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The Chapman Brothers & The Acoustic Shoppe

“A lot of these roles that we fell into started with the band where we would each have some certain specialties,” says Jeremy Chapman. He’s explaining how he and his brothers, John and Jason, have used their hard-earned road chops to their advantage in order to run their store, The Acoustic Shoppe. The Chapmans — a family band which consists of the three brothers and their dad, Bill — have spent a good part of their lives touring the bluegrass circuit and playing...

Going for Baroque with Emma Borders, on octave mandolin

The 15-year-old faith-based musician is dazzling all within earshot In the summer of 2011, Chris Thile stood alone onstage at the legendary Grey Fox Bluegrass festival and assayed the “Gigue,” the sprightly dance sequence, of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Partita in Dm for Violin.” It wasn’t exactly “Tennessee Blues,” but the crowd erupted in applause for the 300-year-old composition, just as it might have for a Scots-Irish fiddle tune of the same...

Blazing a new trail with the Weber mandocello

Blazing a new trail with the Weber mandocello

The mandolin family’s largest member is ready to be discovered. The mandocello is a monster. The word most commonly used to describe its tone is ‘growl’—a deep, rumbling thunder resulting from the throb of its twinned strings. Outside of the archaic mandobass, used almost solely in early 20th century mandolin orchestras and featuring single, rather than paired strings, the ‘cello (which itself likely replaced the peculiar, forgotten mandolone) is the largest...

Checking in with Weber artist Anthony Howell

The young multi-instrumentalist has been keeping busy with performances online, in the studio and on stage. When Weber last checked in with Nashville multi-instrumentalist Anthony Howell, in mid-November, he had a full plate of touring dates with family bluegrass band Williamson Branch, and he was just getting acquainted with his new Gallatin F-14F, which can be heard on the group’s most recent effort, Classy. Sassy. Bluegrassy. Needless to say, things have changed for the Zama,...

Sitka—the majestic sound of everyone’s favorite mandolin top

Weber wood manager Angela Christensen travels to the Tongass National Forest Angela Christensen has stood alone in the Tongass National Forest, looking up, arms outstretched, accepting the chilly rain; honoring its wisdom, letting its mystery seep into her bones. Her first trip to Craig, an idyllic fishing village located a floatplane’s trip from Ketchikan, itself sitting on Alaska’s legendary Inside Passage, was something of an epiphany. Subsequent visits to the region have kept...

As Lady Moon, SHEL’s Eva Holbrook is exploring new avenues of expression

As Lady Moon, SHEL’s Eva Holbrook is exploring new avenues of expression

The acclaimed Weber signature artist is reinventing mandolin for the 21st century. On November 27, 1970, British folk rock paragons Pentangle released their fourth album, Cruel Sister. The title track, a haunting meditation on an ancient Northumbrian murder ballad, was tinged with sitar from fingerstyle master John Renbourn and graced with a mournful, exquisitely detached vocal from London chanteuse Jacqui McShee. Fifty years later, on March 24, 2020, Lady Moon posted a YouTube performance of...

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