SCOTT BRANNON YOUR OLD STANDBY Patuxent Music PXCD 241 Since his early years, this Martinsburg, W.Va., native has established himself as one of the finest voices in bluegrass music. He grew up listening to his father’s records by Hank Williams and Reno & Smiley and had an opportunity to see the late Charlie Moore. He [...]

VARIOUS ARTISTS GOD DIDN’T CHOOSE SIDES: CIVIL WAR TRUE STORIES ABOUT REAL PEOPLE, VOLUME ONE Rural Rhythm RUR-1095 Another Civil War recording? Well, yes. The Civil War continues gripping the imagination of listeners and artists and, in the case of Sam Passamano II, record executives alike. Passamano’s project is a bit different from the rest. [...]

MILL RUN BLUEGRASS BAND GO BUILD MY CHURCH No Label No Number As the opener, “When I Reach That City,” bursts from the speaker, it is quickly apparent that the Mill Run Bluegrass Band has a deep grounding in the traditional bluegrass gospel genre and are pleased as can be to share those roots with [...]

MARY KETTERING NO RELATION No Label No Number Mary Kettering is currently the fiddler with Northwest Territory, a longstanding bluegrass band from Ohio. Here she plays with some former bandmates and favorite musicians. The project opens with a version of “Amazing Grace” complete with vocals and closes with an instrumental version of the same song. [...]

THE SWEET LOWDOWN MAY No Label SLD2012 The Sweet Lowdown is comprised of three very talented women who reside on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Featuring fiddle, banjo, guitar, and three lovely singing voices with a seamless harmony, they easily inhabit a shifting musical landscape where bluegrass, old-time, folk, and Celtic music all feel like [...]

HAMMER DOWN THE STEELDRIVERS Rounder Records 11661-9122-2 More than likely, the past year or so has been both gratifying and trying for the SteelDrivers, a critically acclaimed bluegrass band comprised of five celebrated former Nashville and Muscle Shoals session players: Tammy Rogers, Mike Fleming, Richard Bailey, Brent Truitt, and Gary Nichols. The band’s first two [...]

CHRIS BRASHEAR HEART OF THE COUNTRY Hearth Music No Number With a voice both plaintive and lyrical, and with a keen ear for language, Chris Brashear continues to be one of the finest writers and exponents of the sentimental song. That fact was certainly front and center on his 1998 solo CD Wanderlust (highlighted by [...]

JOHN LOWELL I AM GOING TO THE WEST No Label No Number After years of progressive exposure to American bluegrass audiences, first through the wonderful and lamented band Kane’s River, and on an ongoing basis with Growling Old Men, John Lowell has established himself as a significant force in modern acoustic music. With his warm, [...]

JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS AND BALSAM RANGE DAYLIGHT No Label 001    John Driskell Hopkins met Zac Brown while hosting an open mic night in Atlanta in 2004. A year later, Hopkins became an original member of the Zac Brown Band, playing bass and being a part of the group’s now-signature and powerful harmony vocals. Since then, [...]

CAHALEN MORRISON & ELI WEST OUR LADY OF THE TALL TREES No Label No Number There’s something exceptionally challenging about the duo format. Two voices, two instruments—nothing to hide behind. Every second of space is as important as each note you play. From Bill & Charlie Monroe to Darol Anger & Mike Marshall, many traditions [...]

BRAD BENGE NASHVILLE   No Label No Number Brad Benge has spent most of his time in music behind the scenes. Hailing from Oklahoma City, he did a three-year stint playing guitar for Byron Berline before learning to work the boards. For a decade, he was chief engineer at Palladium Recording before going on the [...]

JOHNNY STAATS AND THE DELIVERY BOYS TIME MOVES ON No Label No Number For anyone who may have forgotten the amazing dexterity and talent Johnny Staats brings to the mandolin, let this be a reminder. It may not be apparent in the first track “Never Mind The Mule,” a bluesy medium-tempo stomp about driving his [...]