Author: John Lawless

Have you ever visited a mail art exhibit? Are you familiar with the form? Generically, mail art is anything that can be or is sent via the postal system to a specific destination. These days, it refers to "found art" sent in

Even wonder how someone gets into luthiery? In this video, Ken Hooper explains how he got interested in building guitars for bluegrass players, as he shows us around his shop in Elkin, NC.

Gary Reid has long had a reputation as a serious student of The Stanley Brothers. Having written the liner notes for several CD editions of Stanley music, both Carter and Ralph's and Ralph's alone, his name is closely associated with theirs. He's also

Buddy Merriam & Back Roads are set to release their 8th CD on October 1. Merriam, noted as an original purveyor of the Bill Monroe mandolin style, has written dozens of tunes for his instrument, and kept his group together for

As popular music keeps getting bigger, brighter, louder and more bombastic, we see more and more people drop off the other end. Looking for an expression of something genuine - something that can touch them using words and music, without laser lights, exploding

Since 1939 Renfro Valley, Kentucky has been synonymous with good, old fashioned country, bluegrass and gospel music. What started out as a barn dance has grown into a massive entertainment and shopping complex that receives visitors from all over the

There's no harmonica in bluegrass! David Naiditch has been known to joke that harmonica players are about as welcome at bluegrass festivals as the mosquitoes that come out to gnaw on the jammers. He may be right, though I suspect that he

Nick DiSebastian has just released a transcription book that accompanies Adam Steffey's New Primitive album. It includes standard notation, tablature, and chords for all 13 tracks on the album. This album was something of a departure for Steffey, who had made

Larry Stephenson has announced a new single, the title track from his upcoming album, Pull Your Savior In. It's a new song of Larry's, a driving bluegrass Gospel number recorded with his early 2014 touring band (Kenny Ingram on banjo,

Well done Miss Kentucky! Last night, during preliminaries at the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, NJ, Ramsey Carpenter took first place in the talent competition for her fiery fiddle medley of Sally Gooden and Orange Blossom Special. As the talent