Articles

LLUIS GOMEZ DOTZE CONTES Red Pig Recordings D.L. Bl/21/1917 Gomez claims he is the king of Spanish banjo. He is a mighty fine banjo player by anyone’s account. Able to play Scruggs-style, along with a highly developed melodic approach, there seems to be no end to Gomez’s imagination. Through 13 cuts, we’re treated to many…

JENNI LYN BURN ANOTHER CANDLE Katherine St. Records 001 Jenni Lyn Gardner, now touring and recording as Jenni Lyn during a break from work with her main band Della Mae, has quickly established herself as a rising star on mandolin and as a performer. Displaying a hard-driving style that evokes musical images of her hero…

COLEBROOK ROAD HALFWAY BETWEEN Colebrook Road CBR 002    No halfway about it. This is one of the most interesting and enjoyable albums from a young band that I’ve spun in nearly four decades of being a reviewer. This Harrisburg, Pa., outfit has a real synergy, both vocally and instrumentally, between its five talented and consistently…

MOLLY AND TENBROOKS THE OLD MANDOLIN Woodsong Records No Number By the time this CD reached my desk, Molly And Tenbrooks were no more. Two of the members had departed, and the remnants reconstituted themselves as the Brown’s Mountain Boys. Let this, then, be a review-in-memorium. Molly And Tenbrooks came from Spokane, Wash., and featured…

LAWSON & WILLIAMS CHAPTER 3 Mountain Home MH16722 Two old friends return here for a program of fine older songs. They reprise past glories from long careers of making music. The duets ring true and the music walks the line between bluegrass and older country. The use of brushes on a snare drum is reminiscent…

THE MOON TROTTERS Patuxent Music CD-277 The Moon Trotters, a two man/two woman ensemble, jam together on this new 13-song self-titled disc. Luke Barnhill (vocals, guitar, fiddle, and cajón), Victor Furtado (banjo), Isabella Gorman (fiddle), and Lauren Wasmund (vocals) tackle some new compositions like “Victor Vindaloo,” “Gypsy Queen,” “Do You Believe In Ghosts?,” “Mississippi Pearl,”…