Reviews

Andrew Vaughan Henry David Thoreau said “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  After reading John Hartford: Pilot of a Steam Powered Aereo-Plain, I would say that John Hartford was…

Stephen Mougin Dark Shadow Recording Stephen Mougin’s recent release, Ordinary Soul, is his highest-profile entry to date. He’s flown somewhat under the radar as the long-time guitarist in the Sam Bush Band, but with this entry, Steve has established credentials as a top-notch singer, songwriter and producer. Mougin’s warm, expressive voice and dazzling guitar chops…

Alan Sibley &  Anthony Howell  Noxubee Hills Music Group NOX-CD-002 I expected that those who are connected in business associations would speak well of each other in the media. It’s good public relations.  Sometimes, those PR statements hit the nail flush.  This is true in the case of Deering Banjo Company CEO Jamie Deering who…

Fiddle aficionados and students of the work of John Hartford should be delighted with this recording.  Note, these seventeen tracks do not contain “the lost” performances of Hartford, nor is this a tribute album.  It is the first effort in documenting some of his work that was found in his archives by family members and…

Bluegrass Bajo for Beginners Bluegrass Bajo Jam Survival Guide 30 Bluegrass Banjo Licks You Must Know Bluegrass Banjo Backup Banjo Lessons Taken as a whole, Ned Luberecki’s four True Fire video courses cover the bread and butter of beginning and intermediate bluegrass banjo playing in a way that’s fun, engaging and approachable. What makes these…

Becky Buller Dark Shadow Recording DSR202002 It’s exhausting reviewing a Becky Buller album — a writer has to lug out a thesaurus to keep all the superlatives straight. Buller, the only performer to win IBMA vocalist and instrumentalist awards in the same year (2016) is at it again with her latest release, Distance and Time….