Articles

HILLBENDERS CAN YOU HEAR ME? Compass Records 7 4585 2 Newgrass Revival left a significant mark behind them in their two decades of existence, influencing numerous groups. Their combination of complex arrangements, impassioned vocals, instrumental virtuosity, and pop sensibility in a bluegrass context set a high standard for progressive acoustic bands to follow. The Hillbenders,…

GRITS & SOUL FLOOD WATERS No Label No Number Up from Mississippi, now working out of Asheville, N.C., Grits & Soul is the duo of Anne Kline and John Looney. Though she plays guitar, Kline here appears only as a singer, although to say “only” in any context about her singing is a mistake. She…

SI KAHN AND THE LOOPING BROTHERS ARAGON MILL: THE BLUEGRASS SESSIONS Strictly Country Records SCR-72 American songwriter Si Kahn and Europe’s Looping Brothers trio have joined forces to produce a project of Kahn’s compositions, including his most known “Aragon Mill” and “Wild Rose Of The Mountain.” Kahn is a folk singer/songwriter best known for his…

THE VELVET BLUE MEMORIES AND HEARTACHES No Label No Number The Velvet Blue is a relatively new band out of Hillsboro, Ky. Formed in 2012, the band is Brian Cooper on guitar and lead vocals, Carrie Johnson on bass and lead vocals, Taylor Hampton on mandolin, and Megan McKamey on banjo and harmony. Their debut…

THE RIGNEYS DOUBLE OR NOTHING Dark Shadow Recording 201303 For their third CD, The Rigneys have found a supportive home with producer Stephen Mougin’s Dark Shadow Recording. Mougin programmed eleven songs (five originals and six recently-written covers), ping-ponging among a diverse array of musical settings. At times, we’re presented with a propulsive stomper dominated by…

RICHARD CIFERSKY COMING BACK FOR MORE Velvet Music No number Richard Cifersky is a banjoist based in Slovakia. Formerly a member of the band Fragment, he’s toured both in Europe and the U.S. with Dale Ann Bradley, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, and Gold Heart. On this, his third solo album, he follows the template…