Breaking sad news is like taking off a Band-Aid. There is no easy way to[…]
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Latest Posts
It’s the End of the Song for Beloved B Chord Brewing . . . For Now
Breaking sad news is like taking off a Band-Aid. There is no easy way to it. So we’re just going to grab an edge and rip — B Chord Brewing, the brewery that became a near-legendary venue in the Covid era, is no more. Owner Marty Dougherty, whose brewing skills are exceeded only by his ability to put on great shows, confirmed the decision last week after deciding a future at the current location was[…]
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Gibson Brothers and Jerry Douglas Team Up to Make Fine New Album
You might expect an album that is half bluegrass and half plugged-in country to be a disjointed mess. If we also told you it was recorded by two sets of musicians, in two separate gatherings, on opposite ends of the covid shutdown, you might even wager it would be a complete cluster-eff. And odds are that in the hands of anybody else the new Gibson Brothers release, “Darkest Hour,” might have been just that. In[…]
Read moreInitial lineup drop for DelFest includes Trampled by Turtles, Infamous Stringdusters, and more
Editor’s note: Occasionally we receive press release from artists’ representatives that we think would be of interest to our readers. This is such a release. DelFest, the festival brainchild of Del McCoury and his extended McCoury family, is celebrating its 15th year in 2023, and for those who’ve been all 14 years or those looking to make their first Memorial Day memories with Del and the gang, today is the day everyone’s been waiting for:[…]
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Dispatch from Gettysburg, Where Del McCoury and His Boys Kicked Things Off In Fine Fashion
Rich Winkleman has done it again folks. You might recall back in May Winkleman’s response to some covid related late holes in the lineup for the 82nd edition of the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival by filling those holes with a host of delightful surprises. Thursday he did it again. Needing to fill a slot in the workshops part of the schedule for the August edition of Gettysburg, Winkleman somehow talked the four Travelin’ McCourys who were[…]
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Get up close and personal with music, and nature, at Smoked Country Jam
We are always hesitant when we write about an event like Smoked Country Jam, the amazing little “roots to branches” bluegrass festival held each year near Cross Forks in the northern mountains part of Pennsylvania known as the “Pennsylvania Wilds.” SCJ, which kicks off Thursday, is a relatively closely held secret as top notch bluegrass festivals go. That is sort of a part of its charm. It’s not just that smug satisfaction that some folks[…]
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Experience a menage-et-Keel at B Chord on Saturday
It will be all things Keel Saturday night at B Chord Brewing Company in Round Hill, Va., when Larry and Jenny Keel present a special triple set show. The show will open with Larry doing a solo set of his own material. Expect the set to include a lot of stuff from his most recent release, the solo American Dream project. “It will be sort of a unique thing playing solo like that,” says Keel.[…]
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Dispatch from DelFest: It was good to be back
And so, after three long, beyond difficult, years of waiting, it came to pass. Once again we gathered on the banks of the Potomac, a motley bunch of long-haired, unshaven, tie-dye swathed heathens hell bent on celebrating all things Americana and all things McCoury. Like Commissioner Gordon with the Bat signal, they shined Del’s image on the bluffs on the West Virginia side of the river. And like Batman, he came, as he always does.[…]
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Dispatch from Gettysburg, where festival season north of the Mason Dixon line had a surprising start
If you were to pick one song from the 82nd edition of the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival to serve as the soundtrack for a for the entire weekend, the choice would be easy. It came during Saturday night’s headlining set by Appalachian Road Show, who led the crowd in a raucous sing along on a cover of Pokey LaFarge’s “La La Blues.” When Barry Abernathy invited the audience to echo the chorus, there was no hesitation.[…]
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Much for Del McCoury to feel Almost Proud about on his latest album
It’s hard to think of a more apt description of Del McCoury than the title of his latest album, “Almost Proud,” due out February 18. At the age of 83, this is McCoury’s 17th album with the Del McCoury Band, which since the 1980s has included his two sons. McCoury, of course, has plenty to be proud of. He’s a nine-time winner of the IBMA’s Entertainer of the Year award. Four times he has won[…]
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Greensky Bluegrass, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan among first wave announced for MerleFest 2022
Editor’s note: Occasionally we receive press release from artists’ representatives that we think would be of interest to our readers. This is such a release. December 6, 2021 – Wilkesboro, NC – MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the first round of artists for MerleFest 2022, which will be held April 28-May 1, 2022. Emmylou Harris, Greensky Bluegrass, Rissi Palmer, and more will be joining the annual homecoming of musicians and music[…]
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