Reviews

If there was a bluegrass mandolin hall of fame, there is no doubt that John Reischman would have a plaque on the wall.  He is not only an extremely innovative player, but his clean notes, rich tone, fluidity and expert use of dynamics are what every serious mandolin player strives to achieve.  He has set…

Barbara Martin Stephens met Jimmy Martin in 1953 when Martin was working with Bill Monroe.  She lived with Jimmy Martin from 1953 until 1966.   Her story of that relationship was told in a book that the University of Illinois Press put out in 2017, titled Don’t Give Your Heart to a Rambler: My Life…

How does a band with a legendary status continue to live up to the mythology that inevitably grows and threatens to overshadow any new recording? The legendary Seldom Scene answer the question with their new album that positively glows with the same causal brilliance that has always been a hallmark of the group. The line…

When rising bluegrass stars The Price Sisters posted an impromptu field recording of “Weary Lonesome Blues” to their Facebook page last year, they had no idea it would reach more than one million viewers worldwide. One reason for its success was that the videographer used a new mic from Audigo Labs that clearly and crisply…

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to upgrade the look of your flattop guitar is changing out the stock pickguard for a custom-poured guard. These custom pickguards accurately resemble the mottled tortoiseshell style, tiger stripe, or browner, more aged-looking guards from the guitars of the 1930s and ‘40s. They first appeared years ago…

I have known William (Bill) Bay—son of Mel Bay Publications founder Mel Bay—for many years.  He was a regular columnist to Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, which I published and edited for twenty years (1996-2016).  Bill is a very talented writer of instrumental guitar music and an equally talented arranger of instrumental guitar music.  He has published…