Amos Perrine

Spurred on by roots music icon Hazel Dickens, investment banker Warren Hellman put on the first Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2001 as a gift to the citizens of San Francisco. According to an in memoriam tribute on the HSB website, Hellman “called the bluegrass gathering a ‘selfish gift,’ one that

The week following AmericanaFest in Nashville, many fans of roots music trekked 539 miles due east to downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, for the largest urban bluegrass festival in the world, the International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass. The first three days of end-of-September event are a conference

This week’s column features two roots music events that bring attention to and support critical national issues. Both festivals featured a who's who of roots music, from legends including Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson to new stars such as Tyler Childers, Allison Russell, Jason Isbell, and Margo

Every AmericanaFest that I've attended since my first one in 2011 has been an exceptional sensory experience with many memorable moments, but this year has an extra special place in my heart. Each year Americana Music Association Executive Director Jed Hilly and Association staff seem to outdo themselves

Some of my AmericanaFest pals have expressed some disappointment in the lack of well-known names in this year’s lineup of showcases. But that is the very reason I am so excited — without the big-name distractions we’ll be able to catch many musicians who are on their way up,

This week’s column features two roots festivals located in Virginia. The first, Appaloosa Festival, was held over Labor Day Weekend  in Front Royal, 70 miles west of Washington, D.C. The other, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, was this past weekend in downtown Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee — a town