Bronwyn Keith-Hynes with Molly Tuttle at MerleFest 2024 – photo © Bryce LaFoon Here are some stage photos Bryce LaFoon captured of Thursday’s action at MerleFest 2024. The festival continues through Sunday in Wilkesboro, NC. We’ll have a full report next week ..read more

This is a great day to be a bluegrass fan. There is so much strong new music being released today, we could post nothing but new singles, and still not hit them all. Let’s go first to a perennial favorite, The Del McCoury Band, among the very few acts to retain a loyal audience of traditional bluegrass followers, while also expanding into more mainstream and jamgrass markets. Del’s distinctive voice and winning personality are a force to be reckoned with on stage, especially with such a strong band behind him. This time out, Del covers a song by Lech Wierzynski of The California Honeydrops ca ..read more

Eddie Sanders, John Cowan, and Scott Vestal as Cowan signs with True Lonesome Celebrated bluegrass artist John Cowan, he of New Grass Revival and John Cowan Band fame, has been announced as the newest artist signed with True Lonesome Records. They will release the album John has been working on for some time now with Scott Vestal at his Digital Underground Studio near Nashville. We don’t see John as much as we might hope in the bluegrass world these days, since he took the bass gig with The Doobie Brothers, where his astonishingly clear tenor vocals now accentuate their live shows. But he say ..read more

Pinecastle Records has a new single this month from Troy Engle and his one man bluegrass band. Troy is a Pennsylvania native who made the move to Nashville to find fame as a singer, songwriter, and musician. He found plenty of work there, touring with artists like Patty Loveless, Buddy Jewell, Leon Russell, The Isaacs, and Larry Sparks, and eventually began writing with Tom T. and Miss Dixie Hall, who became his dear friends while they were still alive. But as his children started getting older, the call to return home grew stronger, and he and his wife, Mandy, moved back to the west of Penns ..read more

Sullivan (Sully) Tuttle, known for his ferocious guitar playing in the exciting national touring band, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, is a member of the Tuttle family, which is as close as you can get to California bluegrass royalty, at least in Northern California. Sully’s father, fiddler and instructor, Jack Tuttle, is chief enabler in the California Bluegrass Association (CBA) Youth movement that includes Sully and his star sister, Molly Tuttle. Sully, Molly, and AJ Lee played with brother Michael and Jack in one of the original CBA youth bands, The Tuttles with A.J. Lee ..read more

Attention banjo pickers and Earl Scruggs fans! The International Bluegrass Music Association is hosting a free webinar on May 15 offering a glimpse into the life of banjo innovator Earl Scruggs. It will be offered on the IBMA Facebook page at noon, central time. Tony Trischka, whose new album, Earl Jam, includes his transcribed arrangements of solos Scruggs played at jams with John Hartford, and Earl’s nephew, JT Scruggs, will swap anecdotes and stories from their personal relationship with the great man. Also joining the webinar will be Mary Beth Martin, Executive Director of the Earl Scrugg ..read more

Nashville bluegrass singer and songwriter Milan Miller has gone old school on his latest release, or as he tells us, “We thought that it might be fun to do a bit of a throwback to the days when a single actually came with two sides.” That’s right… two new songs from Milan, both his originals, performed with a crack Music City rhythm section. First up is Rebel Rose, written with his frequent collaborator Beth Husband, that shares a tale of espionage during America’s Civil War. Milan says that it is a true story. “SIDE A of the single features Rebel Rose, a tune that Beth Husband and ..read more

Rebel Records has announced a special, one-off single and music video from Seth Mulder & Midnight Run. Seth and the boys have applied their powerful, old time bluegrass sound to Chuck Berry’s mega-hit, Johnny B. Goode, originally recorded at the birth of rock ‘n’ roll music in 1958. It won’t be included on the new album they are finishing up with Ken Irwin and Dudley Connell producing, but Seth said that it has been going over so big on stage since they worked it up that they had to get into the studio to get it recorded. They cut it pretty much the way Chuck did nearly 60 years ago, with ..read more

The annual Headin’ Home Fest in Swainsboro, GA has announced an extra day of music this October when festival time comes around. Stage shows will now begin on Thursday and run through Sunday, with a pot luck dinner and open stage on Wednesday evening. 2024 will be the third running of the festival, named for the host band who operates the event, Headin’ Home, consisting of Jon and Marina Lindblom of Bloomingdale, GA, and their four oldest children. But this isn’t a cut kids band; the youngest of the “children” in 20 years of age, and all are serious pickers and singers. Mom and dad are conser ..read more

Mason Via – photo © Michael Weintrob Young bluegrass singer and songwriter Mason Via has announced his departure from Old Crow Medicine Show, after spending the past three years touring and recording with the band. At the same time, he has revealed plans for a new album with Mountain Fever Records, along with a debut single, Hey Don’t Go. Regarding all this news, Mason shared this message with all his friends and fans… “Y’all, I’ve got some big news. I’m leaving Old Crow Medicine Show to pursue my own solo music full time. After over three years of touring, recording, and living on the bus to ..read more