While today's populist precepts may account for modern bluegrass music's progressive leanings, pushing those parameters and getting any guarantee that it would be embraced didn't happen overnight. It took imagination and inspiration to transform what was many consider, and wish
The Blue Plate Special, a free midday showcase for live music offered five days a week by Knoxville radio station WDVX, has become a venerable tradition in this music-centric city. No matter whether the artists are established or up-and-coming, the
France's Boom Ditty Band have invested an inordinate amount of time and expertise into their endeavors, and in the ten years since the group was founded, the results of that investment have clearly paid off. Banjo player Romain Luzet sums things
Some folks would say that Lindsay Craven has the best job imaginable. After all, as the Artist Relations Manager for MerleFest, she's the person responsible for booking the artists that play that fabled festival year after year. Still, while some
Only the most talented artists can effectively tread between past and present, and at the same time, attempt to foresee the future. Consequently, one must credit Yonder Mountain String Band with maintaining their reverence for the roots, while keeping their
James Reams' reputation as an auteur devoted to bluegrass and other traditional American musical forms is well established. Known to many as the "Ambassador of Bluegrass," he's plied his skills for the better part of the past 35 years. He’s
One wouldn’t necessarily expect that serving a stint in Antartica would be the inspiration for making music, and bluegrass music in particular. Yet for Joey Capoccia, vocalist and guitarist of the Olympia, Washington-based band, The Pine Hearts, it did just
Andrew Crawford bills himself as "a career guitarist, instructor, singer, songwriter, and producer from South Carolina." But in truth, he's more than that. In addition to the time he's spent touring, teaching and recording, he's also shared stages and studios
Thomm Jutz and Tammy Rogers may operate in slightly different spheres, but Surely Will Be Singing, their aptly dubbed new album— and their first effort as a duo — makes its clear they are solidly in sync. Rogers, lead singer and
Bluegrass, like any form of popular music, is at its best when it's lively, upbeat and given a populist perspective. That's the kind of music Chris Castino appears to revel in, as his new LP clearly indicates. His earlier efforts
