This week readers of the San Francisco Chronicle can enjoy a great bluegrass-oriented feature written by Sam Whiting. The article prominently features two bluegrass art forms that have joined and prospered at an East Bay neighborhood English pub, the Kensington Circus
Eastman Guitars is giving away 40 of their AC-420 dreadnoughts, and all you have to do to win is go check one out and fill out a brief survey. Each of their 40 dealers in the US has one of these
Hudson James VanCleve, the third child of Mountain Heart fiddler Jim VanCleve and his lovely wife Desneige, was born at 10:34 p.m. yesterday in Nashville. Jim says that he weighed in at 8 lbs, 3 oz and 20.5 '' long. A hearty
Here's a heartwarming story for a lovely Spring day, sent by our friends at Nechville Musical Products. Trout Fishing In America is the name used by children's entertainers Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood for their duo show, an odd choice for
The International Bluegrass Music Museum has acquired a pair of rare photos of Pendleton Vandiver, Bill Monroe's legendary Uncle Pen, whose fiddle playing was famously remembered in the Monroe song by that name. Big Mon was quoted frequently as saying that
Good news this weekend from Balsam Range. Their fiddler, Buddy Melton, who was injured last week, underwent major facial reconstruction surgery on Sunday in Asheville, NC. Mandolinist Darren Nicholson posted the following this morning on the band's web site. Buddy’s surgery today
This piece is a contribution from Niall Toner, a songwriter, mandolinist, and bandleader who lives in the Blackstairs Mountains in County Carlow. Niall will be recording a new album for Pinecastle Records in Nashville in May and touring the US. I believe it's
This is the second part of a St. Patrick’s Day column. Yesterday was an interview with Richard Hawkins, the editor of the Bluegrass Ireland Blog. Today is an interview with Ronnie Norton, a 2012 graduate of Leadership Bluegrass. Ronnie is a Dublin-based
We all know the story of how bluegrass came to Ireland—how Bill Monroe banished the dreadful snakes and taught three-part harmony with a shamrock. While some may doubt the accuracy of this account, none can dispute the fact that in the
Boston's favorite bluegrass gals, Della Mae, have been selected to participate in the US State Department's American Music Abroad program. A dozen acts were chosen to tour outside the United States, primarily in areas where access to live performances by American
