bertolf Archives - The Bluegrass Situation

Every Friday, BGS shines a light on some of our favorite new tracks in bluegrass, folk, Americana and beyond. Then we ask the artist about the inspiration behind the music and pass their wise words along to you.

This week, Appalachian-born songwriter Angela Autumn releases a new album, Believer, and her song “Heavy Tobacco” shows her ability to take a fresh approach to an unconventional topic—and to create a pretty cool music video, too. From the Netherlands, the musician Bertolf reflects on the fallout of a friend’s divorce on “Innocence Lost,” supported by an acoustic ensemble that underscores the emotion in the song.

Meanwhile, Jake Blount is winding down his stringband chapter with a rendition of “Shady Grove,” Jason James shows off his honky-tonk roots in “She’s Gone Again,” and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys put a hard-driving bluegrass spin on “Bottom of the Glass.” (Judging by the video, there was almost certainly more than one glass!)

There’s also a JJ Cale vibe to David Quinn’s “Down and Dirty,” some modern country attitude in Jaelee Roberts’ cover of Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar,” and an early ’60s pop vibe in Twin Temple’s “Love You to Death.”

As we like to say, You Gotta Hear This!

Angela Autumn, “Heavy Tobacco”

Artist: Angela Autumn
Hometown: The Appalachian region of Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Heavy Tobacco”
Album: Believer
Label: Gar Hole Records

In Their Words: “This is a song about the tobacco spirit. In many cultures, particularly American indigenous, tobacco is regarded for its purification abilities. I don’t think many folks see tobacco as ‘healthy’; quite the opposite. The message is that anything positive can become harmful when abused. It’s me reflecting upon choices that were necessary but carried both positive and negative consequences.

“Fame feels like something to be chased, with a time limit on our actualization. Smoking is a way of counting moments, of categorizing time. Inevitably our goals and desires will run out and we are left with our legacy, and impact on the earth–consciously or unconsciously.” — Angela Autumn

Bertolf, “Innocence Lost”

Artist: Bertolf
Hometown: Zwolle, The Netherlands
Song: “Innocence Lost”
Album: Bluefinger Vol.2
Album Release Date: August 28, 2026
Label: Excelsior Recordings (NL)

In Their Words: “Someone close to me went through a divorce. ‘Innocence Lost’ is about the despair of someone who has been abandoned. About a relationship that, like a bolt from the blue, has been irreparably damaged—beyond the point of an innocence that can never be recovered.

“The video was filmed and recorded in April at the concert venue, Hedon, in my hometown Zwolle (the same stage I will host the first edition of my ‘own’ Bluefinger Festival on Sunday, September 13th. Mike Marshall will be a playing a solo show there and my band and me will present Bluefinger Vol. 2 there for the first time, and there’s much more!) The video was produced by Hans Kuyt and the audio was mixed by Janos Koolen (who’s also the mandolin player in the band). It felt good to get to record a live performance of this song, especially because it’s the favorite song on the album of a few band members.” — Bertolf

Jake Blount, “Shady Grove”

Artist: Jake Blount
Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island
Song: “Shady Grove”
Album: Single-Footing Horse
Album Release Date: September 18, 2026

In Their Words: “This version of ‘Shady Grove’ is adapted from one played by Jon Bekoff of Greenfield, Massachusetts. I didn’t get to meet him before he died, but Jon was a major influence on many of my own mentors. His tunes are queer and full of mystery, and his version didn’t sound quite as magical coming from me—so I dropped the top string of my fiddle down a whole tone, added the singing section, and started playing it that way. ‘Shady Grove’ was probably one of the first three songs I learned when I was first starting out in this music. My upcoming release is a celebration of my teachers, friends, and musical community as I look toward a new musical chapter. It felt important to include both Jon and ‘Shady Grove’ in that celebration.” — Jake Blount

Jason James, “She’s Gone Again”

Artist: Jason James
Hometown: Texas City, Texas
Song: “She’s Gone Again”
Album: Cut The Chain
Album Release Date: Sept 11, 2026
Label: Heart of Texas Records

In Their Words: “‘She’s Gone Again’ started as a melody that I would hum to myself while driving or doing stuff. Finally I decided it needed to be a song. I sat down with my guitar, began strumming, and the words manifested directly from the music—the melody told me what it wanted to say. I had it written in about 20 minutes.

“Ronnie Bowman and I hit it off immediately as musical soul brothers. He came in to sing harmony on a few tracks and we had a blast–we’d even be singing together at the lunch table and to the waitresses. He called to check in on me about a month before he passed because I was going through a difficult time, and we sang together right there on the phone. When you share that kind of musical connection with someone, it’s extremely powerful. I was crushed when I heard the news of his passing. The world lost an Incredibly talented and tenderhearted man. And my world suddenly felt more silent, grey, and alone.” — Jason James

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, “Bottom of a Glass”

Artist: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Hometown: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Song: “Bottom of a Glass”
Album: Welcome to the Club
Release Date: August 21, 2026
Label: Turnberry Records

In Their Words: “‘Bottom of a Glass’ is one of those songs that just felt like us from the first time we played it. There’s some hurt in it, a lot of humor in it, and that hard-driving bluegrass thing that we’ve always loved. We wanted the video to carry that same spirit—to feel a little rough around the edges and funny as hell.

“This version of the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys feels really exciting to me. We’ve grown a lot together, both as people and musicians, and I think we’re more comfortable than ever letting all of our influences show. We’re still rooted in traditional bluegrass, and we always will be, but we’re not afraid to stretch it a little and see where these songs can take us. ‘Bottom of a Glass’ feels like a pretty good snapshot of where this band is right now.” — CJ Lewandowski, The Po’ Ramblin Boys

David Quinn, “Freightline”

Artist: David Quinn
Hometown: La Porte, Indiana
Song: “Freightline”
Album: Down & Dirty
Release Date: August 28, 2026

In Their Words: “‘Freightline’ is about that feeling of missing someone that never really goes away, and not knowing where they are or if they’re ever coming back. But it’s also about how time keeps moving forward, whether you’re ready for it or not. I wanted the song to feel like it was moving, like the constant motion of those thoughts in my head.

“When I first wrote this song, it was much faster and had more of a bluegrass feel. I finished it, but I knew something was missing. At the time, I was listening to a lot of JJ Cale and really loved the laid-back grooves in his songs. I went back, completely reworked the song, and ended up with the version you hear now. When we got into the studio, I played the musicians my new version and told them I was looking for that JJ Cale vibe. We went into the live room, started playing, and they absolutely nailed it right away.” — David Quinn

Jaelee Roberts, “White Liar”

Crossroads Label Group · White Liar

Artist: Jaelee Roberts
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “White Liar”
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
Release Date: September 11, 2026

In Their Words: “‘White Liar’ is a song that I’ve loved for a long time and have wanted to record but the time just wasn’t right until now. I actually included ‘White Liar’ on solo performances when I was still in high school and I’m really happy to get back to it now in the studio. Miranda Lambert has such an awesome way of delivering a song with attitude and giving it life and I really enjoyed singing this in the studio. When thinking about the song arrangement I knew I didn’t want to recreate what had already been done by Miranda but wanted to stay true to what makes the song so great while putting my own sound and style into it. I love songs with a little sass and a strong story, and ‘White Liar’ definitely has both! Miranda has always been a huge influence on me so I’m super excited about recording this one.

“I am incredibly grateful to have such an amazing group of musicians playing on ‘White Liar’: Ron Stewart on banjo, Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Justin Moses on mandolin, Tony Wray on guitar, and Alan Bartram on bass, with Zack Arnold singing harmony. When you have musicians like that on a song, you just stand back and let them do what they do, and I absolutely love it! Chris Latham recorded and mixed the track, and my dad, Danny Roberts, produced it and it was really special getting to record with people I admire and respect so much.

“I’ve always thought ‘White Liar’ would translate really well to bluegrass and I hope everyone has as much fun listening to it as we did recording it.” — Jaelee Roberts

Twin Temple, “Love You to Death”

Artist: Twin Temple
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Love You to Death”
Album: Doomed Lovers
Release Date: October 9, 2026
Label: Pentagrammaton Records

In Their Words: “With ‘Love You to Death,’ we wanted to put our own spin on two distinctly American musical traditions: the romantic innocence of 1962 RCA-style pop and the darkness and brutality of the traditional murder ballad. We’ve always loved the gritty, macabre storytelling of songs like “Knoxville Girl,” as much as the polished elegance of the Nashville countrypolitan sound. The song isn’t really about murder itself, it’s about jealousy, desire, betrayal, and the tragic consequences of all-or-nothing love. It’s about devotion taken to its most dangerous extreme, to madness, and crimes of passion.” – Alexandra and Zachary James, Twin Temple

Photo Credits: Renee Cornue (Jake Blount), Travis Shinn (Twin Temple)

My name is Bertolf Lentink, I was born in 1980 and I’m from the Netherlands. I was spoon-fed bluegrass music by my father, who endlessly played his records by the likes of Doc Watson, Tony Rice, and Tim O’Brien in my parental home. At a young age, I learned to play both from and with him.

I have released six albums here in the Netherlands and they were more in the singer-songwriter/pop style. But for my seventh album, I decided to return to my roots and my first love: bluegrass. I had the chance to record an album of my own material with some of my favorite musicians of all time, such as Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, and Mark Schatz – guys I’ve been listening to and admiring since I was like 6 years old. The band was completed by two fantastic instrumentalists of the younger generation: Wes Corbett and David Benedict. The album was recorded and mixed by David Sinko in the Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville. I really had the best week of my life recording it; it was everything I hoped for and more.

The album is called Bluefinger because residents of Zwolle, the city I live in, are called Bluefingers. But it’s also a reference to bluegrass and getting blue fingers from studying so hard on the guitar trying to be good enough to record with my heroes.

Bluegrass music has surely travelled all around the world. It even made its way to the Netherlands and continues to inspire young people here. This is a mixtape of the stuff that inspired me and that’s going on in the blue- and newgrass department here right now. Dutch Grass! – Bertolf

“Before The Storm” – Bertolf featuring Ilse DeLange

It was quite a surreal experience to record with my heroes, but at the same time it felt really familiar when I heard those guys’ instruments coming through my headphones. Like I was coming home somewhere I’d never been before.

“Uncle Pen” – Bill Monroe

Bill Monroe learned to play from his Uncle Pen. Full name: Pendleton Vandiver. Uncle Pen’s great-great grandfather was Bill Vandiver, an immigrant from the Netherlands. Vandiver is actually derived from the Dutch Name “van de Veer.” So if Bill Monroe is the Father of Bluegrass and Uncle Pen is the uncle of bluegrass, then Bill van de Veer is the great-great uncle of bluegrass. So there’s the Dutch connection with bluegrass for ya!

“Keep on Pushing” – Country Gazette

My love of bluegrass music is entirely my father’s fault. In 1972, when he was 16 years old, he heard a song on the radio: “Keep on Pushing,” by Country Gazette. That song was actually on the Dutch pop charts at that time! My father was completely blown away and it was the start of his love of this kind of music. And when I grew up, he played nothing else but bluegrass, so I couldn’t help but to fall in love with it, too. (The original ’70s recording of “Keep on Pushing” is not on Spotify, so here is the ’90s remake.)

“Amsterdam” – Douwe Bob

Douwe Bob is a famous artist here in the Netherlands. I wrote this song with him and we thought it was nice to try and write a bluegrass song not about the hills of Kentucky or something, or to once again pretend to be American, but to write a bluegrass song about the city we know, Amsterdam.

“Crying Shame” – Blue Grass Boogiemen & Tim Knol

Blue Grass Boogiemen are a great high-energy bluegrass band from the Netherlands who have been on the scene for a long time now. Here’s a song from an album they made with the great singer-songwriter Tim Knol (who happens to sing a nice harmony vocal on my album Bluefinger as well)

“Fallin’” – Nathalíe

Here in the Netherlands, I’m playing live with a great band of musicians who also happen to have their own bluegrass bands. This song is from the band Nathalíe, that feature my band members Nathalie Schaap on vocals and double bass, Jos van Ringen on banjo, and Janos Koolen on mandolin. I really love what they’re doing.

“The Bipolar Bear” – The Charivari Trio with Janos Koolen

Janos Koolen is the mandolin player in my band. He’s a fantastic multi-instrumentalist and composer as well. Here’s his beautiful composition, “The Bipolar Bear,” with the Charivari Trio.

“Tapdancing on the Highwire” – Ilse DeLange

My career in music started by playing in Ilse DeLange’s band. She’s a big country/pop star here in the Netherlands, and she’s very fond of bluegrass music as well. Here’s one of her songs that I really love from a live album we did back in 2007.

“One Tear” – 4 Wheel Drive

4 Wheel Drive is probably my favorite Dutch bluegrass band. The band also features Joost van Es on fiddle, who’s playing live with me right now. I went to see them live a lot as a kid, and I was always left really impressed and wanting to learn to play, too. I also need to mention the bands The Country Ramblers and Groundspeed, who were from the city of Kampen (which was jokingly called the “Nashville by the Ijssel”), but sadly their albums are not on Spotify.

“Deeper Than the Holler” – G-runs ‘n Roses.

G-runs ‘n Roses is a band from the Czech Republic, with two Dutch guys playing in it: Ralph Schut on guitar, banjo, and vocals and his brother Christopher Schut on bass.

“Till I Found Someone” – The Bluebirds

The Bluebirds are a band that do great and heartfelt three-part harmony. Here’s a song that I wrote with them, with J.B Meijers on dobro.

“Team Hoover” – Bertolf

I’d like to end this mixtape with an instrumental that I’m really proud of, once again from my album, Bluefinger.

I hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening! Cheers from The Netherlands.

Photo Credit: Dirk Schreuders

Tag: bertolf

You Gotta Hear This: Jake Blount, Twin Temple & More