I don’t claim to be into a wide spectrum of music, I mostly stick to oldies and classic rock. That’s why it surprises people when they discover I have a musical soft spot for Bluegrass. That’s right, Bluegrass.  I’m talking ‘bout that wonderful ear candy that pours out of fiddles and banjos all over the front porches of Appalachia.

A few days ago I got into one of my infamous Bluegrass kicks. What makes this bluegrass kick different from any other one I’ve gone on? This time I have Zune Pass (Unlimited free music from the Zune Marketplace).   I immediately began downloading songs from every genre of Bluegrass; Traditional Bluegrass, Progressive Bluegrass, Noe-Traditional Bluegrass and… wait… what’s this?

Bluegrass Tribute. A genre of Bluegrass dedicated to covering popular music. The Zune Marketplace contains over 100 albums of Bluegrass Tribute. If you have a favorite band, odds are I love the Bluegrass Tribute of them. Bands covered in Bluegrass tribute include, but are not limited to: Modest Mouse, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Green Day, Barenaked Ladies, Def Leopard, Linkin Park, The Shins, The Killers and even Jimmy Buffet.

I am currently about 3 hours deep into my 12 hour Bluegrass Tribute playlist. The verdict? Well, I’ve never liked “Swing Swing” by The All-American Rejects this much before. In fact, I enjoy about 75% of these covers more than the originals. So, if you like Bluegrass, you’ll love Bluegrass Tribute and if you’ve never gave Bluegrass a real chance, this is the perfect way to ease into it.  Go forth and enjoy.