Springfield, Ill., the state’s capitol city, is the bull’s eye for Midwestern bluegrass fans each November. They’ll be returning again this year for the 23rd annual Greater Downstate Indoor Bluegrass Music Festival on Nov. 6, 7 and 8.

It’s held at the Crowne Plaza, just off Interstate 55….

Spring will soon ascend on my neck of the Illinois prairie and with it, the sweet smell of spaded earth as I prepare to put in some early garden crops like radishes, lettuce, onions — you know, the salad stuff.

There’s nothing quite like that smell. It’s fresh, it’s sweet, it’s … well, it’s just downright earthy.

I swear, I got a slight whiff of that magical smell when I wrestled with the cellophane wrapping to free Echoes of the Mountains, the latest Rounder CD by Dry Branch Fire Squad. And, if that was merely a whiff, the earthiness was overpowering coming from the speakers.

Boston, MA — The Boston Bluegrass Union (BBU) is proud to present the 24th annual Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, Presidents Day Weekend, February 13 – 15, 2009, at the Sheraton Framingham, Framingham, MA. This beloved winter tradition boasts a full weekend of top-notch bluegrass entertainment, including performances by some of the best national and regional bands, over forty master classes and workshops, the BBU’s acclaimed Academy for Kids, directed slow jams, a thriving vendor floor with a great array of bluegrass-related merchandise (including instruments, CDs, memorabilia, and more), round-the-clock picking, and more….

Framingham, MA. — The Boston Bluegrass Union (BBU) is proud to present the 24th annual Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, Presidents Day Weekend, February 13 – 15, 2009, at the Sheraton in Framingham, MA.

This beloved winter tradition boasts a full weekend of top-notch bluegrass entertainment, including performances by some of the best national and regional bands, over forty master classes and workshops

Burlington, MA – Rounder Records is pleased to announce the January 27 release of Echoes of the Mountains, the first all new studio album from the legendary Dry Branch Fire Squad since 2001’s Hand Hewn. Led by singer, mandolin-picker and raconteur Ron Thomason, Dry Branch Fire Squad is one of the most compelling and unique bluegrass bands to emerge in the past three decades.