Bluegrass 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. Podcast news Earl Scruggs 100th birthday celebration part 1 Part 2 Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist Other bits Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/ The Grass...

This is part 2 of the celebration of Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday.  Earl's influence on bluegrass is huge, as you'll hear from my guests this week. You'll hear from: Jerry Douglas, on Earl being one of the first sounds he heard and why starting The Earls of Leicester felt like a calling Alison Brown on why the timing of Earl's arrival on the bluegrass scene (and the wider...

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. Podcast news Earl Scruggs 100th birthday celebration part 1 News and announcements (Church Street News) Earl Scruggs Center - Center Stage shows Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist S...

January 6th would have been Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. To celebrate Earl and his extraordinary influence, I've been speaking to people who knew, played with and have been inspired by him. This is part 1, featuring three amazing banjo players: Tony Trischka Kristin Scott Benson Alan Munde They all share their thoughts on Earl and his contribution to music and the banjo, as well as why...

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. Podcast news Josh Turknett interview episode News and announcements (Church Street News) Nickel Creek tour dates Sore Fingers Summer School Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist Scroll...

For this week's episode I'm doing something I don't normally do - reposting an old interview. In fact, I don't think I've ever done it before. The reason I'm doing it is that so many of us make resolutions at this time of year to practice more, play better or just improve on our instruments. My guest in this interview has some wonderful advice on all of those things....

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. Podcast news Jerry Douglas talks about the Earl Scruggs 100th birthday concert Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist Scroll on Buddy Nickel Creek - Blackberry Session Other bits Sign u...

January 6th 2024 would have been Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. I'm putting together a very special set of episodes to celebrate. As part of them I spoke to Jerry Douglas, who's organising a spectacular night of music at The Ryman on Earl's birthday to mark the occasion. This is a taster taken from a much longer chat I had with Jerry. We talked about putting the show together an...

It’s almost the end of 2023. Where did the year go?! I’m already working on some exciting stuff for 2024 but, before we head into the holidays, I wanted to have a look back at 2023 on Bluegrass Jam Along as it’s been an extraordinary year. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to some truly amazing guests. You’ll hear excerpts from a few of them in this episode, along with a recap of all the interview...

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) Peghead Nation - Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Essentials, taught by Aaron Weinstein Use the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month of any course Delfest lineup Releases (The Grass is Ne...

My guest this week is Ted Olson. Ted is Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University.  He's also written liner notes and essays for some wonderful projects, including “Doc Watson – Life's Work: A Retrospective,” and the fantastic  “Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs Of Jane Gentry and Mary Sands” by Martin Simpson & Thomm Jutz. Ted joins me to talk about three...

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) Lessons with Marcel - Mickey’s Fiddle Tune Arrangements book Sierra Hull tour dates Billy Strings Europe 2023 Mini Tour Documentary Releases (The Grass is New) Rachel Bai...

This week we've got something I haven't done in a while - a mini jam episode. That means we're playing 3 tunes back to back instead of focussing on just one. The idea is it feels a bit more like playing at a jam session. I know some of you use these tracks to work up to attending a jam so hopefully this will help with that! I've gone for  3  tunes with a more open feel, they&ap...

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) MerleFest Lineup IBMA Emcee masterclass Releases (The Grass is New) The Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlist Scroll on Buddy Atkin Guitars D37 12S model (Instagram link...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sandy River 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 A at 75 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 o...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sandy River 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 A at 75 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 ge...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sandy River 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 A at 75 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...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune Big Sandy River. 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...

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) Energy Curfew Music Hour tickets Releases (The Grass is New) Kelly Hunt - Ozark Symphony The Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlist Scroll on Buddy Mandolin Cafe In My Ea...

This week we're jamming along to Home Sweet Home 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 more o...

This week we're jamming along to Home Sweet Home 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 more or ge...

This week we're jamming along to Home Sweet Home 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 to find...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune Home Sweet Home. 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. If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch),  head to b...

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) Grammy Nominations Releases (The Grass is New) Catilin Canty ‘Quiet Flame’ video (with Paul Kowert) The Grass is (mostly) New Spotify playlist Scroll on Buddy ArtistWorks...

2023 is the 20th anniversary of the release of Mike Marshall and Chris Thile's album of mandolin duets 'Into the Cauldron'. To mark the anniversary and celebrate the album, and the influence it's had on a whole generation of mandolin players, I've put together two very special episodes. This is part 2, featuring interviews with mandolin players who were influenced by and l...