Author: Lee Zimmerman

Whenever a band releases a covers collection, it’s usually an indication that they needed a stopgap of some sort, a momentary respite prior to the planning of their next proper LP. Indeed, given the fact that Dreams is only the

Many people think of Norway has a cold and foreboding place, a land intersected by fjords and lit by the rays of a midnight sun. Hardly a place where grassicana might find a proper home. So credit the quartet that

It’s not often that a stomach virus can help inspire a song. In Kristi Stanley’s case, it was a bug that forced her to take to her bed while offering the opportunity to meditate on her mother’s memory. She drifted

You could call Sam Bush a musical multi-tasker. A festival fanatic perhaps. A man who never lacks a muse or inspiration. Or, to put it more succinctly, someone who simply loves what he does. How else to explain his constant desire

It’s a credit to the genre and its ability to evolve and find a fit with contemporary audiences that bluegrass — or grassicana as its current incarnation is often referred to — is open to so many methods of interpretation.

Consider Adrian Farmer a musical multi-tasker. All the evidence needed can be found on his new independently released solo album Blue Eyes, an adroit blend of bluegrass, balladry and Celtic inflection. In a sense, it's the perfect mix — vintage

Balsam Range have a lot to brag about. In just over a decade, they’ve managed to accumulate a stellar reputation as one of bluegrass’ best hopes, notching up two IBMA Awards in a single year, one for Entertainer of the

If any one artist typifies the transition from a traditional template to today’s populist precepts, Tony Furtado could be said to fit the bill. In a career that spans nearly 30 years, his reputation has evolved from that of an

The Del McCoury Band - Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass and The Travelin’ McCourys A bluegrass original and his sons and successors opt to release their albums simultaneously, providing a familial connection and clearly synchronistic styles. For his part, Del does what

Canadian duo and Juno Award winners Pharis and Jason Romero may produce their music in the Great White North, but their sound is rooted in the traditions of the American south, a mix of vintage genres that encompasses bluegrass, blues,