Articles

BANJO DAN THE SLEEPING SENTINEL: BANJO DAN’S SONGS OF VERMONT, VOLUME IV No Label VSB 110 A pioneer of the second wave of New England bluegrass musicians, Banjo Dan Lindner has led his Mid-Nite Plowboys since 1972. He started the Banjo Dan’s Songs Of Vermont series back in 1987 and has released one volume per…

AUDIE BLAYLOCK AND REDLINE THE ROAD THAT WINDS Patuxent Music CD-289 Even after all the years of bluegrass bands covering rock tunes, it still comes as something of a surprise to find Audie Blaylock and Redline opening their recording with the Elton John/Bernie Taupin classic, “Daniel.” Less of a surprise is how well they cover…

VALERIE SMITH & LIBERTY PIKE SMALL TOWN HEROE Bell Buckle Records BBR – 400 Two years ago, Valerie Smith teamed up with a group of musicians from the Maryland/DC area to form her new version of Liberty Pike, which now consists of Joe Zauner (banjo, guitar), Lisa Kay Howard (mandolin), Tom Gray (bass), and Wally…

BLUE CANYON BOYS No Label No Number The Blue Canyon Boys have become one of the premier bands to rise out of the Rocky Mountains West. They have toured the U.S., the Far East, and have gathered a fairly large following wherever they perform. The band is Drew Garrett (bass), Jason Hicks (guitar), Gary Dark…

LARRY STEPHENSON BAND WEEP LITTLE WILLOW Whysper Dream Music CD-7427 From the jaunty opening banjo riffs of the up-tempo love lament “Yesterday’s Gone” (penned by C. Stuart and W. Kidd) right on through to the restless refrains of the closing cut—a haunting rendition of Alton Delmore’s “Midnight Train”—the Larry Stephenson Band’s new 12-track collection bristles…

JEREMY GARRETT THE RV SESSIONS 2: INSTRUMENTALS  No Label VSB 110    Many years have passed since an instrumental bluegrass album captivated me as much as The RV Sessions 2: Instrumentals by Infamous Stringdusters fiddler Jeremy Garrett. Maybe Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe or Bela Fleck’s Deviation. Garrett stays within the bluegrass genre while innovating brilliantly…