Music Reviews

Sam Bush didn't feel like he had been avoiding the recording studio when he realized that it had been almost seven years since he had a new album out. Speaking with him yesterday about his latest release, Storyman, he laughed

NewTown, the band project for husband-and-wife grassers Katie Penn and Jr. Williams, have scored again with their new Mountain Home project, Harlan Road. These two make a perfect musical team. Kati sings with a smooth, agile voice while Jr.'s voice is more gruff

Anthropologists believe that complex language skills are what has enabled humans to share information across generations, building a vast database of knowledge stored in the culture of different peoples. Countless studies of human behavior have shown that adding melody to words

The musical Bright Star didn’t have a long run on Broadway, but the soundtrack is grassy enough to deserve a spot on the playlist of anyone who loves bluegrass and story songs, or who just wants to thank Steve Martin

Over the past few years Volume Five has been quietly releasing some of the most consistently entertaining contemporary bluegrass you can find. I say quietly because they are rarely mentioned as among the top tier acts in our business, and they certainly

The opening track of Junior Sisk's new album, Poor Boy's Pleasure, kicks of with a moonshining song. I know! I'm as shocked as you are. Sisk, the bluegrass pride of Franklin County, VA is among the most renowned vocalists in our

Minnesota’s Sawtooth Brothers aren’t brothers – well, technically. They’re actually two pairs of brothers, Clint and Luke Birtzer and Ethan and Jesse Moravec. They’re also not technically bluegrass. Formerly known as the Sawtooth Bluegrass Band, when their banjo player (an

The Spinney Brothers have become favorites of the traditional bluegrass crowd thanks to their unflagging love for bluegrass music’s past and a keen ear for what today’s listeners enjoy. Previous hits like I Wish That I Could Have Met Carter,

Take the crisp, clean instrumental licks that are a staple of Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, add in almost heavenly three- and four-part harmonies and – just in case all of that isn’t enough – dashes of Ricky Skaggs,

In recent years, country music fans who can’t stand today’s rap-infused “bro-country” sound have found a home in bluegrass. Many modern traditional groups sample from both the songs and sounds of '80s and '90s country, while many male and female