First, a confession: I haven’t heard much — maybe nothing — of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver since the departures of Jamie Dailey and Barry Scott. Having those two together wasn’t simply Quicksilver, it was pure silver. It’s doubtful, I thought, that Lawson could ever compile a band with such strong vocal abilities again….

The Watkins Family of Toccoa, Ga. adds to its stage show by bringing another full-time musician on board.

The group which includes matriarch Judy Watkins and her three adult children Todd, Lorie and Shanon continue a path sharing their brand of bluegrass gospel music touring across the United States and Canada since 1982….

Winfield, Kansas — The 38th annual Walnut Valley Festival is scheduled to take place this fall at the Winfield Fairgrounds. Each year acoustic music fans come from around the world to experience what festival regulars have come to love. Locals still call it bluegrass, though it is much more than just bluegrass music, musicians often call it Winfield. Regardless of what you call it, the Walnut Valley Festival has become a springboard for musicians trying to get their careers off the ground….

Austin, TX — MilkDrive, the Austin progressive acoustic string band, has released its debut CD, “MilkDrive Live ‘09,” a live album that captures the band’s soulful, textural, multi-layer mix of rhythms, tempos, flavors, downbeats and improvisation; with fingers flying at “unbelievable” speed, original tunes that go beyond extraordinary and “impeccable” arrangements.