by Bruce Campbell | Feb 2, 2022 | Welcome Column
I’ll never make a living on music. There. I said it. My parents were right. I tried, I really did. But I discovered that a few things were holding me back. First and foremost, I don’t have enough talent to rise to the upper 1/10 of 1%. I just don’t. I have some...
by Patrick Campbell | Jan 31, 2022 | Reviews
Jamie Francis: The Complete Tune Playing Toolkit for 5-String Banjo www.melbay.com Publication ISBN 978-151-346-812-9 The banjo is a unique American instrument with origins in Africa. The four string banjo or tenor, enjoyed popularity in jazz and Irish music,...
by Bert Daniel | Jan 30, 2022 | Welcome Column
THE DAILY GRIST: “If nature has ever produced a more perfect thing than the mesmerizing beauty of this starling swarm, I have yet to encounter it. No other phenomenon has ever stopped me in my tracks quite like this, made me forget everything else in the world except...
by Bert Daniel | Dec 13, 2022 | Welcome Column
I’m very proud to claim Irish heritage on this Saint Patrick’s Day, but as Kermit the frog said, it’s not easy being green. My surname is derived from the Irish name O’Daniel and I have no idea why my ancestors emigrated from the Emerald Isle to the “Greenfields of...
by Maggie Sokolik | Jan 27, 2022 | Bluegrass History, Bluegrass Musicians, Welcome Column
Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, publicity photo, University of Missouri, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons I took another dip into the archives this month, and I chose an issue of the Breakdown that had a bit of sentimental meaning for me. I chose one that...
by Bert Daniel | Jan 26, 2022 | Welcome Column
Most people know what ginseng is. It’s an herb, prized for centuries by the Chinese and you see it all the time these days as an ingredient in tea, energy drinks and cold remedies. What many people do not know is that ginseng grows all over the northern hemisphere,...
by Bert Daniel | Jan 22, 2022 | Welcome Column
A certain time eventually comes in the life of any string musician when it’s time to change your strings. Unless you have a good reason to change your strings, like an upcoming gig or event, you probably avoid the chore just like I do. It might still be fun to noodle...
by Bert Daniel | Jan 22, 2022 | Welcome Column
A little over ten years ago we lost one of the finest bluegrass musicians of all time. Kenny Baker, who fiddled for Bill Monroe on and off for a quarter century, died of a stroke at age 85. One could argue forever about who is the best bluegrass fiddler of all time....
by Patrick Campbell | Jan 20, 2022 | California Report
CBA’s Regional Director for Contra Costa County, Bruce Campbell, in the news! This vibrant music scene is not San Francisco, Nashville, New Orleans or Memphis, but one of California’s oldest towns, Martinez. This East Bay city of 38,000 has transformed their...
by Bruce Campbell | Jan 19, 2022 | 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...
