The Art of Not Playing

When we hear our favorite musicians play, we love what we hear. But what, exactly are we hearing? “Stupid question!” you say. “I’m hearing the notes being played!” Yep, that’s true. But you’re also hearing the spaces between the notes. And many times, that exactly...

The Art of 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 Art of the Moving Lips

Hello fellow bluegrassers . . . or whoever is reading this. Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass ‘n Stuff. If you didn’t know this already, it’s been a very giggy couple of months for the Abbott Family Band. Did you see them at the Otter Opry? *Phew!* What a great crowd!...

The Australian Fires

The Australian Fires Special Report from Mike Kear Tuesday, February 10, 2009 (Editor’s Note—We had another piece ready to run here in the Welcome spot this a.m., but upon checking this morning’s email we found the following post from Mike Kear, a really good guy and...

The Bad, the Good and the Ugly

This little anecdote has plenty of bluegrass content, and even a little bit of a moral. It’s a story about my least favorite type of humor, the practical joke, and how it can slip out of control before you even known it. The Bad It was the Tuesday before the Thursday...

The Bell Curve (inverted)

I dropped out of college to concentrate on playing music. I didn’t make a momentous decision to do so, but a gig came up that was at the same time as a final exam in one of my classes, and that fork in the road led me in the direction it did.For the next 4 or 5 years,...