Reviews

THOMM JUTZ CRAZY IF YOU LET IT Mountain Fever MFR-171006    This is the golden age of bluegrass songwriting. Not that many years ago, you could name every bluegrass songwriter worth hearing. Thomm Jutz has distinguished himself among the many excellent writers today. Besides his work with Peter Cooper and Mac Wiseman on I Sang The…

MASONTOWN IN THIS TIME No Label No Number Good liner notes are a blessing for reviewers. They make it easy to tell you where a band is from, who’s in it, who plays what and when, and the band’s musical focus. In the case of this debut from Masontown their notes reveal a hometown of…

STEPHEN WADE ACROSS THE AMERIKEE Smithsonian Folkways SFW40223 Stephen Wade is arguably the best nongrass five-string banjo player around. His loyal following includes people who saw Banjo Dancing, his one-man stage show created from folksongs, stories, banjo tunes, and his own personal insights. Among other venues, he presented it nightly at Washington’s Arena Stage for…

BALSAM RANGE IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME Mountain Home MH16962 Here is a great new stocking-stuffer from Balsam Range just in time for the Christmas season. Balsam Range is Tim Surrett (bass, resonator guitar), Buddy Melton (fiddle), Darren Nicholson (mandolin, octave mandolin), Dr. Marc Pruett (banjo) and Caleb Smith (guitar). The project also includes the string section…

DAVID GRISMAN AND TONY RICE DAWG AND T: LIVE AT ACOUSTIC STAGE Acoustic Disc ACD-CD-50053 Now that Tony Rice is essentially retired from active playing, chances to hear new recordings from him lie in the archives. That’s what this recording is, a two-CD set from a live show he and David Grisman recorded in 1997…

RED HERRING HERE TO DISTRACT YOU No Label No Number This is a 12-track release that features sultry blues, sparsely accompanied ballads, introspective singer-songwriter material, gypsy swing with eastern European infusions (or vice versa), sly novelty songs, and driving bluegrass. It could pass comfortably as an anthology of diverse styles and players. However, as a…