All4Hym 2005 Year in Review

Our year began opening a concert for The Lonesome River Band and the Seldom Scene in Fairfax, Virginia. We received our very first standing ovation! Our excitement continued when we opened for The CherryHolmes Family in Richmond VA at a VA Folk Music Association concert. We are thrilled to have been able to share the stage with the now IBMA Entertaining Group of the Year! Another highlight last year was sharing the stage twice, with the bluegrass band Nothin Fancy, once at Sertoma Youth Ranch, FL and again in Berryville, VA., where they accompanied as Terri sang lead and Chester sang harmony and played rhythm guitar to the song "Steel Rails".

In February 2005, Chester and Terri attended The ETA Bluegrass Cruise. Many friends were made on this cruise. There were many special moments on the trip, but one in particular was Chester assisting Dustin Benson, Josh Williams and Gary Ferris in teaching a rhythm guitar workshop. During the workshop a special guest, Dale Ann Bradley popped in and Chester got to sing several duets with her and later got to Jam with Mike Cleveland!!

In March of 2005 All4Hym opened for Rhonda Vincent and the Rage in Berryville, VA with a very good crowd response. Also in March 2005, the real excitement began with the release of our first song on "Prime Cuts of Bluegrass" with awesome DJ response, and we traveled to Owensboro, Kentucky to compete in the 4th Annual Bluegrass "Returns to its Roots" Band Competition where we won 1st PLACE. One of the prizes was to open for The Isaac's. The contest was judged by Mr. J.D. Crowe, Mr. Tony Williams of the Kentucky Lake Festival and several others. During this wonderful experience, we were so excited to personally meet with Mr. J.D. Crowe and very flattered when he offered to produce our next CD!! We feel truly honored.

In May 2005, we released our second song on "Prime Cuts of Bluegrass" Greenville Trestle, and once again received very good DJ response and reviews. In July 2005, Terri attended Nashcamp Songwriter Week in an attempt to gain more writing skills. The class proved invaluable. Not only was it a privilege to meet Cindy Sinclair who is an excellent host but this year's camp was a gem for those with interest in the bluegrass genre. Some of the teachers were Carl Jackson, Claire Lynch, Ned Lubrecki, Mark Brinkman and Tim Stafford. Terri was able to begin work on some unfinished songs of her own plus was pitched several songs that the group plans to record on their new project, to include two songs by Mark Brinkman, one by Heather Frank, a Nash camper, and one song written by Dee Shelton and published by Tim Stafford.

In July 2005 All4Hym was featured in a newspaper article in The Winchester Star, followed by a concert in Front Royal, where the band played with Mark Newton. The outdoor concert was a success and the host has invited All4Hym to come back this year.

On September 11, 2005 at the "911 Barns of Rose Hill Bluegrass Festival" in Berryville, VA, All4Hym opened the day. Other groups appearing were IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band, Phoenix, and Mark Newton. Terri opened the 911 tribute by singing "The Star Spangled Banner" followed by IIIrd Tyme Out singing "America the Beautiful". The day was a blessing. On Sept. 22, 2005 All4Hym made their debut at "The Nothin Fancy Festival" in Buena Vista, VA filling in for a band cancellation. The crowd response was outstanding and many were disappointed that they weren't doing a second set. The group has been invited back this year for two full sets! After leaving Buena Vista the band headed to Warfordsburg, PA for two days at a Farmer's Festival where we learned about Billy Goat Bingo! (smile) Then it was on to Branson, MO for 4 days and 16 shows at Silver Dollar City. We played at The Riverfront Play House and shared the stage for two days with "The Lewis Family" On the other days, All4Hym represented Bluegrass Gospel, playing with all Southern Gospel groups. The crowd response was outstanding. D.A Calloway said that with all the talent that the park has to offer, it was truly a compliment that a lot of folks came back for a second show. All4Hym has been invited back this year to play on the Bluegrass stage, representing bluegrass gospel during their Southern Gospel Picnic Event.

In October 2005 the band was asked to fill a performance spot for a bus tour at The Mountaineer Opry House in Milton, WV. The Grascals had just played the Opry House the night before, so the owners were very pleased with the turnout and crowd response for All4Hym, and plans to invite them back again this year. The night was superb, and many friends and contacts were made.

In November 2005, we played The Grace Ole Opry in Waldorf, MD. The band was so well received that the promoter would like to book All4Hym this spring for a featured concert. Mid November found us in Brooksville, FL at The Sertoma Youth Ranch with Steve Dittman and Harry Grant on sound. We shared the stage with Carolina Road, James King, Vince Combs and many others. The crowd response was very good especially for those old "Fleetwood Mac" fans of All4Hym's rendition of "Gold Dust Woman". One of the listeners told us that the name of our band led them to expect to hear a traditional Southern Gospel style of Bluegrass. Instead, what they decribed All4Hym as "FLUX" (flowing state of evolving gradual change) which we are considering as the title of our upcoming CD (smile) All4Hym has been invited back again for this year's festival. The highlight of the weekend was James King complimenting Terri on her vocal and saying that he hoped we could play with him at a festival again in the future.

The year ended as exciting as it started. All4Hym's last concert of the year was in Berryville, VA opening for Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. This was an anniversary of sorts for the band. Cory Kreitzer, Chester and Terri's son first began playing with the group at age 14. His first large concert with All4Hym was in 1999 opening for Doyle Lawson at a concert in PA. Doyle was very encouraging to Cory back then and has always been an inspiration. Six years later and much improved, Cory met with Doyle again and was encouraged even more. The crowd response was amazing and the band looks forward to playing this same venue with Mountain Heart for two shows in March!

As we continue to push forward, in every town and venue that we perform, we look forward to representing Contemporary Acoustic Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel to the best of our ability. Our music is a part of who we are and it speaks for itself, whether it is traditional gospel or our "out there" version of an old rock-n-roll song that we grew up listening to. We strive to make our music our own, never wanting to sound like someone else. We have many goals and we will continue to press forward to reach the mark of our higher calling.

God Bless,
Chester & Terri Kreitzer
All4Hym
4496 Howellsville Rd
Front Royal, VA 22630
(540) 636-6906
Contact Us
www.all4hym.com