Back to school

For nine years or so, back in the early 2000’s, I was a regular volunteer at CBA music camp, and I did a couple of Walker Creek Camps as well.  There was always a sense of happiness in the air at those camps, and of common purpose — all these people excited...

Background, or Foreground?

Art has the remarkable quality of being able to affect us in different ways, at different levels. When you see a masterpiece of art in a museum, it’s the main thing you’re looking at and thinking about for a while. You’re soaking it in, and savoring how it makes you...

BAD GIG NO DINNER; TRUE STORIES

The “performance part” of playing music is a complex developmental process for most people. Any musician will verify that the comfort of one’s own living room is where all the perfect notes are kept. The folk and bluegrass music scene conjures images of dedicated...

Bad Gigs

After reading Sid Lewis’ column yesterday, I got the idea to write about bad gigs. If performing musicians have to suffer through some bad day jobs to pursue their dreams, they also have to endure some awful gigs along the way. But when I thought back, even the worst...

Bakersfield Bound

For several years running now, I have seen the photos on the CBA website of folks having fun at the Bakersfield Jam (a/k/a The Great 48). Looked like a lot of fun, and I know, from having been to both Supergrass Festivals, that pickin’ in Bakersfield is a lot of fun....