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

German grassers Johnny & the Yooahoos have been selected as the recipients of the 2024 IBMA International Band Performance Grant, with provides financial assistance to an especially worthy non-US bluegrass act to allow them to travel to the States to showcase at World of Bluegrass. This program was launched in 2022 through a generous donation from former IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger and his wife Alys, who agreed to match up to $10,000 in contributions from others for this purpose. The Schimingers have again offered this $10,000 match in 2024 for all donations made for the Inter ..read more

Jerry Douglas with The Earls of Leicester at MerleFest 2024 – photo © Bryce LaFoon Here is another gallery of photos taken by Bryce LaFoon at MerleFest last weekend. He was there the whole time, and we have more of his images to share even still. The post Even more images from MerleFest 2024 appeared first on Bluegrass Today ..read more

Engelhardt Music Group has a new single for Fast Track, who are rapidly becoming a favorite for fans of traditional bluegrass all across the country. Experienced sidemen all, the band was formed as Cardinal Tradition to accompany David Parmley prior to his most recent retirement, since rescinded. When David stopped touring that time, the rest of the guys decided to give it a go without him, and have achieved considerable success since that fateful resolution. Originally, Jesse Brock was on mandolin and Ron Spears on bass, but Jesse left for Authentic Unlimited, replaced by Shayne Bartley, and ..read more

When a band takes its name from a generalized genre, it would seem to reflect both confidence and credibility. Given the accolades accrued by Stacja Folk — a handle that’s loosely translated from the Polish as “Folk Station” —  those attributes seem well deserved. In 2022, they became the only Polish band to perform at the La Roche festival in France. This year, they’ll return, this time to play on the main stage. The band — whose members include Karolina Bułas (vocals, mandolin), Michalina Putek (violin, harmony), Rafał Wiercioch (acoustic guitar), and Maciej Kozioł (bass) — can claim a ..read more

University Press of Mississippi has announced the release of a new book by old time banjo master Bob Carlin, entitled My Memories of John Hartford. It’s a memoir of the friendship between Carlin and the late John Hartford, one of the most influential bluegrass or old time artists of the 20th century. A fiddler, banjo player, singer, and songwriter, John was at once both a fierce defender of traditional ways, and a pioneer of what became newgrass music in the 1970s. Television made him a star, alongside Glen Campbell who recorded Hartford’s Gentle On My Mind. The song was a career-defining mom ..read more