This week's episode features a segment of a conversation I had a while back with Marcel Ardans of the Lessons With Marcel YouTube channel. Marcel has spent hundreds of hours transcribing guitar breaks from some of our favourite pickers, so I thought it would be fun to find out what he learned in the process….
Read MoreThis week's Bitesize episode comes from a fascinating conversation I had with Tristan Scroggins in 2021. In this section Tristan reflects on what it means to come to bluegrass as an 'outsider' and how culture and connection aren't just about geographical borders. Growing up in New Mexico, despite learning traditional bluegrass from his father, Tristan…
Read MoreMy guest on this week's Bitesize episode is Sara Watkins, who joins me to talk about I'm With Her's Grammy winning album 'Wild and Clear and Blue'. It's an album I really love (and a conversation I loved too) and I wanted to put something out to celebrate not only the Grammy win, but also…
Read MoreThis week's Bitesize episode celebrates one of the most important dates in bluegrass music – December 8th. The main reason this date is so important is that it marks the first time Earl Scruggs joined Bill Monroe at The Opry, on December 8th 1945, leading many people to describe it as 'the birth of bluegrass'….
Read MoreThis week's Bitesize episode features a conversation I had with Chris Eldridge from Punch Brothers and Mighty Poplar celebrating Tony Rice's classic album Church Street Blues. Chris talks about Tony's ability to combine big musical gestures with intricate detail, how other musicians played better when they played with Tony and why you should listen to…
Read MoreMy guest on this week's bitesize episode is Gabe Witcher. This extract comes from a longer conversation I had with Gabe in June 2023, directly after he'd played his final shows with Punch Brothers at Telluride. Gabe talks about first meeting Chris Thile at a festival when they were kids; playing football together before they…
Read MoreMy guest for this week's Bitesize episode is Jarrod Walker, best known to most of you as the mandolin player in Billy Strings' band. This is a segment of a longer interview from 2022. In this section Jarrod talks about getting the gig with Billy, how it was both the most progressive and the most…
Read MoreThis week's Bitesize episode comes from one of my favourite interviews, the conversation I had with Caitlin Canty about her record Quiet Flame. The album was produced by Chris Eldridge (of Punch Brothers and Mighty Poplar) and features a fantastic band, including Paul Kowert, Brittany Haas, Sarah Jarosz, Noam Pikelny and Andrew Marlin. In this…
Read MoreThis Bitesize episode features a conversation I had with Wyatt Rice for a set of episodes in 2023 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tony Rice's 'Church Street Blues' album. Wyatt talks about his experience of playing on the sessions aged just 17, hanging out with Tony, the first time he saw an Ovation guitar…
Read MoreThis Bitesize episode comes from an interview I did in April 2023 with Rachel Baiman about her wonderful record Common Nation of Sorrow I re-listened to the episode (and the album) recently and this section really stood out. We chat about storytelling in music; the power of infusing a song with emotion; the importance of…
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