In August of 2015 at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival (remember those?) I saw Mark Stoffel (playing with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers band) be spotlighted by performing a tune on the mandolin using purely harmonic tones. That made such … Read More
What brings an artist to bluegrass? Robert Hale shows us with his great new CD, Blue Haze. Over the years, Hale has gained attention for his world class musicianship, performing with countless musicians. His background includes playing at the Grand … Read More
October 16 TRIVIA QUESTION Where did the great band Hot Rize get their name? A. Colorado hot air balloon festival B. A pun on a Lebanese word for fancy neckties (bassist Nick Forster was born in Beirut) C. From the … Read More
The Stanley Brothers And The Beginnings of a Genre The mid-1940s edition of Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, featuring banjoist Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt, is generally thought of as the “original” bluegrass band. It was “original” … Read More
Hello there, David Chernack here! This is the first in a series of curated bluegrass Spotify playlists, each with an individual theme. Up first: Bluegrass 2020. The music world has undoubtedly taken a hard hit in 2020 due to the … Read More
This Contest is Closed The winner is Andy Bing October 9 TRIVIA QUESTION There are more bluegrass biographies out there than most readers suspect. You can learn a LOT about founding figures of bluegrass in books. Also of course via … Read More
Andy Bing’s Bluegrass Blog, Week 7 This week’s subject is a 1965 documentary film by David Hoffman with Jonathan Gordon called “Bluegrass Roots.” (Thanks to Bill Walsh for calling this film to my attention.) The film is available on YouTube … Read More
I bet you can relate. Have you been jonesing for a good earful of live music to chase away the 2020 blues? I certainly have. Want proof? I returned a day early from an autumn splendor White Mountains vacation just … Read More
During a downer summer devoid of festivals and pickin’ parties, some of bluegrass’s best artists have released some amazing studio material. This year has continued to be a bummer for the music world: artists from your local favorites to the … Read More
Well, IBMA (the International Bluegrass Music Assoc.) just held their annual Awards Show — “virtually” and completely on-line due to the Covid pandemic. I watched it on a live Facebook link, and listened to it on Sirius/XM Bluegrass Junction. However, … Read More