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In a time when bluegrass is surging with young talent and mainstream dreams, Danny Burns and Shelby Means offer two profiles in making the string band business work in 2025. Burns is an Irish immigrant who brought his trad training and hearty work ethic from his native County Donegal. Even before releasing North Country in 2018, he’d made a name and reputation among roots music elites, and he shows his flair for cover songs on the new Southern Sky. Shelby Means played bass for Della Mae during their breakout years and became stylishly famous working with Molly Tuttle’s Golden Highway Band. When that came to an end this year, she had her debut solo album ready to go.

San Francisco blues rockers Wreckless Strangers, blues artist Ryan Lee Crosby, and country/western swing artist Stefanie Clark Harris.

Adam Esrick), hot Telecaster country picker Tyler-James Kelly, and veteran country rocker Sonia Leigh.

East Nash Grass, born at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in East Nashville, is one of the primary reasons we created The Old Fashioned three and a half years ago. We’ve seen them through two album releases now, including their third LP, All God’s Children, now out from Mountain Fever Records. They’ve made some subtle shifts since Last Chance To Win came out in 2023. Jeff Partin replaced Jeff Picker on bass, and dobro master Gaven Largent, while playing on the new one, is now more of a sometime member. But the core remains: James Kee on guitar, Cory Walker on banjo, and Maddie Denton on fiddle. We fire up Show #170 with two songs – the title track and the Harry Clark-led road song “Hill Country Highway.” Keep it between the ditches, friends. The other new album release this week worth your notice is Joseph Decosimo’s Fiery Gizzard, a mesmerizing collection of deftly enhanced banjo instrumentals. Also here, new songs from Danny Burns, Conrad Fisher, the Tennessee Bluegrass Band, and Becky Buller.

Meredith Moon isn’t new to folk music or to America, but she’ll be meeting a lot of American fans for the first time through her debut on Compass Records, From Here To The Sea, which arrived during AmericanaFest, where she showcased and played at our String Band Throwdown. Here, however, we build up to that release with her take on “Soldier’s Joy” from her prior album Constellations of 2022. Moon, an Ontario native, started her musical life in punk and grunge but turned to performing and recording folk music 10 years ago, building her name in the Toronto scene and developing into a lovely singer and banjo player. “Banjo’s sort of where I can put my energy and half lose my mind on stage, and it’s really fun,” she told me at Americanafest. But guitar and piano are my home instruments.” Also bringing the old tunes, Tony Trischka offers “Little Liza Jane.” Nicholas Edward Williams of Chattanooga makes his first appearance on the show.

This week on Finally Friday we have Australian songwriter Josh Rennie-Hynes, high-concept blues band Coyote Motel, and breakout Voice alum Madison Hughes(Pictured).

This week we'll feature Georgia-raised blues picker Andy Kahrs, drummer and jazzy composers John McTigue II, and Nashville's roots rocking icon Tommy Womack (pictured).

South Carolina guitar wizard and powerhouse singer Marcus King has come through the valley of shadows, breaking self-destructive habits and arriving at a place of contentment and love on his latest album Darling Blue. In a career-spanning conversation, King talks about his unique path to finding his voice on the guitar, his collaborations with a series of very different world-class producers, and his place in the shifting ecosystems of jam band and Americana music.

Three great artists are lined up lighten your load and leaven your lunch hour. You'll hear and see the "unique muse" of Canadian artist Callie McCullough, versatile musician and producer Michael Dinallo (pictured), and acclaimed picker and country singer Pete Denahy.

We feature Nashville lifer and new author Paul Burch with his classic WPA Ballclub, plus torchy songwriter Kashena Sampson, and the Music City Youth Allstars blues band.