Recent Reviews
Concert review "Ken & Brad Kolodner at The Gordon Center" by Matt Rupert in "These Subtle Sounds" 2020
Ken and Bran Kolodner – two scions of the entire bluegrass scene, not just Maryland (though we claim them as ours, and proudly so) – absolutely stunned the digital audience with their duets on dulcimer (sometimes mbira) and clawhammer banjo (sometimes gourd). Their playing is fluid and constantly beautiful, but also rewarding and challenging; they’ve created something that feels like a place captured by sound. It is easy to be transported by their music. They recently released Stony Run on March 13th (what feels somewhat like the beginning of the current state), a nod to Baltimore and her influences. Both Ken and Brad gave in to their tendencies to teach, sprinkling their set as liberally with music facts as with wry and humorous comments about the world at large. In truth, I found their set one of the most beautiful and inviting I’ve watched this entire quarantine.
Reviews of Stony Run, released March 13, 2020
On their fourth studio album, Ken and Brad Kolodner make it clear: The family that plays together stays together. The canon of Americana music has long been passed down the generations, but these 12 tracks showcase not only the father-son duo’s familial bond but also their unique musical chemistry and mutual inspiration. It’s their most creative recording yet, charting new territory on robust original tunes, like the effusive title track, inspired by the waterway that ripples between their Baltimore homes, as well as through evolving techniques, such as unlikely instrument combinations and added emphasis on Brad’s warm vocals. They also pay homage to artists of the past through inventive takes on traditional folk and bluegrass classics. Along the way, the Kolodners, already important fixtures on the local scene, show their staying power.
Lydia Woolover – Baltimore Magazine – April 2020
It seems fair to say that there’s no strong bond than that which exists between parent and child, or, more specifically, as in the case of Ken and Brad Kolodner, the ties that bind father and son. With Stony Run, the duo’s fourth album, that precept proves true courtesy of their musical synergy, and their ability to draw on a traditional tapestry while still maintaining a contemporary credence. The two complement one another with an adroit sense of novelty and nuance, Ken’s masterful hammered dulcimer finding a perfect complement through Brad’s tasteful banjo. Stony Run offers an adroit example of instrumental artistry and integrity, stirred with equal measure.
Lee Zimmerman - Bluegrass Today
Credit the Kolodner’s with one of the best examples of innovative traditional string music heard yet this year. The centerpiece of the Ken & Brad Kolodner sound is fiddle tunes and old time songs on banjo and hammered dulcimer. But don’t stop there. Brad’s ten-plus years of focus on clawhammer banjo has paid off in clean technique, excellent tone and his own musical innovations. He plays with drive, precision and when appropriate, quieter and more evocative tones. He’s become a worthy tunesmith and a fine musician on fretless and fretted banjos and fiddle. Ken has established himself as a world-class fiddler and hammered dulcimer player. On dulcimer he goes beyond hammering out fiddle tunes showcasing the wonderful percussive and muted sounds the instrument offers. Enter the hammered mbira, a hybrid musical creation by Don MacClane that uses hammered dulcimer technique and set-up with African mbira (thumb piano) metal keys instead of strings. Ken takes his hammered dulcimer technique to a new format and sound and brings it into the old-time atmosphere beautifully. If there were stars in this review, Stony Run gets 5 out of 5!
Cathy Fink - Banjo Newsletter
Never underestimate an instrument’s, vocalist’s, or composer’s potential and ability to grow and perform new styles and music genres. Beginning with their first Otter Creek recording and through this fourth musical journey, both musicians have revealed an amazing ability to spread their music wings to new levels. On Stony Run the two are joined by Rachel Eddy and Alex Lacquement, outstanding musicians and vocalists themselves, and the results of this teamwork are audibly and uniquely exceptional.
Dan Hayes - Dulcimer Player News
Skipping Rocks debuted at #4 on the Folk DJ Radio Charts #20 on The Roots Music Charts
Best of 2013 lists include:
“Ken and Brad are both exceptionally talented musicians and they have created a tight, top-notch sound.”
- Bluegrass Today, January 2014 [Article]
"The Kolodners and their collaborators play with impeccable chops and with great feeling."
- Bluegrass Unlimited, April 2014 [Article}
"This father-son duo project is both technically impressive and musically tasteful, a lovely exploration of both tradition and creativity (and of a warm musical relationship)."
- CD Hotlist, October 2013 [Article]
"Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished hammered dulcimer players in the US, Ken Kolodner shines more than ever on Skipping Rocks. His gentle groove is the calm water over which Brad’s percussive banjo skips."
- The Revivalist, November 2013 [Article]
“The musicianship on this album is absolutely incredible. Ken Kolodner is, in my estimation, the finest, most able, and diverse hammered dulcimer player anywhere...Brad Kolodner is simply one of the best of the new generation of Old Time melodic Clawhammer banjo players...it still touches me that a father and son not only can make music that sounds so good, but that they so obviously enjoy making such great music with each other and their music friends.”
- Dan Hayes, The Banjo Hangout, September 2013
“On Ken & Brad Kolodner’s new album, Skipping Rocks, the dynamic pulse of their neo-traditional sound is ringed with masterful guest artists, sewing together new takes on old tunes, and new tunes with old slants. Listening to Brad & Ken Kolodner’s Skipping Rocks not only highlights the magic that seems to spark in musical families, but also transports its listeners to the soft shores of a summer lake, where each skip of the rock is a moment that ripples out; from father to son, from a duo to a musical community, from old tunes to new ones. It’s a moment in life and time that will have you pushing play again and again.”
- Hearth Music, September 2013 [Article]
"Give me a band that has mastered their music, their instruments, and their vocal approach, and who play with feeling and intensity along with an apparent appreciation for the roots of music from an earlier time, and I’m happy. The groupdemonstrates that old-time music doesn’t need to be a stale, modern reproduction of a relic from a bygone era- a pale reflection of nostalgia for a time few of us can imagine. This music can be and- in the right hands- is a modern sound enjoyed by contemporary individuals played with all the passion that music should include. On their album Skipping Rocks they not only treat the music as a living entity deserving of respect and nurturing hands, they bring freshness within their interpretation of old time music. This is a wonderful album, a complete set of music that runs nearly an hour. It is bright, lively, and thought provoking. "
- Fervor Coulee, January 2014 [Article]
Ken & Brad in the News
WYPR, Baltimore, MD - November, 2013 [Listen]
The Cecil County Whig - January, 2013 [Article]
The Baltimore Messenger - July, 2012 [Article]
The Ithacan - February, 2011 [Article]
Radio/TV appearances
Bound for Glory (WVBR) The longest running live radio concert show in the US, Ithaca, NY
Nonesuch (WVBR) Ithaca, NY
Detours (WTMD) Towson, MD
Bluegrass Country (WAMU) Washington, DC
Music in Maryland with Tom Hall (WYPR) Baltimore, MD
The Signal (WYPR) Baltimore, MD
The Marc Steiner Show (WETA) Baltimore, MD
The Hobo’s Lullaby (WICB) Ithaca, NY
Kennedy Center Millenium Stage Washington, DC (TV)
Concert review "Ken & Brad Kolodner at The Gordon Center" by Matt Rupert in "These Subtle Sounds" 2020
Ken and Bran Kolodner – two scions of the entire bluegrass scene, not just Maryland (though we claim them as ours, and proudly so) – absolutely stunned the digital audience with their duets on dulcimer (sometimes mbira) and clawhammer banjo (sometimes gourd). Their playing is fluid and constantly beautiful, but also rewarding and challenging; they’ve created something that feels like a place captured by sound. It is easy to be transported by their music. They recently released Stony Run on March 13th (what feels somewhat like the beginning of the current state), a nod to Baltimore and her influences. Both Ken and Brad gave in to their tendencies to teach, sprinkling their set as liberally with music facts as with wry and humorous comments about the world at large. In truth, I found their set one of the most beautiful and inviting I’ve watched this entire quarantine.
Reviews of Stony Run, released March 13, 2020
On their fourth studio album, Ken and Brad Kolodner make it clear: The family that plays together stays together. The canon of Americana music has long been passed down the generations, but these 12 tracks showcase not only the father-son duo’s familial bond but also their unique musical chemistry and mutual inspiration. It’s their most creative recording yet, charting new territory on robust original tunes, like the effusive title track, inspired by the waterway that ripples between their Baltimore homes, as well as through evolving techniques, such as unlikely instrument combinations and added emphasis on Brad’s warm vocals. They also pay homage to artists of the past through inventive takes on traditional folk and bluegrass classics. Along the way, the Kolodners, already important fixtures on the local scene, show their staying power.
Lydia Woolover – Baltimore Magazine – April 2020
It seems fair to say that there’s no strong bond than that which exists between parent and child, or, more specifically, as in the case of Ken and Brad Kolodner, the ties that bind father and son. With Stony Run, the duo’s fourth album, that precept proves true courtesy of their musical synergy, and their ability to draw on a traditional tapestry while still maintaining a contemporary credence. The two complement one another with an adroit sense of novelty and nuance, Ken’s masterful hammered dulcimer finding a perfect complement through Brad’s tasteful banjo. Stony Run offers an adroit example of instrumental artistry and integrity, stirred with equal measure.
Lee Zimmerman - Bluegrass Today
Credit the Kolodner’s with one of the best examples of innovative traditional string music heard yet this year. The centerpiece of the Ken & Brad Kolodner sound is fiddle tunes and old time songs on banjo and hammered dulcimer. But don’t stop there. Brad’s ten-plus years of focus on clawhammer banjo has paid off in clean technique, excellent tone and his own musical innovations. He plays with drive, precision and when appropriate, quieter and more evocative tones. He’s become a worthy tunesmith and a fine musician on fretless and fretted banjos and fiddle. Ken has established himself as a world-class fiddler and hammered dulcimer player. On dulcimer he goes beyond hammering out fiddle tunes showcasing the wonderful percussive and muted sounds the instrument offers. Enter the hammered mbira, a hybrid musical creation by Don MacClane that uses hammered dulcimer technique and set-up with African mbira (thumb piano) metal keys instead of strings. Ken takes his hammered dulcimer technique to a new format and sound and brings it into the old-time atmosphere beautifully. If there were stars in this review, Stony Run gets 5 out of 5!
Cathy Fink - Banjo Newsletter
Never underestimate an instrument’s, vocalist’s, or composer’s potential and ability to grow and perform new styles and music genres. Beginning with their first Otter Creek recording and through this fourth musical journey, both musicians have revealed an amazing ability to spread their music wings to new levels. On Stony Run the two are joined by Rachel Eddy and Alex Lacquement, outstanding musicians and vocalists themselves, and the results of this teamwork are audibly and uniquely exceptional.
Dan Hayes - Dulcimer Player News
Skipping Rocks debuted at #4 on the Folk DJ Radio Charts #20 on The Roots Music Charts
Best of 2013 lists include:
- The Baltimore City Paper
- Folk Alley
- XM Radio, The Sing Out Radio Magazine
- Detours on WTMD
“Ken and Brad are both exceptionally talented musicians and they have created a tight, top-notch sound.”
- Bluegrass Today, January 2014 [Article]
"The Kolodners and their collaborators play with impeccable chops and with great feeling."
- Bluegrass Unlimited, April 2014 [Article}
"This father-son duo project is both technically impressive and musically tasteful, a lovely exploration of both tradition and creativity (and of a warm musical relationship)."
- CD Hotlist, October 2013 [Article]
"Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished hammered dulcimer players in the US, Ken Kolodner shines more than ever on Skipping Rocks. His gentle groove is the calm water over which Brad’s percussive banjo skips."
- The Revivalist, November 2013 [Article]
“The musicianship on this album is absolutely incredible. Ken Kolodner is, in my estimation, the finest, most able, and diverse hammered dulcimer player anywhere...Brad Kolodner is simply one of the best of the new generation of Old Time melodic Clawhammer banjo players...it still touches me that a father and son not only can make music that sounds so good, but that they so obviously enjoy making such great music with each other and their music friends.”
- Dan Hayes, The Banjo Hangout, September 2013
“On Ken & Brad Kolodner’s new album, Skipping Rocks, the dynamic pulse of their neo-traditional sound is ringed with masterful guest artists, sewing together new takes on old tunes, and new tunes with old slants. Listening to Brad & Ken Kolodner’s Skipping Rocks not only highlights the magic that seems to spark in musical families, but also transports its listeners to the soft shores of a summer lake, where each skip of the rock is a moment that ripples out; from father to son, from a duo to a musical community, from old tunes to new ones. It’s a moment in life and time that will have you pushing play again and again.”
- Hearth Music, September 2013 [Article]
"Give me a band that has mastered their music, their instruments, and their vocal approach, and who play with feeling and intensity along with an apparent appreciation for the roots of music from an earlier time, and I’m happy. The groupdemonstrates that old-time music doesn’t need to be a stale, modern reproduction of a relic from a bygone era- a pale reflection of nostalgia for a time few of us can imagine. This music can be and- in the right hands- is a modern sound enjoyed by contemporary individuals played with all the passion that music should include. On their album Skipping Rocks they not only treat the music as a living entity deserving of respect and nurturing hands, they bring freshness within their interpretation of old time music. This is a wonderful album, a complete set of music that runs nearly an hour. It is bright, lively, and thought provoking. "
- Fervor Coulee, January 2014 [Article]
Ken & Brad in the News
WYPR, Baltimore, MD - November, 2013 [Listen]
The Cecil County Whig - January, 2013 [Article]
The Baltimore Messenger - July, 2012 [Article]
The Ithacan - February, 2011 [Article]
Radio/TV appearances
Bound for Glory (WVBR) The longest running live radio concert show in the US, Ithaca, NY
Nonesuch (WVBR) Ithaca, NY
Detours (WTMD) Towson, MD
Bluegrass Country (WAMU) Washington, DC
Music in Maryland with Tom Hall (WYPR) Baltimore, MD
The Signal (WYPR) Baltimore, MD
The Marc Steiner Show (WETA) Baltimore, MD
The Hobo’s Lullaby (WICB) Ithaca, NY
Kennedy Center Millenium Stage Washington, DC (TV)