The Sound
Rounder Bluegrass
The First Fifty Years All Photos Courtesy of Rounder Records Archives I bought my first Rounder album in 1974. I was a recent convert to bluegrass and Rounder was likewise a new entry in the field of bluegrass and old-time record labels. I continued to buy more Rounder albums and my immersion in bluegrass grew deeper and…
Perfect Mix For Success
In the world of songwriting, finding the right co-writer can be a difficult task. Finding the right fit and building a relationship with other writers requires patience and is often compared to a marriage. Many songwriters today prefer to spend time together in person creating lyrics to a melody. Publishing companies often unite writers in…
Building the Multi-Tool of Modern F-5 Mandolins
Photos by Bud Osborne “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” said musician-comedian Martin Mull in a line often misattributed to Frank Zappa. Same holds true for trying to describe a musical instrument’s sound. In wine culture, reviewers and sommeliers have a glossary accepted by consumers, with terms like ‘oakey’ or ‘full-bodied’ or ‘closed’…
Caleb Smith
Guitar Builder Angling for a Vintage Sound Balsam Range’s Caleb Smith brings an intensity to the stage that’s hard to miss in a live show. The guitarist usually provides a bookend to Grammy-winning banjo player Marc Pruett, who is usually grinning and swaying while picking. Smith is on the task at hand, hitting the notes with…
Bishline Banjos
Filling the Gap Between the Traditional and the Progressive Photos by Mark Torrence Although Tulsa, Oklahoma native Rob Bishline did not grow up listening to bluegrass music, the acoustic music of early 1970s performers like Jim Croce and Gordon Lightfoot did grab his ear. It wasn’t until about 1974, when he was 13 years old…
Lynn Dudenbostel
Overcoming the Pandemic Year Photos by Matthew Dudenbostel Next year will mark the 25th year since Lynn Dudenbostel starting building world-class mandolins and guitars full-time (it’s been 32 years since his first guitar build and 25 since his first mandolin). But even in this pandemic year, Lynn has been exploring new avenues for instrument production,…