Reviews

THE TILLERS Sofaburn Records SBR2-034 Two of the principal characteristics that can set apart a bluegrass band from the rest of the pack are the quality of their original material and the power of their instrumental chops. The Tillers, a Cincinnati quartet, have two main singers/songwriters in their lineup—guitarist Sean Geil and banjoist Mike Oberst….

BACKLINE A THOUSAND WISHES Poor Mountain Records No Number This is a nice new release from this group from Spartanburg, N.C. Established in 2016, the band consists of Jason Belue (bass, vocals), Zachary Carter (banjo, vocals), Louis Hughes (mandolin, vocals), Katelyn Mabry Ingardia (guitar, vocals), and Travis Tucker (resonator guitar, vocals). This is their second…

JUNIOR SISK BRAND NEW SHADE OF BLUE Mountain Fever MFR 180608    At the end of 2017, rather than deal with personnel changes and reform his band, 2013 IBMA Male Vocalist Of The Year Junior Sisk decided to use this new album to refocus on the traditional music that first set his musical soul on fire….

FOLK MUSIC IN OVERDRIVE: A PRIMER ON TRADITIONAL COUNTRY AND BLUEGRASS ARTISTS—BY IVAN M. TRIBE—Univ. of Tenn. Press 9781621903970. Charles K. Wolfe Music Series, 392 pp., $29.95. (Univ. of Tenn. Press, 110 Conference Center, 600 Henley St., Knoxville, TN 37996, www.utpress.org.) The phrase “essential reading” might be overused these days, but this book deserves that…

CLAYBANK NO ESCAPE Mountain Fever MFR180427 Clean, fresh, hard-driving, traditional, great harmony, strong writing—all of these descriptions come to mind when hearing No Escape, the latest release from Claybank. Veteran bassist Gary Trivette has thrown in up-and-coming youngster Tyler Thompson (banjo) and two teenagers, Zack Arnold (mandolin) and Jacob Greer (guitar), and the result is flat-out…

NORTH COUNTRY LONELY TONIGHT No Label No Number North Country, one of the best-known bluegrass bands from the Northwest, has released a second project after some changes to the band’s lineup. Lonely Tonightfeatures a mix of originals mostly penned by bandmembers, as well as a couple of tunes from well-known performers to give a mix of…