Bluegrass Jam Along

My guest this week is Gabe Witcher. Just a couple of days before we recorded this, Gabe played his last shows with Punch Brothers, the band he was a founding member of and was in for 18 years. We chat about how the band came together, what the early years were like and why now felt like the right time to move on. We also talk about what's next for Gabe, including continuing his work as a  pro...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Bluegrass Jam Along News New Bluegrass Jam Along website News and announcements (Church street News) Preserve Rockwood campaign Releases (The Grass is New) Dan Tyminski - God Fearing Heathen Caitlin Canty - Quiet F...

This week we're playing another tune back to back at two different speeds  - once at 75 bpm then again at 85. We're doing Blackberry Blossom and we're in the key of G. We're using the jam along format - that means I'm kicking off playing backup and you're on the tune, then we swap and go round 4 times. Then, after a quick pause, we do the whole thing again at 85 bpm....

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Bluegrass Jam Along News New Bluegrass Jam Along website News and announcements (Church street News) IBMA Bluegrass Live! Releases (The Grass is New) Tim O’Brien Cup of Sugar Tim Stafford Guitar Melodies Watch Cup...

My guest this week is Tim O'Brien. Tim has a wonderful new record called 'Cup of Sugar', which I think is as good as anything he's done. We chat about the songs and themes on this record, as well as those on Tim's last album 'He Walked On'.  Many of them revolve around connection and understanding other people's stories and experience. Tim is such a fascinat...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. News and announcements (Church street news) Bluegrass photos Scott Simontacchi Instagram Tony Rice photo Releases (The Grass is New) Tim O’Brien Cup of Sugar pre-order link Tim Stafford Guitar Melodies pre-order li...

This week we're jamming along to Peartree and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play rhythm track where I play the melody so you can work on backup.  It's four times through in the key of G at 85 bpm. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get i...

This week we're jamming along to Peartree and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune.  It's four times through in the key of G at 85 bpm. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in to...

This week we're jamming along to Peartreeand I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping.  It's four times through in the key of G at 85 bpm. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune Peartree. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done and jam along!...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Sign up for email alerts Natalie and Brittany Haas interview Apple Spotify Tristan Scroggins Facebook page Tristan Scroggins interview Apple Spotify The Grass is New Spotify playlist Happy picking. Matt Support the...

My guests this week are Natalie and Brittany Haas, who join me to chat about their great new record Haas. Some of you will be familiar with Brittany from Hawktail and Crooked Still, and Natalie from her long standing musical partnership with Alasdair Fraser. This new record marks their first duo recording, despite them having played music together for most of their lives. It was a fascinating, and...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod news Sign up for email alerts Church Street News Tyler Grant ArtistWorks course Wayne C. Henderson Festival and Guitar Competition The Grass is New - new releases The Grass is New Spotify playlist Tim O’Brien w...

Hi. I've got a Food For Thought episode for you this week. It's been a while since we did one of these, but something that happened last weekend that made me think - so I thought I'd share it. Have a listen and see what my take is. Then head over to Bluegrass Jamalong's Instagram or Facebook and tell us what you think! Happy picking. Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton...

This week we're jamming along to The Old Spinning Wheel and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play rhythm track where I play the melody so you can work on backup.  It's four times through in the key of D at 85 bpm. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out...

This week we're jamming along to The Old Spinning Wheel and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune.  It's four times through in the key of D at 85 bpm. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out mor...

This week we're jamming along to The Old Spinning Wheel and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping.  It's four times through in the key of D at 85 bpm. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or just want t...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune The Old Spinning Wheel. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod news Sign up for email alerts Church Street News Nashville Acoustic Camps DelFest Jerry Douglas online lessons The Grass is New - new releases The Grass is New Spotify playlist Scroll on Buddy Volunteer at Blue...

This interview is an extended version of the one that appeared in the first part of the Tony Rice Church Street Blues 40th anniversary celebration. I talked to Wyatt for almost an hour and we covered some areas that weren't directly related to the Church Street Blues episode, but are fascinating as an insight into where Tony was around the time the album was recorded. Wyatt also shared some o...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod news Bluegrass Jam Along YouTube channel Sign up for email alerts Church Street News Rhiannon Giddens video The Grass is New - new releases The Grass is New Spotify playlist Scroll on Buddy The 'Whiskey Be...

Welcome to part 2 of the celebration to mark 40 years of  Tony Rice's classic album 'Church Street Blues'. This episode focusses on people who were inspired by Tony and his music. The full line up for this episode is: Bob Minner Jake Eddy Justin Moses Marcel Ardans Scott Nygaard Jason Keiser @tony_units If you missed part 1 (featuring Alison Krauss, Wyatt Rice, Mike Marshall and mor...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod news Tony Rice Church Street Blues 40th anniversary celebration part 1 Dan Tyminski interview Chris Eldridge interview Sign up for email alerts Church Street News Heart of the Ozarks Bluegrass Association My Na...

Welcome to the first of two very special episodes of Bluegrass Jam Along. Tony Rice's classic album 'Church Street Blues' is 40 years old this year. To celebrate, I've spent the last 3 months interviewing people about it and this is part one of the results. In this episode you'll hear from people who knew, played with, worked with and spent time with Tony, including an int...

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass. Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode. Pod news Rachel Baiman interview Sign up for email alerts Church Street News Matt Flinner mandolin courses The Grass is New - new releases The Grass is New Spotify playlist Scroll on Buddy Billy Strings and Willie...