Art Menius

Berkeley’s Laurie Lewis, twice an International Bluegrass Music Association female vocalist of the year, has played Carrboros ArtsCenter several times with a full band and longtime musical partner Tom Rozum. But this Wednesday she brings three-time IBMA guitarist of the year David Grier, Utah mandolinist Matt Flinner, and Todd Phillips, bassist and Grammy winning producer. […]

Best known as the mandolin player for some 20 years with the Chapel Hill-based Shady Grove Band, Charles Pettee (pictured with SGB, far right side) last year released the most sophisticated and moving music of his career on the solo CD, Steady Love. The record offered nine Old Testament psalms set to new music composed […]

Since 1976, Durham’s Mike Fishback has accomplished the near miracle of keeping together a local old-time string band, the Durham Rangers. That’s a remarkable period of time for a commercially successful ensemble, but downright mind-boggling for a genre that pretty much demands you keep a day job or three. Walltown Reverie celebrates the group’s longevity […]

After 12 years as a band (even though the oldest member is 25), several solo projects, and the stunning success of their Sugar Hill debut, it’s a shock to realize that This Side is only the second Nickel Creek album. I am stunned, however, that these kids having fun on bluegrass instruments have created a […]

Thanks to his recent Grammy, the amazing O Brother phenomenon and the groundswell of Ralphmania that followed, the younger Stanley Brother today enjoys unprecedented popularity. He’s selling records and tickets, while earning major awards for current work and lifetime achievements. Stanley doesn’t forget the source of the butter for his bread; he renders here both […]

Often the most joyous and spirited music comes from professionals playing outside of the gig that pays the bills, whether it’s a day job or a full-time band. Wiffer Creek’s debut CD, a delightful blend of original material and favorites, provides a case in point. Wiffer Creek sounds like two old friends playing some great […]

Tom Waits, six years my elder by birth and four score ahead in attitude, tried his best to explain what being 20-something meant to him on the seven Elektra albums sampled on Used Songs: 1973-1980. From “Ol’ ’55,” the first cut on his debut platter and the seventh here, Waits connected to me directly. It […]

Tom, Brad & Alice consists of three leading figures of the string-band music revival that began during the late 1960s and early 1970. On this disc, their third album together, Tom, Brad & Alice emphasize their instrumental abilities, most often as a banjo, fiddle and guitar ensemble. The great strength of these middle-aged players lies […]

Gospel music has been a part of the bluegrass repertoire since the beginning. Its significance, however, has increased dramatically in the 20 years since Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver released Rock My Soul. Since then, it’s been demanded that Southern all-male bluegrass bands be able to deliver both kickass secular grass and gospel quartets. Which leads […]