Hard-driving modern traditional bluegrass is everywhere these days. Songs that fall into this category usually hit on all of the bluegrass standards – heartbreak, moonshine, trains, etc. – but rarely do you ever hear Gospel music with that banjo-fueled, heavy-hitting
Music Reviews
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Healed – Locust Ridge
Bluegrass musicians who perform Gospel music usually choose from one of several paths. There’s the traditional style of bluegrass Gospel, made classic by Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, and the like. There are the a capella numbers favored by
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Ramble On – The Dirty River Ramblers
While traditional bluegrass has been on an upswing over the past few years, so have a number of varieties on the edge of the genre which blend bluegrass instrumentation with everything under the sun. The Dirty River Ramblers, a new
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Reno Bound – Reno and Harrell
For most bluegrass fans, the name “Reno and Harrell” instantly brings to mind the 1960s band fronted by bluegrass legends Don Reno and Bill Harrell. However, some folks may have caught that name popping up once again at bluegrass shows,
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The Same Old Newgrass Band
Bluegrass groups covering songs from other genres is not a new trend – even Bill Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs occasionally covered pop, country, or rock numbers. Today, it’s a rare album that can be found without at least one
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Finnders & Youngberg – review
Last month we wrote about young bands who developed their musicianship in the bluegrass realm, only to apply the instrumental technique and sense of harmony and rhythm to original songs that are equally influenced by modern pop music. The point
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The Johnson City Sessions: Can You Sing or Play Old Time Music?
Germany’s Bear Family Records has become known in the traditional music world for its superbly curated box sets, featuring entire catalogs from artists such as Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, and The Carter Family. The company’s most recent traditional release
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Simple Little Town – Unspoken Tradition
Bluegrass music has often celebrated the life of the working man and the small town he lives in. North Carolina’s Unspoken Tradition, a new group based out of Asheville and Cherryville, embodies that theme in their debut release, Simple Little
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The Grascals – When I Get My Pay
Fast approaching their tenth year as a successful bluegrass band, The Grascals have just released their second album on the Mountain Home Music label, When I Get My Pay (MH 1485-2). The CD features 13 songs and sees Kristin Scott Benson
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It’s Christmas Time – Jeff Parker
As the weather gets colder and lights, tinsel, and garland start appearing at stores everywhere, it's easy to know Christmas is getting closer. And with that also comes Christmas music, and the release of new holiday albums by some of