Articles

DONNA ULISSE BREAKIN’ EASY Mountain Home MH16932 In May of 2016, I was walking the streets of Asheville, N.C., when I unexpectedly came across Ty Gilpin of the Mountain Home Music label. While catching up on things, I had some fun with the fact that I had multiple IBMA nominations with no wins, calling myself…

JOE MULLINS & THE RADIO RAMBLERS THE STORY WE TELL Rebel Records REB-CD-1869 If you’re looking for sublimely solid, no-frills heartland bluegrass, you need look no further than Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers’ sixth album. The Story We Tell is charged with top-notch yet understated picking and singing. The songs—written or co-written by Alton…

THE MOLLY ROSE BAND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT Patuxent Music CD-285 Patuxent Music continues its welcome promotion of bands that hold to the traditional sound of the first generation of bluegrass bands. This latest find is The Molly Rose Band from the Danville, Va., area and led by banjoist Lynwood Lunsford. Lunsford is the most…

THOMM JUTZ CRAZY IF YOU LET IT Mountain Fever MFR-171006    This is the golden age of bluegrass songwriting. Not that many years ago, you could name every bluegrass songwriter worth hearing. Thomm Jutz has distinguished himself among the many excellent writers today. Besides his work with Peter Cooper and Mac Wiseman on I Sang The…

MASONTOWN IN THIS TIME No Label No Number Good liner notes are a blessing for reviewers. They make it easy to tell you where a band is from, who’s in it, who plays what and when, and the band’s musical focus. In the case of this debut from Masontown their notes reveal a hometown of…

STEPHEN WADE ACROSS THE AMERIKEE Smithsonian Folkways SFW40223 Stephen Wade is arguably the best nongrass five-string banjo player around. His loyal following includes people who saw Banjo Dancing, his one-man stage show created from folksongs, stories, banjo tunes, and his own personal insights. Among other venues, he presented it nightly at Washington’s Arena Stage for…