The New Pinecastle Records

Columbus, NC - August 11, 2010 - In early February 2010, one of the leading bluegrass recording companies, Pinecastle Records, closed its doors due to an unfortunate series of events. Owner Col. Tom Riggs began to have serious health issues. The Riggs' family made the decision to close the label and focus on the Colonel's health. Artists were caught in limbo and their product was quickly going out of print. A prominent player in the bluegrass industry suddenly went silent.



When a physician, entrepreneur, lover of bluegrass music, and friend of the Riggs' family, Dr. Lonnie Lassiter, heard of Pinecastle closing, he immediately began taking the steps that would ultimately lead to him purchasing the label from the Riggs' family. As of August 1, 2010, Dr. Lassiter took ownership of the company. His first decision was to tap two of the company's former executives, both with around five years of experience with the previous company, to head up the new venture. Ethan Burkhardt was named the company's Vice President of Operations and Matt Hood its Vice President of Public Relations.


Son of Col. Tom Riggs, Cort Riggs sends his wishes:
"Many of you may have met Lonnie at festivals or the IBMA convention with my father and the staff of Pinecastle. He is a fan of our music and plans to continue to expand the catalog with new releases and exciting compilations of the vast Pinecastle catalog. In what I feel is a solid vote of confidence, several of the Pinecastle staff have signed on to help Lonnie grow the label. I am thrilled to see the label in capable hands and look forward to the great music to come!"


Contact information:
Mailing Address:

2881 NC 108 HWY E.

Columbus, NC 28722


Website:

www.pinecastlemusic.com (coming soon)


Email:

Ethan Burkhardt - ethan@pinecastlemusic.com

Matt Hood - matt@pinecastlemusic.com


About Pinecastle Records:

Pinecastle Records has been a key player in the transmission of bluegrass music to the masses for the last 20 years. Orlando, Florida businessman Tom Riggs started the label in 1989 as a favor to a friend who was looking for an outlet for their newly recorded CD. Pinecastle has long developed young artists including Kristin Scott Benson, Terry Eldredge, and Josh Williams and has also been the home to bluegrass legends such as the Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, and Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen. In all, it has released nearly 250 projects.

Music Shed distributes bluegrass worldwide

(Note, this story doesn't mention that Pincastle Records has closed their doors but is about their sister company Music Shed which is still very much active. I refer you to our previous article regarding the shuttering of Pinecastle http://tties91.blogspot.com/2010/01/sad-news-pinecastle-records-shutting.html .)

By Jason Gilmer

Beside the home office of Pinecastle Records is the Music Shed, where its catch phrase “if it’s bluegrass, it’s in the shed” rings true.

The retail store, located at 322 East Mill St. in Columbus, N.C., has more than 3,000 titles from more than 60 labels. It isn’t just a retail store, but the place where bluegrass fans from across the world order CDs through a mail-order catalog and Web site (www.musicshed.com).
More than 20,000 people are on the mailing list. The last catalog was 27 pages with CD listings on the front and back of each page.
“If we put in a description about each album, it would be a the size of a phone book,” said Cort Riggs, the Shed’s director of operations.
People see the sign out front and turn around to check out the store, turning passersby into customers.
Sheepherders in Australia and someone from India that calls on a satellite phone twice a year (“How they got exposed to bluegrass music is beyond me,” Riggs said) are among the loyal customers.
The Shed also works as a distributor to small record stores across the country for bluegrass albums. More...

Pinecastle to Release Second Grasstowne CD

Grasstowne Finishing New Album:

Grasstowne is putting the final touches on the follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Road Headin' Home album. The disc will be titled The Other Side Of Towne and will be released this summer. A first taste of the new album will be a single to be released to radio in late March,

Darrin Aldridge, Brooke Justice - New Release

Pinecastle Recording ArtistsDarin Aldridge & Brooke Justice Release I'll Go With You.

Today Darin Aldridge and Brooke Justice release their gospel album, I'll Go With You, on Pinecastle Records. The musical couple, who have their wedding date set for this Dec. 27th, met at church about three years ago. Although they were performing with different groups, Darin and Brooke began playing and performing together more than two years ago.

Darin Aldridge has a background with the legendary bluegrass group, The Country Gentlemen. Following high school, Darin toured the U.S. and Canada with The Country Gentleman for seven years, earning him four nominations for bluegrass mandolin player of the year. Apart from his commitment to he and Brooke's project, Darin currently tours with The Circuit Riders, which he has been a member of for the past three years. Additionally, Darin formerly released his solo album, Call It A Day, on Pinecastle Records.

Brooke Justice began singing at the young age of five. Her family and church helped to foster her ambitions of becoming a performer. She spent much of her youth engaged in various music competitions, even winning recognition in such competitions as Nashville Star. It was only about four years ago that Brooke picked up the mandolin, even further branching her musical talents. Before performing with Darin, Brooke was a member of the gospel group Pureheart.
I'll Go With You features Darin Aldridge on guitar, Brooke Justice on mandolin, Chris Bryant on banjo, Eddie Biggerstaff on bass and Perry Woddie on resonator guitar. Darin and Brooke are the lead vocalists for the group, yet all five members sing and contribute to harmonies.I'll Go With You is available for purchase at The Music Shed and County Sales.Click to access the album through Pinecastle Records.