It’s always interesting and intriguing to find a connection between America’s rural roots and the culture of other countries. It’s particularly fascinating to find an intrinsic element in the music made elsewhere that has common cause with bluegrass, nu-grass, grassicana
Author: Lee Zimmerman
-
-
Urge for Going – Dede Wyland
It’s appropriate that singer Dede Wyland should name her latest Patuxent album Urge for Going. To be sure, it has nothing to do with wanderlust, although Wyland is one of those artists that have helped push bluegrass forward into modern
-
Barry Abernathy and Darrel Webb present Appalachian Road Show
It can be argued, and effectively at that, that music not only speaks to us as individuals, but that it has the capacity to educate us as well. Whether through its lyrical content or the origins from which it’s derived,
-
Sanctuary – Blue Mother Tupelo
Blue Mother Tupelo might not be bluegrass in the strictest sense, what with a bare boned musical approach that relies on little more than two voices, a robust strum, and a steady stream of natural percussion. If anything, they lean
-
Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Galilee Thunder roars out of the Middle East
If any further proof is needed that bluegrass and grassicana have extended their reach well beyond the American heartland, one need only look towards the Holy Land and the Israeli outfit that calls themselves Galilee Thunder. Formed in early 2017,
-
Horrible World – Kathy Kallick Band
What becomes a legend most? If that legend in question happens to be Kathy Kallick, suffice it to say it’s a body of work that extends back some 40 years and some two dozen albums that either bear her name
-
Reflections – Tony Rook Band
Like many budding performers, Tony Rook acquired his appreciation for music early on. He was initially enticed after watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. He picked up his first guitar at age 12. His parents, who performed at their church’s
-
Their name aside, Greensky Bluegrass pierces the parameters
To some, the handle may seem misleading. Indeed, throughout their nearly 19 years of existence, Greensky Bluegrass have relied more on their own invention and less on the historical strains of traditional bluegrass. It’s not that they’ve forsaken it altogether
-
Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Brian Good stakes out a new career
There’s arguably no other Canadian band that’s been better equipped to meld bluegrass tradition with the essence of contemporary roots music as the Good Brothers. That’s no idle statement; ever since their initial incarnation over 50 years ago, they’ve developed
-
The Next Eleven Miles – Michelle Canning
Although it’s only her second album so far, The Next Eleven Miles demonstrates both an eloquence and experience that belies her lack of greater public awareness. A native of northwestern Massachusetts, Michelle Canning can claim the distinction of being the