Articles

LAURIE LEWIS SKIPPIN’ AND FLYIN’ Spruce and Maple Music SMM-2006 Laurie Lewis’ Skippin’ And Flyin’ is one of many tributes to Bill Monroe produced in 2011, to highlight the hundredth anniversary of his birth. Lewis combines a mix of Monroe tunes and a mix of originals and old-time classics with a West Coast twist. The…

REUNION HILL BAND No Label No Number Before I got to track number three, “Fox On The Run,” the Reunion Hill Band already had me thinking about the Country Gentlemen, as well as Jonathan Edwards’ work with the Seldom Scene and Northern Lights. The New Hampshire band similarly mixes hard-edged bluegrass picking with folk-style vocals….

NOTHIN’ FANCY Virginia Dreams Records VDR-5566 This year is already shaping up as a good year for the long-running Virginia bluegrass band Nothin’ Fancy. At the end of last year, they released their ninth CD, the self-titled Nothin’ Fancy and, in February, captured the SPBGMA Entertaining Group Of The Year Award for the fourth time…

ASPEN RUN WANTED No Label No Number Bluegrass fans who think there are no bands left that plow through straight-ahead classics and aren’t afraid to put out an entire album of cover tunes just need to acquaint themselves with Aspen Run, a regional outfit from Maryland. The group has only been together a few short…

SNYDER FAMILY BAND STAGES Mountain Roads MRR-1013 Fans of family bands in bluegrass should be heartened—and should get out their wallets—as they will find Stages, the third release from the Snyder Family Band, a must-have. There is a lot to like about this album—nice song selection, extremely high-quality recording, and nice presentation. However, all of…

VARIOUS ARTISTS HOME CRAFT DAYS FESTIVAL LEGEND & LEGACY 40th ANNIVERSARY Mountain Empire Comm. Coll. No Number This two-CD collection of performances from the Home Craft Days Festival held at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Va., is a good cross section of talent from the southwestern corner of Virginia, southeastern Kentucky, western…