You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Twisted Pine, Lee DeWyze, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

There’s something for everyone in this week’s premiere round-up!

From the bluegrass realm, check out a new, suitably spooky track from southwest Virginia mainstay Amanda Cook, a vocal trio number from the fellas of Sideline, and Twisted Pine have a brand new music video for a song all about bluegrass festival fun, “After Midnight (Nothing Good Happens).”

From elsewhere on the genre map, check out tracks debuting from singer-songwriter Bailey Bigger, Swedish artist Sarah Klang has an Americana-flavored number featuring Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats, and Emily Frembgen declares she’s “Hard 2 Love.”

Don’t miss a lyric video for the title track from American Idol winner Lee DeWyze’s brand new album, Gone For Days, as well. It’s all right here on BGS and You Gotta Hear This!

Bailey Bigger, “Nancy Jo”

Artist: Bailey Bigger
Hometown: Marion, Arkansas
Song: “Nancy Jo”
Album: Resurrection Fern
Release Date: October 25, 2024

In Their Words: “‘Nancy Jo’ was a more recently written song this year. I wrote it in memory of my grandmother, who represents to me all the women in my life who have sacrificed their own dreams for the inevitable love for those around them. It’s a bittersweet, give-and-take feeling to experience and watch take over the amazing women in our lives, and something I think we can all relate to universally. The duality of my grandmother was beautiful to me. She had so many regrets, dreams she never got to take a real shot at, and hopes, yet so much gratitude, love, and confidence in the path she did choose in this life. She loved her life and brought so much joy and presence to those around her. But we would dream together every time I sat with her in the kitchen. When I reach for my life and my future, it’s not just my hands, it’s all the women in my ancestry, standing behind me, pushing me further.

“This song was highly influenced, musically, by the dream pop movement of the ’90s. My dad gave me his CDs by The Sundays that he wore out in college, and I fell in love instantly with their dreamy guitar tones and Harriet’s voice just painting the canvas with her melodies. I wanted to create a similar production with clear inspiration behind this song, and dream pop is a genre I’ve been itching to explore in my own sound as I get creative with guitar pedals and melodies.” – Bailey Bigger

Amanda Cook, “Devil’s Looking Glass”

Artist: Amanda Cook
Hometown: Fancy Gap, Virginia
Song: “Devil’s Looking Glass”
Album: Restless Soul
Release Date: September 18, 2024 (single); October 18, 2024 (album)
Label: Mountain Fever Records

In Their Words: “I love a spooky song and when Troy Boone (our mandolin player) let me hear his demo of ‘Devil’s Looking Glass,’ I knew I was going to be hooked. Troy’s vivid lyrics make the story feel so real that it’s almost like a true legend coming to life. As Troy shared, he wrote ‘Devil’s Looking Glass’ in high school, drawing inspiration from the rock formation above the Nolichucky River near his childhood home and crafting a haunting song based on a local curse story.” – Amanda Cook

Track Credits:
Written by Troy Boone.
Amanda Cook – Lead vocal
Carolyne Van Lierop – Banjo
Troy Boone – Mandolin
Brady Wallen – Guitar
Josh Faul – Bass
George Mason – Fiddle

Lee DeWyze, “Gone For Days”

Artist: Lee DeWyze
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Song: “Gone For Days”
Album: Gone For Days
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Label: Mavelle Records

In Their Words: “‘Gone For Days’ for me reflects on how someone can feel lost, but through that – inspired and transformed by their environment. Ultimately, for me, it’s a story of growth and rebirth. To an extent, it captures my own personal experience of stepping into the unknown when choosing to make the decision to head to Bristol, Tennessee and make this album.

“My hope is that this song can serve as an anthem for those who navigate the dark, and seek their own path. I want ‘Gone For Days’ to offer reassurance that even in the darkest moments, there’s a way forward.

“It was one of the last songs I wrote for this album – and while working with the amazing musicians out in Bristol and taking in the energy of where I was, it dawned on me it wasn’t just a song, it was a documentary for my journey and a snapshot of the profound changes I was experiencing.” – Lee DeWyze

Track Credits:
Written by Lee DeWyze.
Lee DeWyze – Vocals, acoustic guitar
Phil Faconti – Electric guitar
Dave Eggar – Cello, string arrangement
Noah Denton – Bass
Jordan Katz – Horns
Mike Stephenson – Drums, percussion
Blake Collins – Mandolin

Video Credit: Lee DeWyze

Emily Frembgen, “Hard 2 Love”

Artist: Emily Frembgen
Hometown: New York City
Song: “Hard 2 Love”
Album: No Hard Feelings
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Label: Don Giovanni Records

In Their Words: “I made ‘Hard 2 Love’ at Excello Studios in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with my producer Hugh Pool. We recorded it and most of the other tracks on No Hard Feelings live with Keith Robinson on drums, Bruce Martin on piano, and Charles Dechants on bass. Melody Stolpp came in later to record back up vocals. The song owes a lot to Lucinda Williams’s ‘Blue,’ which is often playing in my head. I’m so fascinated with these super simple yet emotionally impactful songs. Lucinda’s ‘Blue’ and ‘Lonely Girls,’ Lou Reed’s ‘Pale Blue Eyes,’ Sondheim’s ‘Losing My Mind.’ My relationship with my father informs this and many of the songs on this album as it has greatly informed the way I exist in the world. This is a cathartic song for me to sing and I hope it’s cathartic for other people. It’s hard to love and to be loved, at least for some of us.” – Emily Frembgen

Track Credits: 
Emily Frembgen – Vocals
Hugh Pool – Guitar
Keith Robinson – Drums
Bruce Martin – Piano
Charles Dechants – Bass
Melody Stolpp – Backup vocals

Sarah Klang, “Last Forever” featuring Fruit Bats

Artist: Sarah Klang
Hometown: Gothenburg, Sweden
Song: “Last Forever” featuring Fruit Bats
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Label: Nettwerk Music Group

In Their Words: “It’s a song about the feeling of being ‘the bad one’ in the relationship. Or maybe even that you are ‘the bad one.’ And you love someone who insists on seeing the best in you, and constantly fights on, even though you behave badly. I didn’t really have any idea that it could be a duet until Eric suggested it. He asked me to write down some of my dream artists to duet with, and of course I wrote his name as #1 on the note. Luckily he said yes!

“This collaboration was an eye-opener to me, because it immediately opened two creative worlds: suddenly there were two perspectives and that is very new for me to have. To get to work with someone I admire so much was a dream come true, and I felt like it made me a stronger writer too.” – Sarah Klang

“When Sarah and her writing partner, Theo Stocks, brought this sketch in, I was already all in on it going on the album. The opening line: ‘I’ve got two issues with you, and one of them is that you love me…’ just devastated me out of the gate. The song starts off as a lilting waltz, then turns into a chugging, desperate rock anthem and fades off into the sunset. When they suggested I sing a verse, I was honored and intimidated. I love that each verse comes from a different perspective – and then ends on intertwined stories about lovers trying to figure out the balance of life.” – Eric D. Johnson, Fruit Bats

Sideline, “Is It True”

Artist: Sideline
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Song: “Is It True”
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “It’s really awesome to watch a band take an older song and make it into their own without completely dissecting the original. When Steve brought this one to the table, it was obvious that it was a Sideline song. We applied our drive and energy to it and let the lyrics do the rest of the work. It is also one of the very few – if any – Sideline songs with a trio throughout the whole song, and Bailey nailed the lead part. High-powered and exciting!” – Skip Cherryholmes, guitar and vocals

“What caught my attention about this song was that it is one of the rare cases where the verses have harmony all the way through, and the choruses are sung solo. Typically, it’s vice versa.” – Steve Dilling, banjo and vocals

Track Credits:
Skip Cherryholmes – Guitar, vocals
Steve Dilling – Banjo, vocals
Bailey Coe – Lead vocal
Kyle Windbeck – Upright bass
Nick Goad – Mandolin, vocals
Matt Flake – Fiddle

Twisted Pine, “After Midnight (Nothing Good Happens)”

Artist: Twisted Pine
Hometown: Boston, Massachusettes & Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Song: “After Midnight (Nothing Good Happens)”
Album: Love Your Mind
Release Date: September 17, 2024 (single); October 18, 2024
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “Every summer, music fanatics assemble their camping gear and instruments and gather together in a field somewhere for that most peculiar of community events: the bluegrass festival. As a band, many of our formative and milestone experiences have taken place at festivals. We’ve learned a lot of lessons – good and bad. This song is our ode to the festival experience. It’s about a universal thought process that happens every night at festivals around the world, ‘Should I be trying to get some sleep right now? Or should I stay up, and pick, and see where the night takes me?’ It’s definitely a coin toss, and depending on how you feel you might regret the late night the next morning, but either way, it makes for a memorable night, and you look forward to what next year’s fest will bring

“The details of the song are based on true events and everyone’s festival vibe. Chris likes to wander around looking for hot dogs; Kathleen croons country ballads in the moonlight; Anh typically stays out until the sun comes up; Dan posts up at the center of the old-time jam on bass. And there’s always that dude at the jam trying to get laid so in our song we named him Dirty Pete.

“Shot on location at two of the very best festivals in our part of the country: the Ossipee Valley Music Festival and Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots, ‘(Nothing Good Happens) After Midnight’ should be a familiar sentiment for BGS readers. See y’all next year!” – Twisted Pine

Track Credits:
Written by Kathleen Parks, Dan Bui, and Anh Phung.
Kathleen Parks – Lead vocals, fiddle
Chris Sartori – Bass
Dan Bui – Mandolin
Anh Phung – Flute, background vocals
Ethan Robbins – Guitar

Video Credit: Directed, filmed, and edited by Jay Strausser, Jay Strausser Visuals

Photo Credit: Twisted Pine by J. Chattman; Lee DeWyze by Kalin Gordon Photography. 

Roots Music Festival Hires New Director of Diversity

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

DAVENPORT, IOWA – The Quad Cities Roots Festival announced today that it has hired its first-ever Director of Diversity, 55-year-old Karen Van der Sloot.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” Van der Sloot said, stirring a pot of her famous chili in her suburban kitchen. “Diversity needs a facelift. Because every face is beautiful, especially when it’s smiling!”

While many DEI programs across the country have seen funding cut or been permanently shuttered, the Quad Cities Roots Music Festival is doubling down on its commitment to diversity with this groundbreaking hire.

“Karen is someone who makes everyone feel included. Even people who were already included feel more included because of Karen’s relentless inclusivity,” said a festival spokesperson.

Despite having no background in roots music or diversity initiatives, Van der Sloot believes her experience as a mother of four will offer a fresh perspective to a festival often criticized for its homogeneity.

“Listen, if you’ve ever tried to get a teenager to put down their phone and eat the same thing as the rest of the family, you know that’s the real diversity work,” she smiled. “I always say, ‘We tried democracy, but I’m not gonna make a whole new meal for one person who suddenly says they’re vegan. Mama bear don’t play that game!’”

Her vision for diversity in roots music? “Instead of diversity, I’ve been saying we need melange-ity – a little mix of everything. Like a good chili. Melange-ity means more than just one flavor. We need the full ‘thang’ – beans, hamburger, chili powder, maybe even a little corn if you’re feeling wild!”

For Van der Sloot, that even means getting a mix of ideas, like soliciting programming feedback from her assistant, Dr. Akilah Jessup-Moore. “Did you know she has a doctorate in ethnomusicology from Duke? Such a smart cookie.” Moore could not be reached for comment.

Festival Executive Director – and Karen’s husband – Kevin Van der Sloot also chimed in. “Karen’s been a real trooper. She’s thrown herself into this role 100%. Plus, I think she needed something to do after our oldest left for college.”

Though music acts are still being confirmed, festival headliners will include the Bettendorf Boys Choir, pop-reggae group UB40, and local favorites The Muddy Walters, a blues band comprised entirely of retired dentists.

Greg Hess is a comedy writer and performer in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in The American Bystander, The Onion, Shouts & Murmurs, Points in Case, and he cohosts the hit satirical podcast MEGA.

Balancing Dreams and Reality: A Folk Debate on Ambition

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Welcome to another edition of Folk Debate Club, our occasional debate series! To discuss ambition vs. acceptance, we welcome our panel: music journalist Kim Ruehl, Basic Folk boss Cindy Howes, and yours truly Lizzie No. We would like to extend a very warm welcome to our special guests singer-songwriter Michaela Anne and producer Aaron Shafer-Haiss, also hosts of The Other 22 Hours podcast. In our lively conversation we work through thoughts and feelings about the definition of ambition: a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. We take the approach from a music industry, folk music and even dive into the audience perspective of how fans might feel about an artist’s ambition.

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It is no surprise that capitalism gets rung right out as a reason that ambition goes wrong for artists. As Kim says, “​Art ​is ​like ​the ​nervous ​system ​of ​humanity,” and mixing creation with ambition-gone-wrong is a dangerous game that a lot (most?) professional musicians play with at some point in their careers. This episode has everything: navigating our way out of toxic work environments, messy reactions to unpopular yet important political stances and how to not throw away the people who disagree with you. Listen along and enjoy the ride.

Photo Credit: Lizzie No by Cole Neilson; Cindy Howes by Liz Dutton; Michaela Anne and producer Aaron Shafer-Haiss; Kim Ruehl by Rich Amory

Already a Blues Star, Shemekia Copeland Is Still Aiming for Higher Places

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Though she downplays notions of fame and exposure, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader Shemekia Copeland qualifies as a genuine star.

Among 21st century blues artists, she’s right there with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Cray, and Eric Gales as performers whose audience outreach and cache extend far beyond the restrictive circle of specialty radio shows and festivals, where far too many fine performers in that genre are confined. From profiles in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN, and NPR to coverage in such journals as Rolling Stone and No Depression, Copeland’s ascendency as a performer, her maturation, and her poignant and important vocal and compositional force are consistent and impressive.

It’s accurate, if a bit cliched, to say Copeland was born to sing the blues. The daughter of the legendary Texas shuffle blues great Johnny Copeland, she grew up in Harlem and was accompanying her father as an eight-year-old on the stage of the famed Cotton Club in New York. A decade later she signed with Alligator Records and began a career that’s done nothing but soar since the release of her first album for the label, Turn Up The Heat, in 1978.

Her two most recent LPs, 2018’s America’s Child and 2020’s Uncivil War have cemented her stature. America’s Child featured a rousing version of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Barefoot In Heaven,” the personalized romantic tune “Fell In Love With A Honky,” and a tough cover of “Nobody But You,” a tune immortalized decades before by her father. Uncivil War reflected a major happening in Copeland’s life – the birth of a son – and also included memorable numbers once again addressing contemporary issues. America’s Child won both the Blues Music and Living Blues Awards as Album of the Year. Uncivil War won the same honor from not only Living Blues, but DownBeat and MOJO magazines, too. Copeland’s earned multiple Blues Music honors and GRAMMY nominations to date.

Yet many, Copeland included, feel the best is yet to come. Evidence of that can be heard throughout the 12 songs on her newest Alligator LP, Blame It On Eve, which was released August 30. This latest effort again superbly combines social insight, humorous reflection, and tremendous musical numbers. The results are a dynamic presentation of the ideal combination of modern studio technology, distinctive personal commentary, plus the lyrical flair and expressiveness that’s characterized great blues since its inception.

Blame It On Eve, also recorded in Nashville, is her fourth project produced by Will Kimbrough and Copeland gives him high praises for his continuing contributions to her music.

“With Will it’s always magic and the ideal collaboration,” Copeland told BGS during a recent interview. “He really understands my music and how to get the best out of what I’m doing in the studio. No matter what I bring him, he finds a way to improve it, to make it better, and make it work. He’s really been a huge key to the success that I’ve had, and I also really love working in Nashville.”

Kimbrough utilized a host of outstanding special guests for the session. They include Alejandro Escovedo, Luther Dickinson, Jerry Douglas, DeShawn Hickman, Charlie Hunter, and Pascal Danae (of Paris-based band, Delgres).

While Copeland has never shied away from addressing social issues on her albums, she doesn’t like or embrace the notion she’s being “political.” Instead, she prefers the term “topical,” while freely acknowledging that she sees it as important to discuss a variety of subjects, topics and ideas in her music. “I don’t want to be labeled or pigeonholed in any fashion,” she says. “But at the same time, I’ve always felt that my music should speak to contemporary things, to the things that I see and experience. If you want to say that I do cover topical or current issues, that’s accurate. But I don’t see it being political so much as I see it being real, being willing to talk about things that are important to me as a woman, a blues musician and a Black artist.”

From that standpoint, the title track’s forthright dive into the issue of women’s reproductive rights is a prime example of Copeland’s willingness to express herself on thorny and controversial topics. Douglas brings his superb skills on Dobro to a song about Tee Tot Payne, the 20th century Black musician who tutored Hank Williams on the blues. “I was really glad to do that one,” Copeland adds. “There are too many people who don’t know that story or haven’t heard about Tee Tot Payne. If I can inform them about who he was and why’s he important, then I’ve done a service.”

Hickman’s stirring sacred steel contributions enrich “Tell The Devil,” while Copeland took on a special challenge with the song “Belle Sorciere,” singing the chorus in French with the tune’s melody supplied by Danae. “Hardly,” Copeland laughs when asked if she’s fluent in French. “I really tried to make sure that I had the correct words and sang them the right way. I’ve always wanted to do songs in other languages, and I really enjoyed doing that one but it wasn’t easy.”

The release also has its share of fun tunes, notably “Wine O’Clock” and rollicking strains of “Tough Mother.” Copeland also has a pair of excellent cover numbers. One is a heartfelt version of “Down on Bended Knee,” previously done by her father, and an equally compelling rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Heaven Help Us All,” which serves as a fitting and dynamic closer to a marvelous LP.

Interestingly, when asked how much she enjoys her stature at or near the top of the blues world, Copeland discounts that contention. “In my mind, I’ve still got a long way to go in terms of how far and where I want to see my music go,” Copeland concludes. “I don’t think I’m at the stage of some of the blues rockers like Jon Bonamassa. I’m still aiming for higher places and peaks artistically. You should never be satisfied or settle for things, but keep pushing and striving for excellence. I learned that lesson early and that’s how I’ve continued my career and plan to keep on striving and pushing.”

Nashville audiences will get the chance to hear Copeland in multiple settings this September. She will be featured during AmericanaFest on September 17 at 3rd and Lindsley. The next day, her showcase at Eastside Bowl will air live on Wednesday afternoon, September 18, on WMOT-FM (89.5) Roots Radio. It will also be video streamed on NPR, filmed for NPR Live Sessions, and recorded for NPR’s World Café’s “Best Of AmericanaFest” feature to air later.

Photo Credit: Janet Mami Takayama

15 Years In, Fruition Aren’t Just a Band, They’re a Family

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

For many of us, we’re already well aware of how difficult it is to pinpoint the sonic tones and textures of Fruition. From Americana to blues, gospel to folk, the ensemble has this “kitchen sink” type of subconscious approach — one where anything goes musically, so long as it inspires and stokes the creative flame within.

On their latest album, How to Make Mistakes, the Portland, Oregon-based quintet retains that same intent, which has made the group a prized touring act in acoustic realms coast-to-coast since it first came onto the scene in 2008.

At the helm of the band is founding member Mimi Naja, a multi-instrumentalist whose swirling, carefree vocals of joy, purpose, and curiosity reside at the heart of the chemistry that gives Fruition this ebb and flow relationship with the muse itself. Always soaking in whatever you cross paths with; always radiating a deep sense of self from inhabiting of your own respective path in this universe.

Beyond the new record, Fruition also recently crossed over the 15-year mark together, after a cosmic happenstance where guitarist Jay Cobb Anderson just so happened to see Naja at a Portland open mic night those many years ago — the result being this continued journey of not only artistic discovery, but also genuine friendship.

Listening to the new album, what I like about it is in such a chaotic world we live in on a day-to-day basis, it’s relaxing. It made me, purposely or subconsciously, slow down a little bit.

Mimi Naja: Yes. That’s amazing. I love “relaxing” as an adjective. I really feel like we matured a little bit by this stage. But really, I think we just kind of relaxed. There’s a lot of half-time tempo. Just settle in and do the song. Not a lot of pumped, flashy, show-off energy, just very chill.

It didn’t seem like y’all were in a hurry. It seemed like the band was enjoying the process, being together and creating.

That’s exactly it. You’re nailing it. I’m glad that it’s coming across that way. The title, How to Make Mistakes, is pulled from a song lyric in one of the tracks. But, it’s really appropriate to the fact that it’s all [recorded] live with no overdubs. All in the same room and just in the moment. Making a record like records used to be — an actual record of people sitting in a room playing music.

What does it feel like to be with folks that you’ve played together for 15 years and to still enjoy that space?

It’s the best. And the fact that it has been so many years is why it’s easy to get there. I dabble in other side projects and I love the thrill of having to stay on your toes, when you’re getting to know someone musically and otherwise. But, it’s a real blessing to just settle in [with Fruition] — it feels like home.

Maybe even on an existential level, what does that album title mean to you?

We just believe in the beauty of flaws. And knowing when something is raw, it’s real. In a world of how we look on social media and filters and everything being polished and clean and quantized, we love the realness and the rawness. Sometimes that’s cracks in your voice or you’re slightly out of tune or whatever it is — we love that. There’s a thirst for that realness in this polished age. So, we hope it makes the ears happy in this world.

Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, your band is very elusive sonically. Is that by design or just how things evolved?

I think it’s a point of pride in the early days of, “We are here to deliver a good song in its finest form, no matter what it sounds [like].” In some ways, it’s been to our detriment, as far as a growth trajectory. From a longevity career standpoint, being elusive is charming, but it’s also hard to sell. So, in a way it was by design. But then, as the years went on, I think we hate boxes. People need boxes and we don’t have one for them. So, that’s why we’re kind of trying to cling to this Americana blanket because it works for us.

There’s such a rich tapestry of sound. I hear Delta blues, gospel, country, indie rock, and folk. I hear everything in there. But, that’s also a testament to the band’s curiosity. Y’all seem like you’re sponges just constantly soaking in influences.

For sure. And it’s what we love about ourselves individually and as a band. It’s what fuels such a richness. But, it’s a double-edged sword. That can be confusing to new fans that are just pushing play. It’s such a crap shoot on whatever two or three songs they choose to push play on throughout our pretty large discography. They could get a very different outcome. But, you know, that’s the chance we take, we love it all. That’s what makes this unique, but also confusing.

Multiple harmonies are a big part of your sound. Why is that such an important component to the band?

We just love singing, first and foremost. As a band, that’s the roots of where we began. We were a sidewalk busking band before we ever really organized. That’s just what we were doing for fun and for chump change. Back in the good old days, just busking to pay our bills. And that’s when we realized how powerful this three-part harmony was together. And that comes back to [the new album], how it feels sitting in a room together when those three-part harmonies kick in. That’s what really feels like home. It’s always to serve the song – that’s our deep love right there.

What did busking teach you about who you are as artists?

You learn to use the kind of the raucous, fast, high, long note vocals. But faster, a little more like party songs. We knew when we needed to turn it up, to turn some heads and get a couple bucks dropped. But, I learned once you’ve drawn them in, that’s when you can do what you really want, which is sing the slower, sadder, prettier things. We love it all. We love raucous rock, but we’re really quite tender artists at heart. I learned how to get attention and I learned that we do have something special. Once we’ve gotten the attention, we have it, and so then we have freedom to relax. Today’s climate makes it pretty challenging, but we believe in it and we’re just hoping for more ears, so that we can continue doing what we love.

Fruition recently crossed over the 15-year mark. What’s been the biggest takeaway for you on this journey thus far?

I can tell you that the passing of time is blowing my mind. Fifteen years sounds wild. My body doesn’t feel youthful, but my spirit still feels youthful. The road and the performing, the giving your heart up onstage and getting that back from the crowd? That keeps us young. The flying and sitting in vans doesn’t. There’s a youthful spirit that stays alive through all of this somehow. A true band is as deep as a marriage or a sibling-hood. It’s beautiful. And it’s a real testament to the music, too, because it’s cool when you see people just grow and continue to offer new shades of their music or new chapters. And, with no shade to any sort of artist or bands with hired guns, it’s very apparent that this is so different from that. It’s so much deeper. It’s a family, you know?

Photo Credit: Kaja Sigvalda

PREVIEW: Brand New Black Stringband Symposium Set for IBMA’s Conference

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

This year, a new event will debut at the IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina. Presented by IBMA and The Banjo Gathering, Roots Revival: Black Stringband Symposium will explore Black contributions to bluegrass and traditional music over two days of the week-long event with six especially programmed sessions.

On Thursday, September 26, conference-goers, virtual participants, and symposium attendees will engage with sessions like “Navigating Narratives: Being a Black Woman in Folk Music” and “Alive in the Archives.” On Friday, September 27 programming will include “Making Instruments” and “Journey of a Song,” featuring musicians Hubby Jenkins, Amy Alvey, and Mike Compton, as well as two special showcases: “Black Music in Appalachia” and “Beyond Bluegrass.” (See a full schedule with panel descriptions below.) Virtual passes for the symposium are available here, in person passes can be purchased here.

“First of all, I’m extremely excited to be part of this event,” said artist, scholar, and educator Brandi Waller-Pace, who will be participating in the symposium programming. “I’m happy to see something happening at IBMA that provides a platform for black people from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences to talk about all of these key things within these musical forms that we have been excluded and erased from. I really hope that this is the beginning of more widespread recognition and acknowledgment for our contributions in this field and for our own cultural reclamation.”

Other artists, creators, and experts on the symposium’s lineup include Art Bouman, Dena Ross Jennings, Kelle Jolly, Jen Larson, Valerie Díaz Leroy, Waller-Pace, Tray Wellington, Nelson Williams, and many more. Organizers Lillian Werbin, of the Banjo Gathering, Elderly Instruments, and Bluegrass Pride, and Kristina Gaddy, author of Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History, set out to spotlight the many ways in which Black musicians, builders, and researchers navigate bluegrass and traditional music spaces as they built the event from the ground up.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with IBMA on Roots Revival,” explains Gaddy via email. “We’ve put together these panels to highlight both the important history and contributions of Black Americans in bluegrass and traditional music, and to showcase how these traditions evolved over the 20th century and continue to be innovated by Black musicians in the 21st.”

“It is a humbling experience to bring these conversations forward,” added Werbin. “I am looking forward to hearing insight and delving into the experiences each panelist brings to the space.”

Sponsors from across the roots music landscape showed up in force to make the symposium happen, with programs supported by organizations and companies like the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, Bluegrass Pride, the DC Bluegrass Union, Folk Alliance International, Pisgah Banjos, and of course the IBMA Foundation, Elderly Instruments, IBMA, and the Banjo Gathering.

Roots Revival, the first event of its kind programmed in tandem with IBMA, will work to tell a more complete story about the origins and influences that shaped the bluegrass genre as we know it today. Make plans to attend World of Bluegrass and Roots Revival today.

Roots Revival: Black Stringband Symposium

Raleigh Convention Center (500 South Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC) Room 304

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
1:30PM – Welcome
2:00PM – “Navigating Narratives: Being a Black Woman in Folk Music”

“Navigating Narratives: Being a Black Woman in Folk Music” builds on the “Avoiding Tokenism in Trad Music” panel from 2023, and includes panel of Black women in the traditional music industry explores how they each build upon their experiences and the expectations placed upon them to create authentic representation in the industry.

3:30PM – “Alive in the Archives”

This panel will explore how Black bluegrass and folk musicians use source and archival recordings to bridge the gap in person-to-person transmission of music between Black musicians who were recorded in the 20th century and musicians today. Musicians and scholars will play some tunes and discuss their research methods and limitations.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
11:15AM – “Making Instruments”

Within the history of American traditional music, Black instrument builders have often been overlooked, from the creators of gourd banjos in early America to contemporary makers today. They will explore how building instruments honors the history of the music while making it more accessible to broader audiences.

12:45PM – “Journey of a Song”

This panel and showcase will explore how songs from the Black tradition became bluegrass standards. Musicians Amy Alvey, and Hubby Jenkins will play some songs and they’ll also be in conversation with cultural historians Valerie Díaz Leroy and Jen Larson, discussing how we can accurately and appropriately bring music’s history into our performances and recorded work.

2:15PM – “Black Music in Appalachia” Showcase

In this showcase, Black Appalachian musicians Dena Ross Jennings, Kelle Jolly, and Tray Wellington will be performing and discussing the influences the region has had on their music.

3:45PM – “Beyond Bluegrass” Showcase

In recent years, Arnold Shultz has been acknowledged as a core figure in Bluegrass history. This showcase features musicians Darcy Ford, Art Bouman, and Nelson Williams and how they build a diversity of styles and bring in other traditional music into their repertoire.

More information is available here and via worldofbluegrass.org.

Artwork courtesy of IBMA and the Banjo Gathering.

An All-Star Lineup Salutes Folk Legend Tom Paxton On ‘Bluegrass Sings Paxton’

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

There is no disputing that Tom Paxton is a living music legend. In the early 1960s, he was a major player in the vibrant Greenwich Village folk scene, along with the likes of Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Peter, Paul & Mary. The writer of such classic tunes as “Last Thing On My Mind,” “Bottle Of Wine,” “I Can’t Help To Wonder (Where I’m Bound),” and “Ramblin’ Boy,” Paxton has earned Lifetime Achievement Awards from the GRAMMYs, ASCAP, and the BBC. The beloved songwriter has had his tunes covered by a wide spectrum of acts, ranging from Harry Belafonte and Neil Diamond to the Pogues and Norah Jones. While several fellow singer-songwriters (notably Carolyn Hester and Anne Hills) have devoted entire albums to Paxton music, it took a group of admiring bluegrass musicians to deliver the first multi-artist tribute album of his songs.

Bluegrass Sings Paxton, which came out August 30 on Mountain Home Music Company, offers an impressive lineup of contributors that cuts across several generations of bluegrass musicians. Performers include celebrated acts, such as Alice Gerrard, Claire Lynch, Laurie Lewis, and Tim O’Brien along with younger stars, like Sister Sadie, Della Mae, Steep Canyon Rangers’ singer/guitarist Aaron Burdett, Unspoken Tradition’s Sav Sankaran, and current IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Greg Blake.

Paxton, speaking to BGS from his home in Virginia, said that he had a mostly hands-off role in the making of Bluegrass Sings Paxton. “I just sat on the sidelines in amazement”; however, he confided, “I was just blown away” after listening to the entire album for the first time. The 86-year-old singer-songwriter was also being a little modest about his own contributions. This collection contains two new Paxton tunes, and he sings on a pair of tracks as well.

The genesis for Bluegrass Sings Paxton started with a conversation that GRAMMY-winning musician/producer Cathy Fink had some years ago with Paxton, who she has worked with since the early 1980s and has known even longer. “I know Tom’s catalog really well and have often thought there was great material there for bluegrass,” she shared with BGS. “I could hear this album before we even began.” The idea further evolved a while later when Fink brought up the idea to award-winning songwriter, producer, and Mountain Home executive Jon Weisberger at IBMA a few years back, and he immediately came aboard.

Several of Paxton’s tunes have been very popular in bluegrass circles over the years. A half century ago, Kentucky Mountain Boys covered “Ramblin Boy” while the Dillards and the Kentucky Colonels were among those who have recorded “The Last Thing On My Mind.” More recently, “I Can’t Help But Wonder (Where I’m Bound)” was a hit for Ashby Frank and “Leavin’ London” is a live staple of Billy Strings’ concerts. However, both Fink and Weisberger thought the project was a terrific way to get Paxton’s deep songbook better known in the bluegrass world. As Weisberger explained, “I had no doubt that there were more [songs] – both already written and yet to be written – that would work well within bluegrass, and that bringing them to light would encourage artists looking for songs to look to his catalog.”

Several acts came into the project with specific songs that they wanted to do. Blake, who fatefully was sitting at the same table with Weisberger and Fink at IBMA, quickly put dibs on “Leaving London.” Danny Paisley, who remembered his dad, ’80s bluegrass star Bob Paisley, taking him to the Philadelphia Folk Festival as a child and seeing Paxton play there, requested “Ramblin’ Boy,” because it was a song his father had performed. “I Can’t Help But Wonder (Where I’m Bound)” was already part of Della Mae’s live repertoire, so doing that tune was a natural fit for them.

When it came to what songs other acts took on, Fink gave the performers a lot of free rein to delve into Paxton’s vast treasury of tunes, a decision that worked out wonderfully. “Each artist made the song their own and it really worked,” she confided. Claire Lynch chose “I Give You The Morning” and Alice Gerrard selected “The Things I Notice Now” from Paxton’s 1969 The Things I Notice Now album. Chris Jones picked “The Last Hobo” from 1986’s And Loving You. Paxton’s 2002 album, Lookin’ for The Moon, was the source for both Aaron Burdett’s selection of and Sav Sankaran’s rendition of the title track. Laurie Lewis, meanwhile, found “Central Square” from 2015’s Redemption Road. In case you haven’t done the math, these songs alone cover nearly 50 years of Paxton’s recordings.

Paxton, too, was thrilled with the selections, proclaiming “I liked every one of the songs that they chose.” While he expected tunes like “Can’t Help But Wonder,” “Ramblin’ Boy,” and “The Last Thing On My Mind” would be part of the set, Paxton said he “was just tickled to death” over the inclusion of such lesser known numbers as “Central Square,” “The Same River Twice,” and “The Last Hobo.”

Chris Jones revealed to BGS that he picked “The Last Hobo” because the tune “felt like a classic Tom Paxton third-person story song, sort of in the spirit of ‘Ramblin’ Boy,’ in a way. It has a kind of tenderness that is so often present in Tom’s songs.”

Jones was also a member of the de facto “house band” that played on the majority of Bluegrass Sings Paxton’s tracks. A secret weapon behind the album, this team of bluegrass all-stars includes IBMA award-winners banjo player Kristin Scott Benson (the Grascals), fiddler Deanie Richardson (Sister Sadie), and Jones on guitar, along with mandolinist Darren Nicholson (formerly of Balsam Range), bassist Nelson Williams (Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, New Dangerfield) and harmony singers Travis Book (The Infamous Stringdusters) and Wendy Hickman.

Jones felt that everyone “clicked well together” and gave the music “a natural sound, which helped give the impression that these were bluegrass songs to begin with, even if they weren’t.” He also credited producers Weisberger and Fink for “coming up with arrangements that really fostered that feeling, too.”

Bluegrass Sings Paxton opens with one of the tunes that Paxton sings on. He was able to join Della Mae on “I Can’t Help But Wonder (Where I’m Bound)” as the band was recording in Maryland, not too far away from Paxton’s home base in Virginia.

“We did it live in the studio. No overdubs or anything,” he revealed. “I had a ball doing that track with them.” Paxton also sang with long-time collaborators Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer – the three did a double album, All New, together in 2022 – on the up-tempo love tune, “All I Want,” which is also one of the two of new Paxton tunes on the project. The other new number, “You Took Me In” is a co-write with Tim O’Brien and his wife Jan Fabricius. One of the first tunes he wrote with the couple, Paxton said that “it had to be chosen. It’s such a good song.” He described it as “gospel without being gospel,” adding, “I took the literal gospel out of it and kept everything else.”

Fink & Marxer and O’Brien & Fabricius are among the handful of musicians that the still highly-active octogenarian collaborates with via Zoom each week. Folk luminary John McCutcheon, Colorado troubadour Jackson Emmer, and the rising Pittsburgh band Buffalo Rose are also among his regular online songwriting coterie. Paxton says he sometimes writes three to five songs a week. “Lots of folks would retire to the golf course at this point in their lives,” Fink marveled, “but Tom is driven by writing the next song.”

Over the years, Paxton has penned hundreds and hundreds of songs, and more than 60 albums bear his name, beginning with 1962’s I’m the Man That Built the Bridges that was recorded live at New York City’s fabled Gaslight Club. Even from the start, Paxton filled his records predominately with originals, which wasn’t typical at that time. Dylan’s 1962 debut, for example, contained only two originals. Dave Van Ronk, in fact, famously proclaimed in his memoir that it was Paxton who kicked off the folk scene’s “New Song Movement,” not Dylan as often credited.

The best-known songs from his debut, somewhat curiously, are three tunes that might best be described as children’s music: “My Dog Is Bigger Than Your Dog,” “Marvelous Toys,” and “Going To The Zoo.” Writing and performing kids songs was not an isolated occurrence for Paxton, who went on to release several children’s albums, including the GRAMMY-nominated Your Shoes, My Shoes, and to write books for kids. Paxton very much sees himself as continuing the legacy of his heroes, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and The Weavers – artists who performed all types of songs, from story songs and ballads to children’s tunes and political songs.

“Everything I do is really rooted in traditional music,” Paxton elaborated during his phone interview. “I’m always going back to that well of traditional folk music, Appalachian music, cowboy music. It’s a wonderful tradition – great, great songs, and I just keep trying to write songs that feel the way they felt.”

Paxton cites one specific musician – the late, great Doc Watson – to explains his “best route” to bluegrass music. He saw Watson when Ralph Rinzler first brought him to play in New York City and came away so impressed. “I was very fond of him and adored his music. I think he liked me, too. Doc recorded many of my songs over the years.” He also remembered sharing a bill with Watson once in Tampa and being brought out on stage to perform “Bottle Of Wine.” Paxton was rather intimidated over Watson’s and his guitarist Jack Lawrence’s virtuosity. “Why do I feel like I’m wearing painter’s gloves,” he recalled saying while admitting “it was a lot of fun.”

Weisberger describes Paxton’s place in American music as a unique one. “He was an integral part of the transition from wholly traditional folk music to the more modern conception of the field, with its inclusion of performing songwriters, but where a lot of his contemporaries moved on in one way or another, he went deep rather than broad… I think that’s what makes so many of his songs sound so natural and organic and almost effortless. That is an artistry that is really easy to overlook or under-appreciate, so I’m happy to have put together a collection that will, I hope, bring more attention and appreciation to that still ongoing legacy.”

When asked how his songwriting has changed over the years, Paxton replied that he hopes it’s deeper and more developed, adding rather humbly that “I’m still the same writer I was when I wrote ‘Last Thing On My Mind.’ It’s like a farmer who puts in the same crop every year. It’s the same farmer.”

Photo courtesy of Fleming Artists. Album cover courtesy of Crossroads Label Group.

BGS 5+5: Lyle de Vitry

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Lyle de Vitry
Hometown: Originally Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but I now live in Asheville, North Carolina.
Latest Album: Door Within A Dream
Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): I have a lot of nicknames in my family. Pan, Chi, Fluffy Bundun, Lymees, Lyman are a few classics.

Which artist has influenced you the most – and how?

Nick Drake has been a long time favorite and he’s certainly one of my biggest influences. When I was about 14 or 15, I remember diving deep into his records and being so completely blown away by his guitar playing. I had never heard anyone play like that, and it opened up a whole world for me. At that point I wasn’t writing my own music, but I learned some of Nick’s songs and began exploring his tunings, which, to me, were so wonderfully strange and emotionally evocative.

When I started writing my own songs I would often use some of these tunings, as well as some other open tunings I picked up along the way from other artists. Eventually, I began inventing some of my own tunings, which is something I’m not sure I would have been as likely to do had I not delved so deeply into Nick’s work. Playing a guitar in an unfamiliar tuning helps me to get into that childlike, playful state where I’m making discoveries and delighting in them. Like trying ice cream for the first time or leaping into your first icy cold river. In those moments, there is no time or space to feel self-conscious – for your full attention is fixated on this new joyful experience.

I tend to be drawn to artists who sing more softly. In addition to Nick Drake, some of my greatest influences and inspirations include Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan Stevens and, in more recent years, Adrianne Lenker. It’s funny though, I actually have a really big voice when I want to use it – and at one point was considering pursuing a professional career in opera. We’ll see, I might decide to open up my voice a bit more as the years go by and I continue to develop my style. It won’t be opera, but I’m just excited about experimenting with the way I sing, volume level, vibrato, tone, range, etc.

What other art forms – literature, film, dance, painting, etc. – inform your music?

When writing a song, I try my best to write lyrics that could stand alone as a poem. If I’m feeling stuck, I try reading some of my favorite poetry. Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, and translations of the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke all come to mind.

I’ve always especially loved the work of Mary Oliver. She wrote a lot while walking through the woods and observing the world around her – always practicing looking with as much reverence as she could muster. I try to slow down and notice things like she did. It’s really a practice of awe and amazement – and often with regard to things that appear simple at first glance or that I might take for granted. Or that I just wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t waited a little longer and been more patient.

Along with poetry, visual art is another art form that plays a big part in my creative life as a songwriter. Sometimes when I’m experiencing a creative block, I’ll go into a period of just focusing on making really colorful and vibrant abstract visual art. It helps me get out of the self-judgment loop, and I find myself getting back to that kid that’s inside, playing with shapes and color just because it’s fun and not because I hope anyone will think it’s any good. And then I can take that mindset back with me when I return to my songs.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

I remember singing my song, “To Be Adored,” for a close friend shortly after I had written it. When I looked up after finishing, he was smiling at me ear to ear and had tears streaming down his face. This same thing happened a few other times with other people – and I began to realize that I could really touch others with my music on a deep emotional level. I’ve always loved music with nostalgic and maybe even sad undertones, and so a lot of the music I make has this kind of feeling. The thing is, “sad” music always made me feel kind of… good? From the beginning, I think I knew I wanted to make sounds that could help people heal in some way, or at least serve as a form of comfort. When I started seeing the impact my music was having on people in real time, I knew I wanted to continue writing and sharing – with the hope that I too could be a healer and could help make the world a little more beautiful.

If you didn’t work in music, what would you do instead?

I would probably be a visual artist/art teacher. Making art has always been one of my favorite things to do – and, as I mentioned, it still sometimes plays a role in my creative practice at times. I’m often thinking about bigger paintings, murals, or other visual projects I want to be making, but usually I’m spending my free time playing music these days. I keep thinking about getting into wood block printmaking though and I just ordered some carving tools – albeit with the intention of creating some merch!

I do have a part-time day job assembling and setting up banjos for Pisgah Banjo here in Asheville – but it’s the most music-related day job I’ve ever had. When I’m done setting up a banjo part of my job is playing it to make sure the set up feels good, which I always enjoy. I also do a bit of private music teaching.

What would a perfect day as an artist and creator look like to you?

I usually need a lot of uninterrupted solo time to really get into a creative flow. It’s also super helpful when I can put my computer and phone away for the day and replace them with poetry books and/or nature walks. And as much as I love being out in nature, I must admit I would still want to retain my creature comforts. I’m envisioning waking up in a cozy cabin close to a lake, stream, or river. I’d come to consciousness feeling well-rested, listening to the sounds of insects and birds and the laughter of the water. Maybe it’s raining softly on the roof? But then the sun comes out, and it’s a perfect 75 degree day, breezy. I’d give myself ample time to rest and take breaks throughout the day, swim, exercise, cook, and eat delicious food… sign me up!

Photo Credit: Rita Kovtun

Mason Lively on Only Vans with Bri Bagwell

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Fresh off a new full length album, country and Americana singer-songwriter Mason Lively joins the show to chat with host Bri Bagwell about songwriting, priorities, babies, and the housing market. Do yourself a favor and check out Mason’s new record, Burn The Ground, today!

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Find Mason’s music, podcast, tour dates and merchandise here.

Thanks to our sponsors for this episode, The MusicFest at Steamboat, Lakeside Tax & CH Lonestar Promo!

Editor’s Note: Only Vans with Bri Bagwell is the latest addition to the BGS Podcast Network! Read more about the podcast coming on board here. Find our episode archive here.

These Berklee Students Helped Create Ensembles for Women and Non-Binary Folks

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

“Bluegrass music is a truly American artform. It reflects the culture and the time in which it’s created, and as with many traditional artforms, a preservationist stance is held on a pedestal. Bluegrass music’s history is very gendered, and when this happens, the music can’t reach its full potential.”

My teacher Laura Orshaw told me this.

There has been no shortage of amazing women bluegrass musicians to come out of the roots department at Berklee College of Music. Gillian Welch, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and on and on. I’m going into my senior year at Berklee this fall as a mandolin principle, and one of the reasons I went to Berklee was how inspired I was by these women and their music.

Towards the end of my sophomore year, my friend Katelynn Casper – a brilliant bluegrass fiddler – came up with an idea. She wanted to start a bluegrass ensemble of all women and non-binary folks. Katelynn approached Matt Glaser, the artistic director of the American Roots Music Program, about helping us create a class in which we would study and perform in a group. Excited by the prospect, he brought in Laura Orshaw (the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys) to be our mentor. In the past few years, there had been a strong influx of women who came to Berklee and wanted to play roots music, so it didn’t take us long to find people who wanted to join the project.

The ensemble started in October of 2023 with about 12 members, enough for us to break into two ensembles. I got to be in both groups, in one as mandolinist and the other as bassist. Our focus between both groups was to play music mostly written by women who we looked up to and were maybe overlooked.

Through the course of our year together, we moved through a catalog of songs and tunes written by our heroes and then delved into original material. We wrote songs and tunes together and on our own and fleshed them out as a band. It was an empowering experience to be a part of and it was beautiful to watch my friends explore a new kind of confidence in their music.

This past April, the American Roots Music Program sent all of us down to Washington, D.C. In June of 2022, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage opened up an exhibit entitled Music HerStory: Women and Music of Social Change. Laura had caught wind of the exhibit and wanted us to visit, so we could witness its content and impact. The exhibit explored many women who were significantly overlooked in music, but yet the world would have been drastically different had their music not been a part of it.

We heard and read stories of when Loretta Lynn put out “The Pill” and how much of an uproar it caused; stories of how Elizabeth Cotten had to put her music on hold to raise her children and didn’t come back to it until she was in her 60s, putting out “Freight Train” and “Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie” and still was not given much credit.

Walking through the exhibit, I couldn’t help but think about all the different musical influences I have and how so many of those influences were inspired by these women, but how that was never really talked about.

On the same trip, we also got the privilege of going to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and learning about some of the history of their record label and how it came to be. When we were checking it out, both ensemble bands did a little recording in the archives to commemorate the trip. Playing our originals and covers written by powerful women was an incredible experience. We were surrounded by original recordings and records that made bluegrass and old-time what it is now and some of the music that brought each of us to the genres to begin with.

While we were down in D.C., we also got the chance to hang out with Kimber Ludiker (fiddle) and Avril Smith (guitar), two members of Della Mae. In both groups, the inspiration from Della Mae was so apparent – we all learned many of their songs. Getting to stand up and play their songs with them was a mind-blowing experience.

Taking part in this project has been such an inspiring experience. As a kid who grew up in the bluegrass and old-time world, there weren’t always a lot of women to play music with, so to get the opportunity to dedicate time each week to just sit down with a group of deeply passionate women and non-binary folks who are also such remarkable roots musicians was an indescribably moving experience.

A common conversation amongst us during that time was how freeing and comfortable it felt to play music in a setting like this. Whether or not you think about it, music as a whole is an intensely male dominated world – and bluegrass isn’t any different.

“Here’s a question that crossed our minds every week,” Laura said. “‘What would bluegrass be like without patriarchy or bias?’ The answer comes through music, not essays, and this project certainly chipped away at our goal.”

Being in this ensemble, I learned a lot about myself. Being surrounded by a community of women and non-binary folks playing music taught me a lot about my confidence as both a person and a musician. Being in that environment gave me an amazing place to explore.

“When Matt [Glaser] asked me to be the curator of this project, I couldn’t have guessed how impactful and enlightening it would be for me. Working in an all-women and non-binary band filled a void for all of us – creatively, academically, and socially,” Laura continued. “Students shared experiences of the not-so-glamorous parts of working in a male-dominated field. They studied the music and songs of their heroes, who sometimes got overlooked in other classes and ensembles. They wrote songs, arranged music, and tried on different leadership roles in the band.

“But most of all, they encouraged and inspired each other to be better musicians. The mutual dedication and enthusiasm were palpable in every rehearsal.”

It’s been an experience of a lifetime to learn the music I love with a group of women who want to push the boundaries of the genre. To sit with a group of people who understand the intricacies of being a woman or gender non-confirming person playing bluegrass – or even music in general – was a very comforting experience. We all grew so much as people and musicians.

Photos courtesy of Emma Turoff. Lead image: Ensemble, No Man’s Land. Inset image: Ensemble, Ain’t That Just Like A Man.