Author: Brian Paul Swenk

Béla Fleck welcomes the class at the 2018 Blue Ridge Banjo Camp - photo by Brian Swenk “Immerse yourself.” If there was one consistent theme to the inaugural Béla Fleck Blue Ridge Banjo Camp, it wasn't necessarily the technical mechanics of banjo

Peter Rowan performs at the 2017 Suwannee Spring Reunion Festival (3/25/17) - photo by Brian Paul Swenk The final day of Suwannee Spring Reunion featured Peter Rowan, Jim Lauderdale, and Sara Watkins. There are some musicians that have a presence that’s just

The Earls Of Leicester at the Suwanee Spring Reunion Festival (3/24/17) - photo by Brian Paul Swenk Day 2 of the Suwannee Spring Reunion Festival featured the time-machine of Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester.  It’s very rare that you get

Grandpa's Cough Medicine at the 2017 Suwanee Spring Reunion - photo by Brian Paul Swenk Brian Paul Swenk will be posting daily updates from this year's Suwannee Spring Reunion festival. There’s no better way to start the music festival season than with

When a Danny Barnes album shows up in the mail, you have no idea what to expect. His creativity and musical adventures have kept him from being pigeonholed into any specific genre or style. So as you open his new

If there was some type of IBMA momentum award recognizing “The band that defies all odds,” The Jon Stickley Trio would need to clean a spot on their mantle. The Jon Stickley Trio is surprising everyone, probably even themselves, as they

So long to this cage I’m in I don’t belong anywhere I’ve been I need a new song as I hit the road again Into the wind The opening verse on the Infamous Stringdusters’ 7th studio album, Laws of Gravity, perfectly captures the spirit

When Balsam Range came onto the scene in 2007, we all knew this Haywood County band would quickly become a major name in our beloved bluegrass world. It wasn’t because they were instrumental and vocal heavyweights—that’s common in our world;

Hank, Pattie & The Current is a brand new group from Raleigh, NC making some waves through the southeastern bluegrass music scene. Today they’re proud to premier their first music video, Losing My Mind. Banjoist Hank Smith, known for his Béla Fleck and

Asheville’s Town Mountain finds some Louisiana groove on their new release, Southern Crescent. It’s hard to find a list of “Best Places To Live” that does not have Asheville, NC on it. The people, the community, the arts, the Blue Ridge Mountains: