Bluegrass Briefing - May 2026

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.

Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.

Podcast news

• Recent interview episodes
  • Apple
  • Spotify

News and Announcements (Church Street News)

• Todd Phillips fundraiser
• North Carolina Guitar Celebration
• Craft Recordings Tony Rice reissue

Releases (The Grass is New)

• Punch Brothers - New Bike video
• Jarrod Walker - Nighthawk
• I'm With Her - Sing Me Alive

Scroll on Buddy

• Sierra Hull Movements videos
  • Movement 1
  • Movement 2

Transcript

Matt 0:27

And this is Matt, and you listen to Bluegrass gem along the podcast for anyone and everyone who loves bluegrass. Hey everybody, welcome back to Bluegrass Jamalong. This is your Bluegrass briefing for May of 2026. And podcast news. So there's been a few really cool episodes up recently. Last week, there were three episodes I recorded down at Sawfingers over here in the UK. One episode with Michael Dave was all about the fantastic record he's playing out with Jacob Jolliffe as a tribute to Jim and Jesse. One interview with Tony Trishka about volume two of El Jam and a kind of multi-guest episode all about the experience of Sawfingers, which is a fantastic UK football camp. Had a fantastic time down there. Chant to the tutors, chat to the students, chant to the staff. Go and have a listen to those three episodes. They're all a lot of fun. Also, if you missed it, there's Brian Sutton chatting about From Roots to Branches, which is his new record that's coming out in the summer of duets with people from in and around and beyond the world of Bluegrass. Really fascinating conversation. Always love talking to Brian. Do go and check that one out as well. And I put up a quick episode about a poll I did to find out what everybody's favourite Tony Rice records were, and that was really interesting as well. Just hearing what people's favourite Tony records were, but also records he'd played on, kind of duet things, other things he'd done. Yeah, really interesting, sort of quick but deep dive into Tony Rice's records and who loves what. Do go and check that out as well. They're all uh I'll stick some links in the show notes as well, but they're all on the podcast. Just go to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts, they are all on there. Um wanted to take a quick moment to thank Token Picks who are on board as a sponsor of Bluegrass Jamalong now. Um great to have them with us, really happy. Um check out their fantastic guitar picks used by people like Chris Eldridge. Um, yeah, tokenmate.com, go and have a look. Really good stuff. Um, and yeah, what's coming up next? I've got an interview coming out soon with um Andy Lefwich about his new instrumental album, Ace. Really cool album that is, and a really interesting chat. I hadn't talked to him before, so that was fun. Big fan of his playing. Um, had a really interesting chat with John Reichman about his last record, but also about kind of the time he played in the Tony Rice unit in the 80s around that kind of time at Backwaters, and um, yeah, fascinating conversation. Really interesting time in Tony's career, really interesting time in John's career, and John's you know um got a lot to say about that, so that was good. Uh, lots of amazing stuff coming up on the podcast, actually. I've been through a bit of a patch of lots and lots of interviews, lots of people have said yes to stuff. I've got some really cool stuff coming up. I'm doing doing three this week with some really fantastic people. Um, I won't jinx them by telling you who they are until I've recorded them, but they're coming up soon. Um, so yeah, lots and lots of podcast stuff. So do stick around and listen. Um, all the usual stuff is on the website, you know, link in the show notes to go to bluegrassjamalong.com and find out all you need to know, see what you've missed, see what episodes are at. Um, but that is it. Let's chat about the news and announcements, which is the section we call Church Street News. And first bit is just wanted to send all our best wishes from the podcast and all our guests and listeners out to Billy Strings. Uh Billy broke his leg in a skateboard in accident backstage at one of his own shows and has had to cancel a few dates and is resting up. Uh, look after yourself, Billy. Get well soon. Everybody is gonna be very keen to see you well and out on the road and doing what you do that we all love. So, yeah, all the best to Billy Strings, take care. Um also Todd Phillips, absolute legend of string run music, just has played on so many cool records that I love, that you love, that we all love. Um, Todd has had some health issues, and I saw a thing, Gary Upton of Upton Basses, um, a double bass maker, and uh friend of Todd's, has posted something. Todd is suffering from something called parsonage turner syndrome, which is the type of nerve damage in his shoulder, um, which means it's difficult for him to play. Uh, so he can't do any shows, he can't do any sessions, he can't earn anything. Um, he has a young family, long recovery timeline, and difficulty covering living expenses. Um Gary has set up a GoFundMe page to contribute to Todd's medical and just general expenses. Loads of people have shared this, loads of people have contributed, I've contributed. Um and if you are able to and want to, I'm gonna stick a link to the GoFundMe in the show notes. Um not everybody can afford to contribute, and nobody wants to, but if you can and you do, um it's a really cool thing to donate to, I think. Um I you know, just looking at my shelves as I record this, the amount of records, CDs, music up there that Todd has played on that. I absolutely love uh Todd obviously was on the podcast as well, talking about the Grossman Quintet last year. Um so I'll stick a link in the show notes. Do go and have a look at that um and send in all of our very best out to Todd as well. Um what else? North Carolina Guitar Celebration, hosted as always by Brian Sutton. Uh this one includes Roseanne Cash, John Leventhal, um, Daryl Scott, uh Daniel Kimbra, Cody Kilby, John Doyle, Jake Eddie. I mean like great lineup of people. It's a Brevard Music Centre, North Carolina, on May 30th. Link in the show notes, go and grab your tickets for that. I certainly would if I was anywhere near. Um, what else, what else, what else? Tony Rice, another fantastic Tony Rice reissue from Craft Recordings. They've been doing a killer job. They did Church Street Blues and an amazing sounding backwaters that I got a copy of last week and have been listening to. It just sounds incredible. Um, but Tony's 1977 self-titled record, which features Todd, who we just talked about, um, but also Jerry Douglas, JD Crow's on there, Darren Langer's on there. Um, that is coming back out on 180 gram vinyl. Um, pre-orders are up now. I think it comes out June the 5th. I've actually got a copy now, they sent me one along with the Blackwaters, um, and I've been listening to it and very much enjoying it. But yeah, another Tony Rice. They're doing some great work at Craft Recordings, bringing some of these albums out on Long May They Keep Doing It. Um, new album that is on the way. I've not put it in the grass as new because it's not out yet, but Punch Brothers have announced a new record called Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers, which is out on July the 24th on None Such. It is an entirely instrumental record, and I'm really excited about this. Um, I bumped into Paul Cohort at IBMA in Chattanooga last year. He was playing with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, and he said, Oh yeah, we've we've mostly through this new album. Um, like keep it to yourself, but it's all going to be instrumental because he knows I'm a big fan of the instrumental music. Um, and it is announced and it is out in July, and I cannot wait to hear that. So that's gonna be very exciting as well. So, yeah, that's all your news. Let's move on to The Grass is New, which is the new releases, the music that is out now. The first single from that record is out. It's called Uh New Bike. It's an instrumental track, obviously, and it is fabulous. Go and have a listen. There is it's on all streamers, but there's also a great video of them performing it, so go and have a look at that as well. I'll stick a link in the show notes, it's just on YouTube. But yeah, very cool new track from Punch Brothers. Um, Jared Walker of Billy Strings Band has an album called Night Hawk, which is out on May the 8th, so just a few days after this episode comes out. Uh, so that is coming out too. There's a couple of tracks out already. Um, the title track and Cordova Street Blues, and the record features plenty of Jared's friends, Royal Massacre, Cory Walker, Billy Strings, Jake Stargell, Christian Ward. Really cool lineup. Really looking forward to hearing that album. So Jared Walker's Nighthawk is about to be out or is out by the time you hear this. Um, another very cool thing, talking about Punch Brothers and instrumental music, Sierra Hull has released something that she recorded a while ago, but it's called The Movements, and it's three tracks of purely instrumental music that were recorded. It was part she was commissioned to do one of the Fresh Grass Concerto commissions, um, and this is the piece she wrote, and they've been playing movement three, I think it is, on the tour for quite a while now. Uh played it when I saw her at IBMA World of Bluegrass a couple of years ago. Um, fascinating piece, and the whole thing's out now, and I love it. It is really, really cool. You know I love instrumental string by music, but this is something just it's it's a wonderful thing. Go and have a listen. Um, also videos for that as well, but recorded more recently but with the same band. Um and they are great. Two of them are out so far, and the third may well be out soon on Sierra's YouTube channel. Uh, I'll stick a link in the show notes to that as well. Uh, we will have a packed set of show notes, there's so much cool stuff. Um, as I said before, Andy Leftwich Aced is his new album. Uh, Album Instrumentals featuring his band. Um, a sort of follow-up to American Fiddler, which I also loved. But Ace is a great record, and there's an interview with Andy on the way to you very soon on Bluegrass Jamalong. It's recorded. I'm just kind of editing it and getting it ready. So there's that as well. Um, there is a new live album from I'm with her called Sing Me Alive, which has been recorded on the tour for Wild and Clear and Blue. Recorded directly from the soundboard, which is a pretty kind of direct, straight-ahead recording. Lots of favourite I'm with her songs and some covers and some really interesting stuff on that. That is also great. Go and check out I'm with her Sing Me Alive. I'll stick a link where you can go and get that on Bandcamp. Um, Jim Lauderdale has a new album out with Poe Rambling Boys, his second collaboration with them. This one's called The Birds Know, which is really cool as well. Um, and yeah, that is great. Have a listen to that. Jim's also on tour with Emily Lou Harris quite a bit uh coming up. So there's that. Uh what else? Darren Nicholson has got a new record called Learn from Trails and Tall Tales. Haven't had a chance to hear that yet, but I'm looking forward to that. Um that promises to be very cool. And Zoe and Cloyd um have a new track called Rivers and Rails, which was co-written with Tim Stafford. I'm a big fan of theirs. I picked up a CD of theirs first time I was out in IBM A in 2023. Uh so yeah, and I haven't heard the new track yet, but I'm very much looking forward to that. There's a whole raft of stuff um in The Grass is new this time. New tracks from Punch Brothers, uh, new album, a couple of singles from Jared Walker, Sierra Hull's The Movements, Andy Left, which is instrumental record aced, The Arm with Her live record, um, Jim Lauderdale with Pearl Ramblin' Boys, new Darren Nicholson, and any track from Zoe and Cloyd. Lots of cool stuff in there. Go to your streaming services, go to Bandcamp, go to where you get your music, fill your ears with all that marvellous music. Um, next up is Scroll on Buddy, which is stuff that I have spotted online. And the main of it really is those Sierra Hull videos. Um, they recorded and filmed at Studio 9, North Adams, uh Massachusetts, with support from Fresh Grass, uh, who commissioned the Concerto originally. So the the movements piece that uh is out was commissioned by Fresh Grass, and they've also helped record these new videos. Um, they Sierra just recorded the first time I spoke to Sierra for the podcast was a while ago now, and she'd already recorded these tracks by that point, but the videos are very recent, and they've had a chance to sort of live with the music, and um you know just it's changed a little bit, there's but they're just really cool performances. Her band is amazing. Um, that band she's got at the moment is so so good. Uh, yeah, go and watch those links in the show notes, go and enjoy. Um, finally in my ears this week, and what's in my ears this week we've got better than two quite a bit vinyl. Um, I finally got a turntable again. I had one and lots of vinyl years ago and just never had anywhere to put it and ended up getting rid of it all um when we were living in a little two-bed apartment and had no space for anything. And just kind of we've got a bit more space now, but also there's some cool stuff coming out. There's Craft Recordings, Tony Rice reissues. I've also got their reissue of the Allison Krauss live sort of triple vinyl, which is glorious. Um, but I and just as I listen to more and more, particularly 70s instrumental stuff, there's just records that either aren't on the streaming services or never made it to CD, or just like I want to read the liner notes, some of those early rounder records, like you know, the country cooking records, they've got so many liner notes that just aren't really out there anywhere else. And so I've been listening to quite a bit of Tony Rice vinyl, um, quite a bit of things like Country Cooking, some of the Grisman stuff. I bought a copy of Quintet 80, and I've been loving that. Um, found a record by a banjo player called George Stavis called Morning Mood, which has got Daryl Anger on it and Mike Marshall on it. Um, and so yeah, just you know, finding some obscure stuff and just enjoying the ritual of popping a bit of vinyl on and hearing the crackle and dropping the needle and making a choice of one side of music rather than flitting between songs. Really cool. Um so enjoying all of that. So, yeah, plenty of stuff in this week's Bluegrass briefing, as always. Um bluegrassjamalong.com to find all the interviews, all the backing tracks, um chord sheets, all that kind of thing. If you need to know anything about me and find links to social channels, come and find me on Instagram, find me on Facebook, that's where I'm sort of most um kind of up to date with stuff, I guess, is those two channels. Come and say hello. Um, Matt at Bluegrass Jamalong, if you want to get in touch and say hello to me. Uh, tell me what you think about the podcast, tell me who you'd like to hear on it. Um, I'm kind of booked up actually with guests for I've got about three interviews recorded already and about another six scheduled, so it's busy, busy, busy. But I always want to hear who you would like to hear on the podcast, and it's always great getting feedback, and I always enjoy hearing from you. Um, but that is it for this week's Bluegrass briefing. I will see you with the next interview, uh, which is coming up very soon. Have a great week. Uh happy picking, and I'll speak to you soon. See ya.