The Littlest Picker

The English language could use a few more words for “love.” Even the Greeks’ eros and agape aren’t enough. I love bluegrass music. I love my painstakingly collected aggregation of stringed instruments. I love chocolate cake. I love Barbara, my best friend, life’s...

The Lonely Sentinel

Shortly after dawn, on a cool October morning, Angus MacNabb arose from his austere bed. He stretched, scratched the stubble on his chin, broke wind and padded to the washbasin, where he splashed some cold water on his face. He studied his face in the cracked mirror,...

The Lonesome Sigh of a Train Going By

(I first posted this about 12 years ago – and it got more response than any other Welcome Column I’ve done – apparently it struck a nerve!) There are an awful lot of songs in Bluegrass and country music that refer to the lonesome sound of a train...

The Lovely Meter Made

Yesterday, I stepped out of a coffee shop and was approached by a gentleman whom I did not recognize, but who appeared to recognize me. He was carrying several books and a playbill. “Are you familiar with the works of Mamet?”, he asked me. “Er, uh, you mean the...

The Lucky One

As the title implies, I’m the lucky one to write the first Welcome Column after the Great Web Site Melt Down of 2011. Losing contact with my bluegrass family for several days was almost too much to handle. I was even beginning to ponder the aspects of activating my...

The Mad Hatter Speaks

I have never, ever been very pleased with my face or hair, so it’s a happy coincidence that I began playing the most hat-friendly form of music ever: bluegrass. It could be argued that country music is even more hat-friendly, and maybe it is, but recently, the trend...