Press

Missy Werner releases sophomore project, Three Kinds of Lonesome, on December 6; first to feature her touring band
With one acclaimed album—the Dwight McCall-produced Drifting And Dreaming (2009)—already to her credit, Ohio’s Missy Werner returns on December 6th with a sophomore project that highlights her ear for an outstanding song. Recorded at The Rec Room in Nashville, with award-winning engineer Ben Surratt behind the board, Three Kinds Of Lonesome serves up 14 selections that include under-appreciated recent gems, old favorites and brand-new songs from some of the best of today’s bluegrass writers. And while a handful of guests—Mike Witcher (dobro), Aaron Till (fiddle), Ned Luberecki (banjo on “If I Fall”), Jennifer Strickland (harmony vocals) and duet partners Frank Solivan and Chris Jones—contribute to the music, the spotlight falls squarely on Missy’s veteran touring band (Jeff Roberts, Tim Strong, Artie Werner) and on her expressive voice.

“Dwight set a really high bar with a great set of songs and performances on Drifting And Dreaming,” says producer Jon Weisberger, who, with co-writers Jeremy Garrett, Ashley Lewis, Lisa Shaffer and Jennifer Strickland, contributed four songs to the album. “But I was confident that Missy and her guys were up to the challenge of creating an album that they could live up to on any stage and in front of any audience—and that’s exactly what Three Kinds Of Lonesome turned out to be.”

From the sleek, contemporary lines of the project’s opener, “I’d Rather Love A Memory” to the closing reading of Larry Cordle and Larry Shell’s “My First Mistake,” Three Kinds Of Lonesome puts Missy and her band squarely in the finest of bluegrass traditions—comfortably rooted in the music’s past, yet vibrantly modern. Whether she’s matching voices with Chris Jones on a country-flavored duet, serving up a wistful, traditional-sounding ballad like Zbynek Bures’s “Leaves In The Wind,” tearing it up on the blistering “If I Fall,” paying homage to her influences on the project’s two bonus tracks, or turning bluesy on the Mark Simos-penned title track, Missy’s a singer who finds just the right way to bring out the essence of each song.

No wonder, then, that the Missy Werner Band was chosen for a coveted slot on award-winning WAMU BluegrassCountry’s live broadcasts from this year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass alongside major artists like the Gibson Brothers, Dailey & Vincent and the Boxcars—or that, as soon as Three Kinds Of Lonesome was made available to broadcasters on the popular AirplayDirect service, it became one of the most downloaded bluegrass albums of the month.

One of the brightest stars of the historically vital Cincinnati area bluegrass scene, Missy Werner’s already earned the loyalty of local fans, and the respect of her bluegrass colleagues across the country and around the world. With the release of Three Kinds Of Lonesome, she’s now set the stage for a much bigger audience to hear—and enjoy—one of the strongest talents to emerge from the region in a long, long time.


3 Kinds of Lonesome
With one acclaimed album—the Dwight McCall-produced Drifting And Dreaming
(2009)—already to her credit, Missy Maggard Werner returns this summer with a
sophomore project that highlights her ear for an outstanding song. Recorded at
The Rec Room in Nashville, with award-winning engineer Ben Surratt behind the
board, Three Kinds of Lonesome serves up 14 selections that include
under-appreciated recent gems, old favorites and brand-new songs from some of
the best of today’s bluegrass writers. And while a handful of guests—Mike
Witcher (dobro), Aaron Till (fiddle), Ned Luberecki (banjo on If I Fall), Jennifer Strickland (harmony vocals) and
duet partners Frank Solivan and Chris Jones—contribute to the music, the
spotlight falls squarely on Missy’s veteran touring band (Jeff Roberts, Tim
Strong, Artie Werner) and on her expressive voice.

For her first single, Missy has chosen to release “Endlessly,” a duet with Frank
Solivan written by producer Jon Weisberger and the Infamous Stringdusters’
Jeremy Garrett. With its sinuous melody, contemporary flavor and soaring
harmonies, “Endlessly” introduces a project that places her squarely in the
finest of bluegrass traditions—comfortably rooted in the music’s past, yet
vibrantly modern.



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Liner Notes
It’s sometimes said that music can take hold of a person and never let them go, and no better illustration of the truism is likely to be found than the album you hold in your hand. For most, Drifting And Dreaming will serve as an introduction to Missy Werner, but to those who already know her, it’s the unmistakable outcome of a long journey, and a true labor of love—along with a healthy dose of friendship and respect.

It’s understandable that a quick glance at the credits here might lead the unwary to believe that this is another one of those vanity projects sometimes indulged in by those with at least as much money as talent—after all, the credits here are replete with some of the most respected names in bluegrass—but the truth is another story. Producer and harmony singer Dwight McCall (J. D. Crowe & The New South) is one of Missy’s oldest friends, for she is, like him, the product of the rich and lively bluegrass community of southwest Ohio—in fact, she can count Dwight as a sometimes member of Next In Line, the band she led for most of the 1990s. Indeed, this project might have been made sometime back then, were it not for her decision to pursue a more reliable career than that of a full-time musician.

But music kept its hold on her, and with Dwight’s encouragement (along with that of husband Artie Werner, himself a musician of no small talent, and of others, too) Missy began work on this project. As she uncovered songs she’d set aside long ago and gathered new ones, too, Dwight called upon friends of his own to lend a hand—and the result, as you are about to hear (if you haven’t already), is a revelation of a strong, sure new voice that should be ring out for years to come.

As another of Missy’s long-time friends—in fact, she was the subject of the first article I ever had published—I was glad to follow along as plans turned into reality; honored to have a song I had a hand in writing deemed worthy of inclusion, and happy (though not surprised) that Drifting And Dreaming has turned out to be such a compelling collection. That players like Tim Stafford, Alan Bibey, Ron Stewart, Harold Nixon and the rest would turn in outstanding, insightful performances is no surprise, but the plain fact is that it cannot be heard as anything but Missy’s album, shaped by her influences (think Parton and the Osborne Brothers and you’re off to a good start), revealing her sensibilities, and built around a plaintive voice that is hers alone. Credit aplenty must go to Dwight for working so carefully and so successfully to make sure that happened—but again, that’s not the result of a producer’s imposition, but rather the keen, well-nourished knowledge of a good friend. - Jon Weisberger



Press Release
A veteran performer from the Cincinnati area, Missy Werner makes her national debut with an album produced by long-time friend and occasional bandmate Dwight McCall (J. D. Crowe & The New South) that features a compelling mix of new songs with under-appreciated gems from writers like Dolly Parton. Plucked from a decades-old movie soundtrack, the title song showcases her plaintive vocals with subtle, sympathetic backing from an all-star crew of McCall’s closest colleagues.

With the release of Drifting And Dreaming, listeners across the country have a chance to hear what southwestern Ohio bluegrass fans have enjoyed for years—a plaintive, expressive voice that’s equally at home negotiating the twists and turns of a contemporary song or delivering a bona fide classic. For though the disc is her first national release, Missy Werner’s long been a favorite in that corner of the “Bluegrass Belt,” thanks to a traditional apprenticeship in her father’s bluegrass band, followed by years of leading her own group, Next In Line. A detour into higher education and a professional career reduced her visibility—though she continued to make occasional appearances with Cincinnati’s award-winning Comet Bluegrass All-Stars—but it also served to sharpen her artistic vision, and ultimately her determination to take her music seriously.

The result is a striking set, with a title track that has already drawn attention from bluegrass radio programmers around the country through Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass distribution—and with a band drawn from experienced friends and colleagues who, like Missy, have earned their stripes performing and recording in the bluegrass heartland. Drifting And Dreaming may be the first that most bluegrass fans will hear from Missy Werner, but it won’t be the last.
-Jon Weisberger