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IssueM Articles
Bluegrass from a Coffee Can
The 60th Anniversary of Suwanee, Georgia’s Everett’s Music Barn “We had a lot of company” Rena (Everett) McDaniel reflected. “It seemed normal to stay up until four, five, or six o’clock on Sunday morning because there were still people here playing…right outside my bedroom door.” She was relating childhood memories of her life in the…
Sullivan Banjos
Putting The Fun In Banjos All Photos Courtesy of Eric Sullivan “Banjos = fun” is the lifelong philosophy of one American luthier. “Sullivan Banjos is fairly recent,” its current proprietor, Eric Sullivan of Alabama, shared during a recent interview. “It started in 1970 when Dad (Bill Sullivan) was working at General Electric in the tool and…
Mike Scott
50 YEARS OF BANJO You might call Mike Scott of Gallatin, Tennessee, a golden boy. Always smiling, always picking, the banjoist is celebrating 50 years of performance. This is his golden anniversary in the music business. “Fans can look forward to more songs, recordings and perhaps a book,” Scott relayed. A busy man, he definitely…
The Only Sunshine
By Jody Stecher Beautiful and unusual instrumentation, rare points of view, and intricate, natural imagery come together to create “The Only Sunshine,” an atypical love song written by Jody Stecher and released in December 2023 on his album Mile 77. The writer behind this powerful statement song has a musical career that spans decades and…
Bluegrass Music: Coming Full Circle
An Interview with Randy Lanham, Education Director, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum How do people learn to play bluegrass music, or any type of music for that matter? Is it handed down from generation to generation? Do they teach it in school? Private Lessons? Group Lessons? Jam Sessions? Or are today’s options for…
On The Fringe
Bands Blurring the Lines of Bluegrass “I tell people we are the tradition of bluegrass, the attitude of punk rock and the culture of hip hop,” explains Kenny Feinstein (singer, multi-instrumentalist) of Water Tower. That declaration perfectly sums up the unconventional musical personality of Water Tower, a Los Angeles-based string-band that is keeping old-timey, traditional…