by Christine | Sep 10, 2014 | Welcome Column
I happened to re-listen to the classic “Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall” recently. It had been a few years, I’m ashamed to say, but it did mean I got to rediscover it. What struck me immediately is how sparse the sound is. My ears have grown accustomed to a...
by Christine | Nov 10, 2016 | Welcome Column
Sometimes it’s a little hard to tell when the world is changing forever. A couple of examples from my childhood: When I was about 15 years old the Hula Hoop was invented. Everybody in my neighborhood bought one and that summer in the evening after supper...
by Christine | Apr 17, 2010 | Welcome Column
One thing that all bluegrassers have in common is their love of fine, handcrafted, musical instruments. We love the sounds that emanate from the wood. The smooth, sensual contours of a guitar. The graceful curves of a mandolin. The delicacy of a fiddle and the strong...
by Christine | Nov 17, 2007 | Welcome Column
One thing that all bluegrassers have in common is their love of fine, handcrafted, musical instruments. We love the sounds that emanate from the wood. The smooth, sensual contours of a guitar. The graceful curves of a mandolin. The delicacy of a fiddle and the strong...
by Christine | Nov 7, 2013 | Welcome Column
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?” I guess I’ll find out today. I’ll get back to you by dinnertime with the early results. Just so happens, not by full moons, or solstices, or dia de los muertos voodoo but rather by an infrequent confluence...
by Christine | Sep 27, 2020 | Welcome Column
I have been fortunate enough to travel a great deal and I still get to travel quite a bit; of course there is always music to play. If one desires to be respectful of the people and places they visit, they tend to learn a little bit about the language, cultural norms,...
by Christine | Oct 19, 2016 | Welcome Column
I play music for fun, and sometimes I play music for money, and most often, we’re talking about the same gig that accomplishes both. The goals aren’t that lofty – have some fun, make a little scratch, so I can buy some strings and go out to lunch during the...
by Christine | Dec 24, 2017 | Welcome Column
For years I’ve tried to make a point of doing a Welcome Message sometime over the Christmas holiday. In the last couple days I went so far as to write down some notes, and even got an introduction knocked out. Then, this morning on Christmas Eve day, I sat down...
by Christine | Jul 23, 2019 | Welcome Column
(The Cop and I in the blazing sun -He gets all the votes; I get none.)There are some things, by golly, you just don’t get over! Warning: This is a rant about sometimes being right and sometimes being wrong and about always REMEMBERING being right, while mitigating the...
by Christine | Jan 19, 2011 | Welcome Column
To anybody that attends a multiday bluegrass festival, it’s obvious that those who spend the night (or nights!) fall into two rough categories: Tent or RV Camping. Now, not everyone who’s a “tent camper” actually has a tent, and maybe not everyone who falls into the...
