Author: John Lawless

Rounder Records has just uploaded audio samples for two new projects set for a June release. Ron Block's Doorway will hit on June 19. This is not really a bluegrass recording, but should be of interest to the many admirers of

Just two weeks ago, XM Satellite Radio's Bluegrass Junction (Channel 14) announced the debut of their monthly Top 40, based on how often individual albums are featured. The June Top 40, based on requests and plays in May, has just

Fans of the eclectic string music scene that emanated from New England in the 1970s and 80s will surely recall being enthralled by the acoustic guitar work of Russ Barenberg. He was a member of Country Cooking with Tony Trischka,

Butch Baldassari, a good friend to Bluegrass Today - and to everyone who loves bluegrass and mandolin music - has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He starts chemo and radiation treatments this week, and we send him our

June 30 is the deadline for IBMA members to submit nominations for the Special Awards, presented each year during the World Of Bluegrass convention in Nashville. Unlike the International Bluegrass Music Awards, chosen by a three-tiered ballot process among the IBMA's

Fireheart Records has just released their second CD from banjo player and songwriter, Chris Cairns. The new project, Hello Blue, contains both bluegrass favorites and original songs, with plenty of banjo instrumentals amidst the vocal offerings. Audio samples from each track

Award-winning bassist Missy Raines is on tour this week in California with her band, The New Hip. This brief run to the west coast began yesterday (6/3) in Berkeley, and continues through the week with stops in Felton, San Deigo,

Bob Perilla's Big Hillbilly Bluegrass has recently embarked on a goodwill European tour, sponsored by the US State Department. They will perform in Moldova, Croatia, Georgia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan during the month of June, before heading for The Dominican Republic

Rick Williams has a new free guitar/mandolin lesson up at BluegrassBooksOnline. This time out, he has arrangements of the popular fiddle tune, Big Sandy River. Two versions of the tune are available for both mandolin and guitar, with each version including

The latest effort from noted bluegrass music author Neil Rosenberg, The Music Of Bill Monroe, which Richard Thompson profiled for us late last year, is now shipping from the University of Illinois Press. It was written in conjunction with the