I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Spencer Strickland, an award-winning mandolin player who’s part of the Church Sisters — one of the groups featured on the amazing Orthophonic Joy album that you need to hear immediately if you haven’t already — and the Virginia Luthiers, which is a group of instrument makers who play what bassist Gerald Anderson calls “Doc Watson kind of music.” But Strickland isn’t just an award-winning player — he’s also a record-setting one, as he was among the 493 pickers who came together at this year’s Old Fiddler’s Convention and successfully broke the Guinness World Record for largest mandolin ensemble.
