After early success, brief lull, IIIrd Tyme Out finding the spotlight again

Courtesy of Richard Boyd The national act bluegrass band Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out will perform Saturday, March 27 at the Mountaineer Opry House in Milton.

March 25, 2010 @ 09:05 PM DEREK HALSEY For The Herald-Dispatch

The group IIIrd Tyme Out virtually ruled the vocal side of bluegrass music in the 1990s.

The group was at its zenith as far as popularity goes, with a unique name and a dominant run of International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards. From 1994 until 2000, IIIrd Tyme Out won the IBMA Vocal Group of the Year award seven times with lead singer Russell Moore also winning the IBMA lead vocalist award twice during that period.

But as the new century took hold, IIIrd Tyme Out faded from the limelight a bit due to personnel changes and the rise of other bands. The group has hung in there over the years, however, and the constant has been original member and band leader Moore. With a reinvigorated lineup assembled a couple of years ago, the band earned the attention of the bluegrass world yet again with the end result being three IBMA Awards nominations in 2009 for Male Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and the top prize, Entertainer of the Year.

“It was a real treat for all of us to be nominated in a group category again,” said Moore. “It had been several years since that had happened and we were tickled to death. We have been working hard on trying to get things turned around and back up on the top shelf like they are supposed to be, and I think some people took notice. It helped that we are now on Rural Rhythm Records. They are very supportive and helped get the word out and let people know what is going on with their artists. I think all of that played a part in it and we were just tickled to death to be back in the running.”

The current lineup of IIIrd Tyme Out features Moore on guitar and lead vocals, the well-respected mandolin stylist Wayne Benson, Steve Dilling on banjo and vocals, Justen Haynes on fiddle and vocals and Edgar Loudermilk on bass. The ‘sixth man’ in the band is Portsmouth, Ohio native Donnie Carver, the ever-present sound engineer who travels with the band. The group’s latest album, “Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out,” spawned the chart-topping single, “Hard Rock Mountain Prison (Til I Die),” a song centered on a classic bluegrass theme.

“As far as the subject matter (of the song), I think it is somewhat common in bluegrass music,” Moore said. “It talks about the Blue Ridge Mountains and mom and dad, and it’s got a little thing about being in prison in there. It doesn’t have anything about killing or murdering, but it’s got all of the other elements in it. And, it’s got a lot of elements in it as far as what people like to hear, too. It’s in B-chord. It’s a good three-chord song. It’s not very labored with key changes and chord progressions and things that people might not understand. We call it ‘nuts and bolts bluegrass.’ It’s three chords and a cloud of dust.”

IIIrd Tyme Out is taking this newfound energy and preparing to record a new album in the coming months. It will be released later in 2010. The current lineup of the band has stuck together over the winter, something that isn’t it a given in the bluegrass music business where personnel changes are the norm.

“We’re riding a wave,” said Moore. “Well, actually, it is our second wave. We had some great years back in the 1990s and it was great to ride that. I feel like we have gotten a second chance and we’re riding a second wave, and not many groups get a chance to do that, so we are going to enjoy it and have fun. It is kind of like winning a divisional championship or something. You do it one time and, boy, it’s all exciting and you’re enjoying it. The second time, it’s just as exciting but you’ve learned a little bit along the way. I think what we have learned is don’t worry about stuff so much. Just enjoy it. Have a good time. Maybe it will be here next year. If you keep working hard, it will definitely pay off. It always does.”