by Bert Daniel | Aug 14, 2025 | Welcome Column
Today was back to school day here in Sonoma county. Kids return to school pretty early here. Where I grew up in South Carolina we had at least a couple of weeks still before the summer was over. Often when we returned to school we had to write the obligatory essay...
by robin | Sep 1, 2025 | Bluegrass Musicians
photo by Lauren Hartmann In this series, Joselyn explores what it takes to make the leap from campground picker to professional performer. In this fifth installment, we hear from Sierra Hull, whose many accolades as a mandolinist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader...
by Bert Daniel | Sep 10, 2025 | Welcome Column
In my endless quest to try and discover the true breadth of traditional music I have decided to learn yet another instrument. I should probably just concentrate on the instruments I know fairly well and get better at them but the temptation is just too compelling. The...
by robin | Oct 1, 2025 | Bluegrass Musicians
In this series, Joselyn explores what it takes to make the leap from campground picker to professional performer. In this sixth installment, we hear from Darol Anger whose many accolades as a renowned fiddler, composer, producer, and educator include the IBMA...
by Bert Daniel | Oct 4, 2025 | Welcome Column
Life is what we make of it. Nothing could be more emblematic of that maxim than the special people who have made the best of things despite being dealt a poor hand. I really love seeing Danny DeVito in movies, on TV shows and even on commercial ads. Like Robert Reich...
by robin | Nov 1, 2025 | Bluegrass Musicians
photo by Robin Frenette In this series, Joselyn explores what it takes to make the leap from campground picker to professional performer. In this seventh installment, we hear from AJ Lee, whose many accolades as a mandolin player, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader...
by Bert Daniel | Nov 24, 2025 | Welcome Column
Until the early 1970s, people the world over freely obtained, exported, shipped internationally, imported, and used, in unlimited quantities, any product that was derived from wild animals (including the living or dead animals themselves). Musical instrument makers,...
by Bert Daniel | Nov 26, 2025 | Welcome Column
About sixty years ago on July 25th,1965 Bob Dylan created a firestorm at the Newport Folk Festival. He introduced electric guitars to the music set and many people didn’t like it at all. Well Dylan survived the criticism about the changes in his musical direction over...
by Bert Daniel | Nov 27, 2025 | Welcome Column
I lost my pick tonight while practicing. The pick fell into my instrument because it is a sin to grip the pick too tightly and I don’t like to sin. You get the best tone when your grip is loose and if you haven’t ever dropped a pick you have too much of a death grip...
by robin | Oct 30, 2024 | Reviews
NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival The annual festival was held in August at the San Benito County Historical Park in Tres Pinos near Hollister. Since its beginning in 1994 (thirty years!) its been a favorite festival featuring California bands and lots of...
