It’s the world premier release of “River N’ Me,” the latest single from Arkansas Americana group Ten Penny Gypsy. The song is an infectious, acoustic skiffle that enthusiastically pays homage to the classic American Roots music of the early 20th century. Recorded as a studio outtake from the group’s “Fugitive Heart” sessions, the song has become a fan favorite, and ...

Guest article by Sherry Nelson The moment he walks out on stage in his black leather vest, black cowboy hat, and signature Jennings swagger, a palpable energy builds in the air. It is that iconic sound of plangent tones that for generations has cut deep into the soul and hearts of music fans all across the world. He is Whey ...

The heartache and grit that much bluegrass music encapsulates expresses Corrie Lynn Green’s growing up years perfectly. No wonder she was drawn to the genre early on. Stuck in severe poverty, her family moved around the Harrisonburg, Virginia area frequently when she was younger. Then she moved to a home in Elkton, Virginia, just under the shadow of the Shenandoah ...

There is a pastry shop in the next town over from where I live. Whenever they pull a fresh tray of donuts from their oven, they light a little sign in their window that reads, “Hot and Ready”. That sign came to my mind recently when I visited the dance tent at Merlefest in Wilksboro, NC. At that tent, I ...

Doc Watson called the music, “Tradition plus.” And it was another weekend filled with tradition plus musicians at the 2022 Merlfest this past weekend, April 28th – May 1st. One of Doc’s discoveries, Old Crow Medicine Show, returned for a stellar close out performance Saturday evening to thousands of cheering fans singing along with Old Crow’s anthem, “Wagon Wheel.” The ...

Growing up in the 70s and 80s, through my student life years, I’m quite partial to the music of that era. I spent my first two years of college in 1983 and 1984 in a small college in North Carolina. My freshman year especially, was quite profound and exciting. It was the early days of MTV, and we still listened ...

From its beginning, from Gatlinburg, Tennessee-based band, Tuatha Dea, has embraced its Celtic heritage and meshed the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland with their own bold blend of mainstream rock, mountain drumming and Appalachian blues to produce a truly unique sound. Family patriarch, band co-founder/leader and Tennessee native Danny Mullikin says, “We’ve been celebrating that heritage for years and ...

Val Storey grew up steeped in country music from day one. Both of her parents were singer-songwriters originally from Roanoke who moved close to Nashville to pursue their dreams of country music success. Her dad even opened a recording studio. It took some trauma trigger her instinct to start making her own music. “My mom and I were in a ...

Drawing their name from Jimmy Martin’s 1958 done-me-wrong song, Rock Hearts came together in 2013, fusing the talents of a bunch of southern New England bluegrass veterans “who love to sing and pick bluegrass, old country tunes, and seek out newer tunes from other genres to ‘bluegrass-ify’.” From the moment they got together, they all knew they had something special ...

Pat Berlinquette had pursued music from a number of angles (punk as a youth, electronic later on) far from the world of Americana. He had also put music aside for a while to build a successful career in marketing. The music never let him go completely, however. After spending about five years of “messing around, picking up the guitar once ...