Articles

LYNDA DAWSON AND PATTIE HOPKINS TRADITIONAL DUETS No Label No Number    Their bluegrass band, Kickin’ Grass, was supposed to showcase at IBMA in 2012, but the rest of the band couldn’t make it. So Lynda Dawson and Pattie Hopkins decided to perform there as a duo. That led to a tour and now this…

VARIOUS ARTISTS THE PATUXENT BANJO PROJECT: THE BEST OF WASHINGTON, DC/BALTIMORE, MD/NORTHERN VIRGINIA/SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA Patuxent Music CD-250    Where to begin? Perhaps it’s best to start with an overview of what’s here. That would be forty tunes (half are originals; the rest are traditional or covers), one each from forty-two banjo players (two tracks are…

GOAT GLANDS TO RANCH HANDS: THE KFDI STORY—BY ORIN FRIESEN WITH BUD NORMA Rowfant Press 978-1-929731-24-4. Paperback, 225 pp., $19.95. (www.watermarkbooks.com)    Many readers of this magazine will know Orin Friesen from his years in bluegrass and with the IBMA, as a DJ, and a tireless and humble supporter of bluegrass and country music. I…

MEGAN McKAMEY HERE’S YOUR GOODBYE No Label No Number    This young East Tennessee native first picked up the banjo at age nine. She has developed into quite a good player and is currently part of the Tyler Williams Band based in Johnson City, Tenn. She has also become a very good songwriter, as this…

DETOUR GOING NOWHERE FAST Mountain Fever Records MFR140329    Right out of the chute, Detour lets you know they are no-nonsense new bluegrass with drive, taste, great harmonies, and the sweet singing of Missy Armstrong puts the icing on a great cake. The songs are uplifting and draw upon tradition without restating worn-out themes. On…

LEARNING TO FIDDLE, BLUEGRASS STYLE BY NEIL ROSSI—KdV Music kdvb-0001. Two CDs included, 225 pp., spiral-bound, $32.95. (KdV Music, 143 Huntley Rd., Westford, VT 05494, www.kdvmusic.com.) This thorough volume is a wonderful resource for the serious student of bluegrass fiddle. Not a long listing of hot licks or a series of tunes, it is a…