• Jeremiah Gilmer – One man band

    With the digital age, music, including bluegrass, is being presented in a lot of different types and formats. Jeremiah Gilmer, a young southern Virginia-based graphic designer, works a day job and plays music in his spare time from his home,

  • Bill Evans talks Steve Martin Banjo Prize

    Bill Evans - photo by Mike Melnyk Just before Christmas, we had an opportunity to chat with Bill Evans, one of the recipients of the 2022 Steve Martin Banjo Prize, now administered by The Freshgrass Foundation. The prize was initiated by the

  • Dueling Banjos… or Dueling Guzheng?

    Here's a twist on a bluegrass instrumental standard, whether you know it as Duelin' Banjos, Fussin' Banjos, Fuedin' Banjos, or any of several similar names. It comes from the Bottom Dollar Boys of Florida, who teamed up with Dr. Haiqiong Deng,

  • Recording King Madison open back banjo

    Recording King has introduced a new open back banjo for clawhammer players, the Madison RK-0T26 Whyte Laydie model. It has been designed to offer the features old time musicians demand at the lower price point that offshoring allows. The RK-OT26 is

  • Troy Brammer passes

    Banjo player Troy Brammer passed away on December 11, 2022, at the age of 90.  Troy Shirley Brammer was born on July 24, 1932, and raised in Patrick County, Virginia, but settled and lived the rest of his years in Collinsville,

  • Todd Taylor hospitalized with COVID

    Popular South Carolina banjo player Todd Taylor, known for his unique style of rock 'n' roll banjo, has been hospitalized with COVID 19. He is said to be in stable condition, but his doctors are watching him closely as he