by Christine | Mar 13, 2008 | Welcome Column
The English language could use a few more words for “love.” Even the Greeks’ eros and agape aren’t enough. I love bluegrass music. I love my painstakingly collected aggregation of stringed instruments. I love chocolate cake. I love Barbara, my best friend, life’s...
by Christine | Sep 22, 2010 | Welcome Column
Shortly after dawn, on a cool October morning, Angus MacNabb arose from his austere bed. He stretched, scratched the stubble on his chin, broke wind and padded to the washbasin, where he splashed some cold water on his face. He studied his face in the cracked mirror,...
by Christine | Mar 1, 2017 | Welcome Column
(I first posted this about 12 years ago – and it got more response than any other Welcome Column I’ve done – apparently it struck a nerve!) There are an awful lot of songs in Bluegrass and country music that refer to the lonesome sound of a train...
by Christine | Feb 13, 2019 | Welcome Column
Yesterday, I stepped out of a coffee shop and was approached by a gentleman whom I did not recognize, but who appeared to recognize me. He was carrying several books and a playbill. “Are you familiar with the works of Mamet?”, he asked me. “Er, uh, you mean the...
by Christine | Jun 5, 2011 | Welcome Column
As the title implies, I’m the lucky one to write the first Welcome Column after the Great Web Site Melt Down of 2011. Losing contact with my bluegrass family for several days was almost too much to handle. I was even beginning to ponder the aspects of activating my...
by Christine | Sep 5, 2018 | Welcome Column
I have never, ever been very pleased with my face or hair, so it’s a happy coincidence that I began playing the most hat-friendly form of music ever: bluegrass. It could be argued that country music is even more hat-friendly, and maybe it is, but recently, the trend...
by Christine | Mar 19, 2020 | Welcome Column
One of my great pleasures nowadays is listening to those ‘complete recordings of…’ CD sets. These contain riches undreamt of back in the day when you had to search for LP releases of around sixteen tracks (if you were lucky) of your favorite artists. Indeed I remember...
by Christine | Apr 27, 2014 | Welcome Column
Wildflower Fest X at the McB Ranch is now history but I made some memories that will last…well as long as my memory lasts. This is a jam that is held each year at the peak of the wildflower blooming season in the mountains just east of Redding, CA. Our wonderful hosts...
by Christine | Dec 1, 2019 | Welcome Column
On this particular Saturday morning when Jed Idle awoke from one of the best dreams of his life, he had one thing in mind; one goal, one intent, one focus, one cerebral drive to reach a successful conclusion, which was, specifically, to learn a new tune on his...
by Christine | Jul 27, 2005 | Welcome Column
OK! You have practiced your bluegrass pickin’ and singin’ chops and honed them to near perfection. You have found 3 or 4 musical comrades whose skills complement your own, and have sweated and struggled to create a tight cohesive bluegrass unit. Your harmonies are...
