Reviews

The Horsenecks hail from the western Oregon area of Astoria. They are the duo of Gabrielle Macrae (fiddle, bass, banjo, harmonium, guitar, vocals) and Barry Southern (guitar, banjo, resonator guitar, vocals). This new project, their fourth, is a mix of mostly original tunes from Macrea along with a few from Southern. They are joined by…

[Editor’s Note: We ran this review in the September 2025, however, there were some inaccuracies in that review.  Because of those inaccuracies, I decided to run the review again with corrections included.  Our apologies to Volume Five for the previous inaccurate review.] Mississippi fiddle player Glen Harrell founded Volume Five in 2008, originally as a…

Ever since Earl Scruggs stepped on stage with Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys in December of 1945, banjo players have been interested in learning how to play the five-string banjo like Earl.  Early banjo players slowed down recordings and went to watch Earl play in order to figure out how he was executing those…

Fiddle player Glen Harrell founded Volume Five in 2008 after hearing other musicians in some local jams. Based in Mississippi, Harrell asked local players Jason Burleson (guitar, vocals) and Chris Wade (banjo) to join the group, and back then, he also brought in Nick Keen (mandolin) and Wyatt Harman (bass). There have been the usual…

The Gospel Plowboys are a bluegrass gospel group based in the Concord, North Carolina area. The band members are dedicated to spreading the good news of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and His saving grace. The members are devout Christians and focus their music on this messaging. The band consists of Michael Jenkins (guitar), Kris Miller…

Happily, you may have noticed that an increasing number of young people are playing in top bluegrass bands or leading their own bands. Names like Wyatt Ellis, Gibson Davis, Liam Purcell, Noah Goebel, Sammy Mougin, Ashlyn Smith, and the Sullivan Sisters are but a few. Add to that list The Brothers Young.   The Brothers…