Articles

MARK JOHNSON & EMORY LESTER 1863 Bangtown Records Bang CD6 This is a very satisfying release. The theme is music from 150 years ago, a sort of “hit” list from those days. There, of course, was a great bit of turmoil in our land at that time, but the music is imbued with a grace…

DIANA JONES MUSEUM OF APPALACHIA RECORDINGS Goldmine Recordings GMR001 Jones is a singer-songwriter who gathered some of the best sidemen in Nashville at a cabin in East Tennessee and did a live recording of this quiet collection of songs that churns up emotions like an eddy in a mountain stream. She plays guitar and is…

SHOEFLY SIX-FIFTY No Label No Number ShoeFly  has put together a fine mix of tunes and songs that smoothly span the gamut from old-time to bluegrass to classic early country. The CD title reflects the WSM radio station responsible for inspiring so many musicians and exposing  them to the wide variety of traditional music reflected…

THE AMERICAN MANDOLIN METHOD, VOLUME 2—BY BRIAN WICKLUND AND BEN WINSHIP—Mel Bay MB20146BCD. (Mel Bay, #4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069, www.melbay.com.) Regarding the amount of technique presented in this intermediate-level volume of instruction, it needs to be said that there isn’t that much of it. Twenty-two pages comprise the entirety of the teaching and,…

WAYNE & MAX HENDERSON RUGBY, VA Music Maker Relief Foundation MMCD159 Wayne Henderson is a well-known musician and guitar builder from Southwest Virginia. He has played for audiences around the world and has built and/or worked on guitars for such stars as Eric Clapton, Elvis Presley, and Neil Young. In 1995, after a stint at…

THE BAYLEY HAZEN BOYS ANOTHER BLUE RIBBON No Label No Number The “boys” are a trio of seasoned pickers from Vermont and former members the band Gopher Broke Bluegrass. With Steve Wright on guitar, banjo, and vocals, Gary Darling on mandolin and vocals, and Chris Cruger on bass and vocals, they are joined at times…