Nashville's Rob Ickes has won about a bazillion IBMA Dobro Player of the Year awards, and he's an outgoing, helpful guy too. So it's no surprise that aspiring players from around the country flock to his ResoSummit camp here -- not just for the instruction, but for the associated concerts. Thursday night features multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses (now serving as Ricky Skaggs' banjo man) holding forth with his former bandmates in NewFound Road, one of the most soulful contemporary bluegrass groups, while Friday dishes up the sounds of the Washington, D.C., bluegrass scene past, present and future, highlighting the granddaddy of immaculate dobro stylists, Mike Auldridge. Saturday night, Ickes takes the stage himself with guitarist Jim Hurst -- and given each man's ability to mesmerize all by himself, that's a fearsome combination. The dobro goes in and out of favor down on Music Row, but it's got a boatload of permanent fans around the world. With players like these, it's easy to see why.
— Jon Weisberger