I first became aware of Forrest O’Connor’s prowess on several instruments from seeing his family band, and since that included his dad, galactic-level fiddle master Mark O’Connor, it came as no surprise that Forrest had the goods. Forrest struck up a tuneful relationship with Oregon singer-songwriter Meredith Lane, and in the past year or two, they’ve become a married couple and a duo called Rosine The Band. Rosine, KY is the birthplace of Bill Monroe, and while the new outfit is open-minded in its folky repertoire, their debut single “It Never Ends” really does stake out a nice patch of progressive bluegrass. Forrest plays a ripping guitar solo, while Mark is here too with incendiary fiddle. Also this week, we launch with the formal release of the big Delmore Brothers multi-artist tribute album we’ve been waiting for, featuring in this case Junior Sisk and Don Rigsby. High Fidelity is back with a single. And Amy introduces us to another wonderful married duo called Admiral Radio.

The rise of The Fretliners may cause confusion for some in Nashville, because around here, Taylor Shuck is a talented banjo player from Louisville, KY. Whereas in the Colorado scene, a different Taylor Shuck is a bass player who took the initiatives that led to the formation of his band in Fort Collins, CO just a few years ago. Converted to the fold by the Yonder Mountain String Band and the famous Pizza Tapes bootleg, The Fretliners’ Shuck gathered Dan Andee on fiddle, Tom Knowlton on guitar, and Sam Parks on mandolin, and the sound clicked fast. They won back-to-back band contests at Telluride and RockyGrass in 2023, a rarely achieve accomplishment. More recently they found a way to work with mega-producers T Bone Burnett and Daniel Tashian on their upcoming album When The Kettle Sings, which arrives on Oct. 23. We share their single “Silence Says It All.” Also this week, a selection from the very new covers album from AJ Lee & Blue Summit. I love Amy Alvey’s selection of “Little Sadie” as interpreted by Joanna Wacker. And speaking of covers, we hear a couple of crafty takes on country radio hits from The Churchmen and Jaelee Roberts.

Jake Vaadeland (pronounce it like you would Vaudeville) isn’t hardly or strictly bluegrass, but his throwback sound, look, and show conjures the early 1950s, when bluegrass didn’t have its own name and was just all mixed in with what the radio charts were calling Country & Western. Amy Alvey caught this guy out on the road and suggested him for our Americanafest String Band Throwdown, and his set with his Sturgeon River Boys was masterful. He mixes original songs and classics, sings in a mellifluous big-sky croon, and leads a hot band that’s based around upright bass and banjo. We spin for you his own song “Be Good Stewards,” a narrative drawn from his family history, from his self-titled album of this year. Also in the show, a new Rhonda Vincent album has landed. Downriver Collective released a very bluegrassy single called “The Fool.” And we spotlight the rest of our Throwdown lineup: Sparrow Smith, Nora Jane Struthers, Frank Evans, and the Sentimental Gentlemen.

Last December, old-time indie duo Two Runner became One Runner. No, that’s me making a bad joke. But when fiddler Emilie Rose amicably stepped away from the project, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Paige Anderson carried on with her folk music vision and the band name she’s cultivated. She’s a lifer, having grown up in a family bluegrass band, and the experience shows on her new album Porchlight, a warm and deep album that’s becoming one of my favorites of the year. We offer Anderson’s rocking clawhammer banjo and lovely voice on “Roadrunner.” Also this week, we take our first (non-single) hit off of the emotional new Billy Strings album So Much For Goodbyes. The great duo Mama’s Broke (in the same sonic space as Two Runner) has the new album Reunion, and we’re excited to have it. And songwriter/band leader Jack Vero is new to Nashville, so we share the title track of his new project Midnight Train.

The sudden passing of Dolly Parton, which I covered here in depth, crowded out attention on one of the most significant deaths in bluegrass in years. Pat Enright, the unassuming and humble singer and guitar player for the Nashville Bluegrass Band during its entire run, died on August 19, at the age of 81. The Indiana native’s commanding and bluesy voice brought the spirit of Jimmie Rodgers into modern bluegrass and made for some of the finest harmonies of the 1980s and 90s with banjo player Alan O’Bryant. He was also one of the three Soggy Bottom Boys (with Dan Tyminski and Harley Allen) on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Sadly, Enright won’t be there when the NBB is inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in October. We play a couple of Pat’s best vocal tracks in a block with a couple of Dolly’s great bluegrass moments. Also this week, the premiere of Laurelyn Dossett’s gorgeous new album How Many Moons, a new single from Boston’s Ethan Setiawan, and a cut from Molly Tuttle’s new acoustic remake of her recent pop-leaning album.

Rhiannon Giddens can sing and arrange anything from contemporary country to global groove to opera, but man we love it when she sings unadorned folk music. On her most recent album What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow? she played old-time banjo with fiddler Justin Robinson (they were founding members together of the Carolina Chocolate Drops). But on her upcoming album Hope Is The Thing With Feathers (due Sept. 18 from Nonesuch) she lets her voice twine round the old lyrics of “High On A Mountain” and the new single “Freight Train,” the classic by Elizabeth Cotten. She made the album with her recent touring companion Dirk Powell and we are excited about it. Also this week, Jake Blount releases one of his most exciting and hard-driving sides, with a unique interpretation of “Shady Grove.” Thomas Cassell picks with Frank Rische from his new mando/guitar duos album. And Austin roots cats Tony Kamel and Kym Warner really hit one with the original “That Guy.”

Lindsay Lou came to Nashville from Michigan about a decade ago leading her band The Flatbellys, and they were, I would say, bluegrass-plus or bluegrass-adjacent. With a voice as supple as hers, she feels free to go in a lot of folk and Americana directions. But there’s nothing fuzzy about the point of her new album Lindsay Lou Presents Bluegrass Women. This, folks, is one of the year’s biggest releases, because of the caliber of repertoire (all women writers) and musicianship (all women), with LL’s gorgeous pipes leading the way. It’s a snapshot of where bluegrass music is today, with a rich array of guests. On its release weekend we featured the Hazel Dickens classic “Won’t You Come And Sing For Me” with Tatiana Hargreaves, Phoebe Hunt, Maddie Witler, Alison Brown, and Hasee Ciaccio. We look ahead with songs from upcoming albums by JP Harris and Mountain Grass Unit. I love the new instrumental from Colorado flatpicker Alex Graff. And we have a set of music curated by Amy Alvey, inspired by her recent sojourn in Milwaukee, WI. So naturally we’ve got Jimmy Martin singing “Milwaukee Here I Come.”

Kenny Feinstein is a character, and you’d better be when your business is making bluegrass and trad music in Los Angeles. For twenty years now, he’s led the band Water Tower, building a scene, playing live, and kicking out albums and bootlegs. He brings street energy and DIY ethos to roots. We mark here the release of his latest, an album under his own name called Lonesome LA Cowboy. The title track is a Peter Rowan country-rock cover, but other tracks, including the week’s “Richmond Prison” merge the old vine mountain sound with his unique cityscape. The personnel is top-tier, including Carter and Jason Eddy, Ron Stewart and the killer singer Michael Daves. This one scratches a lot of itches. Also this week, a new album from Louisiana master Dirk Powell, Colorado hippie grassers Slay And Stinson, an advance single from Matt Combs, and a new song from Asheville’s The Wilder Flower.

I was recently thinking how what this show needed was a fiddle player who could jam while skiing black diamond slopes in Colorado, and how about that? Amy Alvey introduced me to the music of just such a guy, Andy Reiner, who makes his show debut this week. “I’ll tell you what. Andy is a big reason I got into old-time music,” Amy says in this hour. “He was a senior when I was a freshman at Berklee, and he was just so welcoming to somebody like me who had never played fiddle tunes.” Reiner plays in several bands and teaches extensively. The tune Amy selected is from his album of originals called Tunes For Time Travel. Also this hour, new music from two different sisters bands – Burnett and Sullivan, as well as a hot new single from Michigan’s Full Cord, where they’re joined in their jam by a certain Billy Strings. Historic tracks come from Hot Rize and the Lynn Morris Band.

Years ago, one of my most trusted music hound recommendation friends urged me to check out a Canadian folk duo called the Small Glories, and when I did, I was blown away, especially in live performance and especially by the bold charm of singer Cara Luft. Alas the Glories have gone on to glory as a band, but Cara, a veteran of the great and legendary Wailin’ Jennys, is out with My Heart Will Always Be, her first solo album in 13 years. Some of it’s more rhythmic and Americana feeling, but we’re happy to share the clawhammer-driven title track. The album’s been available in physical formats and download sale only, but it will soon be streaming. Also this week, the exciting first single from Linday Lou’s upcoming all-star album Bluegrass Women, a new instrumental from Alan Bibey inspired by his late mentor Herschel Sizemore, a new album from Ashby Frank, and a naturalistic new single by Michael Prewitt.