Articles

Who I Am Photos by Sierra Cochran Finding ourselves is a journey that can be hard with a lot of ups and downs along the road. For rising bluegrass star Olivia Jo, she has traversed two different paths in her thirty years. The singer of “Down Life’s Road” drove the country music freeway before doing…

Mandolinist and vocalist Jesse Appelman brings a wide world of musical inspirations and skills to his playing. He is joined by some of the West Coast’s finest musicians: Sami Braman on fiddle, Emily Mann playing bass, and Eli West on guitar. This core group is given some extra verve with guests like Alison de Groot,…

The Briar Finch name comes from the last names of two songwriters from the Olympia, Washington area. Cory Briar sings and plays mandolin and octave mandolin. Erin Finch sings and plays guitar. On this project of original compositions, the pair is joined by Tom Roalkvam on electric bass and Josh Grice on 5-string fiddle. Together,…

Old Music Gets A New Life Discovering music that you have never heard before can be exciting if it is music that lifts your spirit, resonates with your heart and sinks deep into your bones.  For fans of traditional bluegrass and early country music, finding this kind of music today can sometimes be difficult.  Sure, there…

A Treasure of Southern West Virginia I live three doors down from Duffy, and on quiet mornings when I walk the dog past his house, I often hear him playing the sweetest banjo music. It drifts through the porch boards and out into the street, unhurried and warm, the kind of sound that makes you slow your…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine January 1988, Volume 22, Number 7 The parking lot of a shopping center in Carney, Maryland, is neither the choice site to spend a damp Saturday afternoon nor the best place to interview an emerging force in bluegrass music. It doesn’t appear to be a great venue for the sparsely…