Arden, North Carolina — Sometimes, it’s all about the pickin’, not the singin’! From bluegrass music’s earliest days, many of its musicians have been proud of their instrumental skills and intent on bringing them front and center, whether they’re paying homage to the style’s musical roots through the performance of a centuries-old tune or breaking new ground with a daring original. It’s an aspect of tradition that’s just about disappeared from most popular music forms, but it’s alive and well in bluegrass — and our Mountain Home Music Company and Organic Records artists are among those helping to bring it into the 21st century.
Drawn from the broad range of all-instrumental music they’ve created over the years, Bluegrass Mastery: Instrumentals, a new playlist curated by Mountain Home staff, features a selection of tunes — from old standbys like Adam Steffey’s take on “Little Liza Jane” and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s “Leather Britches” through classics from the genre’s legends like Bill Emerson’s “Home Of The Red Fox” (recorded by the Lonesome River Band) to edgy new compositions from artists like Gina Furtado, Balsam Range and The Grascals — that will keep you in the bluegrass mood. And whether it’s a blazing breakdown, a restrained meditation or even a klezmer tune done bluegrass style, each of these recordings features great music that doesn’t need words to touch your heart and soul — and maybe get your feet moving, too!
Stream Bluegrass Mastery: Instrumentals HERE on Spotify and Apple Music.