Somewhere in the miasma of the non-televised Grammy Awards on January 28, 2018, the Bluegrass Album of The Year was announced. Oddly, it was a tie, between Rhonda Vincent and The Rage’s “ All The Rage” and The Infamous Stringdusters’ “Laws of Gravity”. Both are deserving winners. The Stringdusters are an interesting case, however. Their […]
Category: Jamgrass
Greensky Bluegrass: “If Sorrows Swim”
Greensky Bluegrass “If Sorrows Swim” Thirty Tigers Greensky Bluegrass brings it. This is not Bill Monroe’s bluegrass (although Monroe could toss a scorcher in there at will); the music has expanded beyond the accepted form for years now, into newgrass (thanks to Sam Bush and many others) and jamgrass (String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain and […]
Infamous Stringdusters: “Laws of Gravity”
Infamous Stringdusters “Laws of Gravity” Compass Records The Infamous Stringdusters have always been difficult to categorize. That’s part of their charm. Part traditional bluegrass (leaning on sound bluegrass instrumentation, namely guitar, Dobro, banjo, fiddle, and standup bass), part jam band (extended sets of songs in their live shows in which one song triggers another), and […]
The Infamous Stringdusters: “Undercover” EP
The Infamous Stringdusters “Undercover” EP Lumenhouse Recordings Known for their live shows, The Infamous Stringdusters constantly search to capture the delirium of their stage fusillades on record releases. The Stringdusters’ challenge flows, in part, from their conscious choice to stream virtually every live show for free (via Mixlr ) and to generously post, for little […]
Mr. Sun: “The People Need Light”
Mr. Sun “The People Need Light” Compass Records To say that Mr. Sun is a four-piece string band is both praise and diminishment. The band owes as much to David Grisman and Stephane Grappelli as it does to Bill Monroe. Mr. Sun could sit in with each and tear up the room. In fact, most […]
Matt Flinner Trio: “Traveling Roots”
Matt Flinner Trio “Traveling Roots” Compass Records Matt Flinner has a full plate; he plays and has an active online teaching portal in which he helps his students master mandolin techniques and styles. Flinner is not a road warrior; he picks and chooses his dates, touring in short bites. The conceit of “Traveling Roots” is […]
Feature: The Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters June 13, 2016 Nearly ten years on, The Infamous Stringdusters have carved out a singular place for themselves in the bluegrass/jamgrass world. The Stringdusters tour aggressively, are fixtures on the festival circuit, and have released several intriguing recording projects since late 2015: one, an EP of covers, including Tom Petty’s “American Girl”, […]
Andy Hall/Roosevelt Collier: “Let The Steel Play”
Andy Hall/Roosevelt Collier “Let The Steel Play” Andy Hall Music Steel guitar can prompt many visceral responses. Gutty, aspirational, down and dirty. Few musicians grab the essence of the sound, so when two collaborate on a single release, it’s cause for attention. Roosevelt Collier and Andy Hall have been playing their respective instruments, variations on […]
Dustbowl Revival Jon Stickley Trio The Station Inn Nashville, Tennessee March 15, 2017
Dustbowl Revival Jon Stickley Trio The Station Inn Nashville, Tennessee March 15, 2017 The Station Inn is Nashville’s self-styled “World Famous” venue for bluegrass and roots music for over forty years. Over time, the area around The Station Inn (much like the rest of Nashville) has changed, swapping gritty and sweaty for shiny and slick. […]
Della Mae: “Della Mae ”
Della Mae “Della Mae ” Rounder Records The time has come to drop the label “female bluegrass band”, as applied to Della Mae. With their second, self-titled, Rounder Records release, Della Mae is simply one of the most accomplished bluegrass acts on the circuit today. The four Dellas (they are a four-piece band on this […]