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Closer Than I’ve Ever Been
Daniel Crabtree, a gifted and divinely inspired songwriter with an engaging roughhewn vocal style, is a man on a mission. As he explains in the press material accompanying his fifth album: “I believe a spiritual battle is going on inside man and the world …. As Christians, we should be willing to take on the…
A Passion for Promoting
Nearly seventy-eight years after Earl Scruggs first joined Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise, and Howard Watts on stage at the Grand Ole Opry—and defined bluegrass music as we know it today—the music is still thriving. To a large extent, the continued success of the bluegrass genre is due to the hundreds of bluegrass festivals…
The Wishful Thinkers’ Hall of Fame
The Matchsellers are a mid-Western group based on the duo of Andrew Morris (guitar, vocals), and Julie Bates (fiddle, vocals). They are joined on this new project by Brian McCarty (mandolin, vocals), and Brandon Day (bass, vocals). The “Wishful Thinkers’ Hall Of Fame” is an imaginary collection of characters which the project purports to be…
Still Standing
North Carolina’s Gospel Plowboys are a group seriously dedicated to spreading the word of Christ through music. The group is Michael Jenkins (guitar, vocals), Kris Miller (vocals), Andrew Brown (bass, mandolin, vocals), Alec McCallister (fiddle), David Brown (bass, vocals), and Peden Williams (banjo). Joining the band on this project is guest Chris Burton (banjo). The…
Hangovers & Heartaches
It’s not often that bands go on a 10-year hiatus and decide to give things another go. Traditional bluegrass fans should be glad an old gravestone inspired Maine-based Breakin’ Strings to make the trek to Nashville to produce Hangovers & Heartaches. Cliff Gelena, a third generation bluegrass performer, heads up the group with lead vocals,…
Dave Evans—The Voice of Traditional Bluegrass
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine January 1981, Volume 15, Number 7 The song on the radio was barely audible over the din of our bluegrass party, but there was something unusual, something “extra lonesome” in the voice filtering through the room that made you stop and listen. The power and intensity were enough to impress…