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: fiddle
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Jenna Moynihan: “Woven”
Jenna Moynihan “Woven” CD Baby Records Is it fiddle or violin? Depends on the genre. Jenna Moynihan is a young musician who plays with technical proficiency and real power. It matters not whether it’s a violin or fiddle. Moynihan’s new release, “Woven” draws from the Scottish fiddle tradition with great success. She tackles reels, airs […]
Jeremy Garrett: “RV Sessions”
Jeremy Garrett “RV Sessions” Self-released The music business has changed greatly in the last two decades. Where once record labels roamed the Earth, pouring resources onto seeking radio airplay and, occasionally, striking gold with popular releases, new records (to use the older vernacular) have become marketing platforms, vehicles to support an artist’s touring and live […]
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”, […]
Della Mae In Concert Port City Music Hall Portland, Maine May 31, 2015
Della Mae In Concert Port City Music Hall Portland, Maine May 31, 2015 Della Mae give it their all. In the midst of a Northeast run in support of their self-titled Rounder release, “Della Mae”, the band took the Port City Music Hall stage on a rainy Sunday evening and displayed their total command of […]
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 […]