Reviews

HIGH FIDELITY BANJO PLAYER’S BLUES Rebel Records REB-CD-1874    Remember the first time you heard bluegrass? The thrill in that banjo sound? The plaintiff vocals over the rapid paced music? The searing edge of the fiddle as it glides in and out of the proceedings and the cut of that mandolin as it jumped to the…

THE VW BOYS ACTING OUR AGE Fat Dog FD1119 In these times of coronavirus, Saharan dust, killer hornets, social unrest, and Lord knows what else, we can give thanks for silliness and the VW Boys. Tim White (banjo, five-string resonator banjo and jaw harp), Dave Vaught (guitar), and Fat Albert Blackburn (bass) bring their sense…

BUNCOMBE TURNPIKE THESE WALLS WOULD SING No Label BT-07242 Lead singer and bass player Tom Godleski began Buncombe Turnpike in the fall of 1997. Since then, the band has recorded eight albums. They hail from western North Carolina and their music represents the region nicely. Bluegrass with a touch of folk and old-time make their…

FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE ELEMENTS Mountain Home MH18952    If you’re a fan of energetic and innovative bluegrass sounds, keep reading. If you’re also a fan of bands like the early New Grass Revival, Crucial Smith, or the Farewell Drifters, you should enjoy this debut from Fireside Collective. If all three of these bands had come of age…

THE FAMILY SOWELL SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT No Label No Number This is the latest project from the Knoxville, Tenn.-based Family Sowell, previously known as the Sowell Family Pickers. The family members are Abigail Sowell (mandolin), Jacob Sowell (banjo, guitar), John-Mark Sowell (fiddle), Joshua Sowell (guitar, mandolin), Justus Sowell (resonator guitar), Naomi Sowell (bass), and…

LAURIE LEWIS AND LAURIE LEWIS Spruce & Maple Music 1014 Laurie Lewis is a national treasure, one that keeps giving us fantastic music across the bluegrass and folk spheres of influence. On And Laurie Lewis, what started as a simple project to record duets with some of her favorite musicians, the diva of West Coast bluegrass…