Author: John Lawless

Not long ago we posted news that Justin Jenkins would be leaving Grasstowne to join up with American Drive, the newly-formed band built by the members of J.D. Crowe & the New South. Justin and Grasstowne bandleader Alan Bibey spoke with us

Just before we kicked off the Red Carpet interviews last Thursday at World of Bluegrass, Steve Martin stopped by with Mark Johnson, the 2012 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. This new annual prize

Mandolin pioneer Chris Thile has been named as among the 23 recipients of the 2012 MacArthur Fellowship. The annual award, distributed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, includes a $500,000 grant (paid over five years) which the recipients may

Over the last two weeks we have had some fun with our poll asking "Who has the best hair in bluegrass?" Initially it was all-Del, but in the back stretch, Rhonda Vincent pulled out all the stops and won it walking

Bluegrass has a long history of artists taking on a sobriquet, a nickname, that helps identify them (or their status) both in and outside the bluegrass community. Bill Monroe was famously the Father of Bluegrass, and Jimmy Martin was variably the

Some of the best fun I had this past week at World of Bluegrass was talking with the delightful Kenny & Amanda Smith. We discussed their upcoming band album, Catch Me If I Try, their first record in more than four

We reported last week that Nashville singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale had a new CD, Carolina Moonrise, which was released this past Tuesday. On Tuesday, Jim sat with us to talk about the record, and how he came to write with Grateful Dead

We had a lovely chat Friday afternoon with Dave and Louise Holden the singing sibling songwriters with Dublin-based I Draw Slow. They talked  about their new Pinecastle release, Redhills, and offered a glimpse into the reactions they get as a hybrid American/Irish music

Friday was a busy day at Fan Fest, with big names on stage and fans, pickers, and everything in between roaming the Nashville Convention Center from early morning 'till the crack of dawn. Woody Edwards was crawling the halls capturing images

More winners from Bluegrass Today! OK... that may be overstating the point, but David Morris did catch up Thursday afternoon with a number of eventual IBMA Award winners, just hours before the awards presentation that evening. Here is his discussion with Joe