Articles

Cast Iron was formed in 2019 and calls the Ashville, North Carolina area home. The members include Nick Dauphinais (mandolin), Andrew Blythe (banjo), Rob Sine (guitar), and Celia Millington-Wyckoff (bass), and for this project they have included fiddler James Schlender.  The band’s pedigrees include stints with Mountain Faith, Larry Stephenson Band, Blue Wheel Drive, Whetstone…

Photos Courtesy of Gallagher Guitar Company Gallagher is a name that for nearly sixty years has been associated with finely crafted acoustic guitars.  For nearly that same length of time, Gallagher Guitars has also been tied to one of the finest flatpicking guitar players to ever put a pick to strings—the legendary Doc Watson. The…

Established over forty years ago, The Lonesome River Band is known for its consistent sound and song presentation. The band has gone through many member changes over the years, but both Sammy Shelor (banjo) and Mike Hargrove (fiddle) have been there for most of those years. Current member Jesse Smathers (vocal, guitar, mandolin) joined when…

Jason Hannan is originally from Mississippi, but resides in Frederick, Maryland, where he is a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, and has played with several D.C. area groups like Clear Spring, Crop Dusters, and others. He plays guitar, mandolin, and bass, and he is joined on this project by his wife, Michelle Hannan (vocals, harmonica), Howard…

Members of the Southwest Bluegrass All-Stars are: banjo master Bill Evans, a recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize; New Mexico-based  bass player Anne Luna; Austin songwriter Elliott Rogers, who’s worked with the likes of Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith and the Alan Munde Gazette; and Steve Smith, a New Mexico-based mandolinist extraordinaire, who has…

The old saying “good things come in small packages” rings true for Lowe Vintage Instrument Company in Burlington, North Carolina.  The small store front located beside a photography studio and vintage vinyl record store in the historic downtown district appears neat, clean, and quiet from the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that draws…