The Heart Wants What It Wants

Everyone has a secret guilty pleasure when it comes to art or music. Popular opinion may decree certain artists or artworks (including music) as “schlock”, and that will drive those who enjoy those things underground, somewhat. In some cases, art scorned as schlock by...

The history of country music

During the busy run-up to Christmas I became aware that BBC television was putting out a total of eight one-hour programs culled and edited from the Ken Burns ‘County Music’ series, of which I guess you have seen the full version in the States. Saving the programs on...

The Hobbs Grove Bluegrass Festival

It was three years ago that the bluegrass bug bit me. The critter was lurking in the grass parking lot at the Hobbs Grove Bluegrass Festival in Sanger. I had just begun trying to play bluegrass guitar that year and this was the second festival that I had ever...

The Hole You Throw Money Into

There’s an old joke that defines a boat as a “Hole in the water you throw money into.” I’ve had several friends with boats and while boats are lots of fun, they do seem to demand frequent and expensive upkeep. So, I resisted the temptation to join the boat owner...