The Eight Year Rule Revisited

A few months ago I wrote a column about the theory that it takes approximately eight years to become proficient at a musical instrument. The column generated a lot of buzz on the message board. It also generated a lot of sympathy for my own eight year struggle to...

The Elephant in the Bluegrass Living Room

If you want to know the latest news on the economic problems, and how Americans are struggling to keep their head above water, don’t look to the CBA website or the Bluegrass Breakdown for answers. As prices for everything from fuel to milk have continued to skyrocket,...

The Elephant in the Bluegrass Living Room

If you want to know the latest news on the economic problems, and how Americans are struggling to keep their head above water, don’t look to the CBA website or the Bluegrass Breakdown for answers. As prices for everything from fuel to milk have continued to skyrocket,...

The end of civilization as we know it

Last weekend my band appeared before the Northern California Association of Children’s Librarians in a big room at the Fremont Library. It was the group’s annual showcase of entertainers who are looking for jobs entertaining children at public libraries. We have...

The Ephemeral Column

My last column ran for just a few hours so here it is again for those of you who missed it a couple of weeks ago:TWO ANECDOTES(Author’s note: My life changed for the better on September 25, 2008 when I got this e mail from Rick Cornish. I had sent Rick a little...

The Ex Factor

Okay, for starters let me acknowledge that, despite the fact that it’s the first Thursday of the month and everyone is primed for reading another thoughtful and layered essay by Nancy Zuniga, it’s just not going to happen. Nancy and Henry have been called out of town...