Reviews

This Owensboro, Kentucky-based band’s second album is one of those projects where all the pieces fall almost magically together. This owes to Kentucky Shine’s fine singing, playing and songwriting as well as their sure-handed grasp of the music’s thematic and instrumental traditions. Night Watch features two covers. One is a revival of the Osborne Brothers’…

Originally from Michigan, Jeremy Rilko relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, after serving in the Air Force and graduating from Western Michigan University. It was while in the service and at college that he became enamored with bluegrass music. He has been a banjo player since he was 24, and was influenced by the likes of…

When it comes to the nearly all-original material on this Milwaukee-based band’s second album, the term youthful exuberance comes to mind. The MilBillies’ (that’s with a CAPITAL “B,” mind you!) music is shot through with humor, rowdiness, wild times and angst. There’s an almost punkish, hard-partying edge to some of the ragged vocals, frenetic playing…

Appalachian Reign was formed in 1975 by Washington, DC area musician Tom Knowles. Between 1976 and 1984 Knowles and the band played many of the DC area venues, clubs and festivals. This project is a retrospect of those years that Knowles had the band and the cuts are culled from cassette tapes of some of…

Acoustic Disc Downloads Being a long-time lover of great guitar playing, I’ve often tried to seek out the best of the best. I thought I’d heard all there was until I discovered the world of the flatpicking virtuosos. Two of the legends, Tony and Wyatt Rice have come together in this incomparable work of Americana,…

The band’s name is taken from the town of Roxboro, North Carolina where the band is based. Formed by mandolinist Ricky Stroud, the group includes Cliff Waddell (guitar), Bailey Moore (bass), David Nance (resonator guitar), and Ronald Smith (banjo). Both Stroud and Waddell are veterans of the Hagar’s Mountain boys, while Smith played a long…