Americana Music Magazine – Bluegrass, Roots, Folk, Blues, and Old-Time

Upon realizing that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Merlefest, and knowing that this fest provided significant inspiration for us here at Americana Rhythm, I felt it only fitting to give an extra shout out to this phenomenal music festival. Created as a tribute by Doc Watson and Wilkes Community College to his late son, Merle, Merlefest has become ...

In the May/June 2007 issue of Americana Rhythm, we profiled Mac Wiseman an artist whose musical life transcends time. Born locally in Crimora, VA, but known internationally, Mr. Wiseman, now 91 years old, is still recording and maintains a large following of fans. After our 2007 story, it had been a while since I heard anything new about Mac Wiseman, ...

Some 10 or 12 years ago, I accompanied my son to a music festival in North Carolina to help him staff a trade booth for a magazine for which he worked at the time. We joined 70,000 music fans for four days of string-music greatness of a type that is now known to many as Americana. That experience led to ...

After a chance meeting between LA singer-songwriter Pi Jacobs and Mountain Fever Records president Mark Hodges in 2016, Pi became the latest artist to release her new CD on Hodges Americana label, Trivanna Records. Her new CD A Little Blue, the seventh from Pi, released in March. Recorded in Floyd, Virginia, Pi teamed up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Ramsey. ...

Bluegrass bands form for all sorts of reasons but most often it’s because a group of folks enjoy picking together; they feel the chemistry is right, and decide to give it a run. South Carolina’s Wilson Banjo Company has a slightly different beginning. Steve Wilson grew up like a lot of musicians, learning to appreciate and play music with his ...

Al Petteway and Amy White, a.k.a. Al & Amy, have been charming fans for years with their uniquely crafted Celtic-Appalachian influenced music that even marries in the occasional hints of Blues, New Age, and even Jazz. Before they relocated to the mountains of Western North Carolina, Al and Amy lived in the Washington D.C. area where they were honored with ...

Molly’s Kiss is evidence that the influence of American roots music is far reaching. As they define themselves, Molly’s Kiss is “a folk band, lost in the middle of France.” Formed in 2013, the band consists of guitar, accordion, and two vocals. Nicolas Rozier; Vocals /Guitar, Madeline Besson; Vocals, and Alexandre Tobie; Accordion, all team up to play what they ...

“Jim and Lynna Woolsey have that magical quality of being tuned in to real life, attention to the small stuff, and open heartedness that makes for great songs, and great friends,” said Louisa Branscomb, Founder, Director of Woodsong Farm Songwriter Retreat. The Southern Indiana pair had been performing together for nearly three decades before they finally decided it was time ...

Virginia Beach, VA’s Russell Lynch has his music steeped in traditional country music culture, and peppered with notes of Americana and a bit of a rockabilly edge to it This is just like his fans like it, apparently. He has had three top 10 independent country songs in the U.S., including a #1 hit with “Stuck in Between.” His music ...

Wichita, Kansas is home to the up and coming Americana, roots rock band, Mountain Deer Revival. MDR plays what they call Red Dirt Music, which seems to have its roots Oklahoma. It’s a Southern Rock foundation that can be traced back to the early American South, flavored with a good dose of Texas Country. This band consists of twins, Jake ...