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...
by Bert Daniel | Oct 3, 2024 | Welcome Column
Hurricane Helene dealt a devastating blow to the heartland of bluegrass and Appalachian mountain music last week. I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I remember well the devastation Hurricane Camille caused in 1969 when it pounded the mountains...
by Bert Daniel | Oct 2, 2024 | Welcome Column
Technology has made so many things obsolete during the years of our industrial revolution. The traditional letter may be one of the next things on the list of obsolescence: If only I could hear just one little word From Mother and Daddy, my heart would fill with cheer...
by Bert Daniel | Sep 28, 2024 | Welcome Column
Every October first, people celebrate World Bluegrass Day. It happens this Tuesday but unfortunately you don’t get the day off. Often the date coincides with the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival here in northern California so you might want to take the day off...
by Bert Daniel | Sep 18, 2024 | Welcome Column
(editor’s note: Marty Varner is not only a fine young musician with deep bluegrass family roots, he’s a smart guy. Here’s an excerpt from his school thesis): Bluegrass has simultaneously been recognized as an archaic folk music and a living, popular art form. Although...
by Bert Daniel | Sep 11, 2024 | Welcome Column
One of my favorite bluegrass festivals of all time was the Plymouth Bluegrass Festival produced by Larry and Sondra Baker. They always somehow managed to get some of the best bands in the business to show up in the middle of nowhere and play great music. I’ll never...
