Articles

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…

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…

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…

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…

Paul Van Vlodrop hails from Amsterdam in the Netherlands and over the years has become one of Europe’s well-known musicians and artists. He learned to play guitar at an early age, influenced by the popular music of the day by such as the Beatles, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel, and others. Later he…

Dale and Darcy Cahill are joined here by long-time friends Neil Rossi and Will Patton to produce an interesting project of mostly Irish/Celtic flavored instrumental medleys.   Rossi and the Cahills have been playing together for over 15 years in the New England area and are often joined by Patton on bass. Dale plays guitar,…