Pinecastle Records is proud to announce that it has signed Mark Newton and Steve Thomas to its roster. Their debut album is titled Reborn and will be released on April 9, 2013. With the two banded together, the "sideman" becomes a "frontman," and the "frontman" becomes a "partner." Both men are native Virginians who both struck out seperately in the music business decades ago, with both having completely different experiences. Now that both of their paths have converged, they are eager to blend their various musical flavors together to share with bluegrass and Americana fans everywhere. They are joined by bass player Matt Wallace who rounds out the trio that will be touring the country. more...

Irish bluegrass songsmith, Niall (Neil) Toner, has released his first U.S. album,Onwards and Upwards, on Pinecastle Records. Growing up in Ireland, a childhood friend of Toner's introduced him to the music of Bill Monroe, and from then on he was hooked on bluegrass music. Through the years he has befriended, and written songs  for bluegrass musicians who have visited Ireland in addition to being Ireland's bluegrass ambassador. He even has his own radio show, Roots Freeway, which is broadcast on Ireland's national radio station, RTE Radio One. With Toner being a lifelong songwriter,Onwards and Upwards is full of stories from his masterful pen. In preparation for the album, Toner wrote or co-wrote each tune on the album. He collaborated with Keith Sewell on four tunes with Sewell also producing the album. The deluxe booklet included with the CD version includes Toner's own accounts of writing each song as well as photographs from the studio sessions. more...

Columbus, NC - August 28, 2012 - Wildfire frontman Robert Hale has released his first solo album, Pure and Simple, on Pinecastle Records. For the recording sessions, Hale called on his old bandmates from Livewire, Scott Vestal on banjo, Wayne Benson on mandolin, and Ernie Sykes on bass. Joining them are Steve Thomas on fiddle, Randy Kohrs on dobro, along with Shawn Lane and Alecia Nugent on harmony vocals. Hale's song selection is a direct reflection of the music that has influenced him most through the years. The group pays homage to Lynyrd Skynard with “Pure and Simple” and turn right around and knock out Reno and Smiley's “There's Another Baby Waiting For Me Down The Line”. The result is an exciting mix of bluegrass and country featuring four Robert Hale originals including the blazing instrumental, “Dirt Poor” and the country ballad, “You're Wrong”. Hale concludes the project with a grassed up version of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" showcasing the instrumental prowess and versatility of the band. more...

Columbus, NC May 15, 2012 - Pinecastle Records is pleased to announce that it has signed I Draw Slow. Their upcoming album Redhills will be released August 7th, 2012. Customers who pre-order Redhills from thePinecastle website will also receive a free digital copy (available here) delivered on the release date. In addition, customers will also receive the single "Goldmine" instantly after their purchase.

I Draw Slow is a five piece string band playing original music in the American folk tradition, but with an Irish influence. All five members have played in old time and bluegrass bands around Ireland, Europe and the US over the last decade. Siblings Dave (guitar) and Louise (vocals) Holden have been writing together for two decades, starting on Dublin, Ireland’s touring circuit with a funk band. An interest in writing new music in the roots tradition inspired the birth of I Draw Slow in 2007. The pair teamed up with Adrian Hart (fiddle), Colin Derham (banjo), and Konrad Liddy (bass) to form I Draw Slow. Altogether they have created a new sound rooted in the old time style of the Appalachian Mountains, while drawing on Irish traditional music and modern Americana. The band has since written and produced two albums and toured Ireland and Europe. Their first album, Downside, was recorded in a farm kitchen in County Wicklow, Ireland and received critical acclaim in that country in 2008.  more...

Pinecastle Records is pleased to announce that it has signed Irish bluegrass artist, Niall Toner, to its roster. Niall will soon release a new single in his native Ireland, a song called "Tomorrow," taken from his upcoming Pinecastle release. This will be a new album of original material, due in the fall of 2012, in conjunction with a U.S. tour. Niall’s most recent release in the U.S. was The Sounds of the Blackstairs Mountains, featuring his tribute to the father of bluegrass, "William Smith Monroe,"which is still receiving extensive airplay on bluegrass radio. more...

Long out of print, these classic WEBCO recordings are now available for download at your favorite online retailer including Amazon MP3 and iTunes. Pinecastle Records purchased WEBCO Records of Virginia in 1993 which marked the beginning of fruitful relationships with artists like Larry Stephenson and The Reno Brothers. These ten recordings were either existing releases on the WEBCO label or, in the case of the WEBCO Classics series, compilations released after the Pinecastle purchase. Additionally, Radio DJs and radio stations may download these and other albums from the Pinecastle catalog from AirPlay Direct.

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