Articles

JOE MULLINS AND JUNIOR SISK BLUEGRASS HALL OF FAME Rebel Records CD-1854    The past few years have seen the passing of many of the first generation and the retirement of many of the second-generation bluegrass artists. The music they made formed the foundation for the music we have today. Since change is the only constant,…

HEIDI CLARE & RON THOMASON BYGONE DAYS No Label No Number You won’t find many better partnership for old-time, bluegrass, and classic country music than this. Heidi Clare (formerly of the Reeltime Travelers and more recently the front woman for AtaGallop) and Dry Branch Fire Squad frontman Ron Thomason have joined for a romping ride…

IRENE KELLEY PENNSYLVANIA COAL Patio Records No Number Singer/songwriter Irene Kelley travels through her past on a musical journey with Pennsylvania Coal. The stage is set visually with a photo on the back of the CD of her coal-mining grandfather (to whom she pays tribute) and other miners at the mouth of the Crabtree, Pa.,…

ACOUSTIC STORIES: PICKING FOR THE PREZ (AND OTHER UNAMPLIFIED TALES)—BY BILL AMATNEEK—Vineyards Press, No Number. Second edition, enlarged & revised, $27. (Vineyards Press, P.O. Box 716, Sebastopol, CA 95473, www.vineyardspress.com.) Bassist Bill Amatneek has had an incredible career playing behind artists in a variety of genres, from blues to bluegrass, folk to country rock, and…

DRIVEN YOU’LL BE LONELY, I’LL BE GONE No Label No Number In contrast to their 2011 debut that focused on recasting old standards, Driven has made a complete about face, writing all 12 songs for their follow-up. Ten of those are from bassist Blake McLemore, while banjoist James Campbell contributed the ballad-tune “Matfield Green” and…

SOLO FLATPICKING GUITAR—TAUGHT BY ROLLY BROWN—Stefan Grossman Guitar Workshop GW1012. Ninety minutes, $29.95. (Stefan Grossman Workshop, P.O. Box 802, Sparta, NJ 07871, www.guitarvideos.com.) While readers here may be more interested in playing within the context of a band, this ninety-minute DVD on solo flatpicking guitar techniques is a valuable and well-taught introduction to the fundamentals…