The Tradition
Notes & Queries – August 2021
Notes “In response to Mary Gibson’s question about the Webster Brothers in the May issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, I was just listening to them the other day on an album called Classic Country Duets (Old Timey 126). It’s a nice album with 17 songs that had long been unavailable and includes ‘Road of Broken Hearts’… Read the full article
Birmingham’s Three on a String to Celebrate Half-Century of Continuous Entertainment
All Photos Courtesy of Three On A String Those who are old enough, and lucky enough, to have walked on a weekend night down several deep steps into the Lowenbrau Haus in Birmingham, circa 1972, walked into an enchanted grotto full of music, laughter, thick ropes of smoke and a band called Three on a String…. Read the full article
The Artists
Full Cord Bluegrass 2020 Vision Was Hindsight
Photos By Beth Flick When pickers meet at festivals, good things often happen. After jamming together at Michigan’s Charlotte Bluegrass Festival, Eric Langejans and Todd Kirchner formed the contemporary bluegrass outfit Full Cord in 2008. “We wanted to have fun playing something unique and interesting,” says Kirchner. “Eric came up with the name when he… Read the full article
Sarah Jarosz
Grammy Winner Stretches Multiple Genres Photo by Kaitlyn Raitz For most musicians, it’s pretty easy to classify what genre they fit into—essential, really, to success—but good luck locking Sarah Jarosz into any kind of category. The singer-songwriter isn’t exactly anything, but is a little bit of a lot of things and maybe that’s the secret formula… Read the full article
Six Degrees of Separation
Photo by Robert Nix After becoming an empty nester, Steve Wilson left upstate New York for the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina. He expected to keep his fishing line wet in Lake Hartwell a good deal of the time and pick banjo with the local bands on the weekend. Instead,… Read the full article
The Sound
Andrea Roberts
Leading Others to Bluegrass Success Photo by Shelly Swanger Longtime performer turned business owner Andrea Roberts lived an enviable existence as a bluegrass musician the first part of her life. Her impressive resume includes fronting one of the first all-female bluegrass bands Petticoat Junction and playing alongside some of the genre’s most legendary figures including Bill… Read the full article
Ben Surratt Living His Dream
Photo By CarsonPhotography Young kids are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I would guess that a fairly low percentage of adults actually end up fulfilling those childhood dreams. For musicians it might be different though. I have interviewed many bluegrass musicians who became enamored with a musical instrument at… Read the full article
Dave Nichols
A Master Luthier and Inlay Artist Who Keeps No Secrets Photos By Dale Cahill fter returning from an extended tour in Vietnam and receiving his Doctorate in Psychiatry, Dave Nichols started working at St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. Shortly thereafter, Nichols set up his first inlay/ luthier shop, Custom Pearl Inlay. Since then, Nichols has perfected his… Read the full article
Rounder Bluegrass
The First Fifty Years All Photos Courtesy of Rounder Records Archives I bought my first Rounder album in 1974. I was a recent convert to bluegrass and Rounder was likewise a new entry in the field of bluegrass and old-time record labels. I continued to buy more Rounder albums and my immersion in bluegrass grew deeper and… Read the full article
Perfect Mix For Success
In the world of songwriting, finding the right co-writer can be a difficult task. Finding the right fit and building a relationship with other writers requires patience and is often compared to a marriage. Many songwriters today prefer to spend time together in person creating lyrics to a melody. Publishing companies often unite writers in… Read the full article
Learning to Play Mandolin Instruction with Tristan Scroggins
Photo By Natia Cinco Tristan Scroggins started playing professionally in a full-time touring bluegrass band when he was only fourteen years old (2009). It was his father’s band—Jeff Scroggins and Colorado—and they loved to be on the road. Tristan said, “I grew up in a strange situation of touring all of the time. We started… Read the full article
The Venu
The Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention
It is perhaps the longest-running and most successful fund-raising project in the Moose realm. It is also one of the largest and most popular traditional music attraction in North America. “It” is the Old Fiddlers’ Convention sponsored by the Galax Moose Lodge #733. Begun in 1935, the Fiddlers’ Convention is held every August at Felts Park in… Read the full article
