The Dixie Bee-Liners

Artist Information

Biography

"Every car on the highway has a story," states BRANDI HART.

Hart should know. As lead singer and co-writer for roots-music phenoms THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS, she's in the business of telling stories. "Our new CD Susanville is a collection of tales from the American highway... where people are going, what they've left behind, and the things they experience along the way. It's our love letter to the open road."

Building on the tremendous success of their 2008 chart-topper RIPE, The Bee-Liners blaze a bold new trail with Susanville -- a concept album that takes listeners on a musical road trip along America's highways and byways. The band's second full-length work, Susanville peers into the cars and trucks in America's cities and towns, bringing to life 19 breathtaking musical moments along America's interstates and byways. The band employs its signature blend of hooks and harmonies, exploring themes such as escape, adventure, memory, and regret.

"This is not your parents' concept record," explains mandolinist and co-writer BUDDY WOODWARD. "It's a collection of short stories set to music. Each song is a vignette about a different person in a different car or truck in a different highway in America, and they're all headed either to or from Susanville."

Multiple Grammy-winner BIL VORNDICK produced both Susanville and RIPE for Pinecastle Records. VornDick works with legendary artists on a regular basis, but he has a passion for helping young bands develop their talent and establish a footprint in the music industry. "Bil's been extremely generous with his time and talents," says Hart. "In fact, everyone at Pinecastle has shown an incredible amount of faith in our creative instincts. We're very fortunate to be working with such a wonderfully supportive team."

INTRODUCING THE BAND:

Known equally for her golden pipes and lead foot, the dulcet-throated BRANDI HART is a native of the Bluegrass State. She grew up singing and playing music in Southern Baptist church choirs, where she got her start at the tender age of 2. Her thoughtfully penned originals cover a surprisingly broad range, from hard-driving bluesy scorchers to ancient-toned instrumentals. A prolific songwriter, Brandi is currently at work on three distinct bluegrass concept albums. She was featured in the OFFICIAL ASCAP/IBMA SONGWRITERS' SHOWCASE at World of Bluegrass 2006 in Nashville. She plays rhythm guitar, Nashville guitar, fiddle, and mountain dulcimer... and has been known to moonlight in theater, dance, and voiceover acting.

Bluegrass veteran BUDDY WOODWARD was a founding member of seminal 90's alt.country whiz kids THE GHOST ROCKETS, and NYC honkytonkers BUDDY WOODWARD & THE NITRO EXPRESS ("as explosive - and polished - a hard honkytonk outfit as you'll find around New York" -- Barry Mazor, The Village Voice), was a featured performer on Greg Garing's Alphabet City Opry, as well as having played with John Starling, Steve Earle, Rosie Flores, Jim Lauderdale, The Coal Porters, Laura Cantrell, Bill Keith, Beat Rodeo, Sid Griffin, Smalltown Parade, The Jet Set, and The Chelsea Mountain Jamboree, among many others. Throughout much of 2005 and 2006, Buddy appeared in the Barter Theater's smash hit play, Man of Constant Sorrow: The Story of the Stanley Brothers, playing the roles of George Shuffler, Pee-Wee Lambert, Bill Monroe, and a Primitive Baptist preacher. He also moonlights as a voiceover actor for cartoons, including Pokemon, Boogie Pop Phantom, and The Ping Pong Club. A gifted songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Buddy plays the mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass, and drums, as well as handling production chores for the band.

SAV SANKARAN is a crackerjack vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. Originally from Altoona, PA, Sav now makes his home in Asheville, North Carolina. His soaring vocals and rock-solid downbeat on the bass are an ovation-inspiring highlight of DBL performances. On the fiddle and vocals is the lovely SARA NEEDHAM. A graduate of East Tennessee State University, where she studied with the legendary Clarence "Tater" Tate and performed with ETSU's beloved Pride Band, Sara's warm, earthy touch on the fiddle and alluring vocals bring an intriguing edge to the DBL sound. In the banjo chair is Mr. ZACHARY MONGAN. Zach currently attends ETSU with a Public Performance scholarship awarded by the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music program. In 2008, he was awarded the Grey Fox Bill Vernon Scholarship, which is given annually to talented and motivated students who are involved in bluegrass music. Fittingly for The Dixie Bee-Liners, his playing style is an engaging blend of traditional and contemporary influences. Finally, joining The Dixie Bee-Liners on select dates in 2011 is dobroist LEAH NEEDHAM. (Yes, she is Sara's sister!) In addition to excellent musical instincts and a striking fashion sense, she's got a singing voice that we can only describe as plaintively captivating.

Together, these accomplished musicians have performed and taught in hundreds of venues around the world. Their dynamic improvisational styles add jaw-dropping grit, humor, and emotion to THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS' live performances.

THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS are currently booking for 2011, 2012 and beyond. Inquire for rates and availabilty.

TG2 Artists
booking@dixiebeeliners.com
919-967-8655

ENDORSEMENTS: Saga Music/Blueridge guitars; Ratliff mandolins; Folkcraft Dulcimers; The Music Link/The Loar mandolins; Kel Audio Microphones; D'Addario Srings; Fishman Transducers, Inc.; Gold Tone; Frantone Electronics; Blue Chip Picks; Emerson Power Bridge; Bill Stokes Banjo Showcase

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/thedixiebeeliners

Instrumentation

Brandi Hart - Lead Vocal & Guitar
Buddy Woodward - mandolin, &;Vocals
Sav Sankaran - Upright Bass and Vocals
Sara Needham - fiddle and vocals
Zach Mongan - Banjo.
Todd Livingston - Dobro, and Vocals.

Discography

SUSANVILLE
2009, Pinecastle Records
- - - -
RIPE
2008, Pinecastle Records
- - - -
PRIME CUTS OF BLUEGRASS VOL. 90 (featuring the DBL track "Down On The Crooked Road")
2007, KBC Music, Inc.
- - - -
TIMELESS FLYTE: A TRIBUTE TO THE BYRDS (featuring the DBL track "Change Is Now")
2007, RRO Entertainment
- - - -
THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS
2005, Betty Troublesome Records (BT-001)
- - - -
UPSTATE MANHATTAN (featuring the DBL track "Lost in the Silence")
2005, 207 Records

* The Dixie Bee-Liners' have unveiled their new YouTube video for the hit single "Down on The Crooked Road." The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWdnN-R8vRE or at http://www.myspace.com/thedixiebeeliners.

*The Bee-Liners will be featured in Columbia Artist Management's "New Stars of American Roots Music" tour in autumn 2009 and spring 2010.

* In the spring of 2007, the band signed with bluegrass label Pinecastle Records and released their Pinecastle debut CD, "RIPE", on April 15, 2008.

* Their single "Down On The Crooked Road" spent 9 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Roots Music Report bluegrass chart in 2008. The single enjoyed a simultaneous #1 on the Bluegrass Music Profiles chart.

* "RIPE" has also achieved two #1's on the Bluegrass Now Fan's Choice Top 20 chart, and has garnered two Roots Music Association Award nominations for the band -- Bluegrass Artist of the Year and Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year.

* The Bee-Liners provided the soundtrack music for the Civil War movie "Freedom," which premiered July 30, 2007.

* The Bee-Liners' self-titled debut CD entered the Roots Music Report bluegrass chart at no. 14, spent spent 56 weeks on the Bluegrass chart, 9 weeks in the Top 10, and was voted one of the Reviewer's Top Five Picks by Bluegrass Now.

* The band is sponsored by the Gibson Musical Instrument Company, Saga Music and Red Bear Trading Co. (makers of Tortis picks).

* Kenny & Amanda Smith are released "Changin'," an original song written by DBL co-founders Brandi Hart & Buddy Woodward, along with Tim Stafford of Blue Highway.

* The band's CDs are available through Miles of Music, CD Baby, Amazon, among many other online resources.

* DJ's can get FREE broadcast quality downloads of the Dixie Bee-Liners' debut CD, and their current single, "Down On The Crooked Road," at Radio Submit: http://www.radiosubmit.com/rs/bands/332/

Official Website

http://www.dixiebeeliners.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Reverb Nation

Audio

• Down On The Crooked Road
  Listen  
• Lost in the Silence
  Listen  
• Lord, Lay Down My Ball & Chain
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Lost in the Silence
• Lord, Lay Down My Ball & Chain
• Davy

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• ***** HOTTEST NEW ALBUM RELEASE [+ Show ]
  

  "Every once in a great while a new release comes across our desk that introduces a band that we know..."Every once in a great while a new release comes across our desk that introduces a band that we know is going to be the next big thing in bluegrass music...The Dixie Bee Liners are one of those bands...pure to the bluegrass tradition and the vocal performances are beyond words. They are profoundly talented and the sound is their own. The bluegrass music scene should brace for this new album...[five stars]."

• CLASSIC RADIO CHART-TOPPER [+ Show ]
  

  Rich instrumental layers soak Ripe, flavoring the Bee-Liners’ unique bluegrass sound like the rum of...Rich instrumental layers soak Ripe, flavoring the Bee-Liners’ unique bluegrass sound like the rum of an aged musical fruitcake. Brandi Hart’s bell-like voice sings stories of love and tales of personalities, written by her and Buddy Woodward...Twelve songs start strongly with traditional sounds on a new classic, radio chart-topper, Down On The Crooked Road...Ripe should tempt new tasters to bluegrass as well as those who cheer on its development and love a show of skill.

• TO BOLDLY GO... [+ Show ]
  

  "...a ground-breaking project featuring a fascinating new sound that combines old-time, bluegrass an..."...a ground-breaking project featuring a fascinating new sound that combines old-time, bluegrass and the band's secret ingredient into something that is captivating...breathtaking... This is a band that's boldly going where none has gone before...not afraid of minor chords and best of all, [they] have perfected the art of making things sound lonesome with their command of the modal sound."
  

• BRILLIANT [+ Show ]
  

  "This is a brilliant record, no doubt about it...remember when T-Bone Burnett figured out the way to..."This is a brilliant record, no doubt about it...remember when T-Bone Burnett figured out the way to sell five million Bluegrass records was to make 'Man of Constant Sorrow' a rock song? Wait'll the suburban good ol' boys hear RIPE."

• BLUEGRASS FEVER [+ Show ]
  

  "These seasoned musicians have taken Bluegrass to the next level...its like stepping into the pages ..."These seasoned musicians have taken Bluegrass to the next level...its like stepping into the pages of an American Civil War novel. Get ready to catch Bluegrass Fever all over again!"

• FANTASTIC! [+ Show ]
  

  "If you mix equal quantities of old time, folk, and bluegrass you come close to describing this uniq..."If you mix equal quantities of old time, folk, and bluegrass you come close to describing this unique CD. The female vocalists must have come from heaven because they are too good for this planet... You need to listen to this CD several times in order to fully apreciate the beautiful lyrics to each song..."

• BETTER & BETTER [+ Show ]
  

  "...I intended to play a couple of cuts, but wound up playing the ENTIRE ALBUM after callers kept as..."...I intended to play a couple of cuts, but wound up playing the ENTIRE ALBUM after callers kept asking who that was, and station personnel wanted to hear more and more. I've never done that before! It just kept getting better and better with each song. It's so regreshing to get in new music that good that was written by members of the band...I'm already looking forward to the next release!"

• ULTRA-GOOD [+ Show ]
  

  "Rarely do songs get stuck in my head like the ones from RIPE. Brandi's and Rachel's vocals and harm..."Rarely do songs get stuck in my head like the ones from RIPE. Brandi's and Rachel's vocals and harmonizing make you daydream. The band's songwriting is especially impressive. Rarely is a band's second CD or project this ultra-good!"

• WARMTH [+ Show ]
  

  "I was immediately struck by their warmth, and the sucess with which they merge a more modern approa..."I was immediately struck by their warmth, and the sucess with which they merge a more modern approach to songwriting with the traditional forms of bluegrass and old time music."

• GOOSE BUMPS! [+ Show ]
  

  "From the opening instrumentals, to the clear fresh vocals and the subtle background harmonies, 'Dow..."From the opening instrumentals, to the clear fresh vocals and the subtle background harmonies, 'Down on the Crooked Road' draws in the listener. The lyrics paint a picture of the music and its heritage to the point that it gave me goose bumps. Our show's tag line is 'Bluegrass...Virginia's Classical Music,' and the Bee-Liners have done it proud!"

Setlist

At least 3 long sets worth of music, with dozens of originals, bluegrass standards, gospel, & instrumentals to chose from. Depending on the audience, we can tailor our shows to appeal to either traditional or non-traditional bluegrass fans, as well as Americana, country, rural folk, old-timey, or a mix of all of the above...a few non-standard covers, too.

ORIGINALS:
Lost in the Silence
Old Charlie Cross
Dixie Gray To Black
Brown Eyed Darlin'
Down The Crooked Road
Black Butterfly
Grumble Jones
Cornbread Stomp
Jefferson Railroad Line
(I Need) Eighteen Wheels
Down
Yellow-Haired Girl
She's My Angel
My Heart's Breakin' In
Roses Are Gray
Davy
Albion Road
Why Do I Make You Cry
Restless
(Lord Lay Down My) Ball & Chain
Find Out
Bugs In The Basement
Been Doin' Time
Ripe
Heavy
Susanville

COVERS & STANDARDS:
I'll Remember You Love In My Prayers
The Kitten & The Cat
Take Me In The Lifeboat
I've Waited As Long As I Can
Jet Airliner
Shenandoah Breakdown
Air Mail Special
Sharecropper's Son
Deep River
Black Eyed Suzie
Fireball
(Ain't That) Just Like Me
Stuck-Up Blues
Jerusalem Ridge
Little Cabin Home on The Hill
Angeline the Baker
Southbound Train
River of Jordan
Bound to Ride
This World Is Not My Home
Rank Stranger

Basic Requirements

PDF Rider

DBL stage plot & tech rider

Calendar