Reviews
People, Places And Songs
West Virginia-born Greg Blake, a remarkable singer, accomplished flat picker and long-time member of the band, Special Consensus, has been playing music nearly his entire life. But for three decades his singing and picking played second fiddle while he served as a pastor at various churches in the Midwest and West. Now that he’s retired…
One More
Thrift is an old-time fiddle player from North Carolina who first picked up the instrument while on a trip to British Columbia in 1974. Completely self-taught, Thrift honed his skills by listening to lots of the music and even spent time with the Greengrass Cloggers to learn more of the old-time culture. Returning to North…
The Joe Maphis Flat-Picking Spectacular
In broad strokes, two family trees define the evolution of playing fiddle tunes and bluegrass leads with a flatpick on acoustic guitar. One tree sprouts in Deep Gap, N.C., where Doc Watson’s majesty led to players like Bryan Sutton and Billy Strings. The other branch originated in southern California, where young Clarence White took influences…
Banjo V-I
The musical journey of Dave Richardson has gone from Mingo Junction, Ohio to the Front Range of Colorado with a detour through Hawaii and California. Listening to this new album it’s obvious that he’s gathered inspirations all along the way and with the availability of virtual instruments and recording software his musical explorations and imaginations…
I Am A Pilgrim
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Doc Watson’s birth, FLi Records/Budde Music have released an impressive tribute CD that both honors the indelible legacy of the guitarist and singer from Deep Gap, North Carolina, while involving musicians and styles far from Doc’s country roots. I Am A Pilgrim features tracks from bluegrass stars…
Radioactive
Jason Barie, aka the Ramblin’ Fiddler, returns for his second appearance as the comic persona for the album Radioactive. In the latest episode—fully illustrated by Barie’s brother Eric in the CD book—the Ramblin’ Fiddler battles Shock Jock, who is warping the minds of teens with the devil’s music. The Ramblin’ Fiddler comes to save the…