Category: Bluegrass

So the last member of Dan Tyminski’s Band solo album that I listened to today was Justin Moses 2006 release Dusty Roads. Since it is late, I will let someone else tell you about the album. From Justin’s website: Read More

Ok so it’s Twang Tuesday that means let’s check out the Bluegrass Chart on the Roots Music Report. I checked off several names on the list  that looked promising. One name that stood out  at number six was Adam Steffey, hum do I know that name? I thought I did but I couldn’t quite place him. So I thought let me check Dan Taminski’s site to see if he has anything new. When I went to the site,  I found  out where I knew Steffey from, he played mandolin on Taminski’s Wheels album. I then remembered that I has listened to another  band member Justin Moses’ solo CD  Dusty Road a while back and it was good. Ron Stewart the banjo and fiddle player had a solo album out also entitled Time Stands Still. So I downloaded all three albums onto the mp3 player and I had a great day of bluegrass music! Read More

Ok so near the end of work today, I was listening to Rhapsody and I saw a band whose name sounded interesting Greensky Bluegrass labeled as progressive bluegrass so I put on their current release Five Interstates. As I was working I was noticing that the music that was playing was REALLY GOOD – loved the dobro and mandolin and the vocals sounded great!!  So I listened to several of the songs and was really impressed so of course I said I’ll try another of the CDs! So I downloaded the album Live at Bells listened to the first track “Bonts Breakdown” and had an Allison Krauss  “new favorite” bluegrass band! Read More

So today has been a good Twang Tuesday full of lots of good music! The day started with one of the albums I picked up the other night Lou Reid and Carolina’s current release My Own Set of Rules. You know it’s going to be a good day when you just love the first song that you hear and that’s what happened when I started this album up and heard the first track “Amanda Lynn”. I just thought that the voice sounded right and the pickin’ was great, too. Since then I’ve gone to their website and discovered that “Amanda Lynn” is currently No 1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 and the Bluegrass Music Profiles chart for April and was voted Song of the Year by the SPBMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music),  not a bad way to start the day at all!  And the rest of the album was pretty damn good, too.  The album has a lot of standard bluegrass tracks like “She’s More to Be Pitied” , “In Despair” and “Lefthanded Dreamer” a great instrumental “Beat the Train” and several gospel tunes including “It’s Hard to Stumble, when you’re on your knees” and “Over in the Promised Land”  the last track ” A Tall Cornstalk” with some great mandolin pickin’ by Lou is probably my favorite track on the CD. Read More

So the day didn’t start of really great, when I pulled into the 7-Eleven  where I get coffee every morning the sign on the door said “No Coffee!!” oh no well it wasn’t the end of the world, it just made the day a little blah. So I went through the rest of the day just not really finding anything that I was listening very interesting, kinda’ like when you want to eat something and nothing really appeals to you! I had heard a song from Jim Lauderdale on the Bluegrass station on XM radio as I was driving to my second stop for coffee, so when I got to the office I downloaded Bluegrass Diaries onto the mp3 player and gave it a listen. Now the album won a Grammy and the songs were ok, but really couldn’t get into it, maybe another day. So the next thing I tried was Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Flight of the Cosmic Hippo but still not quite there. So it was onto The Grascals and their CD The Famous Lefty Fynn’s now this one was a little closer to what I was looking for and I really liked some of the tracks like “Blue Rock Slide”,”The Famous Lefty Flynn’s” and “My Baby’s Waiting on the Other Side” but other tracks just didn’t make it. So on the way back to the office after lunch I heard a good track by a dobro player names Randy Kohrs, so when I got back to the office I found him on Rhapsody and listened to the album “Old Photograph” while I working. Again while the music was good, the overall tone just wasn’t there. Read More

So according to my Avalon Ballroom calender today is not only St. Patrick’s Day but also, Paul Kanter’s birthday! Paul was born in 1941 so that makes him 69 years young, just remember 60 is the new 40 so says the man approaching 60! Anyway Jefferson Airplane was always one my favorite bands and 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds – the live version from Bless It’s Pointed Little Head along with enjoy Grace Slick and Marty Balin’s  vocals I always loved Jorma Kaukonen’s guitar work. I also am a fan of Hot Tuna! A few years ago Jorma got together a bunch of fine bluegrass pickers and put out a great bluegrass album Blue Country Heart. Since then he has put out two more fine albums Stars in My Crown and River of Time. But back to the Airplane has anyone listened to the self-titled reunion album put out in 1989. I really liked that album! Any thoughts? Read More