Articles

For thoroughbred racing, it’s the Kentucky Derby. Golf has the Masters. The greatest spectacle in racing? The Indianapolis 500. Traditional bluegrass? That’s Bean Blossom. Only a handful of bluegrass festivals have accomplished as much and lasted so long to have achieved first-name status among the bluegrass and old-time country faithful. Names like Galax, Winfield, Telluride….

The Camp Guy If you have attended any of the popular bluegrass music camps that occur around the country every year, you have probably met Keith Yoder. Keith has been an instructor at Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Camp, Colorado Roots Music Camp, Merlefest Jam Camp, NimbleFingers, Strawberry Jam Camp, Acoustic Music Camp, Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp,…

This Owensboro, Kentucky-based band’s second album is one of those projects where all the pieces fall almost magically together. This owes to Kentucky Shine’s fine singing, playing and songwriting as well as their sure-handed grasp of the music’s thematic and instrumental traditions. Night Watch features two covers. One is a revival of the Osborne Brothers’…

When it comes to the nearly all-original material on this Milwaukee-based band’s second album, the term youthful exuberance comes to mind. The MilBillies’ (that’s with a CAPITAL “B,” mind you!) music is shot through with humor, rowdiness, wild times and angst. There’s an almost punkish, hard-partying edge to some of the ragged vocals, frenetic playing…

Appalachian Reign was formed in 1975 by Washington, DC area musician Tom Knowles. Between 1976 and 1984 Knowles and the band played many of the DC area venues, clubs and festivals. This project is a retrospect of those years that Knowles had the band and the cuts are culled from cassette tapes of some of…

Maryland’s Roger Cline has put together a nice collection of mostly original material on this new project of stories about bravery, courage, tenacity and about those who have it. He is joined here by a host of musicians including: Scott Freeman (mandolin), Debbie Durant & Tom Hensler (bass), Gary Hultman (resonator guitar), John Scott Walker…