Articles

FIREBALL MAIL BENDING THE RAILS No Label No Number On the heels of winning a contest at Telluride in 2016, Fireball Mail from Alabama has released its debut recording. In the band are Brad Bulla (guitar), Caleb Edwards (mandolin), Phil Easterbrook (banjoist), and Joe Brown (bass). They’re joined on two songs by fiddler Aubrey Haynie…

THE GIBSON BROTHERS IN THE GROUND Rounder Records 1166100173 In the world of brother harmonies, the Gibson Brothers have set the Gold Standard. Brother harmonies have always been a mainstay of their performances and recordings, gained from their early listening to artists such as the Everly Brothers, Jim & Jesse, the Lilly Brothers, and Blue…

VARIOUS ARTISTS ON TOP OF OLD SMOKY NEW OLD-TIME SMOKY MOUNTAIN MUSIC Great Smoky Mountains Assoc. 200964    In 2010, I reviewed a wonderful CD of recordings made in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1939 and 1940. This CD is a compilation of contemporary renditions of 23 songs and tunes inspired by the first CD. The…

JULIAN LAGE AND CHRIS ELDRIDGE MOUNT ROYAL Free Dirt Records 0081 On their first duo CD Avalon, guitar masters Chris “Critter” Eldridge and Julian Lage forged a focused partnership that veered far beyond the conventional boundaries associated with two acoustic guitars and one vocalist. Recorded live in acoustic splendor by Kenneth Pattengale (Milk Carton Kids),…

THE SNYDER FAMILY BAND THE LIFE WE KNOW Mountain Home MH16782 This new recording from the Snyder Family Band has it’s moments. Of the talent behind it, there can be no doubt. If you’ve heard the brother/sister duo of Zeb and Samantha Snyder, backed by their father Bud on bass, you’re aware of that talent….

JOHNNY STAATS AND ROBERT SHAFER MUSIC FROM THE MOUNTAINS No Label No Number The latest recording from mandolinist Johnny Staats and guitarist Robert Shafer is one characterized by all of the usual superlatives expressing expert musicianship, but perhaps more than that by the aural surprises the duo offer here. If you scan the track list,…