cowan moment at Merlefest was one of my highlights of the festival. I got goosebumps. His vocal power on Good Woman's Love is truly unbelievable. For comparison sake, I listened to Monroe's version of that song the other day. No vocal comparison.

This Benson/Cowan thing could get really intersting.

[chirorehab]

Tim-in-VA,

Hmm, favorite group....

Anything with mandolin & without vocals! Hehe! #I like so many different types of music....

My Ipod mix has a lot of DGQ, TRU, The bluegrass XX series, Wayne Benson, Chris Thile, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Johnny Staats (no vocals! ), Butch Baldasari, Bill Keith, and others.

Also in the mix (with vocals)is Phish, String Cheese Incident, The Beastie Boys, Jane's Addiction, P-Funk, Coldplay, Spearhead (my cousin is their guitarist & they are playing at Telluride this year!), and others!

I really have been digging DGQ & the Wayne's playing on the Bluegrass XX series ALOT!

I use this mix when I go snowboarding and when I run - so I like upbeat stuff.


Eric

[mando bandage]

Gotta weigh in on the John Cowan issue. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance at Telluride last year, though I hadn't really heard anything of his since NGR. Recently picked up his "Always Take Me Back" album. He uses lots of different vocal styles on that one.

R

[Tim Saxton]

Wow,

I can't beleive he is leaving to be in a Rock band.
3TO is one of my all time favorite bands with it's line up including Wayne.

Oh well I am glad that NBB is still strong.

Tim

[Fretbear]

Poor John, people either love him or hate him; I'm not saying....

[mandoJeremy]

Actually John has gotten a little more away from the electric thing and is leaning back to the acoustic side of music. I agree Fretbear, most people love Cowan or hate him. I happen to think he is one of the most gifted singers no matter what style he sings. He may not necessarily be a bluegrass singer but I don't think he claims to be.

[mandopete]

Oh well I am glad that NBB is still strong.

Nashville Bluegrass Band? It's been quite awhile since we've heard anything new from them.

[ShaneJ]

There aren't many voices as good as John Cowan's, IMHO. #He's a terrific talent (singer, songwriter, guitar player, etc.). #He's probably made mistakes in life, but who hasn't? #Maybe Benson can be a positive influence, if needed now?? #Some of Cowan's songs don't appeal to me, but most certainly do. #mandoJeremy, I agree with you. #Cowan doesn't aim through his nose for the "high lonesome sound". #His natural voice is about as strong and clear as a singer could hope for--no need to "try" to sound like someone else.

Combine that with Wayne Benson's mandolin, and it ought to be awesome. #3TO will hopefully continue to do well too. #Those guys can definitely sing with the best of 'em too. #It's nice to not need to search for instrumental-only mandolin music to keep from having to listen to poor singing. I really appreciate anyone or any band that can both play and sing well. A lot of times, it seems you only get one or the other.

[Spruce]

"For comparison sake, I listened to Monroe's version of that song the other day. No vocal comparison. "

Apples and Oranges....
That's like comparing Michael Bolton to Lightnin' Hopkins....

[AlanN]

Funny, I always thought that band - 3TO - put a muzzle on Wayne's mando-ness to a certain extent. He has a very creative attack and presence on the mandolin that was modified and shrunk a bit to fit the band sound. Nothing wrong with that, just it seemed that at times, it was "don't do that".