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Anna Frick

Mastering: The Final Gut Check Even if you have never been in a recording studio, you probably have a sense of the recording process at its most rudimentary level.  Set out a microphone, play or sing into it and a machine records the sounds.  Of course, there is much more to both the art and…

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Justin Freeman (guitar), Troy Jackson (bass), Amelia Freeman (mandolin), Savannah Hardin (guitar), Elijah Freeman (banjo) and Daniel Hardin (banjo). Amelia, Savanna, Elijah and Daniel are all High Lonesome Strings scholarship winners. Photo by Pammy Davis Lassiter

High Lonesome Strings Bluegrass Association

High Lonesome Strings (HLS), the central North Carolina-based bluegrass club, has been in existence for almost 27 years. Pammy Davis Lassiter founded the musical organization in July 1997. It has been going strong and growing ever since with a current enrollment of 202 members. Board member Lassiter, who still handles membership, the G Run Newsletter,…

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Orin Friesen in his studio. Photo by Jesse Friesen.

A Broadcast Legend

Bluegrass Radio Show Hits the 50 Year Mark While various areas of the Appalachian region are considered the main hotbed for bluegrass music, there are other faraway parts of the U.S. where the music is appreciated and thrives. One excellent example of this is Orin Friesen’s bluegrass radio show, which has been broadcast from Kansas…

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Let It Burn

This sweet-voiced veteran Australian songbird has been called Australia’s “Queen of Bluegrass,” and it’s hard to argue with that handle, based on her latest release. It’s a masterful mainstream bluegrass outing full of fine performances and memorable songs. Cox, who topped the Billboard bluegrass charts with her seventh album back in 2020, kicks things off…

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Mohavisoul

Mohavisoul is based in the San Diego area and takes its name from California’s Mojave Desert. While the band’s musical approach is contemporary, it recognizes its bluegrass roots in both the song writing and arrangements of covers.  The band consists of Randy Hanson (mandolin), Mark Miller (guitar), Orion Boucher (bass), and Jason Weiss (banjo). They…

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Travis Book, Andy Falco, Cris Jacobs, Jerry Douglas, Chris Pandolfi (with back to camera) and Andy Hall in the studio. // Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins

On The Fringe

Bands Blurring the Lines of Bluegrass The genius of Cris Jacobs has always been his chameleon-like ability to float between genres and musical styles, making each his own.  From the rambunctious jamband energy of his first band The Bridge, to New Orleans funk and his collaboration with Ivan Neville, to his soulful brand of rock,…

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