Derek Halsey is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
It is a fascinating change of groove when the business side of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass Conference ends and the public begins to arrive and fill the streets of downtown Raleigh, NC, for the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival that follows. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HUGE NEWS! The Wide Open Bluegrass Main Stage will be FREE to the…
Colorado and the majestic Rocky Mountains have produced many successful bluegrass and newgrass bands over the years. From Yonder Mountain String Band and Leftover Salmon to the legendary GRAMMY-nominated group Hot Rize; the Centennial State has brought a different perspective to the bluegrass genre time and time again. Enter the band Trout Steak Revival, who is following in the same…
The International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) yearly convention and Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in Raleigh, NC, is a gathering of the biggest names in bluegrass, and one of the most impressive musicians in the genre is GRAMMY nominated phenom Sierra Hull. Hull first performed at an IBMA Convention back when she was just 10 years old, playing on the Little Pickers Stage in…
Picture this: it is late in the evening on Labor Day 2018, Sept. 3, and a wrap-around wooden deck topped with party-goers surrounds an A-frame home on the southern side of Beech Mountain, N.C. near the mountain resort town of Banner Elk. The outdoor tables are filled with grilled chicken and other brought foods, the libations are plenty and the…
In the early days of bluegrass music, the guitar was mostly used for rhythm purposes, with the distinct exception of an occasional G-run riff made famous by Lester Flatt beginning in the 1940s. The guitar was not the instrument of choice then when it came time to play solos. That began to change in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s when…
Bluegrass music has featured many talented female artists who have made their mark in the genre over the past seven decades of its existence, even though they have been greatly outnumbered by their male counterparts. In modern times, women musicians are still making history and breaking new ground with female artists winning the International Bluegrass Music Association Mandolin Player of…
There is a strange moment that happens at the end of the annual International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass convention in Raleigh, N.C. A surreal transition takes place on Friday afternoon. After a week of business being done, seminars and workshops taking place, and bands doing late night showcases for talent buyers, record label reps and DJs from all…
Bluegrass musician C.J. Lewandowski grew up in Missouri yet found himself working at the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in East Tennessee as a young man. While there, Lewandowski was asked to form a bluegrass band to perform for the distillery’s visitors, and that was the impetus for the creation of the Po' Ramblin’ Boys. Featuring Lewandowski on mandolin and vocals,…
A few years ago, the group Flatt Lonesome was asked to perform a couple of songs during the annual International Bluegrass Music Association Award nominations announcement in Nashville, Tenn. Lo and behold, the group received their first-ever IBMA nomination that night, and they became emotional onstage when thanking the organization for that IBMA Award nod. As it turns out, it…
