• Tim Austin: Where Is He Now?

    I first met Tim Austin in late 1978, or early '79, while he was traveling with the Bluegrass Cardinals. Tim was a young musician getting his start selling The Cardinals' records, tapes, and merchandise at their live performances. They had rolled

  • Sammy Shelor wins Steve Martin prize

    Lonesome River Band leader Sammy Shelor has been announced as the 2011 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. The award is in recognition of Sammy's high level of musicianship, and the impact he has

  • Ocean Lakes survives Irene

    This festival report comes from T.J. Boley, who we hope will be one of our regular correspondents when the site relaunches in September. Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Myrtle Beach, S.C. would seem to be the perfect venue for a Bluegrass

  • Still more Gettysburg photos

    Here is yet another fine gallery of Frank Baker's photos taken at the Fall Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival last weekend. This one captures performances from Lonesome River Band and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. To see all of Frank's Gettysburg images, just

  • Lonesome River Band at Bean Blossom

    Here's another video from last week's Bean Blossom festival in Indiana, shot by the good folks at Rural Rhythm Records. They had a crew on hand documenting the live audio recording for an upcoming Bill Monroe Tribute project, due later

  • Live recording at Bean Blossom

    Rural Rhythm Records is doing their part in celebrating 2011 as the centennial of Bill Monroe's birth with a live album to be recorded starting this weekend at the Bill Monroe’s Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival in Indiana. Like their popular

  • Randy Jones to Lonesome River Band

    Lonesome River Band has announced Randy Jones from Kentucky as their new mandolinist and tenor singer. Bluegrass fans may recall Randy from Larry Sparks' Silver Reflections album in 1986, or more recently as guitarist with Kentucky Wind. He also owns and

  • LRB on the hunt for new mando man

    When Andy Ball joined Lonesome River Band in early 2007 to play mandolin and sing tenor, he told band leader Sammy Shelor that he wasn't sure he could stay more than a year. Andy was living in Detroit and attending

  • PopMatters Best of Bluegrass 2010

    Once again PopMatters, the webzine of popular culture, has included bluegrass in their lists of the Best Music of 2010. And as you might expect from a more mainstream publication, their picks are heavy on the edgier, contemporary side of