The Venue

Bluegrass’s Annual Ritual of Spring Photos By David McCarty Every year on the last weekend of the first month, the bluegrass faithful emerge from their winter burrows like cicadas after hibernation with no outdoor festivals and few indoor events, itching to pick. It may still be late January, but don’t try telling bluegrass that spring…

I have spent many hours driving through the Southwest Virginia region. In recent years, that has meant traveling to the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention on the east side of this unique section of the commonwealth, or while on another journey, spending three days at the newly-created Blue Highway Fest in Big Stone Gap, which is…

Exploring Roots and Creating Culture at Common Ground on the Hill This is the story of a musician whose career path led him back to his roots to develop a music and arts community known as Common Ground on the Hill, where “the big tent of bluegrass” is welcoming. Walt Michael, whose peaceful outlook, and…

Over the weekend of March 28-30, 2024, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened up its newest exhibit—Jerry Garcia “A Bluegrass Journey” with a star-studded event that included many artists who had performed with Garcia over the years, including David Nelson, Peter Rowan, Eric Thompson, Pete Wernick and Maria Muldaur.   In addition…

If you’re looking for opportunities to develop, hone and expand your music making skills in a group setting on a lovely 10-acre farmstead, Dan Miller, editor of Bluegrass Unlimited, is offering jam sessions, concerts, and multi-day workshops at Jade Green Farm, a newish venue in Harrisburg, Missouri, that he has been working on creating since…

Teaches Bluegrass and Old Time Music in the Heart of the Mountains Last year I had the chance to visit the long-running Allegheny Echoes Week, an acclaimed instructional camp that has featured bluegrass and old-time music workshops every June for 27 years. The gathering takes place at the Marlinton Motor Inn, outside the small town of…