Reviews

Bryan Sutton remembers well the times when he was the new young gun guitarist in the bluegrass world. As a young man, he had his eye on moving to Nashville and being a studio musician, and that happened in the mid-1990s. Then, he soon found himself performing and recording with some of the most amazing…

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…

The Turnpike Troubadours are possibly the most famous band that many people have never heard of. That’s a shame.\ They’re not exactly bluegrass, although they’ve covered John Hartford. They’re not exactly country, but they’ve covered Alabama. They’re not really folk, but they have covered John Prine. And while all those covers are strong fresh takes,…

Graham Sharp is no stranger to bluegrass fans. For nearly a quarter century, he shared vocal duties with co-founder Woody Platt in one of the most successful groups of this century, the Steep Canyon Rangers. When Platt announced his departure, the band regrouped, added another distinctive voice in Aaron Burdett, and kept going. Sharp’s distinctive…