Reviews

TIM O’BRIEN BAND Howdy Skies Records HOW-CD-2019 Over the years, Tim O’Brien’s contributions to both bluegrass music and the bluegrass music community have been outstanding. In his early sixties, he’s still too young to qualify as an elder statesman, but he’s sure working on it. This aptly-titled 13-track album is his first with his current…

UNSPOKEN TRADITION MYTHS WE TELL OUR YOUNG Mountain Home MH17232 This project erupts in a wall of sound. They drive as hard as any of the older bands of yesteryear, but with a new approach that incorporates influences from various newer sources. They are at once part of the tradition and shapers of a new…

RFD BOYS THE RFD BOYS AT 50: STILL DELIVERING No Label No Number Ann Arbor favorites The RFD Boys will complete their 50th year this coming December 11th. They are as tight and polished as you might expect of a band playing gigs at least weekly for so many years. Their reassuringly solid singing and…

THE CLEVERLYS BLUE Mountain Home MH 17672 From Cane Spur, Ark., The Cleverlys are a family ensemble that includes Dr. Digger Cleverly (guitar), Ricky Lloyd Cleverly (bass, kick drum, vocoder), Sock Cleverly (fiddle), DVD Cleverly (banjo), and Cub Cleverly (mandolin). The band’s approach to their brand of bluegrass music borders on traditional in instrumentation, but…

THE LONELY HEARTSTRING BAND SMOKE AND ASHES Rounder Records 1766700472 Smoke & Ashesis the second album for the Lonely Heartstring Band, recipient of the 2015 IBMA Momentum Award for Band Of The Year. As the band’s name implies, the group has developed its unique sound rooted in pop and rock (such as The Beatles and…

CIRCA BLUE FOOTPRINTS IN A SONG Bell Buckle Records No Number This West Virginia band presents a powerful program with tight arrangements and some hot guests that provide some great music. Steve Harris (guitar), Ryan Mullins (mandolin), Matt Hickman (banjo), and Jacob Bly (bass) form the nucleus of the band. They received help most notably…