Articles

APPALACHIAN ROAD SHOW TRIBULATION Billy Blue Records BBR1323 Appalachian Road Show’s sophomore album is an ambitious concept brilliantly executed. The 16 tracks on Tribulation, including a series of meditative spoken passages linking the songs into an overall theme, capture the celebration and sorrow, loss and regeneration, faith and perseverance of that unique and often troubled region…

THOMM JUTZ TO LIVE IN TWO WORLDS, VOLUME I Mountain Home MH18592    Nashville-based singer/guitarist Thomm Jutz presents the first of two all-original albums on the Mountain Home Music label. Originally from Germany, Jutz has become captivated by the music and history of the American South. Fourteen originals are presented here, co-written with Mark Milan, Trey…

STEVE THOMAS AND THE TIME MACHINE ALL OF THESE YEARS Bonfire Recording Company BRC-5015 Thomas and company have made a strong recording of modern bluegrass. Part country-rock, a splash of classic country, and even some straight-up old-school bluegrass fill the tracks on this album. Thomas is in great form with his vocals and on fiddle,…

FLASHBACK BLUES AROUND MY CABIN Pinecastle Records PRC 1236 Flashback is a super group with band members who are all long-time veterans of bluegrass music. These veteran musicians are Stuart Wyrick (banjo), Don Rigsby (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, percussion), Curt Chapman (bass), and Richard Bennett (guitar). While the individuals had many of their own solo projects…

HIGH FIDELITY BANJO PLAYER’S BLUES Rebel Records REB-CD-1874    Remember the first time you heard bluegrass? The thrill in that banjo sound? The plaintiff vocals over the rapid paced music? The searing edge of the fiddle as it glides in and out of the proceedings and the cut of that mandolin as it jumped to the…

THE VW BOYS ACTING OUR AGE Fat Dog FD1119 In these times of coronavirus, Saharan dust, killer hornets, social unrest, and Lord knows what else, we can give thanks for silliness and the VW Boys. Tim White (banjo, five-string resonator banjo and jaw harp), Dave Vaught (guitar), and Fat Albert Blackburn (bass) bring their sense…