Skip to content
Before starting to festival mode this morning, I discovered that this area has loads to offer folks who might be interested in hiking around, checking out waterfalls, etc. (For info about such things one can contact www.HuyakPreserve.org.) With help from one of their friendly members, I was turned on to some great trails and a [...]
It's no secret that many a bluegrass instrumentalist has found themselves fascinated by the music of J.S. Bach. The symmetry, clarity of form, and contrapuntal accents of his compositions have their counterparts in bluegrass and modern string music, though our harmony is typically a bit more traditional. There have been many banjo or guitar arrangements [...]
West coast mandolin master John Reischman has a new album of instrumental music, which he calls Walk Along John. Like his varied career, the album's 14 named tracks (with one secret) feature the stylistic mix his many admirers have come to expect. There's blazing bluegrass, stately old time melodies, and even reckless, seat-of-the-pants improvgrass. To [...]
Punch Brothers are taking the summer off for the most part, with several members using the time to tour on their own. The band has but three shows scheduled as a group: at the Spoleto Festival in May, and at Telluride and ROMP in June. Chris Thile will be working a string of dates with [...]
It was announced a few months ago that bluegrass' own Chris Thile will be awarded a MacArthur genius grant. Congratulations. There isn't a more deserving artist. But hold your applause. His award is eclipsed by the honor he is receiving this week: An Album Of The Week! (Now you can applaud, toss your hats, throw [...]
Congratulations to Steep Canyon Rangers, whose Nobody Knows You album was just announced as the winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for the Best Bluegrass Album. The Goat Rodeo Sessions (Yo Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan) was awarded the Best Folk Album Grammy. Well done Goats and Rangers. Many congratulations to you and [...]
Verse has always been an integral component of bluegrass music, just as it has for every song form. The very art of songwriting hinges on the ability to blend words and music in ways that are both attractive to the ear, and compelling to the mind. But only rarely has the attention of poets been directed to [...]
Punch Brothers are one of those acts that help define the dividing line between what is and isn't bluegrass music. Folks who embrace the oft-denigrated "big tent" philosophy see them as a direct antecedent to what Bill Monroe started nearly 60 years ago, while traditionalists see their music as a deviation, if not an abomination, [...]
Mandolin pioneer Chris Thile has been named as among the 23 recipients of the 2012 MacArthur Fellowship. The annual award, distributed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, includes a $500,000 grant (paid over five years) which the recipients may use as they choose. Chris told CBS News that he was late receiving notification, [...]
Sunday at FloydFest 11 (“Lovers Rock”) boasted main stage performances by powerhouses Sam Bush, Bruce Hornsby, and Allison Krauss & Union Station. The side stages were awash with fans, too, with performances by The Rogues, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Ricky Skaggs, Darrell Scott, Morwenna Lasko and Jay Pun and the Love Canon String Band. Lovers [...]
