Preserving The Tradition of Bluegrass Into The Future

A blend of chamber folk and progressive bluegrass underpins the genre-bending style of Nashville-based alt-folk/bluegrass trio, The Arcadian Wild. From small private house shows to an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, the band continues to evolve without straying too far from its roots. The 50-million Spotify song streams the band claims are a clear testament to how listeners connect to the band’s eclectic approach. Now, a new record pushes the boundaries of their capabilitie

When Kenny Feinstein first started playing music, he probably had no idea he’d some day end up being a vital part of the Los Angeles, California, bluegrass community. Traditional music wasn’t a part of his life. Yet. “I picked up the guitar after hearing Offspring, Nirvana, and Blink-182,” Feinstein said, of his beginnings as a musician. One day he set up shop to busk outside a Target store in Santa Cruz. He played Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and received his first ev

The guys in High Cotton are rooted in the past, preserving the traditions of bluegrass, while looking forward to the next generation. It’s been that way since Dan Defend, Rick Rhodes, and Bill Blickhan played in the house band for Cotton Patch Gospel. It was there that they connected with the late Milt Craig. “Milt was a large part of why we became High Cotton,” says Dan. “He helped found the band, and he came up with the name High Cotton, which represents prosperity and good

Continuing a family tradition dating back to the 1930s, The Hawkins Kids band is inspired by family, faith, and the love of music. The Hawkins family lives on their farm in Woodstock, Virginia, where the three Hawkins children are homeschooled. Siblings Olivia (16), Tanner (12), and George (14) have musical gifts that are gaining notice around the region and beyond. “They are humble about their talents,” says Wade Hawkins, the father of the talented trio. “People will thank

With five Grammy Award wins, eight gold albums, hundreds of television appearances, and a Lifetime Achievement Award, Noel Paul Stookey is still as creative as ever. Designing a new instrument might not have been his lifelong ambition, but design one, he did. The still-vibrant Stookey, 88, can add inventor to his list. “I realized that what I had created was kind of a United Nations of instruments of sorts,” Stookey says. Stookey is not the first person who comes to mind when

In a culture where most music is focused on examining the hardships and challenges of life, it’s refreshing to come across messaging that truly lifts spirits. In bluegrass, country, folk and other roots genres – where “hard times” and grief are essentially coded into the DNA of the music – unbridled feel-good vibes are more rare. For Maitland, Florida-based indie folk group The 502s, however, a mood boost would be a certain, expected outcome. For this group, Banjo and guitar

It’s common for actor, funnyman and banjo player Steve Martin to take to the stage or studio with the guys of the Steep Canyon Rangers. Not-at-all unexpectedly, the newest record by this Grammy-winning roots outfit continues this longstanding collaborative tradition. The album also features contributions from singer-songwriter Edie Brickell and from Della Mae lead vocalist, Celia Woodsmith. The 14-track release – titled Next Act – features a butterfly on its cover. According

The West Liberty Mountain Boys got their start with a group of friends who had an interest in music. “We went to the same high school; we all played music, but we didn’t know each other well.” Music has a way of bringing people together, and that’s what happened with Johnathan Keeton, Byron Holbrook, and Matt Bailey. “We named the band for the place we lived – West Liberty in Morgan County, Kentucky.” The band’s first show was in 2015. “We played locally, around West Liberty

For more than three decades, CMH Records’ Pickin’ On series has taken songs that seem to belong somewhere else and asked what remains when familiar production is removed. Pickin’ On Post Malone, released July 31, may be one of the series’ more revealing tests, moving through a catalog shaped by trap, pop, hip-hop and country to find out what survives when banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro and guitar take over. The album brought together Water Tower, Big Richard, JD Casper, The B

Well, I bet that title has you wondering, too! It sounds like a song title to me, and one I will most likely whittle on at some point because it’s a real place. I know this because lots of my songs come from there, right out of nowhere. The inspirations, the lines I use, the melodies I use come from that platform…from the place I picture looking like a pearly blank slate filling up and orchestrated by orbs floating around and glitter falling and stars shining and a golden lig

If ever there was a proud Southwest Virginia musician, Colby T. Helms is that young man. The versatile songsmith and leader of The Virginia Creepers says he wants to represent his region. Franklin County has a history of doing things in a big way, whether it’s moonshining or a deep connection to NASCAR racing. “Despite a colorful history, it’s often overlooked,” says Helms. “I feel like our side of Appalachia doesn't get represented as much.” Helms, 24, compares himself to T

There’s a special relationship between people who grew up together. They went through rites of passage at the same time, and they have the same frame of reference from a similar upbringing. In the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee, Damon Seal, Daniel Oxendine, and Randall Woods grew up together did just that. “We all grew up together, and we played music together,” says Damon, “but as time went on, we all joined different bands.” In 2002, Damon and Daniel got together t

Haunting Melodies . . . Spooky Songs for Halloween “It may seem a little spooky but it’s all right. Don’t you worry now, it’s just the night.” That song by the Del McCoury Band never mentions Halloween, but it sure sets the scene. There’s dread in every line, from “trees that look like creatures in shadows on the wall” to “you could wind up a victim in some kind of evil spell.” For the evening of October 31, “It’s Just the Night” to put together a “BooGrass” playlist of haunt

At this year's IBMA World of Bluegrass festival, many will gather to see the top acts perform, along with rising showcase artists, the annual awards, instrument trade shows, and jam sessions to satisfy even the most ardent bluegrass fan. Boner, a former IBMA Board Chair and longtime board member, is known throughout the bluegrass community for his musical versatility. As the director of East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program, Bo

Some of the very best bluegrass songs happen when a man pours out his heart for all to see. It’s deep. It’s meaningful. And often…it’s written by a woman! This dynamic – of listeners thinking a man was behind a song because a male performed it – is what motivated acclaimed bluegrass artist Lindsay Lou to create something that honors women songwriters. This 10-track record released in August was simply titled: Bluegrass Women. The fact that she was able to get artists and frie

“Rrinaco is the place for the full picture of who I am as an artist,” says Corrina Rose Logston Stephens. The project gives the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter freedom to focus on two things she loves—words and music. For some High Fidelity fans, her new album Little Songs might be a bit of a surprise. “People hear my name and expect traditional bluegrass,” explains Stephens. “The Rrinaco music is definitely that—but it's also much more. It's my creative expressio

The Wee Farm is currently beaming, sporting all the colors of spring on this land Farmer Rick (my long-suffering husband, lol) and I love so much. The knockout roses are actually showing off with bright reds and pinks bursting all over this place. Here’s an interesting observation from a Goat Girl Gone Cat Crazy (that would be me…I nickname everyone on or associated with the Wee Farm Musings). I am not a natural nature girl, preferring the indoor comfort where flying insects

“Don’t just stand there with your teeth in your mouth!” That’s not only the good-natured exhortation Alan Bartram’s dad would offer as a reminder to get busy: it’s the first line of “Gas and Oil,” a song performed by the Travelin’ McCourys that’s gotten a lot of notice, airplay, and positive reaction at concerts. The song is Bartram’s reflection on the value of doing something challenging--in this case, cutting timber--with people one respects and loves. And the song’s stayin

Getting the chance to play with The Grascals and Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers is enough to make any picker happy—but if you ask guitarist and vocalist Chris Davis, going out on his own has brought newfound freedom. With the urging of his record label, Billy Blue Records, Davis, who spent years as a sideman, feels it was time for him to step into the spotlight. “For a long time, Billy Blue kept telling me, ‘Man, you need to do your own band.’ But my confidence level just

A good song often ties back to a real-life experience, and that’s the case with “Sticks and Stones,” the first track on Bronwyn’s new album, Rattlin’ Bones. The album was released on August 14, and with this album, Bronwyn explores a new-to-her musical possibility: songwriting. “I wrote that song when I was touring with Golden Highway,” recalls Bronwyn. “I was trying to sleep on the bus, and I was on a bottom bunk where I felt the bus rattle with each bump. That line kept run

Bluegrass Goes To College It’s been said that the perfect college setting would be a good teacher on one end of a log and a student on the other. These days, it might take a Paul Bunyan-sized log to make room for the student union, rec center, stadium, and other “necessities” on almost any campus. But that nostalgic image does make a point. Beyond all the amenities of college life, learning really comes from the interaction of knowledgeable and caring teachers and talented an

In the middle of the woods during the bleak days of winter, progressive-acoustic band High Horse got together and made a record. From a fiddle suite to Celtic, bluegrass, old time and even “jazz-grass” and indie rock influences, the record runs the gamut. Produced by notable mandolin player Jacob Joliff, the 2024 release was a great showcase of what this Boston-based quartet of classically trained musicians has to offer. The eponymously titled release featured 12 tracks of o

There was a time when buying an album meant committing to a journey. You didn’t simply hear the hit single. You carried the record home, carefully slid the vinyl from its sleeve, admired the cover art, read every lyric, studied the musician credits, and settled into a chair knowing you were about to experience something larger than a handful of songs. Every track had a purpose. The opening number set the stage. The closing song left you with something to think about. Instrume

Andy Leftwich doesn’t deal in nostalgia, even when his résumé invites it. The four-time Grammy-winning instrumentalist could lean on a lifetime that runs from championship fiddle contests to nearly sixteen years inside Kentucky Thunder, but Aced pushes forward instead of looking back. The album captures a musician who has moved past proving himself and now focuses on saying something that lasts. “This latest record is one that I’ve been working on for just over a year,” Leftw