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Appalachian Smoke
The members of Appalachian Smoke all hail from the area of Southern Appalachia and their music invokes both the traditional and contemporary feelings and styles of the region. The band is BJ Taylor (mandolin, octave mandolin, vocals), Mikel Laws (banjo, guitar, vocals), Jamie Mason (guitar, banjo, vocals), Kenneth Rymer (resophonic guitar, vocals), and Tim Williams…
2025 Festival Guide
United States Arizona Desert Bluegrass FestivalMarch 7-9, 2025 Gladden Farms Community Park12205 N Tangerine Farms RdMarana, Arizona 85653 520-245-6126desertbluegrass.org/marana-festival-2019 Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass Music Festival September 12-14, 2025 250 Garrison RdFlagstaff, Arizona 86005pickininthepines.org Arkansas Mountain View Fall Bluegrass FestivalNovember 6-8, 2025 1032 Park AveMountain View, Arkansas 72211501-350-9676mountainviewbluegrass.com California Parkfield Bluegrass FestivalMay 8-11, 2024 70410 Parkfield-Coalinga…
True Tones
On his new CD, mandolinist Mark Stoffel offers up a stylistically diverse outing on mostly original instrumental tunes. The Austrian expat who tours with Chris Jones and the Night Riders, does a deep dive into his own influences and tastes, creating a CD where styles range from modern bluegrass, to refined instrumentals, to the sort…
Preserving & Presenting the First Family of Country Music
Photos by Jack Bernhardt It’s 3 p.m on a comfortably warm October 4, 2024. Rita Forrester is hard at work, getting food and concessions in order before fans arrive for the evening’s show featuring Marty Stuart and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. Tonight’s concert is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Carter Family…
Country Girl’s Blue Moon
‘Me’ is Don Depoy and ‘Martha’ is Martha Hills and they are based in the town of Swoope, Virginia. Originally Martha Hills is from the coastal town of Belfast, Maine where she learned to love the area’s music. Around 1990, she heard live bluegrass and was strongly attracted to it. In 2000, Don Depoy met…
Old Juniper
This is a trio based in the Brooklyn, New Yorik area and consists of Walker Shepard (vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle), Jackson Lynch (vocals, fiddle, guitar, banjo), and Eli Smith (banjo, guitar, banjo-mandolin, pump organ, harmonica), however Walker Shepard has since relocated to Wisconsin. There is also guest artist Hannah Shepard on cello. This is the…