Author: John Lawless

Bill Amatneek has had quite a career playing bass and banjo in and around bluegrass and acoustic music. He was visible in the 1970s with Vern and Ray, and left a permanent mark as bassist on the seminal debut album

In their sneak peek video last month, Compass Records revealed that one of the tracks featured on the upcoming Bankesters CD, Love Has Wheels, is what has become known as The Cups Song. The actual song title is When I'm

Regular readers will recall our earlier coverage of mandolin icon Herschel Sizemore and his recent bout with cancer. Both he and his wife Joyce received cancer diagnoses the same day in October 2011, his in the tonsil and hers in

As the bluegrass genre grows to include more and more offshoots in the mind of the average consumer, traditionalists can be found grousing about the dilution of the art form, or the importance of maintaing definitions and categories. But while

Colorado's Finnders & Youngberg have a new EP with an intriguing title. I Don't Want Love You Won't Give Until I Cry offers a half dozen new songs written within the band, recorded in banjo picker Aaron Youngberg's studio. Talk

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the stage schedule for their inaugural Wide Open Bluegrass Festival, September 27-28. The festival follows their three-day business conference in Raleigh, NC, and takes the place of what was previously billed as Fan

Innovative banjoist Jen Kruger has been named as the 2013 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. The prize, created and endowed by Martin, includes a $50,000 honorarium and, typically, opportunities to perform both

Back in June we posted about a clever iOS app called Banjo Rolls Trainer, offered for $1.99 in the Apple App Store. It was developed by Czech banjo player Jiri Marlalous to give banjo students and players something a bit more interesting

To celebrate their 10th Anniversary last year, North Carolina's Kickin Grass Band scheduled a live concert recording at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, released earlier this Summer as Live At The Carolina Theatre. The album perfectly captures the band's stage show, which

Noted reso-guitarist Bev King's music store and theater in Clarksville, AR will be offered for sale at auction this weekend. Properties include both the Country Heritage Music Store and its contents (instruments, fixtures), and the adjoining Country Music Heritage Barn