Articles

I’m not going to lie—when I grabbed the newest CD in the stack for review, I didn’t think much beyond that the woodcut cover art was unique.  When Put All Your Troubles Away by the Foreign Landers started spinning, it only took a few seconds to grab my attention and it never let go. It…

This is Charlie Treat’s first foray into bluegrass, and with its austere, hard-charging guitar-banjo-bass-fiddle arrangements, it’s definitely very on-the-edge, and very compelling. As he explains in the accompanying press material, Treat has been steeped in traditional sounds since he was a kid growing up on a farm in New England, though along the way he’s…

ToneSlabs is the biggest advance in flatpack technology since the launch of BlueChip picks 14 years ago. That’s a bold statement, to be sure, and we don’t make it lightly.      For months, Bluegrass Unlimited has been testing a variety of ToneSlabs picks in various shapes and thicknesses in the field at Winfield and…

This article provides an insight into Larry Prentis Rice and his mandolin, and contains anecdotal recollections about him from friends, family, and bandmates. As the oldest of the four Rice Brothers, and born into a musical family, Larry Rice wrote, played, recorded and produced memorable music. Born on April, 24, 1949 in Danville, Virginia, he…

“Wha’d I Miss?” Photo by Lance Velarde Photography David Parmley gained a reputation as one of the strongest lead vocalists in bluegrass music while working with his father, Don Parmley, for many years in The Bluegrass Cardinals—and then later continuing with his own bands Continental Divide, followed by Cardinal Tradition.  Due to a health issue…

On Sept 9, 2022 the bluegrass and mandolin worlds lost a true icon. I would dare say most modern mandolin players have been influenced by Herschel even if it was unknowingly so. He made a name for himself in his early years with the The Boys From Shiloh and The Dixie Gentlemen, along with three…