The White House and Congress are negotiating the details of emergency aid that will likely include money for musicians and others who participate in the so-called gig economy. President Trump said this afternoon that the size of checks mailed to Americans
IBMA is likely to push back the start of ticket sales and hotel rooms for World Of Bluegrass 2020, but some key deadlines won’t be changed and are fast approaching. “While it is likely we will push back ticketing and registration
MerleFest officials said Monday that the acclaimed Chris Austin Songwriting Contest will held, in a slightly altered format, even though MerleFest itself has been canceled for 2020 because of the coronavirus. The first contest judges waded through a record 1,065 entries
IBMA is closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak but isn’t taking action just yet related to the 2020 World of Bluegrass celebration in Raleigh this fall. “As of right now, there are no plans to cancel” the conference, IBMA said in a
Kevin Prater is kicking off his 40th year in the bluegrass business and 13th as a bandleader with some new faces in his Kevin Prater Band. Veteran pickers Gary Isenhour (guitar and vocals) and Tim Goins (resophonic guitar) are touring with
If you asked musicians who knew him to describe the late singer-songwriter Mickey Clark in just one word, there’d be choices such as “authentic,” “inspirational,” and “mentor.” Bluegrass singer-songwriter Aaron Bibelhauser uses all three when he mentions Clark. And he’s doing
Usually around this time of year, cabin fever gets to me. In anticipation of the coming festival season, I play a little game, creating an imaginary festival and deciding what bands what I would invite. It’s a fun exercise, especially since
Songwriters often toil in obscurity, relegated to the fine print on CD covers, or sharing their creations with a handful of listeners and fans in writer rounds, hoping to sell a few CDs. But every once in a while, one of
I’ve been at this reviewing game for a decade now, and for most of that time I’ve assembled some sort of best-of list at the end of the year. For a while now, it’s been Dave’s Dozen. And it still
Hearing a CD from The Grascals for the first time is like having an old friend drop by. Even if you haven’t seen each other for a while, you know just what to expect and get comfortable right off the
