Articles

RICKY SKAGGS AND KENTUCKY THUNDER MUSIC TO MY EARS Skaggs Family Records 6989010132 This latest release from Ricky Skaggs begins with a slow, relaxed, but punchy  version of “Blue Night,” followed by a rousing version of Don Stover’s  classic “Things In Life,”  with Ricky supplying some nice clawhammer banjo work. “You Can’t Hurt Ham” is…

BLUEGRASS BLUESMAN: JOSH GRAVES, A MEMOIR—EDITED BY FRED BARTENSTEIN—University of Illinois Press 9780252078644. Foreword by Neil Rosenberg, 133 pp., $21.95. (Univ. Of Illinois Press, Chicago Distribution Ctr., 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628, press.uillinois.edu.) Yet another must-read book from the University of Illinois Press. Readers of this magazine don’t need to be reminded of…

BOB MINNER THERE & BACK & BACK AGAIN Missouriboy Music No Number When you see a group of performers play, you often don’t have the opportunity to truly hear the skills of each individual. You listen to the blended ensemble with some solo breaks thrown in. That’s one of the reasons it’s such a joy…

LINDSAY LOU & THE FLATBELLYS RELEASE YOUR SHROUDS Earthwork Music EW2301 Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys are a fresh new voice in modern bluegrass, with driving instrumentals and a straight-from-the-still quality to Lindsay’s voice that gives the project a strong sense of authenticity and heritage. Starting off with “Hat’s Off,” the entire band lays down…

KATHY KALLICK BAND TIME Live Oak 580 Kathy Kallick, an esteemed veteran of the thriving West Coast bluegrass community, shines on her 17th album, not only as a singer and songwriter, but as a bandleader, as well. Time is very much an ensemble project, with Kallick and her four bandmates all making major contributions to…

THE EARL BROTHERS OUTLAW HILLBILLY No Label No Number The best way to describe the San Francisco-based Earl Brothers is that they are a rough-cob bluegrass band. It is a group that values the old sound, even the pre-bluegrass Charlie Poole-era. Some might say the Earl Brothers are too raw for a few musical taste…