• 2018 Chantilly Farm Bluegrass report

    I had the great pleasure of spending some of my Memorial Day weekend at the Chantilly Farm Bluegrass & BBQ festival in Floyd, Virginia this past weekend. To say it was a good time is an understatement. A great line-up,

  • A Thousand Wishes – Backline

    It’s somewhat rare for a new band to release an album filled almost completely with original material. Most up-and-coming groups tend to rely on established songwriters and updated versions of old standards, with perhaps a few originals sprinkled throughout. Not

  • Dotze Contes – Lluis Gomez

    A Spanish musician and master of the 5 string banjo, Lluis Gomez could be considered something of a phenomenon, especially in a musical arena where there are few other ethnic artists quite like him. Nevertheless, he’s won considerable praise from

  • The Way These Things Go – FY5

    FY5 make a clear case for the fact that subtlety and finesse can go hand in hand, especially when it comes to making music that aims to make a lingering impression. It’s an instinct that’s clearly paid off well; named

  • Highland Travelers debut sizzles

    Let’s start with this: the Highland Travelers are not just a repackaged version of the Boxcars. Though they’ve retained the recently disbanded group’s three main vocalists and its firm grasp on the modern traditional sound, the Highland Travelers have a

  • Here To Distract You – Red Herring

    On their website, Rotterdam-based Red Herring describe their music as a mixture of “folk roots, Americana, murder ballads, love songs, and kickass tunes.” Although the lively mix of tuneful and tasteful melodies found on the group’s latest offering would seem to

  • Front and Center – Sideline

    In the past several years, Sideline has jumped from being a literal side project for some bluegrass A-listers to a fully-fledged band working its way to the top of the bluegrass world. With a few of those original “sidemen” on

  • The Magic of MerleFest – a 2018 report

    Jerry Douglas Band at MerleFest 2018 on the Watson Stage - photo by Alisa B. Cherry It’s little wonder that MerleFest bills itself as a family-friendly event. The reasons are obvious given the multi-generational mix that runs the gamut from youngsters