Reviews

The Tall Poppy String band was created by George Jackson (fiddle), Mark Harris (guitar), and Cameron DeWhitt (banjo). They have made what they say is a new approach to the feel of old-time traditional string band music. Jackson is a fiddle player originally from New Zealand but now is based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has…

Martha Spencer is a singer/songwriter/dancer who is based in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains area. She has performed and traveled in the US, Europe, and Australia, while performing with a variety of groups. On this new project, she plays guitar, banjo, and bass. Spencer sings most of the lead vocals in her bright, soprano delivery. She…

It’s not a stretch at all to believe that Damn Tall Buildings got their start busking on the streets of Boston.  It’s been written that they are “bluegrass with a little punch, attitude, grit and gravy”—that’s about right.  The Boston Globe even managed to reference Flatt & Scruggs, Nickel Creek, Old Crow Medicine Show, Edward…

Bluegrass music veteran Mickey Harris (see Bluegrass Unlimited, August 2022) has recently released a new solo album titled Things That I Like.  After listening to the album, I decided that in terms of bluegrass singing, instrumentation, arrangements, musicians and song selection, Mickey and I like the same things.  It is a wonderful album stem to…

Musicians talk about trying to catch lightning in a bottle during a show or with a hit song and sometimes with an album.  Appalachian Road Show’s third album, Jubilation, does that and no doubt will find itself on the shortlist for album of the year at the 2023 awards shows. After country music legend Dolly…

Dave Berry is a San Francisco area mandolinist who has created this instrumental project of all-original material with the help of a host of guest artists. On fiddle there is Jee-Hee Haar, Kyle O’Brien, Joe Osborn, Andy Lentz, Helen Lude, Leah Wollenberg and Brandon Godman (violin). Guesting on guitar are Jesse Poteralski, Josh Smith, Olivier…