Hank Williams’ Mother’s Best Flour Show radio transcriptions were long the stuff of legend, reportedly snatched from the jaws of a dumpster by Grand Ole Opry photographer Les Leverett circa… Read More →
Music Reviews
La Coppia Sciascia: Italian Folk Songs from Abruzzo, 1927-1930 by Pasquale and Chiarina Sciascia
Geography, it’s been said, is destiny. That explains why the music of émigrés to early 20th century America was recorded long before that of long-rooted communities in the South: the… Read More →
Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves (self-titled)
The first time I heard Tatiana Hargreaves play the fiddle, she could not have been more than ten years old. I was wandering the campground at Portland’s Pickathon festival and… Read More →
Roger Netherton (Self-Titled)
It’s hard to imagine a more energetic approach to old-time music than is found in this CD from fiddler Roger Netherton and friends. The opening tune, the newish “Tippin’ Back… Read More →
Goodbye My Honey I’m Gone by Molly McBride and the Sigogglin’ String Band
Molly McBride is Fieldwork Coordinator at the Michigan Traditional Arts Program. She’s also a first-rate fiddler who plays with great assurance. Mind you, there’s nothing flashy here: it’s all about… Read More →
Milkers and Hollers by Old Time Snake Milkers & Hoot and Holler
This very enjoyable CD was made by seven young friends living near Charlottesville, Virginia, who nominally play in two different bands, but on this CD kept forming and re-forming into… Read More →
Five Mile Mountain Road (Self-Titled)
This quartet hails from Franklin County, Virginia, legendary, writes John Lawless in the album’s liner notes, “for producing acoustic musicians and untaxed whiskey.” While there are no paeans to moonshine… Read More →
Jewels of the San Joaquin by Dos Valley Trio
Harry Liedstrand, Cindy Liedstrand, and Terry Barnett (usual configuration: Harry fiddle, Cindy guitar, and Terry mandolin) are the Dos Valley Trio, and their liner notes start, “Jewels of the San… Read More →
Dellorto Island by Victor Furtado
Here’s a fine album that presents potential buyers with a couple of caveats. It’s credited solely to Victor Furtado, and its cover drawing shows a lone banjo plunker seated on… Read More →
Jalopy Records 7” record series
Jalopy, the music-school-cum-performance-space-cum-record-label continues its penchant for contemporary releases of what, at least on the surface, sound like recordings from decades past, with this series of subscription-only 7-inch EPs. And… Read More →