A Violinist in the Metro

Here’s a thoughtful piece that came to us from Rick Owen via Bob Thomas. A Violinist in the Metro A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that...

A Visit From the Dark Side

I’ve been lucky so far myself, but at one time or another, a lot people I’ve known have suffered from theft of their musical instruments or equipment. Happily, this is very rare at bluegrass festivals, where a sense community and good will (and a cost for admission),...

A Waxing Half Moon

It’s Friday evening, the moon is high and bright, and I’ve got my dobro on my lap trying to make it sing. My fire on the patio is slowly burning down to coals, my wife is asleep on the sofa inside, and my dog is probably keeping her company. I can’t keep him outside...

A Week of Fun and Learning

I just finished my second year as a coach and instructor at Pete Wernick’s Jam Camp in Boomer, NC in conjunction with MerleFest. This year the camp was even larger than last with a total of 75 students and 10 instructors ranging in age from 8 to 79. It was also nice...

A Woman’s Touch

When I first became aware of Bluegrass music in the sixties, it was an all white male affair. By contrast, country country had featured women from its outset with Sara and Maybelle Carter on through Kitty and Patsy to Dolly and Loretta. But if you saw Bill Monroe or...

A word from Peter Thompson

(Editor’s Note: We’re leaving Peter’s Welcome up another day because, even after my solemn promise to do do, yours truly forget to install links in his article. RC)Walking the dog around the neighborhood is still allowed, and I found myself...