Articles

Mel Bay 9780786684533. CD included, 88 pp., $22.99. (Mel Bay Publications, #4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069, www.melbay.com.) It’s early in the year, so there’s still plenty of time to get ready for this summer’s festival jam sessions. This book will help you get there. Besides being a talented bluegrass and jazz mandolinist, author Dix…

ANDREW COLLINS CATS AND DOGS Sytesounds SYTE1113  On Cats And Dogs, Ontario’s Andrew Collins delivers 11 original and often delightful bluegrass, classical, and jazz instrumentals working in small ensembles with a variety of talented friends. Collins’ second solo outing, following Little Widgets that earned him a Canadian Folk Music award for Pushing The Boundaries in…

DAVID THOM THAT OLD FAMILIAR Swollen Records SW11016 Listening to “California Is Burning,” “That Old Familiar,” “Fifth Third,” “Windy City,” and, particularly, “My Way Of Saying Goodbye” from vocalist and guitarist David Thom’s new CD, it is easy to see why he was able to land a spot with David Grisman’s Bluegrass Experience. Each of…

BIGFOOT I’VE GOT A BULLDOG Yodel-Ay-Hee No Number    Bigfoot is an old-time band originally formed to compete in the traditional string band contest in Clifftop, W.Va., (the Appalachian String Band Festival in West Virginia) in 2010. They took their name from fiddler Rhys Jones’ swollen foot at the time, and they took first place. Rhys…

CHASING BLUE LOW VALLEY No Label No Number The Boston-based band Chasing Blue hits quickly and decisively on their debut recording of ten original songs. “Come To Me,” the opener, is a winning combination of medium-tempo bluegrass, Americana, and pop, driven along by drums, made intriguing by slippery and swooping vocals from Suzanne Oleson and,…

VARIOUS ARTISTS CHRISTMAS THE MOUNTAIN WAY Rural Rhythm RCH-2016 Rural Rhythm has put together a nicely varied cast for a live bluegrass performance of primarily Christmas music, caught on both CD and DVD in this two-disc 16-cut package. Vocal performers include Audie Blaylock, Dale Ann Bradley, Cumberland River and Cumberland River Academy, the Gulleys, Darron…