Articles

A lot of students are turning to YouTube to learn how to play their instruments these days.  The upside is that it doesn’t cost anything.  The downside is that there typically is not a well-designed step-by-step learning method presented with an effective multi-media approach to learning foundational material and theory along with a progressive method…

This five-piece band out of Austin, Texas has a unique and compelling sound that draws from bluegrass as well as old-timey Appalachian music and country-folk.  Lead singer Rose Lichtenfels, who hails from Virginia, has a captivating voice marked by emotional nuance and provocative phrasing. At times, she sounds reminiscent of the Carter Family; at other…

Although I love to read books and do so for a few hours every day, I’m going to have to admit that I do not spend much time reading fiction.  I tend to be a non-fiction reader in the realms of music history, science, and philosophy.  However, when author Trish Doll sent me her new…

John Cowan, formerly of the Newgrass Revival, is one of the most distinctive and versatile singers to emerge from modern bluegrass. In recent years, he’s kept a high-profile touring with the rock band, the Doobie Brothers. Andrea Zonn, with whom Cowan partners on this album, is an equally impressive and versatile vocalist and fiddle player….

Workshop Weekend Over the weekend of February 7-8-9, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky held its first Bluegrass Unlimited Workshop Weekend.  Eight instructors traveled to Owensboro to teach a group of 50 eager students how to improve their picking and singing skills.  The instructors included Alan Munde (banjo), Maddie Denton…

The Pursuit of a Passion A decade ago Taylor Mullins decided to replace the pickguard on his treasured Takamine dreadnought.  Solving that seemingly simple problem subsequently immersed Taylor in a world of celluloid manufacturers, swirl patterning, adhesives, CNCs, and pickguard design – as well as marketing – that has coalesced into Holter Pickguards (www.holterpickguards.com).  “I…