Western Music Association Showcase and Awards Festival - Albuquerque, NM
We had a wonderful time (as usual) at the WMA Festival this year! Reuniting with our good friends in Western Music is always the yearly treat we look forward to each year. Catching up, sharing ideas and plans and…JAMMING the night away! There is truly nothing like it!
We were especially thrilled to bring our new Tumbleweed, Jesse Olema to meet all our friends and for everyone there to hear him for the first time. It was certainly a thrill! Jesse, of course jumped right in and had a BALL and all our friends embraced him with the same warmth they’ve always had for us!
Among the many unforgettable experiences we’ve had at the WMA was meeting Dick Goodman and Vern Jackson of the Wagonmasters this year! Dick introduced himself to us by walking up and saying, “Now listen boys.. if you’re going to walk around with a name like The Tumbling Tumbleweeds you need to always keep your head held high!” We assured him that we knew and had nothing but the greatest reverence for the song and The Sons of the Pioneers which is what led us to the creation of our group in the first place. He definitely understood us immediately! It was great to sit and listen to his stories of Bob Nolan and Roy Rogers and it was just as great to hear them performing at the Awards Show!
Friday was a busy day that started with us hosting a showcase on Stage 2. The audience was great and we got to introduce Quicksilver and Double Take.
Babyface found a quiet moment to rest up before Friday Night Opry. Since he’d been up all night jamming with his friends he needed it! Of course, when we saw him lying there we couldn’t resist putting the flower in his hands. He looked just like Billy the Kid after he’d been caught up with!
Naturally Cade couldn’t pass up the opportunity to accentuate the scene with some skillful clowning! Unfortunately, it woke up the Kid!
Our forty five minute main stage showcase on Saturday went GREAT and it was a real treat to have our pal, Ric Steinke sit in with us on the songs he performed on for Blaze Across the West! We also prepared a surprise for our dear friend, mentor and big Sister, Suze Spencer Marshall. We put together a song written by her uncles, Tim & Glenn Spencer called Silent Trails and performed it there as a tribute to her and what she has meant to us. We finished our show with our newest original tune, Calico and received a standing ovation at the end of our show. It was FANTASTIC!
After our showcase we had just enough time to grab some tacos across the street from the festival before getting ready for the Awards Show. You can see from the trees that Albuquerque was in full Fall swing!
The Awards Show was held at the historic Kimo Theater in downtown Albuquerque. It is truly an experience just to walk into this place! It’s like an adobe palace!
As we mentioned before, it was an amzing and unforgettable night as we won the Award for Best Traditional Album by a Group for Blaze Across the West! Woo hoo!
Later that evening we reunited with our Big Sis Suze and our dear friend Carolyn Martin who also won the Award for Best Western Swing Album for Cookin’ with Carolyn!
Before we left for home we had breakfast and ran into another one of our dear friends and guides, Juni Fisher who won Awards for Best Song, Best Female Entertainer and Entertainer of the Year! She and R.J. always bring out the mischief in each other and we’re certainly glad of it!
We stopped at Rob’s faimily homestead in Southern New Mexico for the night but couldn’t resist picking up some delicious chili from the place that grows the best chili in the world….Hatch, New Mexico! Jesse was ready to claim that whole rack for himself but finally settled on just one. Our SUV was busting at the seams as it was!
Stretching our legs just outside Phoenix on our way home, Jesse and Babyface look like an album cover from the 1970’s.
All in all it was another unforgettable festival experience for us as it is every year and Jesse said, “I’m already looking forward to next year!” We are too Jesse! In fact, we look forward to it every year! Glad you’re with us now!
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds win Best Album!
WE WON!!!
Such an incredible honor!
We won the 2011 Western Music Association Award for Best Traditional Album by a Group this past Saturday at the WMA Awards in Albuquerque, NM!
We are so deeply honored to to be recognized by our beloved WMA for this year-long labor of love we call, Blaze Across the West! It means so much to us to win an award for this, our second album, especially because it contains five of our original songs. As new young songwriters it means EVERYTHING to have our work not only received but acclaimed in this way. We are so proud!
The award was presented to us by our good pal and award-winning Radio Host, Barb Richhart. Upon receiving the award Tumbleweed Rob said, "I am so grateful to the brilliant gentlemen standing here with me who have been my brothers for the past seven years! Rob also went on to say, "We would like to thank our incredible Engineer, Bryan Chadima and all the amazing guest artists who lent their talents on this album. The brilliant Miss Jean Sudbury on fiddle, Mr. Ric Steinke of Open Range on Steel Guitar, Mr. Gary Allegretto on harmonica and Otoño Lujan on accordion!” Rob went on to say, “It means more than we can ever put into words to receive this incredible honor for our work. Thank you so very much!”
The entire weekend was packed with so many wonderful experiences! We will share them all with you in the next coming days. For now we just want to say...THANKS to all our fans and friends, THANKS to all the great DJs who keep our music on the air and THANKS WMA! We love you!
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds Introduce New Member Jesse Olema
Exclusive news released here on our official website first! Official worldwide release in October!
The Tumbling Tumbleweds add Guest Artist, Fiddle Player Jesse Olema to The Tumbling Tumbleweeds.
Jesse Olema is one of LA’s top emerging fiddlers. Jesse began playing at the age of five in Humboldt County California. Now, at 26 he works as a session musician, and live performing artist. You can see him throughout Southern California playing not only now with The Tumbling Tumbleweeds but also with, Fearmia, and The Dustbowl Cavaliers.
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds found Jesse playing in a jam circle at the Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest and Folk Music Festival this past May of 2011 and were instantly taken with his intuitively laid back style. “Jesse has an uncanny knack of weaving in and out of a melody as if being beckoned by some alternate point of view of the song no one but he has ever considered. It is his own special gift that we find stunning and we can’t wait for our audiences to be delighted by it as well!” says, Tumbleweed Rob Wofskill who was the first one to spot Jesse at the Topanga Festival. “Jesse has the heart and soul for Traditional American Music and we are so thrilled to have him playing with us!”
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds plan to debut him for the first time in Arizona this month on a three concert tour covering Sierra Vista, AZ and Tuscon, AZ. The Tumbleweeds also plan to take Jesse with them to the Western Music Association Showcase and Awards Show in Albuquerque, NM this November!
Welcome Jesse!
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds Nominated for two WMA Awards!
We've been nominated for two awards by the Western Music Association!
Our album, Blaze Across the West has been nominated for TRADITIONAL WESTERN ALBUM BY A DUO OR GROUP and we have been nominated for ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR! This is the third and fourth WMA nomination for us and we are so thrilled and honored to be nominated by the WMA! The Western Music Association is very near and dear to our hearts so it means more than we can ever say to be recognized by them. We are proud to represent the WMA wherever we go and we are equally proud to be a part of an organization that sets the standard of excellence in our genre.
The Western Music Association Awards ceremony will take place in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Western Music Association Awards Show to be held at 7:00 PM at the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tumbleweed Rob Hosts National Day of the Cowboy at the Autry
Saturday, July 23, 2011
What an incredible day!
It began with what looked like a tidal wave of people pouring into the Autry as the gates opened at 11:00 am. Within minutes the main stage area was filled to the brim with folks young and old, ready to take in the day’s events. It started with Tumbleweed Rob giving a great big welcome to everyone there and then introducing World Champion Gunslinger, Joey Dillon. A skilled entertainer, Joey kept everyone on the edge of their seat with his twirling, spinning pistol tricks!
Then it was time for Kansas Carradine and Landon Spencer, two beautiful young ladies who are skilled ropers and horsewomen. With back bends and leaps they kept those lassoes bounding up, down and all around with complete grace and style! When they were done and, as the crowd thundered with applause Rob exclaimed, “Wow! I have trouble enough with my phone charger! That was amazing!”
Then it came time for Susan Michaels and the Bees Knees to rouse the crowd to their feet for some old timey square dancing. It was great to see even the little tykes holding hands and giving it a whirl!
Then it came time for Rob to introduce Riders In The Sky. It was a profound moment for Rob as he explained, “I am so deeply honored to be able to present to you today this legendary group of gentlemen who have been a source of inspiration to me and to all The Tumbling Tumbleweeds and who have set the standard for all of us Western Music Entertainers!” Rob was obviously thrilled, as was the audience and the Riders In The Sky delivered an incredible show!
-Rob and Riders do "The Cowboy Way" pose
Later, Rob, R.J. and all the Riders spent some time together having fun and swapping stories and making instant pals! It was certainly one for the history books as The Tumbling Tumbleweeds and Riders In The Sky finally met for the first time. It’s no wonder they had so much to talk about!
-Ranger Doug and R.J.
Another historic event complete with great entertainment, great food, great activities and loads of fun for everyone!
"California" Hits #1
We did it! We're #1!
Our song,"California" just hit #1 on the Top Ten Western Songs chart in the new Rope Burns Magazine!!
We also just found out that Blaze Across the West hit #2 in it's first appearance on the "Top Twenty Cowboy/Wesern Music CD's" chart in the Western Way Mazagine! Woo Hoo!
We are really excited and so very grateful to you all for your continued support of our music!
Big Sky Journal - Review
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds:
Blaze Across the West
From the moment the chug-chug-chug of the train in the opening tune, “The Mighty Santa Fe,” rolled out of my speakers, I fell in love with The Tumbling Tumbleweeds’ music. I’d not heard them before I read about their new CD online, but I’m making up for lost listening time,
as the disc has been in near-constant play mode at my rancho.
Think Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Sons of the Pioneers, Riders in the Sky, and you’ll be close.
But there’s something decidedly non-revivalist about The Tumbling Tumbleweeds, too. Of the 11 tracks on Blaze Across the West, five are fresh originals that manage to sound both
new thematically yet could also have been written 70 years ago. On this, the band’s second full-length release, listeners will find musical hallmarks that help define the genre: strong harmonies,
tasteful fiddle, snappy harmonica, just enough yodeling, and jumping guitar with a hint of jazzy, rhythmic strumming. Toss in well-written lyrics and tight arrangements and you have an album that The Tumbling Tumbleweeds are no doubt proud to call their own. Hopefully, it’s the latest of many such quality offerings from them. Before the mighty Santa Fe pulls out of the station, yank on your boots and visit www.thetumblingtumbleweeds.com for your very own copy of Blaze Across the West!
Matthew Mayo
Big Sky Journal
Fly Fishing 2011 Issue
©March 2011
American Cowboy Magazine - Review
Blaze Across the West
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds
This collection of new and vintage material is for fans of classic Western harmony singing. Outstanding four part vocalizations, tight musicianship, and solid arrangements make Blaze Across the West a sure nominee for the Western Awards!
Charels Engels
American Cowboy Magazine
February / March Issue
©2011
Cri Du Coyote Magazine - Review
Blaze Across the West
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds
It has been two years since the release of the self-titled CD from this California quartet consisting of Rob Wolfskill, Cade Parenti, Chris Acuff and R.J. Mills. Here they are back with a new CD in the tradition of the old Western Vocal Groups and in keeping with the style of their first opus, with an almost equal mixture of new and traditional cowboy and western tunes (with 11 tracks there is no chance of complete equality). In a genre where new compositions and composers are rare [The Tumbling Tumbleweeds] give us four original songs including, the beautiful ballades, Lazin’ Down the Trail and Sleepin’ on a Mountain and the excellent California with Mexican Accordion! Let’s hope they don’t make us wait another two years for the next CD!
Bernard Boyat
Cri du Coyote Magazine
Feb-March 2011
Rick Huff's "Best of the West" Review
Blaze Across the West
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds
In this review column I said I felt that on The Tumbling Tumbleweeds’ debut CD the wonderfully talented young harmony group was not particularly well served by their production people. Their follow-up release arrived with a note saying they took it to heart and hoped I liked the new one. Rest easy, guys. This time you absolutely nailed it!
In their terrific originals like “The Mighty Santa Fe,” “Lazin’ Down The Trail,” “Sleepin’ On A Mountain,” and “California” everything is there for a reason. It’s all showcase, never showoff. And when they handle the classics like “Oregon Trail,” “Cattle Call” or “Dear Hearts And Gentle People” everything is done with supreme care and obvious affection for the material. On this release they’ve also invited some really interesting guests, including Ric Steinke of Open Range, Gary “Harmonicowboy” Allegretto and the fine Conjunto Norteño accordion player Otoño Lujan.
The Tumbling Tumbleweeds use barbershop quartet-tight harmony patterns and are not some carbon copy of an existing group. One of the ways you can spot the originality of their approach is to hear them perform tracks like Bob Nolan’s “Saddle Your Worries To The Wind” or Glenn & Tim Spencer’s “So Long To The Red River Valley,” both offered here. If any Sons of the Pioneers comparisons will be drawn, that’s where it will happen. The great news is The Tumbling Tumbleweeds don’t sound like the SOPs. Or Riders in the Sky, or Sons of the San Joaquin. They sound 100% like The Tumbling Tumbleweeds… and that, folks, is simply wonderful!
© 2010, Rick Huff
Check back for more news throughout the new year!