Bluegrass Jam Along

This is part 3 of the celebration of Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. 

In this episode we're talking about Earl's influence on the younger generation of players and also celebrating his wonderful guitar playing.

You'll hear from:

• Trey Hensley, on Earl being his main influence on the guitar, as well as getting to meet and play with Earl
• Kyle Tuttle, on why no banjo record is complete without a tip of the hat to Earl Scruggs and why Earl is perhaps one of the most imitated musicians in history
• Willow Osborne, on Earl's influence on her as a very young picker and how that influence is still there in the young players she sees today

If you haven't checked out Part 1 (Tony Trischka, Kristin Scott Benson and Alan Munde) or Part 2 (Jerry Douglas, Alison Brown and Tim O'Brien), go and listen to those too!

Happy picking.
Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly 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

• Earl Scruggs 100th birthday celebration part 1
• Part 2

Releases (The Grass is New)

• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist

Other bits

• Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/
• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist
• Full list of interviews
• Peghead Nation
  • Use the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month of any course

Happy picking.

Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

This is part 2 of the celebration of Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. 

Earl's influence on bluegrass is huge, as you'll hear from my guests this week.

You'll hear from:

• Jerry Douglas, on Earl being one of the first sounds he heard and why starting The Earls of Leicester felt like a calling
• Alison Brown on why the timing of Earl's arrival on the bluegrass scene (and the wider music scene) had such an impact on the music, and on Earl's career
• Tim O'Brien on Earl's role in the development of bluegrass and the part Louise Scruggs, Earl's wife, played in his career

All of these are brand new interviews carried out for these episodes. They've been an absolute joy to put together and there's still more to come. In the meantime, don't forget to check out part 1, featuring Tony Trischka, Kristin Scott Benson and Alan Munde.

Happy picking (and happy birthday, Earl)!

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly 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

• Earl Scruggs 100th birthday celebration part 1

News and announcements (Church Street News)

• Earl Scruggs Center - Center Stage shows

Releases (The Grass is New)

• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist

Scroll on Buddy

• Rachel Baiman BGS piece on Brittany Haas and Punch Brothers
• Tristan Scroggins BGS piece on content creators

Other bits

• Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/
• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist
• Full list of interviews
• Peghead Nation
  • Use the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month of any course

Happy picking.

Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

January 6th would have been Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday. To celebrate Earl and his extraordinary influence, I've been speaking to people who knew, played with and have been inspired by him.

This is part 1, featuring three amazing banjo players:

• Tony Trischka
• Kristin Scott Benson
• Alan Munde

They all share their thoughts on Earl and his contribution to music and the banjo, as well as why Earl's music is so special to them. All of these are brand new interviews carried out for these episodes. They've been an absolute joy to put together and there's plenty more to come. 

Happy picking (and happy birthday, Earl)!

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly 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

• Josh Turknett interview episode

News and announcements (Church Street News)

• Nickel Creek tour dates
• Sore Fingers Summer School

Releases (The Grass is New)

• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist

Scroll on Buddy

• Tony Rice Church Street Blues vinyl reissue

Other bits

• Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/
• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist
• Full list of interviews
• Peghead Nation
  • Use the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month of any course

Happy picking.

Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

For this week's episode I'm doing something I don't normally do - reposting an old interview. In fact, I don't think I've ever done it before.

The reason I'm doing it is that so many of us make resolutions at this time of year to practice more, play better or just improve on our instruments. My guest in this interview has some wonderful advice on all of those things.

My guest for this one is Josh Turknett, author of the fantastic book 'The Laws of Brainjo - The Art & Science of Molding a Musical Mind’.

Josh's book is all about how our brains work and, specifically, what that means for learning to play an instrument (any instrument, not just banjo). It's crammed with interesting stuff but, most importantly, with practical advice on what we should do when we practice.

Josh covers how we can train our brains to learn a new skill, why how  we practice matters just as much as how much we practice and, crucially, what the ideal length of a practice session should be (I think you'll like the answer!)

If you haven't heard this, it's a real must listen. If you have, it's worth listening again (I did just that, which is what reminded me it's such good advice and why, ultimately, I'm sharing it again).

Stuff covered in the episode

Josh's site - Brainjo Academy

Josh's Book - The Laws of Brainjo

Josh's Better Brain Fitness podcast

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this week’s Bluegrass Briefing, a weekly 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

• Jerry Douglas talks about the Earl Scruggs 100th birthday concert

Releases (The Grass is New)

• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist

Scroll on Buddy

• Nickel Creek - Blackberry Session

Other bits

• Sign up for emails https://bluegrassjamalong.com/contact/
• The Grass is (mostly) New 2024 playlist
• Full list of interviews
• Peghead Nation
  • Use the code ‘jamalong’ for a free month of any course

Happy picking.

Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

January 6th 2024 would have been Earl Scruggs' 100th birthday.

I'm putting together a very special set of episodes to celebrate. As part of them I spoke to Jerry Douglas, who's organising a spectacular night of music at The Ryman on Earl's birthday to mark the occasion.

This is a taster taken from a much longer chat I had with Jerry. We talked about putting the show together and why he wants to celebrate Earl. The full interview will be released in a couple of weeks, alongside lots of other guests sharing their memories of Earl and his music.

Tickets for the Ryman show are on the Ryman's website

To live stream the entire show, sign up at Veeps.com

Happy picking!
Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts

It’s almost the end of 2023. Where did the year go?!

I’m already working on some exciting stuff for 2024 but, before we head into the holidays, I wanted to have a look back at 2023 on Bluegrass Jam Along as it’s been an extraordinary year.

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to some truly amazing guests. You’ll hear excerpts from a few of them in this episode, along with a recap of all the interviews on the podcast this year.

You’ll hear from:

• Sierra Hull on playing with Bela Fleck and the new music she’s working on
• Tim O’Brien on what Doc Watson means to him
• Jack Lawrence on how he came to own a D18 that Doc gave him
• Alison Krauss on spending time with Tony Rice
• Gabe Witcher on why he chose now to move on from Punch Brothers
• Caitlyn Canty on songwriting and processing life through creation 
• David Grier on hanging out with Clarence White
• Wyatt Rice on recording Church Street Blues with his brother Tony

If you missed any of these episodes (or just want to listen again) you’ll find the full list on the Bluegrass Jam Along website

We also added lots more fiddle tune backing tracks to the podcast too.

Oh, and I won an IBMA award!

I feel so lucky to get to have these conversations. Thanks for listening - happy holidays and happy picking!

Matt

Support the show

===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins and Token premium guitar picks

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:

• Instagram
• Facebook

- Review us on Apple Podcasts