The Guest Shot

How many times have you attended a concert (regardless of the genre), and at some time during the performance, they announce the presence of a “special guest” who’s going to join the band for a song or two. Depending on the stature of the special guest, there may be...

The Guide to Grass Valley Wildlife

(Throwback March – this is one of my favorite columns.  Next week, we get back to brand  new Welcome Messages)The change in the weather lately has me thinking about the Father’s Day Festival at Grass Valley! This is good time to point out that...

The Halloween Story That Never Was

(Editor’s Note: Reaching way back to 2010 for his one in deference to the scary night coming up. Marcos, long-retired from column duties now, was one of our best. RC)It’s one of those Saturday nights when I’m sitting before my computer thinking about a topic...

The Happiest Bluegrass on Earth

As the days turn into weeks, and the weeks into months, there are times when finding things to be happy about is difficult. And face it, bluegrass isn’t known as the happiest genre on earth. If you feel like wallowing in a bit of self-pity, you can find plenty of sad,...

The Hardly Any Strictly Bluegrass Festival

Does anybody besides me think the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival has kind of jumped the shark? Looking at the festival web site I count 86 separate acts from October’s show. There are some names (well, quite a few actually) I don’t recognize, but I am pretty...