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BUDDY MERRIAM AND BACK ROADS THE FARM Lily Pad Records #535  Buddy Merriam and Back Roads open their seventh recording with a gently-insistent, minor-key original called “New Echota.” With its descending chord pattern and droning ’60s rock-instrumental feel, it makes for a captivating introduction. Yes, it’s a little long given its repetitive form, but it…

KITTY AMARAL FIDDLE GEMS String Dreams SD-101 This young lady has been garnering attention with her fiddling over the past four years, even playing on the Grand Ole Opry about the time of this writing. Kitty moved with her family to the mountains of Southwest Virginia and came to know a fiddling neighbor, Jerry Correll….

THE CROWE BROTHERS FORTY YEARS OLD Mountain Fever Records MFR 141028 With the release of Forty Years Old, the Crowe Brothers, Josh and Wayne, do a nice job of straddling the line between country and bluegrass. Using bluegrass instrumentation (Wayne on bass, Josh on guitar, Steve Sutton on banjo and dojo, Brian Blaylock on mandolin,…

ART ROSENBAUM’S OLD-TIME BANJO BOOK BY ART ROSENBAUM Mel Bay MB30494DP. (Mel Bay, 4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069, www.melbay.com.) This is an exciting new book and DVD from one of the modern masters of old-time banjo. Rosenbaum is retired from the University of Georgia after a long career as an art professor. He’s widely…

TURNING GROUND CELL OF MINE No Label No Number Eastern Kentucky is a place of pressure. Geologically and sociologically, the region is known for the power that comes from that pressure that makes for coal and great music. These fellows sure bring that power to their music. Racing out of the starting gate, the Arnett…

SAVAGE FIDDLER METHOD BOOK AND ONLINE LESSON METHOD BY ANNIE SAVAGE No Label, No Number. (www.savagefiddler.com) This books compliments the many files found on Annie Savage’s website. There was no password included with this book, so the opportunity to view the online tools was not fully realized. Each tune is taught with the following steps….