“Who is Junior Sisk?” I asked Bob Milliken, as he told me the song he just sang was by Sisk. To me, Bob comes up with the best selection of songs I’ve ever heard played at a bluegrass jam, and … Read More
Does anyone buy CDs these days? An informal survey of people I know yielded the somewhat predictable conclusion that most of us prefer to download individual songs and ‘cherry-pick’ albums for our favorite tracks. So, unless you are a die-hard … Read More
One of bluegrass music’s legendary fiddlers, Byron Berline, entertained an eager HVBA crowd at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie on Saturday night. He made his Poughkeepsie debut by the grace of an old army connection with member Fred Robbins who, in … Read More
The Chapmans: Grown Up The John Hartford Stringband: Memories Of John I’m not much of a guitar player, but over the past twenty years I’ve owned guitars by two of the biggest and most famous acoustic guitar companies in North … Read More
I read somewhere, “Don has a rich heritage and a lifelong experience in traditional music and continues to propel it into the next generation with his love and dedication to preseving the sounds of old.” Just to read that statement … 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
Marty Raybon, with roots in the group Shenandoah, is an accomplished musician playing with good back-up musicians. He has a pleasing voice clearly suited to bluegrass or country music. He began playing bluegrass as a youngster. He was the lead … Read More
I have been asked to review an album that I liked or had a significant effect on me. Of the thousands of recordings and hundreds of LP’s, 45’s 78’s, CD’s, cassettes and reel tapes I have listened to over the … Read More
I really enjoyed this CD. Just when you think you have heard it all, as far as traditional bluegrass music, Plastic Heart comes along and takes you by surprise. I am basically a traditional bluegrass fan, not because the newer … Read More
You can’t be around bluegrass without having heard of the Grascals, but somehow I never managed to pick any of their music. So their fourth and latest CD is a real eye opener for me. This CD follows hard on … Read More