Reviews

It’s probably pretty safe to say that many of today’s bluegrass musicians first learned to play, or at least to appreciate, bluegrass music from a family member. Some of the latest evidence of this is the father-son duo of Eric

This report on a special multi-genre musical show in Ohio comes from Artie Werner, manager and bass player with The Missy Werner Band. Cincinnati Music Hall was a great place to be this past weekend, where artists of several genres joined

A two night Infamous Stringdusters run. Add Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen to the first night and, folks, you have a festival on your hands. And, what a festival it was! Sparks flew as these two bluegrass powerhouses lit up the

I love discovering new music. The majority of the time, that music is just new to me: an early J.D. Crowe & the New South album I’ve never heard before, a Jimmy Martin concert from the mid-1990s streaming on YouTube,

Volume Five is one of those acts that consistently turn out headliner-quality music, but have seemed to be stuck in a second tier status. Their original music is clever and compelling, they can pick with the best of them, and their

Buddy Merriam has been recognized for decades as among the most authentic practitioners of the mandolin style pioneered by Bill Monroe in the 1940s. For 34 years now Buddy has traveled with his band, Back Roads, across his native New England, along

Norman Blake is the Zelig of roots music, popping up at key moments over the decades, just like the title character in the Woody Allen film. He played guitar on pivotal recordings by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, teamed up with

For much of the past decade, rumors of the retirement of the great Ralph Stanley have been rampant - some of them coming directly from his organization. But despite the rumors, and the challenges of recording and touring into his

The family band is experiencing a renewal in bluegrass music, with talented kids and their supportive parents popping up everywhere these days. While family bands are a great vehicle to launch careers of young instrumental prodigies, it’s also nice to

Everywhere you look these days, there’s a talented group of kids popping up in bluegrass music. They pick, they sing, and they’re all over YouTube. Some are more traditional, some are fabulous at the contemporary grass sound, and many mesh