This report from Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies is a contribution from Melanie Wilson, principal with Wilson Pickins Promotions. Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies 2019 kicked off with an energetic show packed full of well known tunes and comedic breaks from
Granted, the billing sounds more like a consulting firm than a bluegrass band, but in truth, Jeff Parker & Company have been entertaining audiences with their down home sounds for more than three decades. A native of central Kentucky, Parker
If it sometimes seem like Steve Gulley is literally everywhere, well suffice it to say there’s good reason. Aside from his regular morning presence as a DJ on one of East Tennessee’s most prominent radio stations, WDVX, he was practically
It’s hard to say anything about Mark O’Connor that hasn’t been said before. An award winning multi-instrumentalist, he’s been on the receiving end of countless kudos ever since he proved himself a teen prodigy in his adolescent years. For the
North Carolina banjo picker, Danny Bowers, has released a solo project entitled Late Night. Bowers, who is banjoist with Travis Frye and Blue Mountain, started playing music at age 10. According to Bowers, he is a pure-blooded banjo nerd. For
It goes without saying that the Steep Canyon Rangers are in the forefront of those artists who have helped in the transition from bluegrass to grassicana, sharing their reverence for their roots while establishing their own contemporary credence. There’s no
This review of the 2019 Al Ras Bluegrass & Old Time Festival in Barcelona is a contribution from Michael Luchtan, an American living and studying bluegrass in Spain. In Catalan, the regional language of Catalunya, Al Ras means “in the open
Formed in 2013, Beg, Steal or Borrow received substantial acclaim well before the release of this, their debut album, Old Mountain Time. This publication in particular proclaimed them to be a “Triple Crown Bluegrass Band” by virtue of the fact
There’s a clear distinction between confidence and cockiness. The former is a reflection of effort, ability and familiarity with a genre. The latter is indicative of the desire simply to grandstand and tout one’s image, often to the detriment of
There’s no doubt, even from the opening notes of I’d Like to be Your Neighbor, the initial song on this, their 10th album, that The Churchmen live up to their name. Likewise, it’s especially evident that the title of their new
