Reviews

RED WINE PICKIN’ FRIENDS No Label, RW008 Thirty years ago or so, I met a banjo player in Louisville while wandering the perimeter of the audience area of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Bluegrass Festival. Nothing odd about that, save that this five-string picker, Silvio Ferretti of Red Wine, was from Genova, Italy. Like a fine…

FRANK WAKEFIELD AND RED ALLEN THE WDON RECORDINGS, 1963 Patuxent Music CD-258 In 1960, mandolinist Frank Wakefield moved from Kentucky to Maryland. A few months later, vocalist/guitarist Red Allen did the same, and the two resumed their musical association. Their group was eventually filled out by, as is heard on this recording, banjoist Pete Kuykendall…

RHONDA VINCENT AND THE RAGE ONLY ME Upper Management UM007 Is there really that much difference between traditional country and bluegrass? After all, the two genres were combined once upon a time. Regardless of where your opinion lies, Rhonda Vincent provides a serving of both sides on her latest two-disc set. For years, the sound…

HOG-EYED MAN 1 Yodel-Ay-Hee 090     One of the joys of reviewing is when you play a CD from someone you’ve never heard of before, and it’s simply wonderful. Hog-Eyed Man is the name chosen by the duo of fiddler Jason Cade with Rob McMaken who plays lap dulcimer and cross-tuned mandolin. In that configuration,…

NU-BLU ALL THE WAY Rural Rhythm RUR-1122 Nu-Blu has always been a proactive band when it comes to getting their name out there in the bluegrass world. They have been adept at using modern technology and networking to make their way in the business. But, ultimately, it is the music that matters the most. All…

THE HUNT BROTHERS GAME 7 Rock Springs Records RSR007 The Hunt brothers, Andrew and Jonathan, are joined by their parents, Terry and Leanne, on this project they sum up as an “experimentation.” Andrew plays fiddle, mandolin, and guitar, while his brother Jonathan plays banjo, guitars, bass, and drums, and also produced and engineered the project….