Bluegrass Unlimited Podcast with Ron Block

This week we are featuring guitar and mandolin player, and singer, James Kee.  Originally from the Chattanooga area of Tennessee, James now lives in Nashville and performs and records with East Nash Grass.  We talk with James about his early bands, his move to Nashville, his work with East Nash Grass and the band’s new record due out in August 2025.

This week we feature guitar and banjo player Ron Block.  Ron is best known for his guitar and banjo work with Alison Krauss and Union Station, but he got his start growing up in southern California, later attending South Plains College and then performing with the Weary Hearts and Lynn Morris Band before joining Alison Krauss. We talk with Ron about his years with Alison and his work with his newest band Southern Legacy.

This week we feature singer, songwriter and guitar player Tony Kamel.  Tony is best known for his work with the band Wood &  Wire.  He now has a solo album out and is doing some solo touring this year.  We’ll talk with Tony about how he got his start in bluegrass all the way up to the recording of the new record. 

This week we feature singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz.  Sarah started her career in bluegrass at a young age and has continued to grow her career both as a solo artist and with the band I’m With Her.  We talk to Sarah about her early years in bluegrass up through her current solo and band projects.

This week we feature singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Phil Rosenthal.  Phil is best known in bluegrass for his time spent as a member of the Seldom Scene in the 1980s.  He has continued to perform and record music since that time and has a new recording with his son that has been recently released.

This week we feature fiddle player and singer Andrea Zonn.  Andrea has spent time on the road with many top acts in both country and bluegrass music, including Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett and, for the last twenty-three years, James Taylor.  She currently has a new recording out with John Cowan.  We’ll talk about that album and you’ll also hear a cut from the recording.

This week we feature guitar player and singer Clay Hess.  Clay first came to national prominence in bluegrass playing guitar with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.  He later toured with Mark Newton, Sierra Hull, Mountain Heart and his own Clay Hess Band, among others.  He is now the newest member of the Seldom Scene and has released a few singles from an upcoming solo album.  This week we talk about Clay’s entire bluegrass journey, including his first few months with the Seldom Scene.

This week we feature singer, songwriter and guitar player Mason Via.  We’ll talk about his growing up learning bluegrass music and songwriting from his father, songwriter and bluegrass musician David Via.  We will also talk about his time with the Old Crow Medicine Show and his new self-titled album.  You’ll also hear a few cuts from that album.

This week we feature guitar player Lucas White.  Lucas has had a very interesting career in bluegrass starting from the time he was a teenager in Texas.  We’ll talk about his relationship with Tony Rice, working with the Zac Brown band while he was still a teenager, his work in Washington, D.C. advocating for musicians and recording engineers and his current band, Off The Rails.

This week we feature banjo player Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters and talk with him about his career in bluegrass and various other aspects of bluegrass music, practicing, performing and banjo playing.