Reviews

Fullcord This first-rate veteran band (14 years and counting) more or less represents the cream of the crop of Michigan’s thriving bluegrass community.  Their new album, recorded in Lansing, showcases not only a boat-load of raw energy and ultra-tight picking, but also features some fascinating and provocative original songs. “Downtown,” with its fluid instrumental rides…

The Infamous Stringdusters I am a big tent person when it comes to pondering bluegrass as a genre. Music that sprouts out of the bluegrass base and branches off into new territory is fine with me. But, I also love traditionalists who keep the fires of the first generation burning. As for the so-called “purists”…

Kurt & Andrea Stephenson Traditional bluegrass fans will find a lot to like in the first release by the husband-wife duo of Kurt & Andrea Stephenson. The self-titled album features a dozen tunes that will be familiar to first generation fans.  The couple kicks things off with Reno & Smiley’s “Sockeye” and ends with the…

Barbaro is a four-piece band based in the Minneapolis-Winona area of Minnesota. Members include Isaac Sammis on banjo, Kyle Shelstad on guitar, Rachel Calvert on fiddle, Jason Wells on bass, and the group is joined on this project by guest artist Julian Davis on mandolin.  It was back in 2018 when the band gained recognition…

Orchard Creek Band is yet another powerhouse bluegrass ensemble to recently emerge from Colorado’s vibrant and vital bluegrass scene. Though this is the band’s debut outing, the individual members bring a ton of professional experience to their shared endeavor. It’s no slight to Colorado to mention that nearly all the members have musical roots in…

Bonfire Music Group If you’re in a hurry when you get to this review and just want the writer to get to the point, let him save you some time: go ahead and buy All of These Years, the debut album from Steve Thomas and The Time Machine. If it seems to odd to see…