The New Bluegrass: Five Acts to Watch

Uncle Earl

Sound: Uncle Earl are a rarity in the bluegrass scene: an all-female quartet that adds Irish-style "clogging" to their live show and occasionally sing in Mandarin Chinese. Their latest record, Waterloo Tennessee, is their most ambitious yet, mixing traditional fiddle-powered jams ("Black-Eyed Susie") and rich four-part harmonies with countrified covers of classics (Bob Dylan's "Wallflower") and old-time ho-downs ("One True"). "We try to make songs that have a pop groove," says Andreassen. "So we'll trade up instruments a lot more than your typical old-time band."

Story: Uncle Earl had only been performing on the folk-music circuit for five months in 2006 when they scored an unlikely fan: Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, who caught the band's live set at the RockyGrass Festival in Colorado that summer. "We didn't have enough songs to play so we looked into the crowd for people who could jam with us," says Andreassen. "John was there and we were like, 'Come on up and play mandolin!' " Soon after, Uncle Earl headed into the studio to cut Waterloo, with Jones as a producer. "He wasn't trying to make us into a rock band," says Andreassen. "He acted more like a coach and made us feel confident."

Key Track: "Wish I Had My Time Again," a breezy, amped-up lament about doing time in the slammer.

Expert Opinion: "Those girls are really great musicians," says McCoury, who shared a bill with the group last summer in Cape Cod. "They're a cross between old-time music and bluegrass, you know? It's unusual, but I tell you they're doing it right."