Tag : Jerry Douglas

FESTIVALS MERLEFEST 2023

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

Nancy Posey
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......
ALBUM REVIEWS

Chris Castino and Chicken Wire Empire: Fresh Pickles

Nancy Posey
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......