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One great thing about bluegrass culture is that even the most modern artists appreciate the music of the earlier days, while the more orthodox players enjoy what the more contemporary pickers are doing. Here's a great example of that young meets old, progressive meets traditional vibe. It's a video of Boston's Jacob Jolliff Band, made up of [...]
North Carolina fiddler Tim Smith is back with a second album under the title, Fiddler Tim Smith & Friends - Volume 2. Like its namesake, this record combines Smith's clever original instrumentals with popular standards and a couple of Gospel classics. Also like his previous effort, Smith surrounds himself with a core band in the [...]
Five string banjo pickers in the US, especially here in my home state of Virginia, typically know a little something about Joel Sweeney of Appomattox. He was an early popularizer of the banjo in the pre-Civil War south, often using the blackface stage personna now reviled as inappropriate and uncouth. That aside, his embrace of the [...]
The 2016 edition of Bluegrass First Class was held this past weekend at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville, NC. Everyone seemed to have a fine time enjoying the music and the lovely surroundings, with the possible exception of one banjo player. Gena Britt had finished her set with Grasstowne on Saturday afternoon, and took a [...]
Every bluegrass festival has its surprises, and Friday at Palatka was no exception. The day started with an open stage. Two youngsters went out and played several tunes on guitar and mandolin – and very well. The boys are 11 year old Aaron Koch and his 15 year old brother Justin. Aaron has only been playing [...]
