Almost three years ago I profiled the young guitarist Luke Black as part of a package about the up and coming flatpickers in bluegrass. He was a student at Berklee College of Music and he'd recently started a progressive band called Mountain Grass Unit based in Birmingham, AL. They were still getting their act and sound together, but the idea - Tony Rice in Colorado was how I took it - felt strong. Well they've been crushing it since then, honing their thing and getting ready for their moment. At least two of them arrived this year - when they played the Ryman Bluegrass series - and when they played the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in June and left fans and journalists raving about what they'd seen. We play a cut from their 2024 EP Runnin' From Trouble. We're excited to hear more. Amy and I also spin a few artists who played Telluride this year, including Chris Thile, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and band contest winners Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light. Also this week, new songs from Rick Faris, Sister Sadie, and Darren Nicholson.
Chris Thile - Road To Wrigley
Mountain Grass Unit - Lonesome Dove
Alison Krauss - Every Time You Say Goodbye
Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light - Bygone Times
Jackson Emmer - When A Soul Travels On
Aaron Jonah Lewis and Thomas Bailey - Ruth's Rag
Slocan Ramblers - Streetcar Lullalby
Spitzer Space Telescope - Field of Men
The Horsenecks - Melvin Wine's Uncle Pen
Sister Sadie - All Will Be Well
Interstate Express - Way Down The Old Plank Road
Uncle Dave Macon - Death Of John Henry
Rick Faris - You Don't Know What You're Missing
Darren Nicholson - I've Got No Tears Left To Cry
Sam Amidon - As I Roved Out
Burnett Sisters Band - Song of the Mountains
