Author: Lee Zimmerman

You would expect that any group of musicians who refer to themselves as Bent Mountain would stay true to that handle by sharing a sound that might have easily have come from hills and heights. Consequently, it stands to reason

The next installment in his American Stories series, Appalachia finds acclaimed singer and songwriter Grant Maloy Smith digging deep into his family roots, sharing songs that celebrate a place where his forebears first established their homestead some 200 years ago.

Sweden's Blue Mountain Boys describe their sound as "rooted in traditional and neo-traditional American bluegrass music with hints of old time music, western swing and early country music." Even so, they don't negate the musical influences inherent in their own

If the husband-wife duo, Nefesh Mountain, were any other group pursuing their craft, they'd simply be cited as an exceptional outfit, bearing the sole subtext that they happen to operate under the auspices of bluegrass and grassicana. Yet the fact

Michael Kelly is a singer and songwriter. There's nothing unusual about that, of course. The music biz is littered with singer/songwriters, most of whom are desperately vying for public attention. What separates folks like Kelly from the competition is not

Often described as a "Jewgrass" band due to the commitment and connection to their religion and upbringing, Nefesh Mountain’s Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff manage to dismiss any disparities between ethnicity and the essence of abject grassicana. So too, as

Grace van't Hof and Conner Vlietstra — a.k.a. Sinner Friends — take their traditions seriously. Both musicians are seeped in the sounds of vintage bluegrass and the seminal styles of country, ragtime, Gospel, and other musical forms culled from old-time authenticity. Of

Better known as the land of the midnight sun than as a place where the grass grows blue, Norway has nevertheless managed to spawn a band that stays true to tradition despite the seeming disparity between Scandinavia and Appalachia. Based in

Band names can be a funny thing. Consequently, Canada's Concession 23 naturally inspires some curiosity as to how their handle originated. Fortunately, vocalist and mandolin player, Kevin Golka, has a ready explanation. "When we formed the band, we wanted it to

Given the angst and uncertainty the world has encountered over the past 18 months, Waiting Out the Storm would seem to be an apt title for Billy Droze's latest release. Then again, Droze knows a little something about longevity and