The Artists

Stillhouse Junkies recently returned from a European tour—just a couple of years later than they had planned. Back in early March of 2020, they played a big release party for Calamity, the album they recorded in Austin in November 2019. They planned to leave for England in March 2020, with tickets bought, shows booked, and…

A Conversation with Darol Anger & Mike Fiorito After seeing him perform at the 2022 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, I had the good fortune to chat with contemporary string music innovator and fiddler extraordinaire, Darol Anger, in July 2022. Anger has played with Republic of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux,…

Life at 70 Means Honoring a Mentor and Friend From the Past Photo by Shelly Swanger When you reach your 70th birthday, as Sam Bush did in April of 2022, many of your best memories happened ‘half a century ago.’ About 50 years ago, Sam Bush was experiencing those heady times of the early 1970s, with…

Stuck Loving You How are young actors in Hollywood different from young musicians in bluegrass? While the answers are many, one big difference is that child actors often end up on those “Where Are They Now?” specials, often showing their mugs shots for breaking and entering; young bluegrass musicians tend to turn into adult bluegrass…

Pushing Piles of Words Together Photo by Chasity Chen In the Present The singer/songwriter shared, “Some of the most impactful moments in my life included having people walk up to me after a set, with tears streaming down their faces, as they recounted the death of a loved one that I made them think about…

A Transatlantic Delight There is something special about some musical partnerships.  Think about Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Sonny and Bobby Osborne, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Sierra Hull and Justin Moses or Tony Rice and Ricky Skaggs, to name just a few dynamic duos. They all have a chemistry and a sound uniquely their…