Dancin’ John

Dancin’ John

Photo credit: Robin Frenette I have to leave for Grass Valley in a couple of days. The festival has always been a centerpoint for my bluegrass experience and I am happy that the festival has risen from COVID ashes to be a real festival again. But I am really sad that...
The Death of Poetry?

The Death of Poetry?

The Daily grist: “if you have to keep declaring, over and over, that poetry is dead, it can’t actually be dead.” (from a college literary magazine) I read a disturbing article a couple of months ago from Washington Post columnist Christopher Ingraham. The...
Noodling

Noodling

In choosing a cover photo for today’s column I came across this amusing video of a sport called noodling which I was unfamiliar with: https://youtu.be/f_OfdMVTsAI. Apparently noodling for many people means fishing for catfish with your bare hands! Thus the unusual...
Song Ratio

Song Ratio

I have a rather large collection of bluegrass CDs that I’ve accumulated over the years. Many of them are pretty old now. Periodically, I dig out a new old favorite to carry along in my car so I can get reacquainted with it. It’s even easier to scroll...
Band Scramble

Band Scramble

The band scramble is a long time tradition of bluegrass festivals and get-togethers. Some people like them and some don’t so thankfully participation is always optional. The format of a bluegrass band scramble is pretty standard. Participants are invited to put their...