Articles

The Best Way to Get Young Kids Started on Stringed Instruments There are many equivalences that one can make between learning a musical instrument and learning a language.  In fact, studies have shown that if a person learns to play a musical instrument when they are young, their brain processes it like a language, using its…

Joe Mullins and The Radio Ramblers enjoyed a most memorable weekend September 1 and 2, 2023.   Our band was very fortunate to host the Hall of Fame Homecoming for the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum, Owensboro, Kentucky. Let us never forget the importance of the leadership in the City of Owensboro, Daviess County and…

Chosen Road’s latest release, It Never Gets Old is a collection of soulful gospel tunes highlighted with wonderfully blended vocals and instrumentation. The group has been together for over a decade and produced a chart-topping album, Appalachian Christmas, last year. This reviewer was fortunate enough to review Water Grave a few years ago—an early, solidly…

University of Missouri Press  Howard Wight Marshall, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri, has recently completed his trilogy covering the history of fiddling in the state of Missouri.  The first book in the series, titled Play Me Something Quick and Devilish (2013) begins with what is known about fiddling from the time of…

Nervous Energy seems like the perfect name for a solo project from a banjo player who is staying busy.  Andy Lowe, most recently known for his work with the Deer Creek Boys, looks like he has a winner. The first single off the album is “Mountain,” with the lead singing duties taken by Josh Shilling…

Songwriters are the eyes of the world and Baltimore songwriter Caleb Stine’s eyes are better than most.  Armed with a storyteller’s inquisitiveness and a restless independent spirit, Stine is songwriter of uncompromising heft, he can spin tales that are joyful expressions, songs that are serious meditations on life, and write tunes that are all of…