by Bert Daniel | May 24, 2021 | Welcome Column
In the 2012 biography Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers, famed singer- songwriter Kris Kristofferson states “the legendary Louvin Brothers’ hauntingly beautiful Appalachian blood harmony is truly one of the treasures of American music”. In order to gain...
by Dave Berry | May 23, 2021 | Welcome Column
This interview was my first Welcome and Porch Talk/Bluegrass Breakdown column with now Grammy Nominated mandolinist for Front Country, the superb Adam Roszkiewicz. It was not called Porch Talk yet. – Dave Bluegrass Interviews This is a new occasional column by...
by robin | May 22, 2021 | Welcome Column
There wouldn’t be bluegrass without someone to play it, but there also wouldn’t be bluegrass without fans to hear it. Jan Vincent is a bluegrass fan who has made a difference. Her Jan’s World website (https://jansworld.net/) has collected and preserved the...
by robin | May 21, 2021 | Welcome Column
It’s so encouraging to see Patrick Campbell’s recent headline on the CBA pages: “Live Music is BACK!” Playing music with other people in the same space has attained the status of an endangered species for over a year now, and we can but hope and pray that things will...
by Bert Daniel | May 19, 2021 | Welcome Column
Dare I say it? It looks (cautiously) like the pandemic is winding down. Things definitely seem to be getting better in California, but that’s a very general term. I’m excited about the possibilities, but I’m mindful of how many people have been so affected by this...
by Bert Daniel | May 17, 2021 | Welcome Column
Most bluegrass fans are familiar with Lester Flatt’s classic G run on the guitar. We hear that run over and over from guitarists at every bluegrass festival and it never gets stale. Most people play the G run by starting with the root G note and then sliding up from...
by Bert Daniel | May 13, 2021 | Welcome Column
(Editor’s note: It is a pleasure to introduce our newest welcome columnist, Aynsley Porchak. Many of you may remember seeing Aynsley at Grass Valley when she performed for us with her band Carolina Blue a couple of years ago. She is not only a talented fiddler but...
by Bert Daniel | May 9, 2021 | Welcome Column
For my money the best song ever written about Mother comes from Hazel Dickens. I like songs that tell a story, and this one about a young lady leaving home for the first time speaks to how a mother can strengthen and guide a child for their whole lifetime: I thought...
by Maggie Sokolik | Aug 26, 2021 | Interview
On August 17, in spite of a few technical difficulties, I managed to catch up with AJ Lee and Blue Summit, who were touring the East Coast. Zooming from my Airbnb in Eugene, Oregon, to their hotel room in Truro, Massachusetts, we talked about their new album, touring,...
by Bert Daniel | May 6, 2021 | Welcome Column
After 14 months of pandemic captivity, I played a gig last Saturday. It was so much fun, I’m planning to do it again this Saturday at the same venue, R&W Vineyards in Cupertino. The band that I’m playing with (and I use the term band loosely) is the Ames bluegrass...
