Jerry Douglas - Music City Music Magazine

MerleFest 2026 Delivers

Liz FerrellMay 4, 2026May 6, 20260

You know you’re at a pretty special event when the Avett Brothers show up unannounced. By the morning of Saturday, April 25th, the 38th annual MerleFest had already offered up two days of uncommonly gorgeous weather, lawn games, fair food, and some of the best music on the planet....

CMHOF&M Nashville Cats Program Honors Jerry Douglas

Liz FerrellMar 9, 2026March 10, 20260

Jerry Douglas has long been one of Nashville’s most innovative and revered musicians. Driven by his love for the resonator guitar and a steely determination to master it and make it do the unexpected, Douglas has, over a career spanning over 50 years and counting, taken the dobro to musical...

RICK FARIS: UNCOMMON SKY

Nancy PoseyJul 5, 2023July 6, 20230

Rick Faris’ third solo album Uncommon Sky, on the Dark Shadow Recording label, is marked by a wisdom that comes from being comfortable with where he is in his life and in his music career. The album opens with “Don’t Hold Back,” an unflinching nod to Faris’ faith, which finds...

Day 1 of MerleFest 2023: Music, Memories, and Mud

Nancy PoseyMay 5, 2023January 11, 20260

Festival-goers kept a wary eye on Ray’s Weather, western North Carolina’s favorite meteorology site with special MerleFest daily–and hourly–forecast. With rain inevitable, music lovers stocked up on ponchos, boots, and tarps and headed to Wilkesboro for the 35th MerleFest. This year was particularly meaningful, marking what would have been Doc...

Chris Castino and Chicken Wire Empire: Fresh Pickles

Nancy PoseyJan 2, 20220

Fresh Pickles, Chris Castino’s upcoming release with Chicken Wire Empire, is less a departure from his career with the jam band The Big Wu than a return to his earlier influences. Castino admits that when he started writing songs, he was new to bluegrass. He credits his heightened interest to...