Lee Zimmerman

For Utah-based instrumentalist, it's the music that really matters.

on Jalopy Records represents a super session of sorts shared by two artists with impeccable credentials. A vocalist, banjo player, and guitarist, Brown is a “lifer” as far as her musical commitment is concerned. She began engaging with music at the age of six and now focuses on a traditional template, especially centered on Southern Appalachian melodies featuring banjo and guitar. She’s performed at numerous festivals throughout the US and Europe, been a featured guest on several national radio programs, reaped remarkable sales for her three previous albums, and garnered extensive praise from any number of prestigious pundits, all in addition to winning a number of major middle competitions along the way.

There’s something special about holiday traditions, one that all but demands a certain reverence. Nevertheless, when a clever and creative twist is applied to cherished memories, well, suffice it to say, they can bring a certain levity to the situation as well.

Jeff Barbra and Sarah Pirkle could be considered a musical institution in East Tennessee. Entertainers, educators and archivists, they make it their mission to preserve and present sounds of Appalachian

Seasonal films and traditional festivities seem to go hand in hand, especially around the holidays. They sum up the sentiments that are often shared at this time of year, as

Having originated in the south of France, specifically in the Nîmes region located between the Mediterranean and the Cévennes Mountains, the group that refers to itself as New Blue Quitach has become one of their country’s foremost bluegrass bands. As such, the musicians pride themselves on striking a balance between a traditional template and a modern motif. They put an emphasis on four-part harmonies, but integrate other disparate elements as well, including Irish melodies and hints of rock and blues. In the process, they offer unique adaptations of songs spawned from their native environs.

Byron Hill can claim an impressive backstory. His songs have graced no fewer than 100 gold and platinum albums and singles, earning him ten ASCAP awards and 36 US and Canadian top-ten hits, as well as hits in many international markets. No fewer than eighteen members of the Country Music Hall of Fame have recorded his songs.

While commercialism may seem unavoidable this particular time of year, there’s one East Tennessee tradition that reflects the true spirit that the holidays originally entailed. It has to do with

Maryville natives Laurel Wright and Wes Lunsford, otherwise known as The Young Fables, could be considered one of East Tennessee’s most notable musical exports. Drawing their early inspiration from the

At first, any attempt to turn Bob Seger’s classic catalog into some sort of bluegrass bedfellows might seem somewhat misguided at best. After all, the two are certainly distant cousins. Never mind the fact that the transition worked well when it came to a pair of albums that successfully redefined the music of the Moody Blues within that template, or that Seger himself was a heartland hero with confirmed road warrior status. His singular style suggests that Silver Bullet Bluegrass might be nothing more than an idle attempt at compromise which any proud purist would dare not pursue.