Common Ground currently consists of Dave Leonard from Bargersville, Indiana on banjo and tenor/baritone vocals, Dennis Schubnell from Henryville, Indiana on mandolin and lead/tenor/baritone vocals, Jack Bustle from Holton, Indiana on upright bass and bass vocals, and Ronnie Deaton from Versailles, Indiana on rhythm/lead guitar and lead/tenor/baritone vocals.
Influences
Between all of us we have a vast range of musical influences. Each of us was raised in different areas of the southeast, and we developed differing tastes throughout the years, so when you combine our childhood influences, you come up with a melting pot of bluegrass styles. This gives us the ability to comfortably offer a wide range of bluegrass tunes to our fans. Our combined influences include; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, J. D. Crowe & The New South, The Seldom Scene with John Duffy, Charlie Waller & The Country Gentlemen, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys, Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys, Jim and Jessie & The Virginia Boys, Carter and Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, IIIrd Tyme Out, Blue Highway, The Lonesome River Band, Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers, The Bluegrass Cardinals, and Southern Blend with Ricky Wossom among others. We are pretty much a traditional bluegrass style band.
Sounds Like
We have been told many times that our sound is developing into a style very much like Charlie Waller’s. We also try to work on the 3 and 4 part harmony style of Doyle Lawson.
Please check out our website at http://www.4commonground.com for much more information and details on the band, and please be sure to sign our guest book. We love to read your comments and suggestions. Thank you so much.
Common Ground is a bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music band based out of southeastern Indiana. It’s Common Ground’s intention to offer a hard driving, progressive bluegrass sound, utilizing traditional bluegrass, gospel, country, and vintage southern rock tunes, with strong emphasis on full 3 and 4-part harmonies. Their goal is to cater to traditional bluegrass enthusiasts, while also drawing a young, new crowd of bluegrassers to the art form.
Technically though, the group prefers to stick to the traditional, old style simplicity of working around only one, single microphone while performing on stage. In the early days of bluegrass music, groups like Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, The Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jessie, among most other performers, used only one single microphone in their stage shows. They would play in a semi-circle around that single microphone, weaving in and out as they took their individual instrument breaks, or during their lead vocal parts. They would roll in and tighten up together around the mic when it came to singing a 3 or 4-part harmony vocal part. This allowed them to control the sound mix themselves, while they performed on stage. Those guys perfected the technique of working around only one microphone. That style of stage showmanship is still alive and visible today during a Common Ground performance.
The band members are all from the southeastern Indiana area, and they play many different events in that part of the state, as well as many venues in other states in that part of the country. Most recently Common Ground was honored with the opportunity to play for Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana Senator Johnny Nugent, Indiana Congressman Mike Sodrel, Indiana Attorney General Todd Raketa, President Sandra Froman of the NRA, (National Rifle Association), The President of ISRPA, (Indiana State Rifle & Pistol Association), and other prominent, local area and Indiana state dignitaries, at a political round table held in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
In August of 2004, a band was needed to fill in for another group that wasn’t going to make it for their scheduled show for a bluegrass festival located at the Versailles Indiana State Park. After the show was over, the guys thought that they may have stumbled onto something that was worth pursuing in the future. They decided to get together a few times later to jam, and found that they liked what had seemingly fallen out of nowhere. They didn’t realize it at that time, but this was the birth of Common Ground.
Dave has been involved with SPBGMA, (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association), and he was a member of the group Grassland for several years. He has also played with many groups in the area such as New Harmony and others. He was pretty busy in the 70’s, working at Bill Monroe’s famous Bean Blossom Music Park, festivals and events.
The Blue Hollow Band has made an incredible impact in the local bluegrass scene as well, and Dennis has been in the middle of this bluegrass thing for many years. He’s also had his own share of memorable experiences throughout his bluegrass background. Before Michael Cleveland stepped up into the professional level of the bluegrass industry, Dennis became very good friends with Michael, and for many years was a co-member in The Blue Hollow Band. Dennis was given the opportunity to perform on Michael’s first solo project, (Sawing On The C-String). Michael is currently known as one of the best bluegrass fiddlers in the world. Michael has won numerous IBMA, (International Bluegrass Music Association), fiddler of the year awards. He’s played with countless bluegrass legends throughout the years, moving up to the level of performer that he is today.
Before Blue Hollow, Dennis was also a member of George Steven’s Back Porch Bluegrass for many years. George was a bluegrass icon in the Scott County area of Indiana for many years before passing away a few years ago.
Ronnie and Jack were with the group Skynny Lynyrd/Son’s Of Thunder from 1999 to 2005. The group was only around the local bluegrass scene, in South East Indiana for little more than 5 years, but in that short period of time they had managed to chock up a pretty good list of past stage experiences.
Skynny Lynyrd/Son’s Of Thunder was fortunate enough to open for Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, (1999), and The Lonesome River Band, (2000), at the NMLRA, (National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association), Fall Shoot held annually in Friendship, Indiana. They have played at The Bill Monroe Music Park located at Bean Blossom, Indiana three times in 2000 and once in 2002. One of their high points was winning the bluegrass-band competition at Bean Blossom in 2000.
At various locations they have either opened for, or had performances with such acts as Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Chris Cagle, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, The Lonesome River Band, IIIrd Tyme Out, The James King Band, Tim Graves & Cherokee, The Osborne Brothers, Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers, Seldom Scene, Dale Ann Bradley & Coon Creek, James Monroe & The Midnight Ramblers, Dean Osborne & East Bound, The Wildwood Valley Boys, and J. D. Crowe & The New South.
There are a vast number of fans and campers at bluegrass festivals from differing cultural backgrounds. There’s no class separation when it comes to bluegrass music though. You will find bankers, lawyers, and doctors, as well as store clerks, mechanics, and factory workers at all of these events. That’s what makes bluegrass music so incredible. This is where the band name, Common Ground is derived from.
Now you can see why Common Ground has a lot of versatility. Coming from the above-mentioned groups, the guys have so many past experiences and so much variety to pool from, (traditional to progressive). “We sure hope that we’ll do something that you’ll enjoy, and that you’ll like the end result. As you browse the website at (http://www.4commonground.com), take your time and enjoy yourself. We invite you to please let us know if you have any suggestions. Hopefully, we will run across each other at one of our performances. Don’t ever be a stranger. Feel free to come up to any of us after any of our shows and say hello. Thank you so much for your interest in Common Ground. Please keep us in your prayers and may God richly bless you.”
Common Ground is hailed as being a “remarkable bluegrass quartet”, by Les McIntyre in the November 2008 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. Les goes on to say that the group has “created a marvelous collection of bluegrass music”, with their new release titled “One For The Road”. ---Bluegrass Unlimited (Les McIntyre)
Bluegrass Music Profiles’s own Charlie Hall, in the November/December 2008 issue of the magazine, says that Common Ground has “gelled into one fantastic bluegrass band”. Concerning their new release, “One For The Road”, Charlie says “their lead and harmony vocals are tight and strong”. ---Bluegrass Music Profiles (Charlie Hall)
(TO READ THESE ARTICALS IN THEIR ENTIRETY, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.)
Common Ground will be a guest on Charlie Hall’s bluegrass radio show, (The Bluegrass Express), after a Vicki Simmons benefit performance at Renfro Valley on Sunday, November 16. Charlie’s program can be heard on “The Coyote”, WCYO-FM 100.7 each and every Sunday evening from 06:00-PM to 10:00-PM. If you would like to listen to our portion of his show “LIVE”, you can listen to Richmond, Kentucky’s BIG 100 on the world wide web at http://wcyo. com. Our segment is scheduled to begin at 08:00-PM later that evening and could last for an hour or more. We intend to cover our new CD release “One For The Road”. The current reining 6-time IBMA, (International Bluegrass Music Association), Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland may also be joining us on the air for the interviews. We may even play a few tunes “LIVE” on the air. We will also cover Michael’s new release, “Leavin’ Town”, “Let ‘er Go Boys” and his other projects from Rounder Records. You’re invited to please tune in on the world wide web and listen to us on WCYO.-FM 100.7, Richmond’s BIG 100. Charlie also has a program on the WWB, (World Wide Bluegrass), on Tuesday nights called The Kentucky Home place. This program begins at 08:00-PM and runs until 10:00-PM. You can log on and hear Charlie at http://www. worldwidebluegrass. com. Please be sure to support this and any other bluegrass related broadcast. You, the fan, are what made this music what it is today. Thank you so much for your support. ---Ronnie Deaton of Common Ground
It was just announced this past weekend that Common Ground’s CD release, “One For The Road”, was reviewed in the current issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. If you get a chance, pick one up and let us know what you think. We will post a copy of this article, along with the other article from Bluegrass Music Profiles magazine, on the newsletter page of the website as soon as possible. For more information on the article from Bluegrass Unlimited, you can log on to the magazine website at http://www. bluegrassmusic. com. ---Ronnie Deaton of Common Ground
Be sure to check out the November/December issue of Bluegrass Music Profiles magazine. You will find a CD review on the Common Ground release “One For The Road”. To find out more information on the publication, log on to the Bluegrass Music Profiles website at http://www. bluegrassmusicprofiles. com. ---Ronnie Deaton of Common Ground
Common Ground will be performing at Renfro Valley once again on Sunday afternoon, November 16, for a special star filled bluegrass benefit concert to help Vicki Simmons of the Renfro Valley cast with extensive medical expenses. Below are links that will provide details concerning Vicki’s situation, the performance schedule and list of performers for the benefit concert to be held at Renfro Valley in the historic Old Barn Theatre. Admission for the concert is FREE, but they do ask for a voluntary donation to help Vicki with her extensive medical expenses. Vicki has done so much for bluegrass music throughout the years, please come out and help Common Ground support Vicki in this difficult time. Since word of mouth is the best means to spread the news of this worthy cause, tell your family and friends. Help us generate a large turn out to help Vicki. Our thoughts and prayers are with Vicki and her family. You may log on to the Common Ground website at http://www. 4commonground. com, the Michael Cleveland website at http://www. mikecleveland. com, or the Renfro Valley website at http://www. renfrovalley. com for further updates on the concert. You may also contact Renfro Valley direct by phone at 1-800-765-7464 or at 1-606-256-2638. ---Ronnie Deaton of Common Ground
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