The festival organizers faced struggles with new management at Glen Maury Park prior to this year’s festival, including the loss of areas that had traditionally been used for camping, and an overlap with another festival held the weekend before Nothin’ Fancy. However, the festival had already been on the hunt for a new venue before those issues arose, and representatives from Page County were actually at the festival in September to learn more before they host it next year.

An official announcement from the Page Valley Fairgrounds was made this week on Facebook, touting “three days of incredible bluegrass music.” The festival will be held September 16-18, with headliners including Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, The Kody Norris Show, and The Malpass Brothers. Fans will also be able to look forward to more space for camping and vendors, according to Wines.

Here’s hoping for success at the new location! For more information, visit the Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival or Page Valley Fairgrounds online.

The post Nothin’ Fancy Festival gets new home appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Balsam Range’s version embraces the song’s themes and honors its melody while presenting it with a plain Appalachian elegance that beautifully reflects the spirit of the lyrics.

For fans who follow Balsam Range, Stephen Hudson needs no introduction. But for anyone not yet acquainted with the band’s newest member, the current release serves as a powerful showcase for a vocalist whose voice is quickly becoming an integral part of the band’s sound. The song functions as both a tribute to a Southern rock classic, and an impressive introduction to Hudson’s distinctive vocal style and skill as a fiddler.

Those who grew up listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd can’t fail to compare the two versions. Simply put, Skynyrd’s rendition possesses the electrified power to rock a stadium. While Balsam Range’s version is every bit as powerful in its own way, it feels more at home in an intimate setting such as a local pub or on a front porch.

Simple Man was written by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington in 1972, shortly after the deaths of Van Zant’s grandmother and Rossington’s mother. As they reflected on the profound influence both women had on their lives, they drew inspiration from the wisdom and life lessons they had shared. Those memories and reflections became the foundation of the song’s lyrics. Rossington later recalled that the song came together in about an hour, saying, “We just put down in a song what our mama and grandma had said to us. They really wrote it; we just played it.”

Tragically, Ronnie Van Zant lost his life in the 1977 plane crash that also claimed the lives of guitarist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, and three others.

Hudson is no stranger to the song. He has been performing it for several years with the band Tugalo Holler. His vocal style brings a plaintive mountain character to the song rather than the Southern rock grit of the original recording. For the listener already familiar with the song, it will be quickly recognized after the first few notes of Caleb Smith’s precise guitar picking. In the first verse, Alan Bibey’s mandolin wanders into the background providing a simple counterpoint to the melody and pulling some unique tones and textures from his instrument. 

The song seems a natural fit for a bluegrass treatment. Its lyrics embrace themes common to Appalachian mountain music: faith, family values, and personal integrity. This new cut succeeds by highlighting the song’s storytelling roots. Stripped of electric guitars and keyboards, the listener can focus more closely on the wisdom embedded in the lyrics. The result transforms an arena-sized Southern rock anthem into a reflective, front-porch meditation on life’s enduring values.

Clocking in at just under six minutes, this is not a song for listeners in a hurry. But its length is only part of the story. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and beneath the lyrics there is a great deal happening that is easy to miss on a casual listen. Tim Surrett’s fine dobro work, for example, may not be fully appreciated. The guitar and fiddle take center stage but the other instruments have a strong supporting role. The interplay between the instruments is kept subtly in the background, yet it adds depth to the wistful performance. 

As I listened to the band perform the song live at the Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival recently, I couldn’t help but wonder if Ronnie Van Zant would have been cheering along with the crowd as he heard his classic tune performed bluegrass style.

Balsam Range bassist Tim Surrett said at the conclusion of the song, “Lynyrd Skynyrd and banjo. If you listen to that and can’t relate to it, you can get out of my truck. I’ve got nothing for you.”

Simple Man from Balsam Range is available from online streaming services, and to radio programmers at Get It Played.

The post Simple Man from Balsam Range appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

The CMA Foundation has announced that a $10,000 grant for Zach Top to distribute as part of winning the New Artist of the Year award at the 2025 CMA Awards, has been directed to Taylor’s Camp, a free kids academy program that occurs as part of the Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival each year in Cashmere, WA.

By now, most bluegrass and country music fans know that Zach is a native Washingtonian, born on a farm in Sunnyside, WA in 1997, and that he played a good bit of bluegrass before hitting it big as a country music artist. In fact, a band he was in, Mashtag, won the International Bluegrass Band Championships at the 2017 SPBGMA convention.

Shortly after moving to Nashville in 2021, Top’s self-titled bluegrass debut album was released by RBR Entertainment. It featured a strong group of young pickers: Maddie Denton on fiddle, Caleb Smith on banjo, Zion Napier on mandolin, and Wyatt Harman on bass. It was well received in the bluegrass community upon its release.

But country stardom came calling, and the bluegrass, while not left behind, has been on the back burner. Zach does pop up from time to time at Nashville jams and bluegrass gigs, and the community looks forward to welcoming him back any time he wants to visit.

Back in his younger days, Taylor’s Camp at Wenatchee was a big part of his musical education, so when the CMA Foundation announced a grant to be given at his direction, the choice was easy.

Top says that the camp left a lasting impression on him as a youngster.

“Taylor’s Camp is a special place to me because I got to be on the other side of it — I was a kid learning there, and later I got to come back and teach. There’s something pretty special about being able to pass along what somebody once passed along to you.

I’m really proud that this investment can help more kids experience that, find something they love, and keep this music going.”

It’s also special to Washington grassers as the camp is held in honor of Taylor Richard, a young man who picked up flatpicking through lessons at a local music store, and went on to win a guitar contest just five years after starting lessons.

He was very popular at the Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival, and loved the people and vibe so much that even after moving to Georgia, he would come back each June to visit and enjoy the music.

Sadly, Taylor lost his life serving as a Lance Corporal in the US Marine Corps in Afghanistan on June 26, 2010. The kids program was then named Taylor’s Camp in his honor.

Will McSeveney, proprietor of Skyline Records and a member of the board that runs the Wenatchee festival, says that in addition to being proud of Zach Top’s accomplishments, they are extremely grateful for this grant.

“Zach has been part of our festival family since very early in his music career. He came up through Taylor’s Camp as a participant, having such a positive and lasting impact on so many of the young musicians who came through it, and later returned to headline our main stage. That he still wants to give back to this camp, no matter how far his career has taken him, means more to us than we can say.

We take enormous pride in Taylor’s Camp, and thanks to Zach and the CMA Foundation, it can continue giving young musicians the opportunity and resources to learn, grow, and make music alongside friends.”

Well done Zach and the CMA Foundation, and congratulations to Taylor’s Camp and the Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival!

The post Zach Top helps out Taylor’s Camp in Washington appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

We have just begun working with a very talented photographer, Xavier Prenatt of XP Photography, and we look forward to some of the events he will shoot for us in the coming year. He has also shared some images from a couple of festivals this summer where he was in attendance.

First up is this gallery from Bluegrass & Brew a free one-day festival held on August 7 in Fairborn, OH, their 9th annual event this year.

Thanks Xavier!

The post Photos from Bluegrass & Brew 2026 appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Most bluegrass fans understand that some of the artists who perform and record this music we love are not full-time entertainers. Only the very top tier are able to make a living touring. In addition, there are many extremely talented individuals who chose a part-time musical path in order to stay close to home and embrace family or career responsibilities.

At Bluegrass Today, we honor everyone who celebrates bluegrass music, and are quite pleased to share a story from eastern Kentucky grasser Jeff Clair, who has been playing and singing bluegrass since he was a young teen. Jeff performed for some time with his own group, Half Past Lonesome, and released a solo gospel album in 2012, They Called Him Jesus, and another with the band for Lonesome Day Records.

His “day job” is as an educator, teaching physics and history at Breathitt County High School in Jackson, KY. Jeff has also taught computer technology courses.

Earlier this month, Clair was recognized as Appalachian Teacher of the Year by Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) at their annual SOAR Summit Awards Gala, held at the Corbin Arena on October 7 in Corbin, KY. SOAR is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing population loss in the 54 counties of eastern Kentucky, and building communities that foster population growth.

Many readers will be aware that this region has suffered greatly from economic changes in the coal industry, and has seen disastrous levels of poverty, drug use, and family breakdown as a result. Education is a top priority for reversing these negative impacts, and is a big part of SOAR’s efforts.

We had a chance to speak with Jeff about his background as a teacher, and as a bluegrass artist, and we invite everyone to congratulate him for these accomplishments.

Initially, we wondered how long he had been teaching.

“I began teaching in 2006, with my first position in Fayette County, Lexington, KY. From there I taught several years in Hazard and Perry County, and this is my seventh year teaching back home in Breathitt County at Breathitt County High School. All together I’ve got around 14 years teaching, having taken a few years off to go back to school to get a Masters degree.”

His reaction to winning the award was gracious, but humble.

“I want to thank God first, and all the teachers I’ve had, my past and current administrators, all of my students, my wife and family, and my number one supporter, my son, Faron Clair.

I’m honored to have been recognized for the award because this means that somewhere along the way, I may have done or said something that made a difference to some young person, and helped prepare them for whatever life throws at them. But the truth is there are hundreds of teachers just as deserving in classrooms across the country who walk in every morning with that same goal.”

Jeff’s history in bluegrass sounds a familiar tune.

“I grew up around bluegrass from a very early age. My father was a DJ on WJSN in Jackson, playing country, bluegrass, and bluegrass gospel, and he’d often take me to the station with him. He also managed, and sometimes sang with, a local group called Bluegrass Edition. From the time I could walk, I drug a little guitar around and followed the men in the band, and watched every move they made as they sang and played, hoping to learn something. 

Dad also booked shows in the 1980s through the 1990s at local school gyms and other venues several times a year, with folks like Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, the Marshall Family, the Gross Family, and Arlie Howard & the Kentucky Mountain Ramblers. Through those shows I got to know a lot of the performers, and I talked to them every chance I got, hoping to get some words of wisdom.

When I was 11 or 12, I learned to play guitar and started singing, mostly songs I picked up from Dad’s friend Sam Wilson, who was well known in bluegrass circles at the time. I played along with every Ralph Stanley, Stanley Brothers, and Larry Sparks record I could get my hands on. I followed Sam to about every show he had and picked up as much as I could.  Sam was good to me and never looked down on a young boy trying to learn to do what he was doing. Later on I would get to play in his band and he became a life long friend until he passed in 2018.  

began playing in bands when I was in middle school locally with the Bluegrass Fever Band. Then I was in a band for a couple of years called New South Wind, alongside Kevin Amburgey, Kelly Caldwell, and Scott Napier. We played mostly gospel at festivals and churches. After that I played banjo with Sam Wilson & the Bluegrass Colonels for several years, and kept filling in as needed as Sam began performing less often.

In 2011 I filled in on a few dates on mandolin with Larry Sparks and ended up staying off and on until 2018, working as many dates as my teaching schedule would allow. Highlights from those years include being there when Larry was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2015, and performing with Larry on the Grand Ole Opry when Alison Krauss joined him on stage.

In 2018 my son was turning three and didn’t like me being gone so much, and I needed to be able to provide a more regular income so I stepped back to focus on teaching and family. Since then, I’ve played select dates with my own band, Half Past Lonesome, and for the past several years I’ve been the organizer for the Mine Made Bluegrass Festival. I hope to get back on the road as much as possible in the near future.

Somehow, I’ve been lucky enough to perform on stage with all of my bluegrass heroes, Larry Sparks, Ralph Stanley, Sam Wilson, and Dave Evans. I tried to learn from each of them, directly and indirectly not only their music, but also how they conducted themselves professionally on the road and how to treat people.”

Many congratulations to Jeff Clair for this major award!

We look forward to hearing more about his music as well.

The post Jeff Clair named Appalachian Teacher of the Year appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Since first showing up in bluegrass a couple of years ago, Owens has charmed audiences both live and on radio with her winning personality, genuine warmth, and her lovely voice, with strong hints of a young Dolly Parton. Just set to turn 24 years old, Caroline has a bright future in the business, and a strong debut with a large independent label could be just the thing to push her up a level.

Winning over fans is one thing; captivating seasoned professionals is another. And our Ms. Owens has truly done both. Rhonda Vincent, the reigning Queen of Bluegrass, had this to say about her:

“The first time I heard Caroline, I could not see the stage; I just heard the voice. It was the very early voice of Dolly, and I think it was even a Dolly song. Now she’s all grown up, writing her own songs, and paving her own path. The voice first caught my attention, but it’s Caroline’s heart, talent, and authenticity that will make her unforgettable.”

Tracks released prior to the album drop have found favor with fans and radio alike, sometimes pure bluegrass, and at other times showing an acoustic country side, but always with that winning Caroline Owens sound.

Owens says that she put a lot of thought into selecting the material for the album, and hopes that it finds approval with listeners.

“Low Flying Planes is a collection of songs that reflect the many sides of life, love, and the bittersweet feeling that comes along with getting to chase your dreams. Each song tells a story that I believe listeners will find a little piece of themselves in. Having spent much of my life on the road, I’ve learned that even when you’re right where you’re meant to be, there will always be people and places you carry with you. This album is a reflection of those experiences, the stories that are woven into our hearts, and the little pieces of home we take wherever life leads us. I’m humbled and honored to introduce this album to the world.”

Here’s a look and listen to Low Flying Planes, the single, which Caroline wrote.

An album release party, open to the public, is scheduled for this evening at The Local in Hendersonville, TN, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Look for Low Flying Planes from popular download and streaming services online.

The post Low Flying Planes from Caroline Owens appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

This comprehensive report on the World of Bluegrass seminar, The Bluegrass Scene in Japan, is a contribution from Anya Hinkle and Tim Burns, who organized the seminar and panel discussion on the topic. They were joined by Zach Dressel from the Earl Scruggs Center, Leona Tokutake, who performs as Fiddling Leona, Chad Andrew Harris of Bluegrass Journeymen, and Hideaki Mizuno of the Bluegrass Association of Maine. Special guest Toshio Watanabe of B.O.M. Services, Ltd. was also on hand.

With the growing momentum around bluegrass in Japan, from touring American artists to new cross-cultural friendships, it felt like the right moment to bring that conversation to IBMA. So this year Anya Hinkle and Tim Burns put together a panel called “The Bluegrass Scene in Japan,” exploring its past, present, and future.

We wanted the panel to provide both historical perspective and a window into the bluegrass scene in Japan today—introducing some of the people who have helped shape it, as well as artists who have toured there in recent years.

The panel discussion was advertised at IBMA with the following description:

Are you a bluegrass performer considering a tour in Japan? Or a fan who would like to attend bluegrass performances, jams, or festivals there? Hear from bluegrass musicians who have toured in Japan and learn about festivals and events. Discover the long history of bluegrass in Japan, dating back to the 1940s, and the vibrant bluegrass subculture that continues to thrive there.

To set the mood and stimulate interest, as attendees entered the room before the panel discussion started, a series of photos of Japanese bluegrass performers and events was shown.

Tim started the panel with a visual journey of the bluegrass scene both present and past, beginning by honoring Denis Gainty’s work documenting the deep cultural connections between Japan and America. In a deleted scene from the documentary Far Western, the late historian Denis Gainty emphasized that bluegrass wasn’t simply exported to Japan and copied there.

He talked about the record released by the Ozaki Brothers (The East Mountain Boys) in 1958, which was around the same time that Folkways released the first bluegrass LP in the US. For generations, musicians, fans, and organizers in Japan have played, studied, recorded, and celebrated bluegrass. Together, they built a scene that has sustained the music, made lasting contributions to its history, and carried bluegrass far beyond its original geographic boundaries. The video that was shown was not included in the Far Western documentary, but can be viewed here.

The bluegrass scene in Japan has helped transform bluegrass from music associated with a particular American region into something that feels genuinely global.

Tim presented a carousel of images from many venues across Japan, highlighting their long history and strong community. He showed photos and videos of Japanese musicians performing and jamming as well as recent tours by American bands, emphasizing the growing interest in touring Japan by established artists like Peter Rowan, David Grier, and Mike Compton, as well as younger artists like the Asheville Mountain Boys, Crying Uncle, Martha Spencer, Trey Wellington, The Bluegrass Journeymen, and others. The excitement these tours create helps to propel bluegrass forward for the next generation.

Anya’s part of the panel traced her own experience touring in Japan for over a decade. She focused on a project she did with Sab Inoue and broadcaster Peter Barakan in 2016 called Appalachian Voice. Appalachian Voice was a live program in which Sab Inoue told the story of how Appalachian music developed from European and African roots, later reached Japan, and took root there.

Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan included music performed by minstrel bands, followed in later years by the music of composers and artists such as Stephen Foster, the Carter Family, and Earl Scruggs, creating a long legacy of musical exchange between the two countries. As Sab told the stories, Anya was the “voice,” performing songs that marked the different stages of that history.

Nearly a decade after Appalachian Voice, Anya and her collaborators in Japan and the US have created a new initiative called Country Soup to continue the work of Sab and Appalachian Voice, scheduled for March 2027. Country Soup has been endorsed by the US Embassy and is supported by a growing list of partners including the Japan American Society of North Carolina, the Paul Rusch Center and Kiyosato KEEP Seisen Ryo, BluegrassInJapan.com, and the Earl Scruggs Center.

Country Soup continues Sab’s concept while asking what the next chapter might look like. With young bands such as The HillAndon, Thompson the Fox, Takumi Kodera, and Ren Nozaki; Anya’s worldgrass trio TANASI, with Billy Cardine and Mary Lucey; and special guests from across Japan including Peter Barakan, Takada Ren, Inaba Kazuhiro, Bosco, Ken Inoue, Nacomi Tanaka, and others TBA, Country Soup wants to address one challenge facing bluegrass globally—how to pass the music on and keep it meaningful to a new generation.

This new partnership between Country Soup and the Earl Scruggs Center gave the Center’s curator Zach Dressel an opportunity to look deeper into the Museum’s archive for information about Earl Scruggs’ place in Japan’s bluegrass history. Zach compiled information about Scruggs’ landmark 1958 tour of Japan. His presentation included rare photographs of Flatt & Scruggs’ tour in Japan. He played an audio clip from a show during the tour in which the crowd requested and sang along with the band to the Martha White theme song.

Zach also played an audio clip of Earl Scruggs speaking about their first performance in a large venue that Earl described as “equivalent to Carnegie Hall. It was a real elite auditorium.” A manager asked if they would be willing to sign some autographs. While the signing was underway, it became apparent to the long line of autograph-seekers that there would not be sufficient time to allow everyone in line to get to the table. The crowd surged and pushed, and a pane of glass was shattered. The promoters rushed Flatt and Scruggs into a nearby room and turned off all the lights. Some hours later they were escorted out the exit using the light provided by cigarette lighters. In the clip, Earl Scruggs is chuckling with amusement as he tells this story. Each night Earl would say, “Can we autograph tonight?” The promoter replied, “No, no, no, no. No autographs.”

Zach stated that tickets on that tour cost about twice as much as the cost for tickets in the US at that time. He also described the theaters in Japan where they performed, some seating as many as 2,500 people. At home, they were often playing venues like school cafeterias, churches, and small community events. The warm welcome Earl Scruggs received in Japan was certainly part of their global rise to stardom.

Tim and Zach also presented photos of Toshio Watanabe at Earl Scruggs’ home, more evidence of the deep personal connections between Earl Scruggs and musicians in Japan.

The question—what happens next?—came up again later through Leona Tokutake, known as Fiddling Leona. She pointed out that even with Japan’s long history with bluegrass, the community is still quite small, and history alone doesn’t secure the music’s future.

Leona grew up in Tokyo, the daughter of guitarist Hirofumi “Dr. K” Tokutake, and started on classical violin before coming to Tennessee to study fiddle. She became the first international student to be credentialed by ETSU’s Bluegrass and Country Music program (East Tennessee State University), and has built a career as a fiddler, vocalist, songwriter, and teacher in East Tennessee.

She spoke about her father’s long career performing and recording in Japan and the US, and about her own goal of giving young people, in rural Tennessee and in Japan, access to the kind of fiddle teaching she didn’t have as a child. Her story brings us back to the heart of the panel: how to honor the history while creating real paths for the next generation. She described her work performing and teaching in both countries to help inspire the next generation.

Another perspective came from Chad Andrew Harris, who had just returned from his first tour of Japan with the Bluegrass Journeymen. He described visiting long-established bluegrass venues, and meeting musicians such as Kazuhiro Inaba. Chad’s comments as an American musician visiting Japan for the first time illustrated how surprising it can be to meet people who have studied bluegrass for decades and may know as much—or more—about its musicians, recordings, and history than most Americans do. Although the venues are often small, they have decades of bluegrass history behind them. That supports the wider point that Japan hasn’t simply been an audience for bluegrass. Musicians and fans there have studied it, performed it, preserved its history, and built their own bluegrass community over many decades.

The panel also benefited from the presence and contributions of Hideaki Mizuno, who is currently Chairman of the Board of the Bluegrass Association of Maine. He makes frequent trips back to Japan and is an essential and excellent ambassador of bluegrass, connecting many people between the bluegrass communities in the US and Japan. He is friends with a very large number of people in bluegrass. Each year at IBMA he introduces and connects many people, building bridges and strengthening ties. Just standing near him in the hallways at IBMA inevitably leads to many introductions to new bluegrass friends and contacts. At the panel discussion, Hideaki spoke about the options and visa requirements for professional musicians coming to Japan to perform.

During the panel, we were also fortunate that Toshio Watanabe joined the conversation from the audience. He is a legendary figure in the bluegrass community in Japan, and the Japanese musicians and fans who travel to IBMA with him each year make that international connection visible. The panel gave some additional context to the audience about who they are, where they come from, and the bluegrass community they represent in Japan.

The conversation did not end with the panel. It was followed by two showcases on the International Stage, sponsored by the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France, featuring musicians whose lives and work connect Japan and the United States in different ways.

Fiddling Leona performed with her band (Richard Bennett, Jesse Brock, and Jerry Cole), bringing her personal story to the stage, and some of the songs that have been significant in her journey—a song her father loved by Gordon Lightfoot, various fiddle tunes, and the first song she performed in English after moving to the US, Roly Poly.

Anya also presented music and ideas from Appalachian Voice. She was joined by Leona on songs like Akatonbo, Grandfather’s Clock, and My Blue Heaven, along with Ben Wright of the Henhouse Prowlers on banjo and Celia Woodsmith of Della Mae, who is preparing to move to Japan in 2027.

Both the panel and the showcases were well attended and well received, and there was a noticeable interest in the Japanese bluegrass scene throughout the conference. For many conference attendees, it was an opportunity to learn more about a community they may have known existed but didn’t know much about.

The response by IBMA attendees to the panel also suggested something larger. Japan is just one part of bluegrass’s international history, and other countries, like the Czech Republic, have their own long relationships with the music. The panel and showcases inspired the international committee to discuss what might be possible if IBMA continues to tell the stories of bluegrass communities around the world.

One takeaway was that the Japanese bluegrass scene is not separate from the story of bluegrass. The history between Japan and the United States shows that when music moves between countries, it builds new communities and, in turn, influences the place where it began. This also points to the future, and to how IBMA can keep strengthening global connections, making sure people understand the importance of the “I” in “IBMA.”

Perhaps the most important takeaway was that bluegrass can remain deeply connected to its roots without standing still. A musical tradition can begin to atrophy if it only looks backward. Bluegrass stays relevant through exchange—between generations, between countries, and between cultures. Those exchanges bring new people into the music, introduce new ideas, and give each generation a reason to make the music its own.

The band Della Mae was pictured on the April 2026 cover of Moonshiner. Celia Woodsmith, their lead singer and guitar player, performed with Della Mae for the last time during IBMA’s weekend festival. The founder of Della Mae, fiddler Kimber Ludiker, announced from the stage on Saturday, October 24, that we were seeing Celia Woodsmith’s last performance with Della Mae. There was a lot of emotion on stage, with hugs and a few tears during and after their powerful set, which was well received by the huge crowd. Members of the Japanese bluegrass community are very excited about Celia’s move to Japan and look forward to welcoming her.

The post The Bluegrass Scene in Japan at World of Bluegrass ’26 appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

With Kiss on a Cold, Cold Stone, Louisa Branscomb has formidably and unapologetically returned to bluegrass, as certain as words etched in granite on a cold stone. Highly recommended.

Branscomb, an iconic songwriter known for an extensive contribution of originals to the bluegrass canon, refuses to be stereotyped. She has given us the lyrical classic Steel Rails sung by Alison Krauss; the chart-topping old-time Barefoot Girl sung by Becky Buller and Russell Moore; and an unsurpassable ballad in the 2017 Song of the Year, Dear Sister, co-written and sung by Claire Lynch.

Kiss on a Cold Stone is another haunting Branscomb original (song and music video), released just in time for Halloween and beyond. This production marks Branscomb’s re-entry into recording following a hiatus. 

After her 2025 life-saving surgery, Branscomb has rebounded to record not one, but two diverse albums with iconic casts this year: one a boundary-pushing project and the other a classic bluegrass record with longtime performing colleagues, Johnny & Jeanette Williams. With Kiss, Branscomb offers a savory sample of her latest work and a reminder of her capability to compose quality bluegrass tunes.

Branscomb shared…

“After I recovered, I found myself standing on a moment like the pinnacle of a hill. I could see forward and back. I wanted to push new boundaries with one project. But I was also called to look back, to reflect on my musical home in bluegrass, where my professional songwriting began over 50 years ago.”

Kiss is a sneak peek at the latter, fearlessly bluegrass and fearlessly Branscomb. The upcoming album will be her fourteenth, and it features all originals performed with the Williams. This first single delivers a powerful roots composition, co-written with Geri Byrd, featuring Johnny on high lead who is perfect to render this number.

Branscomb stressed, “I picked this song because there just is no better high lonesome singer in our times, I feel, than Johnny Williams, and this is the lonesomest song I think I’ve ever written. I call it ‘Rawgrass’.”

The tension in this song is the agonizing plight of someone’s longing for their lost love, and the torturous search for one more kiss. The singer makes the trek to the family graveyard, overgrown with wildflowers, but can get no closer to his love than a kiss on a cold, cold stone. He finds the stone rough and cold, indifferent to his broken heart. Kiss on a Cold Stone is as haunting, plaintive, and raw as the granite that meets his grieving lips.

“The closest I can get to you, darling, is a kiss on a cold, cold stone,” are the heart-wrenching last lines of the chorus. 

The Williams were totally involved with the project.

Branscomb explained…

“I am lucky to have Johnny Williams to produce and deliver a song like this, and hammer out the rhythm guitar, too. And equally fortunate to have Jeanette on bass and vocals. When I play with Johnny and Jeanette, it’s like coming home.”

In addition to the Williams’ input and Branscomb on guitar, instrumentalists on the album include Jason Davis on banjo, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, and Nick Goad on mandolin. It was recorded in Cana, VA at Eastwood Studios and engineered by Wes Easter.

Jeanette and Johnny Williams appear Courtesy of Huckleberry Records.

The post Kiss on a Cold, Cold Stone from Louisa Branscomb, with Johnny Williams appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Students of bluegrass history recognize those dates as corresponding with the time that Rowan played guitar as a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, and the enduring music he created with Old & in the Way, alongside Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Vassar Clements.

It also captures his time as a member of genre-bending outfits like Seatrain and Earth Opera, as well as another all-star bluegrass project with Muleskinner, which also featured Clarence White, Bill Keith, Richard Greene, David Grisman, and John Kahn.

The book also delves into Peter’s deep dives into mysticism and eastern spirituality, discussing his study of Native American and Buddhist philosophy. Not to mention his ongoing search to understand the Ancient Tones, and how they inform both the past and the present.

Walls of Time is also the name of a song Rowan wrote with Monroe while he was touring in the band, a uniquely introspective number that has become a bluegrass standard. It seems perfectly fitting that it should also be the title of his memoirs.

The book is blurbed by Bill Strings, who says…

“A wonderful glimpse inside the fascinating mind of the great American bluegrass guru… A kaleidoscope of music, mystery, meditation, mastery, muse, milestones, adventure, and hillbilly history.”

Who would expect anything else?

You can find Walls of Time now from the popular online book resellers, or directly from the publisher.

The post Walls of Time by Peter Rowan appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Despite an early professional career taking the banjo to its furthest stylistic limits, ace picker Tony Trischka in more recent years has dedicated his efforts to recreating the music of the great Earl Scruggs, who almost singlehandedly gave us the vocabulary used to play the instrument in the modern age. After receiving a recording of some casual jam sessions of Earl with John Hartford and others, Tony lit upon the idea to learn all the solos that Scruggs played on the tape, and record them again with contemporary players.

The resulting projects, Earl Jam and Earl Jam 2, have proved to be quite popular, and have formed the basis for most of Trischka’s shows this past few years.

But now he is turning his artistic vision to Bill Monroe, at least for one special show next month at Cafe Wha?, located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. It’s Tony’s tribute to a special night from his youth, in 1966 to be exact, when he journeyed to see Bill Monroe perform in the Village.

A teen-aged Trischka got to see Bill and the Blue Grass Boys for two nights at the Gaslight Cafe, a then-famous basement coffee house, no longer in operation. Monroe was carrying a fine group at the time: Lamar Grier on banjo, Richard Greene on fiddle, James Monroe on bass, and Peter Rowan on guitar. Tony still thinks of them as one of the great bands Bill carried on the road.

On November 23, Trischka will present Memories of Bill Monroe: Gaslight, ’66! Live at Cafe Wha?, during which he will perform their same set list of material in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the time he saw Big Mon in person. An all-star group has been assembled to join Tony on banjo: Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, Michael Daves on guitar, Jacob Jolliff on mandolin, and Jared Engel on bass.

Tickets are available online for this special show, which given its location and Monday night setting, may be of interest mostly to New Yorkers and those in the general vicinity, but it should certainly be a night to remember.

Will this be Tony’s next pursuit of the past? We’ll have to wait and see.

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