One of the more humorous developing attitudes of newer bluegrass acts is that they don’t like applying the label “bluegrass”. Though their instrumentation, song selection, and style all point to an existing form. The trend seems to be that up-and-comings feel marginalized by being cornered into accepting the label. In certain ways I understand this fear. Donning the title of a “bluegrass” band makes its musicians pressured into accepting a certain catalogue of songs and a limiting context in which they can expand and improvise their instrumentals.

All genres of music must evolve – Electronic music evolved into house music – Rhythm and blues became rock-n-roll – And now bluegrass, one of the oldest and most revered genres of Americana music, has transitioned into a new era many are calling “newgrass”.  With artists such as Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Rumpke Mountain Boys and

Today the just-launched CMT Edge premiers The Infamous Stringdusters’ new video of “The Place That I Call Home” - a track from the band’s soon-to-be-released Silver Sky-Deluxe Edition. Check it out here.

The 2012 installment of The Festy Experience, the annual gathering in Nelson County, Virginia hosted by The Infamous Stringdusters and produced by Cereberus Productions and the Artist Farm, takes place October 5-7, 2012. With the 3rd annual event, The Festy continues to carve a unique and growing nic

In case there was any confusion regarding Yonder Mountain String Band’s capacity for throwing down an amazing show that everybody can enjoy, the band brought out three little girls on stage during a cover of Danny Barnes’ “Funtime” who danced and whipped their hair with more fervor than Willow Smith herself.

Progressive, groundbreaking bluegrass quintet, The Infamous Stringdusters have announced dates for their anticipated fall tour, in support of their self-released, fourth studio album, Silver Sky (High Country Recordings). Paste Magazine praised the album, saying,  "Though known for their raucous live performances, the band’s collective energy comes through in a big way on the new LP, particularly on the lead track, “Don’t Mean Nothin’”.

There were bigger, more well-known happenings this past weekend. So what was I doing in the middle of a pasture, in a 1975 Apache Mesa, covering the Grey Fox Music Festival? I was going through initiation. You see, this isn’t a festival. It’s a family; a tight knit group of Northeastern hippies, strict grass fans, old party hounds, their new-picking offspring and countless other factions who are represented in this family-friendly, hard partying, yet responsibly sustaining event.

The RockyGrass bluegrass festival in Lyons may be sold-out, but KGNU radio has once again found a way to sneak everyone inside. Since 2008, the local community radio station has been broadcasting live backstage from the festival during their popular Saturday Old Grass Gnu Grass program. Last year they doubled the coverage and added a second day of broadcasting on Sunday morning.

Railroad Earth’s Hangtown Halloween Ball is thrilled to announce the first wave of artists for the 2012 festival, set to take place in Placerville, CA on October 26th-28th at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds.

If you are into small crowds for big acts, organic and local cuisine, comfortable camping and world-class bluegrass, old time roots and dance music, then read on about the Grey Fox Festival in Oak Hill, NY from July 19-22. For the 36th year, one of USA Today’s “top places to see bluegrass” returns to the comfortable confines of the Catskills with a Who’s Who of Bluegrass on the line-up.