The Artists

Photos by Heather Hambor Just like the name of their third CD, Elements, Fireside Collective is a multifarious music group melding together a variety of influences. “We have always been inspired by the creativity and excitement of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, The Stanley Brothers and…

Pushing the Envelope Photos by Kaitlyn Raitz Growing up on Bainbridge Island, Washington, just west of Seattle, 5-string wizard Wes Corbett had heard bluegrass-style banjo on the radio, most memorably via the Car Talk theme. It didn’t immediately call out to the young, classically-trained pianist. Nor did the vocal strains of the high lonesome sound….

Photos By Michael Gomez After the passing of Jan Howard last March, Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Jesse McReynolds became the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 2021 he will celebrate 57 years as a member—38 of those with his brother as “Jim and Jesse,” the longest running brother duo in the…

Photo By Elliot Lopes Stephen Mougin doesn’t live up to the title of his debut album, Ordinary Soul. The multi-talented label head is anything but ordinary. Not only does he run Dark Shadow Recordings, which he founded, but balances his time between his longtime sideman job with the Sam Bush Band, teaching, producing, engineering, singing,…

“For the first little while you have to find something to keep yourself busy,” explains guitar-wizard Larry Keel on how he approached the time at home forced upon us when the world shut-down due to the Covid-19 outbreak. “Even going to take the trash out was a big day in the neighborhood.  It was something…

40 Years of Picking Traditional Bluegrass For 40 years, the Five of a Kind bluegrass band has been entertaining audiences up and down the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Based in Strasburg, Virginia, the group’s personable and involve-the-audience approach to a traditional blend of bluegrass and classic country gathered a large following throughout the area….