Ken & Brad Kolodner are father and son from Baltimore, Maryland, which happens to be the city where I was born. On this recording, Ken plays hammered dulcimer, hammered mbira, fiddle, and fiddle sticks. Brad plays banjo and fiddle. Rachel Eddy joins them on guitar and fiddle, and Alex Lacquement plays bass. All but Ken also sing. Hand’s Cove is in Vermont on Lake Champlain. The Kolodner family has a cabin there.

There are thirteen tracks, of which five are originals by Brad, three are traditional, and five are by other composers. The CD opens with “Otter Creek,” one of Brad’s originals. It starts as a hammered dulcimer/banjo duet and then the bass comes in along with Rachel’s fiddle. Next is “Voice on the Wind” by the Bay Area’s Butch Waller. Brad sings lead with Rachel and Alex on harmony. The title cut, “Hand’s Cove,” follows with a hard-driving banjo. “Peter’s Lullabye” is another original by Brad which features Alex’ bowed bass along with the hammered dulcimer and banjo. Alton Delmore wrote “Standing on the Mountain.” Again Brad sings lead with Alex and Rachel backing him. “Laughing Boy” (a Texas tune played by Benny Thomassen and popularized by Kenny Baker) and “Shuckin’ the Brush” are both traditional tunes. Brad and Ken both fiddle on the latter. Rachel sings lead on John Hartford’s “Steam Powered Aereo Plane” with Alex on harmony vocals. “Piper’s Lagoon” is by Brad. Benton Flippen is the source of “Sally in the Turnip Patch,” which features Brad on gourd banjo and Ken on hammered mbira (also known as a thumb piano). The notes flow like a river. “Little Bird of Heaven” was written by Martha Scanlan, whom I first met when she was in the Reel-Time Travelers band. Brad sings lead. Brad fiddles on “Fiddlesticks,” and naturally Ken plays fiddle sticks. It reminds me of a time in West Virginia when I was playing with Jake Krack. Melvin Wine joined us, took  two fiddle sticks from his fiddle case, and played on the strings of Jake’s fiddle. The final track is “Bradley’s Tune” by Brad.

The hammered dulcimer/banjo combination is a bit unusual, but all the instruments are played with excellent musicianship. Listen to the two cuts below to see if their sound appeals to you.

This album releases on July 10, 2026. You can get it here!