ALBUM REVIEW: Cory Branan Sets Sad Songs to Rock Riffs on ‘When I Go I Ghost’
Cory Branan’s songs have a way of sticking with you. Branan is a restless craftsman who seems to view songwriting as something of a science. Whether in the studio or on the stage, he isn’t afraid to pick his work apart in order to draw out new themes
THROUGH THE LENS: The Joy and Excitement of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2022
As the calendar turns to October, the roots music festival season begins to wind down, so what better way to celebrate what the year 2022 has brought than to head west and visit the largest, most encompassing free festival there is: San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Conceived and
With Banjo and Dance, Allison de Groot and Nic Gareiss Chase ‘The Thrill’ of Music
Virginia old-time multi-instrumentalist Hobart Smith once called music “a thrill you just can’t express,” but banjoist Allison de Groot and percussive dancer Nic Gareiss convey something pretty close with their new visual album, The Thrill, out today on Bandcamp.
The Thrill finds de Groot and Gareiss performing six traditional
BONUS TRACKS: The Mastersons Step Away From Steve Earle’s Band
After 12 years in Steve Earle’s band, The Dukes, The Mastersons have decided to step away from that gig to seek a slower pace. “This past decade has seen us crisscrossing the globe endlessly, only pausing momentarily to make records. We’ve toured though sickness, the loss of family
ALBUM REVIEW: Appalachian Road Show Puts Joyful Sound Into ‘Jubilation’
Appalachian Road Show’s new album, Jubilation, couldn’t be more aptly named: The 13 tracks on this collection celebrate life, love, and music exuberantly. The band — Darrell Webb on mandolins and banjo, Barry Abernathy on banjo, Zeb Snyder on guitar, Jim VanCleve on fiddles, and Todd Phillips on bass
THE READING ROOM: Margo Price Details Pain and Progress in Memoir ‘Maybe We’ll Make It’
Two-thirds of the way through her searing new autobiography, Maybe We’ll Make It (Texas), Margo Price shares the ways that music has transformed her pain — and Price has lived through more than her share of pain, especially losing one of her twin boys to an unsuccessful (actually, a botched)