Author: David Morris

She calls herself “a label’s worst nightmare” – a bit too country for bluegrass and a bit too grassy for country. So Stacy Grubb is using Kickstarter to try to raise funds for her new CD. The West Virginia songbird has

Flat-picking guitar wizard Clay Hess has parted ways with Sierra Hull and Highway 111 and is putting together his own band for the 2012 festival season. Clay's last gig with Sierra was Dec. 10. He called his departure "kind of a

A lot of fine pickers are nominated for IBMA awards every year, and a chosen few get to cross the stage and pick up a statue. But with five or six nominees in a category, that still leaves plenty of

Bluegrass is alive and well throughout Europe, and much of the music crossing the pond is fresh, energetic and memorable. The latest evidence is found in the sophomore release from Sweden’s Downtown Ramblers, On the Other Side of the City. The

Many new bands throw a recording project together, use it to reach promoters and hit the road to perform and sell copies. Kati Penn and NewTown took a different approach – touring and playing for three years, honing their craft

With Leigh Gibson running off to join a bluegrass supergroup, older brother Eric is planning a solo tour. Calm down, everybody. It’s just for one night. Leigh is heading for Huron, S.D., this weekend for some pheasant hunting and a Tuesday night

Frank Wakefield spent a lot of time Saturday night telling people how lousy he is. “I’m the world’s worst mandolin player,” he told a full house in Garrett Park, Md. “If you don’t believe it, just ask me.” Later, after the

Sometimes simple is best. But every once in a while, you crave something with a little spice or some frills. I’m stuck with that craving after repeated listenings to Missy Werner’s latest project, Three Kinds of Lonesome. It’s a solid effort

Steve Bryant was already thinking a lot about all the fun he had in bluegrass a couple of decades ago. A trip to IBMA’s Fanfest this year sealed the deal. “I’d like to get reacquainted with bluegrass,” Steve told me over

Missy Raines, who has faced more than her share of criticism for straying beyond the bounds of bluegrass in recent years, is in the formative stages of putting together a new album that won’t appease any of her critics. The idea