Articles

EIGHT DOLLAR MOUNTAIN TIED TO THE TRACKS No Label EDM 003 Eight Dollar Mountain’s third CD might be called Tied To The Tracks, but nothing in terms of enthusiasm or musicianship is held down or back. This Oregon-based band is a talented outfit especially successfully in rolling off the well-traveled bluegrass tracks into the new…

JIMMY GAUDREAU & MOONDI KLEIN IF I HAD A BOAT Rebel Records REB-CD-1853 If you’ve ever wondered what the old brother duos would sound like were they performing today, the new recording from Gaudreau and Klein (their third together) might provide a hint. There would be, of course, music that reflects more recent stylistic developments….

FRONT COUNTRY SAKE OF THE SOUND No Label No Number One of the highlights of IBMA’s World of Bluegrass for me is time spent at the California Bluegrass Association suite, and one of the highlights of time spent there is watching and learning about bands from the West Coast that are new to the scene….

THE WILLIS CLAN CHAPTER TWO: BOOTS No Label No Number For the second chapter of this family band’s musical book, they turn to the pages of old-time country and bluegrass. Chapter Two: Boots is the sequel to the Willis Clan’s debut album, Chapter One: Roots, focusing on traditional Irish music. You may recall this Irish-American…

THE SPINNEY BROTHERS TRIED & TRUE Mountain Fever Records MFR140812 By now, listeners pretty much know what to expect from a Spinney Brothers recording. The brothers have found what works, and they adhere to it, refining and improving when need be, but largely following in the groove that got them where they are. Hence the…

BILLY STRINGS AND DON JULIN FIDDLE TUNE X No Label No Number Ordinarily, recordings with this many standards elicit a general yawn. What saves it is the technical skill level of the performers—Billy Strings on guitar and lead vocals and Don Julin on the mandolin and occasional harmony. What really saves it, lifting it to…