Kristin Scott Benson

Al Osteen is a familiar face in South Carolina bluegrass circles. He has played banjo with popular regional groups since he was 17 years old, notably as an original member of Curtis Blackwell and the Dixie Bluegrass Boys, plus time

We have recently become acquainted with photographer G. Milo Farineau, who is working on a photo book project on music festivals, with an emphasis on bluegrass. He is collaborating with Chester Simpson, an experienced photojournalist whose credits include Rolling Stone

We all know The Grascals as a fun-loving bunch... but Rowdy Friends? Count on it. They will be touring in April with Hank Williams Jr. as a package show with country artists Jamey Johnson and Eric Church. Billed as Rowdy Friends

We just heard from Kristin Scott Benson with some great Grascals news. Their next CD is set for a March 30 release on Rounder. "It's tentatively titled The Famous Lefty Flynn's, which is a song co-written by Jamie Johnson, featuring Terry

We all know that playing the banjo is the polite thing to do, but is it appropriate behavior for ladies? Associate Professor of Music (Hamilton College) Lydia Hamessley, says that the banjo manufacturers of the late nineteenth century engaged in an

New CD releases have been few and far between this past few months. The labels tend to hold off on new projects after October, fearing that they could get lost in the holiday shuffle. Now that the new year is

In a story entitled The Grascals add girl power to their lineup, journalist Derek Halsey, writing for the Huntington, West Virginia Herald-Dispatch, previewed a recent Grascals show, the eighth featuring the band with recent banjo recruit, Kristin Scott Benson. Benson spoke

We posted about ten days ago with release dates for four new projects due from Pinecastle Records in 2009. Not long after that, we heard from a reader who wondered why a title we had just indicated wouldn't be released until

As always seems to happen this time of year, a number of top bluegrass bands are making personnel changes. Aaron McDaris is leaving The Grascals, and Kristin Scott Benson will be leaving Larry Stephenson's band to accept the job. She will

Pinecastle Records recently announced the upcoming release of four new projects during the first two months of 2009. Promos are being sent to radio this week, despite the lag of as much as three months between now and the actual street