Preserving The Tradition of Bluegrass Into The Future

They began gathering under a water tower in Portland, Oregon, high school kids who were into punk. Twenty years later, after busking bluegrass at freeway off-ramps, overcoming addiction, and navigating Los Angeles' vibrant music scene, the band Water Tower is connecting with audiences of all ages through electrifying performances.   Last summer, the band played the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It became the first bluegrass band to play the Vans Warped Tour, one of the larges

High River has always been comprised of a group of friends who get together to play bluegrass music. The band got its beginning in 2022 when the Campbellton Bluegrass Festival in New Brunswick, southeastern Canada, needed a band to fill a last-minute spot. “I made a few calls to some jamming buddies, and just like that — High River was born,” says Jason Guimond, who plays banjo and vocals for the band. The ad hoc band sounded great, and they were well received by the audience

There's something deeply satisfying about a life that turns craft into a calling. For songwriter Rick Lang, that's precisely how faith found its shape—through wood, words, and work. Fulfilling a 52-year career in the hardwood lumber business, Lang has spent decades refining two trades that require equal measures of patience and reverence. Whether he's carefully planning Curly Hard Maple or shaping melody, the goal is the same: make something solid, true, and lasting.   Lang d

The monumental Hillberry Bluegrass festival recently reached a milestone decade year, offering a five-day bluegrass festival at The Farm, just a few miles outside of historic Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Each year's atmosphere creates a unique persona of welcome, relaxation, and the indulgent appreciation of a grassroots movement that has been entertaining audiences for years. 'Happy Hillberry' was uttered on multiple occasions. It was almost as if this five-day bluegrass festiv

It’s late in Oak City, Utah, and Jake Workman’s house is quiet. His kids are asleep. The room hums faintly from the last ring of an open-G chord. Guitars lean against the wall, their finish dulled by fingerprints and years of work. Workman is still at it — six, sometimes eight hours a day — chasing sound, chasing feel, chasing that invisible thing that makes one note matter more than another.   “Oh, thank you,” he says when told his playing “Rawhide” with Ricky Skaggs in a Yo

Appalachia isn’t just a landscape of rolling mountains and deep traditions — it’s also home to a small but vibrant network of creameries and dairies producing high-quality, locally made cheeses. While large-scale dairying dominates much of the country, these artisan operations keep alive a tradition of farmstead cheesemaking tied to their land, animals, and communities. From goat milk yogurt to aged cow’s milk cheeses, the region’s creameries demonstrate a commitment to craft