Articles

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…

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…

A Master Luthier and Inlay Artist Who Keeps No Secrets Photos By Dale Cahill fter returning from an extended tour in Vietnam and receiving his Doctorate in Psychiatry, Dave Nichols started working at St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. Shortly thereafter, Nichols set up his first inlay/ luthier shop, Custom Pearl Inlay. Since then, Nichols has perfected his…

Leading Others  to Bluegrass Success Photo by Shelly Swanger Longtime performer turned business owner Andrea Roberts lived an enviable existence as a bluegrass musician the first part of her life. Her impressive resume includes fronting one of the first all-female bluegrass bands Petticoat Junction and playing alongside some of the genre’s most legendary figures including Bill…

Grammy Winner Stretches Multiple Genres Photo by Kaitlyn Raitz For most musicians, it’s pretty easy to classify what genre they fit into—essential, really, to success—but good luck locking Sarah Jarosz into any kind of category. The singer-songwriter isn’t exactly anything, but is a little bit of a lot of things and maybe that’s the secret formula…

Photos By Beth Flick When pickers meet at festivals, good things often happen. After jamming together at Michigan’s Charlotte Bluegrass Festival, Eric Langejans and Todd Kirchner formed the contemporary bluegrass outfit Full Cord in 2008. “We wanted to have fun playing something unique and interesting,” says Kirchner. “Eric came up with the name when he…