Twelve bands. Two stages. FREE. Saturday, September 26th.

The full lineup for the Harvest Hoedown just dropped today and its a doozy! The collective of New England Americana and Riverview Sound (two entities that hold a special place in my heart) are teaming up to bring a heck of a throw down at their Harvest Hoedown next month. Big love to both NEA and Riverview for keeping the torch burning bright.

Harvest Hoedown Bands include:

Autumn Hollow, Colt and the Coyotes, Comanchero, The Pounders , Molly Pinto Madigan, Falls So Fast, Lakeline, Ryan Fitzsimmons, sunfisher, OtherBrotherDarryl, Julie Rhodes, and The Blue Ribbons closing it out.

When, where? Saturday, September 26 at Vincent’s, 49 Suffolk St, Worcester. Doors at 11:30 AM, music from 1 PM to midnight. 21+.

The band is back this year with a new record titled The Idea Guys, which fully releases on September 4th, just a few weeks away, but we’ve already got 2 single releases (as of today) from that new collection or original tunes (sans one written by the great David Surette). The first tune being The Invisible Present. Their penchant for a build and release, creating a palpable tension that always releases in a truly beautiful way. Close your eyes in the first few notes and I am taken to Christmas Day as a kid, there is something wintry and can refocus my mind in a peculiarly special way.

Road Mode engulfing that Reinhardt meets Dawg music pure fashion and style that the band embodies so well. A band who’s live performance is dotted with smiles and audible laughs as they surprise and impress one another, even on this recording I can almost hear that unmistakable laugh and glances that the band shoots each other mid break. There is such a playful and engaging energy in this track that it pulls you deep, with its undulating arrangement, the ups and downs a welcome ride. True brilliance wrapped up in steel strings, the momentum lifting you up for a just over 4 minute adventure into the wit and splendor that four individual musical voices can exemplify and embrace when they sing together.

This is the good stuff.

The Idea Guys is out in just a few weeks. Pre-order it today or keep an eye on Mr. Sun’s Bandcamp for the release.

Just like the album name conveys, this new record came to me through old friends and old channels. Fiddler and vocalist David Delaney shared this new record from High Country Hustle with me a number of weeks back and I am just getting into it.

‘New Old Roads’ has a powerful drive and indelible groove through songs like Madeline the Quaker and New Old Roads. The former I could easily see becoming a campground jam mainstay. Infectious and vibey. But there is a keen balance here. Happy People, following up the slightly more frenetic Madeline with a powerful, but sense of ease about it. A brilliant ballad for the new age of bluegrass.

The 4 piece outfit exemplifies the traditions of bluegrass via potent harmonies and impressive swapped lead duties and man, I find myself especially taken by how seamlessly they move in and out of the shared lead vocal duties. Keep things interesting, while at the same time harnessing and grounding things with their hefty choral harmonies, foot stomping melodies and expertly executed solos. The flow of the record as a collection is a journey, a real trip that has the lively feeling of a late night festival set that washes over and rejuvenates you after baking in the sun all day. It’s palpable.

There is jubilance and a funk and soul that lives within the boundaries of these 10 tracks. Borrowing from the best of what the bluegrass genre has gifted to us and intertwining it with a contemporary feel and sound. This is the kind of band that you see on a festival stage, perhaps not knowing them beforehand but immediately finding a new lifelong favorite. Keep an eye (and ear) out for these fellas…

“Some of these songs I sang for many years before realizing they were penned by a wife/mother/female artist,” says Lou. “As a woman, it’s easy to feel like an outsider, or like you don’t belong, in a genre where there is a noticeable lack of representation of women among the forebears. To know that women’s voices made it into the traditional songs feels like a quiet win, and I want to draw more attention to it.”

The second track off the project was just released today and its an absolute stunner. “I’ve Endured” is a tune that has graced festival stages and campground jams for years and years, but this new interpretation enters as an easy paced, honey harmonied beauty of a take on the classic. The swapped verses allowing each highlighted singer to imprint their own unique and tempered delivery. The solos and layered instrumentation create a impressive and deep palette of emotion and enveloping engrossment that carries a heft and energy. An incredible warmth and brilliance across the board. New life and buoyant building energy that is gorgeous and heartfelt. Check it out.

Co-produced by Lou and Shani Ghandi, Bluegrass Women is a ten song album of Bluegrass classics that were penned by women over the course of the genre’s history. The Bluegrass Women project honors women in a predominantly male fronted genre while featuring bands made up entirely of some of the best women and pickers in the scene today. Led by Lou, the album features the likes of Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Jarosz (of I’m With Her), Laurie Lewis, and many more.

Pre-order ‘Bluegrass Women’ today!

In that time things have waxed and waned fairly dramatically for me with Red Line Roots. I have a love / obligatory relationship to it that sometimes isn’t great for my mental health or my own needs to feel accepted by people/artists/community. I get a sudden urge to churn out articles because a bunch of wonderful records are sent my way then I don’t feel the compulsion for months at a time to write about anything. To film anything. To shoot anything music related. But, I think I am coming to terms with that being completely acceptable and ok. This is what is it and what I (and Ken) have energy for and putting any sort of positivity into the universe is a good thing at the end of the day.

Anyway, a happy side effect of that big move to a little town was the birth of the Old Spruce Sessions. A catalyst that flung me head first into my present love and dedication to filmmaking in Vermont. Dovetailing my passion for music and supporting musicians with a newfound obsession for moving pictures and making films. Old Spruce itself has featured about 65 different artists/groups (and collabs with music fests and others sees another 30+ artists). To say I am lucky to have had the opportunity to work with so many incredible artists is a vast understatement Over the years, things also have been a rollercoaster of productivity (big thanks to COVID), but I am getting back into finding my vision and wanting to continue highlighting those hyper local artists here in VT and friends who are passing through. I have to thank this series in a big way for fostering relationships that saw two of my favorite projects of all time this past year (unrelated to OSS or Red Line) and gave me 4 extremely collaborative and fulfilling years shooting sessions at Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots, cementing relationships with some of my favorite artists and heroes (*see note about 2 projects from last year).

I don’t know what the “magic number” is for how many sessions keeps us relevant or feeds my soul. Honestly, it could be one a year, that simply creates that connection with an artist in making something together that I am so constantly on the hunt to find and nurture. I am always learning something new, finding my footing, finding “the look” and “the vibe”, but in the end, doing anything for a decade feels like some sort of accomplishment or commitment or something. Now I am rambling.

Anyway, I guess this is all to say that I am eternally grateful to any artist who has ever taken the time to sit and play tunes in from my lenses and microphones and before I get too emotionally cheesy, here are 10 Sessions from 10 Years of Old Spruce Sessions that have stuck with me and I feel give a good wide brushstroke of what this decade has been…

Connor Millican “Dreams I’m Living In” –  This was the session that started it all. We had lived in our new VT home for literally a couple weeks, barely unpacked before our friend Connor and his bandmates in Wise Old Moon swung through to play at Light Club Lamp Shop and crash with us. Connor and I were up relatively early the next morning, while the rest of the gents still slumbered, and were chatting over a strong cup of coffee. Before I moved up to VT I had shot a couple of videos for friends back in Boston, but nothing too serious, so I said to Connor, “when do you think these guys will get up? Want to go out to the dilapidated sugar house in the woods and film a song or two?” Connor eagerly obliged and this is what shook out from our caffeinated adventure.

Dan Blakeslee “Bandit” Another very early session. Those who know Dan, love Dan and I feel no different. Dan was swinging through on his way to Burlington as he has done a few times over the year since and we were thinking about where to shoot…something unique and quirky and the sun beating down made me think of the necessity of a cool breeze. What screams cool breeze in the Vermont summer sun? Water. So we trekked over to our neighbor Fritz’s pond, launched a canoe and started to film…and subsequently continue to be pulled into the bank (which, hopefully doesn’t show too much on camera!).

Billy Strings “Cocaine Blues” – The reason why most people end up on the Youtube channel (it has over 6 million views now). We shot this little one off session just before Billy and the band exploded. They were playing the showcase lounge at Higher Ground and Billy and I spent a bit of time before the show talking about his childhood, about community and music and then I pulled out a camera and asked if he would play something impromptu for me. He obliged and this video has been seen by countless folks, tab has been made of the performance and it gave me a truly special intimate moment with one of the greatest musicians of my lifetime.

Joe K. Walsh & Danny Barnes “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” at GMBR…Shot during the first year of Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots, this cemented a relationship for 4 years of the festival between myself and the GMBR fam. Those early days were so beautiful and exciting and this feeling of tight togetherness encapsulated moments that I will forever be grateful for and this moment was one of the many. Joe and Danny in a dimly lit room, sunlight piercing the one window between them and this gorgeous rendition of a classic. I have heard many versions of this song and this one may still be my absolute favorite.

Maya de Vitry “The Key” – Maya and the fellas swung by the house and I had the brilliant idea to head up the hill to a beautiful field I thought would be the perfect backdrop for filming…that was until the gnats came out as the sun drifted slightly lower in the sky, but it didn’t stop Maya, Ethan and Jason from performing this beautiful take on Maya’s tune “The Key” off her latest release (at the time) “Adaptations” . They truly get the award for the “most resilient Old Spruce Session artists”. True pros…grinning and singing through the gnats in the field, packed up and they then headed on their way to the next stop on tour.

The Stash Band “Kill Everything”– The Award for “Best Dressed”. I headed up to Waterbury to catch Stash and the band at Zenbarn (which was kind of new at the time?) and headed through a labyrinth, through a kitchen and a secret door (?) in an office to a stairway that brought me up to where the fellas were hanging before the show in an apartment connected to the venue. Then, I was greeted by these fellas. It was like something out of aDavid Lynch film. Beautifully strange. To witness Stash and the band in any capacity, well, you know. Its an experience and the full body spandex suits were something…plus the performance and show later on that evening, top notch energy.

Lula Wiles “I’m Over You” – I had long been a fan of anything that Isa, Ellie and Mali did and was ecstatic to catch up with them before they were performing at Feast and Field in Barnard, VT for their weekly farmer’s market towards the tail end of the summer (OK, it was beginning of October, but we still had sun and not much chill in the air yet). We met at the Fermentory across the dirt road from the market, up a hill and inside this beautifully resonant room as the mid-afternoon sun provided a halo of light across the three artists as they sung. If you look up the word “sublime” in the dictionary I am pretty sure there is a photo of these 3 singing next to it.

Eli West “The Hearth” – I fell in love with Eli’s voice and songwriting upon the first time listening and when he was passing through Montpelier (which turned from a duo to a solo gig) I had to meet up with him and shoot in this historical and sparse space at the Old Meeting House Church just outside of Montpelier up in the hills. Eli fished a piece of paper with scratch marks and lyrics written across it and started to play a new, not quite finished yet tune that struck the moment brilliantly. Large meeting house windows casting light across the pews and Eli, lonesome in the space, playing to the emptiness. Moments like this don’t happen often, so I cherish them so very much.

Jake Klar “Rosy” – Jake was an early guest and a “more than once” collaborator with us. Stopping by a handful of times in the early days of OSS. Jake has a swagger and a coolness to delivery and writing. Driving  up a rutted out dirt road, hiked up a meadowy hillside and played his song “Rosy” as he looked out past the spiked tops of the pines to the rolling hills beyond here in Corinth, Vermont.  I am so grateful for those early days and to work with artists like Jake with this project. 

Courtney Hartman “Inside Outside” – Vibiest sound in any session? Courtney was up in Vermont playing a solo show in an old church in Thetford just two towns over from me. I hadn’t seen her in a couple years and reached out to see if she wanted to shot something…she said yes and so day of,  we ventured up to the loft where the church organ is located, found a quiet corner and Courtney beautifully played a duo of tunes to the reverberating empty space. The natural room sound captured by two directional small diaphragm condensers and her brilliant performance filling the quiet with a jubilant and poignant sound ahead of her show. Just the two of us in a huge space, but tucked away into a corner as cars rushed by outside the windows and rain pattered down on the pavement.

]]> 12397 https://redlineroots.com/2026/05/green-mountain-bluegrass-roots-announces-daily-line-up-pro-tip-just-go-to-all-the-days/ Fri, 01 May 2026 13:14:50 +0000 https://www.redlineroots.com/?p=12387 May 1st. Spring is springing here in Vermont and Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival gives Vermonters (and music lovers from all over New England and beyond) a bit more hope for those summer days and nights. GMBR dropped it daily line up today and individual day tickets are on sale as well.

You couldn’t go wrong with picking any day to head down and check out GMBR. With a whole slew of “publicly mentioned” collabs in the mix with Jordan Tice & Joseph Terrell, Darol Anger & Bruce Molsky, Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan…and it goes on and on…surprise and special moments are bound to unearth themselves. But, as the article title says, pro tip: just take the time off now and get down there for the full long weekend. Get after it folks.

]]> 12387 https://redlineroots.com/2026/05/john-mailanders-new-forecast-ep-glistens-moves/ Fri, 01 May 2026 13:03:36 +0000 https://www.redlineroots.com/?p=12382 John Mailander is a beautiful musician and human. His Forecast project is the epitome of what (I believe) so many of us yearn for and can appreciate as artists ourselves. At least its something I yearn for myself. A platform, a collective of musicians and artists orbiting Mailander as the central connection point, the glue, that holds brilliant and poignant arrangements together. He has cemented himself as a conduit, a lighting rod, for creativity and the true splendor that can result when exceptional artists enter a space together and just create.

There is something difficult to pinpoint about John’s music, but it elicits a visceral response in me. It moves me. It forces me to ponder the art. To hit replay at the end of a listen. To strive for more of what this art feeds to me and in a day where our social feeds are brimming with AI slop and misinformation, John’s work is such a gorgeous and needed reprieve from the constant overwhelming din and visual bombardment. His newest work under the Forecast banner is just 3 (maybe 2 and a 1/3?) songs, but it still elicits those feeling of joy and sentimentality and ardor and an ever so slight cutting emotion of melancholy that just plain makes me FEEL. This is what music is supposed to do to you. This is what art is supposed to do to you. My only criticism is it doesn’t give us enough of this beautiful sonic jubilation. Magnificent.

Just listen to it today and see for yourself.

John Mailander – Fiddle, Piano, OP-1, Samples, Electronics
Ethan Jodziewicz – Upright, Arco, and Electric Basses
Chris Lippincott – Pedal Steel Guitar, Wurlitzer
Dean Miller – Tenor Saxophone
Mark Raudabaugh – Drums and Percussion
Jake Stargel – Acoustic Guitar
Kristina Train – Lead Vocal on “Little Wheel”, Spoken Word

Produced by John Mailander.

Recorded live on February 24th, 2026 by Dan Davis with assistance from Hank Bachara at Southern Ground Studio in Nashville, TN.

]]> 12382 https://redlineroots.com/2026/04/revival-new-england-americana-fest-returns-for-year-2-of-its-relaunch/ Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:16:17 +0000 https://www.redlineroots.com/?p=12378 NEAF will forever hold a special place in my dark, downtrodden, sad folky heart. Late nights sitting in random classrooms at MIT (next to laser labs) with a rag tag group of pals seeking sponsors to fuel this crazy dream, working alongside city officials to shut down Harvard Square and putting together the best possible line up of 50+ friend’s bands for a 3 day jubilation of New England folks and roots music.

It was tiresome and often thankless work being the invisible machine making things happen, but man, the nostalgia itch is one to be scratched to the point of bleeding. I miss that work with some of the best musical pals I have ever had the pleasure of playing and planning alongside. But I digress. NEAF is back and back in a big way for year 2 of the brand and festival’s relaunch and just today they rolled out the initial line up and details. See below for more (and keep an eye here for more coverage as we get closer to the date)…

 “New England Americana Fest is incredibly excited to be back at Bellforge Arts Center. It’s a special place; there’s a real sense of community and support for the arts there that lines up perfectly with what the festival is about. Last year felt like we were building something meaningful, and coming back gives us a chance to deepen that connection and make the experience even better for everyone involved.” — Kier Byrnes 

MORE FROM THE FESTIVAL COORDINATORS: After a successful relaunch last year at Bellforge Arts Center, which drew around 1,000 spectators to the historic open-air grounds in Medfield, this year’s festival goes down on Saturday, June 6 from 1 to 8 p.m. (rain date on Sunday). It’s a free event for all ages. 

NEAF ’26 features 14 bands and artists defining the vibrant local Americana scene right now, including hosts Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners (2025 Boston Music Awards’ Americana Artist of the Year), Nate Perry & Ragged Company (Boston Calling ’25), Other Brother Darryl (2024 BMAs Country Artist of the Year), Elisa Smith (2025 Josie Award winner), Jennifer Tefft & The Strange, Tigerman Woah, berm, Regals, Dirt Road Souls, and more. NEAF was nominated for Music Festival of the Year at last year’s BMAs.  

]]> 12378 https://redlineroots.com/2026/04/fresh-tracks-bob-wagner/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:01:34 +0000 https://www.redlineroots.com/?p=12360 Bob Wagner has long been a staple in the greater Burlington music community. I first saw him with Kat Wright, performing as trio and his style, his voice on guitar and vocal immediately resonated with me. Wagner recently announced his debut album “I’ve Been Down” will be releasing early this summer on June 5th.

The first track off that is “Sad and Lonesome”. A tune that rides the line between genre. A melding of vibes and sonic palettes new and all its own. Country songwriter meets psychedelic jazz rock.  A funky soul, with a cowboy croon and deeply heartfelt groove that is infectious. Wagner’s gruff, yet soothing, vocal is so calmy cool and beautifully captivating. Confident, with something bubbling below the surface. And its no holds barred when it comes to allowing the influence of jazzy jam infusion to seep its way into the songs pores. And when the 4 minutes and 20 seconds is over, it leaves you wanting more.

Be sure to pre-order and save the release today.

“A pretty regular thing that happens at shows is I end up doing a song or two on lead during the night,” Wagner says. “After the gigs, people were always coming up to me asking where they could see my band.”

For years, the answer remained the same. Wagner had considered launching his own project prior to joining Wright’s band — but once he settled into that musical family, his path shifted.

“I fell in love with this amazing project where I get to help write music and shape the sound of the band,” he says. “It was a place where I could be really creative — and even do my own thing — in a collaborative way.”

Eventually, though, songs accumulated, and he felt it was time to step out on his own.

“It just became time to record these songs, on my own and on my own terms — to grow as a musician and learn by doing,” he says.

]]> 12360 https://redlineroots.com/2026/04/arcadia-folk-festival-announces-initial-line-up-tickets-on-sale-april-17th/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:28:46 +0000 https://www.redlineroots.com/?p=12355

Just yesterday, while scrolling social media for something positive, something positive indeed presented it self (thank goodness!)

Signature Sounds Presents and Mass Audubon dropped the announcement for the return of the 8th annual Arcadia Folk Festival and its a deep and heavy initial line up, featuring Allison Russell, The Milk Carton Kids, John Craigie, Fantastic Cat, and more to come!

Public tickets are on sale on April 17th.

More from the fest…

Arcadia Folk Festival tickets are now on sale for Mass Audubon members. Love what we do? Top supporters of Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary can buy the Songbird Pass today – no membership required – and receive special perks. See Arcadia Folk Festival for more details.

The beloved outdoor festival features music on 3 stages (including the intimate “In the Woods” stage) and brings the community together around music in the heart of the Pioneer Valley to celebrate and benefit the work of Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary.

In between sets, enjoy food and drink from local food trucks, shop juried art vendors, and explore nature with Arcadia naturalists. Kids’ activities will be available throughout the day as well.

Arcadia is an ecological gem and an environmental education innovator. Since 1944, Arcadia staff have been protecting important habitats, connecting people of all ages to nature, and advocating for sound environmental policies.

Learn about Arcadia Folk Festival’s commitment to sustainability here: https://www.arcadiafolkfest.com/sustainability

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