Tonight, the banjos will be taking over Benaroya Hall. We think there's a banjo joke in there somewhere, but it's too early on a Monday morning to come up with it. Instead, we'll just sell you on the legendary Earl Scruggs, who's responsible for that three-finger picking style Seattlest prefers when attacking the famously untunable instrument. We caught Scruggs at the IBMA awards last year, and we can vouch for the fact that he's still got it after all these years. Go see a living legend in action. Check him: more ›

If you're unfamiliar, the quintet, based loosely in Lyons, Colo., started out with some exquisite renditions of old-timey standards like "Red Rocking Chair." , however, opened up a whole new can of worms when the g'Earls, as they call themselves, tried their hand at writing brand-new old-timey tunes. Banjo player Abigail Washburn (who's toured recently with banjo master Bela Fleck) writes sad and lonely, heart-wrenching tunes about longing and self-identity, while fiddler Raya Gellert's tunes are more hoe-downy. KC Groves tends more toward Dolly Parton-ish sentimentality, while Kristin Andreassen's compositions run the gamut. more ›