by Christine | Nov 21, 2019 | Welcome Column
There can be times when as a musician you get tired of the stuff you are playing, and you may echo the cry of Iggy Pop in 1979, and a decade earlier by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, “I’m bored!” What to do if you need inspiration to progress with your music? I typed...
by Christine | Nov 1, 2012 | Welcome Column
All the signs are evident, no more gigs, no more festivals, baseball season is over, it is darker much earlier, there are pumpkins and all kinds of decorations on every house, Christmas decorations are in the stores and, most significantly the worst day of the year is...
by Christine | Dec 5, 2019 | Welcome Column
This is a quiz. There’s a lot riding on the answer. I would think that the focus group for this quiz may be more skewed than the general public but that won’t much matter for my research. It is a one-question test. Question: If you saw a California vanity license...
by Christine | Aug 16, 2017 | Welcome Column
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...
by Christine | Feb 10, 2016 | Welcome Column
Winter’s wimpy grip on California is weakening – I can feel it. Oh, at least one more cold snap lies between today and the true spring, but winter will be in the rear view mirror soon. And with the sun, comes the long California festival season. Will you be...
by Christine | Jan 11, 2012 | Welcome Column
If you’re in a band that regularly submits for festival gigs, you have some ambition. You’ve most likely been having regular band rehearsals, and you have enough gigs under your belt that you feel your band can handle the particular demands of a festival set. What...
by Christine | Dec 17, 2008 | Welcome Column
Today’s column from Bruce Campbell January 17, 2008 Right after the selections of the California Showcase Bands is announced, there is always some debate over the results. For every band that submitted, but didn’t get selected, there is some consternation. If...
by Christine | Feb 27, 2013 | Welcome Column
One of the most endearing things about bluegrass is the improvisation. Songs (or tunes) have a melody, which establishes the identity of the piece, but when the instrumentalists take their solos, the music joins other great musical forms (like jazz or the blues) in...
by Christine | May 2, 2018 | Welcome Column
My son gave me a very interesting book – “Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans”. When I began reading it, I realized it wasn’t a linear biography in the normal sense. Basically, the author is overlaying the presence of Armstrong in the context of the development of...
by Christine | Dec 24, 2016 | Welcome Column
It can be a game of wit, the game of life; a game of scrabble; but the luckiest game I ever played was fourteen years ago on line…. backgammon. I was tired of sick relationships, I had spent my last four years being the only one that was doing the work to...
