Articles

Setting The Standard For Art And Function What do you get when you combine a master metalsmith/engraver with a multi-instrumentalist?  In the case of Ron Landis, the answer is that you get custom crafted sterling silver fingerpicks unlike any other fingerpicks currently available.  While Archimedes postulated that “the shortest distance between two points is a…

By Chris Hillman & Gram Parsons You might wonder what place a Flying Burrito Brothers song has in the world of bluegrass.  Quite a worthy one, as you’ll see from the history of the iconic “Sin City,” penned by Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band, Manassas) and the late Gram…

The Banjo Sound  Never Gets Old If you were to picture someone sitting outdoors picking on a five-string banjo, the setting that comes to mind would probably be somewhere in the southern regions of the United States—most likely in the area of southern Appalachia—as opposed to say, southern California.  Southern California and banjos are not…

Indy’s Bluegrass Heart Walk into Arthur’s Music in southeast Indianapolis’ artsy Fountain Square neighborhood, and you’re immediately struck by how seriously this music store takes serving the area’s bluegrass customers. On an average day, a customer will find 30-50 banjos ranging from less expensive Deering Goodtime models to a vintage 1999 Gibson Earl Scruggs Signature…

Photos by Arlin Geyer The mountains of Western North Carolina have long been a hotbed for old-time and bluegrass music. Names like Doc Watson or Earl Scruggs come to mind for many, while there have been many more beloved players to emerge in the generations since. Particularly in Asheville, the place where Bill Monroe named…

Don’t be fooled by the overalls and Mississippi River-stained drawl, Mike Compton is actually a hard-boiled, gum-shoed detective on a relentless cold case to uncover as much of Bill Monroe’s music legacy as possible, both his compositions and Monroe’s playing style. His ongoing comprehensive book of Monroe transcriptions, last we heard, was around 500 pages…