In 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, master banjoist Tony Trischka spent his time studying rare recordings of his hero Earl Scruggs informally jamming with the great John Hartford in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Though Trischka
Film Reviews
Bill Evans – The Banjo In America
The banjo has lengthy origins dating all the way back to the 1870s. Since the 1990s, banjoist Bill Evans has concisely presented this history in a solo performance titled The Banjo In America, giving audiences a taste of numerous banjo
Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story
Most everyone who is a fan of bluegrass music knows that Michael Cleveland is blind; the fact is often briefly mentioned in bios and introductions, or tossed around in stories from one picker to another. However, any disabilities he may
Big Family presents bluegrass in all its majesty
This past weekend I made the trek to Owensboro in northwestern Kentucky to visit the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, and attend the premiere of the new documentary film from Kentucky Educational Television, Big Family - The Story of Bluegrass
Mandolin Originals with Scott Napier
Need one last Christmas present or stocking stuffer for the mandolin player in your life? Consider Scott Napier’s recently released instructional DVD, Mandolin Originals with Scott Napier. Napier, the longtime mandolin player for the Lost and Found and one of the
How To Write A Banjo Concerto comes to VOD
Finally! The 2014 film How To Write A Banjo Concerto, which follows Béla Fleck through the process of conceiving and composing The Imposter, is being released to video on demand. Starting tomorrow, April 21, viewers will be able to watch
The Hayloft Gang, the Story of the National Barn Dance
This terrific documentary aired on PBS in 2011. Producer Stephen Parrys Hayloft Gang Productions now offers it for sale at www.hayloftgang.com. It includes never-before-seen footage of pre-WWII country music. Although Chicago's WLS National Barn Dance isn't known for bluegrass, it