Reviews
Mason Via
Mason Via’s arrival on the scene as a solo artist has caused quite a stir, and deservedly so. He has an expressive and engaging tenor voice and a penchant for poignant original love songs with adroit lyrics and nearly irresistible hooks. The North Carolina native is an alumnus of Old Crow Medicine Show and his…
In-Law Country: How Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, and their Circle Fashioned a New Kind of Country Music, 1968-1985
Country Music Foundation Press, 2024 Geoffrey Himes has written about music for the Washington Post, Smithsonian magazine, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Jazz Times, and Sing Out since the late 1970s, as well as a book about Bruce Springsteen. He was a contributing editor at No Depression from the late 1990s through the early 2000s, and his articles have…
Neste Steg (Next Step)
Strengeplukk (“string plucking”) is the newest release from this talented band based in Stavanger, Norway. They consist of Andreas Barnes Onarhiem (mandolin, vocals), Jakob Folke Ossum (guitar, vocals), Mikael Jonassen (banjo, vocals), Nikolai Storevik (fiddle, vocals), and Vidar Starheimsaeter (bass, vocals). Formed in 2015, the group has become one of Norway’s top bluegrass bands combining…
Doc Watson—A Life In Music
University of North Carolina Press Book reviews can be very subjective based on the experience and perspective of the reviewer. Therefore, when I read a book review, I like to know something about the reviewer so I can understand what experience, connection, or knowledge the reviewer might have relating to the topic of the book. …
Southern Mountain Music: The Collected Writings of Wayne Erbsen
Published by McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers Wayne Erbsen is a familiar name to most bluegrass fans due not only to his musical performances and recordings but also for the many instructional books, historical books, songbooks, articles, and essays that he has written over the years. Many of his articles have appeared in Bluegrass Unlimited…
Where Do We Go From Here
The four members of this powerhouse group joined forces when they were all attending Western Connecticut State University. They are: Charlie Widmer, vocals and guitar; Austin Scelzo, vocals and fiddle (also a member of the esteemed New England band Rock Hearts); Tom Polizzi, vocals and mandolin and Matt Curley on bass. Even though this is…