People Think You’re Stupid

People think you’re stupid. 1. They think you’re going to talk over the telephone when you pick it up and discover that a robot just called you! (Come on! Like you enjoy talking to the robot when YOU call about an important issue and get the robot instead of a human?)...

A Musical Life

Living with the Covid-19 restrictions is making me (and I suspect many of us) more reflective. Our regular pattern of life, previously taken for granted, has altered. In this changing world music has turned out to be a firm anchor, often in unexpected situations. Last...

Playing Music vs Almost Anything Else

A dear friend of mine, an accomplished musician, recently told me they didn’t seem to enjoy playing music anymore. This gave me considerable pause for thought. I don’t think this feeling had to do with any specific physical ailment. I have known quite a few musicians...

Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day, what shall we play? Probably not the only bluegrass tune I know of that actually has the word valentine in the lyrics: You can send me pretty flowers, you can sen me valentines Send me letters every day but it won’t pay Leap to my desire, nothing...

Sympathy Valley Boys

(Editor’s Note: here’s one of Cliff’s ftom a while back.  One of by most prized possessions is a an autographed Sympathy Valley Boys fly swatter) I opened the cupboard this morning, and the first thing I saw was my sympathy valley boys coffee cup, right there on the...

By the Numbers

It is interesting to think of just how old some of the music is that crept into the bluegrass genre from long ago. Bluegrass songs often tell a story. That might be a murder (most likely by a guy named Willie) but it might be something quite different. In the middle...

Foibles, Bon Mots, and Thoughts

Rest in Peace Tony Rice. You will be missed.“It’s never to late to be what you might have been.”  George EliotWhen life is sweet say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”  Shauna Niewuist“The bad news is that time flies. The...

The most amazing banjo solo of all time

There are a lot of great banjo players in the world, we all know. I guess if you had to pick one as the Very Best you’d have to go with Bela Fleck. A few weeks ago I watched a live stream on the internet from Nashville as Bela performed his own concerto for banjo and...