The Passing of Tom Tworek

I suppose Mark Varner asked me to write Tom Tworek’s obituary because I knew him longer than most in our bluegrass community. Tom and I played in a bluegrass band nearly thirty years ago–Duck Soup. But, truth be told, I didn’t really know Tom back then. My guess...

The Path to Bluegrass

When I read the “Hooked on Bluegrass” stories, I am struck by how many different ways we come to know and love bluegrass music.For some, it’s very direct – they grew up in a bluegrass-soaked environment, and it was part of their lives for as long as they...

The Perfect Song

(It wasn’t awfully long after discovering bluegrass music when he met, fell in love with and married his wife, Nancy, that Henry began writing monthly Welcome columns.  Here’s one he wrote back in 2009 that generated a lot of discussion on the Message...

The Perfect Song

Every now and then, we find ourselves in jams that are so much fun that we stay in them for hours. The weather’s great, you have a compatible bunch of pickers, the perfect mix of instruments, and a blissful vibe. These kind of jams can’t be planned or concocted....

The Persuasive Arts

I’m one of those nutjobs who enjoys band practice. I really do! This goes way back to my earliest days in a rock band, when we were all novices and it was just miraculous how putting some time in together can smooth some of the bumps in a band’s sound and allow them...

The Pickup Line

I’m considering buying a guitar and a mandolin with pickups. Jeanie and I often drag our instruments around as we travel around the state and beyond, and we find open mics or some kind of music showcase at a restaurant, bar, or café. We’ve learned that most of these...