Jerry Salley, Billy Blue Records’ Creative/A&R Director, is a thankful man. "Billy Blue Records just celebrated its four year anniversary, and I am extremely grateful that, in my opinion, we have built one of the best rosters in bluegrass music. Not
Bluegrass Today Profiles
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Bluegrass Beyond Borders: 4-Star Grass from Germany
The Rheinstetten-based band, 4-Star Grass, epitomizes what it means to hold international stature. Founded ten years ago, its members hail not only from Germany, but France and Switzerland as well. That's evidenced in the group's current line-up, which consists of
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The Fiddle Maker – the story of Don Hunt
Don Hunt with one of his grandsons in the shop; Scott Hunt with his blue fiddle While perusing social media, I came across a tribute to a fiddle maker, Don Hunt. I was intrigued by the story of a luthier who
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Bluegrass Beyond Borders: The Cherry Pickers from Down Under
The Cherry Pickers - photo by Silver Spring Photography When asked to describe his band's take on bluegrass, Mark Bandick, the guitarist who belongs to the Australian outfit that call themselves The Cherry Pickers, shares his thoughts succinctly. "Our sound has developed
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Andy Hall talks Infamous Stringdusters and Towards The Fray
Infamous Stringdusters have always pursued their own muse. While they retain an obvious allegiance to bluegrass, they've never felt obligated to always stay within its parameters. Their latest album, Toward the Fray, finds them confronting the issues that have plagued
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Amanda Gore – part of the future of bluegrass
Amanda Gore is a multi-tasking individual, but given her devotion to bluegrass and all it entails, she clearly wouldn't have it any other way. So too, the fact that she's funneled that enthusiasm from an early age, still provides all
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Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival: the music that fills the hills
Mike Fiorito will be covering Grey Fox for us this year on site. This preview covers his investigation into the festival's history and enduring appeal. The documentary Bluegrass Journey opens with a shot of Jerry Douglas and Chris Thile trading licks
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California Report: Mandolinist John Reischman
John Reischman - photo by Snap Jackson Grammy winner, mandolinist, composer, and instructor John Reischman has way too many credentials to be listed here. His bio tells the story of a musician's musician and master of many styles, yet his sound
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Bluegrass Beyond Borders: FlamenGrass plays flamenco with banjo and fiddle
As noted in last month's Bluegrass Today review of their current album, Alegria, FlamenGrass defy the notion that bluegrass and flamenco are mutually exclusive. The Barcelo-based band — Lluis Gomez (5-string banjo), Carol Duran (violin/fiddle), Maribel Rivero (vocals, stand-up bass), and Javier
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Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Canadian duo Mama’s Broke mixes it up
Mama's Broke is a duo from Canada's Maritimes that's comprised of two devoted road warriors, Lisa Maria (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar) and Amy Lou Keeler (vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddlesticks). Their sound is borne from a traditional template that encompasses