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IssueM Articles
Paul “Moon” Mullins, Legendary Broadcaster
This is an excerpt from Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy (edited by Fred Bartenstein and Curtis W. Ellison, © 2021 by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.). The book chronicles the important roles Cincinnati, Dayton and surrounding areas played in the development of…
Passages of Time with Sierra Hull
Photo by Shelly Swanger “There’s something intimate about knowing people in the audience and nerve wracking a little bit,” instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Sierra Hull said, chuckling. The night before her interview with Bluegrass Unlimited, she had performed in front of musician friends and industry professionals at the Nashville, TN venue 3rd and Lindsley. The three-time IBMA Mandolin Player of…
Justin Moses
The Quiet Assassin Photo by Shelly Swanger Multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses excels at picking anything with strings. As an in-demand sideman, the modest musician lets his unassuming talents do the talking. “I call him the Quiet Assassin,” says Eric Gibson of The Gibson Brothers. “He’s over there on his side of the stage just killing it, but…
Making Friends With Music, Making Music With Friends
It’s hard to imagine a bluegrass fan who has never heard of Pete “Dr. Banjo” Wernick. After all, he’s well known as the banjo player for longtime fan favorites Hot Rize. His 1974 instructional book, Bluegrass Banjo, has sold roughly a quarter-million (!) copies. He was the first president of the International Bluegrass Music Association…
Banjo Ben Clark
Video Instruction for the 21st Century If you are a banjo, mandolin, or guitar player and spend any amount of time on YouTube, you will know about Banjo Ben Clark. Ben was one of the first instructors to start teaching video lessons via YouTube and he has grown those humble beginnings into a bluegrass instruction…
Monroe Mandolin Camp
Building Bluegrass Community Music camps and workshops provide students with an opportunity to interact with, and learn directly from, professional musicians and music heroes. While at camp, students also have the opportunity to make new friends who share common interests and, of course, there is the jamming. It is learning via the total immersion method….