Articles

BREAKING GRASS RUNNING WITH THE MOON No Label No Number Sometimes a recording contains a song that stops you short. The rest of the songs may vary from merely okay on up to really good, but that one track won’t let you go. Such is the case with the second release from Breaking Grass, an…

ACOUSTIC BLUE BEIN’ COUNTRY Bishop Hill Records BHR 2012 Acoustic Blue, a four-man band from the Berkshire Mountains of New England, has been nothing if not prolific over the last several years, producing albums in 2006, 2007, 2009, a live DVD in 2010, and then an album per year over the next three years, culminating…

WALT KOKEN SITTIN’ IN THE CATBIRD’S SEAT Mudthumper Music MM-0071 Walt Koken was an original member of the Highwoods String Band, a highly influential old-time string band in the 1970s. There, he played fiddle. In the past twenty years or so, he has gotten back into playing the banjo more. Here he plays some fine…

NIGHTFLYER Kang Records kr0309 This is a very enjoyable production from this powerful southwestern Ohio quintet. Lead singer and guitarist Richard Propps shows off the considerable abilities he has gleaned from his time as a Southern gospel singer. Rick Hayes, who has acquired a Highlight Review in these Bluegrass Unlimited pages, is a tremendous bandmember…

VARIOUS ARTISTS THE NEW YOUNG FOGIES, VOLUME ONE No Label No Number In the early 1990s, old-time music was mainly available on cassette, particularly for the contemporary music of that time. In order to get it on CD, there were a few compilations such as a joint project between Old-Time Music And Radio and Rounder…

BYRON BERLINE THANKS BILL MONROE Double Stop Music No Number Byron Berline played fiddle with Mr. Monroe for a spell in the 1960s, recording “Virginia Darlin’,” “Sally Goodun,” and “Gold Rush” during his tenure. About the same time, he recorded an all fiddle tune album with the Dillards and with these recordings, he became one…