by Christine | Apr 22, 2019 | Welcome Column
(Here at the Daily Welcome Column desk we refer to the old man’s pieces as ageless. The Great Bluegrass Joke is a good readson why. RC)That’s what my ol pard Vern Williams called this story that I’m going to relate to all of you this month. Going...
by Christine | Jul 8, 2016 | Welcome Column
At the fathers day festival, walking through the fairgrounds, something important was missing. Walking down the gravel road remembering good times and old friends, it saddened me to notice that the spot where Pat and George Calhouns R.V. used to be, had an...
by Christine | Feb 4, 2015 | Welcome Column
Nobody loves gear and instruments more than I, and I have often waxed poetically on the joys of fine guitars, banjos, fiddle, basses and the like. That love burns strong. The recent find of a Lloyd Loar mandolin in some old barn was fascinating – can you...
by Christine | May 9, 2012 | Welcome Column
How many times have you attended a concert (regardless of the genre), and at some time during the performance, they announce the presence of a “special guest” who’s going to join the band for a song or two. Depending on the stature of the special guest, there may be...
by Christine | Mar 29, 2017 | Welcome Column
(Throwback March – this is one of my favorite columns. Next week, we get back to brand new Welcome Messages)The change in the weather lately has me thinking about the Father’s Day Festival at Grass Valley! This is good time to point out that...
by Christine | Sep 12, 2019 | Welcome Column
(Editor’s Note: Reaching way back to 2010 for his one in deference to the scary night coming up. Marcos, long-retired from column duties now, was one of our best. RC)It’s one of those Saturday nights when I’m sitting before my computer thinking about a topic...
by Christine | Jun 26, 2020 | Welcome Column
As the days turn into weeks, and the weeks into months, there are times when finding things to be happy about is difficult. And face it, bluegrass isn’t known as the happiest genre on earth. If you feel like wallowing in a bit of self-pity, you can find plenty of sad,...
by Christine | Dec 12, 2013 | Welcome Column
Does anybody besides me think the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival has kind of jumped the shark? Looking at the festival web site I count 86 separate acts from October’s show. There are some names (well, quite a few actually) I don’t recognize, but I am pretty...
by Christine | Mar 13, 2020 | Welcome Column
I have a combination of traits that conspire to make me crazy:I hate being bored. I hate missing out on anything. I want to help. I like to be involved. I love playing music. I like playing different kinds of music.The result of this is, occasionally, my calendar...
by Christine | Nov 28, 2020 | Welcome Column
I’ve seen this phenomenon time and time again: You’re in a jam session, someone calls a song, and you know you’ve played some time in the distant past, then the circle begins to play it, and you remain puzzled – drawing a blank. But your hands – on your...
