I might have featured The SteelDrivers this week, who just released their latest album Outrun on the revived Sun Records label, and we do kick things off with thier new song "The River Knows." However, I published a whole episode of The String with Tammy Rogers and Mike Fleming going over their whole history, so find that here. Instead, let's shine the bluegrass spotlight on Tim O'Brien and his wife Jan Fabricius, who've released their first jointly named album together after recording and touring as a harmonizing couple for about a decade. Tim, who turned 71 this spring, is of course a main driver in the rise of Colorado as a bluegrass hub. His band Hot Rize was the most exciting act of the 1980s, and Tim's solo career has been standout for his wonderful singing, his smart collaborations, and his songwriting. Tim and Jan present Paper Flowers, and we have the title cut. More new album action comes from Missy Raines & Allegheny, mandolinist Ashleigh Graham, and Corrina Rose Logston Stephens of the band High Fidelity in a new project she calls Rrinaco. Our throwback cuts this week come from the New Kentucky Colonels, Rhonda Vincent, and the Del McCoury Band.
Norman Blake - Arkansas Traveler
The Steeldrivers - The River Knows
Missy Raines & Allegheny - Cold Wind
Del McCoury Band - What Made Milwaukee Famous
Viv & Riley - Flashing Lights
Tim O'Brien and Jan Fabricius - Paper Flowers
Sami Braman - Honeycut
Rhonda Vincent - When I Close My Eyes
Greenwood Rye - Southern Pines
Tall Poppy String Band - The Coo Coo
Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass - Bluegrass State of Mind
Rrinaco - Get Along Somehow
John Reischman - Sugar in the Gourd
Ashleigh Graham - Fiddle And Bow
Larry & Joe - Ya Volvere A La Sierra Blue Ridge
The New Kentucky Colonels - Rawhide
Carson Peters and Iron Mountain - Used To Be
