Reviews

Assembled banjo pickers at the 2019 North Carolina BanjoFest - photo by Gary Hatley The show must go on and it did, despite a two hour power outage during a rainstorm, at the North Carolina Banjofest this past weekend in Clemmons,

There may be no more successful song incubator than the Lil House songwriting workshops conducted by Donna Ulisse, Jerry Salley, and Rick Stanley at Donna and Rick’s farm in Lebanon, Tennessee. The Family Sowell, Ulisse, and a handful of others have

Jeff Austin, mandolinist, singer, songwriter and founding member of The Jeff Austin Band and Yonder Mountain String Band, passed away back in June, and the world of progressive bluegrass might never be the same. A sudden and tragic passing, he left

There’s something to be said about putting one’s music where one’s mouth is. Simply put, that means not only tapping into a traditional template but also sharing the stories that are compatible  with its vintage origins. That’s the mantra that Hammertowne

New County Grass at The Kentuckians of Michigan (11/15/19) - photo © Bill Warren The Kentuckians of Michigan have presented bluegrass music through the fall, winter, and spring months for over twenty years. This past Friday night the club showcased one

The Boston-based band Mile Twelve take inspiration from their allegories. Their name refers to a mile marker on their hometown’s southern parameter, while their sophomore set, City on a Hill, references the fact that Boston boasts a long held reputation

I had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Breaking In Lonesome is Rick Faris’s first recording as a solo artist. Part of it is his decade-long presence in Special Consensus, where his agreeable vocals and stellar

Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers at the Fall 2019 SOIMF - photo by Michael Gabbard The November 2019 edition of the Southern Ohio Indoor Music festival was another resounding success for Joe Mullins and his team. A big crowd enjoyed

The fact that Western Tennessee’s No Time Flatt chose to name themselves after a true bluegrass icon says something about their commitment to the cause. However it also doesn’t negate the fact that this band isn’t wholly tied to tradition.

Fiddler Bruce Molsky has always been an ardent archivist. A former street kid from Brooklyn, he traded the bright lights of the big city for the rural environs of Virginia at a relatively early age. Over the years he’s gained a respected