Music Reviews

No beating around the bush. Larry Stephenson’s latest CD is the most surprising and one of the very best projects I’ve heard so far this year. When Larry’s name is on the label, you know just what to expect for your

Bluegrass musicians often stretch the boundaries of the genre, using their chosen instruments to mix their traditional backgrounds with new and different styles of music. Sometimes this results in an interesting concert, a unique collaboration, or simply some fun jams.

Last fall, as a keynote speaker at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass conference in Nashville, Chris Pandolfi acknowledged that the Infamous Stringdusters had no interest in attempting to reach all bluegrass fans with their music. “We’re not trying to reposition old bluegrass

A century-old adobe building is definitely not a common setting for recording albums – particularly those which feature traditional music. However, for New Mexico-based group The Hard Road Trio, this was the perfect location for their Americana-flavored style of music.

I’m sure that everyone who made their way to Brown County, IN last week has had a great time at the longest running bluegrass festival in the world, Bean Blossom. I was able to attend on Saturday evening, and I

“No part of nothin’,” Bill Monroe’s famous phrase describing music unworthy of praise just so happens to be the seemingly unusual choice for the title of the new release this month from Alan Tompkins, the president and founder of the

This review of the new project from Béla Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio is a contribution from David Hollender, professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. David teaches both banjo and upright bass at Berklee, and has

Western Virginia fiddler Shannon Wheeler has released a debut EP album. It's called Growler, and features 4 fiddle tunes (2 of them originals), and a vocal. Wheeler is an active road and session player in the Virginia/North Carolina scene, and has

Last week, I took a hiatus from my regular Album of the Week column to celebrate the life and legacy of Jimmie Rodgers with a series of Rodgers Remembrances. Hopefully, you enjoyed learning more about the Father of Country Music. I had

In today’s music world there’s a whole lot more to starting a band than merely getting together with four to five guys, hacking out some tunes, booking, and playing shows. Each band must strive to create their own sound, generate