A new album from French bluegrass legend Jean-Luc Leroux, plus offerings from Travers Chandler, X-Train, the Price Sisters, and Dan Tyminski. We’ve got some old-timey banjo picking from David Holt, and a rare gospel song from the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.

Some songs you may not have heard previously, some instrumentals, some NZ performers, some from the USA, all part of the wide variety that is bluegrass music.

Bluegrass from Wildfire, the Grascals, the Missy Werner Band, Lou Reid & Carolina, instrumentals from Seldom Scene, Sidesaddle and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, and gospel music from Rhonda Vincent as an Easter ‘special’. Lots to like in this episode.

St Patrick’s Day has just been celebrated the world over. And there’s a lot of the Irish in bluegrass music. I searched my collection to come up with songs that give a nod to our Irish heritage, and have featured some songs and tunes in this episode. There’s also some ‘regular’ bluegrass too, of course, and you’ll hear from Dale Anne Bradley, Hot Rize, the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, Bill Monroe, J D Crowe, Tony Ellis and others.

We had a great concert in my backyard with George Jackson & Brad Kolodner, and I’m featuring their music on this show. I’ve also got some great tracks from the Travelling McCourys, Barry & Holly Tashian, the Stanley Brothers, and Junior Sisk. High Fidelity get a look in, and there’s even an opening track from Australian great Slim Dusty and the Travelling Country Band.

Still finding treasures in my deepest shelves of bluegrass LP’s. This week’s show has music from Billy Baker (fiddler), Mac Wiseman & the Osborne Brothers, and Merle Haggard singing a Jimmie Rodgers favourite. There’s a brand-new release from Missy Raines & Allegheny, and songs from Peter Rowan, the Bluegrass Album Band, the HCBB and others; and some fine resonator playing from Kathy Barwick.

I’ve dug deep into my shelves of LPs, and hauled out a few favourites – the Blue Velvet Band, Seldom Scene, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, fiddler Glen Duncan, to find some tracks I’ve not played on the show previously. We’ve got a little more contemporary with the HCBB, George Jackson, the Kody Norris Show, and Balsam Range, and some classic bluegrass from Tony Ellis.

Jim Hurst, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Dale Ann Bradley, Tim O’Brien with some fine bluegrass; a ‘classic’ tune from Bill Monroe, and some offerings from the HCBB, Trev Warner, Alison Krauss & the Cox Family. There’s a strangely-named fiddle tune from Kenny Baker, and fine picking from some of your favourite musicians.

Classic bluegrass from Jim and Jesse, some ‘hardcore’ from Chris Henry & the Hardcore Grass, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Ricky Skaggs , some contemporary songs from Irene Kelley, and some 1970’s Californian bluegrass from Country Gazette. Real variety in this week’s show.

I enjoyed the first ‘live’ concert from Sassafras at Tauranga this past weekend, with more to come this week. So they are featured in this episode along with some classic bluegrass from Curly Seckler, George Shifflet, Bill Harrell, and the Country Gentlemen, and some contemporary bluegrass from Sawmill Road, Craig Smith and Karen Lynn.