Bluegrass Unlimited's Podcast

This week we feature singer, songwriter and guitar player Mason Via.  We'll talk about his growing up learning bluegrass music and songwriting from his father, songwriter and bluegrass musician David Via.  We will also talk about his time with the Old Crow Medicine Show and his new self-titled album.  You'll also hear a few cuts from that album.

This week we feature guitar player Lucas White.  Lucas has had a very interesting career in bluegrass starting from the time he was a teenager in Texas.  We'll talk about his relationship with Tony Rice, working with the Zac Brown band while he was still a teenager, his work in Washington, D.C. advocating for musicians and recording engineers and his current band, Off The Rails.

This week we feature banjo player Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters and talk with him about his career in bluegrass and various other aspects of bluegrass music, practicing, performing and banjo playing.

This week we feature bass player, singer and songwriter Reed Jones.  Reed played in Audie Blaylock's band, Redline, prior to Audie's untimely passing.  He recently teamed up with a special group of musicians who were friends and bandmates of Audie's to record a tribute single titled “Ran Out of Road.”  We talk with Reed about the song and his work with Audie Blaylock.

This week we feature fiddler Michael Cleveland.  Michael and Jason Carter have a new album out.  We talk with Michael about how he got his start in bluegrass music, the various bands that he has performed with, forming his own band, and the new recording.

This week we feature guitar player and singer Ginger Boatwright.  Ginger performed with Red, White and Bluegrass starting in the late 1960s and then worked with Doug Dillard from 1981 until Doug's passing 33 years later.

This week we feature mandolin player Jeremy Chapman.  Jeremy played with his family band for years and now he and his brothers run one of the most successful acoustic music stores in the country.  He also has a new mandolin instructional book out that is really well done and is reviewed in the April 2025 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine.

This week we feature mandolin player Dick Staber.  Dick has recently written a very interesting memoir about his life in bluegrass music and after reading it, we got in touch with Dick and asked about conducting a podcast interview.  Dick notably play with Del McCoury from 1968 to 1975 and also performed with Don Stover, Bob Paisley, Leon Morris, Bill Clifton and many others.

This week we feature multi-instrumentalist Greg Luck.  Greg has performed with many of the top bands in bluegrass, including Lost & Found, the Lynn Morris Band, Bluegrass Cardinals, J.D. Crowe and the New South, IIIrd Time Out and Sideline.  He also is a recording engineer who has worked with a number of the well-known bands in bluegrass. 

This week we feature multi-instrumentalist Gerald Jones.  Every year in March we provide the Workshop and Camp listings for the year and Gerald has just taking over running Camp Bluegrass in Levelland, Texas.  Camp Bluegrass is one of the oldest bluegrass music camps in the country and Gerald will be leading that camp this year and into the future.  We talk with Gerald about his career playing bluegrass in Texas and what he has in store for Camp Bluegrass 2025.

This week we feature mandolin player, fiddler, singer and producer Don Rigsby.  Don has performed with many of the top bands in bluegrass over the years and is currently a member of our cover story band for March 2025, Southern Legacy. We talk with Don about all of the various bands he has been involved with over the years, his work with Southern Legacy and his new solo projects that are coming out in 2025.

This week we feature fiddler Casey Driessen and talk with him about his bluegrass journey including his years at the Berklee College of Music as a student, the bands he performed with after graduating from Berklee, his work as the director of Berklee's Masters program in Spain and the interesting projects that he has been involved with since returning from the job in Spain. That all leads up to talking to Casey about his fiddle camp.

This week we feature guitarist, singer and bandleader Danny Paisley.  Paisley started out in bluegrass 50 years ago as a teenager performing with his father Bob Paisley and continues that legacy today.  Known for his distinctive bluegrass voice, Danny has won the award for IBMA's male vocalist of the year four times, including last year in 2024.

This week we feature guitar player and singer Russell Moore.  Russell performed with Southern Connection before joining Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver in mid-1980s, then in 1991 he became a founding member of IIIrd Tyme Out and has been with that band since.  But now, as most bluegrass fans know, Russell has joined Alison Krauss and Union Station.  We talk with Russell about his bluegrass career and the move to Union Station.

This week we feature mandolin master John Reischman.  John performed with a number of prominent west coast bands, including the Tony Rice Unit, before starting his own band John Reischman and the Jaybirds.  We'll talk with John about all of various groups he has performed with, his solo projects and what lies ahead for his band.

This week we feature flatpicking guitar player Larry Keel.  We talk with him about bands he performed with during his early years leading to the formation of his own band the Larry Keel Experience.  We'll also talk about the many people who performed with him over the years, including such legends as Curtis Burch, Tony Rice and Vassar Clements. Additionally, we talk about the work he is doing on stage and in the studio this year with John Stickley.

This week we feature fiddler Tim Crouch.  Tim has a long history in bluegrass music dating back to the days as a teenager playing with his Uncle Dub Crouch - who was a legend in bluegrass music in Missouri and was a friend and mentor to our cover story artist this month John Hartford.  Tim also spent time with Jim & Jesse, The Whites and Mike Snyder.

This week we fearture Kody Norris of the Kody Norris Show.  We will talk with Kody about his bluegrass journey to date and focus on some of the bands latest recordings, including hearing a couple of songs from his last two recorded projects.

This week we feature mandolin player Jacob Jolliff and talk to him about his early years in Oregon, his attending the Berklee College of Music, the various bands he has performed with, including Joy Kills Sorrow and Yonder Mountain String Band, and then we talk about him starting his own band.  We'll also talk about his band's last two solo albums and his upcoming album with Michael Daves.

This week we feature fiddler Maddie Denton.  Maddie performs with both East Nash Grass and the Dan Tyminski Band and she will be the fiddle instructor at our Bluegrass Unlimited Workshop Weekend during the weekend of February 7th to the 9th, 2025 in Owensboro, Kentucky.  We'll talk with Maddie growing up as a contest fiddler, her work with her current bands and her approach to teaching the fiddle.

This week we feature fiddler with Johnny Warren.  As most listeners will know, Johnny is the son of bluegrass fiddle legend Paul Warren who spent years performing with Flatt & Scruggs and then toured with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass after Flatt and Scruggs parted ways.  Johnny is the fiddle player for the Earls of Leicester.  We talk with Johnny about his father and about playing his father's role as the fiddler in the Earls of Leicester.

This week we feature fiddler Fred Carpenter.  Fred has had a long career in bluegrass music and with selling and repairing fiddles at his shop in Nashville.  He also has a new album out titled One More Thing that includes an impressive group of special guests.  We'll talk with Fred about his years of playing fiddle in bluegrass and country music, his fiddle shop and the new recording.

This week we feature songwriter, singer, record producer, fiddler, and guitar player Shawn Camp.  Lester Flatt is on the cover of our December 2024 issue and Shawn plays Lester Flatt's role in the Earls of Leicester.  We'll talk with Shawn about working with the Earls of Leicester and his career as a songwriter and performer.

This week we feature mandolin player Andy Statman.  Andy has been involved in bluegrass music and mandolin playing that extends to jazz and klezmer music since the 1960s.  We'll talk with Andy about his long career and then discuss his newest recording, titled Bluegrass Tracks.  You will also hear a couple of cuts from the new recording.

This week we feature singer, songwriter, fiddler and band leader Becky Buller.  We talk with Becky about her career in bluegrass leading up to starting her own band, her decade of working as a bandleader, her songwriting and the story behind her latest recording project, titled Jubilee.  You'll also hear the title song from Jubilee as well as a song from Becky's Christmas album.

This week we feature guitar player Mark Cosgrove.  Mark is a national flatpicking guitar champion who has toured with musicians like Jerry Douglas and Liz Meyer and, most recently, he spent 12 years on the road with David Bromberg and has performed and recorded with many others, including his own band called Good Medicine.  Mark has also produced a number of solo albums over the years and is recognized as one of the heroes of flatpicking guitar.

This week we fearure singer Jen Larson and talk with her work as the manager of the archives at the Grand Ole Opry and her approach to teaching vocal lessons.  She will be one of the vocal instructors at Bluegrass Unlimited's workshop weekend in February 2025, which will be hosted by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

This week we feature multi-instrumentalist Tim May.  Tim spent fifteen years performing with the band Crucial Smith and has also toured with Patty Loveless, John Cowan, Eddie Rabbit, Rodney Dillard, Kathy Mattea and many others.  Tim is also a popular instructor at music workshops and camps and has produced a number of instructional books and videos.

This week we feature fiddler Kenny Kosek.  Kenny has played for many great bands over the years, including Country Cooking and Breakfast Special back in the early 1970s, and also has produced instructional books and videos that are popular amongst bluegrass fiddlers.  He now has a new album out titled Twisted Sage.  We'll talk about the new album and also play a cut off of the record.

This week we feature banjo player Gena Britt.  We speak with Gena about her many years in bluegrass music.  We talk about how she got started, the many bands that she has performed with over the years and her current job with Sister Sadie.

This week we feature fiddler Steve Thomas and talk with him about his years playing bluegrass with legends such as Jim & Jesse, The Osborne Brothers and The Whites, plus his work with a number of country music stars.  We will also talk about his current job with the new all-star bluegrass band Southern Legacy and his own band Steve Thomas & The Time Machine.

This week we feature singer, songwriter and guitar picker Rebecca Frazier and talk with her about her new album on Compass Records called Boarding Windows in Paradise.   First we'll talk with Rebecca about her bluegrass and flatpicking guitar journey and then we'll talk about the recording and hear several cuts from the album.

This week we feature legendary Dobro player Jerry Douglas.  Jerry not only was recently inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, but his band has a new album out titled The Set.  We talk with Jerry about his career in bluegrass, the Hall of Fame induction and the new recording.

This week we feature banjo player Chris Warner.  We talk with Chris about the two periods of time that he spent with Jimmy Martin and also discuss his performing with Del McCoury, Tom Adams, Audie Blaylock and others.  We also talk about Chris' time as a music store owner and instrument repairman.

This week we feature 93-year-old bluegrass, folk and country music legend Bill Clifton.  Bill has had an amazing career in bluegrass music both in the United States and Europe.  We talk with Bill about his career in bluegrass and also about his friendships with such music legends as A.P. Carter and Woody Guthrie.  This one runs longer than most of our podcasts, but with Bill having such a long career, we went ahead and let this one run long.

This week we feature Del McCoury's brother, bass and guitar player Jerry McCoury.  In addition to spending time performing and recording with Del, Jerry has played music with a impressive list of other bluegrass greats—including Red Allen and Reno & Smiley.   We talk with Jerry about his time performing with those bands and more.

This week we feature mandolin master Ronnie McCoury and talk with him about his many years playing with his father Del and his work with The Travelin' McCourys. We'll also talk about his mandolin heroes, his many IBMA awards, and the latest Del McCoury Band project.

This week we feature Dan Tyminski  and talk to him about his new live album and the Dan Tyminski Band.  We will also talk to Dan about how he got started in bluegrass and his years with the Lonesome River Band and Alison Krauss and Union Station.  You will also hear several cuts from the new record.

This week we feature Rhonda Vincent's banjo player Aaron McDaris.  We'll talk about the various bands that Aaron has played in over the years, his purchase of the "Rocky Top" banjo from Sonny Osborne, the time he has spent in Rhonda's band and his acquisition of the Starvey Creek Bluegrass Festival.

This week we feature fiddle player Randy Lanham.  Randy is the Education Director at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum located in Owensboro, Kentucky.  I'll talk with Randy about his career performing music and we will discuss all of the in-person and online opportunities that he makes available through the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

This week we feature Blue Highway's bass player and lead singer Wayne Taylor.  We talk about Wayne's early years in bluegrass, his 30 years performing and recording with Blue Highway, the newest Blue Highway recording and the Blue Highway festival.

This week we feature banjo player Daniel Grindstaff and talk with him about his newest album Heroes and Friends.  Early in his career Daniel played with several of the first generation bluegrass legends, such as Jim & Jesse and The Osborne Brothers.  He has also been on the road with Marty Raybon and with Marty's brother Tim.  We will talk about his time spent with those bands and will discuss some details about the new album.  You'll also hear some cuts from the album.

This week we feature Darin and Brooke Aldridge.  We talk with them about their careers in bluegrass music, how they met, their recordings, performances and songwriting and their latest album titled Talk of the Town. During the podcast you'll have the chance to hear a few cuts from the album.

This week we feature multi-instrumentalist and singer Keith Little.  We talk with Keith about his long career in bluegrass starting on the west coast playing with Vern and Ray and various other California bands, then working with the Country Gentlemen, going to Nashville to work with Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton and then back out west to work with David Grisman and Peter Rowan. 

This week we feature fiddle player Jim VanCleve.  We talk with Jim about his early days in Florida, his work with bands like Lou Reid and Carolina, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Mountain Heart and the Appalachian Road Show.  We also discuss his mentoring of the young band Indigo Roots, who are featured in our July 2024 issue.

This week we feature guitar and bass player Jed Clark.  In our July 2024 issue we include a story about the Indigo Roots Band.  The core of the band is comprised of the three Kelley siblings.  Jed often plays guitar to make up the fourth member of the band.  We talk with Jed about his early days in Arkansas performing with his brother Harry and the many bands he has performed with in Nashville.

This week we featured guitar player, singer and vocal instructor Dede Wyland.  Dede spent years performing with our July 2024 cover story artist in the band Skyline, but she has had a full career in bluegrass both before and after performing in that band.  She is also a well-known vocal instructor.  We talk with Dede about her career in bluegrass music and her current bands and projects.

This week we feature banjo player, singer and songwriter Alan O'Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band.  We talk with Alan about his early days in North Carolina, his move to Nashville and early experiences there working with James Monroe, his years with the Nashville Bluegrass Band and then we move on to talk about his current musical endeavours.

This week we feature singer, guitar player and bass player Terry Eldredge.  Terry has had a long career in bluegrass and has spent time in bands with a number of our first generation bluegrass heroes.  He was also a founding member of The Sidemen and The Grascals.  He is currently performing with The Farm Hands.  We talk with Terry about the many aspects of his very interesting career in bluegrass music.

This week we feature singer, songwriter, producer and guitar player Jon Randall.  Jon will be best known to bluegrass fans as a member of Emmylou Harris' band and then as a member of the Sam Bush Band.  He is also a very successful songwriter and producer in Nashville and back in 2010 he produced a bluegrass album for our June 2024 cover story artist Dierks Bentley.  

This week we feature mandolin player Jesse Brock.  Jesse is currently a member of Authentic Unlimited and the band has two new albums out.  We talk with Jesse about his career leading up to performing with Authentic Unlimited and you'll have a chance to hear a few tracks from the band's new recordings.