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 […]
Tag: banjo
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 […]
Interview: Leigh Gibson
The Gibson Brothers Go To Ground There’s no more solid live bluegrass show than the Gibson Brothers. They play with great technical skill, and with crispness. Their harmonies are just what a brother act should be: sweet, true and never forced. The brothers, Leigh and Eric Gibson, surround themselves with outstanding sidemen with impeccable bluegrass […]
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage: “All The Rage”
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage “All The Rage” Upper Management Records Rhonda Vincent has been a solid voice of bluegrass music since the 1970’s. She first performed with a family band (The Sally Mountain Show), before setting out on her own. Her career took a country turn for a few years, but she’s mostly a […]
Noam Pikelny: “Universal Favorite”
Noam Pikelny “Universal Favorite” Rounder Records Noam Pikelny is the most ingratiating musical iconoclast you’re likely to come across. He has deep roots in the Americana genre, and his playing, on banjo in most contexts, is precise and brilliant. Pikelny has produced a string of outstanding solo records, most recently “Universal Favorite”. Despite the success […]
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 […]
Concert: Noam Pikelny February 11, 2016
Noam Pikelny One Man, One Banjo Tour One Longfellow Square Portland, Maine February 11, 2016 To most sound-minded individuals , the notion of a solo banjo concert is mildly daunting. Banjo jokes are second only to lawyer jokes in the American zeitgeist, so Noam Pikelny, a master banjo player doubtless knows what he is getting […]
Ned Luberecki: “Take Five”
Ned Luberecki “Take Five” CLM Records An interesting question was posed online recently. It went like this: ‘What is the one phrase that means nothing to the outside world, but everybody in your field will know exactly what it means?” In bluegrass, one immediately comes to mind: “The way Earl did it.” Nothing more need […]
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”, […]
Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons: “Take Yo Time”
Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons “Take Yo Time” Rhapsody Records Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons refer to themselves as “songsters”, a seldom-used genre sobriquet that predates “bluesman”. Songsters were traveling musicians who would go from town to town playing songs for pay; any song was fair game. Songsters have been described as human jukeboxes, aptly […]