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Matt Ruppert

ALBUM REVIEW: A Clear-Eyed Look at ‘Glory Days’ on Drive-by Truckers’ ‘Welcome 2 Club XIII’

ALBUM REVIEW: A Clear-Eyed Look at ‘Glory Days’ on Drive-by Truckers’ ‘Welcome 2 Club XIII’

Nostalgia roughly translates from Greek to mean “suffering to return,” a deep and intense yearning for what was. Welcome 2 Club XIII isn’t a nostalgic record. With Welcome 2 Club XIII, The Drive-by Truckers — Patterson Hood (guitar, vocals), Mike Cooley (guitar, vocals), Brad Morgan (drums), Jay Gonzalez (guitar, keys,

ALBUM REVIEW: Caroline Spence’s ‘True North’ Points the Way to Finding Peace

ALBUM REVIEW: Caroline Spence’s ‘True North’ Points the Way to Finding Peace

It is a rare thing for the world to give us a chance to process our grief, to contemplate how time has marked us and colored our lives. On True North, Caroline Spence explores the impact that grieving can have on a person and a way through, at least in

ALBUM REVIEW: Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Hew to Tradition While Embracing the Progressive on 'Never Slow Down'

ALBUM REVIEW: Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Hew to Tradition While Embracing the Progressive on 'Never Slow Down'

The world of bluegrass has a reputation for holding fast to tradition, nodding always to the past. But all things and people came from somewhere, and it’s important to honor the lived experiences of the previous generations. And musicians especially tend to put their own spins on what it

ALBUM REVIEW: Renewed Joy of Listening Guides Del McCoury’s ‘Almost Proud’

ALBUM REVIEW: Renewed Joy of Listening Guides Del McCoury’s ‘Almost Proud’

In nearly every imaginable respect, 82-year-old Del McCoury is a living legend who has cultivated the landscape of American music — in bluegrass and beyond. Sixty years into his career, McCoury continues his legacy with Almost Proud, an album that slots in with the best of his expansive canon. McCoury conceived

ALBUM REVIEW: Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert Renew Magic on ‘The Flowers That Bloom in Spring’

ALBUM REVIEW: Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert Renew Magic on ‘The Flowers That Bloom in Spring’

To duet well is to dance, to step in rhythm in such a way that the two become new and unified; two streams merged into a river, if you will. Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert dance so closely on their new album, The Flowers That Bloom in Spring, their voices

George Jackson Puts Fiddle and Banjo Pairing Through Its Paces on ‘Hair & Hide’

George Jackson Puts Fiddle and Banjo Pairing Through Its Paces on ‘Hair & Hide’

The fiddle and the banjo represent the most American of musical pairings, combining to form a uniquely American sound that’s been at the heart of old-time stringband music and, more widely, country music. The fiddle and banjo reflect the cultures that formed the country, becoming a sonic representation of

Billy Strings Finds ‘Renewal’ Amid Months of Quarantine

Billy Strings Finds ‘Renewal’ Amid Months of Quarantine

At some point in quarantine, the rest of the music world caught up with a truth the bluegrass community already knew: Billy Strings is an unparalleled talent. Following the late-2019 release of the Grammy award-winning Home, with planned spring (and subsequent) tours canceled, it appeared his rising star might be