Duluth, Minnesota-based power bluegrass troupe Trampled by Turtles will be hitting the road this spring in support of a new album they're releasing on April 10 via Thirty Tigers/RED. The disc, titled Stars and Satellites, will be the follow-up to their 2010 release Palomino, which was quite well-received throughout the indie, folk, Americana, and bluegrass communities.

They'll kick off their supporting with a couple of dates out west in March before beelining to Austin for the annual South by Southwest festival and conference. Check out a full list of dates after the cut, or learn more about Trampled by Turtles with this introductory bio and profile.

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I first became privy to Laura Gibson the same way I've discovered a load of great artists from the Pacific Northwest: while attending the Pickathon Indie Roots Music Festival. Gibson's understated simplicity and imaginative approach to contemporary folk music was stunning to me from the first time I inadvertently wandered across her set in the woods at that festival.

With a voice as nuanced as Billie Holiday and a narrative imagination akin to that of Paul Simon, not to mention some of the spirit of that cool Northwest rain and trees, Gibson delivers exquisitely thoughtful tunes on all three of her full-length albums. She's already played some dates in Europe this year, in support of her new record La Grande, and is hitting the East Coast of the U.S. this week. Learn more about Laura Gibson with this introductory bio and profile.

Laura Gibson promo photo

Ani DiFranco has dropped a whopping 21 albums in as many years (some of those years included two releases in the same year), not to mention bootlegs, EPs, lending her voice to various compilations and benefit albums, her collaborations with Utah Phillips, and on and on. And, with the release of her latest album, Which Side Are You On?, she seems to be striking some kind of balance - whether it's between the personal and political (a fine line she's always walked) or otherwise.

With an election year upon us, a people's movement going strong around the world, and an economy struggling, it only makes sense to revisit some of the themes Florence Reece wrote about when she originally penned the tune "Which Side Are You On?" Though DiFranco's version is all her own lyrics, the sentiment and intention remain intact. Check out my full review of Ani DiFranco's Which Side Are You On?

image © Righteous Babe

Ralph Stanley has been making a living in the music industry for somewhere around 60 years - a feat by any standards. But, especially in the modern music industry, where it's difficult for an artist to stick around past one or two albums, Stanley's remarkable ability to not only remain creative but also relevant and influential for that long, is impressive in itself.

This year, Stanley is nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album for his 2011 release A Mother's Prayer . . . which makes now as good a time as any to learn a little more about his long and storied career. It began in his hometown of Virginia with his brother Carter Stanley. Learn more with this introductory bio and profile, including recommneded CDs and MP3s.

photo: Robert Alexander/Getty Images