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Far Afield
Miles Zurawell hails from British Columbia, Canada, and learned piano and guitar in his younger years. While in college he was introduced to the music of Bill Monroe and discovered the banjo and resonator guitar. Studying that instrument with such players as Ian Rosenberg and Mike Witcher, he soon developed his own style and presentation. …
If It Wasn’t For Longing
This is a five-piece band from Pennsylvania that features Katelynn Casper (fiddle), Quentin Fisher (mandolin), Michael Johnson (guitar), Steve Leonard (banjo) and Shane McGeehan (bass). Keeping to their love for the pioneers of bluegrass music, the group has produced a mix of original tunes with a cross section of other sources for this really nice…
Off The Shelf
The ‘collective’ was formed by John Gray (banjo, guitar, mandolin) and Bailey Warren (fiddle), who are both alumni of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. After performing by themselves for a while, they decided to expand the band and were joined by some other alumni of Belmont, including Ali Vance (vocal), Jonny Therrien (guitar, resonator guitar),…
The Jade Green Farm Workshop and Concert Series
If you’re looking for opportunities to develop, hone and expand your music making skills in a group setting on a lovely 10-acre farmstead, Dan Miller, editor of Bluegrass Unlimited, is offering jam sessions, concerts, and multi-day workshops at Jade Green Farm, a newish venue in Harrisburg, Missouri, that he has been working on creating since…
Allegheny Echoes Week
Teaches Bluegrass and Old Time Music in the Heart of the Mountains Last year I had the chance to visit the long-running Allegheny Echoes Week, an acclaimed instructional camp that has featured bluegrass and old-time music workshops every June for 27 years. The gathering takes place at the Marlinton Motor Inn, outside the small town of…
Patch of Blue by Claire Lynch
A great song can be deeply personal yet decidedly universal in its ability to touch listeners. “Patch of Blue,” written by Claire Lynch and released on her award-winning Dear Sister album (2013, Compass Records), is a case in point. It wasn’t a hit single. It isn’t the fastest, grassiest number on the album. Instead, it’s…