Modern Bluegrass Bands

Listening to Nickel Creek's debut album (from back in their more identifiably bluegrass days!) made me change my mind about not liking bluegrass seven years ago. Now I like almost all bluegrass (including the old recordings), but I still am especially excited by the bands who are bringing new life into the genre! Here's a list of some bands, all composed of top-of-the-line musicians and singers, who make the term bluegrass synonymous with energy and excitement.

1) Mountain Heart (They belong first on this list, in my opinion, because they have done so much to ramp up the energy level in bluegrass, as well as try out some things that haven't been done before! Jim VanCleve, the fiddle player in the band, has had a lot of influence in the past few years, not only through Mountain Heart but as the producer of several young bands' CDs.)

2) Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain (Ms. Hassler has a truly great voice, and her band has incredible drive. You can hear the Jim VanCleve producer's touch in her music!)

3) The Infamous Stringdusters (These guys have paid their dues on the bluegrass circuit, and now they've really been making waves with their unique, experimental style. If you lean more to the traditional side, start with their first CD, Fork in the Road.)

4) Cadillac Sky (As with the Stringdusters, you may want to start with CD #1 by this group, Blind Man Walking. These guys are so talented and are willing to try just about anything.)

5) Cherryholmes (This family group has worked hard to get to its current almost-supergroup status. They have developed a unique and passionate style of music.)

6) Keith Sewell (This guy doesn't really fit in with the rest of this list of bands, but his Love is A Journey is so cool I couldn't leave him out of it! You won't be able to stop listening!)

7) NewFound Road (They just get more polished with each new recording. These guys have it down in their Life in a Song.)

8) Nickel Creek (Even though they're not really in existence as a band currently, I need to have them on this list. Their music doesn't have the intense energy of Mountain Heart's, but it definitely belongs in any collection of modern bluegrass recordings. Buy their first CD, produced by Alison Krauss.)

9) Alison Krauss and Union Station (I know, everyone already knows about them. But she has to be one of the biggest influences around for many of the new, rising bands! You need to have their So Long, So Wrong.)

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but if you're looking for music that drives and pulses and changes, you'll find it in the work these bands have produced.