Ask a banjo player what they like to play most, and chances are they’ll tell you that playing behind a vocalist in a band is every bit as enjoyable, if not more, than bearing down on a hard-hitting banjo tune. Which is why most banjo records these days aren’t all instrumental. Such is the case for North Carolina banjo man Andy Lowe, whose first album for Mountain Fever Records, Nervous Energy, also includes a number of vocal songs along with the picking. One of these, Holiday Religion, is the latest single, featuring Zack Arnold from Rhonda Vincent & The Rage singing the lead. This song ..read more

The old Lewis Family Bus at the 2024 Little Roy and Lizzy Festival – photo © Sandy Hatley The first weekend in May ushered in the 11th annual Little Roy and Lizzy Bluegrass Festival in their hometown of Lincolnton, GA. The three-day festival is now held on the site where Little Roy Lewis and his musical siblings were all raised. Their home place was open so that attendees could wander through the old home and see photos, memorabilia, and original furnishings from the iconic Lewis Family, regaled as the “First Family of Bluegrass Gospel Music.” A replica of their old touring bus sits parked in ..read more

The Sam Bush Band at MerleFest 2024 – photo © Alisa B. Cherry Now celebrating its 46th year, MerleFest 2024 did  not disappoint. Founded in 1988 by the legendary Doc Watson in honor of his son Merle, and presented primarily by Window World, it’s held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and serves as a fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, which pays for scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs for the college. It now ranks one of the top musical gatherings in the nation, one that inspires annual pilgrimages from the veteran faithf ..read more

Jim Mills, one of the most celebrated banjo players of his generation, and a noted vintage instrument trader, has died of a heart attack at his home in Durham, NC on May 3. He was 57 years of age. Though most bluegrass lovers remember Jim for his 14 years with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, he also played a five year stint with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Prior to those national touring gigs, Mills served as a member of Summer Wages and The Bass Mountain Boys. Throughout his entire professional career, spanning roughly 30 years, he was known for a powerful banjo style drawing heavil ..read more

Ireland’s JigJam effectively crosses that narrow divide that separates Celtic music from bluegrass basics, doing so in a way that successfully melds the two genres while also making it difficult to discern where one sends and the other begins. Their new album, appropriately titled Across the Pond, makes that conclusion all too clear, courtesy of an instrumental array that finds common ground through a strikingly dual delivery.  The band — which consists of Jamie McKeogh on lead vocals and guitar, Daithu Melia on five string banjo, Gavin Arappe playing mandolin and tenor banjo, and Kevin ..read more

We posted several times about young North Carolina banjo player Bayla Davis, particularly about her being featured on From The Top, a program that typically highlights teen classical musicians on the rise. Her recent segment was only the second time they had focused on a traditional music artist, and we thought that was worthy of notice. Bayla performs with her two younger siblings as a member of Newfound Gap, a bluegrass/old time band who performed just recently at MerleFest. This week, Davis shared this statement on social media, encouraging other young traditional music artists to consider ..read more

Joe Mullins is taking over SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction at the top of each hour this weekend, starting at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, in celebration of today’s extended vinyl re-release of the all-star bluegrass project, Industrial Strength Bluegrass – Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy, on Smithsonian Folkways. Running through Sunday, each new hour will begin with a track from the album, introduced by Joe, along with his commentary about the songs, artists, and the history behind their relation to the region. Mullins is a second generation bluegrass broadcaster himself, whose father moved the ..read more

Sierra Hull at MerleFest 2024 – photo © Daniel Mullins If you know Daniel Mullins – son of Joe, midday host on Real Roots Radio, noted bluegrass writer, host of the Walls of Time podcast, and producer of the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival – you know that he loves his gadgets. Every time I see him, he has a new recording device or podcasting tool he’s just obtained, and they are always cutting edge and extremely cool. He’s sent us this gallery of photos he took at MerleFest this past weekend, using his latest acquisition, the CampSnap camera. Let’s have him tell the tale… “In the digit ..read more

Tim Raybon is getting a head start on Memorial Day this year, treating May as Memorial Month, with a timely remake of a Trace Adkins album cut in tribute to our fallen service members. Pinecastle Records won’t release the single for Arlington until May 20, but Tim asked us if we would highlight the track right away, as he feels very strongly about its message. Written by Dave Turnbull and Jeremy Spillman, the song is told from the standpoint of a soldier buried in Arlington National Cemetery, pondering how he came to end up there. For Raybon, the song carries a message that he encourages that ..read more

Slovak banjoist Richard Ciferský, founder of innovative music accessory company Banjolit and banjo man with Bill Faster in the Slovak Republic, has released a unique and interesting project called The Adventures of Willo the Dwarf, which combines an audio CD with new, original bluegrass songs, with a children’s book he has written. Sized like a normal CD, the package opens to reveal a 20-page book, with charming illustrations by Kateřina Hruschková, that follows the story of Willo and his search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Each section of the book’s text corresponds with an ..read more