Article author Abby Parks has been a mandolin instructor for many years, utilizing the instrument in solo performances and with the old time band On the Fence. A former leader of an old time music jam, she has...
Do you have a loved one who just picked up the guitar this year? Maybe they've been picking away in their bedroom, strumming their first chords, or their initial efforts suggest they could be the next Jimmy Page...
I'll never forget the first time I attended an old-time fiddle contest. It was the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddler's Convention (TVOTFC), a time-honored tradition in Athens, Alabama, since its founding in 1967. I'd first heard of fiddlers'...
The National Day of Clogging and International Day of Clog Dancing is quickly approaching on August 8, 2025, and with it, celebrations in multiple U.S. states as well as countries around the world. On July 20, 2024, one...
The Southeast transforms into a musical wonderland each fall, and 2025 promises an exceptional season of Americana festivals that showcase the region's rich cultural heritage. As autumn arrives, eleven outstanding events will fill the air with authentic sounds...
With famous outdoor music festivals like Bonnaroo, the Newport Folk Festival, and Lollapalooza just around the corner, it's important to make sure you're prepared for outdoor summer music events. Whether the issue is trying to survive record-breaking hot...
Since its origin in the Appalachian region in the 1940's, bluegrass music, pioneered Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys in Kentucky, became one of the most important American musical genres. Radio, jams at peoples homes and in...
With Halloween just put to rest in its grizzly tomb until next year, you're bound to hear all manner of classic American Christmas songs playing on local radio stations across the U.S. as 2024 comes to a swift...
Do you know when I got my first guitar? It was a gift given to me by my parents when I turned 12, and given how learning the guitar (and multiple other instruments) has impacted my life, I'm...
Ever heard of the Folk Alliance? If you are a folk music buff, dig a little bluegrass, can flatfoot dance as if your life depended on it, or rip up an Irish tune on your fiddle like there's...
