The National Council of Traditional Arts and their partners in Greensboro, NC brought together hundreds of entertainers and thousands of fans for the 75th National Folk Festival in Greensboro, NC. We love the diversity of the NCTA events, having worked the Butte, MT and Lowell, MA events previously. We kicked off the National Folk Festival with a community outreach concert to an enthusiastic crowd of 1st - 3rd graders at the Hampton elementary School in Greensboro. Over the course of the weekend, we had a wonderful hour of gospel music partnering with Virginia gospel legends the Ingramettes -  hallelujah! And on the big stage Saturday night, our guest was harmonica legend Phil Wiggins, blowing the socks off of the "Shoeshine Man!" The National Folk Festival will be hosted in Greensboro the next two years as well — Don't miss it! 

Joe Mullins has partnered with Salem Media Group to become the new host of the Front Porch Fellowship, one of America’s favorite bluegrass gospel radio shows. Salem Media Group is America’s leading radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative values. Front Porch Fellowship airs every Saturday and Sunday at 4 P.M. CST on Singing News Radio along with nearly 140 independent stations across the United States and Canada.
Joe will replace Les Butler who has been the show's host since it began. "My fellow broadcaster, musician and most importantly-good friend, Joe Mullins starts as the new host of Front Porch Fellowship! I was blessed to start that show 16 years ago and remain as host until I left to pursue other ventures. I commend Salem Media in their choice of Joe. He will do a fantastic job!"
Mullins stated, “I am grateful for the opportunity to host ‘Front Porch Fellowship.’ What a blessing! Presenting current and classic bluegrass gospel music on radio has been a lifelong passion of mine. Delivering favorite hymns by the Stanley Brothers, Doyle Lawson and other Hall of Fame artists alongside new talent will be part of each broadcast. Don’t miss the Front Porch Fellowship each weekend!”
Please follow the show online at www.facebook.com/frontporchfellowship

Rebel Records is pleased to announce the release of The Blues Are Still The Blues, a retrospective containing 15 songs selected from the four recordings made byThe Traditional Grass for Rebel between 1992 and 1995. The collection was produced by Rebel’s David Freeman along with original band members Joe Mullins and Mark Rader and reflects their keen understanding of the band’s style, its mission and goals within the bluegrass environment of the period. The album is now available via iTunes, Amazon, and other online and retail music stores.
For twelve years, The Traditional Grass delivered powerful bluegrass in the same vein as the genre’s founders. While they drew great inspiration from first generation ‘grassers such as Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Reno & Smiley and The Osborne Brothers, what made The Traditional Grass unique was their refusal to remain complacent. The band’s premiere lineup―Mark Rader (guitar &  vocals),Joe Mullins (banjo & vocals), Paul “Moon” Mullins (fiddle), Gerald Evans, Jr. (mandolin, fiddle & vocals) and Mike Clevenger (bass)―brought a freshness to traditional bluegrass that prevented the style from going stale.