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

Harrisonburg, Virginia is home to The Judy Chops – an “original mountain swing” ensemble, seven members strong. They are a high energy group specializing is gipsy swing, roots Americana, and all around good sting fun. They’ve opened for folks like The Black Lillies, Miss Tess & The Tailbacks, and The David Mayfield Project. Front man Bill Howard told me that, ...

By Don Depoy – Most public jams have a variety of musician skill levels from beginner to professional. Music Jams serve as a viable way to encourage musicians to improve their instrumental skills, learn how to play well with others and most importantly respect their own journey and their fellow musician’s journey. Anyone young or old who picks up an ...

What Does That Mean Anyway By Matt Hoggatt – You might recall a ReverbNation feature we did with Matt Hoggatt in our October, 2014 issue (#53). Matt’s story is a bit of a fairy tale story, with a crescendo of sorts, and back down to earth again. Matt recently shared the follow letter with his Facebook followers. We share it ...

By Greg Tutwiler – Before Stephanie Stewart formed Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends, she grew up on a steady diet of classic country and traditional Christian hymns in the foothills of North Carolina. “I grew up listening to my Grandfather’s classic country records and singing traditional hymns with my Grandma in church,” Stephanie recalled. The voices of Patsy Cline, Johnny ...

By Donna Ulisse – I love being a happy girl. I’m most comfortable in this state and annoyingly willing to share my joy through positive songs that I write and perform. Lately, my Snow White approach to daily life has been smudged by friends going through personal crises and loss and has left me hurting for them. Don’t get me ...

By Edward Tutwiler – About two years ago, in (Issue 44) Americana Rhythm, we delved into the use or absence thereof of drum sets in the old-time and traditional bluegrass genres of Americana string music; and for that matter at that time, also in progressive and new-grass iterations as well. I even went so far as to observe that I ...

At the influence of his father, northern Mississippi’s Glen Harrell started playing guitar when he was nine years old, and picked up the fiddle when he was just 14. Just last year, the part-time insurance salesman, along with his band, Mountain Fever Recording artists, Volume Five earned two IBMA nominations – a long way from hometown, childhood fiddle and guitar ...

Nashville, TN is home for John and Judy Rodman. Judy is an award winning recording artist, stage and television performer, producer and songwriter – husband John is a classical percussionist, touring drummer, and was a session drummer for one of the world’s largest jingle companies. Both are longtime career entertainers who both got their professional start doing jingles in Memphis, ...

Every so often, we here at Americana Rhythm like to break out the topic of House Concerts. It appears to me to be one of the most underused options available for listeners to experience live entertainment. Artists are eager to play music—it’s what they do. And when it’s cold outside, the outdoor opportunities are greatly limited. You might be surprised ...

At the 2015 Grammy awards, Prince paid homage to the  pioneering musical format with this comment; “Albums … remember those? Albums still matter.” And with that, I invite you to read on. – editor Climb into Mr. Peabody’s way-back machine with me, and travel back to the mid 1960s to downtown Lynchburg VA. There, one chilly, misty Saturday morning, I ...