Happy February, a month full of history and holidays! Of the significant dates packed into Black History and American Heart month, Valentine's Day probably gets the most publicity. (I always like to think of it as Halloween for people who aren't afraid of commitment.) There are also birthdays for two Presidents, the states of Oregon, Arizona, and Massachusetts, and the Ground Hog... February even gets an extra day this year. I was reflecting on these Februarian festivities while listening to Gentleman Jim Chatfield's Bluegrass in the BASSment show on World Wide Bluegrass last night. During his program, he played the Urban Monroes' latest release, Lamp in the Window, and a cut from Pavement and Pathways: My Window Faces the South. It seemed like a good time to check in on where the band is so far this year.
The aforementioned Lamp in the Window was released just last month, one of three Urban Monroes singles out since fall. The other two, Little Drummer Boy and Mr. Grinch were available at Christmas and had the band on top of the Airplay Direct charts at year's end. We are currently ensconced on APD's All-time Global Top 50 bluegrass chart which is not a bad place to be ensconced if one must be.
Also as a new year begins, the previous year’s activity is summed up. One of our favorite summations came from the folk and bluegrass dj.org where the Urban Monroes made their Top 100 Artists of 2011 chart.
The DownHome Den has had the band at #1 on their Weekly Top 10, as voted on by listeners. A bit farther from home, the Peelgrass show out of The Netherlands has had the band in their playlist and CFBX has continued to have the band in high rotation.
In the works right now is another Urban Monroes single. We're hoping to have a special guest artist on that recording, with Jim Chatfield being an "UM for a day" as he likes to call it. There are still some logistical details to work out before this can happen, but it should be a lot of fun and we're looking forward to the results.
So, now the only thing left for February is deciding what to do with that extra day. I’m hoping to save it for July when the weather is better and I can really enjoy it…
