Reviews
Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History
Kristina Gaddy, a Baltimore-based writer and fiddler, has written exactly the book the banjo world needs right now. She explores questions that many among us, including myself, have been asking since the turbulent summer of 2020, including, “Why was it that an instrument constantly described as ‘Black’ and ‘African’ came to be thought of as…
Hazelnut
Charmaine Slaven and Charlie Beck met while exploring and promoting the old-time music and dance scene in the local Seattle, Washington Area. They continued in the manner for a few years and eventually resettled in the Brasstown, North Carolina area, and, along with daughter Hazel, they immersed themselves in the historic musical legacy of the…
The Light We Bring
Since a bunch of hippies first got together in 1974 and started the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Colorado had proved to be a fertile breeding ground for progressive-bluegrass bands, with a multitude of forward thinking-groups including Hot Rize, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, Elephant Revival, and countless others emerging from the Rocky Mountains. Trout Steak…
Down Where The Grass Is Blue
This Georgia-based family band, which seems and sounds like a fundamentalist Christian version of the legendary Trapp Family, has an interesting back story. Husband Jon (lead singer and bass player) and wife Marina (fiddle and harmony vocals) Linblom are classically trained musicians who first moved south about 20 years ago to take positions with the…
Bluegrass At The Crossroads
During the pandemic, when most bands and artists were off the road, the folks at Mountain Home Music put the downtime to good use. Drawing on solo artists and various band members from their talent roster—The Lonesome River Band, The Traveling McCourys, The Grascals, The Infamous Stringdusters, Sideline, Zoe & Cloyd, among others—producer Jon Weisberger…
The Jacob Jolliff Band
Reviewed by Dale and Darcy Cahill On August 5th Adhyaropa Records released Jacob Jolliff’s newest album entitled the Jacob Jolliff Band. Jolliff hit the bullseye with this album. Possibly most famous for playing a little bit left of center with his progressive and complex mandolin instrumentals, with this album Jolliff returns to his bluegrass roots. …