BLUENEVADA
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""Grab Bag" by Greg Yost"

Some people are just born with music in their blood. Such is the case with Dusty and Shannon Corbin of the band BlueNevada. The Corbin’s grandfather, Truman "Cordwood" Keeney, was a well-known country musician and performer in Maryland in the 1950’s, and his talents as a multi-instrumentalist seem to have been passed down the line to his grandsons.

On the new CD, The Day Be You, the members of BlueNevada, also including Doug Franklin on drums and percussion, prove they are adept with their instruments of choice and that together they form a pretty tight musical unit.

As with a lot of the bands I cover for this column, BlueNevada’s sound is a mish-mash of musical styles that defies classification into a single genre. Any given song may contain elements of rock, funk, blues, country or any number of other styles. A prime example is the track "Rhythm Boy" with its soul groove and blazing horn section that would make James Brown proud. These elements make the track stand out from others on the album…. - Music Monthly


"Time to Play"

Time to play
Jubilee gives artists venue of their own
By NANCY HERNANDEZ
Frederick News-Post Staff
May 5, 2003

FREDERICK — Finding a place to play in Frederick can be tough if you are a local band that performs original music. So one local group, BlueNevada, decided to create their own concert venue and invite other bands to participate. The result is Jubilee, an original rock music, art and fashion show that took place this weekend at the Cultural Arts Center, 15 W. Patrick St.
“It’s good music, good people and lots of fun,” said Frederick resident Jason Shopes. “It’s somewhere decent in Frederick to hand out on a Friday night.”
The event featured all the extras that make concerts vibrant and fun — light shows, special effects and, of course, great music.
Five different bands took turns performing original compositions each evening while attendees relaxed in the beer and wine garden or strolled past art displays by local painters.
"A lot of different bands is good. Someone might come to hear one -band and hear another group," said concert-goer Casey Rogers.
Exposure to a wider audience is exactly what event sponsors and participating artists hoped to achieve.
"It is always good to play," said Sean Parker of the band Boa.
"I want people to see it. Yeah, I want them to buy it but really I just want them to see it," Phil Hanson said, referring to his colorful abstract expressionist acrylic paintings.
Building an audience and fan base is tough for new artists with- out an outlet to perform or display their creations. Yet, clubs, galleries and other public venues are, often hesitant to take a risk on new talent.
"We tried for three years to play In The Street and the Fourth of July," said Shannon Corbin, referring to two popular Frederick events
One of BlueNevada's founding members, Mr. Corbin said the city is "bubbling with original bands" that surpass many regional groups in talent.
His Brother and fellow band member, Dusty Corbin, said BlueNevada has received production and record deal offers but the band realized “all that stuff is about getting your songs.”
Rather than risk losing rights to their music, the brothers decided to take fate into their own hands. They formed a record company and produced a CD in conjunction with Zax Trax in Frederick.
"These are smart and savvy guys," said Marilyn Orsinger, executive director of the Frederick Arts Council.
She said the Cultural Arts Center was happy to host the first-ever Jubilee concert and said she hopes it becomes a regular event.
"We may set a schedule of once a month if possible," she said. "This is the kind of experiment that lets us focus on other groups besides children and baby-boomers. There is a vitally creative group of people between the ages of 20 and 30 here in Frederick. This allows us to tap into that group.”
The Jubilee event also gave bands the opportunity to perform on a large stage and experiment with different visual effects. During one of BlueNevada's sets, sixteen women strutted their stuff on a catwalk modeling clothes from a local shop while the band played pulse-pounding rhythms. At another time, silhouettes of female dancers could be seen behind a white screen grooving to the band's original rock sound while lava lamp-like colors swirled behind them. '
"They've done an amazing job with -the concept. It's bringing local bands together and getting the community involved," said Mark Miler of Southwest Creations, a North Market Street shop and event sponsor.
Jubilee also was a chance for longtime fans of BlueNevada to celebrate the release of the band's self-titled CD and kick off the group's concert tour.
The CD will be available in local record stores for $15 in about three weeks and will be visiting college towns within a 300 mile radius of Frederick, said Shannon Corbin.
The tour will give more people the chance to hear their music, said his sister and band manager, Rainbow Corbin.
"They write such great songs. It's good music for all ages," she said.


- Frederick News Post, Frederick MD


"Jubilee 2003 bringing music, fashion and art downtown"

Jubilee 2003 bringing music, fashion and art downtown
The Next 72 hours
May 1, 2003

Music, fashion and art will be the flavor in downtown Frederick at the Cultural Arts Center Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, for Jubilee 2003.
The two-night, all-ages event, sponsored by Cloverspell Records, will feature rock band BlueNevada as the headliner, which will also be celebrating its debut CD release party at the show. Hosted by local personality Miss Grace, the event will feature continuous live music with five favorite area bands performing each night from 7 p.m. till midnight:
Appearances from acts including Pointswest, The Boa, Storyfloor, Atomic Mosquitoes and Reggae Dance party will highlight the festivities.
To support younger music in the community, two .local area high school bands, to be announced, will also be part of the showcase of talent.
Each evening will feature a different fashion show with models displaying spring and summer clothing and attire from downtown shops including The Velvet Lounge, known for the "latest urban styles" and Twisted Twill, specializing in jean apparel "where denim reigns."
There will also be exhibits by local and regional artists from The Blue Elephant Art Center plus more as artists display their artistry and imagination and will be on hand to meet and greet.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at Southwest Creations, The Velvet Lounge' and Twisted Twill. All stores are located on North Market Street.
The Cultural Arts Center is located at 15 W. Patrick St., directly across from the Weinberg Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. Discounts available for advance purchase.

- Frederick News Post, Frederick MD


"Musical Roots Run Deep for BLUENEVADA"

Musical roots run deep for BlueNevada
By KAREN GARDNER News-Post Staff
July 11, 2002

The band name BlueNevada conjures up images of country-rock music, sort of like the Eagles meet Willie Nelson.
BlueNevada is a little of that, but with a lot of folk, funk, blues and plain old rock 'n' roll thrown into the mix. Their sound can be heard Saturday, July 20, starting at 10 p.m. at the Braddock Inn Sid Lodge in Braddock Heights, or on their upcoming CD, "BlueNevada."
BlueNevada is actually the middle names of lead singers Dusty Nevada Corbin, 28, and Shannon. Blue Corbin, 30, who grew up in and still live in Frederick. The band once bore the name of all three Corbin brothers when it was known as BlueNevadaJoel, but younger brother Jeremiah Joel, 25, left Frederick for Florida a couple of years ago.
"Our parents were hippies," Shannon said. For many years, parents Diana Keeney and Daryl Corbin, both of whom still live in the Frederick area, owned the Paisley Sun dress shop in downtown Frederick, which their grandmother ran. Sister Rainbow Mele manages the group.
Musical tradition runs deep in the roots of BlueNevada.
Dusty and Shannon's grandfather, Truman Keeney, was a local musical celebrity in the 1950s.
Known as Cordwood, he played guitar, piano, banjo and accordion. He had his own musical show on WFMD.
"He got offered a record deal in Nashville, and turned it down for family reasons," Dusty said. He wrote dozens of songs, including a Little Jimmy Dickens recording "Brother Do you Take the Time to Pray", that made it on the country charts.
Their parents each sang in hands around Frederick and in Ocean City, where the Corbins lived for several years- Both come to see their sons play in the area, and Diana Keeney attends nearly every local concert,
"We were raised as musicians/' Shannon said- "It was inevitable that we would form a band. It's what we want to do."
Dusty spent two years at Salisbury State University and a year at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, majoring in music, but, left after his junior year when his brother decided they should start a band. They learned to play guitar from their cousin. Shannon played sax in middle school, but otherwise is mostly self-taught. Dusty studied piano at Salisbury.
The two wrote their first song together over the phone, on that fateful call when Shannon suggested Dusty come home from college and help him start a rock band. "He was very serious," Dusty said. "It wasn't too long after that I moved back home."
Dusty plays rhythm guitar and bass, while Shannon plays rhythm guitar. Shannon also plays the conga and bongo drums while Dusty played the piano. They alternate on lead vocals. "I got pretty serious about my bongo playing/' Shannon said. Both are comfortable on the guitar. Dusty occasionally teaches guitar, and he likes to introduce students to easy songs as well as chords. "It gets 'em interested," he said.
The band began playing in local venues, including Firestone's, Bentz Street Raw Bar and the Braddock Inn. They've played in Shepherdstown and other regional bars. Until now, however, they've mostly kept their music local.
Other band members are bass player Jim Vmer and drummer Doug Franklin. Sean Titus does sound production.
With the release of their first CD in August, BlueNevada will begin touring regional college towns to build up name recognition. The brothers have been visiting nightclubs in Newark, Del., State College. Pa., College Park, Charlottesville, Va., and Morgantown, W. Va., to get on the college nightclub circuit.
All the songs on their new CD, as well as the songs on their nightclub repertoire, are original. Shannon and Dusty write with help from the other band members. One might write a guitar riff, and the other will come up with words and harmony. "We write about being happy, being land, positive messages," Shannon said. "I write about women more than Dusty."
"I tend to write more about societal issues," Dusty said. Their repertoire extends to more than 60 songs; ''We could play three nights and not play two songs twice," Shannon said.
They listen to a wide range of music of today and yesterday, classic rock, hip-hop, funk, grunge, modem jazz, traditional jazz, blues folk and country. "I like Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Willie Nelson," Shannon said. Neil Young and James Taylor are big influences, as are Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Grateful Dead, Phish and Steve Miller. Among their contemporary favorites are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Stone Temple Pilots.
When they're not playing music or honing their songs, they do have full-time jobs. Shannon provides respite care for special-needs children, and also works as a special education assistant at North Frederick Elementary School. His specialty is working with autistic children. Dusty delivers pizza for Luke's Pizza and works at Southwest Creations, a shop in downtown Frederick.
They started their own record company Cloverspell Records. They also become registered songwriters with BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.).
"We're excited," Dusty said. "Music is a worldwide thing. We have our eyes on the big picture. Our music changes. If you don't like our first song, stick around. You'll hear something different."


- Frederick News Post, Frederick MD


"A 'Wild and Wonderful' Weekend at American Roots Music Fest"

Lauren LaRocca: The art chakra
A 'wild and wonderful' weekend at American Roots Music Fest
Originally published July 05, 2007





FALLING WATERS, W.Va. — A young boy with long, blond dreadlocks careens down a grassy hill on his tiny bicycle; young and old dance together in front of the stage in tie-dyed overalls; and remote-controlled airplanes breeze over the crowd: It was the second annual American Roots Music Festival in Falling Waters, W.Va., the Potomac River gleaming behind the stages.
Falling Waters lies on U.S. Route 11, somewhere between Williamsport and Martinsburg, but I have yet to figure out where or if the town physically exists. “Wild and Wonderful” holds true (bonfires and fireworks on any given night during the warm months), but I had never seen live music of any kind in the area until the American Roots festival this past weekend.

Rock music could be heard while I drove south across the Potomac, into West Virginia; made the first right, and suddenly there were cars and buses and loads of people in the otherwise quiet, country lane.

The music began Friday afternoon with Blue Nevada, a Frederick-based band. The sun hi behind the clouds, the air was muggy, and a little boy danced alone in front of the stage, throwing in push-ups and other interesting moves. The four-piece Blue Nevada played jam rock, showing they can change tempos at will and easily. Frontman Shannon Corbin sang with heart, despite the lack of a crowd.

Most people were either still at their day jobs, or they were starting the party in the parking lot, getting acquainted with the place and each other. The parking lot smelt like patchouli. I saw more dreadlocks than I’ve seen since my college days in Asheville, N.C. Volunteers parked cars, packing them in tightly, to the point where I was in a sea of vehicles, wondering if I could ever squeeze my little car out. People set up camp along the perimeters of the parking area, some choosing to pitch their tents and easy-ups along the Potomac. Others sat in between cars, talking or drinking cans of beer. Some looked like rugged travelers, making these festivals their stopping posts along a summer journey — girls with smoky voices and hairy armpits, guys wearing skirts.

I am practically a local, and I saw no one I knew. But one by one, they popped up: the other locals who are loyal music fans. One is recording the whole festival, another is volunteering as a “floater” to check the crowd at night to make sure no one is dead, one is selling crystals at a vending station in front of the stage.

By 4 p.m. Friday, I had heard my first hand drum in the parking lot. Then I wandered back to the stage, which was an easy walk, making sure to flash my wristband with its American flag decor, before going through the gates.

Cosmic Graffiti was onstage, opening with the Dead’s “New Minglewood Blues.” The band could play the song well, and the songs that followed, for that matter, but, as a friend of mine put it, “They make it look like it’s work.” About halfway through “I Shot the Sheriff” (their second or third song), Cosmic Graffiti looked like it wanted to call it quits. Again, maybe it was the absence of a crowd.

The rock/funk/blues band switched off singers from song to song (the keyboardist had a nice, bluesy voice) and did a lot of covers (the two aforementioned and some others, like the Talking Head’s “Take Me to the River.”

In between acts, a second, side stage was used, mostly for acoustic groups, so the music was uninterrupted while bands constantly set up and took down.

It was no surprise that most of the audience was there to see New Riders of the Purple Sage, with its “very special guest” (Donna Jean), as it was announced on the festival’s website. When New Riders took the stage, the lawn was covered, and people were dancing. I heard the country rock band got their name after a suggestion from Robert Hunter to name it after Zane Grey’s country western novel, “Riders of the Purple Sage,” published in 1912. Vocals, keyboard, bass, guitars (including a pedal steel) and an accordion — they rocked it up, most songs country swinging and dance-contagious. Their “Last Lonely Eagle” was slow, beautiful and timely.

“If you go ’round the bend in the river, you’re gonna find a few changes... Take a last, flying look at the last, lonely eagle. He’s soaring the length of the land.”

Last week, the eagle was removed from the Endangered Species Act’s “threatened” list.

New Riders also played an upbeat “Henry,” a song about going down to Mexico to get some weed; and a jammed out “Garden of Eden.”

By dusk, glowsticks decorated kids and trees and wagons, and New Riders closed with “Franklin’s Tower,” a classic that got nearly everyone running toward the stage to dance (including me, most definitely). It was chilling, to say the least, to see and hear Donna singing, over and over, “Roll away — the dew,” like a mantra that kept going.

With the festival a little behind schedule, JGB didn’t take the stage until about 11:30, but to see Melvin Seals jam out with his bluesy style of keyboarding was well worth the anticipation. Call me an idiot, but I was under the impression that I was about to hear the Jerry Garcia Band.

“How many of them are original members?” I asked my diehard Deadhead friend, who, in turn, laughed at me.

None, really, except for Seals. Although the Jerry Garcia Band was often if not always referred to as “JGB,” this JGB was a cover band. It didn’t matter. They were awesome. We all danced. They did a slow, soulful version of the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence,” a cover I had heard on one of their albums, and played “Valerie,” another fan favorite, written by Hunter and Garcia.

Before we knew it, the show was over, and The Bridge, who played the side stage earlier, came up to do their funky, original set. The saxophone was nice, after countless guitars — a little bluegrass, a little blues, a lot of rhythm, regardless of its genre.

I began to walk back to my car, the moonlight so bright that no flashlight was needed. Then came the decision: To camp or not to camp. I set up my old tent next to my friend’s car and tried — and tried, and tried — to sleep, but with fireworks, drums, guitars and a few people stumbling over my tent (not to mention the thick vines underneath), I didn’t doze off until the crack of dawn. An hour later, I drove home and slept until early afternoon.

Saturday was mostly more of the same. For a lot of people, it was the same day, as they got little to no sleep the entire weekend. One kid actually swam across the Potomac to “sneak in”; security guards were waiting for him on the other side, but with the permission of the festival organizers, the boy earned his ticket.

Donna Jean came on with the Tricksters (formerly the Zen Tricksters), and the crowd was thick, much larger than Friday. They played mostly originals, but a few old Dead songs were thrown in the mix — “Cassidy,” “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” — done with a slightly different spin. The band had a nice groove, and it wasn’t hard to tell these musicians have played together for decades — they could read each other and match wavelengths easily.

JGB played again as the headliner, and their performance was even better the second night, with “Deal” and “Tore Up,” the bluesy, toe-tapping song again drawing hundreds of fans to dance at the musicians’ feet.

I skipped out on the hours trying, and failing, to fall asleep Saturday night and went home to a cozy slumber, jumping out of bed Sunday morning to get back to the festival in time.

I arrived around noon and saw Electric Food (another band from Frederick) onstage, though my schedule listed Blue Nevada. I was pleasantly surprised. The band had the capability to go from bluegrass to funk to blues to ’50s rock and roll, effortlessly, from song to song, some of which were more vocally driven, others that were just fun, words thrown together in that half sung, half spoken way that reminds me of Dylan or Trey.

Electric Food did a song dedicated to “all the vendors — let’s get funky,” and got the crowd laughing along with them with their ridiculous, playful lyrics: “Take me back to Shakedown Street / I gots to get it ’fore it’s gone / I’m gonna get me a tie-dyed T-shirt/ Maybe a poster of Donna Jean / I could sure go for a cold beverage / Goo balls! Goo balls! Goo balls!”

They said that song was brand new, then corrected themselves: “Brent new! It’s Brent new.” Brent is their percussionist, in a band that also includes an upright bass, harmonica (that was great), mandolin and a few guitars.

The Juggling Suns, originally a Dead cover band, came on in the evening, but the crowd had lost half its people. Some had chosen to caravan to Frederick to hear the free Railroad Earth show at Baker park (which I heard was quite good — minus the impossibility of finding a parking space).

A highlight of Sunday night, other than Donna Jean and the Tricksters doing “Ship of Fools” (that brought a tear to my eye), was the band Hillbilly Gypsies, from West Virginia. Their old time bluegrass was perfect for the sunny, 80-degree afternoon. Its female vocalist had a clear, twangy voice that complemented the fiddle nicely, and the band did the fastest version of “I Know You Rider” that I’ve ever heard. “Hot Corn, Cold Corn” was great, too. Donna took the stage again with the Tricksters and had a little sound trouble. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,” she said into the mic. “We’re testing here,” she told the audience. “This is a test. It’s all a test.”

Peter Rowan and Tony Rice followed and closed off the night with their precise, tightly-woven bluegrass that earned them their reputation.

While I didn’t rough it and camp all weekend like I would have 10 years ago, I left Sunday night with a crick in my neck, a sore throat and a little sun burn and Poison Ivy. Success!



- Frederick News post


Discography

BLUENEVADA "the day be you", our debut CD was released in May 2003.

BLUENEVADA "narly trees", released in September 2008.

Photos

Bio

Blue Nevada at work on new album

Los Angeles, CA – Psychedelic jam rock innovators Blue Nevada have just released an EP called "Narly Trees" featuring the single "The Girl from Carolina". Immediately following that release the band announced that they are hard at work on a new album. The as-yet-unnamed album is slated to be released Spring 2008. Blue Nevada is culling the cream of the crop from its musical canon to lay down in the studio and then fire into the psyche of fans everywhere.
“My brother Shannon and I are always writing music,” confesses Dusty Corbin. “There is already enough material for seven albums and we always have some more in the works. We will probably never have enough time, in one lifetime, to record and release every song we write.”
This hard-working band has again and again proven its musical devotion with stellar performances on stage, not to mention the popular debut album whose follow-up is right around the corner.
Blue Nevada has played The American Roots Music Festival, where headliners included the likes of The Jerry Garcia Band with Melvin Seals and New Ryders of the Purple Sage. The “Local Licks” radio show on WAFY 103.1 FM gave Blue Nevada radio exposure and the show’s host included the band’s song “Rhythm Boy” in a “Best Of” New Year’s program.
Following the release of the group’s sophomore album, Blue Nevada intends to commence a mid-Atlantic region tour and expand outward from that core. The band has found much success as a DIY indie act but is aiming to take it to the next level. Blue Nevada is currently working with the firm A & R Select, the world’s leading independent artist development firm, based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Wherever they go, these musicians hope to spread the fun and good vibes that lie at the center of the band’s sound. “We write songs about girls, good times, bad times – anything that creates a passionate emotion comes out in the poetry and music.” And, the band notes, these artists don’t shy away from social, spiritual and political issues now and then.
More information is available by visiting www.myspace.com/bluenevada and www.promofm.com/bluenevada.