Preserving The Tradition of Bluegrass Into The Future

It’s been six years since Chance McCoy last traveled as a member of the Grammy Award–winning band Old Crow Medicine Show. Leaving on good terms, he’s back—bracing for the long road ahead. “You’d think you’ve hit the jackpot—you’re on a tour bus, and everything’s gravy. But it’s far from it. It’s intense,” McCoy admits during an interview. Leaving The Old Crow Medicine Show to pursue his own creative path in 2019, McCoy once again rejoins the band as a multi-instrumentalist. “

In a world filled with so much phoniness, simple and honest things often shine. For bluegrass musician and festival creator Caleb Bailey, his new endeavor already shows ample evidence of being one of those rare things. It’s 100-percent genuine. It’s no B.S. The “No Bull…Just Bluegrass Festival” – now in its second year – tells you in its title that it’s about genuine, down-home fun. Bailey and his band – Paine’s Run – host this music fest that will be held this year on July 2

Red, White & Bluegrass—Capital Celebrations Merry Semiquincentennial! I can’t believe it’s been that long since “The Mighty Quinn” topped the British airplay charts! Wait, I’m getting an update. Here in the former colonies, “semiquincentennial” is the much-too-formal way that some folks talk about our nation’s 250th anniversary. But any Independence Day is a real reason to celebrate. According to President John Adams, the nation’s birthday “ought to be solemnized with Pomp an

In true Molly Tuttle style, it was wig-off and full tilt as she played to an appreciative crowd at the iconic music venue Tipitina’s in New Orleans. The show in early May was a stop along her ambitious tour that will stretch into the late fall, followed by a Cayamo cruise out of Miami February 26-March 5, 2027. With a new band and a GRAMMY-nominated album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, Molly is taking her dynamic roots music blend of bluegrass, Americana, pop, and rock to ven

It’s pretty cool to be the son of an icon. When your dad was a pioneering figure in the evolution of a music genre, it’s not hard to come out of that without at least a little bit of inspiration. It’s almost impossible, perhaps, not to try yourself to pick up an instrument and do some pickin’ and strummin’. That’s exactly what happened to Ralph Stanley II, son of one of the patriarchs of the bluegrass sound. As the son of the late Dr. Ralph Stanley, he couldn’t resist learnin

For some people, finding true friends and gaining acceptance is just a little bit harder. According to Bluegrass Pride Vice Chair of the Board Scott Justus, the perennial issue of “fitting in” is even harder for those who identify as LGBTQ+. Bluegrass is known for its ability to bridge social, cultural and demographic divides, but to Justus and the other board members of Bluegrass Pride, people of more diverse backgrounds and identities need a separate place where they can ta

Bluegrass continues to prove fertile ground for artists like Izaak Atlas Schwartz, whose debut album, Black Oak Ridge, is creating a buzz—not just for its virtuosity but also for its originality. A classically trained musician from Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, Schwartz first cut his teeth at the Wind Gap Bluegrass Festivals. “I started learning bluegrass at the youth academy,” the fifteen-year-old recalls. He discovered The Ruta Beggars. “When I saw them play, I really like

Despite starting on the violin at an early age, having a bluegrass-loving father, playing in a family bluegrass band, and then touring with a national act, Ellie Hakanson didn’t set out to be a full-time musician. But things happen. Such as layoffs, lockdowns, and the chance to spend cherished time with a music-loving grandmother, who remains an inspiration. “I wasn't really planning on the professional bluegrass thing. But I'm happy it worked out that way,” Hakanson says.

Decoding the secret to social media success is something many content creators struggle with, but for Tennessee native Matt Heldman, what started as a Facebook page for teaching bluegrass has become a full-on fan page that’s growing by leaps and bounds. “I was at 87 followers in January of this year, and I think I’m now at almost 125,000,” Heldman told The Bluegrass Standard. Born East of the Tennessee River, Heldman leads Murphy’s Ridge, a family bluegrass and gospel band. E

Ever had a string of worrisome things hit in an orchestrated dance? Well, maybe a better visual would be an Olympic track, the biggest there is where all these hurdles are set up in intervals. You come out prancing to music and a roaring crowd, and you’ve had a great night’s sleep, lots of training, and you can’t wait for folks to see your shiny outfit! The starter gun fires, and you’re off at a breakneck pace; in fact, you’re leading. The first hurdle is easy-peasy, and as y

Some festivals pass through your life, and others stay with you. The High Sierra Music Festival earned that kind of loyalty over more than three decades, drawing people back each July for something that feels both familiar and new. It stands as a place where music, community, and discovery come together in a way that keeps people returning. This year, that experience moves to a new setting. The festival relocates from Quincy to the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, a

3:00 a.m., the spooky hour here on the Wee Farm. Why do my eyes fly open consistently at this time of a morning? If I fell asleep at 2:45 a.m. I would still come out of a dream around 3:00 a.m. …sigh. I cain’t have nuthin’ nice. Now granted, most times I lie there and argue with my sleepy self, insisting I fall back to sleep but it’s usually a battle. I always wake up the next morning patting myself on the back for winning the war. But this morning, yep, here I sit in the sil

“SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUEGRASS” Choosing Tunes for Wedding Playlists As spring turns into summer, weddings in city churches, country chapels, and the great outdoors are echoing with tunes familiar to Bluegrass brides and grooms. “If a June night could talk,” said English writer Bernard Williams,

Don’t tell Rebekah Speer she can’t do something. She will, no doubt, prove you wrong. In the eight years that I have known her, I haven’t seen much that Rebekah can’t do, and what she does, she pours her heart and soul into. Early Years Maybe it was growing up on a family farm in Lincolnton, Georgia, where she did hands-on work like tending to cattle, logging, carpentry, brick masonry, and even septic services, that Rebekah became a real jane-of-all-trades. Childhood was dif

A few years ago musician, vocalist and songwriter Zach Williams stretched himself to do something he didn’t want to do. It was outside his comfort zone. For Williams and his bandmates, however, an unexpected reliance on community would leave a creative mark. The Lone Bellow is known for heartfelt Americana soulfulness, and rootsy, emotionally sensitive lyrics. The group’s gospel-esque harmonies are capable of making even the hardest among us get a little misty when the music

For “worldgrass” trio Tanasi, music is about ideas that are understood personally but felt globally. The people, ideas, and music of different places and cultures provide inspiration and prove yet again that music is a universal language. “One of the things the three of us realized early on – beyond our shared love of tight Appalachian harmonies and beautiful melodies – is how deeply we all value travel and the chance to meet people from around the world who share that same l

On a Saturday afternoon in March, three musicians stood on a wooden stage built around the base of an old-growth sycamore tree on an idyllic piece of property outside of Kosciusko, Mississippi. They were playing for the kickoff of Heart Farms, the passion project of Terry Hunt. “I call Rosalee Walsh my niece,” Terry says. “I just knew I had to get her band to play today.” It was the end of a week of teaching for The Little Mercies, the band Rosalee has with her friends, Shan

Unable to participate in a phone interview, the band corresponded via email. If jamming bluegrass fires you up, What a Life—Magoo’s debut album—will catch your ear. Based in Colorado, Dylin Flynn (dobro), Erik Hill (guitar, lead vocal), Courtlyn Bills (mandolin), and Denton Turner (bass) stretch tradition beyond its boundaries. Magoo says the album represents the payoff of relentless effort, often recording into the early morning hours at Courtlyn’s home studio in Rollinsvill

Hillary Klug is a dancing fiddler who wows audiences wherever she goes. Recently, she was in New Orleans, along with Meredith Moon, where they had the crowd at the Cigar Box Guitar Festival on their feet for a power-packed show in the New Orleans Jazz Museum. “The organizer of the festival, Collins Kirby, wanted me to find an accompanist for my gig there. I met Meredith a while back, and we have been wanting to play together.” As fate would have it, Meredith, the daughter o

It’s natural, perhaps, to be inspired to form a bluegrass band if you’re from a place where the music is part of the culture, such as Kentucky or North Carolina. But how does a band in Kelowna, British Columbia,---that’s Canada, folks--come to bluegrass? For the members of Under the Rocks, it took curiosity, happenstance, a love of traditional Canadian fiddle music, and the discovery of a five-string legend. “Yeah, we definitely stumbled into it,” says guitarist and vocalist

Nashville Songwriting Hall of Famer Jim Lauderdale might make you think country and western, but the two-time Grammy Award winner spoke about his bluegrass heroes, Ralph Stanley, Rolland White, and his latest work with the hard driving Po Ramblin Boys. Known for his country songs, Lauderdale had an early struggle. “I used to be concerned years ago that I had to do just one style of music. And if I didn't do that, then people might not be accepting of me. But I didn’t find tha

“Our goal is to keep our band going,” explains mandolinist and lead singer Brian Eversole, father of Julia, 16, and David Eversole, 15. The Eversoles, along with friend and Scruggs-style banjo player Ashton Murray, 13, form the family-run Grassy Creek Bluegrass Band. For those not yet familiar with this band from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, they just recorded their first single, “Weather Girl,” and are thrilled to talk about it. “I was a little nervous, but it was a lot of fun. On

Twenty-three-year-old luthier Joshua Young doesn't waste time talking about guitar players; instead, he prefers to rattle off about tone, wood, bracing, jigs, and fretboards—and he does so with the authority of a master craftsman. By all accounts, he is the youngest maker of pre–World War II Martin-style replicas today. Take a stroll over to his YouTube channel, and you will see top-notch pickers Brad Paisley, Tommy Emmanuel, and Billy Strings in awe as they test-drive his c

If necessity is the mother of invention, guitars made of cigar boxes are a testament to human creativity in the face of financial hardship. A simple cigar box, commonly found, serves as the resonator of the instrument, with a neck made of wood – often a broom handle – then strung with screen wire or fishing line to create a do-it-yourself guitar with a distinctive sound. Cigar boxes, hubcaps, Coke crates, and more were used to fashion improvised string instruments played dur