The Sound

Explores Pre-Bluegrass Flatpicking Guitar  Cameron Knowler, an expert on pre-bluegrass guitar styles, wants you to know that guitars have feelings, too. So much so that he’s written a brilliant guitar method book by that same name. To support that and his many other projects, Knowler created a private press and webstore called Rural Guitar to…

Photos by Rocky Northern Rocky Northern, originally from Renfro Valley and now living in Hartford, Kentucky, is gaining recognition as a luthier of fine guitars. Several professional musicians now play his boxes. Becoming an instrument builder has been almost two decades in the making. “I built my first guitar 19 years ago. It was just…

Shelby Means had nothing to prove to anyone but herself when she set out to record her first solo self-titled album. Her bluegrass credentials are solid. In fact, bluegrass brought her to Nashville in the first place. A native of Wyoming, she grew up going to festivals and played in the Alaska bluegrass band Bearfoot…

Billy Strings’ impact on bluegrass and guitar flatpicking has triggered tens of thousands of fans to attend his concerts and buy his records and merch. For bluegrass guitarists, he’s probably had more impact on the flatpicking scene than any of his modern peers, raising the bar with his facile, deeply rooted picking and singing. But…

Louisa Branscomb Marks 36 Years of Songwriting retreats March 2025 marked the 36th consecutive year of songwriting workshops, usually twice a year, hosted by veteran songwriter Louisa Branscomb. Louisa founded Woodsong Farm Songwriting Retreats in 1989, at her farm in Georgia, and continued to hold 2 to 4 retreats a year for the next 30…

Photos by Chelsea LaFond It’s an excellent time for bluegrass LP seekers and collectors. And the folks at Heady Wax Fiends, with help from Real Gone Music, have certainly sweetened the pot by bringing classic bluegrass LPs back on premium vinyl.       Their rerelease of Manzanita by the Tony Rice Unit sparked our initial…