Author: Lee Zimmerman

The English have a clear connection to the music we refer to as bluegrass. After all, the sounds sown in Appalachia were a direct result of the folk and traditional music that originated in the British Isles. The Vanguards — Jack

Rachel Anne Goodman is a sensitive soul, a fact that becomes instantly apparent courtesy of the gentle strains of I Still Do, the first track on her sumptuous debut LP, California Morning. Goodman's delicate demeanor illuminates each of these offerings,

It ought to come as little surprise to find the New Valley String Band creating a sound that hews to the basics of old time and bluegrass, even if they do so with a decidedly Scandinavian sensibility. A Swedish band,

A group comprised of four music veterans, Painted Mandolin is the brainchild of singer, and mandolin, fiddle, and hand and mouth percussionist Joe Craven, a onetime member of the Garcia/Grisman Band whose additional credits include work with Stephane Grappelli and

The late James Brown aside, Jerry Douglas could be considered the hardest working man in show business. Considered the foremost practitioner of dobro and lap steel guitar, he’s a producer, constant sideman and collaborator (working with everyone from Paul Simon,

Jeremy Rilko’s initial interest in the banjo, and bluegrass music in general, began after four years in the Air Force, followed by a subsequent stint at Western Michigan University. Between his studies, he found time to attend various bluegrass festivals,

The somewhat unlikely handle aside, Stereo Naked excel at scaled-down bluegrass from a European perspective. The band is based in Cologne, Germany, but one of the two core members, Pierce Black (vocals and upright bass), is an emigre from New

Throughout his career, Darrell Scott has always owed an allegiance to past precepts. But it comes naturally, as his father, Wayne Scott, was an avowed traditional troubadour before him.  Not surprisingly then, Scott's new album, Old Cane Back Rocker, hews to

The Scandinavian bluegrass band that calls itself Buster Sledge possesses a certain savvy when it comes to making their music. That's especially evident on their new album from Grappa Musikkforlag, the happily titled Nice Time On Earth Today. Given the

 Geraldine, a Baltimore-based bluegrass/oldtime band consisting of Josh Anderson (fiddle, vocals), John Bolten (guitar, vocals), Jocelyn Haverset (bass, vocals), and Jonathan Locke (banjo, fiddle, mandolin, vocals), is a cohesive combo whose devotion to cause appears both natural and inspired. A