I was thrilled to learn that someone had decided to do a tribute project to the late Larry McPeak. I was even more excited to learn that Johnny Williams and Mike McPeak were the ones behind the idea. I knew it would be first class. When I listened to the project, I wasn't disappointed. Larry McPeak was a great songwriter, but more than that, he was also a great person. I consider it an honor to have called Larry my friend. Johnny and Mike have dug deep into Larry's vast catalog of songs and found some real diamonds. These songs, though maybe not as well-known as some of Larry's, are classic Larry McPeak. Well-written stories of life that we can all relate to. And having the McPeak family involved in the project truly gives the project the "McPeak sound".  I tried to pick out a few songs that I thought I could talk about. But in the end, I couldn't. I love them all. The songs are great. The musicians are fantastic, and the entire project is exceptional. So, play start to finish. I know that somewhere Larry is looking down and smiling that smile.......Hey Johnny...Mike, how about a Volume 2? I love sequels.

Tim Frye WPAQ , Mt Airy NC & WBRF, Galax, VA

For fiddler and founder of Five Mile Mountain Road Billy Hurt, Jr., Swingbilly Swagger is about more than just the band’s latest release. The title bears its own bravado representing an admixture of styles that rural musicians— including himself, his bandmates, and their mentors—have long absorbed and transmitted. In Billy’s home of Franklin County, Virginia, a profusion of musical influences thrive and inspire traditional musicians. And his word for this synthesis is swingbilly.

The term refers to Billy’s regional musical history. Older players that Billy met in his youth—figures that included Clark Kessinger, Burke Barbour, Jim Eanes, Clinton Gregory, Willie Gregory, Raymond Neighbors, and Bob Riley, as well the earlier presence on recordings of the Blue Ridge Highballers led by Charley La Prade, and above all, the legendary Charlie Poole—drew from a rich American songbook. They brought their music to the new media of radio broadcasts, phonograph records, and live public performances. more....

Carolyn Eyerly - Singer/songwriter, rhythm guitarist.

A native Northern Virginian, Carolyn grew up listening to Southern Rock and Bluegrass. Carolyn is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and anticipated returning to acting after her children had grown but found music to be an overwhelming draw.

In 2010, Carolyn was a founding vocalist for the acclaimed Washington, D.C.-based folk group, Shenandoah Run. After discovering the warm community which is bluegrass music Carolyn became a founding member of Sweet Yonder, an all-women bluegrass band, in 2014.  In 2019 Sweet Yonder was nominated for a WAMMIE award in two categories, Best Bluegrass Band and Best Bluegrass Album. The Sunny Side Of Life is Carolyn’s first solo project which includes seven of her original compositions. more....

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“Stephen Wade is arguably the best non-grass five-string banjo player around. His loyal following includes people who saw Banjo Dancing, his one-man stage show created from folksongs, stories, banjo tunes, and his own personal insights.” —BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED

                In May 1979 a young musician named Stephen Wade opened a one-man show at a small yet adventurous off-Loop theater in Chicago. Called Banjo Dancing, or the 48th Annual Squitters Mountain Song, Dance, Folklore Convention & Banjo Contest and How I Lost, it consisted of songs, tunes, and stories sourced in American folklore and literature, accompanied by his five-string banjo and percussive dance steps.

CD-338

South Carolina Broadcasters
Home to Stay

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   Dear Listener: Here for you is an offering of hillbilly music as presented by a group deeply rooted in the Appalachian musical tradition. Unadorned instruments and three voices singing the songs of their homeland as only those who know and feel it can.

   David Sheppard picked up the guitar at a young age, drawn to the sounds of acoustic instruments. His earliest memory is of being surrounded by grown-ups towering over him belting out old hymns in his grandfather's Methodist church. He never holds back in his singing, and has a great sense of how to write a compelling song. “Home To Stay” is a recollection of his first visit to the farm where Ivy grew up. Discovering early on that he had a penchant for stringed instrument repair and restoration, he's now sought out by vintage instrument enthusiasts worldwide and also builds Radio King guitars.

   Jackson Cunningham comes at the music naturally. Inspired by his father and the Stanley Brothers, and drawn to the mountains of southwest Virginia, he embodies that high lonesome sound. A multi-instrumentalist and soulful singer, he hearkens back to an earlier day when the music was simpler and came straight from the heart. His exquisitely tasteful mandolin playing reminds one immediately of an old Rich-R-Tone record. He's also a world-renowned builder of acoustic archtop and flattop Cunningham guitars.    more.....

There are those of us who’ve had the privilege of knowing Bryan Bowers since the early 70’s. We know him as an autoharp master, singer of songs, teller of tales (some short, some…), wooer of women, friend, brother, and solo performer extraordinaire. Now we have another side of the coin with the Bryan Bowers Band. A trio, Bryan’s voice is beautifully “framed” surrounded by the voices of Danny Knicely and Geoff Goodhue. The vocal blend is unique, the kind you don’t often hear, and the songs selected for “Woodland Dream”, moving and soulful.

While mainly a vocal group their instrumental blend features Bryan in a new light we haven’t heard before. He is playing mandocello, guitar, and of course autoharp, blending with Danny on mandolin, mandocello and guitar and Geoff joining on guitar and mandolin, both being masterful musicians themselves. Be it instrumentals, song, or a cappella vocal trios, this music is from the heart, done for all the right reasons… simply put, it’s obvious these guys love playing and singing together.

Sam Bush

The players: Three talent-laden musicians, three well-tuned voices, three traditional acoustic instruments.

The material: A bakers-dozen songs, a knowledgeable array of genres, and a multitude of styles fashioned by the well-tempered skills of Tom Mindte (mandolin), the fresh exuberance of Ben Somerville (bass) and the drive and clarity of Mason Via (guitar).

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When Phil Wiggins and I wrote the book “Sweet Bitter Blues – Washington D.C.’s Homemade Blues” (University Press of Mississippi, 2020), we reflected on the acoustic local blues scene during the life and times of Phil Wiggins in his own African American community. At its core, the D.C. area acoustic “down home” blues scene was rooted with a small group of musicians, proud and beloved men and women; Mother Scott, Flora Molton, Chief Ellis, Archie Edwards, John Jackson, John Cephas & Phil Wiggins. The musicians in Washington, D.C., who are no longer with us, have left an important legacy: “Carry on this music. Keep it going.” Our friends and compatriots who are featured on this collection were all connected in some way to the elders. As you will hear, they carry on the Piedmont tradition and related acoustic roots music with passion, love and reverence. Thanks to all contributors

                                                                            - Frank Matheis, New York 2019

Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass continue to be deeply rooted in tradition, but
look to the future with enthusiasm and anticipation . This coming year brings renewed excitement! Dann y Paisley and The Southern Grass released their That’s Why I’m Lonesome CD on Patuxent Music. It is filled with all the traditional sound you would expect from a Southern Grass CD.

Since Danny’s father Bob Paisley (founder of Southern Grass) passed away in 2004, Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass have made their own niche in the bluegrass world.

Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass play powerful, unadorned, and intense traditional bluegrass. Their combination of instrumentation and vocals convey the energy and emotion of classic bluegrass and country music. Danny’s lead vocals will captivate your senses, so much so that many prominent musicians, including Alison Krauss, have considered Danny as one of their favorite singers. His voice combines powerful range and soulful blues with a sound like no one else in bluegrass today. more.....

CD-319

Victor Furtado
Dellorto Island
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From sheaves of banjo designs submitted to the U.S. Patent Office to entire styles named after its most revered players, inventiveness marks the banjo’s history. The 18th- century slaves exiled to the New World crafted from cultural memory and available resources half-gourds that they strung with catgut stretched down a long handle. The resulting instrument, one witness recalled, produced a “wild pleasing melancholy sound,” while another described the players’ fingers as moving like a handsaw. First-person accounts detailed banjo songs that intensified as they unspooled, each thrumming passage building on the next.
          These pre-industrial patterns survived the centuries: a modern clawhammer banjoist at a festival jam, whose right hand rhythmically plies down on steel strings in sawing motion, plays a tune as if entranced. Fellow musicians huddled in the same circle find new ripples within the soulful melody, while others repeat chiming tones. Eventually someone gestures, signaling the tune’s close. more.....