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It’s been a long wait since the award-winning band Sister Sadie negotiated big lineup changes and worked up their newest album No Fear. But never fear. It’s here, as of January 26, and we jumped on it by opening TOF #92 with the single “Cannonball,” a song that its lead vocalist and cowriter Dani Flowers says is about “falling in love and being hopeful that person you’re falling for will be careful with your heart.” Dani and bass player Maddie Dalton are newest to the project. Jaelee Roberts who we’ve played here a lot thanks to her fine solo album, has been on board for some time. Fiddler Deanie Richardson and banjo player Gina Britt are co-founders. We won’t be surprised if this new quintet wins more IBMA prizes. Otherwise, we’ve got new music from Armchair Boogie, The Price Sisters, Thomas Cassell, and Missy Raines. The Lilly Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs bring the vintage wine.

Featuring Matt Axton, Phillip Lammonds & Alex Jordan

Featuring The Empty Pockets, Meg Gehman & Darrin Bradbury

There are countless reasons to pay homage to the legacy of country music and almost as many different ways to do so. Canadian artist Bahamas and Nashville’s Kelsey Waldon are doing just that in their own ways with recent projects. At a time when country traditions are strong across the Americana landscape, Bootcut by Bahamas and There’s Always A Song by Waldon demonstrate the power of devotion to a craft on one hand and celebration of heroes on the other.

April is big for weddings, and we’re seeing quite a lot of pairing up out there in bluegrass land, maybe not forever but for special projects that are making the Spring a lot more tuneful. We open this week for example with one of Tony Trischka’s recent collaborations on his upcoming Earl Scruggs tribute album. Here he brings on Molly Tuttle for a sweet version of the old moonshining song “Dooley.” Pictured here are Alison Brown and her friend Steve Martin, a man who’s made me laugh for fifty years but whose banjo skills are quite serious. Their release is a tribute to folks like us who DJ the BG, called “Bluegrass Radio.” Another pair with some hot blue music is Junior Sisk joined by Dan Tyminksi for “A Man Like Me.” Also this week, a new instrumental group called EZRA, a show premiere from Nashville's Jack McKeon, and a new single from the Wood Box Heroes.

Featuring Pi Jacobs, Chris Smither & Mustangs Of The West

For a duo called the Secret Sisters, Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle let their relationship hang right out there on stage. At a packed late April show at Nashville’s Basement East, amid masterful renditions of their new and familiar songs for a spellbound audience, the sisters niggled each other, rolled their eyes, and came off at times like siblings who’d maybe been cooped up together in a van too long. And at the same time, this banter, which gets laughs, is an endearing part of their show and their relationship with their fans. On record and in performance, the Secret Sisters have been all about harmony since launching on their rollercoaster ride in the music business around 2010. But in Episode 283 of the String, we get into the unique challenges and blessings of sharing everything with each other and the audience, year in and year out.

Featuring Thomas Csorba, Michael Lawson & Willy Tea Taylor

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes has emerged as one of the top all-around creators of her generation in bluegrass music. Raised in Charlottesville, VA, she studied in the American Roots program at Berklee College of Music and then stayed on in Boston where she became part of the dynamic band Mile Twelve. She released a solo debut album in 2020 and broke through as the top IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year for 2021 and 22. And During those years she launched her run with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, where she blazes as a soloist. So we’re thrilled to play her new single “Can’t Live Without Love.” Also this hour, the innovative southwestern string band Lone Pinion, a new one from the Blue Ridge Girls with Martha Spencer, and a ballad I love from the Wood Box Heroes. Among much more.

For twenty years, Duluth, MN troubadour Charlie Parr has been touring every corner of the nation, sleeping in his van and living lean, to bring his unique take on the country blues to the people. Reserved, cerebral and devoted entirely to his own vision, he’s one of our finest folk artists and a lyricist well worthy of a certain other Minnesota songwriter who so famously blended poetry and the blues. He took a new tack with his latest album on Smithsonian Folkways, tapping producer Tucker Martine and his studio friends for a contemplative and immersive album of ruminations, pictorials, and stories. For someone who’s not comfortable in interviews, he spent a convivial hour at my studio and left behind a remarkable conversation.