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The Roys – Lonesome Whistle
THE ROYS LONESOME WHISTLE Rural Rhythm RUR-1080 Brother-brother mandolin-and-guitar duet-vocal acts have been a cornerstone of the modern bluegrass and traditional country music sound—think of the Monroe Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, the Lilly Brothers, the Louvin Brothers and many others. So perhaps it’s not surprising that a brother-sister mandolin-and-guitar duet-vocal act is becoming a…
Shannon Slaughter – The Sideman Steps Out
SHANNON SLAUGHTER THE SIDEMAN STEPS OUT Elite Circuit Music 001 For nearly twenty years, Shannon Slaughter has played the guitar sideman role, moving from the Lost & Found to Larry Stephenson to Melonie Cannon to the Lonesome River Band and, currently, to Lou Reid and to his own County Clare band. This debut lets him…
Three Ring Circle – Brothership
THREE RING CIRCLE ROB ICKES, ANDY LEFTWICH, DAVE POMEROY BROTHERSHIP ResoRevolution, Inc. 59496 Building on the “ship” pun of the title, it can be said that listening to this recording has more in common with sailing a coastline than sailing across the sea. At sea, the scenery rarely changes, whereas coastal sailing offers something new…
The Westbound Rangers – Southern Bread & Butter For It
THE WESTBOUND RANGERS SOUTHERN BREAD & BUTTER FOR IT No Label No Number Blending elements of modern jamgrass bands like the Avett Brothers, the burbling sounds of old-timey mountain music and even the drum and electric instrument phases of the Osborne Brothers in the 1950s, the Westbound Rangers have created a highly personal and addictive…
The Wronglers with Jimmie Dale Gilmore – Heirloom Music
THE WRONGLERS WITH JIMMIE DALE GILMORE HEIRLOOM MUSIC Neanderthal NR001 The revisiting of older material, much of it traditional, is a theme for several projects this year. This concept album from Jimmie Dale Gilmore and the Wronglers, (the name is a play on a popular dungaree company name) is another project that goes backward to…
Kathy Barwick – In My Life
KATHY BARWICK IN MY LIFE FGMRecords FGM-132 Kathy Barwick first appeared on my radar as the resonator guitarist with the fine northern California bluegrass band, the All-Girl Boys. Since then, she’s been branching out in a variety of other areas, most notably as an instructor and a columnist teaching flatpicking guitar. Based on her first…