Articles

Derek Johnson, who has spent more than a decade with Monroe Crossing, has released a new solo project entitled Hard Life.  Johnson calls his “band” on the album Hardgrass, but it is a collection of 19 guest musicians from Minnesota—where he’s based—and Wisconsin. Johnson, who has also performed as part of The High 48s and…

Restless Wanderer is R. Wesley Carr’s first full-length project. Carr is the 2019 winner Winfield, Kansas’ National Mandolin Championship and the title song won the New Song songwriting contest. Carr studied classical music at Northern Illinois University and is a graduate of East Tennessee State’s music program. This collection is a mix of originals and…

Promoting Bluegrass Music in The Golden State for Nearly Fifty Years California is a long way from the heartland of bluegrass music, however, the California Bluegrass Association (CBA) represents the largest organized community of bluegrass enthusiasts in the United States.  Regarding the popularity of bluegrass in California, Keith Little, one of the forty charter members…

With A Lot of Help from Its Friends Shaken by tragic personal loss and global economic turmoil, the Santa Cruz Guitar Company and its founder, legendary luthier Richard Hoover, have come through a perfect storm of emotional and business challenges over the past two years and emerged stronger than ever as the company celebrates 45…

California Bluegrass Pioneer Herb Pedersen’s life was utterly transformed—in the blink of an eye—in a record store on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. There he was, a fresh-faced, guitar-playing teenager flipping through records in the folk music section, studying the newest release by the Kingston Trio. Suddenly, a stranger was standing by his side. He…

Bluegrass Blessings & Music Milestones Photo by Lori Stoll As agreed, the two mandolin players met up at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. They opened their instrument cases and brought out their vintage Gibson F-5 instruments while a professional photographer stood by to capture their meeting.  One was Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass…