Bluegrass Jam Along

• A Celebration of Connection - Darol Anger's 'Diary of a Fiddler 2'

  My guest this week is Darol Anger, who joins me to discuss his new album 'Diary of a Fiddler 2 - The Empty Nest'.We chat about the original 'Diary of a Fiddler', released in 1999, and how the second volume celebrates and deepened Darol's connection to the fiddle community, in particular the players he's taught, mentored and collaborated with since the first record came out.Darol explains why this project felt like a purposeful completion of a long process, which began with that first record. We also talk about how the landscape of fiddling has been transformed by fiddle camps and music schools like Berklee, where Darol taught and first met several of the players on this record.We also discuss the development of rhythmic accompaniment on the fiddle, which was still relatively new in the 1990s, how the pandemic inspired a joyful collaborative project that kicked this new record off, how Darol's move to Nashville connected him to a wider community of fiddlers and why 'Diary of a Fiddler 2' feels like the clearest expression of any musical legacy he might leave.Any opportunity to talk to Darol is a treat and this one was no exception. I always come away from a conversation with Darol feeling like I've learned something and with a smile on my face. I hope you enjoy it too.You can buy 'Diary of a Fiddler 2' (and Darol's other releases) via his Bandcamp pageDarol also has a great fiddle course on ArtistWorksMatt 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- 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

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• IBMA Dark Shadow Special - Becky Buller, Ben Wright (Henhouse Prowlers), Rick Faris & Jana Mougin

  This week's episode is another special recorded at IBMA's World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga. I have four shorter interviews for you, each with someone connected to Dark Shadow Recording.First up is Becky Buller. Becky came onto the podcast in August of 2024 to chat about her record Jubilee. This time we're talking about her album of covers Songs That Sing Me and the role music has played in her life. I also chat with each of my guests in this episode about the importance of IBMA's World of Bluegrass to them as an artist or industry figure.Second is Ben Wright from Henhouse Prowlers, chatting about the band's 21 years together and their 10th record Unravel, as well as their non-profit work with The Bluegrass Ambassadors and why cultural diplomacy is more important now than ever.Up next is singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and luthier Rick Faris. Rick was IBMA's Songwriter of the Year in 2024 and we talk about writing, including his long standing collaboration with Rick Lang, who co-wrote several track's on Rick's new record Life's Parade, plus the guitar building community and his work at Kentucky Guitar Works.Finally I chat to Jana Mougin, who runs Dark Shadow Recording alongside her partner Stephen Mougin, IBMA's Recording Engineer of the Year for 2025. We talk about running a recording company, how Dark Shadow works with their artists as a family and the opportunities IBMA provides for networking and connecting with people.These were fun to do - I hope you enjoy them.For more info, visit https://darkshadowrecording.com  and check out their online store to buy any of the albums we talk about in the episode.You'll find more info on the individual artists here:Becky Buller - website / Instagram / FacebookHenhouse Prowlers - website / Instagram / Facebook / Bluegrass AmbassadorsRick Faris - website / Facebook / Kentucky Guitar Works 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- 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

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• Bluegrass Briefing - October 2025

  Welcome to this month’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.Pod NewsSara Watkins interviewNews and announcements - church street news List of IBMA Award winnersReleases (The Grass is New)Alison Brown & Steve Martin album pre-orderPre-order Wes Corbett - DriftVinyl reissuesAlison Krauss - LiveTony Rice - BackwatersThe Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlistScroll on BuddyBilly Strings IBMA Keynote (from 47:31 in)Other bitsThe Grass is (mostly) New 2025 playlistFull list of interviewsCollings GuitarsHappy 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- 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

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• Maddie Denton (East Nash Grass) on Collaboration and Community

  My guest this week is Maddie Denton, fiddle player with East Nash Grass.I caught up with Maddie at IBMA World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, the day after she was named IBMA's Fiddle Player of the Year!We chat about East Nash Grass and their wonderful new record 'All God's Children' and about musical communities, collaboration (both within the band and with other people) and why Maddie sees music very much as a team sport.I really enjoyed this one (and it's always a treat to get to have a conversation face to face for a change!)For more info visit eastnashgrass.com and maddiedentonmusic.com and follow Maddie on InstagramHappy 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- 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

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• Ben Garnett - Building Worlds in Sound on his New Record 'Kite's Keep'

  My guest this week is Ben Garnett, chatting about his superb new record 'Kite's Keep'.The album features a core band of Ben, Brittany Haas and Ethan Jodziewicz, with guest appearances from Darol Anger, Paul Kowert and Chris Eldridge. We talk about Ben's background, initially in electric guitar, and the influence his cousin Andy Timmons had on him as a mentor, before Ben started exploring acoustic guitar and how that led to him moving to Nashville, with Chris Eldridge becoming his second big mentor.We also talk about how the album came about and Ben's world building approach to making a guitar record.'Kite's Keep' is a fascinating record and I loved this conversation.You can pre-order and pre-save the album on various platforms.For more info on Ben, including upcoming tour dates, check out bengarnett.netMatt 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- 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

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