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Bluegrass Goes To College
Photo by Tim Black Denison University: Bluegrass & American Roots Program Granville, Ohio Established in 2010, Denison University’s Bluegrass and American Roots Program is one of an increasing number of university programs focusing on the study and performance of bluegrass, blues, old-time, and other traditional American music. Since 2018, the Denison program has been under…
Pickin’ Party
Randy Wood’s most prized possession back home on the Georgia farm was a pocket knife his father gave him. With it, and some other woodworking tools, he became internationally famous as a builder and repairer of fine acoustic instruments. Randy joined the Army after high school and learned how to play guitar during long solo…
Tennessee Heart
Patuxent Music Some albums grab a listener’s attention from the get-go and don’t let up. Sometimes, in a first listen of a CD, you just know “this is something special.” Tennessee Heart, the debut from Shannon Bielski & Moonlight Drive checks both of those boxes and then some. Bielski and her band bring some bonafides…
Swingbilly Swagger
Patuxent Music If you were to listen to this album from Five Mile Mountain Road, you’d find yourself moving, thinking it was different, knowing you like it, but also thinking “Someone should name this style.” They did—it’s called “swingbilly,” a term Charlie Poole’s son James used in the 1930s. Hailing from Franklin County, Virginia—the self-proclaimed…
The Complete 5-String Banjo Method—Beginning, Intermediate & Mastering
Published by Alfred Music Self-directed learning can be a challenge, even in a resource-richenvironment. When there’s so much good stuff to study and so many ableteachers willing to provide guidance, questions abound. Where do Istart? What direction should I take? What’s important to learn at whatpoint in the process? How do I recognize landmarks and…
Just in Time
The Bing Brothers are West Virginia legends, a rare band that plays with true drive and power. That is proven yet again by their latest album Just In Time, a rollicking mix of upbeat string band music done in their particular, impressive style. In the Mountain State the division between old-time music and bluegrass is…