Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) IBMA Picking For the Prize Noam Pikelny tour dates Jake Workman safari Ned Luberecki safari Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist In My Ears I’m With Her - Ancient Light live at Sunset Sound Other bits Sign up for emails https://bluegrassja...
Jun 30, 2025•12 min•Ep. 472
This week we're celebrating IBMA World of Bluegrass as it prepares to make the move to Chattanooga after a successful decade in Raleigh. First I'll be talking to former IBMA Executive Director, and current board member, Paul Schiminger about the history of World of Bluegrass, how it started, the various cities it's been hosted in over the years and why it's moving this year. After that I chat to Jill Snider, former Convention Services / Member Services Director at IBMA who's been very involved w...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 471
We're celebrating 50 years of the David Grisman Quintet with a special set of 3 episodes. This week is part 3, featuring the man himself, David Grisman. I chat to David about how the Quintet came together and developed over those early years, how it built on the work he'd already done with The Great American Music Band, how Tony Rice joined the band and what he brought and how, through continuous rehearsal, the Quintet learned to craft and build the arrangements that are such a key part of their...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 470
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Tony Rice Backwaters re-release Del McCoury Pickin’ Party Bluegrass at the Ryman Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy Gabe Witcher Interview Apple Spotify YouTube In My Ears Bill C Malone Book Ted Olson interview Apple Spot...
Jun 16, 2025•14 min•Ep. 469
We're celebrating 50 years of the David Grisman Quintet with a special set of 3 episodes. This week is part 2, featuring Todd Phillips, who was in the band before it was even a band! We chat about how he got to know David Grisman and how, through taking mandolin lessons from him, they started developing a duet that eventually grew into the Quintet. We also talk about his transition from the mandolin role to playing bass in that band, and subsequently with Tony Rice, both in The Tony Rice Unit an...
Jun 11, 2025•44 min•Ep. 468
2025 marks 50 years since The David Grisman Quintet first got together, an event that changed string band music forever. The DGQ played a huge part in the careers of some incredible musicians, including Tony Rice, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger and Todd Phillips, as well as including collaborations with Stéphane Grappelli. Their first record, The David Grisman Quintet , remains one of the most important records in string band history. To celebrate the early years of the quintet, and the amazing musi...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 467
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) IBMA Bluegrass Live - lineup and tickets Releases (The Grass is New) Acoustic Disc Frank Wakefield album The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Other bits Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/ The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Full list of int...
Jun 02, 2025•10 min•Ep. 466
My guest this week is Bob Minner and we're celebrating one of the most iconic flatpicking records of all time - Norman Blake's 'Whiskey Before Breakfast'. We chat about Bob first hearing this record and why he loves it so much; its place in the flatpicking repertoire; the gear Norman used (including guitars, picks and even string gauges!) and we go through the record track by track. Not only that, Bob phoned Norman before we did the interview specifically to ask him about the songs and tunes he ...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 465
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Romp Festival lineup and tickets Bluegrass Hall of Fame gigs Green Mountain Lineup Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Carolina Chocolate Drops documentary Releases (The Grass is New) George Jackson Patreon Tristan Scroggins Patreon Caterina Lichtenberg Mike Marshall & Friend...
May 26, 2025•13 min•Ep. 464
My guest this week is Wayne Erbsen, professor of old-time and bluegrass music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Wayne joins me to talk about half a century of writing about old-time and bluegrass music, including his latest book Southern Mountain Music: The Collected Writings of Wayne Erbsen. Over the past 50 years Wayne has interviewed many legendary figures in Appalachian music, as well as many lesser known names (including the guitarist who acted as AP Carter's 'human tape rec...
May 21, 2025•36 min•Ep. 463
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Bluegrass on Hudson lineup and tickets IBMA WOB tickets IBMA International Stage applications Note - the deadline is being extended to the end of May Phillips, Grier and Flinner tour dates Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Other bits Si...
May 14, 2025•13 min•Ep. 462
My guest on the podcast this week is six time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Jason Carter. Jason recently ended his 33 year run with the Del McCoury Band and we talk about that extraordinary journey, from the fascinating story about how he got the job in the first place, to the decision to move on and what comes next. We also talk about the huge changes bluegrass has gone through in those 33 years, how Del's career grew alongside that, recording The Mountain with Steve Earle and Jason's recent s...
May 07, 2025•52 min•Ep. 461
This Bitesize episode features a conversation I had with Wyatt Rice for a set of episodes in 2023 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tony Rice's 'Church Street Blues' album. Wyatt talks about his experience of playing on the sessions aged just 17, hanging out with Tony, the first time he saw an Ovation guitar at Tony's house and the track from 'Church Street Blues' he ended up playing backup on, even though he'd never played it before the tape started running. It was a really special interview...
Apr 23, 2025•23 min•Ep. 460
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Tony Rice Memorial Day Music Fest Banjo in Sicily with Tony Trischka Releases (The Grass is New) Daniel Kimbro album - buy/stream The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy Alison Krauss vinyl reissue Soul Folk book Other bits Sign up for emails https://blu...
Apr 21, 2025•11 min•Ep. 459
My guest this week is Katie Harford Hogue, who joins me to chat about the wonderful album 'Julia Belle: The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 2' We discuss how the project came about, following the discovery of dozens of John Hartford's notebooks, kept between 1983 and 2001, full of as many as 4,000 original fiddle tunes he'd composed. That led to the book - 'John Hartford's Mammoth Collection of Fiddle Tunes', followed by two albums, the second of which we're exploring today. Co-produced ...
Apr 16, 2025•45 min•Ep. 458
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Darol Anger’s Big Book of Tunes vol 3 Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy Steve Earle’s Fifty Years of Songs and Stories tour dates Other bits Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/ The Grass is (mostly)...
Apr 14, 2025•11 min•Ep. 457
This Bitesize episode comes from an interview I did in April 2023 with Rachel Baiman about her wonderful record Common Nation of Sorrow I re-listened to the episode (and the album) recently and this section really stood out. We chat about storytelling in music; the power of infusing a song with emotion; the importance of connection and conversation and how music can foster community. I really enjoyed this and found it thought provoking to listen back to. I hope you find something interesting, in...
Apr 09, 2025•25 min•Ep. 456
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Earl Scruggs Music Festival Rhiannon Giddens and Kristina Gaddy book Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy Billy Strings and Sierra Hull - Midnight on the Stormy Deep Other bits Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.c...
Apr 07, 2025•8 min•Ep. 455
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) North Carolina Guitar Celebration Releases (The Grass is New) Darol Anger & Mike Marshall with the WDR Big Band Spotify CD The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy Dawg at 80 - Hartford’s Reel (with Sam Bush, Billy Strings and more) Other bits Sign up...
Mar 31, 2025•11 min•Ep. 454
My guest this week is Sierra Hull. Sierra has been a guest on the podcast twice before and both times we chatted about an ongoing project she's been working on since her last record 25 Trips . That project eventually became her new album, the wonderful A Tiptoe High Wire , which we talk about in this episode. Recorded over four sets of sessions over a two year period, the album features Sierra's current touring band, as well as including guest appearances from Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien, Ronnie Bow...
Mar 19, 2025•45 min•Ep. 453
My guest this week is a legend of American string band music. When David Grisman raised his middle finger to MCA Records, after being dropped for failing to meet arbitrary sales targets, he couldn't have known it would spark a 35-year musical revolution. As one of America's foremost, and best loved, mandolin virtuosos turns 80 this year, he offers a fascinating glimpse into the birth, evolution, and future of Acoustic Disc, the independent label he founded in 1990 that became a vital archive of ...
Mar 12, 2025•58 min•Ep. 452
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod News Bluegrass Jam Along guests on mandolins and Beer Apple Spotify Bluegrass Standard article on Bluegrass Jam Along! News and Announcements (Church Street News) I’m With Her Album preorders Tour dates Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Other bits Sign up for emails https://b...
Mar 10, 2025•11 min•Ep. 451
This week's episode is a Bitesize episode, which is a short section highlighting a previous episode you may have missed, which feels apt, given that this is episode #450, so the back catalogue is getting pretty big! But, it's not a previous episode of Bluegrass Jam Along. This week I'm sharing part of an episode on mandolins and Beer, because the guest was....me! Daniel has been on my podcast a couple of times and was kind enough to invite me onto Mandolins and Beer to chat about how I got into ...
Mar 05, 2025•13 min•Ep. 450
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod News Doc Watson 100th birthday episodes Part 1 Apple Spotify YouTube Part 2 Apple Spotify YouTube Bluegrass Jam Along guests on mandolins and Beer Apple Spotify Bluegrass Standard article on Bluegrass Jam Along! News and Announcements (Church Street News) Telluride lineup Rockygrass lineup Releases (The Grass...
Mar 03, 2025•10 min•Ep. 449
My guest this week is Tim Stafford, who joins me to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the best loved and most influential albums in bluegrass. 'JD Crowe & The New South' was recorded in January 1975 and released in August the same year. Tim joins me to chat about what makes it such a milestone record in bluegrass, despite it not really being a bluegrass album at all in some ways. We chat about the musicians who made it so special, including the rhythmic magic Tony Rice and JD Crowe ha...
Feb 26, 2025•59 min•Ep. 448
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod News Bluegrass Jam Along guests on mandolins and Beer Apple Spotify News and Announcements (Church Street News) Rhiannon Giddens’ American Tunes DelFest Lineup Releases (The Grass is New) Sierra Hull - Spitfire video Sierra Hull - tour dates Max Wareham - tour dates The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scr...
Feb 24, 2025•10 min•Ep. 447
My guest this week is guitarist Jake Workman. Jake joins me to talk about his recently ended 9 year run with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, including a great story about how he got the gig, what he learned from playing with Ricky, why rhythm guitar is so important in that role and why now was the time to look for a new challenge. We also talk about Jake's long standing teaching career, including his thoughts on why listening is more important than transcribing and the importance of being you...
Feb 19, 2025•59 min•Ep. 446
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) Grey Fox Festival Casey Driessen Fiddle Camp Scholarship Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy/In my ears 1925 Fiddle Convention 100th anniversary tribute pre-orders ‘ Complete’ Tone Poems at Acoustic Disc Other bits Sign up...
Feb 17, 2025•13 min•Ep. 445
This is the first of a new series of episodes on the podcast I'm calling 'Bitesize'. I've done well over 100 interviews for the podcast now. That's a lot of conversations! The idea with these episodes is to pick out a highlight from a past conversation and share it again, in case you missed it missed it first time round, or just want to hear some bits again. If you're new to the podcast they'll also give you a great sense of what's there, so you can dive in and discover some of the older episode...
Feb 13, 2025•11 min•Ep. 444
Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and Announcements (Church Street News) ETSU Artist in Residence post Punch Brothers tour dates Green Mountain lineup Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlist Scroll on Buddy/In my ears Bela Fleck ‘Throw Down Your Heart’ documentary (YouTube) Other bits Sign up for emails https://bl...
Feb 10, 2025•10 min•Ep. 443
