Reviews

Sometimes, you just have to chase a dream, even if it threatens to push you – or your fans -- out of the comfort zone. That’s what Missy Raines did on New Frontier, the latest Compass Records release from Missy

This review is a contribution from Marybeth Altizer, who we hope will be a regular correspondent. Ricky Skaggs, one of bluegrass’ most talented musicians, and Bruce Hornsby, an expressive pop vocalist and pianist, first paired their talents six years ago for

Alternative bluegrass is everywhere lately, and one of the most recent additions to the subgenre is The Pine Hearts, a newly formed trio from Olympia, Washington. This group, which has been together for close to a year, offers listeners a

Jimmy Martin was born on August 10, 1924 in Sneedville, TN; today would've been his 89th birthday. The undisputed "King Of Bluegrass," Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys made some of hardest-hitting bluegrass music of all-time. One of my favorite

Back in June, we reported to you about the Barefoot Movement, a young folk group with roots in the ETSU Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. The band has recently released its second album, Figures of the Year,

While most bluegrass albums contain at least a few updated versions of old standards, there’s also some great new original music coming out these days. Milan Miller, the writer behind recent fan favorites Caney Fork River (Balsam Range) and Pretty

The Deadly Gentlemen’s third release Roll Me, Tumble Me is out this summer from Rounder Records. The Boston-based group has a rootsy, folk influenced acoustic sound using traditional bluegrass instrumentation, but the music is harder to describe. More progressive than traditional... hipster

Opening disclaimer: I've known Dan Miller for the past 20 years, ever since he moved east from California to southwest Virginia in 1998. Dan had uprooted his young family and bought a home in the thriving metropolis of Hiawassee, VA to

The Back Forty, so called to mark Marty Raybon’s 40th anniversary in the music business, is his latest release on the Rural Rhythm label (RR 1111). It consists of 10 songs, half of which Raybon helped to write and each

Numerous bluegrass artists performing today got their start in the late 1980s and '90s, helping to solidify the country-tinged mix of traditional and contemporary bluegrass that is so popular these days. One of these artists is Jimmy Bowen, who, after