News/Thoughts

Monthly Archives: August 2017

Appaloosa Fest Turns Three

The Third Annual installment of the Appaloosa Festival gets underway Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1-2, 2017. The fest hosted by D.C. based Celtic rock band Scythian promises again this year to be an event to be remembered.The scenic Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal, Virginia is once again the location for the festival. It’s just one hour from DC. and ...

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Simple Truths In Life and Music

Don Brown has spent the better part of his career doing what he calls, “helping people with people.” He’s written five books, including his latest, Simple Truths in Music and Life. This latest project is a collection of wisdom gathered from Don’s experiences and time spent with Uwe Kruger of the Kruger Brothers. It was a seemingly chance meeting for ...

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They’re Called The Wooks

I first heard The Wooks one afternoon coming out of my in dash XM Radio. Bluegrass Junction was spinning up something new, and I knew right then that I needed to find out more about this band. Turns out, these five guys from Eastern Kentucky haven’t been together that long, but they’re already making an impact on the bluegrass/Americana music ...

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On The Road

It is funny how this musician, singer/songwriter life goes. Much of the time you are running down new roads but sometimes you find you have just circled back to a familiar road, one that you’ve traveled before. That circling back is what brought about this article. About 10 years ago, I wrote for a publication that Greg Tutwiler was involved ...

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A Happy “Songwriting” Camper

We all accept that a written sentence consists of a noun and a verb strung together in sequence. Choose this word sequence so it conveys a thought to a reader; begin that sequence with an uppercase letter; finish it with a period; and congrats; you are a writer—NOT! No, to be a writer, one must be able to modify those ...

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Moses Jones

Lead vocalist and guitarist Robert Johnson fronts the band, Moses Jones, with a passion and a flair that makes you want to be a part of the band. This new band from Charlotte, NC has been described as “a heapin’ helpin’ of dirty southern soul, with a side of funk, and a lot of jam spread on top.” This bluesy ...

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Experience It First Hand

Charly Markwart was born and raised in rural Michigan. However, it was a love and a quest for Appalachian music that led her to pursue an education at Bluefield College near the Appalachian Mountains of Southwestern Virginia. “Growing up I listened to a lot of country music, that was always my favorite,” Charly said. “I was more inclined towards the ...

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John’s Calling Me

Craig Bignell and Suzanne Levesque make up the acoustic duo called Over The Moon. Their new CD, Moondancer, recorded recently, is already earning favorable reviews. But it’s just the continuation of years of music history. Today, Craig and Suzanne live on an isolated ranch about an hour and a half southwest of Calgary, Canada. But there’s another side to this ...

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A Travelogue Of Stories

David Huebner (cello, electric guitar, vocals), Julie Szewc (guitar/vocals), Fred Serna (drums/percussion), and Russell Smith (upright bass) combine to produce the rich Americana sounds of Wyoming’s The Two Tracks on their latest project, Postcard Town. It’s a telling travelogue of stories. The Two Tracks have been together for several years now Dave told me. Dave got his start in classical ...

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Marc Daniels

Marc grew up like many other kids who are exposed to music – learning to play the piano. Rural Spokane, Washington was home most of his early life before moving to California and pursuing a professional music career. “I grew up in a musical family of very talented musicians,” he said, “so it sort of created this path for me ...

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