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One More Thing
Fred Carpenter is a well-known and well-respected fiddle player. While starting out on the classical violin, he spent time studying the styles of folks like Kenny Baker, Vassar Clement, Byron Berline, and others. He has played with bluegrass artists like Tony Rice and The Dillards, and others like Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea and George Strait….
Kentucky Troubadour: The Rebel Collection
Don Rigsby has had a distinguished, if rather nomadic career over the four decades covered by this retrospective. He’s released a half dozen or so solo albums and been in and out of as many bands – J.D. Crowe, the Bluegrass Cardinals, the Lonesome River Band, Rock County, and Longview among them. This rock-solid song…
Presenting Carolina Bluegrass Style
The members of Carolina Bluegrass Style are based in the Columbia, South Carolina area, but spend most of their performing time in the venues around the area of Ashville, making them true to their Carolina name. The band consists of founding member Tommy Thomas (bass), along with Don Ashley (fiddle, vocals), Tyler Chasteen (guitar, vocals),…
Kris Howland Brings Classic Bluegrass LPs Back to the Future
Photos by Chelsea LaFond It’s an excellent time for bluegrass LP seekers and collectors. And the folks at Heady Wax Fiends, with help from Real Gone Music, have certainly sweetened the pot by bringing classic bluegrass LPs back on premium vinyl. Their rerelease of Manzanita by the Tony Rice Unit sparked our initial…
From Stages to Campgrounds
Old Settler’s Music Festival Sustains a Robust Community Photos by Steve Levine/stl.images The 38th Annual Old Settler’s Music Festival, happening this year over the final weekend in April, was not just the latest installment of the longest-running festival anywhere near Austin, Texas. It was not just an eclectic mix of beloved and outstanding “roots”…
Price of Admission
The Turnpike Troubadours are possibly the most famous band that many people have never heard of. That’s a shame.\ They’re not exactly bluegrass, although they’ve covered John Hartford. They’re not exactly country, but they’ve covered Alabama. They’re not really folk, but they have covered John Prine. And while all those covers are strong fresh takes,…