Ralph Stanley’s voice may show the effects of his 84 years, but what it may have lost in technical quality it has more than made up in, for want of a better word, gravitas. In this collection, he focuses on … Read More
I love this album, which celebrates Special Consensus’ thirty-five years through multiple personnel incarnations. The first six cuts feature the current lineup of Greg Cahill, banjo; Ryan Roberts, guitar; David Thomas, bass; Rick Faris, mandolin. Those of you lucky enough … Read More
A clever title for a highly enjoyable album of songs dealing with the life of the drivers of those big semis crisscrossing the land. Several of the tunes are covers of classics originally recorded by the likes of Merle Haggard, … Read More
Let’s clear up one thing right from the start; this is not a bluegrass record. As the title indicates, it’s a 40th anniversary celebration, culled from four different concert events, mostly recorded at the Grand Ole Opry House in 2009. … Read More
Despite serious cutbacks in funding for the arts, the Dutchess County Arts Council approved our grant proposal to establish a “Bluegrass in the Schools” program in collaboration with Poughkeepsie Day School this fall. The matching grant of $1,060, funded by … Read More
For those of you who (like me) have assumed that Steve Martin’s banjo was primarily a prop for his stand-up routines (along with the fake arrow-through-the-head), this CD will be an eye-opener. It turns out that the instrument has been … Read More
This is a CD reissue of Tony Trischka’s first Bluegrass LP, first recorded in 1985 and long out of print. His reputation as a preeminent avant-garde banjo player firmly established, he paused here to pay tribute to the musicians who … Read More