Reviews

If you have ever driven through the old downtown area of Mt. Airy, NC, whether to go to the Mt. Airy Bluegrass & Old-time Fiddler’s Convention or to visit the Andy Griffith Museum and Theatre, you will have probably noticed the Mayberry’s Music Center. The business has been run by James Easter of the legendary…

John Reischman’s sound on the mandolin has always been a striking one, crystalline and clear, like a rushing stream. He has said this sparkling tone comes from the slanted angle he holds his pick at and the naturally full resonance of his Gibson Lloyd Loar. Hearing his latest album, New Time & Old Acoustic, I…

While the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to live in-person music performances, it did spawn some great creative work.  A prime example is Grit & Polish, an album that veteran musicians Mark Schatz and Bryan McDowell recorded in Schatz’s basement. It was created without much in the way of overdubbing and transports the listener to…

This debut alum from the lead singer and guitarist of the acclaimed Texas band Wood & Fire is a stylistically varied and winning collection of wise and exquisitely crafted original songs. Back Down Home features gripping arrangements that feature everything from banjos, fiddles and pedal steel to saxes, trumpets and a B3 organ while running…

George Jackson is a New Zealand native who now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up hearing bluegrass music and started learning fiddle at an early age. He moved to Australia at 16 and soon became the three-time Australian National Bluegrass Fiddle Champion.       Now residing in Nashville since 2016, he has established…

Fans of the band High Fidelity won’t be surprised to hear that frontman Jeremy Stephens credits older generations for most of the influence on his music.  With a new solo project titled How I Hear It, Stephens has produced an album with a bounce and vocals that hark back to an earlier time. Stephens called…