The Magic Touch

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...

The Maid in the Meadow

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...

What’s in a Name?

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...

The Many Moods of Bluegrass

Those who would disparage bluegrass accuse it of being overly maudlin. They say it’s just full of minor variations on a whiny, downcast tone and subject matter. It’s not hard to see why folks who don’t give bluegrass much of a listen might come to that conclusion....

The Many Moods of Bluegrass

Those who would disparage bluegrass accuse it of being overly maudlin. They say it’s just full of minor variations on a whiny, downcast tone and subject matter. It’s not hard to see why folks who don’t give bluegrass much of a listen might come to that conclusion....

The mayor of Wilson Way , Pete Busalacci

The daily grist; A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt; long enough to cover the subject, and short enough to create interest.    Winston Churchhill       This name may not be familiar to most of you folks, but...

The Memories of Miracles

“I may walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.”  –Abe LincolnIt was 1987 and I was finishing a run in Amsterdam, Holland.   This world tour was particularly brutal, because it spanned 6 continents and we had what we called split weeks, back to...

The Message Board

Good morning from Whiskey Creek, where said creek is currently resembling more of river than a creek, which is a good thing.  And I’ve heard Pine Mountain Lake is now full and actually spilling out where it’s supposed to spill out.  Again, very good. ...

The Mighty Oak

She forged a life with three marriages and from what I hear, good men–but wild hairs, in double-digit numbers—that I would come know as her lost lovers.  She was an adventurer; a dreamer; she was my paternal Grandmother, Stella.  She was as sharp a...