by Christine | Oct 10, 2012 | Welcome Column
The awesome Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Just wrapped up here in the SF Bay Area. In most cases, “awesome” is an overused or misused modifier (“That’s an awesome smoothie, man!”), but it fits in this case. Hundreds of thousands pack into Golden Gate Park to see 50+ acts...
by Christine | May 8, 2009 | Welcome Column
Matt Coleman sent me an email saying he needed a guitar player for a fundraiser for the American River parks, and it sounded like fun so I said yes and I put it on the calendar and then I looked at it a little closer, and it turns out we were playing at the crossroads...
by Christine | Feb 23, 2014 | Welcome Column
Lately, the topic of conversation always seems to turn to the weather. In California, it’s the drought, in the Midwest it’s the record cold, in the East it’s the snow and ice storms. Our Swampgrass friend, Larry Gillis posted a video on Facebook showing how they keep...
by Christine | Oct 19, 2017 | Welcome Column
Some time back I signed up to receive a daily email digest from Quora. This is a website which hosts discussions on every subject imaginable, and you choose the topic areas you are interested in. Like most web users I’ve learned to be very selective...
by Christine | Nov 19, 2020 | Welcome Column
An enduring memory from my early schooldays is of the music teacher who said, “Do you know that we each have a musical instrument of our own?” At the time I found this puzzling. Musical instruments, particularly the piano, were expensive and you had to “have lessons”...
by Christine | May 11, 2014 | Welcome Column
If you want to be a picker you gotta have a pick. Well at least for the most part. I’m just like the rest of you, I love to pick with fiddlers, who use that crazy thing called a bow. And I appreciate the bass players who make all that foundation sound with their...
by Christine | Oct 1, 2016 | Welcome Column
The following text is an excerpt from the book “High Lonesome Below Sea Level: Stories and Faces of Bluegrass Music in the Netherlands” by Loes van Schaijk and Marieke Odekerken. The book can be ordered in the webshop of the Bluegrass Music Museum or the...
by Christine | Nov 5, 2016 | Welcome Column
(The following text is an excerpt from the book “High Lonesome Below Sea Level: Stories and Faces of Bluegrass Music in the Netherlands” by Loes van Schaijk and Marieke Odekerken. The book can be ordered in the webshop of the Bluegrass Music Museum or the...
by Christine | Apr 15, 2012 | Welcome Column
Camping at a fairground has its pluses and minuses. On one hand, the livestock seems to really enjoy all the music and grunts, baa’s, and bleats wholehearted appreciation while not complaining about how late we are playing. On the other hand, I sometimes have a...
by Christine | Mar 26, 2014 | Welcome Column
I like playing music. I bet a lot of you like doing it to. And, nine times out of ten, it’s a no brainer. You grab your instrument and attend a jam or a gig. Piece of cake, right? Not so fast! Evil forces are at work, conspiring to keep you from the musical enjoyment...
