All told, the album is a stirring, timely, beautifully written message about the importance of unity and collaboration in a time of great partisan divide. Timed on purpose for an election year, Gilkyson couldn’t have possibly foreseen the social and political environment into which the album would release.

"Sometimes when we are in bluegrass jams, the rhythms will accidentally get switched around and the song suddenly sounds very strange and backwards. I’ve always loved those moments and wanted them to last as long as possible. This song was written a little backwards on purpose and it made me think about the general mindset of the Trio. We embrace mistakes and like to go out on a limb and experiment with things. When we do, we try to do it with grace and the utmost respect for the art form."

Downes says, “I sure am feeling this song right now, as we go to bed each night with so much uncertainty about what the next day will bring. If ever we've needed angels to watch over us, it's now. And we have to BE each other's angels, watching over each other and keeping each other safe. We have the power to guard and protect each other, and get through this crisis. This song goes out to our community with so much love. Stay safe, stay well, stay strong...”

Appalachian Road Show’s new album, 'Tribulation,' perfectly speaks to our dark and unsettling times. On the one hand, the songs embrace the trials and tribulations of uncertain days filled with despair and loss and suffering, when any glimmer of hope only dimly shines through the darkness. And, on the other hand, they celebrate the community that gathers together in the face of such tribulation to celebrate love, to dance and to sing of the possibilities of redemption, to welcome home the weary from their travails.

Abigail Washburn and Wu Fei have toured together in the US before, delivering a slightly spacy, bizarre blend of American and Chinese folk sounds. Now, as they embark on the release of their first collaborative album, titled simply Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn, they bring listeners music that demonstrates how closely tied are the deep traditions of American folk (seeded in this case, mostly, by English, Irish, and Scottish traditions) and the ancient folk songs of China.

As Moses recalls about the song, “I started gathering material for this record several years back. "Fall Like Rain" came to me from my good friend, Keith Garrett. He had thought it might suit my voice with the melody having that high note in it. After giving it a try, I was sold. Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Barry Bales, Bryan Sutton and Cody Kilby all brought great energy in the studio. I love the back and forth on the guitars from Bryan and Cody - I wanted to pay tribute to Eric Clapton's original version but put a new twist here and there as well.”

The enchanting “The Rambler from Clare” promises that The Path of Stones - Doyle's third solo album due out May 1 on Compass Records - will deliver lively and delightful Irish music from one of its very best composers and players.

SeekHer7, the new duo comprised of Natalia Zukerman and Lisa Ferraro, have been friends for years, and the two singer/songwriters recently decided to join forces for a higher cause and a greater impact with an eye toward carving out a space where music, movement, and meditation can safely collide with community, collaboration, and consciousness.

Singer/songwriter Robby Hecht made public his bipolar II disorder a few years back and continues to unfurl his process through his songs. Part of that has come through his re-engaging old compositions in new lights in the Me and the Fool I've Been series of two-song sets he's released over the past year. On Set 5, the latest and final installment, Hecht's much-loved “Ferris Wheel” gets another look.

Visually, the slow-rolling, lush cinematography echoes the musical soundscape it represents even as it contrasts the barren landscape it captures. “We wanted this video to encapsulate the love between two people over a lifetime,” Baxley explains. “The apocalyptic backdrop driving the point that true love only becomes more vibrant in the toughest of times. It’s a poetic visual.”