Reviews

In a press release accompanying his fifth and latest album with Dirty Kitchen there is, amidst a listing of his and the band’s many awards and accolades, a telling quote:  “I was going through the hardest time of my life leading up to the pandemic. Then the world stopped.”  Solivan further relates that the songs…

“Bluegrass Court Jester”…I had to think about this description of Ron Thomason used in the title of a new DVD released by Ol’ Black Bear Productions featuring footage from a few Dry Branch Fire Squad performances.  One of the ways Wikipedia describes a court jester is to state, “A jester entertained with a wide variety…

This dynamic Durango, Colorado-based duo is the current IBMA “Momentum Band of the Year” and has twice made the finals in the highly competitive Telluride Bluegrass Contest. The group’s hallmarks include super-tight harmonies, imaginative songwriting and some very inspired fiddle playing from member Alissa Wolf. The Junkies’ principal thematic bailiwick on their third album is…

ENGELHARDT MUSIC PRC 1251 This is Fast Track’s third studio outing since they formed up after the retirement of the Cardinal Tradition leader David Parmley. These former Cardinal members were Dale Perry (banjo, vocals), Ron Spears (bass, vocals), and Steve Day (fiddle, vocals), and they invited Duane Sparks (guitar, vocals), and Shayne Bartley (mandolin, vocals)…

For fans who like bluegrass songs that tell a good story along the lines of what you would expect from Norman Blake, Tim Stafford, Tom T Hall, or Thomm Jutz, the new release from Rick Lang is just the ticket.       All the songs are written or co-written by Lang, along with Rich…

Patuxent Records—CD 358   Leon Morris grew up in Canada and learned the music listening to country artists like Hank Show and Wilf Carter. In the 50’s he played with the York County Boys and others, picking up fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and banjo. In 1959 he moved to Detroit where he played with Earl Taylor, Walter…