Articles

DARIN AND BROOKE ALDRIDGE FLYING Organic Records OR14822 When you hear the opener “Maybe Just A Little,” you know right away that bluegrass, in the traditional sense, is probably taking a back seat on the recording as a whole. The first notes, played by Darin Aldridge on mandolin, lull you briefly into thinking otherwise, but…

THE TUTTLES WITH A.J. LEE ENDLESS OCEAN Back Studio Records BSR-003 Family bands are the backbone of bluegrass music. From the Monroes to the Stonemans to the Cherryholmes, young pickers have honed their skills in the bosom of family. Jack Tuttle, a much-loved California fiddler, heads up this particular outfit, anchoring his teenagers Molly, Michael,…

THE STETSON FAMILY O WINDING RIVER No Label STET003 The Stetson Family is an Australian quintet with a heavily song-focused approach. The lead vocal and songwriting chores are split fairly evenly between guitarist/resonator guitarist Nadine Budge and guitarist John Bartholomeusz (the latter writing in tandem with banjoist Colin Swan). Budge’s songs have more of an…

ALAN JACKSON THE BLUEGRASS ALBUM EMI Records B0019107-02 After 15 years of thinking about it, country superstar Alan Jackson decided to get down to business and record his dream project. “I think you could take a lot of the songs I wrote and recorded on my albums and convert it over to bluegrass, and you…

STEEP CANYON RANGERS TELL THE ONES I LOVE Rounder Records 11661-9168-2 The collective creativity of the Steep Canyon Rangers shows no sign of weakening, but rather, as the 12 originals here reveal, that it’s rapidly broadening and strengthening. For this new release, the band took their ideas to Woodstock, N.Y., specifically to Levon Helm’s legendary…

BLUEGRASS JAMMING ON BANJO (TIPS, TUNES & TECHNIQUES) BY WAYNE ERBSEN. (Native Ground Books & Music, 109 Bell Rd., Asheville, NC 28805, www.nativeground.com.) If anyone knows how to teach banjo, it’s Wayne Erbsen. His list of books and teaching accomplishments is lengthy. His understanding of how to take a complex subject and break it down…