John Cowan's been a busy man of late. In addition to his recent memoir, Hold On to a Dream, A Newgrass Odyssey, as well as the fact that he's furthering his legacy he established with modern bluegrass pioneers New Grass
Author: Lee Zimmerman
A Survey of Traditional Music from the North American Traditions collection
Collectors take note: Three volumes focusing on archival American traditional folk music — two current and one soon to be released — collectively titled A Survey of Traditional Music, and offered under the aegis of the organization known as the
Wyatt Ellis talks about his meteoric rise in bluegrass
Wyatt Ellis with his Momentum Award at World of Bluegrass 2024 Born not far from the Great Smoky Mountains, teen mandolinist Wyatt Ellis was influenced by his Tennessee locale early on. His initial introduction to the instrument was through Bobby Osborne's
Nowhere Next – Yonder Mountain String Band
There is ample reason why Yonder Mountain String Band has become one of the leading practitioners of modern bluegrass. An astute combination of melody and musicality make them an obvious example of the way today's musical tastes inform bluegrass music’s
Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Blue Lass brings British class
Blue Lass, a British trio consisting of Abbey Thomas on mandolin, Holly Wheeldon on acoustic guitar, and Ruth Eliza on clawhammer banjo, first began playing music together in 2022 at the Sore Fingers Summer School, a bluegrass and old-time music
Back Home – Troy Engle
Troy Engle is more than just a terrific singer and songwriter. He is, in fact, a virtual tour-de-force, an artist who's proven to be so versatile that he literally could be considered a one-man band, tackling acoustic guitar, resophonic guitar,
The Set – Jerry Douglas
Few artists in any area of endeavor can come close to matching Jerry Douglas' comprehensive credentials. In addition to his fourteen solo offerings, he's contributed to some 1,600 albums and worked with artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Jesse Winchester,
Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Sociograss from Scotland
Sociograss is a Scottish band whose affinity for stretching the bounds of bluegrass is clearly evident on their new album, the somewhat ironically dubbed Made It All Up. "We're not really strictly a bluegrass band," vocalist and fiddler Ben Errington
The Never-Ending Years – Thomas Cassell
Thomas Cassell's third solo outing, The Never-Ending Years, on Mountain Fever Records, is not only a rich and resilient set of songs, but one that shares some immense meaning as well. According to Cassell himself, the title puts the focus
Twisted Pine – Love Your Mind
There are those that may accuse Twisted Pine of tampering with tradition. That may be so, but in the process, the quartet infuses a youthful vibe and an expressive approach that bridges musical boundaries while opening the doors to more