Articles

David Grier Another Nashville Night   EMG10540 Out of thousands of options, if I could teleport back to any bluegrass “double secret” jam at IBMA, a particularly hot session at Winfield or Lexington, or a famous private jam, I’d probably pick the legendary house jams at Lamar Grier’s home. Here strode the high priests of…

Jeff Picker With the Bass in Mind Bassist Jeff Picker lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches bass and is currently a member of Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder. He had previously spent a number of years playing with Sarah Jarosz, Mark O’Conner and others. Picker has been playing professionally since 15 and with his blend…

The Mountain Minor Motion Picture Soundtrack Alt452 Records The Mountain Minor is a 2019 film about a familiar story in the world of bluegrass and old-time music.  The theme is the transplanting of rural residents into a new unfamiliar setting and the role traditional elements—not the least of which is music—play in anchoring a sense…

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes Sugar Petunia Records SPR0027 Keith-Hynes is originally from Charlottesville, Virginia but now lives in Nashville where in 2014 she founded the Mile Twelve band which for the past six years has toured world-wide and released two projects. She has been playing fiddle since she was three years old and first became immersed in…

Thomm Jutz To Live in Two Worlds, Vol. 2 Mountain Home Music Released in September, Volume 2 of To Live In Two Worlds continues the musical arc singer-songwriter Thomm Jutz began with Volume 1, released in March of 2020. A self-professed “chronicler of emotions,” German-born Jutz (now a naturalized citizen) leverages both his unique multi-cultural…

Protobilly The Minstrel and Tin Pan Alley DNA of Country Music JSP Records JSP5202 You probably think you know where bluegrass tunes like “Bully of the Town,” “Arkansas Traveler,” “Turkey in the Straw,” “Are You From Dixie,” “Under the Double Eagle” and more came from. Like me, you’re probably wrong about most. Because these tunes…