• Awards and other post-IBMA thoughts

    David Morris accepts his Writer of the Year award at the 2019 IBMA Industry Awards - photo © Tara Linhardt With another successful IBMA World of Bluegrass in the books in Raleigh, it’s time to look back at some of the

  • Notes From Gettysburg, August 2019

    It’s no secret to regular readers that the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival is one of my two favorite stops of the year, the other being IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in Raleigh every fall. The festival is just an hour from home, features

  • Ryan Paisley comes out of his shell

    Ryan Paisley with Rhonda Vincent at the 2019 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival - photo by Frank Baker The first time I saw Ryan Paisley on stage, I thought it was a gimmick. A cute gimmick, but a gimmick nonetheless. It was 2011, at

  • Rearrange My Heart – Che Apalache

    Rearrange My Heart, the astonishing new CD from Che Apalache, is as challenging as it is creative. It challenges assumptions, sometimes head on, sometimes more abstractly. But it does so to an inventive soundtrack, fueled by fiddle and banjo parts

  • Dick Laird passes

    Dick Laird, whose 60-year run in bluegrass included a stint with Jimmy Martin, died Monday at his home in West York, PA. He was just two weeks short of his 75th birthday. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer. “It’s just devasting.