Reviews

On their latest, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers serve up a box of treats that seem destined to please old fans as well as new ones.  The album opens with the philosophical “Time Adds Up (If You’re Lucky)” (co-written by Missy Raines and Tim Stafford). Next up is “Something To Look Forward To” (Ronnie…

Since forming in 1978, the Italian group Red Wine has become one of Europe’s premier bluegrass bands. They have extensively performed not only in Europe, but also in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, just to name a few, including the United States. Based in the city of Genoa, Italy, the current band…

In our May 2025 issue, we printed an article by Jack Bernhardt introducing us to a bit of the history of bluegrass gospel music.  Bernhardt, an anthropologist and journalist, researched the history of gospel bluegrass while preparing this new book, which focuses on the gospel bluegrass of Jerry and Tammy Sullivan, father and daughter bluegrass…

The Stillhouse Junkies have gone all out on their latest venture. It’s a sweeping and ambitious 20-plus-track concept album that’s been years in the making. Some of the material even predates the Junkies’ previous release, 2022’s Small Towns. The band’s founder, guitarist, principal songwriter, and singer Fred Kosak describes The Ballad of Charlie Avalon as…

Colorado and the Midwest have always been locations where bluegrass music has flourished. The bands from that area have based their sound on bluegrass but have also been known for pushing the edges of the music. High Lonesome is one of these newer groups that do just that. Founded in 2018 by guitarist Chuck Sitero,…

Fred Carpenter is a well-known and well-respected fiddle player. While starting out on the classical violin, he spent time studying the styles of folks like Kenny Baker, Vassar Clement, Byron Berline, and others. He has played with bluegrass artists like Tony Rice and The Dillards, and others like Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea and George Strait….