Changes in Bluegrass
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Kevin Slick
2y ago
Rolling Stone magazine referred to the recent IBMA World of Bluegrass and the awards handed out as a “sea change”. In particular they noted the Entertainer of the Year award going to Billy Strings. He does stand out in the list of Entertainer of the Year award winners over the past decade as being known as a progressive bluegrass artist but recognizing someone who sells out major venues is hardly radical. Maybe what has changed is a wider recognition of what has been going on in bluegrass for a long time, the progression and maturing of the genre which naturally means diversifying.  Blueg ..read more
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The Martin Gilmore Trio
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Keith Murdock
2y ago
The new album from The Martin Gilmore Trio is relaxed in the best way possible. Not talking about song tempos but rather a confident, clear, clean style fo playing and singing that brings to mind artists like Norman Blake or Doc Watson. The songs fit together in a seamless way that  don’t require technical fireworks to impress and sink into your brain. Gilmore on guitar and vocals is joined by Ian Haegele on bass and Nick Amodeo on mandolin and octave mandolin and this trio format is just the perfect amount of musicians (as well as the perfect musicians) for this album. The interplay of ..read more
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Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey in the American South by Emma John
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Keith Murdock
2y ago
Books on bluegrass have, so far, fallen primarily into two categories; histories of the genre or biographies of the most famous players. In the history category Neil Rosenberg’s Bluegrass: A History and Bluegrass, Newgrass, Old Time and Americana Music by Craig Harris have been the essential volumes while recent biographies of Bill Monroe, John Duffey and Jimmy Martin have covered the biography angle. A recent book on the genre carves out a new niche in the field as it delves into the practice and experience of bluegrass. Emma John, a British journalist traveled through America immersing hers ..read more
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The new single from Aaron Bibelhauser and FY5 “Time in and Out”
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Keith Murdock
2y ago
This new recording is the beautiful product of the wonders of bluegrass music, where folks meet and friendships begin over miles of highways, different backgrounds, hometowns and musical histories. Where you meet your, not long-lost, just never met yet, brother from another mother. Such is the story of Aaron Bibelhauser and Mike Finders along with the band FY5. From my vantage point, high in the Rockies of Colorado, the new single “Time in and Out” sounds like Colorado Bluegrass. Just what is Colorado Bluegrass? Music that is inspired by and indeed driven by the passion and creativity of Monr ..read more
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Wes Corbett: Cascade
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Kevin Slick
2y ago
They say you can judge someone by the company they keep and that is certainly true of Wes Corbett. Many of you may know Wes Corbett as a sideman to Molly Tuttle and more recently as a member of The Sam Bush Band. This is no accident, his precision and drive on the banjo go beyond the lightning speed often required of five string pickers in the bluegrass world. He plays with a style that brings out the nuances of the instrument and combines those sounds with an astonishing array of influences. The result is this new album, featuring a decade’s worth of original tunes brought to life with the h ..read more
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Adam Hurt - Back to the Earth
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Kevin Slick
2y ago
Back to the Earth is a follow up to Adam Hurt’s solo gourd banjo album Earth Tones (2010). The gourd banjo, an ancestor of the modern banjo akin to the instruments brought to America by West African slaves, has a rich history and deep cultural ties to the music of Appalachia. This record is at once a historical document, showcasing the banjo sounds of an earlier age and a completely modern work. The gourd banjo is perhaps experiencing a renaissance which may be partly due to the fact that today’s recording techniques can capture more fully the nuanced sound of such an instrument and this albu ..read more
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Bonnie and Taylor - Everybody Loves an Outlaw
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Keith Murdock
2y ago
What happens to a seven year old girl from Texas who is turned down at an audition for the Barney TV show because her voice is too "unique"? She grows up, moves to the Front Range of Colorado with her husband, becomes an integral part of the thriving local bluegrass scene and eventually releases a mega hit song that has record companies banging down the door because people recognize that voice is...unique. Of course, what else would you expect? Bonnie and Taylor Sims have been making music together since they met in college and have been known to fans of bluegrass and roots music here in Colo ..read more
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Facets of Folk - Mara Levine
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Kevin Slick
2y ago
The word “facets” implies a gem or crystal with different surfaces where light is transformed showing the viewer what lies beneath the surface, often uncovering new images. Mara Levine’s most recent album is aptly named as she shines a variety of acoustic roots music through her own lens, creating a wonderful array of sounds. The album opens with “You Reap What You Sow”, written by Susan Shann. and is powered along by an all-star team of bluegrass players including Greg Blake, Bob Harris, Rob Ickes, Andy Leftwich, Mollie O’Brien, Mark Schatz and Scott Vestal. One might be tempted to try to id ..read more
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Bronwyn Keith-Hynes - Fiddler’s Pastime
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Kevin Slick
2y ago
Bronwyn keith-hynes - fiddler’s pastime A minute into the first track on Bronwyn Keith Hynes’ new album and I’m smiling so hard my face aches. She makes it clear from that first track what the album is all about - groove induced precision that serves a strong melody with a serious helping of joy driving the whole thing down the track. There are plenty of places where an “instrumental album” can go wrong and suffice to say this album avoids all of the potential pitfalls with style. For starters, there’s no feeling of sameness from tune to tune, due in part to the fact that Keith-Hynes has recr ..read more
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Curios - Scroggins And Rose
Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Kevin's Blog
by Kevin Slick
2y ago
“At its heart, our music is an intimate conversation between two instruments,” that’s how Alisa Rose, a Grammy-nominated violinist describes the latest album “Curios” created with her musical partner Tristan Scroggins. The best conversationalists, like the best musicians excel in listening and in understanding the value of silence. This recording is a beautiful map of musical landscapes with winding roads that cross valleys and mountains of sound on the road to some place familiar and still unexplored. The word “intimate” is especially appropriate in talking about this music. The sparse natu ..read more
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