Articles

Rhythm guitar is often an  overlooked part of the skill set of the modern bluegrass guitar player.  Many amateur guitar players today spend the majority of their practice time learning and polishing up their solos, often to the detriment of their rhythm playing.  Some even view rhythm as “that thing that you have to do…

There aren’t a lot of brother-sister duos in any genre of music, so when one comes along and has the harmonies of Theo and Brenna MacMillan, music fans should pay attention.  The siblings, who call themselves Theo & Brenna, have released their first full length album on Mountain Fever Records, Dreams For Sale. It has…

Since his start as an original columnist for Flatpicking Guitar Magazine in 1996, Adam Granger has produced an enormous and exceptional body of work for bluegrass guitarists. His book and CD set, Granger’s Fiddle Tunes for Guitar, is claimed to be the largest collection of fiddle tunes in guitar tablature in the world, with more than 500 fiddle…

Cassell was originally from Virginia but now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He is an excellent mandolinist having won championships at places like FrestGrass, Rockygrass, and others. He is also the 2020 IBMA’s “Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year.” He is a founding member of the Circus No. 9 contemporary bluegrass group, and has performed and collaborated…

Irene Kelley is one truly gifted tunesmith who also happens to be blessed with a sweet, expressive voice.  Her many compositions have been recorded by everyone from Rhonda Vincent, Clair Lynch and the Osborne Brothers to Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn and Trisha Yearwood. Kelley’s latest outing is yet another treasure trove of stylistically varied originals…

It’s not often that bands go on a 10-year hiatus and decide to give things another go.  Traditional bluegrass fans should be glad an old gravestone inspired Maine-based Breakin’ Strings to make the trek to Nashville to produce Hangovers & Heartaches. Cliff Gelena, a third generation bluegrass performer, heads up the group with lead vocals,…