Advertise on podcast: Bluegrass Jam Along

My guest on this episode is Bryan Sutton. We're talking about Bryan's new project From Roots to Branches, the follow up to his 2006 album Not Too Far From the Tree, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The new album features a series of duets with musicians from the wold of bluegrass and beyond, plus a couple of unreleased tunes he recorded with Doc Watson and Tony Rice. We chat about the original idea behind Not Too Far.... and how the new project differs; who Bryan chose to record with this time (including Billy Strings, Chris Eldridge, Sierra Hull, Trey Hensley, Joe Bonamassa and more); why he's choosing to release it as a series of tracks over several months, before putting the full album out, and how it feels to have gone from recording with his heroes to taking on the mentor role for the next generation of flatpickers. You'll find all the tracks released so far on Spotify, Tidal and all other streaming platforms.  There's a great video for The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap  on YouTube. You can get bluegrass guitar lessons from Bryan Sutton on ArtistWorks (I can highly recommend them). Oh, and Bryan wrote and recorded the cool theme tune you'll hear on this episode too! Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

In this bonus episode we're celebrating Tony Rice's best loved albums....as voted for by you! I put out a poll over my social channels as well as some popular Facebook groups and subreddits and collated all the responses. The rules were simple - just pick one album each for these 3 categories: 1. Tony Rice/Tony Rice Unit album 2. Album where Tony’s named as one of the artists (e.g. Blake & Rice/ Skaggs & Rice/Tone Poems) 3. Any album Tony plays on but isn’t named as an artist (e.g. DGQ, Bluegrass Album Band, JD’s 0044….or anything else) I had over 400 votes in total. In this short episode I reveal what won in each category, what the most popular album was overall and also what pickers like Chris Thile and Trey Hensley chose as their favourites! Check out the full list  You'll find links to previous podcast episodes celebrating Tony Rice on bluegrassjamalong.com Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Thomm Jutz. We're talking about Thomm's fascinating new project Ring-a-Bellin', an 18 track album and, for those wanting to dive even deeper into the process behind this new release, a beautiful, hardback Ring-A-Bellin’ companion book, which includes the stories and inspiration behind each song.  Thomm talks about the idea behind the record; his unique approach to music, creativity, and life; how imagery, psychology, and tradition inform his work and the importance of process, authenticity, and staying true to your artistic journey. In this episode Thomm explains:  The concept behind his album, and the companion book of artwork and essaysThe influence of analytical psychology, alchemy, and symbolism on his songwritingHis love of of organic, live recording techniques versus layered, processed musicHis thoughts on the role of tradition in American and Irish folk music, and the importance of maintaining a connection to old instruments and stylesWhy he sees song creation as an alchemical journey from chaos to clarityHis views on technology, AI, and their impact on the authenticity of musicHow time and place influence his songwritingThe parallels between craft, process, and the deeper spiritual aspects of musical creationAbout Thomm Thomm Jutz is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist, and media composer and veteran of the American Roots Music scene, with over 25 years' of experience in the industry. His latest project, Ring-a-Bellin' combines an 18-song album with a beautifully illustrated companion book, providing a multi-dimensional experience that captures the essence of his artistic process and journey. Recent work includes Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry (2023, with Martin Simpson), a transatlantic exploration of the women who contributed to Cecil Sharp’s folk song collection, featuring Sierra Hull, Odessa Settles, Angeline Morrison, and Tim O’Brien. Resources & Links Thomm's Website Instagram Facebook Thomm Jutz and Martin Simpson discuss Nothing But Green Willow on Bluegrass Jam Along Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Alex Graf and we're talking all things Manzanita. Alex made the shift from a more jazz based background to flatpicking a few years ago and Tony Rice's Manzanita became one of the absolute cornerstone records for him on that journey. We talk about why it became so important, what Alex learned from Tony's playing on the record and why he still finds something new in it every time he listens. You'll hear about: How Tony's jazz influences shaped his approach to guitarThe importance of musical conversation between band members on ManzanitaThe myths and legends that surround Tony's albumsHow Tony Rice's approach to chord voicings was inspired by jazz piano legend Bill EvansHow reinterpreting melody, rather than just blowing through the changes, keeps music freshand much more. To find out more about Alex, including his great teaching resource Alex's Acoustic Club, head to alexgrafmusic.com For news, updates and great free content on improving your playing, check out Alex's Instagram and YouTube Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly 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 Brad Kolodner interviewBill Nowlin interview Releases (The Grass is New) Del McCoury Band with Peter Rowan & David Grisman Michael Daves & Jacob JolliffTony Trischka Earl Jam 2Blue Highway - Live at ETSU! A 30-Year Retrospective (preorder)Jesse Apppelman Other bits Thomm Jutz/Martin Simpson interviewFull list of interviewsCollings Guitars Happy picking. Matt Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Bill Nowlin, co-founder of Rounder Records. Bill joins me to talk about Rounder's extraordinary 50 year legacy as one of the most important, influential and best loved independent labels in American roots music. We chat about how Rounder started, after Bill was randomly assigned  Ken Irwin as his college roommate, and how, along with Marian Leighton Levy, they grew Rounder from a small enterprise releasing a couple of records a year into a successful label, responsible for the career of one of the most awarded artists in the history of the Grammys.  Bill shares how they discovered Alison Krauss, via a demo tape she wasn't even the lead vocalist on, and subsequently signed her when she was just a teenager. We talk about how Alison's success, along with that of other artists like George Thorogood, helped Rounder establish themselves and how Rounder managed to position themselves at the forefront of industry developments, including releasing the first ever bluegrass CD. We also chat about some of the iconic records Rounder put out over the years, from artists like JD Crowe, Norman Blake, Tony Rice, Tony Trischka and Alison Krauss, and how the founders eventually decided to sell Rounder. That led to a new label, Down the Road Records which, in a lovely full circle moment, put out Alison Krauss and Union Station's return to bluegrass 'Arcadia' in 2025. This was a fascinating conversation about a fascinating legacy. If you want to hear more about Rounder's history, I can highly recommend Bill's book Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records and David Menconi's Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest on the podcast this week is Brad Kolodner. Brad is a fantastic clawhammer banjo player. As well as his solo records - 'Chimney Swifts' and the recent album of solo gourd banjo tunes 'Old Growth' - Brad also plays with the band Charm City Junction, as a duet with fiddler George Jackson and with his father, Ken, as part of Ken & Brad Kolodner. He's also an award-winning radio broadcaster for Folk Alley and Bluegrass Country Radio, jam leader, festival organiser, community builder and ambassador for old-time and bluegrass music, as well as serving on the board of the IBMA. We chat about Brad's route into old-time music - which took longer than you might think, given his upbringing - as well as his love of gourd banjos, the different projects he's involved with and why community and connection is so important as a musician. Check out bradkolodner.com for more info. The tracks played in the show are: Chimney Swifts - Brad Kolodner (Chimney Swifts)Shakin' Down The Acorns - Ken & Brad Kolodner (Stony Run)Red Prarie Dawn - Brad Kolodner (Old Growth)Grigsby's Hornpipe - George Jackson & Brad Kolodner (Shady Lane)Check out Brad's website or Bandcamp page to buy his releases Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is John Wirtz. John, along with his partner Moira, runs Sore Fingers, a UK bluegrass and old time music camp that celebrates it's 30th anniversary this year. John joins me to chat about how the camp started up and how it's grown over the years to play a major role in the UK and European bluegrass scenes. We talk about some of the extraordinary tutors who have travelled across the Atlantic to teach at Sore Fingers over the years and how they've helped thousands of people develop their musical skills, whilst helping to shape a community in the process. 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the first event and this year's courses feature some wonderful tutors, including Tony Trischka, Michael Daves, Jacob Jolliff, Mike Compton, Stephen Mougin and Becky Buller. For more info, visit the Sore Fingers site at www.sorefingers.co.uk Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly 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. Ted Olson interviewDoc Watson 100th Birthday Celebration - part 1 - part 2 News and announcements - church street news  Punch Brothers tour dates Scroll on Buddy Atkin Guitars pallet guitarJude Rogers - The Sound of Being HumanBrittany Haas w/ Paul Kowert & Mike Gaisbacher - Impromptu Sessions Other bits Full list of interviewsCollings Guitars Happy picking. Matt Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Ted Olson, professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University. Ted joins me to celebrate the Rich-R-Tone record label and it's offshoot Folk Star. Rich-R-Tone was founded in 1946 by James Hobart Stanton who, in Ted's words, "was probably single-handedly the most important documentarian of Appalachian music." Ted has extensively researched Stanton and the Rich_R-Tone label for a project he co-produced for Bear Family Records - The Rich-R-Tone/Folk Star Story: Appalachia On Record, 1946-1954. Featuring 317 expertly remastered recordings spread over 12 CDs and including a 144-page hardcover book, this set, produced by Ted Olson, Matteo Ringressi, and Richard Weize, features newly researched liner notes and a complete discography. Many of these recordings are incredibly rare and are taken from 78 rpm discs held in private collections. We talk about Stanton's background in jukebox repair and distribution and how that helped shape his vision for the label; why both place and time are so vital in this particular story; the importance of Rich-R-Tone being a label based in Appalachia, rather than being a major label coming to the region just to record local talent and how Stanton played an important role in The Stanley Brothers' career. It's a fascinating story and one I knew very little about before my conversation with Ted, who was a pleasure to chat with as always. During the conversation  we play excerpts of three tracks from the box set. You'll hear (in order): The Stanley Brothers - Molly and TenbrooksWilma Lee Cooper - The Tramp on the StreetThe Caudill Family - Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body DownFor more info on the box set visit Bear Family Records To hear my previous interviews with Ted, check out the two episodes below: The Bristol Sessions and BeyondDoc Watson's 100th Birthday Celebration (featuring Happy Traum, John McEuen from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, T. Michael Coleman, Jack Lawrence, Lindsay Craven of MerleFest and Ted Olson) Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest on this week's Bitesize episode is Sara Watkins, who joins me to talk about I'm With Her's Grammy winning album 'Wild and Clear and Blue'. It's an album I really love (and a conversation I loved too) and I wanted to put something out to celebrate not only the Grammy win, but also the Grammy they won for the opening track 'Ancient Light'. Sara talks about the process behind writing the record, which began to take shape shortly after the pandemic, why collaboration was so important and the central themes that emerged during the process. We also talk about community and connection in music and how the line between audience and stage is a little thinner in folk music than for some other formats. This comes from a longer conversation we had in 2025. You'll find the full interview with Sara here. Sara also mentions an interview I did with her bandmate Sarah Jarosz, about her album 'Blue Heron Suite'. For more info on I’m With Her, including upcoming tour dates and to buy I’m With Her vinyl, CDs and merch, visit imwithherband.com For regular updates follow Sara on Instagram and Facebook Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly 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  Chris Thile’s AcousticampTony Trischka’s New York Banjo NightBruce and Darol’s Great Big Fiddle HangSore FingersRockygrass Releases (The Grass is New) Bryan Sutton/Billy Strings videoAlasdair Fraser & Natalie HaasTony Trischka Earl Jam 2 (preorder)Della Mae Scroll on Buddy Willie Nelson (preorder) Other bits Full list of interviewsCollings Guitars Happy picking. Matt Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is sound engineer Dave Sinko, who returns to chat about The David Grisman Quintet. We've talked about that record a lot on the podcast, but this is less about the story behind the album and more about how it influenced Dave and informed the way he approaches recording. In his words 'it changed my life.' We chat about his subsequent work with members of the DGQ, including Grisman himself, and recording Tony Rice for a project with Alison Brown. We also discuss how that first DGQ record set the standard for what acoustic instruments could and should sound like, the contributions Bill Wolf and Bob Shumaker made to recording acoustic music and how Dave approaches miking instruments, based on what he learned from the first DGQ album, including on Chris Thile's latest Bach album, an extraordinary and challenging project to work on. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Tony Trischka, who returns to chat about the New York bluegrass scene in the early 1970s. New York and the surrounding area played a huge role in the development of bluegrass and in the genesis of what would become known as New Acoustic music. Tony talks about the early days of his career, including the bands Country Cooking and Breakfast Special and the overlap between that scene and the birth of Rounder Records. We also chat about some of the musicians who came out of the New York scene in the 1960s and 70s, including David Grisman, Andy Statman, Stacy Phillips, Russ Barenberg and Bela Fleck, and how those players began to collaborate with the musicians emerging from the San Francisco Bay Area and Nashville scenes. Tony also talks about his early solo albums, including Banjoland, Hill Country and (a personal favourite of mine) A Robot Plane Flies over Arkansas. It was, as always, a treat chatting with Tony. I hope you enjoy this one. If you missed the David Grisman Quintet episodes we mention, you'll find them here: Part 1 (Darol & Mike) - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/celebrating-50-years-of-the-david-grisman-quintet-part/id1556697198?i=1000711133817 Part 2 (Todd) - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/celebrating-50-years-of-the-david-grisman-quintet-part/id1556697198?i=1000712407689 Part 3 (David) - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/celebrating-50-years-of-the-david-grisman-quintet-part/id1556697198?i=1000713402530 Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Kristina R. Gaddy, who returns to chat about her new book, a collaboration with Rhiannon Giddens, called Go Back and Fetch It: Recovering Early Black Music in the Americas for Fiddle and Banjo. The book picks up on the research Kristina did for her previous book Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History (you can hear our conversation about that here). Crucially though, this volume doesn't just present a series of tunes as research pieces, it includes both banjo transcriptions and standard music notation, so people can play the music and give it a place in the current repertoire. We talk about why so little music was collected from black people in the Americas (fewer than 10 songs before 1861 were collected in the United States that we definitely know are from Black musicians); why these tunes were collected and how; how the way they were collected (and who did the collecting) shaped what was gathered and much more. As always, it was fascinating talking to Kristina. You can find out more about Go Back and Fetch It (and buy the book) via the University of North Carolina Press. For more on Kristina and updates on her research, follow her on Instagram and Substack Support the show === Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!) Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins - Sign up to get updates on new episodes - Free fiddle tune chord sheets - Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews - Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates: InstagramFacebook- Review us on Apple Podcasts