Author: Lee Zimmerman

Bluegrass Police at Rocky Top in Tokyo - photo by Naomi Gingold for WUNC It may seem odd to imagine, but bluegrass is big in Japan. Then again, it’s not all that surprising considering the fact that country music has always

Given her recent kudos by the IBMA as the first woman to win their award for Guitar Player of the Year, and kudos for Song of the Year at the recent Folk Alliance International confab in Kansas City, Molly Tuttle

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn at the Tennessee Theater (March 24, 2018) - photo by Alisa B. Cherry It’s one thing to start your set on time. It’s quite another to begin before you’re even due onstage. By that measure then, Béla

One would think that due to our close proximity to our neighbors to the north, grassicana and bluegrass would exert as strong an influence on Canadian music as found on this side of the divide. Nevertheless, that doesn’t always appear

Sara Watkins, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sarah Jarosz of I'm With Her - photo by Alisa B Cherry There’s nothing quite like the sound of voices blended in harmony, and when those voices belong  to three of the most able and engaging

The Coal Porters have always been something of an anachronism. For starters, they’re a bluegrass band based in London, led by an American expat, Sid Griffin. Even so, there’s no denying the Coal Porters’ commitment to their cause. Griffin, a

Molly Tuttle performs at the 2018 Folk Alliance International festival - photo by Alisa B. Cherry You might say that the annual Folk Alliance International conference is an embarrassment of riches. Where else can you find performances by literally hundreds of the

Authenticity is a hard commodity to come by, a casualty of the need for commercial credence. Traditional music may not be the most viable option in the marketplace today, but the resurgence of bluegrass and the emergence of that hybrid

The Kruger Brothers are an ideal example of the impact bluegrass has made on music, even on those who live far from American shores. It was that profound impression that lured brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger away from their native

Even 20 years ago, the notion of a band from another country specializing in bluegrass was somewhat startling. Back then, one group in particular pioneered the idea that bluegrass could be a universal language, and the fact that that group