Bluegrass Jam Along

My guests this week is Olli Chanoff, Director of Programming at the FreshGrass Foundation.So much music I love has its roots in FreshGrass Commissions, from albums like Becky Buller's Jubilee, Sarah Jarosz's Blue Heron Suite and Aoife O'Donovan's All My Friends, to instrumental works by Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas and Jacob Jolliff. So I was delighted to get the opportunity to chat to Olli about how FreshGrass goes about commissioning these works, why they support the FreshGrass Foundatio...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)Blue Ridge Guitar CampAllison de Groot’s ArtistWorks clawhammer banjo courseReleases (The Grass is New)Charlotte Carrivick BandcampThe Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBela Fleck and Abigail Washburn’s Holiday Card listOther bitsSign up for emails https...

My guest this week is Sarah Jarosz.Sarah joins me to talk about one of my favourite albums, 'Blue Heron Suite', which is getting a physical reissue on November 22nd. We chat about how the record developed out of a FreshGrass commission, what that process was like, the central themes that underpin the album, the decision to arrange it for a trio rather than including drums and how it fits into Sarah's journey, both personally and as a songwriter.Getting to chat about new records is always fun,...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.This week we have a special episode looking at the artists from the bluegrass and string band world who've been nominated for a Grammy. There'll be some music in here you're familiar with and, hopefully, something new to discover too.The awards themselves will take place on Sunday February 2nd 2025.Who are your favourites?Other bitsDonate to the Bluegrass Jam Along...

My guest this week is Sierra Hull.Since I spoke to Sierra for the podcast back in January 2023 she's been ridiculously busy touring and recording. We chat about the extended tour she's been on for Bela Fleck's My Bluegrass Heart (which she describes as one of the highlights of her musical life), her current and ongoing tour with her own band (which has been chaotic to say the least!) and why she chose to have a drummer in her band, even though she confesses she's not generally a fan of drums ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsBryan Sutton IBMA fundraiser interviewDonate to the Bluegrass Jam Along/Bryan Sutton fundraiser to help people and communities devastated by Hurricane HeleneNews and Announcements (Church Street News)Poor Gal: The Cultural History of Little Liza JaneReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) Ne...

This week I'm joined by bluegrass legend Bryan Sutton for a very special episode to benefit the IBMA Trust Fund and help people suffering the devastation of Hurricane Helene.In the run up to recording the episode we asked for questions for Bryan for Bluegrass Jam Along listeners - in this interview you'll hear me put those questions to him. We talk about growing up in Asheville and how important that community was to Bryan's musical development; about his relationship with Doc Watson and the ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)Donate to the Bluegrass Jam Along/Bryan Sutton fundraiser to help people and communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.Biscuits and BanjosEuropean Bluegrass SummitRestring AppalachiaReleases (The Grass is New)Chris Eaton & Flint County - Pheasant PieThe Grass is (m...

My guest this week is Daniel Patrick, host of the excellent Mandolins and Beer podcast.Daniel has interviewed dozens of great mandolin players for his podcast, but today we're going to talk about his new record Around the Clock, which features him playing with eleven of his heroes, including Tim O'Brien, Ronnie McCoury and Sam Bush, as well as some of the top players on the scene today, including Jarrod Walker, Jacob Jolliff and Harry Clark.We chat about how the record came together and how i...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episodeNews and Announcements (Church Street News)Donate to the Bluegrass Jam Along/Bryan Sutton fundraiser to help people and communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.Celtic Connections 2025Blue Ridge Guitar Camp 2025Michael Daves’ Clarence White Muleskinner zoom classNew Acoustic Facebook groupReleases (The Grass is...

This week's episode is about a very special fundraiser I'm putting together.I’m working with Bryan Sutton to raise funds to help people suffering the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene. Bryan is from Asheville, NC, one of the cities hit hardest by the hurricane, so this cause is very close to his heart.We’re putting together a one off episode of Bluegrass Jam Along where you, the podcast's listeners, get to interview Bryan! Here's how it works...When you donate, you get to send me a ques...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)Donate to the Bluegrass Jam Along/Bryan Sutton fundraiser to help people and communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.Appalachian Allies benefit concertEnergy Curfew Music HourYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotifyReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playli...

My guests on the podcast this week are Lillian Werbin and Kristina Gaddy. I caught up with them at IBMA to chat about Roots Revival : A Black Stringband Symposium, a collaboration between IBMA and The Banjo Gathering.Hosted at IBMA's World of Bluegrass, the symposium celebrated and explored Black contributions to Bluegrass and other traditional music, both historic and continuing, featuring contemporary conversations about diversity and inclusion in traditional music and the ways in which Bla...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episodeNews and Announcements (Church Street News)Donate to help those devastated by hurricane HeleneJohn Hartford tune marathonReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of intervie...

This week's episode is a selection of interviews I carried out at IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina last week.It was the last IBMA in Raleigh before the event moves to Chattanooga in 2025, and was an amazing week, full of great conversations, events, music, instruments, picking and people. I had a fantastic time and can't tell you how much it means to me to feel so welcomed by the bluegrass and string band community.But it was also a devastating week for the people of western...

This week’s episode is all about learning to play music.I’ve been listening back to the interviews I’ve done over the past 3 years and so many of them touch on some really core stuff when it comes to being a musician. All of it has helped me at one point or another, so I thought I’d put together a compilation of some of my favourite bits. There’s something in here for everyone, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been playing for years and just need some inspiration or encourageme...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)IBMA World of Bluegrass infoCollings Hill Country guitarsKruger Brothers Music AcademyReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBilly Strings ‘Seven Weeks in County’ videoOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/c...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsInterview episodes by categoryNews and Announcements (Church Street News)Vasen & HawtailPreorder linkTour datesReleases (The Grass is New)Andy Statman albumBuy on AmazonThe Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) ...

My guest this week is the legendary Jerry Douglas.Jerry joins me again to chat about recording his first new album in six years. It's called 'The Set' and features the band Jerry's been playing with for a decade now. He talks about what's special about playing with that band and why he chose to re-visit some tunes that will be familiar to his fans for this record, as well as new material, including 'The Fifth Season', which started out as a FreshGrass commission. We also chat about some of Je...

My guest this week is Fretboard Journal's Jason Verlinde.Jason shares the story of how Fretboard Journal started, back in 2005, and how it's grown from a print magazine to include a series of great podcasts and The Fretboard Summit events.We also chat about the current state of the acoustic instrument market and how the vintage market has changed over the past two decades, plus what people can expect from this year's Fretboard Summit, which kicks off in Chicago in just two days.Visit fretboar...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.This week, news of a brand new record by Daniel Patrick of the Mandolins and Beer podcast and a new flatpicking course from Grant Gordy on Peghead Nation.There's also new music from Stephen Mougin and Ned Luberecki, Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland, Sarah Jarosz, Any Leftwich, Aoife O'Donovan and Hawktail and Jerry Douglas!Don't forget, you'll find the new releas...

My guest this week is Rebecca Frazier. Rebecca was the first woman ever to appear on the cover of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and her band Hit & Run are the only band to win all three Rockygrass, Telluride, and SPBGMA Festival Band competitions.She joins me to chat about her new record Boarding Windows in Paradise. We talk about working with legendary producer and engineer Bill Wolf, recording with Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan and the band Love Canon and the decade gap between this...

My guest this week is Becky Buller.Becky is the winner of 10 IBMA awards, including the 2016 awards for Fiddler and Female Vocalist. She's the first woman in the history of IBMA to receive the Fiddle Player of the Year award and the first person ever to win in both vocal and instrumental categories. She joins me to talk about her fabulous album and song cycle 'Jubilee'. We talk about the FreshGrass commission that sparked the piece, co-writing with Aoife O'Donovan, taking part in an his...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsInterview episodes by categoryNews and Announcements (Church Street News)IBMA announcementLessons With Marcel Molly Tuttle bookPeghead Nation Folk and Bluegrass Songs for FiddleDon’t forget the promo code below for a free month!Releases (The Grass is New)Billy Strings Leadfoot videoThe Grass is (most...

This week's episode is a Food For Thought episode. If you're not familiar with them, they're a series of short episodes on a single idea, designed to get you thinking and (hopefully) deepening your understanding of a particular music related area.This week we've got a simple idea from Dolly Parton - "Find out who you are and do it on purpose."So many of us think we should decide what kind of musician (or person!) we want to be, then work to become that, but the reality is we've all got someth...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)IBMA news & infoReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPeghead NationUse the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month ...

My guest this week is Alister Atkin of Atkin Guitars.I've been following Atkin's progress for a few years now and have been blown away by the quality of guitars they're producing. They combine some cutting edge techniques with a bespoke approach, to bring out the uniqueness of every guitar they make. As Alister puts it: 'We're all about getting the feel and the sound of the instrument, and the aura of a great instrument.'We talk about some of these processes, including baking wood, freezing g...

Last week we lost Happy Traum, one of the shining lights of acoustic music for over half a century.It’s hard to fully grasp, in our online world where everything is right there whenever we need it, just what an enormous contribution Happy and the Homespun team made to helping people learn roots and acoustic music.I was lucky enough to get to chat to Happy a couple of times for the podcast, and he spoke about how strongly he felt that their role was to document, as well as teach. Watching the ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)IBMA award nomineesReleases (The Grass is New)David Grisman & the Rounder Album Band - Live at Grass ValleyThe Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of i...

My guest this week is Roger Siminoff. Not only is Roger an authority on instrument making, the physics of music and tap tuning, he's also an expert on the life and work of Lloyd Loar.Loar worked at Gibson in the early 1920s and oversaw the production of some truly remarkable, game changing instruments - most notably the F5 mandolin, which went on to become an integral part of bluegrass music and shape how we see mandolins for the next 100 years.We talked about Lloyd Loar's background, why his...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and Announcements (Church Street News)IBMA Black String Band SymposiumVolunteer at IBMAEmail volunteer@ibma.org for more infoReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyEast Nash Grass at DelFestTony Rice Native American vinyl reissueOther bitsSign up for emails https://...

My guest on the podcast this week is Chris Eldridge, guitarist with Punch Brothers and Mighty Poplar.Chris is not only one of my favourite guitarists, he's also one of my favourite people I've had on as a guest, so I'm delighted to welcome him back to Bluegrass Jam Along to celebrate the podcast's 400th episode.In this special episode we're chatting about Bela Fleck's ground breaking record Drive. It's a record that's really important to Chris, and also played a key role in the early days of ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast News Gabe Witcher interviewBrittany Haas interviewReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyFretboard SummitIBMA Bluegrass RambleOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPeg...

My guest on the podcast this week is Brittany Haas, fiddle player with Hawktail and, now, Punch Brothers!I interviewed Gabe Witcher last June, a few days after he played his final shows with Punch Brothers at Telluride. Almost exactly a year later to the day I spoke with Brittany to chat about joining the band as his replacement. Brittany had just played with Punch Brothers at Telluride, so there was a lovely symmetry to it.We chatted about how Brittany got the gig, the challenges of replacin...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News IBMA International Booth info Contact Christopher Howard Williams (IBMA board member) via the contact form on the Bluegrass in La Roche websiteNice Like That Kickstarter pageBlue Ridge Banjo CampReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playli...

My guests this week are Ruth Oxenberg and Rob Schumer.They join me to talk about a very special series of concerts they've curated called Bluegrass on Hudson, which are happening at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, in New York's Hudson Valley.But we start by talking about a wonderful documentary they directed and produced called Bluegrass Journey. It's a movie I've watched multiple times and really love. We chat about how they got into bluegrass in the first place (i...

My guest this week is Tony Trischka, who returns to Bluegrass Jam Along to chat about his superb new record Earl Jam.We talk about Tony receiving a thumb drive containing 200 unheard recordings of Earl Scruggs jamming with John Hartford, and his amazement at not just how many tunes were on there that he'd never heard Earl play, but also hearing Earl play in different styles and tunings too.Tony started transcribing the breaks and that was the start of the project that became Earl Jam, w...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News Peghead Nation - Weekly Mandolin WorkoutReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBilly Strings and Bryan Sutton at Blue Ridge Guitar CampOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly...

Today - June 8th - is Tony Rice's birthday. To celebrate, I'm reposting the chat I had with Alison Krauss as part of the 'Church Street Blues' 40th anniversary celebrations last year. The final episodes ended up being almost 5 hours long, so I thought it would be fun to re-post this as a standalone episode for those who missed it (or just want to listen again to celebrate Tony's birthday).In this episode Alison talks about what Tony's music means to her and shares some memories of spending ti...

My guest this week is Jacob Jolliff, who joins me to talk about his wonderful new record Instrumentals 2: Mandolin MysteriesWe talk about the process of writing the record and how many of the tunes began on piano rather than mandolin, plus the great band Jacob assembled to record and tour the album. We also chat about what it was like to sit in with Bela Fleck for part of the My Bluegrass Heart tour and some of the things Jacob leaned from Bela about rehearsing and leading a band in the proce...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News IBMA international stageFisher Center’s Bluegrass on Hudson 2024 SeriesReleases (The Grass is New)David Grisman’s Unexpurgated GrassThe Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistIn my earsAlan Rusbridger - Play It AgainOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalo...

My guest this week is Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, who returns to chat about her great new record 'I Built a World', which comes out on Friday May 24th.This is Bronwyn's first record as a lead singer and we chat about her song choices, the musicians she chose for the record, the wonderful line up of backing singers she has and how the record came together.We also talk about the journey Bronwyn's been on over the past couple of years with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, including winning a Grammy.You...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News Blue Ridge Music Center Summer SeriesBlue Highway FestIBMA ticketsReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBilly Strings Marc Maron interviewOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mo...

My guest this week is Oliver Burkeman, best-selling author of the book 'Four Thousand Weeks - Time Management for Mortals.''Four Thousand Weeks' isn't a book about bluegrass, or American acoustic music...or even about music. But, it addresses so many of the the things that can trip us up and stop us from making the space in our lives for the things we love, like music.I'm not entirely sure this podcast would exist if I hadn't read Oliver's book. The fact that it's lasted long enough for this ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsDave Sinko interviewNews and announcements - Church Street News North Carolina Guitar CelebrationTelluride LineupReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list o...

My guest this week is legendary sound engineer Dave Sinko.Dave joins me to talk about his 17 year collaboration with Punch Brothers, including running their live sound, from using mics and pickups on every instrument, right down to single mic shows (and most points in between).We also chatted about Dave's long standing collaboration with Edgar Meyer, recording some of the most influential records in all of acoustic music, including Uncommon Ritual, plus why building a racing yacht is very sim...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episodeNews and announcements - Church Street News IBMA Industry AwardsMy recent interview with Jim MillsReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPeghead NationUs...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episodeNews and announcements - Church Street News Church Street Blues reissueChurch Street Blues 40th Anniversary Episode part 1Church Street Blues 40th Anniversary Episode part 2Releases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyToy Heart Alison Krauss episodeOther bitsSign up for em...

My guest this week is Stephen Mougin, guitarist in The Sam Bush Band and founder of Dark Shadow Recording.In this episode we talk about Stephen's work as a band coach. We chat about his training as a vocal teacher, what bands should be working on, including how they should be rehearsing, why preparing for the studio isn't really all that different from preparing to play live and how to listen to music in order to learn from it. There are so many fascinating insights that will be invaluable to...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News Library of Congress listReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBilly Strings a capella quertetJacob Jolliff Vera performanceOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 ...

Kristina R. Gaddy joins me again to celebrate the paperback release of her fascinating book “Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History”.We chat about the reception to the book's publication in hardback, what information has come to light since publication, Kristina's hopes that her book will inspire others to pick up where she left off and dig deeper, plus how Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter', featuring Rhiannon Giddens (who wrote the foreword to Kristina's book) increased the...

**This interview was originally posted in September 2022**My guest this week is Kristina R. Gaddy, who joins us to discuss her fascinating book “Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History”.We chat about how she came to write the book and some of the key discoveries she made along the way, in particular the banjo’s unknown history as an instrument of ritual and rebellion.Kristina’s research in diaries, letters, archives, and art, traces the banjo’s beginnings from the seventeen...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News Church Street Blues reissueReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPeghead NationUse the code ‘jamalong’ for ...

My guest this week is Matt Glaser, Artistic Director of Berklee's Center for American Roots Music.Matt joins me to celebrate 15 years of the program, but also to delve into some of the themes of his superb Keynote Speech at IBMA 2023. In the speech, Matt sets out the idea that American music can be seen as one thing, rather than simply a series of genres, and goes on to give countless examples of early musical connections between styles.We chat about his approach, how music educat...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - Church Street News Fretboard SummitRhiannon Giddens on collaborating with Beyoncé on 'Cowboy Carter'Releases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyDavid Benedict ‘How I Transcribe’ Hillary Klug KickstarterOther bitsSign up for emails https://bl...

This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Temperance Reel. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done and jam along!If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a...

This week we're jamming along to Temperance Reel and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping. It's four times through in the key of G at 75 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't f...

This week we're jamming along to Temperance Reel and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune. It's four times through in the key of G at 75 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget to inclu...

This week we're jamming along to Temperance Reel and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play rhythm track where I play the melody so you can work on backup. It's four times through in the key of G at 75 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget to i...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news IBMA ticket infoReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBob Minner - Sulphur DellOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPeghead Natio...

My guest this week is Lindsay Lou, who joins me to talk about her wonderful record Queen of Time.We talk about the arc of Lindsay's creative journey, from her previous record Southland to this record, and beyond. We also chat about why it's important to know where you came from, both personally and musically, and why that led to Lindsay using interviews with her grandmother on two tracks on the record, plus I got the chance to ask about Lindsay's recent experience of joining the Transatlantic...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news Well of Souls - Kristina GaddyReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyPunch Brothers - Just What I NeededOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of...

My guest this week is Bill Amatneek, who joins me to talk about his fascinating new book 'Discovering Tony Rice.'Bill shares his memories of playing with Tony in the David Grisman Quintet, officiating at Tony's wedding to Leela and spending time with him on the road. He also talks about how an article on Tony turned into a 260 page book and what he learned about Tony from interviewing his friends, musical colleagues and family in the process.It's a fascinating insight into one of the most ext...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news Earl Scruggs Music Festival lineupMike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg’s mandolin retreatReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyThe Last Repair ShopOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact...

My guest this week is singer-songwriter, producer, author, and playwright Michael Johnathon.Michael is probably best known as the founder, producer and host of The Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. He joins me to talk about Woodsongs' extraordinary history, from its humble beginnings in a tiny room with an audience of 12, to being broadcast on 537 radio stations and heard by over two million listeners.We also chat about his SongFarmers project, a global network where musicians become leaders and...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news North Carolina Guitar CelebrationChris Thile’s AcousticampReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyNew Music Streaming BillPitchforkMixmagOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostl...

My guest this week is guitarist Ethan Sherman.Ethan joins me to talk about his new record 'Passages', which is due out on March 8th. We chat about working with producer Wes Corbett on the project, why it was important to write for specific players and how Ethan came to string band music in the first place.We also chat about a wonderful book Ethan co-wrote with Adam Levy called 'String Theories'. I've been working with it for a couple of weeks and it's really inspired me to focus more on where...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news Lessons With Marcel Tony Rice videoReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyEarl Scruggs’ D18Other bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPe...

My guest this week is Missy Raines.We talk about Missy's wonderful new album 'Highlander' and her journey from being a bass player to becoming a singer/songwriter and bandleader. Along the way Missy talks about being part of a musical tradition, what that means to her, how working with producer Alison Brown shaped the record and why it felt like coming home to a place she'd never left to begin with.It's a great record and I really enjoyed the conversation.To find out more about Missy, includi...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news Song FarmersCasey Driessen’s Blue Ridge Fiddle CampReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyScott Nygaard on playing for people to dance toOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (most...

My guest this week is fiddle player George Jackson.George, originally from New Zealand, now living in Nashville, won the 2022 IBMA Instrumentalist Of The Year Momentum Award.He's played with a wide range of artists with artists such as The Jacob Jolliff Band, Jake Blount, Tall Poppy String Band, The Local Trio, Front Country, Peter Rowan and Missy Raines.He joins me to chat about a fascinating project he's working on with Tristan Scroggins, called The Old Time 100. George and Tristan re...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news Steve Gulley Memorial ScholarshipBluegrass Today pieceCrandall Creek websiteNew Mexico Banjo CampDiscovering Tony Rice BookReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyBela Fleck - In Defence of Rhapsody in BlueRichard Davis Fou...

My guest this week is Kyle Tuttle.Lots of you will know Kyle as the banjo player in Molly Tuttle's band Golden Highway, but he also has a fantastic new record called 'Labor of Lust', which he's joining me to chat about in this episode.We talk about the roots of the record, the theme that runs through it, Earl Scruggs' influence on Kyle (and the banjo in general) and using effects on the banjo, both to change the sound in the studio and to get a fuller sound live, particularly as the venues Ky...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news Michael Daves Facebook pageBluegrass in La RocheReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyAlex Hargreaves ArtistWorks courseOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 pla...

This is the final episode in the series celebrating Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. My guest for this one is Jim Mills. Jim is a fantastic banjo player, who spent over a decade playing with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. He's also an expert on pre-War Gibson banjos, so is the perfect person to talk about how the banjos Earl played influenced the sound and, as a result, the type of banjo people look for to this day.If you want to find out more about Jim, including infohon his business b...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements - church street news IBMA official showcase Ramble applications Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots FestivalReleases (The Grass is NewThe Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyGeorge Jackson & Tristan Scroggins - Old time 100 Tristan’s InstagramGeorge’s Inst...

This is part 3 of the celebration of Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. In this episode we're talking about Earl's influence on the younger generation of players and also celebrating his wonderful guitar playing.You'll hear from:Trey Hensley, on Earl being his main influence on the guitar, as well as getting to meet and play with EarlKyle Tuttle, on why no banjo record is complete without a tip of the hat to Earl Scruggs and why Earl is perhaps one of the most imitated musicians in historyWil...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsEarl Scruggs 100th birthday celebration part 1Part 2Releases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of interviewsPeghead NationUse the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month...

This is part 2 of the celebration of Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. Earl's influence on bluegrass is huge, as you'll hear from my guests this week.You'll hear from:Jerry Douglas, on Earl being one of the first sounds he heard and why starting The Earls of Leicester felt like a callingAlison Brown on why the timing of Earl's arrival on the bluegrass scene (and the wider music scene) had such an impact on the music, and on Earl's careerTim O'Brien on Earl's role in the development of bluegr...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsEarl Scruggs 100th birthday celebration part 1News and announcements (Church Street News)Earl Scruggs Center - Center Stage showsReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyRachel Baiman BGS piece on Brittany Haas and Punch BrothersTristan Scroggins BGS piece on c...

January 6th would have been Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. To celebrate Earl and his extraordinary influence, I've been speaking to people who knew, played with and have been inspired by him.This is part 1, featuring three amazing banjo players:Tony TrischkaKristin Scott BensonAlan MundeThey all share their thoughts on Earl and his contribution to music and the banjo, as well as why Earl's music is so special to them. All of these are brand new interviews carried out for these episodes. They'v...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsJosh Turknett interview episodeNews and announcements (Church Street News)Nickel Creek tour datesSore Fingers Summer SchoolReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyTony Rice Church Street Blues vinyl reissueOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong...

For this week's episode I'm doing something I don't normally do - reposting an old interview. In fact, I don't think I've ever done it before. The reason I'm doing it is that so many of us make resolutions at this time of year to practice more, play better or just improve on our instruments. My guest in this interview has some wonderful advice on all of those things. My guest for this one is Josh Turknett, author of the fantastic book 'The Laws of Brainjo - The Art & Science of Molding a ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.Podcast newsJerry Douglas talks about the Earl Scruggs 100th birthday concertReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistScroll on BuddyNickel Creek - Blackberry SessionOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlistFull list of int...

January 6th 2024 would have been Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday.I'm putting together a very special set of episodes to celebrate. As part of them I spoke to Jerry Douglas, who's organising a spectacular night of music at The Ryman on Earl's birthday to mark the occasion. This is a taster taken from a much longer chat I had with Jerry. We talked about putting the show together and why he wants to celebrate Earl. The full interview will be released in a couple of weeks, alongside lots of other gu...

It’s almost the end of 2023. Where did the year go?!I’m already working on some exciting stuff for 2024 but, before we head into the holidays, I wanted to have a look back at 2023 on Bluegrass Jam Along as it’s been an extraordinary year.I’ve had the opportunity to speak to some truly amazing guests. You’ll hear excerpts from a few of them in this episode, along with a recap of all the interviews on the podcast this year.You’ll hear from:Sierra Hull on playing with Bela Fleck and the new musi...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements (Church Street News)Peghead Nation - Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials, taught by Aaron WeinsteinUse the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month of any courseDelfest lineupReleases (The Grass is New)Billy Strings live releaseThe Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlistScroll on BuddyBela Fleck Rhapsod...

My guest this week is Ted Olson.Ted is Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University. He's also written liner notes and essays for some wonderful projects, including “Doc Watson – Life's Work: A Retrospective,” and the fantastic “Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs Of Jane Gentry and Mary Sands” by Martin Simpson & Thomm Jutz.Ted joins me to talk about three wonderful projects he worked on for Bear Family Records, celebrating three key recording sessions ...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements (Church Street News)Lessons with Marcel - Mickey’s Fiddle Tune Arrangements bookSierra Hull tour datesBilly Strings Europe 2023 Mini Tour DocumentaryReleases (The Grass is New)Rachel Baiman ‘Common Nation of Sorrow’ deluxe editionThe Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlistScroll on BuddyTri...

This week we've got something I haven't done in a while - a mini jam episode. That means we're playing 3 tunes back to back instead of focussing on just one. The idea is it feels a bit more like playing at a jam session. I know some of you use these tracks to work up to attending a jam so hopefully this will help with that!I've gone for 3 tunes with a more open feel, they're not quite as busy as tunes like Blackberry Blosson. They are:Home Sweet Home in D Red Wing in GPeartre...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements (Church Street News)MerleFest LineupIBMA Emcee masterclassReleases (The Grass is New)The Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlistScroll on BuddyAtkin GuitarsD37 12S model (Instagram link)In My EarsThe Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalon...

This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Big Sandy River. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done and jam along!If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sandy River and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping. It's four times through in the key of A at 75 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't f...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sandy River and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune. It's four times through in the key of A at 75 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget to inclu...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sandy River and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play rhythm track where I play the melody so you can work on backup. It's four times through in the key of A at 75 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget to i...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.News and announcements (Church Street News)Energy Curfew Music Hour ticketsReleases (The Grass is New)Kelly Hunt - Ozark SymphonyThe Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlistScroll on BuddyMandolin CafeIn My EarsThe Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlistOther bitsSign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/con...

This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Home Sweet Home. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget to include your name so I know who ...

This week we're jamming along to Home Sweet Home and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping. It's four times through in the key of D at 85 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't f...

This week we're jamming along to Home Sweet Home and I've got three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune. It's four times through in the key of D at 85 bpm.Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done.If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.comSend a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget to inclu...