Articles

By Ivan M. Tribe and Jacob Baptist Arcadia Publishing In 1924 the “National Barn Dance” began broadcasting at WLS in Chicago.  Soon after, “Barn Dance”, “Jamboree’, and “Hayride” radio programs began appearing in cities like Nashville, Dallas, Shreveport, Cincinnati, Knoxville, and Wheeling.  These programs served as a prominent source of live and radio entertainment for…

Oly Mountain Boys The Oly Mountain Boys make their home in the city of Olympia, Washington, from where they get their name. The band is Tye Menser (banjo, vocals). Phil Post (bass, resonator guitar, vocals), Josh Grice (fiddle, vocals), and Eric Schweizer (guitar, vocals), and they are joined by guests Derek McSwain (mandolin, vocals) and…

Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive Terry Baucom marks fifty years of playing bluegrass professionally with this release on his own label, Driving Duke Records in Elkin, NC.  This project also is his third as leader of the appropriately named Dukes of Drive, having two prior releases in this configuration on the John Boy & Billy…

Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition Patuxent Music Listening to Jay Armsworthy, a veteran of the southern Maryland bluegrass scene for almost 40 years, is like enjoying a satisfying, home-cooked meal. There’s no frozen TV dinner bluegrass on this new recording, which combines traditional bluegrass with original music and a handful of “country classics with a…

The Sharp Flatpickers Mountain Fever MFR 201120 This impressive band, assembled by ace guitarist Lee Kotick, takes hot picking to a new level on its sophomore album. Quite a few of these 14 mostly instrumental tracks delve deeply into tradition with fiery instrumentals on public domain chestnuts such as “Fisher’s Hornpipe,” “Blackberry Blossom,” “Arkansas Traveler”…

Roscommon County Line Mules & Men is an Irish four-piece string band from Dublin whose members are Lily Sheehan (guitar, vocals), Luke Coffey (banjo, vocals), Patrick “Paahto” Cummins (mandolin, vocals), and Niall Hughes (bass, vocals).  The band is known for their acid-Celtgrass approach to the music which is described as a shake-up of some of…