A Spendid Spectrum of Plectra

by | Aug 26, 2009 | Welcome Column

The easiest things in the world to lose are sunglasses and pens. They?re also among the easiest things in the world to break. Yet, remarkably, many folks pay hundreds of dollars for fine sunglasses and fancy pens, only to discover they get lost and break at exactly...

A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR MAKES THE MEDICINE GO DOWN.

by | Jun 30, 2019 | Welcome Column

What would happen in this one world of ours if we went around speaking our true feelings to each other – the unvarnished truth, plainly and directly? The President, for example, might say to another world leader, “I am going to appear to be listening intently to what...

A Story to Tell

by | Apr 23, 2020 | Welcome Column

I frequently hear people going on and on about the pre-war Martin or the Loar or take your pick of old instruments and how much better they sound than modern productions. Sometimes they are right, but in many instances, a good quality modern instrument will sound as...

A Tale of 8 Father’s Day Festival Rookies

by | Jun 22, 2011 | Welcome Column

This was a special year for me at the Father’s Day Festival. For one, I got to play on the Big Stage with a California Showcase Band – always an honor. Secondly, I was able to convince a number of people to come to their first Father’s Day Festival. Will this swell...

A Tale of Two Cities

by | Dec 14, 2010 | Welcome Column

Among my favorite experiences at the Fathers Day Festival each year is watching the near empty Nevada County Fairgrounds gradually swell into a fair sized little town over the course of eight or nine days. (By Saturday, it’s actually twice the size of the little town...

A Tale of Two Festivals

by | Sep 26, 2011 | Welcome Column

The twang of the last chord I heard at Bluegrassin’ in the Foothills at Plymouth is still ringing in my ears as I write this month’s column. At the same time, I’m making plans to host a houseful of guests for this coming weekend’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in...

A Tale of Two Jams

by | Jan 28, 2009 | Welcome Column

I was over at my mother’s house recently, helping her set up a new computer. So, I’m digging through her computer CDs, to see what programs she owns that I can add to her new system, and came across one that was marked Brookdale in green writing – and it looked like...

A Taste of 1983: A Dream Vacation for Five

by | Jan 17, 2020 | Welcome Column

This welcome column is a bit different from most. It is actually an article written for the Bluegrass Breakdown in 1983, written by Steve Pottier. I’ve been going through a lot of the old Breakdowns and finding some gems to digitize, and this is certainly one....