Cemetery Escort Duty

(Editor’s Note–Well, I was unable to wake him from a sound sleep this morning (yes, he was breathing) so we’ll reach back to November, 2011.  RC)Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I recieved the following story from one of my boyhood buddies, who was...

Cemetery Escort Duty

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I recieved the following story from one of my boyhood buddies, who was also one of my Marine companions. It is a message that I think everyone should read, so they can see just what our service men and women sacrificed in our nations past,...

Challenge to Festivals: Weather & Capitalization

Bluegrass festivals, especially mid-range and small ones, are facing twin challenges threatening their continued existence. Severe weather accompanied by apparently changing weather patterns and serious under-capitalization are making it difficult or impossible to...

Chance

Good morning from Whiskey Creek, where we (Lynn, the dogs, the cat, the llamas and, of course moi,) are waiting impatiently for the HEAVY RAIN the weatherman promised us for the day.  No sign of it yet.  Although he’s not delivered on nearly as many...

Change

I went through a spot of time, as a youngster, where I would lie about everything.  And worse, I was one of those children who felt confident in holding close to the lies I told, defying anyone to prove me wrong.  I can’t even begin to tell you, the trouble...

Change Your Strings Now!

I just changed the strings on the very mandolin that you see here in my photo. What a difference that little change makes! Once the new strings tune in I get a beautiful rich sound from my treasured two point mandolin. This little axe is close to a hundred years old...

Changes…

This is a difficult article for me to write. Some of you might already know, but for those of you that don’t, I am flying to Massachusetts on August 19th to begin my first semester at Clark University. I have already picked my classes, and I am certain that I will...

Charlotte, MI to Hattiesburg, MS Is Only 936 Mile

June is an intense month for a professional bluegrass musician. Many of us spend more days away from home than with loved ones this time of year and when we are home, we try to squeeze a week’s worth of chores, bill paying and family time into the space of just two or...

Chasing the Groove

It is Tuesday and I need a welcome column by Thursday morning. Even at this late to my deadline date I’m not sure what I am going to write about. This will be my 36th column and I have never missed a deadline although there are some months when I’ve done a better job...

CHEAP GAS AND OTHER ILLUSIONS

Here I go – retreating to my “Back in the day” description of how things were in the Thirties and Forties. Please bear with me.So how was it back in the olden days? I’ll compare a few things between ancient and now.NOW – TODAYI just gassed up at a station that always...