Engine 145 - A Roots Music Publication

Banjo player Joe Mullins has bluegrass in the blood. Radio, too–he’s the son of the late disc jockey/fiddler Paul “Moon” Mullins, who was one of the Stanley Brothers’ Clinch Mountain Boys, performed with his son in the Traditional Grass, and spent over four decades as a broadcaster in Southwest Ohio. The younger Mullins, who recently [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers – Hymns From the Hills"

One of the best elements of a Grascals album is their choice in covers, which have included their own versions of songs made famous by Jennings, Jones, and Haggard–just to name a few. The sextet’s blend of bluegrass and classic country makes them one of the most entertaining, most consistent bands in roots music. The [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: The Grascals – The Grascals & Friends"

It’s good to be Ricky Skaggs. The young boy who once shared a stage with Bill Monroe is now the head of his own record label, can play just about anything with strings, and has two excellent, wildly different albums—the folk release Songs My Dad Loved and the pop-gospel album Mosaic—nominated for Grammys. He recently [...]

Continue reading "His Treasure Chest Runneth Over: Ricky Skaggs On His Grammy Nominations and Upcoming Tour"

Family band Cherryholmes burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in 2005 with the release of their first album for Skaggs Family Records; that year they also won the IBMA Entertainer of the Year award. Five years later, the Cherryholmes family—Jere, Sandy, Cia, Skip, B.J., and Molly—are still one of music’s most entertaining acts [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Cherryholmes – Cherryholmes IV: Common Threads"

When it comes to banjo players, Bill Emerson is one of bluegrass music’s finest. In his fifty-some year career, the former Country Gentleman (he was a founding member) has played with Jimmy Martin, spent two decades with the U.S. Navy’s country/bluegrass band Country Current, and influenced scores of musicians. And when it comes to Washington, [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie – Southern"

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene ii, lines 47-48 That Shakespeare fella might have been on to something. They may have a new band name, but West Coast workhorses Mark Stuart and the Bastard Sons, formerly The Bastard [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons – Bend In The Road"

Songwriter: Hank Williams Jr. The Grascals are no strangers to the rowdy side of country music, having covered Waylon Jennings’ “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line” on their last album, Keep On Walkin’. Even so, their collaboration with Hank Williams, Jr. on his new single, “All the Roads,” is a pleasant surprise. Not only is [...]

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The American Revival Tour is currently winding its way down the Eastern seaboard, spreading the gospel of oldtime and bluegrass. Monday night the tour stopped in Alexandria’s at the Birchmere. Though the venue wasn’t sold out, there was a respectable turnout for a weeknight, especially considering that Lyle Lovett and Bruce Springsteen were in town. [...]

Continue reading "Dixie Bee-Liners, Sierra Hull and Uncle Earl Spread The Gospel of Old-Time and Bluegrass"