by Christine | Oct 7, 2009 | Welcome Column
Dateline: Nashville, TN; October 4, 2009 As I write this, I am sitting in a seedy, run down motel near the airport in Nashville, Tennessee. I just returned from a brief walk in a chilly, albeit gentle rain to get a couple of bottles of beer. I walked past rows of...
by Christine | Apr 21, 2010 | Welcome Column
What a time the 2010 CBA Spring Campout was! The weather, always a dodgy issue in April in northern California, was spectacular. We had been trained to believe that dry but windy was as good as it got. How about bright and sunny all day? Yeah, we’ll take that! With...
by Christine | Sep 23, 2011 | Welcome Column
There’s no question about it: travel is one of the great perks of life as a professional musician. But make no mistake, music touring is not – I repeat NOT – vacation travel. It is usually hard work all by itself. Case in point is my current ten day tour, which...
by Christine | Apr 18, 2012 | Welcome Column
How often has this happened to you? You get together with some friends, at someone’s house, or at a festival. You’re in a circle, the instruments are out, the lantern is lit, the beverages are ready, and it’s time to start the jam. “OK, what shall we play?” someone...
by Christine | Apr 15, 2015 | Welcome Column
I beg the readers’ forgiveness – I wrote my column for today in my mind last night, and when I awoke, the hard drive in my brain had some bad sectors. Enjoy this column from a while ago, and I will defrag my head before next Wednesday – BC How often...
by Christine | Mar 22, 2015 | Welcome Column
Recently, someone asked me how many songs I know. I can honestly say I don’t know. I’ve learned hundreds of songs over the years and evidently, there are some in my head that I don’t even know that I know. A couple nights ago, I had a crazy dream. I was enjoying a jam...
by Christine | Nov 4, 2012 | Welcome Column
November 4, 1958…a swept wing, jet powered B-47 Stratojet crashed outside Abilene, Kansas. Three crewmembers survived; the jet bomber was totaled; its nuclear armament did not detonate. My mom was in the maternity ward at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco that...
by Christine | Nov 13, 2009 | Welcome Column
California’s 2009 World of Bluegrass When we talk about attending the IBMA World of Bluegrass, many in our local bluegrass community have little idea of the influence CBA members have in this event. While it is true many of our members live in other states and...
by Christine | Nov 9, 2016 | Welcome Column
I am writing this well before the outcome of the 2016 election is known – the title has nothing to do with that event. One of the peculiar benefits of being a performing musician is I get to see a lot of people dance. There’s just no action of self-expression as...
by Christine | Dec 17, 2020 | Welcome Column
As a Brit the first time I became aware of American folk music was at the age of seven. It was through the BBC radio education series ‘For The Schools’ which used to be broadcast daily and must have provided teachers with a lot of useful lesson material! Thanks to the...
