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I hazard to say that this gifted and inspired Italian bluegrass band could teach a lot of us here on the other side of the pond quite a bit about the deep history of early bluegrass music.  The Truffle Valley Boys’ latest album, a gospel outing, could easily serve as lesson 101. Leaning heavily on…

This is a family-based unit from the Glasgow, Kentucky area. Managed by Terry O’Neal (keyboards), the group includes Kacey O’Neal (fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bass, keyboards), Caleb Isaac O’Neal (guitar), Shelane O’Neal (bass), Jesse Meador (banjo), and Justin Meredith (guitar).  The project includes a number of familiar tunes from a variety of sources like Larry Cordle,…

This group from the Colorado/Wyoming area is Alex Paul (guitar, mandolin), Eric Shedd (bass, guitar, mandolin), Jack Tolan (guitar, mandolin), and Anneke Dean (violin). This project is a follow-up to their Murmuration Vol 1 released in September 2021. The group collaborates on all the material and they state their mission to “…to making this world…

Impact on the Bluegrass Industry The brothers grew up in north central North Carolina near the site of the state’s first bluegrass festival, Camp Springs. They played at the first bluegrass festivals in Fincastle, VA, and appeared on Arthur Smith’s TV Show in Charlotte.  Terry elaborated, “We played as the Smith family. At Fincastle, I…

This Mid-Western group is led by Joe Macheret (guitar, banjo, fiddle, percussion), who is also the songwriter of all the material except “Midnight On The Ohio,” co-written with Joe Wunderle (piano, harmonica). Macheret is also ioined by Andrew McPheters (banjo), June Youngblood (bass), Scott Risner (mandolin), Stephen “Tebbs” Karney (pedal steel guitar, resonator guitar), John…

The Suwannee Spring Reunion Photos by Frank Serio In March 2022, I went to the Suwannee Spring Reunion to write about the event and interview a few musicians.  I had no idea what to expect. I’m a little embarrassed to say that I had never been to a music festival. Although I went to cover…