“I’ve been having these interactions with strangers. I think people can tell when you’re working on yourself.” We’re 30 minutes outside of Nashville shooting the music video for “Good Death,” the opening track of Rachel Gore’s debut EP. The concept is simple, but specific: Gore, standing somberly in front of several primitive Baptist churches, intercut with shots of nature. The term “A24 vibes” is thrown around as a continuity guide. A few days prior, we perused the list of Tennessee churches on the National Register of Historic Places to create an itinerary. We ranked our favorites, factoring in distance and condition. Currently, Gore is laying down at the base of a tree outside New Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She’s wearing a white Victorian nightgown that she bought from a plant shop, holding daisies picked from the edge of the parking lot. Ants crawl around her head. Cinematographer Corbin Eaton stands over her, adjusting the shot. I’m just out of frame, manning the windshield shade that serves as our light diffuser. She’s been talking about this specific shot for several days, but what she doesn't know now is that it won't even end up in the final cut of the video. We’re seconds from wrapping when a mid-2000s Jeep Cherokee pulls up to the front of the church. This is what our trio has been dreading all day, the moment we’re all indicted for trespassing on sacred grounds and chased out of the unincorporated community by pitchfork wielding locals. The quiet towns have been good to us thus far. The only person we've even spoken to was a church neighbor, who assumed we were stranded with a broken down car. Surely our luck with kind strangers was bound to run out. From the Cherokee, the pastor of New Bethel steps out and waves to us. He’s wearing a button up shirt tucked into blue jeans, with a complicated pattern on his tie that I don’t get close enough to to identify with a confident level of accuracy. His wife steps out of the passenger side door, and accompanies her mother from the backseat. Our collective guilt sets in. How naive of us to think we could get away with desecrating this property for the sake of self-interest without repercussions. Before we have a chance to flee the scene, the pastor invites us inside. He remarks that they don’t start for another hour, and people typically show up late. As the only member of our group who didn’t grow up in church, I restrain myself from asking what event they are holding on a Sunday evening. I’m still unsure of the answer to my unvoiced question, but I know it would’ve been the wrong thing to say. An important element to note here, and the one thing saving us from eternity in hell, is Gore’s unwavering authenticity. The concept, while it deals with her questioning of her own faith, is in no way ironic or farcical. It’s not her using churches as a symbolic prop to show herself leaving to then find true spirituality in nature. It’s about forging connections between the opposing forces that she feels drawn to, rather than choosing just one path to follow. The song, and the EP as a whole, are about seeing the commonalities between what we love and fear the most. For Rachel Gore, that love is music. And that fear is death. I don’t feel the need to sit down with her for a formal interview for the same reason that I don’t feel a need to conceal my bias toward her: she’s my girlfriend of four years. I’ve witnessed every step of her process for developing this concept. I’ve observed her in the throws of existential dread. I’ve seen her pinpoint those feelings, and listened as she articulated them through music. Forgotten Woman of Folk is a metamodernist concept album that seeks to disprove its own core hypothesis. The title track spells it out in a niche history lesson for mid-century folk enthusiasts. Gore tells the respective stories of Connie Converse and Judee Sill, two singer-songwriters who died (presumably, in the case of Converse) before their work garnered significant recognition. Both of these women embody a duality that Gore feels deeply: a desire to create something meaningful before you die, and a fear of perceived failure. Converse and Sill were largely unsuccessful in their careers, but are regarded today as pioneers of the singer-songwriter genre. A story that begs the question: is it too much to ask to live long enough to taste the fruits of your labor? Gore wrestles with this in the song’s lyrical refrain. “If I’m destined to become a forgotten woman of folk/then I’ll be in good company/how sad, how lovely.” She circumvents failure by redefining the very idea of success. It seems that losing isn’t even possible if the people you look up to never won. Her death anxiety is less superficial than that, though. She isn’t kept up at night by thoughts of how she will be remembered when she’s gone. She doesn’t ruminate on what will be said at her funeral. Instead, she fears the unknown. This fear, she believes, stems from the way society “pushed the very normal fact of death away; handing our loved ones off to professionals once they pass.” She sought out to quell this anxiety through some mild exposure therapy. She started researching practices that celebrated death as a natural part of life. Through her exploration, she discovered natural burial. Natural burial is an eco-friendly alternative to conventional burial options. No embalming fluid or other inhibitors of decomposition are used in the process. Bodies may be placed in biodegradable caskets, wrapped in quilts, or laid down in flower beds before being buried. The objective is twofold: to preserve land and reframe the way people connect with their loved ones that have passed. Looking for a more tactile experience, Gore and I voyaged to Larkspur Conservation, Tennessee’s first natural burial preserve. Located at Taylor Hollow in Middle Tennessee, Larkspur Conservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the environmental and spiritual values that Gore felt undoubtedly called to. We hiked around the property. We saw deer, rabbits, and turtles. We read the memorial stones and visitor journal to ourselves, taking in the serenity of the silence. “Good Death” illustrates the tranquility that one finds at Taylor Hollow. Gore imagines her own sendoff to the afterlife, complete with a flower bed and post-burial celebration. She embraces the duality of existentialism and the closing chapter of a life well-lived, giving the listener an idea of how she hopes to be remembered. Ironically, the fear of death before creating something meaningful prompted Gore to push her songwriting abilities further than ever before. Her first fully formed effort at being a singer-songwriter is a portrait of a future in which she never made it as one. She’s coming to terms with what’s important to her. Her happiness isn’t dependent upon her success, it relies on whether or not she gave it her all. It’s precisely this kind of genuineness that has sharpened her sense of introspection. She gives herself grace to live in the in-between spaces. She can have a strong faith, and still have a lot of questions about it. She can recognize the missteps of her spiritual path without abandoning it altogether. Living with her during this time gave me a unique insight into the creative process of an artist. My life suddenly became a vérité behind-the-music film, barring any jump cuts or closed doors. I remember the moment Gore hit her breaking point. When the perception of a wasted life became too much to bear. Her dreams were on the back burner while everything else around her heated up. I watched her as she watched her contemporaries find success, like Phil Collins watching a guy watch someone drown. It all came to a head when we sat down to watch Judd Apatow’s 2017 Avett Brothers documentary. We were halfway through when she broke down in tears. She couldn’t stand the fact that she hadn’t been doing what she was put on Earth to do. She was selling herself short, romanticizing a plan B that felt more attainable. It’s easy to do in a city like Nashville, where everything feels competitive and working in the music industry is a safe alternative for daydreaming musicians. This can be a viable career move for many, but for Gore, it meant an instability in an even more important aspect of her life. The switch flipped almost immediately. Within days, she began writing again. She wrote with brutal honesty about the things that she found interesting and scary. Death. Legacy. Spirituality. Over the course of a year, she poured her soul and her paychecks into the four songs that would ultimately become Forgotten Woman of Folk. Via Facebook, she connected with Sarah Peacock, a Nashville-based Americana artist and producer. Gore had posted a cry for help in a local musician's group, asking how she could step up her production value without breaking the bank. She knew her home set up that she'd been using for years wouldn't quite cut it for these songs; they were worthy of investment. Sarah Peacock's studio is remarkably antithetical to the image that one's mind conjures when imagining a young musician's dream scenario of transitioning from DIY to professional recording. It is not encircled by high-rises. There is no permanently established vocal booth with symmetrical soundproof panels. Far from Music Row, the space is more closely aligned with Gore's aesthetic. It's the loft of a cabin in a neighborhood with hardly any cell phone reception. Though it can't be seen in the music, it has the same charm that she seeks out in every other aspect of her life. It's cozy and inviting, not polished and cold. The same can be said about the atmosphere that Peacock fosters in her studio. The two have long talks between takes, discussing each other's prospects both in and outside of music. When the duo reach a stopping point in their all-day sessions, Peacock prepares home-cooked meals that eventually become staple recipes in our own household. Back at the church, Gore is making small talk with the pastor’s wife. She marvels at the personality of the humble building. The spaces between the light conversation stick firmly in the air, as if being buoyed by the thick Tennessee humidity. The pastor’s wife hints that Gore could put on an impromptu performance, but the only guitar in the room has some type of unidentified damage. "That's broken," the pastor says. We get two quick shots of her in the church and our crew bids farewell to New Bethel. Where most would see common Southern hospitality, Gore sees something more abstract. It's almost like her own form of namaste. She says that people can recognize when you’re being genuine, when you’re trying. She believes in the idea of reciprocal sincerity, where people will meet you at the level of honesty that you give to them. She’s making music, but not for some temporary indicator of success. She’s making it because she needs to before she dies, to provide that same kind of honesty to herself. Rachel Gore's debut EP, Forgotten Woman of Folk, is available on all streaming platforms on October 6th. Photos by Daniel Sheehan.

Don’t try to put The Brothers Comatose in a box. It simply can’t be done. The five-piece San Francisco band is certainly not a traditional bluegrass band by any means, yet their music is solidly based on the bluegrass tradition. Their musicianship is fierce, and their shows are high-energy. And their fans love every bit of it. Brothers Ben and Alex Morrison grew up in a musical family. “Our mom was in a folk quartet with two men and two women,” recalls Ben. “They sang harmony like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and just being around it and listening to them certainly got the music into our bones,” Alex recalls the music parties at their home. “There were always Sunday jams. I wondered how they knew all those songs. I wanted to do that. It was magic to me.” Ben and Alex’s mom also worked at an indie music label, and she wanted her sons to have the opportunity to one day be in the music world if they desired. “We took guitar lessons when we were young,” Alex says. “Someone left a banjo at a jam session one Sunday and never came back to claim it. That’s when I started playing banjo.” Today, The Brothers Comatose comprises Ben Morrison on guitar and vocals, Alex Morrison on banjo and vocals, Steve Height on bass, and Greg Fleischut on vocals and mandolin. “We decided we needed a fiddle player, so we put fliers up at the Conservatory of Music in San Francisco,” says Ben. “Philip Brezina, a redneck from Pennsylvania who studied classical music, answered the call. We feel like we have a great lineup.” Once the musicians were established, the band needed a name. “The name is kind of a mystery,” says Ben. “Maybe it popped into my head in a dream. I’m pretty sure it was inspired by the way Alex’s eyes roll back in his head when he plays, kind of like he is in a musical coma.” The Brothers Comatose singing Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon" is hauntingly beautiful, but the brothers and their band aren’t limited in their repertoire. They play pure traditional bluegrass, including “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It” by Hank Williams and Peter Rowan’s “Midnight Moonlight.” But there’s also the unexpected, such as Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women,” and “Going to California” by Led Zeppelin. Their album, Kickin’ Up the Dust: Live at Moe’s Alley, was released on September 7. A fall tour followed, beginning in Nashville and taking them through 19 cities, ending up in Seattle, Washington, on November 16. Touring (and performing) with them are The Rainbow Girls, Goodnight Texas, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, and Taylor Rae. As they gain a following, more festivals are booked for the band, including Merle Fest, Floyd Fest and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. But their best performances are those where the audience radiates massive energy. “We were honored to play Merle Fest, but it’s a different vibe,” says Ben. “The people there like to sit down and really listen to the music. But for us, it’s easier to tell if people are having fun if they are up dancing.” The band has been known to do interactive activities with their audience, such as passing out chopsticks to use as drumsticks and sending an inflatable alligator out into the crowd. “When we see people visibly getting into it, that feeds our energy. It just keeps it interesting for us.” When asked what drives them, Ben said, “I have no other options in life. I have developed no other skills. It’s a good thing that I love music because it helps me bring joy to people, which I love.” Ben is married to Erica Tietjen, who is in a band with her twin sisters called T Sisters. “I’m thankful for so many things,” says Ben, “but I’m most thankful to my wife and our two children. We both love music, and we are both exhausted all the time, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Alex agrees and says that musically, he is thankful to do what they do. “We have been touring for almost 15 years, and it’s going better than ever.”

Danny Paisley may have grown up listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and playing saxophone in the school marching band, but today, he is a bluegrass traditionalist who works to preserve the music while keeping it relevant in today’s world. Raised in Pennsylvania, Danny picked up his love of music at Sunset Park in Chester County. “I loved country and bluegrass music. I listened to Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Hank Williams Sr., and other country music artists at the time. I also loved Ola Belle Reed, who was also a transplant to Pennsylvania. She had a great band, New River Boys and Girls.” In high school, Danny often played on the weekends with his father, Bob Paisley, who was in a band called The Southern Mountain Boys. “I joined them in 1974 when I was 14 years old,” he recalls. The band gained recognition from their performances on New Jersey Public Television. Ted Lundy, Jerry Lundy, and Fred Hannah joined Bob in the band. When Ted Lundy passed away, Bob took over the band and changed the name to Bob Paisley and the Southern Grass. Ted’s sons, T.J., and Bobby Lundy, joined the band. They played for such notable events as Jimmy Carter’s presidential inauguration and at the Library of Congress. When Bob passed away in 2004, Dan took over as the frontman for the band. Stronger than ever, the band has been recognized with over 15 IBMA nominations. In 2009, they were awarded IBMA’s Song of the Year for “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away.” Dan’s robust vocals have earned him the Male Vocalist of the Year award three times – something only five other artists in bluegrass history have accomplished. Today’s Southern Grass continues the family tradition his father started. Danny plays guitar with the band, while his son, Ryan, plays mandolin. “Ryan is becoming a great singer in his own right,” says Danny. “I have developed my style over the years, and it’s hard for some people to sing with me. I may sing a song one way one day and totally different the next. But Ryan sings tenor with me and knows what to expect.” The tradition continues with Ted Lundy’s sons, T.J. Lundy, on fiddle and his brother, Bobby, on bass and vocals. Dean Phillips plays banjo with the band. The Southern Grass has produced consecutive chart-topping albums. Their most recent album, Bluegrass Troubadour on the Pinecastle label, features pure traditional bluegrass music. “I love pure bluegrass,” Danny says. “That’s what I grew up on, and that’s what I hear in my head when I think of bluegrass music. When people send me songs, that’s how I hear them. That sometimes makes it hard to find material that works well.” Danny says young people today can’t relate to the Blue Ridge Mountains. “I have to work hard to stay relevant. But I have found that there is an audience for pure, solid bluegrass. That’s what we play, and we put a lot of rhythm into it.” After a bout with throat cancer, Danny says he is grateful that he is now in good health. “I thank God for curing me. I am so fortunate that music has provided me with a comfortable lifestyle. It has taken care of me and my family. I am also fortunate to have good people around me who support me. I have been able to travel throughout the United States and the world and see things I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to see.” Knowing where his bread is buttered, Danny says he appreciates it when people use their hard-earned money to see him perform. “I’m never going to shortchange them,” he says. “I give my all at every show.” Every artist worth his salt has a good manager, and Danny has that in his manager, Laura Mainer. “She has done great things for me and other artists as well. She takes the pressure off so we can focus on what’s important.” Group shots by Dennisandersonphotography.com Single shot of Danny Paisley by Jodie Fisbein.

The concept of “high fidelity” is about precision in sound, but for one Virginia-based bluegrass outfit, it also may be about precision of soul. For these bluegrass traditionalists, music is partly a way of expressing personal beliefs. As words of Thanksgiving, members of the band High Fidelity express gratitude for what they see as higher guidance. “One of the main things that pulled us together is the SPBGMA band contest,” explained High Fidelity fiddler and harmony vocalist Corrina Rose Logston. “We wanted to perform the bluegrass music near and dear to our hearts. In the beginning, we just wanted to bring our brand of bluegrass to audiences and hope they would love it, too.” In their case, that music harkened back to tunes of the 1950s and 1960s. Jim and Jesse. The Stanley Brothers. Charlie Monroe. “We won that [SPBGMA] contest in 2014 and had no idea how things would unfold for us,” Logston said. “When we won it, it felt so miraculous…and we wanted to give the Lord the glory. She added, “We never take that for granted…it always seems like a calling. For us, it’s a really personal and visceral experience…it feels like divine interaction.” Logston’s husband – High Fidelity guitarist and lead vocalist Jeremy Stephens – sees it exactly the same way. After the win in 2014, he said they didn’t have to seek out gigs. Booking agents and record labels reached out first. “They called us,” Stephens recalled. “It’s direct guidance that’s…apart from us.” After what the couple describes as somewhat of a struggle to bring the record to market, High Fidelity released a new album – Music in My Soul – in September. The CD release party was held at The Well Coffeehouse on Nashville’s Music Row, located in the Koinonia bookstore. Logston and Reynolds say they chose it because the venue has close ties to Nashville’s Belmont Church, where well-known artists such as Amy Grant got their start. “We’re very excited,” Stephens said. “It’s 14 tracks. In High Fidelity, we have never recorded any new original music until this record. We are known for sourcing and recording obscure songs from an earlier time.” For instance, the record’s first single release – “The Mighty Name of Jesus” – was penned by Logston. She detailed the difficulties in bringing the project together. Their last had been the 2020 release of Banjo Player’s Blues, and as with their other albums, the process had been easier. Due to the life circumstances of band members, however, Music in My Soul took much longer – and much more effort – to complete. Now that it’s done, however, they see the finished product as a kind of triumph over adversity, making them both thankful and proud. “The whole thing feels like a project of being able to overcome,” Logston said. “For almost ten years, we’ve been wanting to do this record.” With band members on the road performing more often now, time and distance limitations were tighter. She said this made it harder to schedule rehearsal and studio time. They recorded it last fall, and it was finally released in September. “It’s totally different than any of our other records,” Logston said. “Jeremy and I…we did a good bit of the engineering on this record.” This musical couple is joined in High Fidelity by Kurt Stephenson (banjo and vocals), Vickie Vaughn (upright bass and vocals), and Daniel Amick (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist). They’ve got a tour scheduled for next year, but for now, they will enjoy the slowed-down season of the holidays. There’s a gig Stephens is looking forward to on November 18 at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham, Virginia, which he referred to as his “hometown area.” With the new record, High Fidelity shows true fidelity to the band’s origins and intent of showcasing 1950s and 1960s styles. However, they’re doing it for the first time with some new originals. It’s a change of pace but isn’t so far afield that fans won’t recognize it. “That direction still guides our musical sound,” Logston said, “and gives us boundaries to keep High Fidelity a consistent thing. I feel like this is probably the best record we’ve done so far." She added, “It’s the strongest High Fidelity.”

Long-time bluegrass photographer and LBG Alumni Award-winning radio host Becky Johnson spent years capturing bluegrass music through her camera lens. A staff photographer for Merle Fest for fifteen years, she published the book Inside Bluegrass: twenty-years of bluegrass photography, giving viewers an intimate look at bluegrass festivals. Among her credits, which include photos featured in US News & World Report, Bluegrass Unlimited, The Bluegrass Situation, and Bluegrass Today, is her cameo in the 1992 bluegrass documentary High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music. Johnson spoke openly with The Bluegrass Standard about growing up in Concord, Massachusetts, where she spent her youth drawn to the radio, listening to country & western and bluegrass music. “I remember dialing in on my step grandfather’s shortwave radio that he made himself, and dialing in all these shows from Chicago, West Virginia and WSM in Nashville,” adding that seeing episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies and the Andy Griffith Show ignited her passion for bluegrass. She experienced a eureka moment when her boyfriend took her to a local watering hole called The Sticky Wicked Pub in Hopkinton, MA, to see Don Stover & The White Oak Mountain Boys. “My then-boyfriend Roger took me to see Don Stover one night up close! Wow, I found it! The music I loved so much had a face, and I met him, and he was so kind. Don Stover was Bluegrass Royalty! The last time I saw Don was in 1996, in September in Owensboro, KY, at our annual bluegrass convention,” Becky recalled, adding that he was terminally ill with cancer and that they hugged and talked for the last time. “Death comes to all,” she said with a philosophical air, “but becoming daring yet vulnerable enough to receive love from my heroes -- I liked the feeling!” Inheriting her uncle’s Pentax camera, she fell in love with photography. By the mid-1970s, Johnson, a novice photographer, began to immerse herself in New England’s bluegrass festival scene, making friends with Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, The Osborn Brothers, JD Crowe, Peter Rowen, Sam Bush, and many others. “I had my own dark room and would print up pictures and bring them with me to the festivals and give them to musicians I had met before,” Johnson recalled, adding, “I got some photo jobs because of that.” Johnson told The Bluegrass Standard about her promise to the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. “As I stood there in front of Mr. Monroe, he gently took my hands into his and pulled them straight to his heart. ‘I want you to promise me, Becky, you’ll do all you can to keep bluegrass going strong long after I'm gone.’ “Of course, I agreed. His blue eyes were piercing yet filled with tears. We just stood there in silence. It seemed as if a portal to bluegrass music opened at that moment, and I could see the light in Bill Monroe's eyes. Bill continued with me, ‘I know you'll know just what to do, you'll do the right thing.’ So saith the Father,” said Becky reverently. Balancing her passion for broadcasting and photography, Johnson, known throughout the bluegrass community as “Mrs. Bluegrass,” can be heard every Tuesday spinning bluegrass and country classics during her show Panhandle Country on North Carolina’s - WHUP radio. Reflecting on her radio career, she said, “I began hosting my own weekly live bluegrass show in 2007. First Generation Bluegrass Show was my initial show, then I created another music show, Honky Tonk Merry Go Round, which featured Classic C&W, Cajun [and] Zydeco tunes.” Excited about 2024, she plans to re-publish her book and has her site set on the prestigious IBMA award. “I’m in the running for IBMA: Best Bluegrass Photographer, 2024. This award is the first time that bluegrass photography is getting its own legitimate recognition!” During our conversation, she explained that she was not pleased with the results of her book Inside Bluegrass. “I'd like to rework, update, and re-publish "Inside Bluegrass" from 1998. The quality of the prints was substandard: too soft. I refused to have them (Empire Publications) edit any of my pictures. So, everything is full frame.” Becky also shared her new passion for various art mediums. “I'm consumed with creating felted objects, painting or making cool sculptures,” she laughed. With many stories to tell about her time as a bluegrass festival photographer, meeting the Father of Bluegrass and the promise she made to him is her most cherished. “My vow to keep bluegrass alive is an ongoing daily routine. My weekly live radio on WHUP 104.7 features bluegrass, cool classic country and western [and] classic tunes from the past. It all flows in together.”

Looking like an old-school bluegrass band, The Cleverlys take the stage and jump into a straight-ahead bluegrass song. Purists may think they know the song but can’t quite place it. They listen as the band deadpans as they play fiddle riffs and steel guitar licks. Lead singer Paul Harris, aka Digger Cleverly, steps up to the microphone and begins singing. Shawty had them apple bottom jeans (jeans) Boots with the fur (with the fur) The whole club was looking at her She hit the floor (she hit the floor) Next thing you know Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low Wait a minute. That’s not a bluegrass song. That’s rapper Flo Rida’s song, “Low,” and Digger is nailing the lyrics to a bluegrass beat. Ladies and gentlemen, meet The Cleverlys, a campy, goofy, yet musically brilliant act straight out of Arkansas. Is it a prank? Well, not to the legions of fans who pack The Cleverlys’ shows. It seems the band appeals to both bluegrass purists and those who like the music of pop artists like Katy Perry, Beyonce’ and Justin Beiber. “We like our bluegrass to make us laugh,” says Paul. The New York Times says, “If Dolly Parton, Earl Scruggs and Spinal Tap had a litter of puppies, it would be The Cleverlys.” The band plays well to college crowds but also appeals to an older, conservative crowd at Branson. And lately, they’ve been playing gigs at The Grand Ole Opry. At Duling Hall in Jackson, Mississippi, The Cleverlys were musically tight and extremely entertaining. While Harris claims he is the weakest link in the bunch, he had complete command of the stage as the frontman. Part comedian, part vocalist and guitar player, he and his humor had the audience eating out of his hand with raucous laughter. The band's fictional backstory is that Digger’s father and four uncles founded them in the 1950s as The Cleverly Trio. With five musicians on stage in Jackson, Harris still introduced the band as The Cleverly Trio and continued to do so throughout the night, never breaking character. The story continued as he introduced each band member as his nephew. Digger told the crowd that when they are not performing, The Cleverlys run an alpaca farm in their hometown of Cane Spur, Arkansas, where they produce everything from alpaca sausages and dairy products to woolly lingerie. “But that hasn’t caught on quite yet.” Just as Harris has his “Digger” alter ego, each band member is introduced by their Cleverly name. But don’t let the silliness fool you. These are seasoned, accomplished, and talented musicians. The band features Will MacLean’s “VD” on banjo, Mike Skates's “Ricky Lloyd” on bass, Caleb Edwards's “Haggis” on mandolin, and Scott Murry's “Waspur” on steel guitar. “They really are exceptional musicians,” says Harris, who talked about stereotypes that Southern people often encounter. “As soon as we start talking, people start deducting points. We had a TV deal one time, and one of the producers wanted to Beverly Hillbilly it up. Ours is not a dumbed-down act.” Harris says comedy comes naturally to him. “I grew up loving Monty Python and Christopher Guest movies.” That set the stage for what has become a comedy bluegrass phenomenon. “Most of the songs we do start with an idea. People give us ideas all the time. At any given time, we have about 70 to 100 songs we are working on, and we are constantly adding to the list.” The band makes all the arrangements for each song. “We are lucky that we enjoy each other’s company. Honestly, we start laughing from the time we pull out of the driveway.” The Cleverlys have recorded several albums, the most recent of which is Solid Butter, released in July of this year. “We recorded in Nashville,” says Harris. “We asked around about who would be the best person to produce our album, and Scott Vestal’s name kept coming up. So we got Scott to produce the album, and he did a really good job.” The album opens with Dr. John’s “Right Place, Wrong Time.” You’ll want to dance along to “Love Shack” and “Gangnam Style.” And The Cleverly’s take on “Creep” by Radiohead is particularly good. “It was an idea I had while eating breakfast,” says Harris. “Caleb sent me the recording on the phone from a hotel. I thought about doing it in three-quarter time, and it’s a really unique spin on it, but it sounds so natural.” Do yourself a favor and pull up The Cleverlys on YouTube. You’ll be glad you did.

Doug Flowers has a vast and authentic history as a musician who lived well from within the welcoming arms of bluegrass culture. While he has many stories to tell of the people he’s worked with and known over a career that spans more than five decades, he’s also sowing seeds of the future, putting out new music and doing his part to bring roots music forward for new listeners to enjoy. “My father could play anything,” Flowers said of his early influences. Growing up, the house was filled with sounds of The Carter Family and Bill Monroe. His dad owned all the records. At age nine, he attended his first bluegrass festival when he had only been playing mandolin for three years. It was the Bill Monroe Festival in Indiana, which, back in 1970 when he first attended, was called the Bean Blossom Festival. There, he first witnessed performers who were stars of the genre, such as Monroe and Ricky Skaggs. “A lightbulb went off,” he said, recalling that time long ago. He just knew he had to be a part of the scene. He said he saw them all, all the greats. He began playing professionally three years later, at around age 12. Then, at age 14, a figure Flowers called “a female pioneer” of bluegrass came calling on this budding young pro who lived near her in that area around Augusta, Georgia. As one of the few female band leaders of her time, Fisher offered the teen a job. “I worked on the road with Betty for four years,” Flowers said, adding that he still has many memories of those first experiences on the road. For instance, he was with Fisher when a history-making event took place. “We were on our way to Ohio when we heard that Elvis passed,” he said. He reminisced with a humorous tone that sometimes, he’d have to step off the tour bus and get directly onto a school bus to make it to his high school classes. “Bill Monroe knew her [Fisher’s] family,” Flowers explained. “Bill had us on the Opry Early Bird Bluegrass show. As a 16-year-old kid, you’re standing in that circle, and you’re like, wow…I’ve arrived!” He’d later attend college at Georgia Southern, where he’d meet lifelong friends and fellow songwriters. “I met Gerald Smith at Georgia Southern, who had been on Hee Haw already,” he said. He also became friends with Tony Arata, who penned some songs for Garth Brooks, including his mega-hit, “The Dance.” “These were my peers,” Flowers said, reflecting upon his good fortune of finding fellow musicians who shared the same heart for traditional music. He then did an 18-year stint with a group called Avalanche and spent two years as an original Little Roy & Lizzie Show member. “I’ve been playing at his [Little Roy] pickin’ party since it started.” In 2012, he joined Clinton Gregory for a stint in his band. Then, in 2015, Flowers decided it was time to release his own record. It was called Doug Flowers & Friends and called upon the many connections he had already made in the biz. “I wrote and co-wrote with Gerald [Smith] ‘All Over Me,’ which hit #1 on the roots charts,” Flowers said. He guessed that he’d co-written about ten songs with Smith to date. In 2017, Flowers’ second CD – Doug Flowers Favorites – included participation from heavy-hitters such as Arata, who sang his version of “Dreaming with my Eyes Wide Open,” a song of his that country star Clay Walker had recorded. The release also included work by well-known musicians and songwriters, including Sam Bush, Scott Vestal, Donna Ulisse, Justin Moses and Lisa Schaffer. The first record put out by his eponymously named full ensemble formed in 2015 – Doug Flowers Band – was “Brothersville,” released in 2021. “We were very fortunate to get some very good airplay with that ‘Brothersville’ project,” Flowers said. Today, he said Doug Flowers Band mostly does “a lot of corporate events and private parties.” In the coming year, he hopes to " go back in the studio and work on a new project.” In introspection about this coming Thanksgiving, Flowers expressed gratitude for…well…everyone and everything that infuses American music culture with goodness. “I’m thankful that I grew up in a Christian home that taught me morals and values and that they taught me music,” Flowers reminisced. He said he’s thankful for his wife, two kids, and all the “DJs, promoters and journalists” who help keep music thriving. He’s also grateful for “the many, many friends” he’s made in bluegrass. This music veteran has been at it for a long time and feels very connected to the beginnings of the music he loves. After all, the original powerhouse patriarchs were still around when Flowers started pickin’ his first mandolin. “Bluegrass was less than 25 years old when I started playing in the ‘60s,” Flowers said. “It has changed a lot, but I get excited when I see young kids getting into what we are doing.”

Cade Slayden and Ryan Kelly first met at the Montana Fiddle Camp. Both attended in 2015 and 2016, then, as kids do, they returned to their lives and lost touch. But fate put them together again in 2021 when Ryan had a few friends over and Cade walked in. “It was like, ‘I know you!’” Ryan recalls. “We played bluegrass all night and decided we should form a band. We had a band in place by the next month.” The name of the band, North Fork Crossing, came from the scenic surroundings in their native Montana. “My father had a fly-fishing outfit on the Blackfoot River in Montana,” says Cade. “My two siblings and I worked on the north fork of the river.” Cade says he grew up in a musical family. “I was very musically focused throughout high school. I knew that’s what I wanted to do and pursue in my life,” There is no doubt that Cade has found his place in the music world. “The community as a whole is booming, and we are growing with it. The live music scene is exploding. There are a few strong bands now from Bozeman.” A few of those bands include the Kitchen Dwellers, Lanie Lou and the Bird Dogs, and The Last Revel. “Their banjo player has helped us to get gigs,” says Cade. Other artists they are inspired by include Bill Monroe, Nick Dumas, Doc Watson, Tony Rice, John Hartford, Billy Strings and Harry Clark, to name a few. “We listen to quite the spectrum of music,” Cade says. “Also, Mountain Grass Unit blows our minds with their music playing abilities. We like progressive music as much as we like traditional.” Describing themselves as “a little bit jam grassy, but traditionally focused,” North Fork Crossing does some covers, from traditional Doc Watson tunes to the Beatles’ “Get Back” played in bluegrass style. “It helps us to connect with a different audience.” But it’s not only covers for the band. “We have quite a few original tunes in the process of being finished for our first album,” Cade says. “It’s been a long time coming. Right now we have ten to twelve original songs.” The album was recorded in a live recording style. “We did all the instrumentals in one take,” says Cade. “We did it right here in our hometown of Bozeman, Montana. It’s got a cool live feel to it, and it portrays what you will experience if you come to a North Fork Crossing show.” The album was engineered by Josh Kaltenbach. North Fork Crossing plays mostly in the Montana area for now. Their shows are fast-paced and high energy, with something for everyone, from traditional bluegrass to psychedelic rock. They manage to blend it all into their own unique sound that they pride themselves on calling “the evolution of string band music.” The band is made up of Cade on lead vocals and guitar, Ryan on mandolin, Rabi Phelan on upright bass, Matt Hickey on banjo and Silas Rae on fiddle. In this season of giving thanks, Ryan says he is grateful he was able to grow up in a place like Montana, where he was exposed to bluegrass at an early age. “I played cello through high school and that morphed into playing in a jazz band. My parents have always been very supportive of whatever I wanted to do.”

Food often comes from the heart. Sure, it fills bellies and nourishes bodies. But it also creates comfort and peace beyond physical needs and soothes the soul. It’s one thing that bonds us across cultures and connects us. It is a constant across all stages of our lives and all times of year - but especially during this time of year when we reflect on blessings and opportunities. ‘Tis the season for giving, and these organizations across Appalachia are giving back where it matters most - right in the tummy. Whether supporting those who are growing our food for generations to come or getting food into the hands of those who need it most, these groups are ensuring the common thread amongst us all - food - is supporting those across the mountains. Check out these food nonprofits and the good work they’re doing during the season of gratitude: OHIO Rural Action Focusing on the Appalachian area of Ohio, Rural Action was founded in 1991 to address social, economic, and environmental injustice. “Rural Action’s mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. We do this work by focusing on sectors identified as important by our members: food and agriculture, forestry, zero waste and recycling, environmental education, watershed restoration, and energy,” according to its website. VIRGINIA Busfarm “Farm to Family started as a mobile farmer’s market in a converted school bus in June 2009, delivering local and organic Virginia-grown produce and products, and has grown to a year-round indoor market, USA Farm Shares and now the urban BusFarm,” according to the website. The bus is a mini, mobile farmers market all on wheels that can visit individuals near and far. The retrofitted school bus not only distributed locally grown produce, meat and dairy products, but it also helps educate the community about food security. PENNSYLVANIA Grow Pittsburgh Grow Pittsburgh teaches people how to grow food, grows food through urban farm sites, and supports gardens at area grade schools. This work is carried out through the school garden curriculum, teacher training, workforce development for youth, adult workshops, and more throughout Allegheny County. WEST VIRGINIA The Wild Ramp The Wild Ramp is an indoor, year-round, nonprofit farmers market that began as an effort to combat the rising climb of obesity in the region by increasing fresh, local food access to all. “In 2012, our vision was evident: to grow and operate a sustainable farmers market for locally grown and produced food and artisan items. As we have grown, we have expanded our retail market, added new programs such as The Harvest Kitchen and SNAP Stretch and implemented new services such as our Online Food Hub. It is most important to us that we provide the opportunity, support and space for local producers and the community to come together for a common goal of growing and supporting our local food economy,” the website reads. KENTUCKY Glean Kentucky According to its website, Glean Kentucky was founded in 2010 by three individuals seeking to attack two problems: food waste and hunger. By gathering - or gleaning - excess produce from places like stores, farms, markets and even gardens, the organization works to redistribute food to those in need. Not only does the program reduce local food waste, but it also supports more than 100 feeding programs. “Since our inception, we have served as a vital link between local food sources and dozens of feeding programs. We glean nearly a thousand times a year, and yet we’ve just scratched the surface of diverting wasted food,” the website reads. NORTH CAROLINA Table Table, a 501(c)3 in Orange County, North Carolina, takes a unique approach to making sure kids are fed and educated about nutritious food. The program is a “one-of-a-kind food distribution model delivering food directly to children at their home every week, ensuring transportation is never a barrier to accessing food,” according to the website. Furthermore: “We serve children of 7 different ethnicities and accommodate their dietary needs by adjusting their bags of food for allergies, vegetarian/vegan requests, and ethnic & religious special diets. Our bags of food contain 50% fresh produce, with a majority of it coming from local farms when available, and 50% healthy nonperishables based on dietary guidelines.” These selected organizations are just several in Appalachia working tirelessly year-round to support food in the region. That may look like assuring food gets to those who need it most or preserving food traditions for the future. During the season of giving, these organizations could benefit from the generosity of communities.

By day, he’s Keith Billik, Esq., an attorney quietly practicing his profession in suburban Detroit. Off the clock, he’s Keith Billik, the creator, host, and producer of The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast, which, in its five-year history, has featured extended interviews with more than 120 of the great banjoists of our time and attracted a loyal and supportive band of listeners. Billik is an accomplished banjo player and has worked as a road musician, a sound tech, a salesperson at Lansing’s famed Elderly Instruments, and played in a Pink Floyd cover band. But he says nothing in his background made hosting Picky Fingers inevitable. “I had listened to sports, news, and comedy podcasts. I was frustrated--but also really surprised--that there wasn't a banjo podcast. So, it was a ‘necessity being the mother of invention’ type of situation. No one else was doing it, and I wanted it to exist. And so, why not me?” But Billik is doing more than producing banjo podcasts---he’s creating a virtual community where people passionate about the instrument listen to the interviews and then exchange ideas in monthly online meetings that he facilitates. “It’s well known that banjo’s cool, and there’s thousands of great players, and we’re all having a great time,” banjo maker Tom Nechville said in an early Picky Fingers episode. “And we’re jamming together and sharing instruments and sharing music and ideas, and it’s a great lifestyle.” Billik’s unique work situation enabled him to dive into the podcast world. “It's a work-from-home desk job. And accordingly, much, much lower pay than what most people would think attorneys make. But what it lacks in excitement and compensation, it makes up for in flexibility for me to play gigs (with Michigan band Wilson Thicket) and do my podcasting.” The professional sound of each episode reflects Billik’s experience as a sound technician--even the occasional intros he records in his backyard when he can’t resist taking advantage of a perfect Michigan summer day. The technical side of podcasting came pretty quickly. Becoming an interviewer was new, however. “That's the only part that I really didn't have any experience with,” he says. “I felt like I had a decent feel for the history of the music and some of the important bands and repertoire and players. I know what it's like to be in bands and to deal with musicians. So, I had a good feel for all of this stuff, but it was just the actual interviewing where I started from scratch.” Billik prefers live interviews to Zoom calls, though he’s done a few of the latter. He takes advantage of bands playing dates in Michigan to get access to banjo players. Music camps and workshops--where he also sometimes runs sound or teaches--are another excellent source for interviews. He’s recorded interviews at the International Bluegrass Music Association Conference, DelFest, and on a road trip to the mid-Atlantic to get interviews with banjo stars including Victor Furtado, an innovative young clawhammer player; Ben Eldridge, who played with the groundbreaking Seldom Scene; and Murphy Henry, a pioneering woman banjo player who also wrote Pretty Good for a Girl, a compelling history of female bluegrass artists. “Sometimes I'm really shocked at how accommodating people tend to be,” says Billik. “With a lot of these interviews, it’s literally me showing up at the venue and trying to catch somebody in between their sound check and the performance. And I know that that's a disruptive thing for them and their schedule.” The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast gets support from sponsors whose ads run in the show and Patreon members who make monthly online contributions. “I’m completely blown away by that,” Billik confesses. “I mean, it's the only model I know, so I don't have much to compare it to. In some ways, it feels a bit tenuous. A bunch of my income would just disappear overnight if a bunch of people decided to cancel. But I've been fortunate. Some of the patrons have been with me from the beginning.” Hour-long episodes premiere every other Monday on several platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, YouTube, and LibSyn. Listeners have been introduced to a wide variety of players who reflect the many different styles practiced today: from Riley Baugus, who preserves the traditional Round Peak style of clawhammer playing that’s native to his North Carolina home, to Pat Cloud, one of the leading jazz banjo players. Alison Brown, Kristin Scott Benson, and Gina Furtado- all accomplished players- have reflected on their careers in a very male-centric genre. Jens Kruger spoke of growing up in Switzerland, mesmerized by the sound of the banjo and his journey to the U.S. to master the instrument. On the podcast, Billik often expresses admiration for Masters of the Five String Banjo, a book by Peter Wernick and Tony Trischka published 35 years ago that was an encyclopedic survey of the best banjo players of that time. Janet Beazley, a California banjo player, sees The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast performing a similar service. “You’re documenting very important information from amazing people that may not be on this planet much longer,” she told Billik when he interviewed her for the podcast. “That’s huge. And they may be saying something in a way they’ve never said it to anyone before, ever. That’s exciting.”

It could be claimed without any exaggeration whatsoever that singer, songwriter and musician has always had bluegrass in his blood. It was infused early on, when, after watching re-runs of “The Andy Griffith Show” as a youngster, he became fascinated by the show’s “house band,” a fictitious group called The Darlings, who were played by The Dillards, a real-life group that were responsible for transitioning the archival sounds of mountain music into a sound that could be admired, appreciated and enjoyed through populist appeal. Falle’s fondness for the form was further nurtured while living in Athens Ohio and frequenting a local record store that featured live bluegrass on an ongoing basis. Having dabbled in music while in high school, he relocated to Eastern Kentucky after college, and it was there that he immersed himself in the traditional template so essential to the music of that particular region. Years later, Falle still cherished the memories that were made there. While he would eventually spend time in Nashville — where he met Jonathan Yudkin, the producer who sat behind the board for his new album, My Farm, My Bluegrass — he continues to call Appalachia home. A follow-up to Kentucky Bluestar, Falle’s first full foray into authentic bluegrass music, the tellingly-titled My Farm, My Bluegrass naturally brings high expectations. After all, Kentucky Bluestar reaped any number of critical kudos. The title track, and the album’s first single, was a Top Ten hit, debuting at Number Six before reaching Number Two on The Bluegrass Today Singles Chart. It then climbed to Number One on the Bluegrass Jamboree Top 100. In addition, it found its way to Number Eight on the Top 50 APD Bluegrass / Folk Albums and debuted at Number Six on The Bluegrass Today Singles Chart. The album also made it to Number Eleven on The ADP Global Radio Indicator. The critics took notice as well. Falle graced the cover of The Bluegrass Standard Magazine this past June. In April, Falle was spotlighted for a feature story in Bluegrass Today Magazine, one in which he was described as "an artist well worth your attention.” The kudos then continued from there. He was designated as Artist of the Month by Ohio Bluegrass deejay Michelle Lee and featured in an article in Country Music International in Europe. More recently, Falle was singled out in Germany’s CountryMusicNowInternational after hitting Number One on its chart. It’s hardly surprising then that My Farm, My Bluegrass maintains the lingering legacy that’s so vital to the essence of American music. Despite that high bar established by Kentucky Bluestar, its successor has already found similar success. The downloads credited to deejays worldwide were significantly higher than that of the previous release. So too, within the first 48 hours of its release on August 26th, My Farm, My Bluegrass successfully scaled the APD Global Radio Indicator Chart, a chart that ranks all musical genres, and then quickly climbed to Number One. Just as impressively, out of the top ten singles on the APD Bluegrass Global Radio Indicator Chart, eight were from My Farm, My Bluegrass. Likewise, the album’s first single, “Ode to Ale 8,” featuring six-time Female Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year Dale Ann Bradley, tied for Number One on APD Global Radio Indicator Chart for Bluegrass singles on the first day of its release. In a larger sense however, My Farm, My Bluegrass details the lingering legacy of bluegrass music itself, all gleaned through the lens of Falle’s personal perspective. A history major in college, he retains a fondness and connection to the stories spawned from that historical region. Previous songs, such as “Renfro Valley Barn Dance,” “Shiloh,” “Bloody Coal, Bootlegger,” “Appalachia River Song,” Virgin on the Bluegrass,” “Revenuer Blues,” “Cherokee,” and “Kentucky Bluestar,” gained significant popularity by retelling stories inherent to the American heartland. Falle pursues the same tack on the new album, culminating in what could be called a journey through an ongoing trajectory. The music, all entirely originals, culls the various stylistic strands of the archival influences found in Irish, Scottish and English folk music, which then found its way into American country and mountain music, courtesy of those who made their way overseas to resettle in Appalachia. History and happenstance evolved from there. “The roots of bluegrass music go back to the 1600s,” Falle explains. “They were brought to Kentucky and surrounding states by those Irish, Scottish and English settlers. Bill Monroe, who was born in Kentucky, is generally cited as the father of bluegrass music, given that he popularized that particularly breed of country music which he then dubbed ‘bluegrass,’ after the bluegrass region of his home state.” Falle notes that those archival origins are still vital today, and it’s those traditions that are infused into the new album. “Kentuckians have been wearing out shoe leather at informal jamborees since the state was settled over two hundred years ago,” Falle notes. “A Rosine barn dance helped launch Bill Monroe’s career. Even today, Appalachian cloggers and square dance callers celebrate the unique musical culture of Kentucky.” Consequently, those early influences figure prominently in each of the new songs. For example, "Kentucky Sons of Ireland” and “Appalachia Irish Dance” take the listener back to bluegrass’s early beginnings, each an effusive, upbeat and evocative example of spirited sentiment applied to the traditional tapestry of the British Isles. The use of penny whistle underscores the authenticity. “Kentucky Proud” offers an affirmative nod to home and hearth, and the pride of those who freely share a timeless heritage with purpose and pride. It’s the sound of old-school country music imbued with a sense of drive and determination. The lively “Big Barn Breakdown” captures the joy and jubilation that made life so special and precious. It evokes the sound of the gatherings that took place after the work was done and those who plowed the fields would gather with friends and neighbors to celebrate that rural Kentucky culture with all its down-home designs. Those shared sentiments aside, spirituality plays a big part in the musical mix as well. “Praise the Lord and Pass the Gravy” and “Bluegrass Holy Land Breakdown” are each flush with dedication and devotion. So too, the moving and memorable track titled “The Calling” finds Falle quoting scripture, specifically Philippians 3:14, which inspires the faithful to press on towards finding the fulfillment that comes with worshiping the Lord. “It’s the core of my spiritual beliefs and what I am trying to achieve,” Falle says.” There’s a light up in the sky I must have prayed to you a thousand times Please help me see, please help me find The calling… Forget the things that are behind the perfect sight known to the blind With faultless heart and true piece of mind The calling… Throughout the album, Falle intersperses brief yet engaging bluegrass breakdown instrumentals while creating a musical thread and effectively connecting the songs. “Big Barn Breakdown,” “Unbridled Breakdown,” “Back Forty Breakdown,” “Chimney Letters” and “Bluegrass Holy Land Breakdown” affirm the album’s celebratory stance and while providing absolute authenticity. Naturally, it took an exceptional group of musicians to bring the project to full fruition. Falle and his producer, Jonathan Yudkin, all but assured that success by assembling an all-star band that to back-up Falle as he sang lead and backing vocals and played rhythm guitar. Yudkin contributed fiddle and mandolin and also oversaw an erstwhile ensemble that includes Carl Miner (guitar), Michael Bub (acoustic bass), Rob Ikes (dobro), Josh Matheny (dobro, lap steel, mandolin), Matt Menefee (banjo), and Tim Carter (banjo). In addition, Marty Slayton, Kim Parent, and Marcia Ramirez contribute backing vocals. Dale Ann Bradley shares lead vocals on "Ode to Ale 8", "Chimney Letters" and "Praise the Lord and Pass the Gravy.” The album’s cover art was the work of Disney artist, TJ Matousek. Each of these individuals boast distinguished resumes that not only confirm that fact they’re tops in their respective fields, but also offer a testament to a clear musical mantra. Falle’s made it his mission to weave together bluegrass basics and ensure an enduring and indelible connection to the culture and heritage of his Eastern Kentucky environs. However, in a larger sense, My Farm, My Bluegrass epitomizes what bluegrass itself is all about, a sound based around a tightly knit instrumental core that embellishes the melody as other players take turns at soloing. It’s around flush with improvisation, typically termed a “breakdown.” While old-time music may be characterized as having one player or another at the forefront while other musicians provide accompaniment, breakdowns are characterized by rapid-fire tempos and an instrumental dexterity that’s both fervent and finessed. In that regard, Falle captures the true spirit of a sound that’s gained the populist precepts that’s so vital to the common bond that today’s bluegrass readily embraces. As a result, My Farm, My Bluegrass offers a specific sanctuary, where sentiment, skill and satisfaction are safely secured in community confines. It’s a place where all are welcome to visit and reside.

For many in the bluegrass community, their first introduction to Wyatt Ellis was when he stepped onto the stage at the IBMA Awards Show in October 2022. Wyatt stood out for two reasons. For one, he can play the mandolin with the best of them. And he was much shorter than the musical giants he shared the stage with. Not that Wyatt couldn’t hold his own among them. But at 13 years old, he was by far the youngest person on stage playing with the legendary Peter Rowan and GRAMMY winner Molly Tuttle. “It was really cool,” he says. “And probably the most special performance I’ve ever done.” Wyatt got the IBMA gig through Chris Henry, Rowan’s regular mandolin player, who happens to be one of Wyatt’s main mandolin teachers. “Chris couldn’t be at IBMA because he was booked at a music camp, so he asked me to fill in for him.” Chris felt that Wyatt could play closest to the Bill Monroe style. For Wyatt, it was a surreal moment. “I was on stage with many of my musical heroes. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too nervous. Everybody was so supportive and nice to me.” Catching up with Wyatt just as he was getting settled into his hotel room in New York City, he said, “I’m here for the Chris Thile camp. I’ll do that for a week.” It was Wyatt’s second trip to the Big Apple. “I came another time when I was really little – about five years old, so I don’t remember a whole lot.” The mandolin phenom lives in Maryville, Tennessee, about twenty miles from Knoxville. As a young child, Wyatt heard the song “Rocky Top” with Bobby Osborne playing mandolin. “I grew up listening to that song at University of Tennessee games, and because of Bobby’s solo on the song, I wanted to learn how to play the mandolin.” Like most boys, Wyatt had a full schedule with school, Boy Scouts, and team sports. Finding time to play an instrument wasn’t easy. But when he was ten years old, Wyatt convinced his dad to buy him a used mandolin so he could learn to play. “I wanted to play like Bobby.” Wyatt took weekly mandolin lessons and was soon attending local bluegrass jams. “We aren’t musical at all,” says Wyatt’s mom, Teresa Ellis. “But he was insistent on jumping in to play with other local musicians, so his dad and I drove him where he wanted to go.” When COVID put a halt to most activities outside the home, Wyatt spent hours watching YouTube videos and practicing playing the mandolin. Many mandolin players started teaching online, and the community of mandolin players became even stronger via the internet. One of Wyatt’s mandolin heroes, Sierra Hull, understood Wyatt in a way few could. Hull was a mandolin prodigy, and she chose Wyatt to receive the Tennessee Folklife apprenticeship. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. “I worked on exactly what I needed to work on at the time – details,” says Wyatt. “Sierra has taken bluegrass to another dimension, and I was excited to start my journey with her.” Another of Wyatt’s mandolin-playing heroes is Marty Stuart, who has been working for the past few years to open the Congress of Country Music in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi. When Stuart opened the Ellis Theatre in Philadelphia, Wyatt Ellis was on hand for the grand re-opening of the historic venue. “I did a solo show in a tent in front of the theatre for three nights,” says Wyatt. He opened for such seasoned performers as Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and the Gaithers. “I played a lot of old Bill Monroe tunes, as well as some of my own music.” A real Bill Monroe fan, Wyatt discovered a series of three Hatch show prints from the 1940s, which he has on loan to Stuart’s museum. With a love of the history of music as much as the music itself, Wyatt incorporated that history into his new single, “Grassy Cove,” recently released on his own label, Knee High Records. The name of the record company comes from a line in the song “Nashville Cats” that says, “Yeah, I was just thirteen, you might say I was a musical proverbial knee-high.” The song was produced by Justin Moses, a talented multi-instrumentalist and Sierra Hull’s husband. Not limited to the mandolin, Wyatt is also accomplished on the guitar, fiddle, banjo and vocals. But there is no doubt that Wyatt is destined to become the next breakout mandolin player. He has come full circle already, working with his musical idol, Bobby Osborne, in a one-on-one workshop via Skype through Scott Napier and the Kentucky School of Bluegrass. Something Wyatt is proud of is that CJ Lewandowski of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys invited him to be on what would turn out to be Bobby’s final project.” Wyatt now owns Bobby’s mandolin. “I treasure it, knowing I have a piece of bluegrass history.”