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

Chris Pluska and his band Curio have been playing to crowds at juke joints, dives and clubs in and around Chicago, IL since 2009. Their music has been dubbed “hell-raisin’, soul-shakin’ rock n’ roll,” It is steeped in southern gothic lore by way of the Midwest. “I feel like it’s very swampy,” Chris told me. You can hear the growl ...

The 30th installment of Merlefest came to a close Sunday afternoon, April 30th, with a crowd pleasing set from one of Country Music’s more popular artists, the Zac Brown Band. It is estimated that well over 80,000 folks attended the celebration over the four days. This festival is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation which funds scholarships and capital ...

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day is April, 30th; what better way to celebrate (besides adopting a pet) than to check out the upcoming CD release dedicated to raising funds and awareness for this amazing cause. The CD, Rescue Me! A Cause for Paws, is a project of Blue Light Records and co-produced by singer/songwriter Amy White, (Inside Track artist, ...

One of AR’s editors was leafing through the pages of the latest AARP Bulletin (Vol 58, No 3, Apr ’17 issue)—yes, he is that old; and on page 38 was a short story about Mr. Michael Kurtz who is recognized as the co-founder of National Record Store Day. After being reminded that the annual National Record Day is coming upon ...

For two guys who grew up on a dairy farm in New York, just a few miles from the Canadian border, to be called “Bluegrass superstars” by the New York Time is a big deal. Eric Gibson told me recently, “That was a nice feather in our cap to have a publication of that notoriety say something like that. We’ve ...

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 ...