Reviews

John Reischman and the Jaybirds somehow make old-time music sound fresh and new again and again. On this latest album, the band blends old-time, bluegrass, folk, and gospel sounds in a comforting tapestry. They evoke a melancholic nostalgia in a song like “The Old Churchyard” while never becoming overly sentimental. The title track is an…

Amy Gallatin (vocals, banjo, guitar) and Roger Williams (vocals, resonator guitar, guitars, bass) are two New England-based musicians who have been performing together for a number of years. “From The Heart” is the second incarnation of their Homespun recordings that continue to feature the pair in their duet presentations of the material, many of which…

At the end of the title track that opens her debut solo album Travel On, Vickie Vaughn calls, “My turn!” She may simply be taking the last break, but she effectively announces her time has come for bigger adventures too. Vaughn, named IBMA Bass Player of the Year for three consecutive years, still holds down…

For many years, John D’Agostino has been a prominent force in the music scene of Columbia, Missouri—a town smack dab between St. Louis and Kansas City. Columbia was home to the Roots and Blues Music festival, which hosted an array of blues, folk, country, and soul artists.  Being a college town, Columbia is also home…

The 145s (one forty-fives) are four Chicago-area musicians who got together in 2022 when they decided to combine their love of bluegrass music and its various styles and form a band. Led by Andy Miller (mandolin), the group includes Laird Patten (banjo), Elizabeth Loring (bass), and John Huber (guitar). Also on this project are guest…

The Bluegrass Journeymen were formed in 2017 by Patrick Fitzsimons, who is the band’s mandolin player. He always wanted to take bluegrass music to India, and in doing so, he discovered the culture and music of the country and thought to combine the two genres to see how that would work out.  After the band…