Reviews

HIGH LONESOME BELOW SEA LEVEL: FACES AND STORIES OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC IN THE NETHERLANDS BY MARIEKE ODERKERKEN AND LOES VAN SCHAIJK Kunst en Denkwerk 9789090289182. Hardcover, 138 pp., 30 Euros. (www.bluegrassportraits.nl) Something magical happens when people of enormous talent combine to produce a labor of love. In this case, the writer Loes van Schaijk and…

WEST VIRGINIA’S TRADITIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC BY IVAN TRIBE AND JACOB L. BAPST, FORWARD BY BUDDY GRIFFIN Arcadia Publishing 9781467123112. Softcover, b&w photos, 128 pp., $21.99. (www.arcadiapublishing.com) The publisher of this book is probably better known for producing books for the history of locations such as towns. It’s a picture book format with brief notes about…

MR. SUN THE PEOPLE NEED LIGHT Compass Records 4647 The debut recording from Mr. Sun, billed as “American string band music from an intergenerational tribe” features the formidably fantastic Darol Anger (fiddle), Joe Walsh (mandolin and vocals), Grant Gordy (guitar), and Ethan Jodziewicz (bass). The careful reader of liner notes may stay up pondering questions…

THE CHURCHMEN CROWN OF THORNS Mountain Fever Records MFR 150707 The last time I reviewed The Churchmen was for the release of their 2008 recording I’ll Be Long Gone. Between then and now, there have been some shifts. The earlier recording had strong elements of tradition, but the songs sounded more contemporary. They also had…

THE FEINBERG BROTHERS Ampersand Records 0315    The Northeast has been home to some fairly impressive bluegrass brother groups through the years, notably the Lilly Brothers with Don Stover and, of course, the Gibson Brothers with their impressive string of superb albums and awards that just keep coming. Now, from Long Island, the Feinberg Brothers (Rourke…

SPENCER BRANCH ASHE COUNTY OUTLAWS No Label No Number    What I like about the music and musical attitude of western North Carolina is that there’s much less of a distinction between bluegrass and old-time music there than in other parts of the country. In some areas, bluegrass is bluegrass and old-time is old-time and there’s…