Current Issue April 2021
The Tradition
Bluegrass has been beset with the recent passing of a number talented members of our community. In lieu of our regular “Notes and Queries” column, we use the space this…
Traveling the Hillbilly Highway On January 29, 2021, Smithsonian Folkways, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution released “Readin’, Rightin’, Route 23.” The song is performed by Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers,…
Joe Mullins began to recognize the power of music to bridge traditions and create new communities while listening to his father Paul “Moon” Mullins, a radio broadcaster and accomplished fiddle…
This is an excerpt from Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy (edited by Fred Bartenstein and Curtis W. Ellison, © 2021 by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.…
The Artists
Justin and Sierra aren’t quite sure when their first meeting was. She had seen him play at local festivals with Kentucky Wind. He remembers meeting her at an IBMA convention…
Photo by Shelly Swanger “There’s something intimate about knowing people in the audience and nerve wracking a little bit,” instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Sierra Hull said, chuckling. The night before her interview with Bluegrass…
The Quiet Assassin Photo by Shelly Swanger Multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses excels at picking anything with strings. As an in-demand sideman, the modest musician lets his unassuming talents do the talking. “I…
Influencing Generations of Bluegrass Pickers Jack Tuttle is a multi-instrumentalist, author, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area who has the distinction of being one of, if not…
The Sound
For Over 50 Years, Great Homespun Artists Have Taught Us How to Play Music For many bluegrass musicians who have tried to improve their skills over the last 50 years…
Video Instruction for the 21st Century If you are a banjo, mandolin, or guitar player and spend any amount of time on YouTube, you will know about Banjo Ben Clark. …
The Venue
Building Bluegrass Community Music camps and workshops provide students with an opportunity to interact with, and learn directly from, professional musicians and music heroes. While at camp, students also have…
