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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…
Triple Shot
Growing up in Georgia, Reynolds liked rock and roll and performed around her home. While in college she discovered that country and bluegrass were the kinds of music she wanted to sing. In the 2000s, she moved to the Washington, D.C., area, found a home performing with local bluegrass bands and teamed up with banjoist…
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…
Larry McNeely
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine November 1976, Volume 11, Number 5 I first heard of Larry McNeely, as did many others, via the Glen Campbell television show. Every Sunday evening at eight o’clock, I would rush to our set, with recorder in hand, just to hear the ten minute concert section with Glen, Larry and…
The Road of Columbus: Beppe Gambetta Conquers A New World
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine February 1995, Volume 29, Number 8 Its late; sometime after 2 a.m., and a charismatic guitarist with a gap-toothed grin and a full shock of reddish-brown hair and beard still performs for the cheering crowd clustered around the crude stage wedged among the campsites at the Walnut Valley Festival. Of…
The Freight and Salvage Gives Bluegrass A Microphone On The West Coast
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine October 1996, Volume 21, Number 4 Tim O’Brien was just learning the fiddle in 1974 when he got the itch to go to California. He grabbed the instrument, slung a backpack over his shoulder, stuck out his thumb in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and hitchhiked to Berkeley. While checking out the…