Reviews
Diamonds & Flowers
Oly Mountain Boys The Oly Mountain Boys make their home in the city of Olympia, Washington, from where they get their name. The band is Tye Menser (banjo, vocals). Phil Post (bass, resonator guitar, vocals), Josh Grice (fiddle, vocals), and Eric Schweizer (guitar, vocals), and they are joined by guests Derek McSwain (mandolin, vocals) and…
Fine Time To Get The Blue
Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive Terry Baucom marks fifty years of playing bluegrass professionally with this release on his own label, Driving Duke Records in Elkin, NC. This project also is his third as leader of the appropriately named Dukes of Drive, having two prior releases in this configuration on the John Boy & Billy…
My Best Friend
Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition Patuxent Music Listening to Jay Armsworthy, a veteran of the southern Maryland bluegrass scene for almost 40 years, is like enjoying a satisfying, home-cooked meal. There’s no frozen TV dinner bluegrass on this new recording, which combines traditional bluegrass with original music and a handful of “country classics with a…
Sun Drops On The Water-Reflections
The Sharp Flatpickers Mountain Fever MFR 201120 This impressive band, assembled by ace guitarist Lee Kotick, takes hot picking to a new level on its sophomore album. Quite a few of these 14 mostly instrumental tracks delve deeply into tradition with fiery instrumentals on public domain chestnuts such as “Fisher’s Hornpipe,” “Blackberry Blossom,” “Arkansas Traveler”…
Mules & Men
Roscommon County Line Mules & Men is an Irish four-piece string band from Dublin whose members are Lily Sheehan (guitar, vocals), Luke Coffey (banjo, vocals), Patrick “Paahto” Cummins (mandolin, vocals), and Niall Hughes (bass, vocals). The band is known for their acid-Celtgrass approach to the music which is described as a shake-up of some of…
Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey In The American South
Emma John I think the phrase “If you have to ask, you’ll never understand” certainly applies to bluegrass music. At least that is the way I’ve felt when I’ve returned from a festival or a jam session and tried to explain it to a non-bluegrass friend or family member what it is all about. It…