Bluegrass band news

Yet more news of band personnel changes... The Isaacs have announced that Thomas Wywrot has joined the band playing banjo and guitar. Current lineup now includes Ben Isaacs on bass, Sonya Isaacs on mandolin, Becky Isaacs Bowman on guitar, Jesse Stockman on

And the band scramble continues... We checked in with Larry Stephenson to see who would be joining his group when Kristin Scott Benson leaves later this month to become the newest Grascal. "Rick Allred will be playing banjo with us. I started my

Punch Brothers have brought on young bass monster Paul Kowert to take the spot of departing founding member Greg Garrison. The band otherwise remains the same (Chris Thile on mandolin, Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar and Gabe

Long time mandolinist with The Gibson Brothers, Rick Hayes, recently announced his intention to retire from the road to focus on Hayes Mandolins, his budding mandolin building endeavor. Eric and Leigh Gibson are happy to welcome young mandolinist Joe Walsh in

As always seems to happen this time of year, a number of top bluegrass bands are making personnel changes. Aaron McDaris is leaving The Grascals, and Kristin Scott Benson will be leaving Larry Stephenson's band to accept the job. She will

Missy Raines, seven-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year, has signed a multi-project deal with Compass Records, run by fellow IBMA Award winner Alison Brown and her husband, Garry West. A new CD will be released on February 10, 2009, the

Ralph Stanley II has just signed with Mike Drudge at Class Act Entertainment. Drudge will handle Stanley's concert booking exclusively. Known affectionately as "Two," Stanley is continuing to tour in support of his newest CD This One Is Two. The CD

Swedish bluegrass heartthrobs, G2, are making plans to spend substantial parts of the next few years touring in the US. In 2009, they will be here July through September performing at festivals and music events, based near Nashville. They want to

Barry Scott & Second Wind have signed with Rebel Records. Rebel will release the band's current Gospel project, In God's Time, in Spring 2009 with a new, secular album to follow later in the year. Barry was a member of Doyle Lawson

In the course of two days just over fifty years ago, the Stanley Brothers began an era that was to last on-and-off right through and beyond Carter Stanley's premature passing on December 1, 1966. Carter and Ralph along with the Clinch