Articles

Tim May and Steve Smith had met while teaching at Camp Bluegrass in 2012; a friendship was sparked that would ignite an enduring musical journey. Five albums and a slew of shows across the country have ensued in the following years, leading up to their latest duo album Hillsboro Bay Incident.  Like their predecessors such…

One could say that Sourwood is truly an international band. While based in Ontario, Canada, other members are from Chicago and Los Angeles in the US. From Ontario are Lucas Last (vocals, guitar), Larry Johnson (banjo), and Last’s wife, Aubrey (guest vocals). Liam Lewis (mandolin) and Olivia Briedenthal (fiddle) come up from Los Angeles, and…

For many years, John D’Agostino has been a prominent force in the music scene of Columbia, Missouri—a town smack dab between St. Louis and Kansas City. Columbia was home to the Roots and Blues Music festival, which hosted an array of blues, folk, country, and soul artists.  Being a college town, Columbia is also home…

In 1975, John Cowan, the newest member and lead vocalist of New Grass Revival, a band that would come to forever alter people’s perception of an entire genre of American music, walked into the Doo Wop Shop in Louisville, Kentucky, picked up a 1962 Olympic White Fender Jazz bass and immediately fell in love with…

The 145s (one forty-fives) are four Chicago-area musicians who got together in 2022 when they decided to combine their love of bluegrass music and its various styles and form a band. Led by Andy Miller (mandolin), the group includes Laird Patten (banjo), Elizabeth Loring (bass), and John Huber (guitar). Also on this project are guest…

At the end of the title track that opens her debut solo album Travel On, Vickie Vaughn calls, “My turn!” She may simply be taking the last break, but she effectively announces her time has come for bigger adventures too. Vaughn, named IBMA Bass Player of the Year for three consecutive years, still holds down…