Articles

BALSAM RANGE FIVE Mountain Home MH15322    The first time through on Balsam Range’s Five, my thought was that the recording may fall way short of Papertown. The second time through, the vocal and instrumental talents and the Balsam Range sound, all among the best in the business, had begun to work their magic, and…

DOBRO ROOTS: A PHOTO TOUR OF PREWAR WOOD BODY DOBROS BY STEVE TOTH Centerstream Publishing 9781574243017. Foreword by Jerry Douglas, 216 pp., CD included, $55. (Centerstream Publishing, P.O. Box 17878, Anaheim Hills, CA 92817, www.centerstream-usa.com.)    I don’t usually quote from the foreword of a book I’m reviewing, but in this case, Jerry Douglas says…

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE TIGHTROPE Yep Roc Records YEP-2387    This sixth studio album from Chatham County Line demonstrates increasing musical growth for the Raleigh, N.C.-based band. Dave Wilson (guitar and harmonica), John Teer (mandolin and fiddle), Chandler Holt (banjo and guitar), and Greg Readling (bass, pedal steel, and piano) blend their harmonies and classic string-band instrumentation with…

KATHY KALLICK CUT TO THE CHASE Live Oak Records 590    The saying “Cut to the chase”—meaning “Get to the important thing right now”—goes back to the early days of motion pictures. Movie makers quickly learned that the public didn’t want to sit through lengthy encounters or explanatory titles. Whether it was a scrambling Keystone…

UNCAGED & FREE: UNDERSTANDING, IMPLEMENTING AND OVERCOMING THE CAGED SYSTEM—TAUGHT BY ROLLY BROWN—Stefan Grossman Guitar Workshop GW1015. DVD, 121 min., $29.95. (Stefan Grossman Guitar Workshop, P.O. Box 802, Sparta, NJ, 07871, www.guitarvideos.com.) The CAGED system gets its name from the common major chords C, A, G, E, and D that it uses to teach the…

MA CROW & THE LADY SLIPPERS MEMORY OF A MOUNTAIN Boopie Studios BPS005    This Ohio-based quartet has a lot going for it on this project. The steady guiding hand of Ron Stewart is one of those things, but it is the wealth of talent and experience from each member that really shines through on…